First Encounter

Li Lan saw that she wasn’t speaking and asked again.

Zhu Qing came back to herself with a soft cough. She straightened her phone and angled her face to the most flattering position for the camera.

“It’s okay. I just forgot her, so Xiao Bao’s a little unhappy.”

Li Lan had initiated the video call, and Zhu Qing was a little excited. “What about you? Why are you at the beach?”

“I turned down an expo. After I finish the cover shoot this afternoon, I can go home.” Li Lan briefly mentioned the work she’d done over the past two days, then after a two-second pause, added, “And you?”

Zhu Qing said, “I went to the kindergarten and talked with the foreign teacher for a while. I also spent half the day studying the camera you gave me.”

Li Lan gave a slight nod. “Speaking of the camera, thank you for the set of photos you took. My fan count went up by more than four hundred thousand.”

“My little bit of photography is just icing on the cake; it’s because you never explored other styles,” Zhu Qing said sincerely. “Mostly, it’s because your conditions are so good.”

Li Lan said gently, “I still have to thank you.”

Zhu Qing had always been quick to climb higher once someone gave her a boost; she grinned. “How are you going to thank me?”

Li Lan paused, then laughed. “You tell me.”

Zhu Qing immediately sat up straighter.

“Can you tell me,” Zhu Qing cleared her throat and deliberately raised her voice to hide her nerves, trying hard to keep her tone steady, “how we met?”

She’d finally said it!

Inside, Zhu Qing set off a round of firecrackers for herself. Because of her own timid little thoughts, she really hadn’t dared to ask Li Lan about them.

Especially after learning that she had once laid hands on Li Lan and caused their relationship to fall apart, Zhu Qing didn’t even dare bring up what had happened between them before. She was afraid of provoking Li Lan’s rejection and shattering the current harmony.

But she was still curious; more accurately, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to learn more about their shared memories.

Li Lan was visibly stunned. Her expression went a little blank, and her gaze lost focus for a moment.

“Li Lan?” Zhu Qing swallowed nervously and urged her.

Li Lan’s eyes refocused and settled on Zhu Qing’s face.

When she spoke again, her throat felt dry. “Why do you want to know this?”

Zhu Qing looked serious. “Aren’t we about to go on a variety show? There’ll definitely be conversation on the show. If someone asks about the two of us, I can’t just know nothing, right?”

The reason was perfectly aboveboard.

A flicker of hesitation appeared in Li Lan’s eyes.

Zhu Qing went on, “Even if I say I fell and lost my memory, the director probably won’t buy it. If I seem like a stranger to you, that’ll affect the audience’s impression too, won’t it?”

Li Lan lowered her eyes and thought it over carefully for a few seconds, but then said, “Even so, there’s no need to pretend to be affectionate. The audience has sharp eyes; if something’s fake, they’ll spot it before long.”

Seeing that she’d misunderstood, Zhu Qing hurriedly said, “I’m not trying to act. I genuinely want to understand our past!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, both of them froze.

Zhu Qing was thin-skinned; her cheeks turned pink at once.

Li Lan stared at her blankly, as if she didn’t understand what she meant.

Zhu Qing’s brain whirred as she tried to cover for herself. “Anyway, you have to understand me. You don’t know how terrifying it is for me to have lost my memory.”

The more she said it, the more aggrieved she sounded. “Xiao Bao says I used to spoil her a lot and wants me to go back to how I was. I want that too. I don’t even know how to get along with you two. I don’t know anything.”

Li Lan’s expression shifted. Almost on reflex, she comforted her, “You’re still pretty good now.”

That was the truth. Zhu Qing had only lost a year of memories; she hadn’t become a completely different person. The Zhu Qing now was no different from the one Li Lan had known before.

If there was any difference at all, it was only in her attitude toward her...

Li Lan lowered her eyes. Since the argument that had broken out between Zhu Qing and her more than two months ago, they had never again managed to get along in complete peace.

At that thought, Li Lan felt as if her mouth had been sealed shut with concrete. Even opening it had become difficult.

With a dejected look, Zhu Qing pleaded in a small voice, “Just tell me. I only want to know how we met, and how we, cough, fell in love.”

Li Lan asked with some difficulty, “That’s all?”

Zhu Qing nodded like a pecking chick. “Mm-hmm!”

Li Lan couldn’t find a reason to refuse. After hesitating for a long time, she finally began.

“A large studio complex was built in B City. It had everything from ancient residences to modern villas to Western-style castles; the styles were complete and the quality was excellent. Many crews booked shooting slots two years in advance, so it was very sought after. The investors held a banquet, and a lot of people from the entertainment industry went. At the time, I’d only just started to get a little name recognition in the country. The studio received an invitation, so I went to the dinner with them as well.” Li Lan’s gaze drifted far away, and as memories surfaced, a gentle smile appeared in her eyes. “You and Qian Cancan were sitting at the same table as me. Qian Cancan was busy taking photos with female celebrities, while you were busy tugging at her. Then Qian Cancan came over to me holding a wineglass, and you pinched her hard enough to hurt, dragged her away, and even apologized to me.”

Zhu Qing followed Li Lan’s account and pictured the scene.

She remembered that studio. Qian Cancan’s family liked buying land everywhere; back in university, she’d heard Qian Cancan mention that a studio was going to be built on a certain plot in B City. Part of that land was forestry land leased by Qian Cancan’s family. The studio wanted to turn the area into an outdoor filming location, but Qian Cancan’s family thought there were legal risks and didn’t believe they could push the government to change the land’s designation, so there had been a huge amount of wrangling. Qian Cancan’s parents had sent her to B City several times to look into it before it was finally approved.

The investment in that filming base had been enormous, and half the entertainment industry had shown up. That was where Zhu Qing and Li Lan had met at the banquet.

Framed that way, Zhu Qing understood.

No wonder. Li Lan and she were clearly from two different worlds. How would they ever have had a chance to meet? But with this explanation, it did make sense. Rich people all ran in the same circles; as long as you had money, you could invite celebrities.

The banquet must have been dazzling, with beautiful men and women gathered everywhere. Qian Cancan would absolutely have been like a butterfly in a sea of flowers, fluttering around with delight. Li Lan was so beautiful; it made perfect sense that Qian Cancan would stare at her.

And Zhu Qing herself probably wouldn’t have been any better than Qian Cancan.

Based on Zhu Qing’s own understanding of herself, a woman like Li Lan, someone whose every cell seemed to have been grown right along her aesthetic preferences, would definitely provoke a huge reaction in her. Simply admiring that beauty from afar would never have been enough.

Zhu Qing was the type who acted on impulse. Ever since she was little, no one had really controlled her. Other kids could get whatever they wanted by talking sweetly, acting spoiled, or making a fuss and crying a little; she was different. Whatever she wanted, she had to fight for herself. Over time, that shaped her personality.

When she wanted something, she would definitely make the first move.

Eyes full of expectation, Zhu Qing asked, “And then? I came up to you, we had a friendly conversation, and then we exchanged contact information?”

Li Lan’s expression turned a little subtle. She shook her head. “You were blushing and didn’t even dare to lift your head. After apologizing in a very small voice, you dragged Qian Cancan away.”

Zhu Qing choked instantly. So much for making the first move; why had she been so cowardly!

She coughed lightly. “Then what happened later... how did the two of us, you know, end up together?”

Li Lan’s gaze softened, and she said quietly, “I was busy socializing. I barely ate anything at the banquet and only drank, so by the end I was a little drunk. There was a hotel next to the banquet hall that the organizers had arranged, and our invitations also included hotel key cards, so I went to the room to rest.”

Zhu Qing’s eyes lit up. She’d said it; she definitely would’ve taken the initiative! “I went to knock on your door?”

Li Lan nodded helplessly, a complicated look flickering across her face. “You probably went to the wrong room. I was a little low on blood sugar at the time, and I thought maybe you had something urgent to tell me and wanted me to help you call for food, so I opened the door.”

Zhu Qing’s heartbeat sped up and practically shot through the roof. She held her breath. “Then what?”

Li Lan tilted her head slightly and no longer looked at the screen. It took her a long while before she said, “You... were drunk.”

After those three words, Li Lan fell silent.

Zhu Qing could hear the heavy, unfinished implication in her tone.

She was drunk!

What did people do when they were drunk?

In an instant, eight hundred melodramatic plotlines flashed through Zhu Qing’s mind—wall slam? Forceful kiss? Or just pin her down on the bed and do this and that?! Oh my god!!!

————————!!————————

Zhu Qing: Th-th-this, th-this this this this... this isn’t what I imagined at all!!!

Li Lan: Give up your fantasies and face reality.