Chapter 101
The message Cheng Guiyuan sent Lin Yuewei read: 【I’m sorry, wifey, I was wrong. What time do you get off work tonight? I’ll wash up and wait for you】
She’d even added a cute little emoji at the end. In any case, it was nothing like Gu Yanqiu’s usual “smiley face.”
Gu Yanqiu stared at the message for a full half minute, and the fire in her chest didn’t die down in the slightest.
Why should she be the one to give in first? Lin Yuewei was the one who hung up on her. At most, she wouldn’t hold it against her; at most, she wouldn’t force her to apologize the next time she sent a message. But backing down first was impossible. Absolutely impossible. Not in this lifetime.
Gritting her teeth, Gu Yanqiu long-pressed the message and chose “retract.”
Looking at the little line of system text, she was still thinking: if Lin Yuewei really knew she was wrong, then seeing this retraction would make her take the initiative to contact her. If she didn’t, that meant she wasn’t remorseful at all; in that case, even better. She could forget about Gu Yanqiu admitting to a mistake that wasn’t hers to begin with to someone who wouldn’t repent.
If Cheng Guiyuan, already on her way home, had known about what came next, she would have regretted not lingering for another two minutes, just to watch that message become impossible to retract.
But things were already like this. As for how fortune would turn, only the two of them could resolve it. First love always came with more bumps and bruises.
***
As for Lin Yuewei, after she and Gu Yanqiu had that huge fight the night before last, she’d been just as remorseful, especially after hanging up impulsively. She’d nearly called back on the spot, and in the end, nearly did.
She stared at her phone, turning things over and over in her mind: this couldn’t all be her fault. Gu Yanqiu had provoked her first. Didn’t she know how much work pressure she’d been under lately? Why had she stirred all this up? Why never trust her? A little jealousy now and then was spice; mindless jealousy was a nuisance. Lin Yuewei felt that she didn’t like a jealous person who flew off the handle without distinguishing right from wrong. She’d grown up this far without anyone ever daring to shout at her like that, without anyone ever daring to be fierce to her. Yes, Lin Yuewei had interpreted the two lines Gu Yanqiu said when she lost control as being fierce. Besides, Gu Yanqiu had been the one to be fierce first.
What did she mean, “I already apologized to her for disturbing you on her behalf; now it’s your turn to apologize”? Was that the point? Why was Gu Yanqiu apologizing for Cheng Guiyuan? Did that mean Gu Yanqiu and Cheng Guiyuan were on the same side, and she herself was just the unreasonable, troublemaking outsider? That was exactly what she meant!
If Gu Yanqiu really cherished her, really cared about her, then why couldn’t she soften first? As long as she did, Lin Yuewei guaranteed she would obediently admit fault and let bygones be bygones. Besides, after Lin Yuewei hung up, couldn’t Gu Yanqiu call back? Didn’t she know she was in a rage and not in control of herself? Was making a phone call going to cost her life or something?
The two of them somehow arrived at the exact same conclusion and ended up in a cold war for the entire night. Not to mention a phone call; not a single word passed between them.
They were both waiting for the other to give in.
Lin Yuewei didn’t lose sleep, but she spent the whole night dreaming a jumble of nonsense. In one of the dreams, Gu Yanqiu was shouting at her, her voice getting louder and louder, until Lin Yuewei slapped out at her and woke herself up. She sat up in bed, her head aching like it had been split open.
After massaging her temples and feeling a little better, Lin Yuewei got up to wash up and change.
She didn’t want to think about Gu Yanqiu, but while memorizing lines and during breaks in filming, her mind kept drifting that way. When Qu Xuesong came to look for her, Lin Yuewei almost couldn’t hold back and pour her heart out. In the end, she restrained herself, and while the two of them discussed today’s scene together, Lin Yuewei temporarily forgot those troubling thoughts.
And so the stalemate dragged on until now.
【System message: West Gu retracted a message】
Lin Yuewei sneered inwardly and thought: Fine.
She didn’t know what Gu Yanqiu had sent, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was attitude. If you were apologizing, then apologize. If you were still fighting, then keep fighting. What was the point of sending a message and then retracting it? Was she insulting her? Or was she expressing contempt?
Lin Yuewei typed a random string of characters into the input box, then retracted it too.
So what if it was a retraction? Like anyone couldn’t do that.
Gu Yanqiu had just gotten off work and was on her way to a dinner engagement. Today, she’d opened her chat with Lin Yuewei countless times, terrified of missing a message from her. She thought: Lin Yuewei is such a proud person; if she sees that I haven’t replied for a while, she’ll probably assume I don’t want to forgive her. So she kept opening the chat again and again.
Lin Zhi glanced at her through the rearview mirror and said, “Miss Gu.”
Gu Yanqiu answered distractedly, “What is it?”
Lin Zhi asked, “Are you in a bad mood today?”
There was still no message. Gu Yanqiu pressed the phone screen down against her knee and said frostily, “No. You’re overthinking it.”
Lin Zhi: “……”
Based on his understanding of Gu Yanqiu, this reaction could only mean…
Lin Zhi: “Did you and your girlfriend have a fight?”
Gu Yanqiu found it strange. Was the words “I fought with Lin Yuewei” written on her face? Why had even Lin Zhi figured it out? She kept her tone cold. “No.”
Lin Zhi let out a timid “oh” and said, “If you did fight, don’t let it get too ugly. It’ll hurt the relationship.”
Gu Yanqiu irritably thought: Why does everyone have to find fault with her? Was she the one trying to make things ugly? Who was the one who hung up first? Lin Yuewei herself was the unreasonable one, the impossible one.
At a red light, Lin Zhi stopped the car at the intersection and, gauging her expression in the mirror, asked, “President Gu, are you… the one on top?”
Gu Yanqiu: “???”
What the hell?
Thanks to his girlfriend—no, his fiancée now—Lin Zhi not only shipped Lin-Shao, he also read fan fiction, and he knew the jargon inside and out. In his personal opinion, someone like Gu Yanqiu, an iceberg CEO type, would usually be the one in the dominant role.
Gu Yanqiu frowned. “What does that mean?” Had she discussed this topic with Lin Zhi before?
Lin Zhi said, “It means the one who takes the lead in the relationship. Or, um… the one who’s on top when it comes to that kind of thing.”
Gu Yanqiu said, “Oh.”
She thought: If I were the one taking the lead, would Lin Yuewei still be able to hang up on me? As for that kind of thing, they hadn’t even done that kind of thing yet.
So Gu Yanqiu answered, “No. I’m not.”
Lin Zhi: “!!!”
Heaven help them. He’d never expected that Miss Gu would actually be the submissive one.
His shock was so obvious that Gu Yanqiu had no choice but to ask, “Why are you making that face?”
Lin Zhi shook his head. “Nothing.”
The light ahead turned green, and Lin Zhi drove through the intersection.
He must have been thinking of his own arguments with his fiancée, because after driving for a while, he couldn’t help bringing it up again. “In a relationship, there’s always someone who has to give in first. Look at us men; we usually spoil our girlfriends a lot. When we argue, we should yield if we can. As for you…”
Gu Yanqiu cut him off. “I didn’t fight with my girlfriend.”
Lin Zhi: “……”
All right. This conversation was going nowhere.
Gu Yanqiu lowered her head and fiddled with her phone. Her finger was already on the back button when a new message suddenly bubbled up in the chat with Lin Yuewei.
【Two Wood: heheheheheehheh】
Before she even had time to think, the message disappeared in a flash.
【System message: Two Wood retracted a message】
Gu Yanqiu slammed her fist into the seat beside her.
Fine. Very fine. She was messing with her, was she?
No remorse whatsoever.
Lin Yuewei retracted it back in kind, but instead of feeling the expected relief, she only felt even more stifled. She called out to Wang Yuanyuan, “Water.” Wang Yuanyuan brought it over, and with a face full of ire, Lin Yuewei shoved the phone back into Wang Yuanyuan’s arms.
Wang Yuanyuan looked baffled. “Huh?”
Wasn’t she fine just now? Why had looking at her phone suddenly made her so angry?
Acting coach Teacher Chi came over just in time to catch the scene and asked in surprise, “What’s going on?”
Lin Yuewei stood up and bowed respectfully. “Teacher Chi.”
Teacher Chi asked, “Bad mood?”
Lin Yuewei smiled. “It’s nothing. I’m just under a bit of pressure.”
Teacher Chi said, “You’ll get through these few days and it’ll be fine. Director Yang is treating everyone to dinner; are you going?”
Lin Yuewei said, “I’m going. I’ll just change clothes first.”
Yang Xiao had invited the main cast and supporting cast to dinner. Filming on set was going very smoothly, and everyone got along well, so the meal was lively and warm. Lin Yuewei was close to Qu Xuesong, and their roles on set were of comparable weight, so of course they were seated together.
Qu Xuesong looked her over and said, “You’ve been really off these past two days.”
Lin Yuewei poured her a drink. “There’s a little private matter bothering me.”
Qu Xuesong curved her eyes. “Mind telling me about it?”
Lin Yuewei pressed her lips together and said frankly, “Sorry, not really convenient.”
Qu Xuesong put on a wounded expression, though it was obviously fake enough for anyone to see through. She clutched her chest and said, “I’m so heartbroken.”
Lin Yuewei laughed at her. “What are you heartbroken about?”
Qu Xuesong said, “Heartbroken that you don’t have the good fortune to accept my counseling.”
Lin Yuewei chuckled under her breath. “Hahaha.”
Because of the rumors, the two of them drew a little attention at the table. After teasing her, Qu Xuesong raised her glass toward the director, producer, acting coach, and the others. “Director Yang, Teacher Chi, Teacher Fang, let me toast you.”
The others all lifted their glasses in return.
The atmosphere at the table was harmonious.
Lin Yuewei had already finished one round of drinks and was still clear-headed. When she went to pour a second round, Qu Xuesong pressed down on her wrist, shook her head, and lowered her voice in reprimand. “This isn’t the place for you to drown your sorrows. Put it away.”
Lin Yuewei was forced back by her gaze and weakly defended herself, “I wasn’t planning to get drunk.”
Qu Xuesong was smiling, but her eyes were cold. “Good.”
She pulled the teapot over, took a clean cup, and said, “Drink tea.”
“……” Lin Yuewei really didn’t drink any more.
She was a little afraid of Qu Xuesong like this.
Qu Xuesong’s tolerance for alcohol was astonishing. After the meal, she wasn’t even slightly tipsy. In the end, she was the one who took charge of arranging transportation for the people who were drunk or half-drunk, sending each of them back safely to their hotel without the slightest hint of airs.
The more Lin Yuewei saw that side of her, the more she recognized just how charming she was, and the more she felt indignant on her behalf over all the people who knew nothing about her and still maligned her through rumors.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Qu Xuesong turned back and saw her expression. Smiling, she said, “I’ll think you’ve fallen for me. My standards are very high.”
Lin Yuewei: “Huh?”
Qu Xuesong patted her head. “Let’s go.”
Their relationship was different from before now. Lin Yuewei no longer had to avoid her constantly. They stayed on the same floor of the hotel, came over from the set in the same car, and of course left in the same car as well. Naturally, Wang Yuanyuan was still following along; she remained uneasy about Qu Xuesong, especially after drinking. If Qu Xuesong’s libido suddenly got the better of her and she did something reckless while drunk, it would be too late for regrets.
Qu Xuesong escorted Lin Yuewei back to her room. At the door, she was about to leave when Lin Yuewei suddenly stopped her. “Teacher Qu.”
Qu Xuesong raised a beautiful eyebrow. “Mm?”
Lin Yuewei asked, “Want to come in and sit for a bit?”
Qu Xuesong instantly put on a wicked expression. “Wow. Aren’t you afraid I’ll do something to you?”
Lin Yuewei smiled. “Cut it out, Teacher Qu. I have something I want to ask you.”
Qu Xuesong’s act immediately collapsed. “All right.”
Qu Xuesong came in, and Lin Yuewei pulled over a chair for her. She herself sat on the bed, fished out her phone to glance at the time, locked it, then placed it face-down on the bed.
“Teacher Qu, don’t blame me for being abrupt.” Lin Yuewei did a little warm-up.
“I won’t. Go ahead. If I stay here too long, people are going to start imagining things again.”
“Teacher Qu…” Lin Yuewei pinched each of her knuckles one by one with her thumb; her chest rose and fell slightly faster with each breath. Summoning her courage, she looked up and met Qu Xuesong’s eyes. “Do you like me?”
“……” Qu Xuesong’s expression immediately turned extremely complicated.
Lin Yuewei said sincerely, “I… I’m not being narcissistic, or anything like that. I just want an answer. You only need to tell me.”
Qu Xuesong first formed a smile, then, seeing how serious she was, asked, “Is this question very important to you?”
“Mm.”
“All right, then I won’t tease you.” Qu Xuesong answered with equal seriousness. “I do. But not in the way your brain is thinking right now.”
“The way my brain is thinking?” Lin Yuewei pressed for more.
“The romantic kind. No. There’s the kind of fondness an older sister has for a younger sister, and the kind of fondness a friend has for a friend.” Qu Xuesong reached out and rubbed her head, a trace of gentleness in her gaze. “Satisfied?”
Lin Yuewei bowed to her. “Thank you.”
Her obvious relief made Qu Xuesong unable to resist asking, “Have you been worrying about this for a long time? How come I never noticed you were this narcissistic?”
“No.” Lin Yuewei stuck out her tongue at her. “It just suddenly occurred to me today, so I wanted to ask clearly.”
Qu Xuesong laughed. “Kids are kids.”
Lin Yuewei said, “Teacher Qu, it’s late. You should go back and sleep.”
Qu Xuesong was shocked. “You’re kicking me out already?”
Lin Yuewei had grown bold enough now to push her luck, tossing Qu Xuesong’s own words back at her as she smiled. “You said people would gossip, and it really is late. Go to bed. Good night.”
She practically herded Qu Xuesong out of the room, then jogged back inside in small quick steps and anxiously unlocked her phone. Inside was, as expected, the recording app already open. Lin Yuewei hit stop, opened the recording file, and clearly heard that line: not the romantic kind. No. There’s the kind of fondness an older sister has for a younger sister, and the kind of fondness a friend has for a friend.
Success!
With this evidence in hand, she refused to believe Gu Yanqiu would still be overthinking everything.
Lin Yuewei opened her chat with Gu Yanqiu; on the screen was still the system message from several hours earlier showing her own retracted message.
Two Wood: I have evidence now
Delete.
Two Wood: Why won’t you reply to me
Delete.
Two Wood: I recorded something today. Listen and see whether you were being unreasonable
Delete.
Two Wood: Fighting is pointless. Let’s make up
Lin Yuewei wiped every word from the chat box clean, then listened to the recording once more and backed it up separately on her computer and USB drive, terrified that this hard-won evidence might disappear.
Gu Yanqiu was really annoying. Once she decided not to talk to someone, she really meant it.
Before sleeping, Lin Yuewei thought.
***
After Cheng Guiyuan had given Gu Yanqiu her suggestions, she followed up with a phone call that evening to check on the latest progress.
“Made up yet?”
“No.” Gu Yanqiu was already lying in bed, in a terrible mood. She’d drunk too much at the dinner engagement and had a headache; she didn’t want to talk about the headache either. “I’m sleeping now. Good night.”
Cheng Guiyuan: “Hello?”
That didn’t make sense. She’d been cruising through the dating world for so many years without ever missing, so something must have gone wrong somewhere.
Cheng Guiyuan was genuinely worried about this twenty-five—no, already twenty-six—year-old late-blooming first love of hers. The next day she went straight to Gu Yanqiu’s company. After hearing that Gu Yanqiu had retracted the message after she left, she honestly didn’t know what to say.
Cheng Guiyuan clutched her chest. “You’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days.”
Gu Yanqiu said, “Want some quick-acting heart pills?”
“No thanks.”
Gu Yanqiu made an “oh” sound and went back to her documents.
Cheng Guiyuan racked her brains and came up with a new plan, but before she’d even started, Gu Yanqiu said, “Forget it. She’s wrapping up the day after tomorrow. I can’t be bothered to type to her.”
“Can’t be bothered?” Cheng Guiyuan exposed her mercilessly. “Or are you just too embarrassed to lower your pride?”
Gu Yanqiu spread her hands, looking carefree. “Believe whatever you want.”
Cheng Guiyuan’s lips curled in amusement. “President Gu, how come I never realized you were so full of yourself? Looking all calm and carefree on the outside, but inside you’re bleeding, aren’t you?”
Gu Yanqiu’s face went red and white in turns.
Cheng Guiyuan tactfully reined it in. “Cooling off for a couple of days is fine too. With the way the two of you are at each other’s throats, talking might not work anyway. But when she wraps, you absolutely have to pick her up at the airport. If you miss this chance too, then just prepare to keep cold war going.”
Gu Yanqiu said darkly, “Got it.”
Cheng Guiyuan said, “Give me your phone.”
Gu Yanqiu refused outright. “No.” She was definitely going to send more words to Lin Yuewei; she just didn’t want to be the one to back down.
Cheng Guiyuan sighed. “You stubborn thing. I’m not sending anything. I’m setting a reminder for you, so you don’t forget when you get busy. A lot of things are just small matters, but when little matters pile up, they become big matters. Go pick her up. You hear me?”
Gu Yanqiu reluctantly said, “I know.”
She understood the priorities clearly. She had to go pick her up, no matter what.
Cheng Guiyuan set the reminder, didn’t return to the previous screen, and handed the phone straight back to her. Gu Yanqiu glanced up at it: Top priority—if you don’t get to the airport, your girlfriend will run away. Hurry up and send a message to ask about her flight.
Gu Yanqiu: “……”
Cheng Guiyuan asked, “When do you get off work?”
Gu Yanqiu said, “Midnight.”
Cheng Guiyuan sat down on the sofa and pulled out her phone to browse the internet. “Then I’ll wait a bit. Let’s have lunch together at noon.”
Gu Yanqiu said, “Okay.”
***
The morning of the wrap shoot, Lin Yuewei reached for her phone as usual and opened WeChat, only to unexpectedly find a message from Gu Yanqiu.
【West Gu: Tell me your flight home】
Lin Yuewei couldn’t help the corners of her mouth from lifting, and she replied in a cool, matter-of-fact tone: 【X Airline XXXX】
After that, there was no reply.
The wrap banquet was held Wednesday night, with everyone from the crew attending.
Lin Yuewei posted a nine-grid photo set on Weibo.
Lin Yuewei V:
【#Mist City# wrapped! Thanks to everyone for all your hard work, love you all @Mist City TV official Weibo… @Qu Xuesong @Qin Li… [image][image][image][image]……[image][image]】
Gu Yanqiu opened the photos with her alt account and flipped through them one by one. On the last picture, she found a shot of Lin Yuewei and Qu Xuesong with their arms around each other, facing the camera and flashing peace signs; it was cheesy and very intimate, and in anger she gave the post neither a comment nor a like.
Early Thursday morning, before dawn, Lin Yuewei left the hotel with her assistant Wang Yuanyuan and headed to the airport for the earliest flight of the day. She was hungover, dizzy and foggy, and slept all the way on the plane. When she got off, her steps were unsteady, and Wang Yuanyuan helped steady her by the arm.
Gu Yanqiu sent a second message:
【West Gu: Are you there?】
【Two Wood: I’m here】
【West Gu: I’m at Exit X; black pants, black windbreaker, Martens】
Lin Yuewei collected her luggage and walked out of the exit, where she spotted Gu Yanqiu at once in the crowd. Her presence and appearance were simply too striking; Lin Yuewei couldn’t help but look straight at her.
Had Gu Yanqiu gotten thinner?
Lin Yuewei suddenly thought.
Wang Yuanyuan said softly, “Weiwei, I’m heading off first.”
She wasn’t stupid; she could tell there was something weird between the two of them.
Without saying a word, Gu Yanqiu stepped forward and took Lin Yuewei’s suitcase from her hand, then walked ahead in silence. Lin Yuewei followed after her in equal silence.
Author’s Note:
Lin Yuewei: I was afraid you’d be angry, so I deliberately put Qu Xuesong in the last photo; how could you not get me!
Gu Yanqiu: You know I hate her, and you still put Qu Xuesong as the grand finale!
Qu Xuesong: What does this have to do with me? Why drag me into a married couple’s argument?
Cheng Guiyuan: Why don’t we just make do together, then? Wronged CP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
No idea why writing the leads fighting makes me so happy ╰(*°▽°*)╯