Chapter 112

“Ran·Niohuru·Qingqing.” Lin Yuewei tossed out a meme that had recently gone viral again online. It came from the wildly popular drama from a few years ago, XX Zhuan. As expected, Gu Yanqiu, who never watched palace intrigue dramas, wore a blank, baffled expression.

Lin Yuewei explained it to her in detail, and Gu Yanqiu quickly understood, smiling as she said, “That’s pretty good.”

“It is pretty good, but…”

Gu Yanqiu shot her a questioning look.

Lin Yuewei glanced toward the kitchen, a trace of worry appearing on her face. “I’m just afraid she… isn’t as relaxed as she looks.”

After all, Ran Qingqing had been with Lin Dad for so many years; there had been cheating, then secret asset transfers. A love story that should have inspired envy had ended so ugly and bitterly. How could anyone not sigh over it?

As one of the people involved, and someone deeply emotional at that, was Ran Qingqing really as unaffected as she claimed?

Gu Yanqiu followed her gaze and her smile faded a little too.

Lin Yuewei let out a soft sigh.

Gu Yanqiu patted her on the shoulder and said, “No matter whether it’s true or not, you should stay home and keep your mom company for this period.”

Lin Yuewei asked, “What about you?”

Gu Yanqiu said, “I’ll come keep you company. Tomorrow I’ll go get Schrodinger and all its things and bring them over.”

Lin Yuewei said, “There’s a dog at my house too. What if they fight?”

Gu Yanqiu drew in a light breath. That really had not occurred to her. “Then should I just take care of the cat at home?”

Lin Yuewei looked at her pitifully. They had only just finished filming and finally had a few days to rest; now they were being forced to live apart.

Gu Yanqiu tapped her forehead and said, “I’ll think about it again.”

***

“Cat?” At the dining table, Lin Yuewei directly threw the problem to her mother. She said she and Gu Yanqiu planned to stay home for a few days, but there was no one to look after the cat in the house. What should they do?

Ran Qingqing had never kept pets before. “Will they fight?”

Lin Yuewei nodded.

The two of them hadn’t grown up together; one of them was in a strange place, and the other had had its territory invaded. They’d be strange not to fight.

Ran Qingqing said, “How about I lock my grandson in a cage? Walk him twice a day, morning and evening; have a servant hold the leash, and keep him in the cage the rest of the time.” Her grandson was the family dog, Corgi (named Kelji).

Gu Yanqiu thought it over and felt it was feasible.

As a devoted mother, Lin Yuewei couldn’t help thinking far ahead. What if Schrodinger didn’t listen and, before anyone noticed, ran out carrying itself and then came face-to-face with the dog, ending in blood splattering on the spot? Or what if the dog broke free from the leash, dashed up in a few quick steps, and clamped its mouth around the cat’s tail; Schrodinger would let out one miserable scream and there would still be blood splashing everywhere.

Lin Yuewei shuddered and said, “I’ll think about it some more.”

Gu Yanqiu looked at her; for some reason, she felt as though a great many things had flashed through Lin Yuewei’s eyes in that instant.

Boarding it at a pet hotel wouldn’t work either. Lin Yuewei not only wanted Gu Yanqiu, she also wanted Schrodinger, their “biological” daughter, to stay with her.

This time, Ran Qingqing didn’t pour them any alcohol. Gu Yanqiu hadn’t prepared Schrodinger’s food for tomorrow before leaving in the morning, and they still had to go back tonight. After dinner, they watched TV with Ran Qingqing for a while, then she saw them out.

Gu Yanqiu opened the car door and stood by it, watching the mother and daughter say goodbye.

Lin Yuewei hugged her mother and said emotionally, “Mom, don’t be afraid. You’ve got me, and that’s enough.”

Ran Qingqing said, “Having you isn’t enough.”

Lin Yuewei: “Huh?”

Ran Qingqing said, “Aren’t people all into little wolf dogs or little milk dogs these days? Once your mom gets divorced, I’m going to enjoy the beautiful bodies of young people too. I can’t let all the good stuff go to him alone.”

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Lin Yuewei walked toward the car door, waving at her mother with her back turned. “Your daughter is now offline.”

Ran Qingqing said, “You’d better hurry up and leave.”

Gu Yanqiu drove away from the Lin residence, getting farther and farther until they were like two lights floating on a lonely island.

Ran Qingqing looked around at the quiet surroundings, clenched a fist, and quietly cheered herself on. “Ran Qingqing, you can do this.”

***

Schrodinger was picked up by Lin Yuewei and held in her arms. Its paws were pulled apart to reveal its soft, snow-white belly; Lin Yuewei idly scratched it with her fingertip while staring at the wooden floor in front of her, lost in thought.

Gu Yanqiu hung up their thick coats, rolled up her sleeves, went to pour them both a glass of water, then sat down on the other sofa and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Lin Yuewei answered without missing a beat, “You.”

But her eyes were still fixed on the floor, not sincere at all.

Gu Yanqiu looked at her without blinking.

After being pinned by her gaze for a while, Lin Yuewei finally came back to herself and blinked. “Did you just say something to me?”

Gu Yanqiu smiled; the curve of it was a little dangerous. “Guess.”

Lin Yuewei hurriedly gave her a flattering smile. “I was spacing out just now. I didn’t hear you; say it again.”

“Nothing much. I just asked what you were thinking about.”

“Thinking about the cat.”

“How to bring it back to your house?” Gu Yanqiu thought she was worrying needlessly. “It’s not as if every cat and dog will fight to the death. And the dog’s locked in a cage now; nothing will happen. Worst case, we just have a servant watch the dog specifically.”

“I know; I just can’t put my mind at ease.” Lin Yuewei couldn’t go on. She sighed. “Sigh.”

“I’m going out to work; are you at ease about that?” Gu Yanqiu changed the subject.

“Of course. What’s there not to be at ease about?”

“When you’re filming outside, I’m not at ease. I worry you won’t eat well, won’t sleep warm enough, will run into difficult coworkers, will forget that I’m still waiting for you at home…” The more Gu Yanqiu said, the more she sounded like a wronged wife.

Lin Yuewei’s mind was full of what the hell.

Then Gu Yanqiu distilled the central idea and said, “You care more about the cat than you care about me.”

Only then did Lin Yuewei suddenly understand. So she was jealous.

She couldn’t help laughing. “Is that how all your boss ladies get jealous? You have to go around in a circle before people understand what you mean?”

Gu Yanqiu pouted. “But I’m not a boss lady. I’m just a little cutie.”

Lin Yuewei finally couldn’t hold back anymore and burst out laughing.

As if she hadn’t heard her laughter, Gu Yanqiu waited until she’d laughed enough before saying, “You said that yourself.”

Lin Yuewei remembered a conversation from one night and echoed frantically, “Yes, yes, yes, I said it.”

“So why are you laughing? Are you going back on your word?” Gu Yanqiu said solemnly.

The more serious she sounded, the more that seriousness carried a shameless undertone. Perhaps that was the highest level of being shameless; she could tease people without making a sound. Lin Yuewei’s heart stirred, and sure enough, she let go of the cat in her arms and leaned in to kiss her.

From forehead to the corner of her lips, little by little, every touch brimming with an indescribable fascination.

Gu Yanqiu narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

Lin Yuewei closed her eyes, immersed in the moment, and didn’t see the flash of smugness when Gu Yanqiu’s gaze met Schrodinger’s blue eyes.

Schrodinger: “……”

Hmph. Childish dad.

It turned around and presented its plump little backside to her.

Gu Yanqiu then closed her eyes as well, flipped over, pressed Lin Yuewei’s shoulder down, and slipped one hand beneath her neck to deepen the kiss.

They stayed affectionate for a long time, then sat up with a flustered, breathless air and helped each other straighten their clothes.

Schrodinger, who had turned away, somehow turned back around again. Its blue eyes seemed almost human, carrying a faint air of regret.

Lin Yuewei raised a hand and rubbed the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, a little embarrassed. “Should we go take a shower?”

“Mm.” Gu Yanqiu answered softly.

Just as she finished, a streak of white flashed past the corner of her eye. Schrodinger sprang off the sofa with remarkable agility, leaping several times in quick succession before reaching the staircase; in just a few more blinks, it had vanished up the stairs, heading straight for the master bedroom.

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Gu Yanqiu: “……”

The two of them went upstairs and rummaged everywhere, but in the end they found Schrodinger in a storage box in the closet. Originally, Gu Yanqiu had intended to send it out, but Lin Yuewei said, “Let it stay.”

Gu Yanqiu raised a brow and teased her, “Devoted mother?”

“Get lost.” Lin Yuewei made a vague shooing motion at her. “It’s not that. I’m a little tired today and want to sleep early.”

Gu Yanqiu let out a long “Oh” and said, “Fine.” She put Schrodinger down.

Schrodinger looked at Daddy and Mommy once, as though sensing something. It didn’t hide in the cabinet again; instead, it jumped onto the small sofa, curled into a ball, and closed its eyes.

Lin Yuewei found it strange. “It actually isn’t going to the bed today?”

Gu Yanqiu said, “Because there’s no one on the bed right now.”

Lin Yuewei: “...Okay then.”

She walked over and poked Schrodinger’s round head. Schrodinger lazily opened one eye, then closed it again, acting like some little lord.

Lin Yuewei couldn’t help reflecting on herself. “Are we spoiling it too much?”

Gu Yanqiu lifted her eyelids slightly. “A doting mother spoils her child.”

Before Lin Yuewei’s hand could come swinging toward her, Gu Yanqiu reacted quickly and slipped out of range, grabbed her clothes, and immediately ducked into the bathroom.

Lin Yuewei felt that she was also far too indulgent toward Gu Yanqiu; one of them and then the other, both of them kept getting on her nerves.

The sound of water came from the bathroom.

Lin Yuewei sat down on the empty single sofa, took out her phone, opened her schedule, and counted forward day by day. One, two, three days.

She could rest at home for a full week this time, and just thinking about going back out to work felt a little strange. She looked closely at the nearest item on her schedule: a new product launch for a top-tier jewelry brand, with several celebrities invited to appear and support the event. According to the official information her side had received, a lot of stars had been invited this time, including several breakout newcomers who’d blown up this year; of course, that didn’t refer to her, but to the current traffic idols who’d gone viral off a hit drama. There were also small players like Lin Yuewei; no matter what, it was still a chance to show her face and make new friends.

Lin Yuewei was looking forward to seeing familiar faces at the event, such as Qu Xuesong and Shao Yasi, but Qu Xuesong was too high-end for this kind of promotional appearance, and Shao Yasi had gone back to filming a new drama, so she was once again head-down on set and even bothering her much less.

While Gu Yanqiu was in the shower, Lin Yuewei checked everyone on the list and memorized their faces, as well as what recent works they’d had. Her memory was pretty good; after one glance, she could remember most of it.

Just as she was about to continue preparing for the other events, Gu Yanqiu had already come out. Lin Yuewei exited her memo, locked the screen, and placed the phone on the bedside table.

As soon as Gu Yanqiu sat down on the bed, Schrodinger darted over. Its tail brushed against her waist, and she happened to stroke its fur. At that moment Lin Yuewei’s phone vibrated. Gu Yanqiu leaned over to look: Chen Xuan.

Gu Yanqiu had heard this name quite a few times from Lin Yuewei; she was her agent.

Work matters were more important. Gu Yanqiu couldn’t hear the voice on the other end and thought Lin Yuewei might not have started washing up yet, so she picked up her phone and got out of bed, heading toward the bathroom.

She knocked on the door. Lin Yuewei’s voice came from inside: “What is it?”

Gu Yanqiu said, “Your agent’s calling.”

“Come in and open the door.”

Lin Yuewei had just finished taking off her clothes. Standing inside the bathroom, she pulled the door open a crack and held out one hand. “Give me the phone.”

The crack was not large, but although the bathroom door wasn’t transparent, it was glass; through the hazy outline, one could still make out the woman’s lovely figure. Especially from Lin Yuewei’s forearm upward; her skin was as white and smooth as congealed cream, extending all the way to her shoulders.

Gu Yanqiu’s face heated up. She cleared her throat and passed the phone into her hand. “I’m going out.”

Lin Yuewei took the call in a hurry and pulled the door shut. “Hello, Sister Chen.”

Her voice, carried by Gu Yanqiu’s footsteps, grew farther and farther away, until it was completely cut off behind the door.

Gu Yanqiu stood there with a blank expression, staring dazedly at the chandelier overhead. Every light in the room seemed to turn into Lin Yuewei; some were dignified, some lively, and some were bathing, and not just one of them was bathing.

Gu Yanqiu reached for the Buddhist prayer beads beside her, closed her eyes, held them in both hands, and slowly rolled them between her fingers while silently reciting the Heart Sutra.

Gradually, she entered a state where she was oblivious to everything else.

It wasn’t until Lin Yuewei opened her eyes that she finally drew in a heavy breath. Fearing she’d wake her, Lin Yuewei asked, “You still recite scriptures at night?”

Gu Yanqiu’s mind was clear. She looked at her with complete calm. “Helps me sleep.”

Lin Yuewei really believed her. “That useful? Then I’ll try it next time I can’t sleep.”

Gu Yanqiu nodded. “Okay.”

“But I basically never have insomnia anyway; I’m always sleep-deprived, haha.” Lin Yuewei slid down into the covers, closed her eyes, and yawned nonstop. “I’m going to sleep.”

She hadn’t slept all night last night, and she hadn’t napped at the Lin house during the day either. The moment her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep; her breathing slowly steadied.

Schrodinger was, as usual, carried off to the side. Gu Yanqiu lay down too. She, however, couldn’t quite fall asleep. Lin Yuewei was sleeping on her side; Gu Yanqiu slowly drew close to her back, and their body temperatures met. Still feeling it wasn’t enough, she pressed her lips together and carefully, slowly slipped her hand inside Lin Yuewei’s pajama top.

Lin Yuewei was sleeping too deeply to react at all.

Gu Yanqiu grew bolder. Licking her dry lips, she got an inch and wanted a foot.

……

Lin Yuewei was awakened by the alarm clock the next morning. She had gone to bed relatively early yesterday, falling asleep around ten, so by rights she should have felt refreshed. Instead, her waist ached and her back hurt, as if something had been pressing on her for a long time.

After thinking it over, Lin Yuewei asked Gu Yanqiu, who was sleeping beside her, “Gu…”

Gu Yanqiu wasn’t there.

Lin Yuewei looked around the room, then went downstairs and found Gu Yanqiu making breakfast in the kitchen. She stood by the doorway and quietly watched Gu Yanqiu’s movements, which were almost like she was making a piece of art, for a while before speaking. “Gu Yanqiu, did I have a dream last night?”

The chopsticks in Gu Yanqiu’s hand fell to the floor.

She bent down to pick them up, took another pair, and kept her eyes away from the doorway. “What dream? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

Lin Yuewei didn’t think much of it. “I woke up this morning feeling sore all over, especially my lower back and shoulders. Kind of like I’d been pressed down by a ghost.”

Gu Yanqiu’s chopsticks nearly slipped again. She remained calm. “Maybe. I think I heard you talking in your sleep last night.”

Lin Yuewei pressed one hand to her left shoulder and circled her arm in a big motion through the air. “I knew it. I slept for that long and still woke up this tired.”

Gu Yanqiu asked, “Did you brush your teeth?”

Lin Yuewei said, “No, I came straight downstairs to find you.”

With her back to Lin Yuewei, Gu Yanqiu cracked an egg into the frying pan. “Then go brush your teeth upstairs. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Okay.” Lin Yuewei bounced over, kissed her on the side of the face, and the sound was loud and crisp. Gu Yanqiu’s hand shook violently; she nearly turned the egg into an omelet.

Lin Yuewei: “???”

Gu Yanqiu let out a soft breath and looked at her reproachfully. “You scared me.”

Lin Yuewei laughed and went upstairs in high spirits.

Gu Yanqiu lowered her eyes to the egg in the pan. Not until the smell of something burning crept into her nose did she flip it over to the other side; the side she had first fried was already beyond saving.

Gu Yanqiu scooped the burnt egg out and tossed it into the trash, cracked another one, and this time watched it carefully. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from drifting off. This time she managed to remember to flip it before it burned, and a perfectly formed fried egg was placed on the plate.

She rubbed her face and shook her head hard, but the tips of her ears were still burning.

Honestly...

She’d lost her head.

When Lin Yuewei came downstairs and saw Gu Yanqiu reciting scriptures again, she couldn’t help blurting out, “You have insomnia in the morning too?”

This time Gu Yanqiu hadn’t calmed herself yet, and Lin Yuewei’s interruption left her at a complete loss for how to respond. She froze for a long moment before saying, “I… was telling Buddha I’m eating.”

Lin Yuewei burst out laughing without restraint.

“Isn’t saying a prayer before a meal a Western custom?”

“I’m doing both Eastern and Western,” Gu Yanqiu said awkwardly. She picked up her milk and took a sip, then flushed red and stubbornly argued, “Can’t I?”

“Of course you can. Say whatever you want.” Lin Yuewei’s mind was full of cute cute cute; of course there was nothing wrong with it.

She teased Gu Yanqiu on purpose. “Do you need to keep praying?”

Gu Yanqiu huffed, “No need. Buddha’s already heard me.”

Lin Yuewei laughed again.

She was discovering that Gu Yanqiu gave her a new surprise every day; she had no idea what kind of experiences could create such a lovable person.

Gu Yanqiu grew even angrier and ate breakfast with her head down.

She looked so upset, but that face, flushed far redder than usual the entire time, did not raise a shred of suspicion in Lin Yuewei.

After Gu Yanqiu finished being “angry,” she calmly drank the last of her milk and asked, “When Chen Xuan called you last night, was it something urgent?”

Only then did Lin Yuewei remember to tell her. “Right, I have an audition today.”

“An audition? What role?”

“Seems like a costume idol drama; the female lead’s senior sister.”

“Second female lead?”

Lin Yuewei held up five fingers.

Gu Yanqiu: “……” Then she frowned. “What’s there to audition for a fifth female lead? I could still maybe understand a third female lead, but fifth female lead? How many times will that even appear in the drama? You played second female lead last time, and now you’re playing fifth female lead? What kind of situation is that?” Even if Gu Yanqiu wasn’t in the industry, she knew that going from high to low like this wasn’t a good move. Lin Yuewei hadn’t even started yet, and it already looked like she was fading out.

Lin Yuewei glanced at her and sighed. She lifted one shoulder. “No choice. I’ve got to make a living.”

Gu Yanqiu indeed didn’t understand that either. “What?”

“……” Lin Yuewei decided next time she’d just talk to Gu Yanqiu like a normal person. She translated it into plain speech: “I have to earn money. I’m a nobody right now; I can’t just start off with lead roles and second leads, right? Besides, costume idol dramas shoot fast. Two or three months and they’re done, and they can air by the middle of next year. For Director Yang’s Mist City, post-production alone will take half a year, and then it still has to go through approval. It probably won’t air until the end of the year.”

Gu Yanqiu considered it and said, “You decide.”

Lin Yuewei said, “That was always up to me; I’m just letting you know.”

Gu Yanqiu didn’t like the distant tone of that sentence very much. Just as displeasure appeared on her face, Lin Yuewei quickly made up for it. “I haven’t shaken off this habit of doing whatever I want; the words just slipped out. Sorry.”

Gu Yanqiu pressed her lips together. “I don’t plan to interfere with your decisions. I’m just offering advice; whether you listen is up to you.”

Lin Yuewei admitted fault very readily. “My bad.”

With that, Gu Yanqiu couldn’t stay angry at her anymore and urged, “Hurry and eat breakfast. When is the audition? Can I take you there?”

“No need. It’s in the afternoon. I’ll have Wang Yuanyuan call me a car.”

“Mhm.”

“I’ll call my mom later and tell her I’m not going over today; something came up at the last minute.”

“Okay.”

“And also…”

“Mhm.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.” Lin Yuewei couldn’t help laughing.

“I just wanted to answer you twice.” Gu Yanqiu said.

“Why?” Lin Yuewei sat up straight and listened carefully, thinking Gu Yanqiu was about to act spoiled and say something sweet. She cried internally over what kind of day this was; first she’d been outrageously cute, and now this.

Gu Yanqiu hesitated, then looked at her. “In a couple of days, you’re going to be busy again.”

Lin Yuewei hadn’t expected that was what she meant, and something struck her heart, leaving it suddenly sour.

She pushed her chair back and stood, then walked around the table to hug Gu Yanqiu. Gu Yanqiu felt a little melodramatic herself and gently pushed her shoulder. In a low voice, she said, “Hurry up and eat. We still have to clear the dishes, or you’ll be late for work.”

“I’m not going out. I’ll clean up.”

Because of what Gu Yanqiu had said, when she was leaving for work that morning, Lin Yuewei looked extremely reluctant, as if they were about to go a year and a half without seeing each other. She was very sad.

Her acting had improved again lately, and seeing that expression on her face made Gu Yanqiu feel awful too. If this kept up, they’d probably end up holding hands and staring tearfully at each other, speechless with emotion. She quickly cut it off, helplessly saying, “Alright.”

Lin Yuewei said reluctantly, “Go to work.”

Gu Yanqiu drove the car out from the garage, while Lin Yuewei was still standing at the door. She rolled down the window and waved goodbye to her.

Lin Yuewei stood there motionless, smiling faintly.

Gu Yanqiu drove out of the gate and, out of habit, glanced at the rearview mirror. In the mirror, the small figure seemed to shape a silent word in her direction; her lips opened and closed, repeating it three times.

Gu Yanqiu slowly furrowed her brows. By the time the car was about to leave the neighborhood, she suddenly had a flash of insight and understood what those three words were.

Lin Yuewei watched Gu Yanqiu’s car disappear from view before slowly going back inside. Her phone buzzed in her arms; she took it out and saw—

[Xi Gu: Me too]

Author’s note:

Lin top: You figured that out too!!

Go, Imperial Palace!

Let me chop down the flag for Lin top!