Chapter 139

Yin Lingxi gave her a cold look. “What do you mean?”

Gu Yanqiu offered no explanation. The faint smile on her face faded as well; she nodded slightly, polite and restrained. “Miss Yin, I need to take care of something. Please excuse me.”

With that, she pushed the door open and went inside, shutting Yin Lingxi out.

Yin Lingxi stood quietly at the doorway for a few seconds. A soft huff slipped from her nose, and a faint smile curved at the corners of her lips. Then she turned and descended the spiral wooden staircase with unhurried grace.

First, rule out the possibility that she had arranged it herself. Then there were only two options: either it was an accident Gu Yanqiu had deliberately created, or it really was coincidental.

What were the odds that she’d just happened to crash into Gu Yanqiu’s arms?

Yin Lingxi was inclined to believe it had been planned.

She returned to the spot where she’d nearly fallen moments ago and narrowed her eyes in recollection. The sensation of her dress hem being stepped on while she was walking had been unmistakable. Who had been around her then?

She’d had an unusually sharp memory since childhood; given a little time, she could root the person out.

Upstairs, in the room.

Gu Yanqiu’s phone lit up with a message from Gu Feiquan.

[Jiabei: You okay?]

[Xi Gu: I’m fine]

[Jiabei: Who was that?]

[Xi Gu: My mother’s ex-girlfriend’s daughter. I have something I want to talk to her about, so I drew her attention first?]

[Jiabei: ……]

Yin Lingxi hadn’t guessed wrong; the incident had indeed been arranged by Gu Yanqiu, as a form of psychological warfare. The fact that Gu Feiquan and Gu Yanqiu didn’t get along had already become an open secret. Even if Yin Lingxi, being from out of town, didn’t know it, once she entered this circle she’d naturally hear about it.

This little accident was just Gu Feiquan wanting to embarrass his half-sister; Yin Lingxi had unfortunately become the tool he used.

[Jiabei: She saw me]

[Xi Gu: ???]

Noticing Yin Lingxi’s gaze, Gu Feiquan calmly slipped his phone back into his suit pocket. One hand in his trouser pocket, the other holding a champagne flute, he smiled faintly as he chatted with a man standing two steps away.

Yin Lingxi replayed the scene in her mind, finally settling on a young man in the crowd: broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, tall and long-legged, dressed in a sharply tailored dark gray suit of excellent workmanship, paired with a contrasting tie. Above the collar, his brows and eyes were strikingly handsome, with a hint of resemblance to Gu Yanqiu. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, a smile played at the corners of his mouth, and his whole person was wrapped in an air of refined scum.

He kept that expression unchanged all the way until Yin Lingxi reached him.

Even with heels on, Yin Lingxi was still half a head shorter than Gu Feiquan. She tilted her face up slightly and said, “Hello.”

Gu Feiquan was genuinely sorry in his heart; stepping on a girl’s dress hem was unmanly, but his sister had given the order first, and he didn’t dare disobey. He bowed politely. “Hello.”

Yin Lingxi had already learned from others that he and Gu Yanqiu were siblings, and that the two had longstanding grudges. On second thought, she realized that though they were brother and sister, their temperaments were completely opposite. One smiled at everyone, three parts warmth and seven parts calculation; the other rarely smiled at all.

Compared with someone who hid knives in their smile, she would rather deal with someone like Gu Yanqiu, straightforward and direct.

Yin Lingxi’s gaze dropped to Gu Feiquan’s leather shoes. “Does Mr. Gu have something to say to me?”

She didn’t say it outright, but her expression made it clear she already knew the culprit who had stepped on her hem and caused her to fall was him.

Gu Feiquan set the wine in his hand onto a passing waiter’s tray and bowed half a bow with sincerity. “I’m very sorry.”

Yin Lingxi was a little surprised. But since he had apologized, and since this was an evening banquet, there was no need to press the matter further. She only said coolly, “I hope Mr. Gu will think twice before acting in the future. Don’t drag innocent people into your private grudges.”

Gu Feiquan bowed again, polite and composed. “Thank you for pointing that out.”

Yin Lingxi: “……”

These siblings...

Yin Lingxi returned to the side of someone she knew and took a sip of the wine in her hand, her brows faintly knitting.

A friend beside her lightly touched her arm, then withdrew at once, simply to pull her out of her daze. “What are you thinking about?”

Yin Lingxi shook her head. “Nothing.”

Something still felt off.

After a moment, she asked again, “How much do you know about the Gu siblings?”

***

After the banquet ended, Gu Yanqiu heard from Gu Feiquan that Yin Lingxi had come looking for him. She was slightly surprised. There were a lot of people at the time; Gu Feiquan had made his move from behind her all of a sudden, and the people standing beside him might not even have seen it. Yet Yin Lingxi had been able to pinpoint Gu Feiquan accurately from memory.

Gu Feiquan had innocently taken the blame and shamelessly asked Gu Yanqiu for compensation.

Gu Yanqiu said she’d buy him a new tie. Gu Feiquan pushed his luck and asked for a pair of shoes as well, but Gu Yanqiu refused; immediately after, he was bombarded with a stream of meme stickers from Gu Feiquan. He was approaching thirty, yet in front of Gu Yanqiu he was childish like a little kid.

[Xi Gu: You’re going too far. How many gifts have you asked me for?]

[Jiabei: When have I ever asked without reason? You can’t judge this by quantity; you have to judge by quality. Take tonight, for example; I stepped on a girl’s dress hem. If this got out, what if I end up a lifelong bachelor?]

[Xi Gu: ……]

Gu Feiquan yanked off his tie and tossed it aside. Hugging his phone, elbows propped on his knees, he sat on the sofa in the VIP ward and chatted with Gu Yanqiu on WeChat, unable to control the upward curve of his mouth. Gu Huai had fallen asleep early. He Songjun sat by the bedside, looking as though she were daydreaming or deep in thought; every so often, she would reach out to feel Gu Huai’s forehead.

These days, medical equipment was already very advanced, and Gu Huai’s illness had nothing to do with fever anyway, but He Songjun still devotedly stayed to care for him.

After just taking Gu Huai’s temperature again and confirming it was normal, He Songjun rotated her aching neck, stood up, and stretched. While pounding at her stiff lower back, she walked toward her son, who looked like he was about to grin into a flower.

Gu Feiquan had been keeping half an eye on the surroundings. His mother hadn’t even reached him before he pressed the screen of his phone off, locked it, set it to his side, and took the initiative to ask in a low voice, “Mom, you really don’t need to stay up with Dad this late every day. Just go to sleep first; I’ve got things here.”

He Songjun said, “Can you handle it? You’re so clumsy.”

“Fine, I’m clumsy, okay?” Gu Feiquan didn’t argue with her. He stood up, put both hands on her shoulders, and pressed her down onto the folding bed in the outer room. “Go to sleep already.”

He Songjun swatted his hand away and smiled. “Sleep isn’t urgent. Who were you chatting with just now, smiling so happily?”

Gu Feiquan grinned. “Nobody.”

He Songjun pointed at him. “Are you going to tell me or not?” Before Gu Feiquan could answer, she slapped both hands on her thighs. “I’ve raised this unfilial son all this time, and he can’t even find himself a wife.”

Gu Feiquan: “……”

If he dared tell the truth, He Songjun could pick up a broom right now and break his leg.

Gu Feiquan decided to lie. He awkwardly rubbed his nose. “Well...”

He Songjun’s eyes lit up as she looked at him. Was there really a chance? For so long, it had all been thunder without rain; the only one who had ever seemed a little promising had been back in college, and they’d broken up after graduation.

Gu Feiquan considered his words. “There is someone I like, but she doesn’t have any interest in me yet. We’re still in contact.”

He Songjun swept her eyes over him from head to toe. “Whose daughter is so lofty that she wouldn’t even look at my son, who’s so handsome and capable?”

Gu Feiquan hurriedly stopped her. “Mom, don’t talk about me like I’m some hot commodity. Other people may not think so. It’s better to be humble. Even the world’s richest man isn’t liked by everyone, let alone me?”

He Songjun pressed, “What’s her surname? Where is her family from? How many people are in her family? What’s their financial situation?”

Gu Feiquan: “……”

Making one up on the spot still required some thought. Yin Lingxi’s face flashed in his mind, and he took the opportunity to go with the flow. “Her surname is Yin. She’s not local. Her family situation should be about the same as ours.”

“From out of town? Wouldn’t that be inconvenient?” He Songjun fell into thought. “If her family’s really about the same as ours, that’s fine. I’m just afraid they’re better off than us, and then you’d have to marry into her family. Wouldn’t I hardly ever get to see you then? Maybe forget this girl. It’d be better to find someone local.”

Gu Feiquan laughed and cried at the same time. “Mom, Mom, Mom, there’s not even a hint of anything yet; she doesn’t feel the slightest bit for me.”

He Songjun seemed not to hear him at all and went on talking to herself. “If you really like her, then an out-of-towner is fine too, but you absolutely can’t marry into her family. Otherwise the two of you can buy a house in Yanning and build your lives here.”

Gu Feiquan snapped his fingers in front of He Songjun’s eyes.

He Songjun looked at him blankly.

Gu Feiquan pressed her back down, helped her take off her shoes, and covered her up with the blanket. “Mom, go to sleep already, okay? I’ve got this under control.”

He Songjun said, “Eh?”

Gu Feiquan had already gone into the inner room. The sofa in the ward could be unfolded into a bed, and Gu Feiquan had been sleeping in the hospital like this for the past while, playing the part of a dutiful son to perfection. He was handsome, rich, and filial; during his time in the hospital, he’d already charmed quite a few young nurses.

He Songjun looked down on young nurses. At the very least, she wanted someone from a family on equal footing with her son; someone like Lin Yuewei would be ideal. She hadn’t met many wealthy young ladies, and someone like Lin Yuewei, with both looks and family background top-notch, was the first choice. It was just that her personality was a little too stubborn; her son probably wouldn’t be able to handle her. Better to find a gentle, well-bred girl from an ordinary but decent family.

At the thought that her son seemed to have a future now, He Songjun felt that her present life wasn’t so unbearable after all. Even if Gu Huai never put her in his heart, she still had a son to count on.

He Songjun slept more soundly that night than she had in days, and before sleeping she was already thinking about asking Gu Feiquan for more information tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Gu Feiquan had finally managed to squeeze a pair of shoes out of Gu Yanqiu, and he went to sleep in high spirits as well.

After returning home, Gu Yanqiu took a shower and still hadn’t received a message saying Lin Yuewei had finished work. Unable to hold out any longer, she sent a “good night” first and went to sleep.

All was silent.

Beneath the same moonlight, Lin Yuewei was filming a night scene far away, thousands of miles from here.

She had already been suspended in the air by wires for five hours; adding the two hours from the afternoon, her thighs were so tightly bound they’d gone numb, the pain piercing straight to the bone as she NG’d over and over. It wasn’t her problem; it was the female lead’s. The female lead didn’t have any dance training, and her limbs were stiff. Most of the fight choreography had to be done by a stunt double, but there were some moves she had to perform herself. On the wire rig, she stumbled and flailed, losing her footing left and right; once she moved her hands, she forgot her feet, and the whole body was rigid.

For six out of the seven hours, Lin Yuewei had been hanging in midair, waiting while the female lead repeatedly adjusted, reset, and NG’d again.

In the end, even the production team couldn’t watch anymore and let Lin Yuewei down, saying they’d shoot again tomorrow and she should go back and get some proper rest.

Lin Yuewei was half-supported by Wang Yuanyuan as she limped toward the car.

The female lead jogged over and apologized to Lin Yuewei. “Sorry about that.”

Lin Yuewei waved her hands quickly. “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

The female lead looked remorseful, then let out a sigh.

Lin Yuewei slowly bent and sat down in the backseat of the car, sucking in a sharp breath. Wang Yuanyuan hurriedly steadied her again. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not okay,” Lin Yuewei said through gritted teeth. “Get me a cushion.”

Wang Yuanyuan put a wool cushion under her. Lin Yuewei sat with her legs apart; both legs, especially the upper half, hurt and felt numb, as if they were almost no longer her own.

On the way, Wang Yuanyuan told her about the female lead: she’d gotten famous through a variety show, and behind her was a very hard backer, which was how she’d landed the lead role. For horseback scenes and fight scenes, she basically never did them for real; she used a stunt double for everything. Sometimes, if she had conflicts and couldn’t make the schedule, all the close-up scenes were cut, leaving only a side profile or a back view, with the double serving as a background prop.

Lin Yuewei said, “She seems pretty decent?” She didn’t act like a diva, and on set she was also very humble; whatever the director said, she did, but... maybe her talent wasn’t very high? Her progress seemed to be a little strained.

Wang Yuanyuan snorted. “Being decent is about her only plus point. There are so many good people in this world; why don’t they all go be actors? If you don’t have the diamond, don’t take on the porcelain work. She’s messed up the job, and ‘she’s a good person’ somehow makes it okay?”

She sounded full of resentment. Lin Yuewei laughed. “Why are you so cynical now?” You weren’t like this before.

Wang Yuanyuan said, “Because I’m familiar with you now. I can vent a little.”

Listening to her vent eased the pain on Lin Yuewei’s body for the moment, so she said, “Then keep venting.”

Wang Yuanyuan said, “Our female lead keeps saying in every interview that she’s working hard to improve her acting, but she keeps taking one role after another. Where does she have time to sit down and really improve? If her talent’s poor, then it’s poor; diligence can make up for clumsiness. Anyway, her fans say every day that she’s very hardworking, but I still don’t know where that hard work is. All she can do is glare and pout; she’s not even one-tenth as good as you.”

Lin Yuewei smiled. “If you’re going to talk about her, talk about her. Why drag me into it?”

Wang Yuanyuan blinked and said, “I’m your fan, aren’t I?”

Lin Yuewei was half-believing, half-doubting, and clicked her tongue. “Can I ask you a question, Sister Yuan?”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you say that about every artist you’ve ever managed?”

“Well...” Wang Yuanyuan lowered her head in embarrassment.

“One more question.”

“Ask away.”

“If you were managing the female lead today, how would you talk?”

“You’ve already done great today; you’ve made a huge improvement since last time. In this circle, acting skills aren’t the most important thing; character is. Acting can be improved slowly. I believe you’ll succeed.”

“You really know how to tell people what they want to hear.” Lin Yuewei gave her a thumbs-up.

Wang Yuanyuan modestly exchanged a few polite words.

While they talked, the hotel arrived.

Lin Yuewei got out with one hand braced on Wang Yuanyuan’s palm and slowly walked toward her room. Wang Yuanyuan took out the ointment from her bag and urged Lin Yuewei to go shower quickly. Lin Yuewei looked at her like she was facing a great enemy. “For what?”

Wang Yuanyuan raised the ointment in her hand, matter-of-fact. “To rub medicine on you, of course. If I don’t, do you still want to get up tomorrow?”

Lin Yuewei flatly refused. “I’ll do it myself.”

Wang Yuanyuan was speechless. “Do you really have to be like this? I’m just a lonely, pitiful, helpless little assistant.”

Lin Yuewei waved her off. “Go back to sleep. I can do it myself.”

Wang Yuanyuan asked a gossiping question, “Your girlfriend even gets jealous over this?”

Lin Yuewei glared, her expression stern. “What do you know? This is the self-cultivation of someone who’s already married.”

Wang Yuanyuan saw right through her tough facade and laughed without exposing her. She set the ointment down. “Fine then, I’m going back to sleep. Call me if you need anything, Weiwei.”

Lin Yuewei said, “Go ahead, Sister Yuanyuan.”

Wang Yuanyuan closed the door for her. Lin Yuewei stepped forward, hooked the safety chain into place, and limped into the bathroom to shower.

The shower took ten minutes; applying the ointment took twenty. She took pictures of her injuries with her phone camera, planning to send them to Gu Yanqiu and play up her misery a little so Gu Yanqiu would say something sweet to comfort her. But just before sending them, she pulled her hand back. Better not make her worry. She deleted the photos.

Lying in bed, she found that as the medicine took effect, the wound started to itch. Lin Yuewei couldn’t sleep, so she picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Qu Xuesong’s name.

[Two Woods: Teacher Qu, I’m almost done filming. When you’re free, let’s have a meal together.]

She didn’t expect Qu Xuesong to reply quickly. After sending it, she switched to Weibo and, in the quiet, empty depths of the night, curled up under the blanket and scrolled through the homepage.

A notification popped up at the top of the screen. Lin Yuewei tapped it and: “!!!”

[Teacher Qu: No time]

Very cold, very heartless.

Lin Yuewei swore she had definitely never seen Qu Xuesong so petty before, so she coaxed her back: [Just a meal together]

[Teacher Qu: No time]

Lin Yuewei said a few more nice things, even sending several crying and begging stickers, but Qu Xuesong remained unwaveringly unavailable. Later she replied with a change of tone: [Really no time. I’m not lying to you; my schedule has been very full lately]

[Two Woods: Are you mad at me?]

[Teacher Qu: Heh heh]

Lin Yuewei: “……”

So she still was mad, after all.

[Teacher Qu: We’ll talk when I have time. About to take off, bye]

Then she disappeared. Lin Yuewei opened her Moments to take a look. The last post was from two days ago; it was just a meme, a cat lying there dead on its feet. She really did seem extremely tired.

Could it really be that she wasn’t targeting her?

Qu Xuesong’s assistant kept her head deeply lowered as she wordlessly handed over a steam eye mask. Shaken by the low pressure surrounding Qu Xuesong, she didn’t dare say a single extra word. Rumor had it that the last assistant had been fired because she talked too much.

In fact, the truth was not like that. Qu Xuesong’s previous assistant was a relative of her agent, someone gossipy and ill-mannered. Qu Xuesong had endured it for a while before she finally had no choice but to fire her.

But once rumors spread, the truth no longer mattered.

Just like the claims that she had a bad temper, that she threw her weight around, that her private life was chaotic, that she’d slept her way to the top, that she had terrible relationships in the industry... Even some people within the industry didn’t know what was true, and Qu Xuesong couldn’t be bothered to defend herself.

Once, while filming a variety show where she was a regular, some of the other guests who had lost to her privately asked, “Have you already secretly married? The media says you have.” As for who the hidden spouse was, they had more than a dozen different candidates.

She rarely got angry over other people’s words anymore, but today’s incident made her furious beyond measure. She thought that after so many years, she had already put it all behind her.

That evening she had a booking: a charity banquet hosted by a certain magazine, where she had been invited to attend in dazzling style. And what a coincidence that among the people seated at her table was Ji Han, who had brought along her current girlfriend, Shao Yasi.

Ji Han never said it outright, but Qu Xuesong knew the little girl sitting beside her was dating her. The way Ji Han looked at her with longing was exactly the same as the way she used to look at Qu Xuesong.

That girl seemed to be Lin Yuewei’s friend. She had come to visit the set before, and Qu Xuesong remembered her. Out of goodwill and as a reminder, Qu Xuesong found an opportunity to get close to Shao Yasi, wanting to warn her to be more careful and not trust the other woman. But Ji Han guarded her too tightly, practically never leaving her side. It had taken Qu Xuesong ages to slip Shao Yasi a note, telling her to watch out for the wolf beside her.

Whether that kid was missing a few screws or had been drugged silly by Ji Han, she took the note in one hand and passed it straight to Ji Han in the next. Qu Xuesong had written in a hurry and forgotten to disguise her handwriting, so Ji Han recognized her.

“I thought it was over between us, but I never expected that you’d still be so fixated on me after all this time.”

“Don’t come and disturb my life. I never disturbed yours, did I?”

“A clean break is the way adults handle things. Don’t cling like a child.”

Was the other woman an agent or what? Her tongue was sharp as a knife. Qu Xuesong had long since grown used to being misunderstood and snapped back at until she had nothing to say; she only gave a cold laugh and let it go.

What came after was what truly infuriated her.

Their seats were very close together, and the girl surnamed Shao quietly asked whether the rumors about her were true. Ji Han answered every single one with a yes, and even told her to stay away from her.

If she were to search her conscience, Qu Xuesong had never believed she had done anything fundamentally wrong in that old relationship, and she had never told anyone she’d had a relationship with the other party. Her romantic scandals had been endless; one after another, names from A to Z, more numerous than some actors’ trending topics. Yet she had always been the one hidden in the shadows, the one without a name. She had been Ji Han’s first love, and today Ji Han could smear her so freely in front of her new fling.

No, perhaps not just her. That woman had a silver tongue and a talent for deception; perhaps she spoke about every ex like this.

Qu Xuesong endured the nausea until the banquet ended, took a group photo, and refused the magazine editor-in-chief’s invitation to supper, citing business, then sat in the airport for four hours.

Lin Yuewei had also simply run into bad timing. Just after Qu Xuesong had been made to tremble with anger by her friend Shao Yasi and Ji Han, she saw Lin Yuewei’s message and her attitude turned sour.

Later, Lin Yuewei’s apology was sincere, and she absolutely had no intention of kicking away the bridge after crossing it. Qu Xuesong had already stopped being angry with her; she was genuinely busy with work and hadn’t rested even one day over the New Year.

She tore open the steam eye mask package and placed it over her eyes, adjusted her seat, and suddenly called her assistant’s name.

“Yes,” the assistant replied, her voice slightly trembling.

Qu Xuesong wanted to tell her not to be so afraid of her. As long as one didn’t make a major mistake, she was actually very easy to talk to. But when the words reached her lips, they suddenly felt pointless, and she didn’t feel like saying them. Her voice only grew colder instead. “Read out my schedule. See if there’s any day coming up when I’m free.”

The assistant checked her calendar. “At the beginning of next month, you have two days of bookings in Yanning, for a new commercial. The shoot shouldn’t take long.”

“Which two days exactly?”

The assistant gave her the dates.

Qu Xuesong memorized them, pulled down the eye mask, and wanted to send Lin Yuewei a message. She reached for her phone, only to remember it was turned off. Leaning back, she said lazily, “Remind me again after we land.”

The assistant respectfully said, “Okay.” Then she wrote it down in the notes app on her phone, which was in airplane mode, so she wouldn’t forget and incur Qu Xuesong’s wrath and get fired. Although Qu Xuesong had a lousy personality, she was generous as a boss and didn’t make many weird or absurd demands of her assistants.

After confirming that Qu Xuesong had fallen asleep, the assistant finally dared to close her eyes and doze off a little herself.

When Lin Yuewei woke up in the morning, she replied to Gu Yanqiu’s message first, and only then saw the two dates Qu Xuesong had sent over. Once she finished filming this scene, she should be temporarily free of work.

It had been more than half a year since her debut, and the dividends from traffic were nearly used up. Her new drama hadn’t aired yet, so she was in that awkward period between rising and leveling off. Some newly debuted stars, when they had no work, would go on variety shows to get more face time; they’d take any sort of show, even obscure eighteenth- or nineteenth-tier ones. Very few became truly popular, let alone exploded in popularity. The effect was practically nonexistent, more of an act of self-entertainment within fandoms, a means of minimizing fan loss.

Chen Xuan had consulted Lin Yuewei’s opinion and, combining it with the plan her own team had made for Lin Yuewei, decided not to take on too many variety shows for the time being. If a good opportunity came up, she would have Lin Yuewei appear as a one-episode flying guest; as for the filler invitations, she’d simply turn them down.

Lin Yuewei was an actress. She debuted as an actress, so moving into the variety-circuit celebrity lane was unrealistic to begin with; steadily and pragmatically following the acting path was what Chen Xuan had positioned her for. Of course, with fandom culture flourishing now, once Lin Yuewei had actual works, she would naturally gain an endless stream of fans. At that point they could build a marketing package for her and hype her up. Right now, any hype was just a tree without roots or water without a source; without works beneath her feet, it was flimsy. Moreover, variety shows could only create celebrities, not actors, and could even have a negative effect on actors. A variety-show persona would make audiences break character when watching an actor’s genuine performances. Some actors who had become variety-show regulars were so deeply associated with that image that, in serious works, they ended up having the opposite effect. It would be more stable for Lin Yuewei to go on variety shows after she had a representative work. At this stage, she should keep her feet on the ground and improve her professional skills. Otherwise, even a good script would only be wasted.

The Bai deputy team leader role in Mist City had an advantage: it happened to suit her own personality. Lin Yuewei knew she still had many shortcomings; after finishing this costume romance drama, she would continue to make up for them and refine her acting skills.

[Two Woods: I should be free. Let’s confirm again two days in advance.]

Ten days later, Lin Yuewei “died” beneath the male lead’s sword, collected her wrap gift, and wrapped up smoothly. She was the earliest scheduled cast member in the crew, and also the first supporting role to finish filming.

Lying on the ground, Lin Yuewei wiped the tears that had just fallen from her face after crying during the wrap scene and sat up. Before she could get her bearings, the female lead rushed at her first and knocked her back down again.

Lin Yuewei bit her lower lip. “Hiss—”

Her tailbone had almost been broken on impact.

“Ohhh.” Lin Yuewei could clearly hear the girls behind her making a commotion.

Things were different from before. Back then, male-male or male-female pairings were all the rage, but now CP marketing was no longer limited to BL and heterosexual pairings; girls’ love could be marketed too. Who didn’t like a pair of beautiful ladies together? It was pleasing to the eye.

Lin Yuewei pushed at the female lead’s shoulder. “Can you get up first?”

The female lead rubbed her face against the neckline of Lin Yuewei’s clothes before sitting up reluctantly, her eyes also full of tears.

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Wait, when had she ever been this familiar with the female lead? In the past three weeks, the total number of words they’d exchanged probably hadn’t exceeded a hundred, and that included every “thank you,” “no problem,” “you’re welcome,” and “it’s nothing” counted together.

The female lead sniffled. “I can’t bear to let you go.”

Lin Yuewei was moved as well. “I can’t bear to let you go either.”

She thought: sigh, I didn’t expect that even after wrapping, I’d still have to act.

The female lead said, “Are you free after this? Do you want to stay in the crew a couple more days?”

What would she stay two more days for? To watch you act? That would be a disaster. Lin Yuewei put on a troubled expression. “My agent has arranged bookings for me.”

The female lead said regretfully, “You’re leaving today?”

Lin Yuewei said with great pain, “Yes, yes.”

She stood up, bent down, and extended a hand to the female lead, pulling her up along with it.

The female lead brushed the dust off herself and said, “Let’s keep in touch.”

Lin Yuewei smiled kindly. “Definitely.”

The female lead raised her phone. Lin Yuewei scanned it and added her as a contact.

After the female lead stepped back, Lin Yuewei hugged the director, the actors, and the other staff one by one. The director said a few blessings and warm wishes to her, and there wasn’t even a wrap banquet. In the afternoon, Lin Yuewei left the set in high spirits.

The moment she got into the van, she took out her phone and planned to report the good news to Gu Yanqiu. She had actually wrapped a day early; her expected return time should have been tomorrow.

Lin Yuewei put away her phone and kept bouncing her leg, unable to suppress her joy at going home.

Last time, she hadn’t wanted to go home this much even after more than three months; this time, it hadn’t even been a month and she was already missing it terribly. This time, not only would she mark a Big Dipper on Gu Yanqiu, she’d make twelve constellations too. First this, then that, then that again; should she order a white lab coat online? That seemed a little too exciting, more what’s-its-name than a suit. Better not buy it yet; take things step by step.

As Lin Yuewei thought about it, her entire face flushed a strange red, and she couldn’t control the grin stretched all the way to her ears. She couldn’t help but reveal a lewd little smile.

There was only one person beside her, and she could still be this lovey-dovey. Seriously.

Wang Yuanyuan sighed and put on her Bluetooth earphones; the solemn chanting of the Great Compassion Mantra surrounded her ears, helping her calm herself.

At four-thirty in the afternoon, Lin Yuewei was already on the plane bound for Yanning. As usual, she messaged Gu Yanqiu:

[Two Woods: I got off work early today]

Gu Yanqiu was at the company, her expression gentle as she curved her lips and replied:

[Xi Gu: You got off work so early. What time do you land tomorrow? I’ll pick you up at the airport.]

[Two Woods: Don’t you have work tomorrow? I can go back on my own]

[Xi Gu: Just take a half-day off. Picking you up is more important.]

Sweetly, Lin Yuewei typed: [Aiya, I’m not a kid anymore. I can go back by myself. Trust me.]

Gu Yanqiu insisted: [No. I don’t feel at ease, and you’re a celebrity. What if someone recognizes you? And what if someone gets ideas because of your looks?]

Lin Yuewei followed her line of thought: [Then I’ll bash his dog head in.]

Gu Yanqiu held firm: [No matter what, it’s not allowed. I have to pick you up.]

Lin Yuewei typed shyly: [Okay, okay, then come pick me up. Tomorrow at three in the afternoon.]

Wang Yuanyuan, sitting beside her, saw her expression at once and got goosebumps all over her arms. Lin Yuewei composed herself, looked out the window at the far blue sky, and pretended nothing had happened.

Since she had to turn off her phone for the flight, to avoid giving herself away, Lin Yuewei sent one more message:

[Two Woods: I’m wrapping tomorrow, so the crew is having a dinner gathering tonight. I’m going to eat now; I probably won’t be able to reply for a while.]

[Xi Gu: Understood]

The plane was about to take off, and Lin Yuewei seized the moment: [Muah muah]

[Xi Gu: Go on, muah muah]

At the flight attendant’s reminder, Lin Yuewei switched on airplane mode.

She was so excited she didn’t sleep the entire trip. The moment she got off the plane, she headed straight home. Following Gu Yanqiu’s usual routine, by the time she got home, Gu Yanqiu should be there already, preparing dinner or in the middle of eating. Then she would suddenly open the door, meet Gu Yanqiu’s surprised gaze from the dining table or kitchen, and shout, “Surprise! I’m back early. Unexpected, right? Happy surprise, right?”

They would run toward each other and share a passionate kiss.

Perfect.

Lin Yuewei wore a baseball cap and kept glancing at her watch. The driver could tell she was in a hurry and picked up speed, putting all his years of driving experience to use. They raced along and arrived seven or eight minutes earlier than expected.

Lin Yuewei glanced at the meter in front and took three red bills out of her wallet, handing them to the driver. “No change needed. Thank you, sir.”

Then she flung the door open and darted out like the wind.

The driver stayed where he was, not starting the car, and looked after Lin Yuewei with a complicated expression.

The wind blew back again. Lin Yuewei said awkwardly through the car window, “Sir, could you open the trunk for me? I forgot to take my luggage.”

The driver got out, personally took the suitcase out for her, and said, “If I had forgotten too and just driven off like that, where would you even find your luggage? So careless.”

“I’m rushing to see my partner,” Lin Yuewei said with a laugh. “This time I’m really leaving. Drive safely on the way.”

From the neighborhood gate to the front door, Lin Yuewei dragged her suitcase the whole way. It was a long stretch, and she sprinted down the residential path. A neighbor out walking a dog at night only saw a flash of black shadow; Lin Yuewei wore a pure black down jacket, and even her cap was black, the brim pulled very low. The neighbor was so frightened they trembled, and even the dog started barking.

Lin Yuewei scared several neighbors along the way. Sweating hotly, she stopped in front of the estate’s big iron gate. The villa was dark, and Lin Yuewei looked surprised. She opened the gate and went in, then strained her ears as she advanced, opened the door leading to the living room, and found the house indeed pitch black.

From the moonlight spilling in through the doorway, a black shadow shot out and landed on Lin Yuewei’s foot. A furry touch reached her first, and she already knew what it was. She found the switch by the door and pressed it; the black shadow turned out to be white.

Lin Yuewei shut the door, blocking the cold wind outside, bent down, and picked up Schroedinger. She gave it two strokes, then set it aside. Schroedinger immediately pounced back up, tilting its head to look at her with glowing blue eyes, meowing softly; it seemed to have suffered quite a bit lately. Seeing its dear mother, Lin Yuewei, it was extremely affectionate, as though complaining to her.

Lin Yuewei nudged it away. “Hold on, let me change my shoes first.”

After changing shoes, she picked Schroedinger up again. She hadn’t noticed when she first picked it up, but now she felt it: Gu Yanqiu had a unique method for making cats lose weight. In less than a month, Schroedinger had gone from a ball of meat to several pounds lighter, barely qualifying as a beautiful cat now.

“What did your dad do to you, poor thing?” Lin Yuewei stroked Schroedinger’s head.

Schroedinger meowed even more plaintively.

What had she done? Not only did Gu Yanqiu cut its food rations, she was indifferent to its attempts to act cute, and at home she even treated it like a dog, walking it as regularly as clockwork. If it was cold, they exercised indoors; if it was warm, they ran outside.

It had even raced the corgi next door.

If word got out, there’d never be another cat that liked a half-cat, half-dog creature like it.

Schroedinger kept meowing, and of course Lin Yuewei didn’t understand a word. She nodded in agreement, making “mm-hmm” sounds. Only after Schroedinger finished complaining did she ask, “Where’s your dad?”

Schroedinger: “Meow~”

Lin Yuewei: “You don’t know? Has he eaten dinner yet?”

Schroedinger let out a sharp cry: “Meow meow meow!”

Food!

Lin Yuewei’s next sentence extinguished its hope: “He probably already ate. I’ll go check the automatic feeder.”

She checked; it had been eaten completely clean. She ruffled Schroedinger’s head, pinched one soft paw pad with one hand and tapped its pink little nose with the other. “No more eating.”

Schroedinger stopped meowing, hopped down from her lap in indignation, and wandered off.

Lin Yuewei watched its swaying catwalk retreat and let out a “heh.” So it really was the case that whoever fed it was its mother. All that enthusiasm from earlier had been just to beg for a bite. The moment there was no food, it turned its face and left.

Of course, Lin Yuewei had never intended to learn Gu Yanqiu’s whereabouts from Schroedinger anyway. She went straight to call Gu Yanqiu.

It rang for quite a while before being answered.

“Why didn’t you send me a message?” Lin Yuewei asked, twirling the long hair in front of her with one finger, round and round.

Gu Yanqiu said, “I’m out having dinner.”

Lin Yuewei made a soft “oh.” Even though the surprise she’d prepared was gone, business was still more important. She reminded her, “Drink less.”

Gu Yanqiu said, “I haven’t been drinking. I’ve been drinking juice.”

Lin Yuewei found it odd. “What kind of business partner is so nice they let you drink juice?”

Gu Yanqiu glanced at Yin Lingxi, who was sitting alone at the table, and lowered her voice. “It’s not business. Something else. I’ll video call you when I get back.”

Alarm bells went off inside Lin Yuewei’s head.

Gu Yanqiu said, “I’m hanging up now. Love you.”

Lin Yuewei hesitated. “...I love you too.”

Gu Yanqiu pressed the hang-up button and took her seat in front of Yin Lingxi. Yin Lingxi raised her eyes to glance at her indifferently and said nothing, only lifting her juice to clink glasses with her.

An hour later, the sound of a car engine came from outside. Gu Yanqiu could see the lights at home from afar; when she came in, she was a little dazed. Then she saw Lin Yuewei sitting in the middle of the living room sofa with a cat in her arms. Her expression first froze, then burst into wild joy.

“You’re back and you didn’t tell me? I would’ve picked you up.” She quickly changed shoes, took off her coat, and walked toward the sofa.

“I’m not a kid anymore. No need to pick me up,” Lin Yuewei said with a smile.

“You did it on purpose; you wanted to surprise me, didn’t you?” Gu Yanqiu pressed her fingers against her temple, smiling. “I must have lost my mind. You said this afternoon that you were going to eat and couldn’t message me, so you must have boarded the plane then. How did I not realize it?”

By the time she finished the last word, she was already sitting beside Lin Yuewei.

Lin Yuewei turned and hugged her, burying her face in Gu Yanqiu’s neck and instinctively inhaling deeply.

Her brows knitted: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium; this wasn’t the perfume Gu Yanqiu usually wore.

The woman she’d gone out with tonight was a woman, and a very charming one at that.

“Who did you go out with tonight?” Lin Yuewei straightened up abruptly and asked.

Author’s note:

Please welcome Lin Gong with a performance of “Perfume Is Poison.” Hit it, music——

You smell like her perfume~ it’s my nose’s fault~ I shouldn’t have smelled her beauty~ wipe away everything and sleep with you~