Chapter 156

Since the conversation started, Shao Yasi spilled everything she knew.

Qiu Yu’an was a little younger than the two of them and was studying at the Film Academy now. He had good grades and was apparently a top student, so he probably had some acting talent. His father, Qiu Zhongkai, had spared no effort and spent big to clear a path for his son personally.

Shao Yasi hadn’t gotten the script yet. It was probably a historical serious drama, set against an alternate backdrop similar to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, where warlords rose one after another and every side took its turn in the spotlight. The reason it was called Fatal Jade was, first, because of the saying, “An innocent man is ruined by a jade he carries”; the plot would begin with the whereabouts of an imperial jade seal. On another level, it also used the male lead’s patient concealment of his brilliance to gradually unfold the grand sweep of history through small details.

Generally speaking, this kind of drama was very hard to shoot. There had once been a few major dynastic dramas that exploded in reputation, but in recent years there had been very few productions of this sort. There were many reasons for that. Precisely because of that, works in this genre were rare, and the market for them was broad, provided the final drama could be made to a high standard. The demands on the director, script, and actors were all extremely high.

Coincidentally, Director Qiu Zhongkai had helmed the previous two historical serious dramas. He was famous as one of the conscience-preserving directors of domestic television. This year he was already over sixty; Qiu Yu’an was born late in life and was showered with every possible kind of love, which was why Director Qiu had gone to such lengths to pave the way for him.

In this day and age, there were plenty of terrible dramas, but if a show’s quality was solid and it respected the audience, the audience would naturally respond in kind.

Just the name Qiu Zhongkai alone, plus the cast list that was about to be revealed, would be enough to draw half the entertainment industry running. Lin Yuewei was no exception. Aside from the dramas she had already filmed, including Mist City, the scripts she had now were all mediocre; they were neither worth keeping nor worth throwing away. Of course she would want to try for something better.

“Are there many female roles in this drama?” That was one of Lin Yuewei’s main concerns; from the sound of it, this seemed like a male-led ensemble piece, since it was about contention for supremacy.

“Lots,” Shao Yasi said excitedly. “Have you seen Water Margin before? Even in the One Hundred and Eight Heroes of Liangshan there were Sun Erniang and Hu Sanniang. And do you know Yang Family Generals? There were a whole bunch of female generals...”

She went on and on, and Lin Yuewei had to work hard to extract the key point. “You mean there are female warrior roles?”

Shao Yasi nodded, then leaned closer and said in a low voice, “There’s also one young nobleman who cross-dresses as a man for the sake of reviving the family’s great cause. I really wanted to play that role, but Hanhan wouldn’t let me. She said I look too feminine, so in the end she arranged for me to play a gentle-on-the-outside, tough-on-the-inside young lady from a prestigious family. The kind who uses her brain. That’s good too, right?”

“It is good.”

Ji Han had planned Shao Yasi’s path to stardom very well. Although actors were supposed to be able to transform into a thousand faces, and a good actor should be able to handle many different kinds of roles, there was an unavoidable problem: some people were naturally limited in the roles they could play. Shao Yasi was the textbook example of a delicate, refined young lady; her frame was slim and fine-boned, and asking her to play a female general charging across the battlefield would be like forcing a duck onto a perch. It was like those people who were born otherworldly and ethereal but insisted on playing rural village girls. Some people could break through the limitations of their looks and temperament and become anyone they played; Shao Yasi was nowhere near that level yet. That kind of thing required veteran film queens and veteran movie kings who had been famous for years.

Shao Yasi’s debut work had been Mirror within the Palm, which was also the wuxia drama currently airing. The female second lead she played was a tenacious martial heroine, and the roles she had taken since then had continued in that direction. Even so, the characters and backgrounds varied greatly. For one, it wouldn’t solidify her image in the audience’s mind and would keep things fresh. For another, it was conducive to her grasp of character. And for a third, it made her look broad in range at a glance. Up to now, the role she’d gotten in Fatal Jade had followed a gradual, steady path.

Lin Yuewei had first played a modern police procedural deputy team leader, then a villain in an ancient costume idol drama, and then a sheltered young lady in a xianxia drama. Superficially, her roles had been varied too, but in truth her improvement hadn’t been that great. The latter two especially had been supporting roles for traffic stars, and the productions themselves weren’t particularly refined. The only project she had truly pinned her hopes on was Mist City, shot last year and scheduled to air at the end of this year, where she was counting on Qu Xuesong to carry her.

Thinking of Qu Xuesong, Lin Yuewei then remembered Ji Han, who was outside at this very moment.

As the conversation went on, Shao Yasi started glancing at her phone every so often. Lin Yuewei understood and asked, “Did Ji Han set a time with you?”

Shao Yasi nodded.

Lin Yuewei asked casually, “She keeps a pretty tight rein on you, huh?”

Shao Yasi replied, “Yeah. Hanhan says I’m naturally innocent and kind, so I’m easy to get tricked. That’s why she watches me pretty closely.”

That was phrased rather delicately. Lin Yuewei muttered something under her breath.

Shao Yasi asked, “What did you say?”

Lin Yuewei shook her head. “Nothing. She’s right; someone like you really is easy to fool.” The thing she feared most was that the biggest fraud might be standing right beside her.

Shao Yasi laughed. “Aren’t there still you and Hanhan? I just need to trust you two. If I don’t trust other people, then I won’t get fooled. Oh right, I once received a note from someone else; she’s worked with you before too, Qu Xuesong.”

Lin Yuewei was different from Shao Yasi; she wouldn’t tell her everything. She had basically never mentioned Qu Xuesong in front of Shao Yasi, and had assumed Qu Xuesong was only a coworker she had collaborated with.

“What note?” Lin Yuewei really hadn’t known about this. Back then, Qu Xuesong had only reminded her to tell Shao Yasi that Ji Han wasn’t someone worth trusting; she hadn’t mentioned the incident itself.

“One day we attended a banquet together, and she was at our table; by ‘we,’ I mean me and Ji Han. Then, while Ji Han wasn’t paying attention, she passed me a note and told me to be careful of Hanhan, that she wasn’t a good person.”

“And then?” Lin Yuewei was a little surprised. So there had been this too.

“Then I gave the note to Hanhan, of course.” Shao Yasi said it matter-of-factly.

“You...” Lin Yuewei opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words. She trusted Qu Xuesong more, and instinctively stood on Qu Xuesong’s side. But if she put herself in Shao Yasi’s shoes, having a stranger hand you a note telling you to be wary of your girlfriend sitting right beside you, you’d probably think they were crazy. If it were her, she would either have thrown the note in the trash or told her girlfriend honestly. In this matter, Shao Yasi had done nothing wrong.

Lin Yuewei asked, “Then why are you telling me this?”

Shao Yasi said, “Hanhan told me that everything people say outside about Qu Xuesong is true, so I suddenly remembered to remind you to be careful around her.”

Lin Yuewei: “...”

Shao Yasi said, “You don’t believe me?”

Lin Yuewei said, “No.”

Shao Yasi thought for a moment. “Then you don’t believe Hanhan.”

Lin Yuewei said softly, “You’re actually pretty smart at times like this.”

“I’m just simple, not stupid. That’s what Hanhan says.”

“Fine, fine.” Lin Yuewei answered with a smile and didn’t argue with her. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder; stupid didn’t mean stupid. It meant innocent.

Besides coming to visit Lin Yuewei on set, Shao Yasi also had the crew order some extra food; she was helping Lin Yuewei build goodwill. She stayed until three in the afternoon, then left reluctantly, with Ji Han coming to pick her up.

Lin Yuewei and Ji Han met eyes for three seconds, then both looked away at the same time.

***

Ji Han took Shao Yasi back to the hotel where they were staying. The moment they entered the room, Shao Yasi pinned Ji Han against the door, clearly eager to do something to her, but too embarrassed to say it outright; her face had gone a little red.

Ji Han laughed. “What do you want to do?”

Shao Yasi rose onto her toes, wanting to kiss her, but dropped back down as soon as she lifted herself. She tilted her chin up proudly and said, “You. Lower your head.”

Ji Han smiled indulgently and lowered her head as asked.

Their lips barely touched. Shao Yasi kissed her with a boldly assertive energy, but somewhere along the way she became the soft, clingy one instead. Ji Han bent down, cupped her face with one hand, and kissed her deeply.

“Mm...” In the quiet room, little broken sounds slipped out.

Their breathing grew faster and faster.

When Shao Yasi was lifted into Ji Han’s arms, her fingers were still clutching the collar of Ji Han’s shirt, and she was mumbling, “My neck is killing me. Why are you so tall?”

Ji Han’s laughter shook through her chest.

Afterward, they showered. Shao Yasi spread her arms and waited for Ji Han to help her into her robe and tie the sash, then sat on the sofa playing with her phone. Ji Han prepared the clothes she would need for dinner that night and laid them neatly on the bed before sitting beside her and pulling her into her arms, gently brushing her cheek over and over with her fingertips.

Shao Yasi thought her touch was ticklish and dodged several times, glaring at her in mock ferocity. “Don’t move. It tickles.”

Ji Han put on a wronged look. “I was banished so far away by you for so long. Now that I’m back, you make me serve you, and once I’m done you turn your face on me? That’s exactly what they mean when they say a woman’s heart changes faster than her fingers can point.”

Shao Yasi reflected for a moment and decided that she really was being a little unkind, but it did tickle. She compromised. “Don’t touch my face. If you want to touch me, don’t do it like that.” She held out her hand. “Touch my hand instead. My hand doesn’t tickle.”

Ji Han then stroked the back of her hand, using her fingertips like a pen, light as down.

After playing on her phone for a while, Shao Yasi became unable to ignore the sensation in her hand and suddenly sighed in an old-fashioned, almost elderly tone, “Why are you so clingy?”

Ji Han said, “Aren’t you clingy too?”

Shao Yasi considered herself very independent and said smugly, “No.”

Ji Han immediately looked at her with reverent admiration. “Then you’re amazing. I can’t do that. I’m practically dying from how much you’ve enchanted me; if I don’t stick to you, I’m afraid you’ll run away.”

“Hahaha.” Shao Yasi was grinning so hard you could see all her teeth.

Looking at her like this, Shao Yasi was adorable indeed.

The deep affection in Ji Han’s eyes was almost about to become tangible. She said earnestly, “I’ve never been this clingy with anyone else before.”

Shao Yasi’s heart stirred. “Not even with your other girlfriends?”

Ji Han shook her head. “No.”

Shao Yasi patted her head. “I believe you.” Then she went back to playing on her phone, looking not especially concerned.

Ji Han studied her profile and asked, “Aren’t you worried I’m lying to you?”

“Why would I be worried? Lying to me for money or for sex?” Shao Yasi didn’t even look up.

Ji Han was just about to speak when she continued, “For money, I’m basically a pauper; for sex, well, you don’t look bad either, so we’d be even. Besides, you’ve given me so many resources that not even keeping me as a sugar baby would be worth that much. If you add it up, I’m the one making out, right?”

Ji Han didn’t speak for a long time. Shao Yasi finally lifted her gaze from her phone and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Han asked in astonishment, “That’s how you think?”

Shao Yasi said, “No.”

Ji Han: “Hmm?”

Shao Yasi set her phone down; her eyes were bright and clear. “I know you all think I’m stupid, but I don’t think I’m that stupid. My brain just works differently from yours. You have a lot of scandals outside, and they’re all spun with noses and eyes and sounds that make them seem real, but since I chose to trust you, then I’ll trust you unconditionally. I like you. I’m very happy right now. And if I think it through, even if you really are lying to me, at most you’d be deceiving my feelings; I can handle that outcome, and it would also let me see you clearly once and for all.”

Shao Yasi said, “I used to have some friends, some online ones. We’d known each other for a long time, chatted a lot, and if they ran into trouble and asked to borrow money from me, I’d lend it directly. Money doesn’t matter. Every time I lent out a thousand or two thousand, if they paid it back, everyone was happy; if they didn’t, then I’d just count it as money well spent to see someone clearly. It’s a worthwhile deal.”

She picked up her phone again, her tone light and indifferent. “Living in this world doesn’t have to be so tiring. If you exchange sincerity for sincerity, and if you can’t get sincerity in return, that’s not the end of the world. Always thinking about getting an equal return, calculating here and there; it’s a waste of brainpower.”

It actually carried a hint of great wisdom hidden beneath apparent foolishness.

Ji Han’s heartstrings twitched because of her, and she deliberately teased, “You can lend money because your family background is decent. What if you didn’t have that capital?”

Shao Yasi shot her a subtle look. “If I didn’t have money, then I wouldn’t lend it, obviously. And I’m not a saint either. It’s not like I send my sincerity out to everyone. I have a brain too, okay?!”

She spoke with strong emphasis. “I don’t know that the entertainment industry is messy? I’m only casual friends with everyone else. What if someone wanted to hurt me? For all your talk, you’re still a manager; at least use your brain.”

The manager who was “not using her brain” obediently accepted Shao Yasi’s scolding.

Shao Yasi never remembered things for long. Once she’d finished scolding her, she forgot it and went back to scrolling through Weibo, laughing aloud. Ji Han’s eyes drifted over and found Lin Yuewei’s homepage. Lin Yuewei’s most recent post was a still from promoting an ancient costume idol drama; she was wearing makeup that made her look almost villainous, and the gap between that and her real face was a little large. Ji Han wasn’t satisfied with just looking; she tapped to enlarge it, zooming in until she could see Lin Yuewei’s pores.

Of course, she couldn’t actually see any pores; the makeup was too heavy, and the post-production still image had been retouched too. Everything was all bright highlights.

Shao Yasi felt sorry for Lin Yuewei and said, “This crew’s lighting is way too bright, and the colors are too saturated. She actually looks great on her own; this makeup completely drags down her appearance.”

Then she tapped the screen and reposted it with the caption: “Ahhhhhhh Weiwei is so pretty, look at her, look at her!”

Very sincere, very earnest.

Ji Han said, “You really do care about her.”

Shao Yasi followed her earlier line of thought. “If I don’t care about her, then who would I care about? She’s the first true heart I ever got in exchange.”

Ji Han said, “Then I’m second?”

After reposting, Shao Yasi returned to her own Weibo and checked for typos, still not looking up. “Yeah.”

Ji Han let out a cold laugh.

Shao Yasi finally sensed the problem and looked up to comfort her. “You’re first too; just in a different way. She’s friendship, you’re love.”

Ji Han: “Too?”

Shao Yasi lowered her head and said, “Take out the word ‘too.’”

She checked it carefully, edited again, added two hashtags, #LinYuewei# and #the name of the ancient costume idol drama#, then liked Lin Yuewei’s original post. Satisfied, she finally stopped.

Ji Han waited a bit longer, then couldn’t help but pull the phone out of her hand. She asked solemnly, “When you saw her today, did you tell her about the Fatal Jade production?”

Shao Yasi’s eyes flickered. Earlier, Ji Han had told her not to say anything; she hadn’t listened. If she told the truth now, would Ji Han be angry?

Ji Han knew her too well. One look at her expression and she knew the answer. “You said it again, didn’t you?”

Shao Yasi wasn’t good at lying. Since she’d already been seen through, she admitted it frankly. “I did. But...” She hurried on, afraid Ji Han would lose her temper. “She already knew about the drama beforehand.”

“How did she know? Her agent is Chen Xuan, right? She doesn’t have that kind of ability.” Ji Han said unhappily. Maybe she was just pretending to be a little white flower in front of Shao Yasi.

“She knew on her own. She knows Qiu Yu’an.”

“I know Qiu Yu’an’s father too.”

“...” Shao Yasi could feel her inexplicable frustration. “What are you comparing her to for? You’re a manager. Isn’t it strange that you know a director?”

“It’s not like every manager should know Qiu Zhongkai!”

“Got it, got it. You’re the best, okay?” Shao Yasi coaxed her gently. But in her heart she thought: Why are you suddenly throwing a tantrum for no reason?

Ji Han turned her face away.

Shao Yasi knelt on the sofa, turned her face back, and kissed her once.

Ji Han’s expression softened a little. “Keep going.”

“Keep going with what?”

“What else did you say?”

“I just introduced a few basic roles and told her to work hard.”

“What else?”

“I told her who had already been confirmed in the crew.”

“Why didn’t you just give her your own role?”

“That role was something you shoved me into, wasn’t it? It wouldn’t be easy to hand over. Besides, it would be too much trouble for you.”

Ji Han had only been speaking in anger, but now that she heard Shao Yasi talk, she got so mad her words came out unevenly. “You were actually planning to give it to her?”

“I have a role to play, and she doesn’t; all she’s been getting are bad productions...”

“Shao Yasi!” Ji Han cut her off. Hearing her full name made Shao Yasi shrink her neck. Ji Han instinctively wanted to soften her voice, but in the end she hardened her heart and said coldly, “I only give you roles to play. Not just any cat or dog can come and grab a piece of the pie, understand? Or are you planning to use me as a favor between your little best friends?”

Shao Yasi frowned. “Weiwei isn’t a cat or a dog. You’re talking way too harshly.”

Ji Han stood up and looked down at her. “You’re going to argue with me over her?”

Shao Yasi thought: What is all this chaos? She patiently explained, “I’m not trying to argue with you. You were the one who started being mean to me, and you were the one who insulted Weiwei first. Is ‘cat or dog’ some kind of compliment?”

Ji Han almost laughed in anger; she paced back and forth twice in the room, pinched the bridge of her nose, and said, “Fine.”

Shao Yasi thought again: Fine what? What did I even say?

Ji Han said, “I might as well arrange for her to go to an audition, so she won’t have to go around looking for connections herself. That would be too much trouble.”

Shao Yasi widened her eyes. “Really?”

Ji Han smiled and said gently, “Really.”

Shao Yasi immediately came over to hug her and kissed her face several times. “You’re so nice.”

“If you’re happy, then I’m happy.” Ji Han smiled as she hugged her back; however, her gaze carried a faint, cold calculation.

***

After thinking it over and over, Lin Yuewei still told Chen Xuan about the new drama. Her foundations were still too shallow and she didn’t have many connections she could use. Shao Yasi had also told her some other information, and even if Chen Xuan couldn’t directly connect with Qiu Zhongkai, it would still be possible to look for a contact under him.

Chen Xuan was quite surprised. “I didn’t know anything about this drama either, and I haven’t heard a single rumor. It should still be in the preparatory stage.”

Lin Yuewei dodged the question. “A friend told me.”

Chen Xuan didn’t ask further and went to check around for a way in.

Lin Yuewei also messaged her senior Qu Xuesong to ask for her opinion. Qu Xuesong was busy at the time and called her back in the evening. “You can go for it; sounds pretty good. I don’t think there’s a problem.”

Lin Yuewei asked, “Are you busy?”

“When am I not busy? I just got off an event.” Qu Xuesong looked down at the faint blood seeping from her heel and pressed a tissue against it. “I’ll find time to ask around about the exact details of this drama. Anyway, at your current stage, if you can pass the audition, you should be celebrating in secret. Qiu Zhongkai’s standards are pretty high.”

“I know.” Lin Yuewei wasn’t sure whether she should mention that Ji Han had come by during the day, thought about it, and decided not to.

“How’s filming with the new crew?” Qu Xuesong exchanged a few pleasantries with her.

“Just so-so.” With a crew like this, Lin Yuewei felt she wasn’t learning much. On top of that, Gu Yanqiu still hadn’t come to visit the set, so she was listless and had practically turned into a frost-bitten eggplant.

“Be patient. Things will get better later,” Qu Xuesong said as someone who’d been through it. “I’ve filmed crappy dramas before too. I used to think it was a complete waste of my artistic life, but I never slacked off in any of those bad dramas. I studied every role seriously and played every one seriously.”

“You misunderstood, Teacher Qu. I’m not slacking off.” Lin Yuewei hurried to explain.

“That’s good. I thought you’d gotten lazy. If I hadn’t taken every role step by step and steadily, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Even after becoming famous, you still run into things like this. Crews can have all kinds of unexpected problems. Take the drama I filmed the year before last; I was the female lead, and the second female lead relied on her backing and added scenes like crazy, forcing me to reshoot several times. The internet was also full of people smearing me. But once the drama aired, everyone saw who was really acting properly, and I was eventually cleared. Every bit of effort you put in is the best defense.”

“I understand.”

“I’ve talked too much. I’m going to shower. Work hard, and I’ll be waiting for the day you stand onstage with me to accept an award.”

“That’ll probably still take a few years.”

“No rush. You’re still young. I really do need to go shower now. Good night.”

“Good night.”

After showering, Qu Xuesong climbed into bed and pulled a black business card with gold lettering out from under the alarm clock on the bedside table. She looked back and forth at the name on it for a while: Guiyuan; a kite returning home?

Qu Xuesong glanced at the phone number below, then tossed the card into the trash.

Cheng Guiyuan, once again, frantically sent her plea for help to Gu Yanqiu.

“Are there people you can’t win over too?” Gu Yanqiu asked in surprise.

“I wasn’t even trying to win her over.”

“Oh? Then why don’t you try?”

“I gave her the card.”

“So was that trying to win her over or not?”

“No.”

“Then why are you calling me?” Gu Yanqiu pulled her laptop back from under Xue Dingdang’s face, slid her finger across the touchpad, opened an email in her work inbox, and asked calmly.

“I... what did you have for dinner tonight?”

“...”

Gu Yanqiu sighed. “I still have work to do. If you don’t need anything, I’m hanging up.”

Cheng Guiyuan said dazedly, “All right, hang up.”

After several consecutive nights of overtime, Gu Yanqiu finally managed to carve out a two-day weekend. Half a month before Lin Yuewei wrapped, she came to the set for a visit.

Naturally, she couldn’t come in openly; she came secretly. And this time, she only messaged Lin Yuewei after getting off the plane: [West Gu: I’m coming to visit your set]

She wanted to give Lin Yuewei a surprise.

Lin Yuewei had just finished a take and was drooping with both ears down, peeling the cooling patch off her calf from beneath the heavy costume. Wang Yuanyuan came back holding her phone, looking mysterious. “Weiwei, someone sent you a message.”

Wang Yuanyuan knew her phone password and helped keep an eye on it while she was filming, judging what was urgent and what wasn’t. She wouldn’t open WeChat messages at random, but Gu Yanqiu had only sent one line, and after unlocking, it popped up automatically at the top.

Lin Yuewei took it and asked lazily, “Who is it?”

Wang Yuanyuan said leisurely, “Why don’t you look for yourself?”

“Aah!” Lin Yuewei jumped up.

The people nearby heard her and all looked over curiously.

Lin Yuewei reined in the smile that had stretched all the way to her ears, sat down decorously, and had Wang Yuanyuan block her while she buried her head in her knees and replied to Gu Yanqiu.

[Two Wood: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH]

Gu Yanqiu asked her: [Surprised?]

[Surprised!]

Lin Yuewei nodded hard, almost banging her own head.

[West Gu: I’m on my way to the hotel now. You’re at XX Hotel, right?]

[Two Wood: Yes]

[West Gu: I checked; it’s probably about ten minutes by car. What time do you get off work today?]

[Two Wood: If nothing goes wrong, five in the afternoon]

[West Gu: Then I’ll go wander around]

[Two Wood: Be safe. Watch where you’re walking, and be careful of cars]

[West Gu: Okay]

Lin Yuewei was called back to set to film again. She hadn’t finished typing half the sentence she was writing, and the people over there were urgently calling for her, so after making two mistakes in a row, she had to abandon the message, stuff her phone into her assistant’s hands, and leave.

Gu Yanqiu was in the middle of talking when the person disappeared; she was already used to it and calmly put away her phone, then went downstairs.

Gu Yanqiu didn’t often go to cities in the country unless it was for business trips, and business trips usually meant major cities. The place where Lin Yuewei was filming was quite small compared to Yanning. The city wasn’t large, and Gu Yanqiu walked slowly along the streets alone, going into any shop that interested her. When she reached an amusement park, she bought a ticket and wandered in. There was a candy sculptor in the park, and Gu Yanqiu asked for a rooster. After thinking about it, she also asked for a mouse; she ate the mouse herself and held the rooster in her hand.

It was a weekend, and there were a lot of people. She looked at the lines for the roller coaster and drop tower, then at the merry-go-round with children chattering away, and finally chose a chair to sit down on, lifting her phone to take pictures; she sent one to Lin Yuewei after another.

By the time Lin Yuewei came down, the chat window was full of photos.

[Two Wood: You went to an amusement park?]

[West Gu: Yeah]

[Two Wood: What did you play?]

[West Gu: Nothing. There were too many people]

[Two Wood: At a time like this, shouldn’t you be buying out the whole amusement park?]

[West Gu: ???]

[Two Wood: Nothing. A domineering CEO script suddenly flashed through my mind]

“Who’s Weiwei chatting with? She looks so happy.” A voice rang out beside her ear. Lin Yuewei immediately flipped her phone screen over and looked at Wen Ning, who was walking toward her.

“With my mom,” Lin Yuewei said without missing a beat.

Sorry, Mom; I’m dragging you out again as a shield.

Wen Ning: “...”

This afternoon there was a media interview. Lin Yuewei and Wen Ning were arranged together, and when the reporter asked what Lin Yuewei usually did besides filming, Wen Ning leaned toward her microphone and shamelessly dropped a bombshell in an affectionate tone: “Weiwei video calls her mom for two hours every day, and she’s always chatting with her mom on set too.”

After the interview, Lin Yuewei returned to her seat. Her reputation as a mama’s girl had now been spread around. Fortunately, she wasn’t a man, or who knew what kind of abuse she would have been dragged through.

This Wen Ning was not only a pimp; she also bore grudges and had deliberately said that in front of the media.

Lin Yuewei narrowed her eyes.

By the time she finished work in the afternoon, the sky was still bright. In the blink of an eye, Lin Yuewei had vanished from the set. Nothing, not even Wen Ning, mattered more than seeing Gu Yanqiu.

“Open the door.” Lin Yuewei was holding her phone, and she was already standing outside Gu Yanqiu’s room.

Gu Yanqiu used the front-facing camera to tidy her hair. Perfect. She opened the door, and in a flash, a figure swooped inside; then she was pushed down onto the sofa by the door. Lin Yuewei braced one hand beside her neck and stared at her without blinking, her eyes shining brilliantly.

Like a big dog finally waiting for its owner to come home.

Gu Yanqiu saw through what she was thinking and laughed. “Really, I’m not dreaming.”

Lin Yuewei lowered her head and kissed her deeply.

Gu Yanqiu pushed at her shoulder, but couldn’t move her; Lin Yuewei only clung tighter.

They shared a long kiss.

When Lin Yuewei was lying on top of her, panting, Gu Yanqiu tapped her forehead. “Hey.”

Lin Yuewei said weakly, “What?”

Gu Yanqiu smiled. “We’ve only kissed once, so why do you look like you just fought three hundred rounds?”

Lin Yuewei said with complete seriousness, “Ever since I saw you that one time, I’ve been fighting four hundred rounds in my head. My brain’s suffering from severe blood loss right now.”

Gu Yanqiu’s slender fingers found her temples and massaged them gently. “Does that feel a little better?”

“I was just talking nonsense.” Lin Yuewei pulled her hand down, kissed her fingertips, then pressed it flat at her side. Her arms were still wrapped around her, her face buried in her neck, unmoving. “Don’t move. Let me hold you for a while first.”

Lin Yuewei held her long enough, then sat up. Gu Yanqiu stood and took a candy sculpture from the table. “For you.”

Lin Yuewei knew she had bought it on her walk that afternoon, but still said excitedly, “A gift?”

Gu Yanqiu raised an eyebrow. “Mm-hm.”

Lin Yuewei took it and bit the rooster’s head off in one bite.

Gu Yanqiu: “...”

Lin Yuewei leaned over and fed half of the candy in her mouth to her. Even the kiss they shared tasted like syrup. Lin Yuewei touched the tip of her tongue, sticky with sugar, to Gu Yanqiu’s nose, then bent down to kiss the tip of her nose; she treated every other place the same way.

After finishing the candy sculpture, Gu Yanqiu lowered her head and smelled herself. It was so sweet it was almost cloying, and she immediately showed a look of being unable to take it anymore. “I’m going to wash my face.”

Lin Yuewei followed her in.

They spent a while getting clingy in the hotel, then went out to eat dinner. Lin Yuewei was, as usual, wearing a hat and a mask. When they reached the restaurant, there was a table nearby that had been staring in Lin Yuewei’s direction all along.

Had she been recognized? Lin Yuewei thought.

Then she heard a sigh beside her; it came from Gu Yanqiu.

A girl from the neighboring table gathered her courage and walked over. Looking at the Buddhist beads in Gu Yanqiu’s hand, then at her face, she asked, “Hello, may I ask if you’re the chairman of Tianrui Group, Gu Yanqiu?”

Gu Yanqiu nodded.

The girl could barely contain her excitement. With great thrill, she handed over the paper and pen she had prepared. “Could I get your autograph?”

Lin Yuewei: “???”

Author’s note: Lin Palace: what the heck? My wife has become even more famous than me????

It’s not only celebrities who can be famous; President Gu’s wife fan club is coming ﹁_﹁

As for what happened before this, please listen to the next chapter.