Chapter 88
The third great-uncle seemed to sink deep into his memories, and the water in his cup had long since gone cold.
“Third great-uncle?” Gu Yanqiu reminded him softly.
“Mm.” He set the cup down and shook his head. “Back then, it wasn’t like now. There were no phones, so it was easy to lose touch. After I got home, I realized your eldest uncle and aunt weren’t there. I went around asking whether anyone had seen them, but nobody knew. Instead, they all kept circling back to ask me what that woman had said at the banquet. I was annoyed, so I stopped asking.
“I didn’t sleep all night. I just couldn’t shake this bad feeling, like something had happened. Your eldest uncle and aunt didn’t come back the first day, or the second. Then a stranger came to me and said they’d been in a car accident. Your eldest uncle didn’t make it; your aunt was still in the hospital.
“I went to the hospital, brought your eldest uncle’s body back, and also took the compensation the driver had paid. After your aunt recovered, I gave her that money. She moved back home for only a few days before quietly leaving Yangqing Village. She didn’t tell anyone; I never knew where she went.”
The third great-uncle sighed. “I know why she left. Her man was gone, her daughter ran off, and all that was left in the village was sympathy, malice, and the endless gossip of people watching the spectacle. Leaving was good. Going somewhere nobody knew her, she could start over.”
...
After listening, Lin Yuewei stayed silent for a long time, momentarily at a loss for words.
Gu Yanqiu said, “Do you remember the scar on my grandmother’s leg?”
Lin Yuewei hummed in acknowledgment.
Gu Yanqiu said, “She got it in the car accident.”
She paused, then went on, “That’s why my grandmother hated my mother so much. If not for her, none of this would have happened.”
Lin Yuewei didn’t make a sound. She suddenly wanted very much to hold Gu Yanqiu.
She sent Gu Yanqiu a video call request. Gu Yanqiu answered it; as always, her face wore a faint, gentle smile, showing no sign of how much the story had affected her.
“You don’t have to put on a brave face in front of me,” Lin Yuewei said bluntly.
The smile on Gu Yanqiu’s face faded little by little. She let out a long sigh.
Lin Yuewei said, “Pat my head.”
Gu Yanqiu tilted her head and made a motion as if being patted.
She said, “I want to go see you.”
Lin Yuewei checked the time. “It’s too late. But if you really want to come, I can pick you up.”
Gu Yanqiu smiled. “Forget it. I still have to work tomorrow.”
No matter how many things happened, life still had to go on; that was adulthood.
Lin Yuewei smiled too. “When I’m on break, I’ll fly back to see you.”
“It’d be more reliable for me to go over on a weekend,” Gu Yanqiu pointed out mercilessly.
“Then are you coming this week?” Lin Yuewei raised an eyebrow.
“Not this week. I have something important to do.”
“What important thing?”
“Go back to the Gu family for dinner.”
“Ask your dad?”
Gu Yanqiu nodded.
Lin Yuewei didn’t make a fuss. The thing they understood each other best about was giving one another private space. They were both extremely independent people, so independent that if an outsider looked at them, they might not seem like a couple at all; but both of them were very comfortable with this kind of relationship.
After a pause, Gu Yanqiu said, “There’s one suspicious point.”
“What suspicious point?”
“My third great-uncle said he never saw my mother again afterward. Do you believe that?”
“According to Cheng Yong and Director Fang’s account, your mother finally found Grandma Gao, who had moved away years ago, which means she never gave up looking for her parents. So afterward, she definitely went back to Yangqing Village. Even if Yangqing Village had already been leveled and everyone had moved away, population turnover was slow back then; everyone should still have been living in the nearby towns, and not that much time had passed. It shouldn’t have been hard to find your third great-uncle,” Lin Yuewei said.
The old address of Yangqing Village wasn’t far from where Gu Yanqiu’s third great-uncle lived now; by car, it was just over an hour away.
“At first, he said my mother had turned over a new leaf, taken the right path, and even had me. Even though my mother and I look alike, those words—taken the right path, turned over a new leaf—seem to refer to something he knows for certain. So I’m inclined to…”
On the video, Lin Yuewei frowned. Meeting her determined gaze through the screen, she blurted out, “Your third great-uncle didn’t just meet your mother; he also met your father.”
Gu Yanqiu’s lips curved instantly, a ripple of amusement flashing there. Her voice was low and pleasant. “You’re right.”
Lin Yuewei was inexplicably a little embarrassed and lowered her head to rub her nose.
Gu Yanqiu said, “So I’m going to ask my father. Some things still need to be verified, and my intuition says this is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Lin Yuewei froze for a moment, then narrowed her eyes.
Gu Yanqiu curled her fingers and tapped the tabletop in a steady rhythm. “My mother liked a woman, and it’s very possible that the two of them weren’t even in love. Was one reason enough for him to go to such lengths, to cover it up so painstakingly?”
Gu Yanqiu hooked her lips. “Does he think I’m someone with such a fragile mental state?”
Lin Yuewei asked, “What else do you think it could be?”
“I don’t know.” Gu Yanqiu said thoughtfully, “I keep feeling there’s a bigger secret I don’t know about, something related to what happened thirty years ago. I’ve told Mister Liu to keep digging; even if I have to turn over every inch of ground, I’m going to find out the truth.”
Lin Yuewei pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m getting a headache on your behalf.”
The matters in Gu Yanqiu’s family were so complicated they were practically overloading her brain.
Gu Yanqiu said, “Next time I come over, I’ll rub it for you.”
“You should rub your own head first. Don’t wear yourself out,” Lin Yuewei said with a smile.
“I won’t. I’m in very good shape.” Gu Yanqiu asked, “Are you going to study?”
Lin Yuewei sat cross-legged on the bed and raised an eyebrow. “Are you chasing me off?”
Gu Yanqiu’s eyes curved. “No. I’m concerned about your work.”
“Then I’m going to study,” Lin Yuewei said deliberately, drawing out the words.
“I’m going to miss you so much,” Gu Yanqiu sighed.
Lin Yuewei stared at her strangely.
Gu Yanqiu looked at herself. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lin Yuewei clicked her tongue. “Have you been secretly studying some kind of sweet-talking manual lately? Why have your words gotten so honeyed?”
Gu Yanqiu said, “Want to taste them?”
Lin Yuewei’s heartbeat skipped a beat. Good heavens; Gu Yanqiu must have been taking extra lessons in secret. She puffed up her cheeks. “Tell me honestly what book you’ve been reading, or I’m going to be mad.”
Gu Yanqiu laughed helplessly. “I really haven’t read any books.”
“Swear it!”
“I swear.” Gu Yanqiu raised her fingers toward the sky. “I absolutely have not read any sweet-talking manual.”
Lin Yuewei eyed her suspiciously. “Then why are you suddenly so good with words?”
Gu Yanqiu: “Mm.”
Lin Yuewei: “Speak.”
Gu Yanqiu said, “Probably because I miss you, so I can’t help wanting to say nice things to make you happy.”
Lin Yuewei said, “Then why don’t you coax me when you’re with me?”
Gu Yanqiu said, “If I’m always saying nice things, wouldn’t you think I’m just being slick?”
Lin Yuewei said, “No.”
Gu Yanqiu said, “But that’s not what you really think. Sweet words are precious precisely because they’re rare; they can’t be used carelessly, or they lose their effect.”
She was utterly serious. Lin Yuewei once again confirmed that Gu Yanqiu really did treat love like a business to be managed carefully. It wasn’t that this attitude was bad, exactly, but it always gave Lin Yuewei a feeling of precise, measured restraint; it was like her first impression of Gu Yanqiu, like a robot following a strict program step by step. And the infuriating thing was that Lin Yuewei actually liked this sort of thing.
The key issue was, setting aside this carefully calculated romantic strategy, why did she have to say it out loud? Lin Yuewei was deeply puzzled.
Feeling conflicted, Lin Yuewei decided to end the topic for now. She hovered her finger over the hang-up button and said with reluctance, “I’m going to study now.”
“Go on, go on.”
Lin Yuewei pressed it; after two beeps, the video ended.
She picked up the script beside her. Just one line into the page, she froze in place as if entranced.
After ending the call, Gu Yanqiu plugged in her phone to charge. As the notification light came on, Lin Yuewei’s video call request appeared on the screen again.
Gu Yanqiu: “???”
She accepted it. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Yuewei looked like she wanted to speak but stopped herself.
Gu Yanqiu’s suspicion deepened. “What is it, exactly? Why that expression?”
After about three seconds, Lin Yuewei said, “You just said your mother had a lover she’d been with, right? A woman.”
“Yes.” Gu Yanqiu frowned. That was what they’d said from the beginning, and they’d said it several times already. Why was Lin Yuewei suddenly bringing it up again now? She asked, “Did you think of something?”
“Nothing. I’m going to study.” Lin Yuewei hung up quickly.
Gu Yanqiu: “???”
There was clearly something.
Gu Yanqiu opened the chat box, sent her a question mark, then typed: [Is there something you can’t tell me?]
[Two Trees: I’ll tell you after I verify it]
[West Gu: Okay. Don’t worry too much, and go to bed early tonight]
[Two Trees: muah]
Sitting on the bed, Lin Yuewei was practically in a frenzy. The instant she hung up the video, she suddenly remembered someone like lightning striking through her mind: her mother, Ran Qingqing.
Ran Qingqing had long been full of mysteries in Lin Yuewei’s eyes. Why was she so good to Gu Yanqiu? Why did she care so much about Shen Huaiyu, someone she had only met a few times at most? Added to that was Ran Qingqing’s recent odd behavior: after Shen Huaiyu’s death, she often spaced out for no reason, looking absent-minded; her attitude toward Lin’s father had subtly changed—she had always treasured the gifts Lin’s father gave her, yet she now showed obvious disdain and impatience for that watch; she insisted on buying a house for her, one that could only be registered under her own name and nothing else.
All of this seemed to point to one fact: there was something fishy in her heart. More clearly put, she had cheated.
As her daughter, Lin Yuewei really shouldn’t have involved herself in her parents’ private affairs. But once she had guessed at this truth, in order to preserve the stability of the family, she had chosen to hint at it to her mother and tell her not to wrong her father.
No daughter wanted to see her family fall apart.
But after Shen Huaiyu’s past was exposed, it was as though she had been guided by a hand; she could no longer avoid facing the issue, and naturally, she connected the two women.
If the person Shen Huaiyu had been with back then was her own mother, then her mother married Lin’s father, Shen Huaiyu married Gu Huai, and the two of them each married, had children, and went their separate ways. That would explain all of her mother’s odd behavior, her concern for Gu Yanqiu, her special feelings toward Shen Huaiyu; and it would also explain why Shen Huaiyu, despite being so determined back then, still married someone later, because the two of them had separated for some reason.
If that were truly the truth, then her relationship with Gu Yanqiu would be far too awkward. Their mothers had once been lovers, and Shen Huaiyu had even, indirectly, come to ruin because of Ran Qingqing.
Did that count as having a grudge?
Lin Yuewei’s thoughts were in total chaos.
On a rational level, she believed Gu Yanqiu was not that kind of person. But if she put herself in her shoes, no one should be able to face something like this without some lingering feelings. If Lin Yuewei were Gu Yanqiu, she would definitely need some time before she could sort out her emotions toward herself.
And that still wasn’t the most pressing issue. The most pressing issue was Ran Qingqing; Lin Yuewei didn’t even know how she was supposed to bring this up to her.
Wang Yuanyuan was startled when she saw Lin Yuewei the next morning. “What did you do last night?” she exclaimed.
Lin Yuewei was distractedly stuffing breakfast into her mouth. “I went stealing.”
Her eye bags were full, and after an all-nighter they were very obvious; without makeup, there were dark circles under both eyes, making her look like a panda.
Wang Yuanyuan knew she was just making something up because she didn’t want to say. She casually advised, “Don’t stay up so late for no reason anymore. You look downright scary like this.”
“Got it.” Lin Yuewei’s eyes were bloodshot. After forcing them open twice, she blinked and her eyes welled with tears. “I’ll catch some sleep in the car later.”
“Good thing President Chen isn’t here, or she’d definitely lecture you.”
“Then I’d slide on my knees to apologize to her.”
“You only dare say that because she’s not here.” Wang Yuanyuan exposed her. “Hurry up and drink some milk and eat some fruit; replenish your collagen.”
“No need to replenish. My whole face is collagen,” Lin Yuewei said, smiling as she patted her own cheeks with both hands.
Just as she was getting smug, Qu Xuesong walked over from not far away, followed only by her personal assistant. At the sound of her voice, she shot Lin Yuewei a cold glance. The smile froze on Lin Yuewei’s face; her earlier line must have reached Qu Xuesong’s ears.
At twenty-two, with her face full of collagen, Lin Yuewei, standing before thirty-year-old Qu Xuesong, whose skin had already been sliding downhill for several years, could be said to be “innocent in possession of a treasure.” Especially when that “innocent party” was, by sheer coincidence, flaunting the treasure in her arms.
Lin Yuewei lowered her head deeply.
Qu Xuesong passed by her without looking sideways, and when she reached her, she let out a clear, cold snort.
Lin Yuewei lifted her head and glanced back furtively from the corner of her eye. Qu Xuesong was sitting in a chair, one hand scrolling through her phone, the other holding the coffee her assistant had bought for her.
The assistant was busy bringing her breakfast over.
Lin Yuewei whispered to Wang Yuanyuan, “Does Qu Xuesong usually eat breakfast at the hotel?”
Wang Yuanyuan was also surprised and lowered her voice even more. “How would I know? I’m not familiar with her.”
“Sister Yuan, I thought…” Lin Yuewei looked at Wang Yuanyuan with a subtle expression.
Wang Yuanyuan said, “Call me Sister Flat if you want; it’s no use. I’m just an assistant, not some encyclopedic know-it-all of the entertainment industry.”
Lin Yuewei clicked her tongue. “You swore.”
Wang Yuanyuan said, “So what? I’m not a celebrity. I don’t have an idol image to preserve, and nobody’s going to post me online anyway.”
Lin Yuewei: “Hahaha.”
She didn’t dare laugh loudly; she only dared to laugh in secret. Just as she was laughing, she felt a sharp gaze cut in from behind her. Lin Yuewei didn’t dare move, and the smile on her face gradually vanished.
“Is Qu Xuesong looking at me?”
Wang Yuanyuan also froze. “If I’m not mistaken, yes.”
Lin Yuewei was on the verge of tears. “What did I do to her? Why is she targeting me?”
Wang Yuanyuan said, “How would I know? Maybe she wants to collect you like a stamp?”
Lin Yuewei didn’t dare speak, and typed to her: [Do you think she looks like she wants to collect me?]
Wang Yuanyuan replied: [Kind of. Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention hahaha]
Lin Yuewei: […]
Wang Yuanyuan: [Just kidding. Pat pat. Let’s stay away from her and we’ll be fine]
Lin Yuewei hastily finished breakfast amid this living hell and slipped away with her tail between her legs.
Qu Xuesong’s assistant set her breakfast on the table. Seeing her look after Lin Yuewei with amused, lifted lips, she asked with a smile, “What? Interested in the newbie?”
“You’re teasing me too,” Qu Xuesong said. She took a sip of warm milk, a ring of white milk left around her mouth making her look younger than she really was, even a little cute. She used her tongue to lick away the white edge and said, “Don’t you think she’s very interesting?”
“Is she?” The assistant looked over, but Lin Yuewei had already disappeared from view. “Apart from looking decent, she’s pretty ordinary.”
Qu Xuesong said meaningfully, “You don’t get it.”
The assistant sat down across from her. “Fine, fine, I don’t get it. Hurry up and eat something; look how thin you’ve gotten lately.”
“Thin to what extent?” Qu Xuesong formed a circle with her thumb and middle finger and pinched her wrist. “Much better than before, isn’t it? Are you worried that if I get too thin and my health gets worse, you won’t be able to keep squeezing me dry for Brother Fang?”
Brother Fang was Qu Xuesong’s manager; they had worked together for a long time. She’d had one representative work early on, but after becoming popular she hadn’t managed to maintain the momentum. It was only after her current manager took over that she quickly rose into the first tier.
The assistant’s expression flickered before she laughed. “What nonsense are you saying? I’m worried about your health.”
Qu Xuesong smiled too. “What are you imagining now? I was just joking. Go get some too and eat. There are a lot of scenes today; thanks for your hard work.”
“It’s nothing, it’s what I should do.” The assistant turned away to get a plate and fetch breakfast.
The smile on Qu Xuesong’s lips vanished at once, leaving only indifference in her eyes as she silently replenished the nutrients her body needed for the day’s work.
Hotels were usually very close to the set. Lin Yuewei only managed to doze for a few minutes in the car before Wang Yuanyuan woke her up. Lin Yuewei pressed her temple with one hand. Wang Yuanyuan asked, “Headache?”
Lin Yuewei nodded. She had spent the entire night tangled in wild thoughts, which was even more draining than simple insomnia; of course she had a headache.
Wang Yuanyuan said, “Serves you right for going stealing.”
Lin Yuewei: “...”
But when Lin Yuewei entered the dressing room, before makeup had even begun, Wang Yuanyuan made sure she closed her eyes and rested, kneading her temples with full force; she was the very picture of “talking the talk while acting the opposite.”
Lin Yuewei took her hands emotionally. “Sister Yuan, I really love you so much.”
The cold, unfeeling Wang Yuanyuan showed no appreciation, pulling her hands back. “I’m only doing it so I can squeeze more work out of you and get a higher salary.”
Lin Yuewei immediately clutched her chest in dramatic agony. “Ah, I’m so heartbroken.”
Wang Yuanyuan patted her head. “Heartbroken is fine. Just don’t delay filming.”
Lin Yuewei: “Hahaha.”
She was laughing very happily. In all the time since she’d entered the industry, the first person she trusted was Shao Yasi; the second was Wang Yuanyuan. Even though this circle held many unknown dangers and hardships, the more people she had by her side, the more confidence and hope she had. That kind of emotional comfort was something very few things could replace.
“Teacher Qu.”
“Hello, Teacher Qu.”
Lin Yuewei, who had just been turning her back to the door and joking around with Wang Yuanyuan: “...”
Wang Yuanyuan’s expression could no longer hold. As an “assistant,” she retreated to the side.
Qu Xuesong, who should have been staying in her luxurious private dressing room, somehow appeared at the door. In the public dressing room, the supporting actors who weren’t currently being made up all stood up to greet her. Lin Yuewei froze in place, then forced herself to turn around and smile politely. “Hello, Teacher Qu.”
Qu Xuesong made a lap around the dressing room and said nothing before leaving.
Lin Yuewei: “???”
The rest of the cast: “???”
But none of them dared speculate about Qu Xuesong openly, because no one knew which person in the room might carry those words straight to Qu Xuesong’s ears. The dressing room fell quiet for a moment, then returned to its original orderly busyness.
Lin Yuewei’s intuition rose again: Qu Xuesong had come to look for her, even if her gaze hadn’t lingered on her for even a second.
Just what had she done to offend Qu Xuesong?
She was only a small-time newbie. Could it be because she had misunderstood Qu Xuesong? She wasn’t some stamp collector; but since that reputation existed in the circle, whether true or false, it was impossible to avoid people having prejudices. Besides, apart from not taking the initiative to speak to her, she had done nothing at all. On what basis did she harbor resentment toward her? Was she not money? Did she have to be loved by everyone she met?
Lin Yuewei had a premonition that this would become a major headache for a very long time.
But this time, Lin Yuewei guessed wrong. Just three days later, during a break, after finishing a scene, and with no other filming scheduled for the whole afternoon, she stayed on set as usual to observe other people’s performances and learn whatever she could.
Yang Xiao said, “Cut. Good.”
Lin Yuewei immediately lowered her head to take notes, scribbling furiously.
When she looked up again, a shadow had fallen in front of her. She raised her head and found Qu Xuesong.
“!!!” Lin Yuewei shrank back.
Qu Xuesong caught the back of her collar with one hand, gave it an upward tug, then let go.
Lin Yuewei: “???”
Qu Xuesong looked down at Lin Yuewei from above and said in a commanding tone, “Come here.”
Lin Yuewei felt displeased, but what else could she say? She could only follow with tiny steps. Wang Yuanyuan looked worried, but didn’t dare come forward and interrupt; she shot Lin Yuewei a look: If anything happens, call for help loudly.
Lin Yuewei had thought Qu Xuesong might be about to hit her or do something else, maybe drag her somewhere deserted. But that wasn’t the case. Qu Xuesong simply led her away from the crowd, though not far; the staff were still visible.
Half of Lin Yuewei’s heart settled, while the other half thumped wildly. She looked at Qu Xuesong with taut nerves.
Qu Xuesong said, “Do you think I’m that kind of person?”
Lin Yuewei played dumb while actually understanding perfectly. “What kind of person?”
Qu Xuesong had no intention of dancing around the subject. Frowning, she said, “The kind people tell you I am; someone with a chaotic private life.”
How could Lin Yuewei dare say the truth? She hurriedly shook her head. “I don’t think so.” Then, smooth as anything, she flattered her: “Rumors are rampant out there to begin with, especially with someone as famous as you, Teacher Qu. There are even more people spreading lies. Of course I don’t believe them.”
Qu Xuesong stared at her in silence for a while, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the front of Lin Yuewei’s collar. Despite having slender wrists, she had plenty of strength; in one motion, she yanked Lin Yuewei closer.
Lin Yuewei: “!!!”
What was she doing?! Gu Yanqiu, help!
But Lin Yuewei didn’t resist. They were on set right now; no matter what, Qu Xuesong wouldn’t dare do anything to her. If some lurking paparazzi caught it and posted it online, the one who’d suffer would be Qu Xuesong; she’d only be handing a little extra popularity to an unknown extra.
Qu Xuesong looked at her, then suddenly broke into a radiant smile. “Then let me tell you now; I really am, oh~”
Lin Yuewei’s expression changed as she began to struggle.
Qu Xuesong met her eyes directly again; all trace of amusement vanished, leaving only seriousness, like a quiet deep spring. “Do you believe it?”