Chapter 93

Wang Yuanyuan gave the late-arriving Lin Yuewei and Gu Yanqiu a once-over. There wasn’t a mark on Lin Yuewei’s face, neck, or any other exposed skin, and only then did she finally let out a breath of relief. At least she knew how to behave.

Lin Yuewei, like a soldier being inspected, asked, “Can we go now?”

Wang Yuanyuan nodded and reluctantly gave her permission. “You can. Let’s go downstairs to eat.”

Lin Yuewei reached for Gu Yanqiu’s hand. Wang Yuanyuan immediately said, “No. You can’t.”

Lin Yuewei smiled and obediently walked ahead.

She had only been teasing; she wasn’t stupid enough to act that intimate in public. There were too many people in the hotel, too many eyes. Being seen was one thing, but if someone snapped a photo, it would leave a permanent black mark on her record and could cause her trouble in all sorts of places later.

Wang Yuanyuan lightly swatted Lin Yuewei’s arm. Lin Yuewei stuck out her tongue.

Seeing that little affectionate exchange up close, Gu Yanqiu couldn’t help frowning slightly.

Lin Yuewei didn’t notice. Wang Yuanyuan said to Gu Yanqiu, “Um...” She didn’t know how to address her; Lin Yuewei hadn’t told her Gu Yanqiu’s full name, not even what she should call her. “You follow behind me. Don’t look around.”

“Got it.”

“If anything comes up, ask me. Unless Weiwei speaks to you first, try to avoid talking to her as much as possible.”

“Weiwei?” Gu Yanqiu raised a brow. This wasn’t the first time she had heard Wang Yuanyuan call her that. She remembered that before, when Wang Yuanyuan had called Lin Yuewei “Weiwei,” Lin Yuewei had resisted it strongly; even “Xiao Wei” had been rejected. She had only agreed to let Gu Yanqiu call her by her name, or come up with something else appropriate. Since Gu Yanqiu couldn’t think of anything she liked at the moment, she still used “Yuewei” and “Lin Yuewei.”

Right now, there was no one around. Lin Yuewei caught her look, leaned over, and explained in a low voice, “She’s an outsider; you’re one of us. It’s different.”

“What’s different?” Gu Yanqiu asked. She really wanted to get to the bottom of it today.

Lin Yuewei hadn’t expected that answer to fail to placate her. After racking her brains for a while, she said helplessly, “It feels weird when I hear you say it. When other people say it, I don’t feel anything.”

That explanation still didn’t satisfy Gu Yanqiu. She looked at Lin Yuewei without blinking, her expression somewhere between a smile and not.

Lin Yuewei had an idea. “Then can I call you Qiuqiu?”

Gu Yanqiu’s smile vanished; she slowly looked away.

Lin Yuewei laughed.

She tugged lightly at Gu Yanqiu’s sleeve and coaxed her in a soft voice, “Outsiders and insiders get treated differently. As long as it’s not too outrageous or embarrassing, you can call me whatever you want.”

Gu Yanqiu’s lips moved, as if she had said two words, but Lin Yuewei didn’t catch them. “Hm? What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Before Lin Yuewei could react, Gu Yanqiu’s ears had already turned red. She pushed Lin Yuewei on the shoulder. “Let’s go downstairs to eat, or we’ll be late.”

Lin Yuewei was pushed a couple of steps forward without understanding what was going on, and naturally kept walking.

Wang Yuanyuan, who was following behind her, slowly closed her mouth, which had opened a little. If she hadn’t seen wrong, Gu Yanqiu’s lips had just formed: wife.

Wang Yuanyuan rubbed the goose bumps on her arm through her sweater. Were young people these days really this mushy? They’d only just started dating, and they were already calling each other husband and wife.

Affectionate, sure; but what couple wasn’t affectionate when they were dating? Wang Yuanyuan even spared a little thought for Lin Yuewei’s love life.

Fortunately, things were different now. Same-sex marriage was legal, so dating a girlfriend wasn’t a big deal. Still, for an entertainer, especially one on the rise, it was best not to let romance affect her career. Unless she had firmly established herself in the industry and could naturally announce the relationship, any public relationship at the height of popularity was bad news, regardless of gender; that is, unless you were one of those professional publicity-minded couples.

There were plenty of people in the entertainment world who were desperate to become famous. As long as they had traffic, they didn’t care whether they were known for being serial dumpers or serial cheaters. If they trended every day and disgusted the whole internet into a kind of physiological revulsion, getting familiar first and then launching a reverse “whitewashing” campaign could slowly turn public opinion around and bring both fame and profit.

But Lin Yuewei’s path clearly wasn’t that kind, and Guoshi Entertainment wouldn’t sink to that level to prop up their artists. They had plenty of resources.

The three of them arrived at the restaurant. Lin Yuewei sat there waiting for Wang Yuanyuan to bring her breakfast over. By now, Wang Yuanyuan knew her tastes well. She picked up a bowl and was heading toward the porridge station when Gu Yanqiu reached out and stopped her.

“I’ll do it,” Gu Yanqiu said.

Wang Yuanyuan thought it over and realized that was true enough; this was her girlfriend, after all. Why should she get in the way? Gu Yanqiu usually chatted with Lin Yuewei on WeChat, knew how her meals were arranged, what she usually ate, and Lin Yuewei even sent her photos sometimes. So she handled it like a pro.

It was Lin Yuewei who, when she saw Gu Yanqiu bringing over a breakfast tray that clearly belonged to her, instinctively started to stand up. Gu Yanqiu gave her a look, and Lin Yuewei, halfway up, sat back down.

Gu Yanqiu set the plate in front of her and said with a suppressed smile, “Weiwei, eat.”

Now she was the “outsider,” so this should be fine.

Lin Yuewei wanted to explode, but when she looked over and saw two people walking in that direction, she had no choice but to swallow it down. In a low voice, she said, “Are you childish or what?”

“Not childish at all,” Gu Yanqiu answered quite seriously.

The supposedly not-childish Gu Yanqiu said, “I’m going to get breakfast. I’ll come back to keep you company later.”

Lin Yuewei let out a soft huff, her gaze trailing after her back with great restraint.

Wang Yuanyuan swore she did not want to sit at the same table as a couple, but reality was she had no choice but to share one table with the two of them. She tried her best to keep her eyes on her own plate, focusing only on the breakfast in front of her.

Gu Yanqiu peeled a plump, glossy boiled egg with her long, slender fingers and gently placed it onto Lin Yuewei’s plate.

Lin Yuewei looked at her, her eyes full of tenderness.

Gu Yanqiu looked back, their gazes sticking together. Then Gu Yanqiu picked up the sandwich on her own plate and, caught off guard, almost bit her own hand.

At that, the two of them exchanged a smile.

Lin Yuewei reminded her softly and lovingly, “Be careful.”

Wang Yuanyuan: “...”

She was about to go deaf and blind.

Lin Yuewei felt that the vibe between her and Gu Yanqiu was a little off; it was overly sentimental, in a way that made her uncomfortable. She quickly pulled the strange atmosphere back under control and lowered her head to eat breakfast.

While they were eating, a few people from the crew came into the restaurant. Leaving out the staff, several of the police officers who played Lin Yuewei’s colleagues in the drama had a good relationship with her. As they passed by, they casually asked who the beauty beside Lin Yuewei was. Lin Yuewei said she was her assistant, and the others then looked away.

Qu Xuesong never appeared. Only when they got to the set did Lin Yuewei learn that her team had asked the production for a day off and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Lin Yuewei was deeply regretful; she had originally wanted Gu Yanqiu to take a look at what kind of person Qu Xuesong was, but by some unlucky coincidence, their schedules had missed each other.

If she couldn’t see Qu Xuesong, looking at someone else was fine too. Gu Yanqiu’s curiosity about the set was still fairly strong. This was the place where Lin Yuewei would be working for several months. Wearing a hat and mask, with a crew badge hanging around her neck, Gu Yanqiu wandered around the busy set without drawing any attention at all.

“Hey, you... could you come give me a hand?”

Someone even spoke to her first. Gu Yanqiu looked left and right, confirming that the person was calling for her.

Gu Yanqiu temporarily helped hold something for them. The person glanced at her and asked, “You new here?”

“Mm.”

The other person didn’t suspect anything. After Gu Yanqiu finished helping, she even thanked her. Gu Yanqiu’s mouth twitched behind the mask; she quickly found a place with few people and stood there observing the set from a distance.

Lin Yuewei had her eyes closed while the makeup artist worked on her face, and suddenly asked something completely out of nowhere, “Where is she?”

Wang Yuanyuan said, “Outside.”

Lin Yuewei said, “Go take a look. Don’t let her wander off.”

The two of them were talking in a way only they understood. Wang Yuanyuan went outside and saw Gu Yanqiu in a corner. When she walked over and took a look, the other woman was standing there with her eyes slightly narrowed, lost in thought, looking just like a company boss surveying the premises.

“You.”

“She’s looking for me?” Gu Yanqiu reacted quickly.

“No. She just wanted me to see what you were doing and make sure you don’t run around.”

“I won’t.” There were too many people in the makeup room; Lin Yuewei usually brought one assistant, but today she had suddenly brought two, so naturally she drew attention. Gu Yanqiu couldn’t stay there. She had already seen enough from outside, and after thinking it over, said, “How about I buy some stuff? Snacks, drinks, that sort of thing, to hand out to the staff.”

Wang Yuanyuan raised a brow. She was surprisingly on the ball; she even knew to “bribe” the staff. But she definitely did not dare let Lin Yuewei’s girlfriend go out to buy drinks herself, so she said, “I’ll go. You go into the makeup room, put on a mask, and don’t act stiff. Be natural; nobody will pay attention to you.”

Gu Yanqiu took out her phone and said in puzzlement, “Can’t we just order delivery? Have someone bring it over. How many people are there?”

This wasn’t a small production. Wang Yuanyuan roughly counted and estimated that there were seventy or eighty people present.

Gu Yanqiu ordered delivery drinks from a fairly famous chain milk tea shop. Their prices were several times higher than ordinary shops; even Wang Yuanyuan, the little assistant, would wince if she bought a cup for herself on a normal day, let alone place such a large order directly.

Gu Yanqiu placed the order without even blinking. When the shop received the order for over a hundred cups of milk tea, they even called to confirm the address.

After seeing the scale of her spending, and the outfit she’d worn at their first meeting yesterday, Wang Yuanyuan thought of the neighborhood where Lin Yuewei lived. The “good friend” Chen Xuan had said she was staying with had to be this person.

A rich second-generation heir? Wang Yuanyuan guessed at Gu Yanqiu’s identity.

Gu Yanqiu accidentally met her gaze and smiled gently.

Wang Yuanyuan no longer knew what kind of story she was supposed to be imagining. This mysterious, beautiful, rich, and probably heiress-looking woman could be inserted into any novel or drama.

Wang Yuanyuan had been staying outside the whole time and had no intention of going back in, so Gu Yanqiu pointed toward the makeup room and took the initiative. “Should I go in?”

Wang Yuanyuan nodded. “Go ahead, but I think her makeup should be nearly done. She has a good base; her makeup time is always the shortest.”

Gu Yanqiu’s lips curved, as though she felt proud.

“I’m going in. See you later.” She gave Wang Yuanyuan a slight nod before leaving unhurriedly.

Wang Yuanyuan watched her back with a troubled look, not knowing what to say. Just from the way Gu Yanqiu walked, with that air about her, she looked like she was attending Fashion Week. However you looked at it, she didn’t seem like an ordinary live-in assistant.

The not-ordinary live-in assistant entered the makeup room and immediately drew a string of looks. Even with a mask on, she couldn’t hide the beauty of those eyes. Before more eyes could land on her, Gu Yanqiu quickened her pace and stood beside Lin Yuewei in just a few steps.

Although Lin Yuewei didn’t have a separate dressing room like Qu Xuesong, as the second female lead and an artist from Guoshi Entertainment, her space was considerably larger than the others’. Once Gu Yanqiu entered her area, everyone else immediately looked away.

In order to make Gu Yanqiu seem more like a live-in assistant, Lin Yuewei directly instructed her, “Get me a bottle of water.”

Gu Yanqiu fetched one for her and twisted open the cap. Lin Yuewei carefully avoided smudging her lip makeup as she took a sip; the two of them exchanged a silent look, and the joy between them was something only they themselves knew.

Gu Yanqiu’s expression behind the mask was hard to read. She lowered her head and typed on her phone.

Lin Yuewei’s phone on the table buzzed. She deliberately waited a while before picking it up to look:

[West Gu: Don’t drink from this bottle anymore. I’m taking it home]

They had already kissed deeply, yet in this situation, Lin Yuewei’s ears still flushed red. Resisting the urge to turn and look at Gu Yanqiu, she covered the screen with her hand and replied:

[Two Trees: It’ll go bad. Tomorrow I’ll get you another bottle]

[West Gu: Then drink a few more bottles]

[Two Trees: What’s going through your head?]

[West Gu: You]

Lin Yuewei suddenly coughed twice. Her makeup artist behind her asked, “What’s wrong, Teacher Lin?”

“Nothing,” Lin Yuewei said, sitting up straight. “Keep going.”

Lin Yuewei didn’t look at Gu Yanqiu, but she knew the corners of the other woman’s mouth behind the mask had definitely lifted. Was it really that fun to text her when they were sitting in front of so many people?

Of course it was. A few hours later, after one scene had finished filming, Lin Yuewei thought this as she typed a line on her phone:

[Don’t you think it’s really strange that we’re clearly sitting together, but not saying anything?]

Gu Yanqiu, with only Wang Yuanyuan between them, replied:

[It is a little]

[Two Trees: So you put your phone down first, then after a while I’ll put mine down, and then we can chat]

[West Gu: Okay]

At the filming site, during break time, the scene of the three of them, assistants included, all playing on their phones finally came to an end. Gu Yanqiu gave Lin Yuewei a bottle of water. Lin Yuewei pretended to be busy talking to someone, took a sip, and only then tossed her phone into Gu Yanqiu’s arms and stretched.

Wang Yuanyuan retreated to the left side so as not to disturb them.

Lin Yuewei let out a long sigh.

Gu Yanqiu laughed. “Why are you sighing all of a sudden?”

Lin Yuewei said, “It would be great if I had my own lounge. Then I could curl up in there with you and do this and that.”

Gu Yanqiu deliberately asked, “What kind of this and that?”

Lin Yuewei winked at her with one eye and said, “You know.”

“I don’t know.” Gu Yanqiu smiled. She realized something: after last night, when Lin Yuewei had been just a little more intimate than usual, it hadn’t had no effect at all. The scale of her conversations with Lin Yuewei had naturally become bolder too.

“Don’t force me to deal with you right here.”

“Then come on.”

Lin Yuewei talked big; Gu Yanqiu was happy to play along.

Only Wang Yuanyuan on the side felt like her eyes were going to be blinded. In order not to arouse suspicion, she still had to pretend the two of them were discussing something very proper. It was truly exhausting.

Lin Yuewei seized the opportunity to say a few words to Gu Yanqiu, then began reviewing the lines for the next scene. Gu Yanqiu watched quietly from the side and felt that the Lin Yuewei who was seriously working exuded a deadly kind of allure.

Wang Yuanyuan, who had to keep an eye on the two of them while also being force-fed dog food, tugged at Gu Yanqiu’s sleeve and whispered, “Control yourself. Your eyes are practically devouring her whole.”

Gu Yanqiu smiled awkwardly, thinking: Am I really that obvious?

Once filming began, Lin Yuewei was in top form and delivered everything the director wanted. Just after one take, Yang Xiao called, “Cut.” Lin Yuewei took the initiative and said, “Director, one more take? I think I can do even better.”

Yang Xiao was happy to oblige. “Sure.”

Lin Yuewei shot another take and performed even better; naturally, it passed as well. Yang Xiao told them to rest for a few minutes while the next setup was arranged. When she came down, she held back for quite a while, suppressing the invisible tail that seemed ready to wag behind her, and only then did she keep herself from striding sideways toward Gu Yanqiu.

“How did I do?” Lin Yuewei came over eagerly to claim credit.

That expression of pride mixed with forced modesty made Gu Yanqiu laugh too. She couldn’t help reaching out to touch her soft little chin; once she had, she couldn’t quite let go and sincerely praised her, “Very good.”

Wang Yuanyuan sprang into action, quickly dragging Gu Yanqiu’s hand away and saying in a low voice, “What are you two doing?” One assistant publicly stroking the artist she was following like she was a cat, and the way the two of them looked at each other—it would take a blind person not to see they were a pair.

Wang Yuanyuan was worn to the bone. “It’s lucky Sister Chen isn’t here. If she were, she’d see through you in no time.”

The two of them knew they’d gone too far and reined themselves in with reason. Assistant was assistant; artist was artist. If they really couldn’t help wanting to do something, they would just text each other on their phones.

[Two Trees: I want to kiss you]

[West Gu: Me too]

[Two Trees: A deep kiss; the kind that makes you make sounds]

[West Gu: ...]

[Two Trees: What? You don’t want to?]

[West Gu: ...I do]

As they chatted, both of their faces grew a little hot. They swallowed and looked away. Wang Yuanyuan glanced between them and chose to turn Lin Yuewei’s face back toward the front. After all, she was more familiar with Lin Yuewei. She reminded her, “The two of you are too synchronized. Aren’t you afraid people will see right through you?”

Lin Yuewei felt a bit irritated then. A thought rose in her mind: maybe I should just announce that I’m married and be done with it, then openly show off our affection. But reason quickly suppressed the idea.

The two of them spent the entire day on set in a state that was both sweet and tormenting. When they were in the nanny van, Wang Yuanyuan was especially worried they might start making out on the spot and leave her alone in awkward misery. Fortunately, they didn’t. They held back until they got to the hotel, and then until they got into the room.

The door slammed shut with a bang. Wang Yuanyuan ate a mouthful of dust and ash, yet inwardly she was thrilled; at last she had escaped those two pieces of firewood and dry tinder, the kind that could ignite just by a glance.

The makeup from Lin Yuewei’s scene had been smeared into a complete mess. She was still out of breath when she and Gu Yanqiu finally separated, one of her hands still looped around Gu Yanqiu’s neck and refusing to let go.

Gu Yanqiu had one hand braced on the bed and was half-reclining against the headboard. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her pale pink lips were swollen from being kissed and sucked raw. Her mouth was slightly open as she panted, head lowered, long bangs falling across her forehead and hiding those dazed phoenix eyes already misted over with water.

Lin Yuewei slowly loosened her hold, turned over, and lay flat on the bed to rest, waiting for her drifting soul to settle back into her body.

Lin Yuewei murmured, “Gu Yanqiu.” Then she raised her voice a little and asked, “You’re not actually human, are you?”

Gu Yanqiu: “..."

Lin Yuewei said, “Why does it feel like one kiss from you is enough to drag my soul right out of me?” They had started kissing standing up. The more they kissed, the weaker Lin Yuewei’s legs became; in the end she couldn’t stand at all, so they moved over to the bed together. Even after getting there, they didn’t stop; it was as if her soul were floating in the air, her heart hanging high and climbing higher and higher.

What kind of monster was this? A fox spirit, probably.

Gu Yanqiu rested the back of one hand against her forehead in helpless resignation, her lips moving with some retort.

— You’re the one who isn’t human.

It took Lin Yuewei quite a while to come back to her senses. She felt the heart in her chest, still where it ought to be, and finally sensed it had landed back in place. “Again?” she asked.

Gu Yanqiu waved a hand, then, worried that might not be clear enough, shook her head too. “Let’s rest a bit longer.” She was still a little weak.

Lin Yuewei immediately said, “You can’t keep up anymore?”

She always wanted to outdo Gu Yanqiu in everything, yet until now she hadn’t found a single thing she could truly beat her at. Now that she’d finally found an opening, she naturally seized the chance to show off.

Gu Yanqiu: “..."

Provoked by her, Gu Yanqiu had no choice but to be able to keep up. She grabbed Lin Yuewei’s arm and pulled her over.

Lin Yuewei wasn’t prepared and let Gu Yanqiu take the upper hand.

The two of them traded off against each other; neither was willing to admit defeat.

No one knew exactly when the deep kiss changed flavor. Lin Yuewei’s instincts led her to touch Gu Yanqiu through her clothes a couple of times, firmly this time, and Gu Yanqiu instantly came to her senses, opening her eyes in surprise to look at her.

Lin Yuewei: “..."

Lin Yuewei: “I-I-I didn’t mean to.”

Gu Yanqiu’s face was bright red; because of her fair skin, it looked even more alluring. Her expression seemed reproachful, yet it was more like embarrassment. “Then stop touching.”

Lin Yuewei hurriedly pulled her hand back, sat up, and smoothed her hair. When her hair had been long, she could still use it to hide her face a little; now that it had been cut short for the time being, there was nothing to cover her up at all.

She was mortified.

So she simply shoved her feet into her slippers and rushed toward the bathroom with her head down. “I’m going to shower first.”

Gu Yanqiu quickly said, “The bathroom’s over here.”

Lin Yuewei had already charged to the room door and awkwardly turned around to head into the bathroom.

Gu Yanqiu called out again from outside, “You didn’t bring your pajamas.”

Lin Yuewei covered her face with both hands and squatted against the wall in the bathroom for a while, feeling that her face should no longer be red as a monkey’s rear end. Then she came out to get her pajamas, never once daring to look directly at Gu Yanqiu’s face.

It was only eight at night, yet Lin Yuewei had already finished showering and was under the covers, making notes in the script in her hands while sneaking glances at the bathroom from time to time. Gu Yanqiu had been in there quite a while, and the sound of water still hadn’t stopped.

Lin Yuewei forced herself to calm down, but her ears stayed pricked the whole time, listening for any movement around her.

She slapped her own hand. Look at you, being such a menace.

The bathroom door opened, followed by the sound of hotel slippers shuffling on the floor. Lin Yuewei pressed the script down a little and peeked through a slit to watch Gu Yanqiu. She saw her crouch down at the suitcase in the corner and take something out of it.

Gu Yanqiu stood up. Lin Yuewei used the script to cover her face.

“Busy?” Gu Yanqiu asked.

“A little. What’s up?” Lin Yuewei said, putting on an act.

“I have something to show you.”

“I’ll look when I’m done...” Lin Yuewei saw the wooden box in her hand and couldn’t hold it in any longer. She surrendered at once. “Forget it. I’ll look first, then get back to work.”

“It’s nothing unusual, just...” Gu Yanqiu pressed her lips together. “Open it yourself and take a look.”

Lin Yuewei couldn’t imagine what Gu Yanqiu wanted to show her. She had no expectations at all before opening it, but when she saw what was inside, she still couldn’t help laughing. She reached in and pinched out a vivid butterfly woven from grass. “You made this?”

Gu Yanqiu nodded and answered softly.

Lin Yuewei leaned in to look. Her eyes lit up. She picked up another one in delight. “A rabbit?”

This was the first time Gu Yanqiu had ever done something like this to please someone, and she was a little embarrassed. The happier Lin Yuewei became, the more shy she felt; her face red, her voice even softer, she said, “This one’s woven from foxtail grass. I made quite a few; this one looks the best.”

Author’s Note: I saw a phrase today called “the old house catching fire.”

I feel like that fits Lin and Gu perfectly not long from now; at this rate, the whole house might burn right down.

And the biggest development of this night isn’t over yet, but it’s time for the update, so let’s continue tomorrow.

How could there be 8 TB in the box? What a crossover. But when you add up Cheng Jiyuan and Jiang Congbi’s side, it’s 16 TB ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Lin the top, charge ahead!