Li Xian’s Family

A surge of joy instantly wrapped Qin Qingyan from head to toe. So this really was tacit approval!

She stood and sat down beside Yan Yue, smiling with restrained sweetness. “Let’s do it together.”

The half-meter-tall building block set would take patience and time to assemble. The unfolded instruction manual spread across the floor; just looking at it was dizzying, and it was hard to know where to begin.

“Put the limbs together first, then attach the rest,” Yan Yue suggested when she saw Qin Qingyan still hesitating.

Her hands were quick; she could glance at a piece and find the right block immediately. Qin Qingyan pressed her lips together and tried to keep up as best she could.

After a long while, Qin Qingyan grew stubborn. She was clearly following the manual, so why wouldn’t it fit? She checked it over and over but couldn’t find the problem. Yan Yue leaned in, looked once, then at the instructions. “That’s the left hand.”

Qin Qingyan: “……”

So she took it apart and started over.

Yan Yue had already finished the two legs and set them aside, then moved on to the body. She was fully absorbed, head slightly tilted, picking out the needed pieces one by one from the pile and taking the small hammer beside her to tap them firmly into place.

Qin Qingyan looked down at her own half-finished work, not quite satisfied. She had only completed one hand, while Yan Yue had already finished two legs. Compared with that, would Yan Yue think she was stupid? The thought flashed through her mind, and she immediately shoved away the messy feelings and got back to work.

By noon, the model was only a little over halfway done.

Yan Yue rolled her neck, then watched Qin Qingyan for a while as she worked. Perhaps because it was warm, the top button of her red shirt had been undone, revealing a clean, distinct collarbone.

No longer as hesitant or clumsy as she had been at the start, she was getting faster and more practiced.

Yan Yue smiled. “It’s noon. What do you want to eat?”

Qin Qingyan tapped the block in her hand, then thought for a moment. “Do you have noodles at home? I can cook some.”

She was about to stand when Yan Yue held her down.

“You keep going. I’ll cook.” Then she headed straight for the kitchen.

Qin Qingyan watched her back for a long time, thinking of something or other, before turning back with a smile and continuing her work.

When the noodles were ready, the two sat opposite each other. Besides the noodles, there was also a fried egg in each bowl.

Qin Qingyan took a bite; surprise lit her eyes, and she nodded at Yan Yue again and again. It was really delicious! Yan Yue didn’t look like someone who spent much time in the kitchen, yet the noodles she cooked were unexpectedly tasty. Qin Qingyan finished hers in just a few bites.

“It’s really good. What I make definitely isn’t as tasty as yours,” Qin Qingyan said.

Yan Yue was in a very good mood. “From childhood to now, I’ve only ever learned how to cook noodles. At least that way I won’t suffer too much; I’ve picked up a little technique.”

After lunch, they went back to the building blocks. With the morning’s experience, they worked much faster in the afternoon.

In the end, only the head was left. The two of them cooperated, Yan Yue finding the pieces and placing them in position while Qin Qingyan took the small hammer and tapped them down firmly. In truth, there was clearly a faster way, but neither of them mentioned it.

When it was finally done, it was Doraemon with a broad, smiling mouth.

By then, it was already past three in the afternoon. The finished model stood off to the side; the two of them sat on the thin blanket, silent for a moment.

“I should go,” Qin Qingyan said, her voice carrying obvious reluctance.

Yan Yue nodded. “Mm.”

Qin Qingyan said nothing else. She stood, went to the sofa, and put on her coat, hat, and mask. Yan Yue saw her to the door.

After slowly putting on her shoes, Qin Qingyan looked at Yan Yue again. “Then I’m going?” She was clearly waiting for a response.

Yan Yue didn’t answer. She simply opened her arms.

Qin Qingyan understood at once, and a bright smile spread across her face as she threw herself into Yan Yue’s arms. This was the first time she had so clearly felt Yan Yue take the initiative.

She took a deep breath; all she could smell was a scent that made her feel at ease. If she could, she would be willing to live like this for the rest of her life.

“Remember to obey the law,” Yan Yue said. “Be careful on the way.”

After Qin Qingyan got home, Su Yan immediately noticed something was off. She was practically glowing, and even the strands of her hair seemed to be smiling.

But she was happy for her too. To pursue a dream and, at the same time, gain the one you loved—that was truly one of life’s great blessings.

Inside Hu qing Hospital, Li Xian finished work and changed out of her white coat. Bai Ruo had already started nodding off; when she saw Li Xian was done, she forced her eyes open, rubbed her face, and woke up quite a bit.

“Come on, missy. I’ll take you home.” Li Xian kissed Bai Ruo on the forehead, took her hand, tucked it into her coat pocket, and they went downstairs laughing and chatting.

The two were so focused on each other that after getting in the car, they kissed for a long while before starting the engine, completely missing a black car following not far behind.

After送 Bai Ruo home, the two reluctantly said goodbye, turning back every few steps.

Li Xian had barely gotten home when she saw the living room lit up brightly. Her parents were sitting stiffly on the sofa, faces tight. When they saw her come in, they fixed her with clearly displeased looks.

They had been waiting for her on purpose.

The Li family had been doctors for generations and was always traditional and conservative. They had long been prejudiced against the entertainment industry and all the gossip around it—cheating, abortion, all that. Two years ago, when they learned their daughter was together with an actress, father and daughter had a huge fight. Seeing that his daughter was stubborn and unyielding, he backed down and planned to first find out what kind of person that actress was.

It would have been one thing not to know, but she turned out to be a woman!

Li Xian’s mother had initially sided more with her daughter, but after that, she too completely opposed it.

They had talked to her for a year or two, and she still refused to listen. And today, she was entangled again with that female actress.

“With your background, what kind of good man can’t you find? You had to choose a woman, two women... what kind of decent behavior is that!” Li Yi said angrily, gasping for breath.

They only had this one daughter; they could not, and absolutely would not, let her go down the wrong path.

“If you dislike it that much, then I can stop coming back to the Li family from now on,” Li Xian said flatly.

“Break it! Go wherever you want! But I’m telling you, if you stay with that woman, don’t even think about it!”

Li Xian kept walking, then went downstairs and left the Li family home.

Sitting in the car, exhausted all over, she missed Bai Ruo. But she couldn’t go to her now; she still didn’t know what was going on at home, and she didn’t want Bai Ruo to worry after finding out. For now, she could only take things one step at a time.

On the film set, the actors were reading their lines, trying to catch the best emotions for their characters. Qin Qingyan was acting opposite a female actor, while Bai Ruo and Su Yan watched from the side with strange expressions.

“You think something’s off too, right?” Bai Ruo whispered.

Su Yan didn’t want to admit it, but the way that female actor looked at Qin Qingyan was exactly the same as the way Qin Qingyan looked at Yan Yue. No, Qin Qingyan wasn’t even that bold.

“Do you think Qin Qingyan is a block of wood?” Bai Ruo asked curiously.

“Have you ever seen a block of wood run off to someone else’s place to confess?” Su Yan said coolly.

Confess? Qin Qingyan!

“Who? You’re killing me here, just say it already,” Bai Ruo urged. When she saw Su Yan still just looking at her without speaking, she suddenly thought of something. “Don’t tell me it’s that so-called Mr. Yan from that day—Yan Yue?”

Su Yan nodded very seriously.

Bai Ruo instantly perked up. How rare. Qin Qingyan, with that quiet personality, had actually taken the initiative to confess. Although they had already guessed on her birthday that there might be something between her and Yan Yue, they had only assumed Yan Yue was the one pursuing Qin Qingyan. They hadn’t expected this at all; she’d hidden it well.

“And then? How did it go?” She nudged Su Yan’s shoulder, her eyes full of anticipation.

Su Yan clicked her tongue and frowned at her. This person had no sense of boundaries at all; she was always nudging and shoving.

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t be so stingy. Tell me. I’m really curious,” Bai Ruo said.

“I really don’t know either,” Su Yan said after thinking for a moment. “But Qingyan-jie seemed pretty happy when she came back that day. It should have gone well.”

Bai Ruo was satisfied and sat back, no longer pestering Su Yan.

Qin Qingyan helped Xu Shushu sort out her thoughts, and when they went through the lines again, things were clearly much smoother. When Xu Shushu thanked her sincerely, there was a carefully hidden joy in the way she looked at Qin Qingyan.

This time it was a TV drama, and the two of them were playing best friends, so they would have more scenes together than they did in White Whale. Maybe Qin Qingyan still didn’t know it, but Xu Shushu had already developed feelings back during the White Whale shoot.

They were about the same age; Qin Qingyan was only about three months older than her. But whether in acting or in the way she handled herself, Qin Qingyan was much steadier and more mature. The first time they worked together, Xu Shushu had felt as if she weren’t acting with a newcomer at all, but with a seasoned senior.

For all sorts of reasons, even she couldn’t say exactly when she had fallen for her.

After the official shoot began, most of their scenes were one-take. Xu Shushu poured a cup of tea and handed it to Qin Qingyan; Qin Qingyan thanked her and took it, drinking it down in one go. Xu Shushu’s gaze lingered on Qin Qingyan for a long while before she shyly looked away.

“Why does Yu Qingyan have scenes too?” Su Yan frowned when she saw the green-clad figure in the distance.

“Normal. She’s got quite a bit of skill now. It hasn’t even been a week since she left Huanfeng, and she’s already hooked up with a new boss. But she came onto this production late; she’s only got some dead-first-love role waiting for her. She doesn’t have many scenes, but the role is popular,” Bai Ruo said as if this were all perfectly ordinary.

Su Yan understood.

Qin Qingyan came over and sat with them.

She picked up her phone to check it. Aside from a few text reminders, there was nothing else, and she felt a little disappointed.

“Aiya, my darling really is getting more and more obedient. She’s making sure to eat every meal properly,” Bai Ruo said, glancing at Qin Qingyan with utterly obvious intent.

She held out her phone for Su Yan and Qin Qingyan to see. In the picture was a generous box lunch.

Qin Qingyan really was envious. She didn’t know when she and Yan Yue would be able to be like Bai Ruo and the others, able to talk about anything, always caring, always thinking of each other.

Looking at her chat window, the last message was still from a day ago. She couldn’t help sighing.

Su Yan kicked the leg of Bai Ruo’s chair hard, then withdrew her foot as if nothing had happened.

“Hey, you... when you use your foot, you’re not this polite. Such a two-faced person.”