Watching a Film

Huanfeng Century CEO Office.

Yan Yue looked over the information Ye Bai had gathered, and her confidence gradually settled into place.

“From the messages and files sent to Mr. Qian, it’s basically certain that it was Yu Qingyan,” Ye Bai said. “She’d had plenty of dealings with Zheng Chong. After Zheng Chong fell, she went to Xinli Media.”

“Since she’s gone, her personal conduct is Xinli Media’s concern,” Yan Yue said.

Ye Bai nodded in agreement.

Yan Yue looked at him and thought for a moment before saying, “Huanfeng has finally started to recover these past few days. You’ve done very well.”

“Mr. Qian is experienced and steady; he made a major contribution this time,” Ye Bai said.

“He really is suited to this part of the entertainment industry,” Yan Yue said. “Still, aren’t you a bit wasted here?”

Ye Bai smiled easily. “Don’t say that; this is plenty good enough. Since taking over at Huanfeng, I’ve realized I’m still lacking when it comes to handling people. An entertainment company like this is the best place to sharpen myself. Staying a little longer won’t hurt.”

Yan Yue let him have his way. At most, he could stay another year; Changyue would be a better fit for him then.

Busy until noon, she opened her phone and saw that Qin Qingyan had sent her more than ten messages. She was used to keeping it on silent, so she hadn’t noticed at all.

Almost every message was asking when she’d be done.

Just as she was about to reply, she thought it over and instead started a video call. The other side picked up quickly.

“Still filming?”

Qin Qingyan jogged to a place where no one was around and looked at Yan Yue through the screen. The background showed her office; it was the first time she’d seen her wearing glasses. So this was what people meant when they talked about abstinence-like restraint on Yan Yue; it looked so simple and natural on her.

“Filming’s over. I’m getting ready to head back,” Qin Qingyan said, her lips curved in a smile the whole time. Secretly, she turned on screen recording. Not every day had a chance like this to video call Yan Yue.

“In a hurry? If not, I’d like to invite you to see a movie,” Yan Yue said with a smile.

“Of course; I’m not in a hurry,” Qin Qingyan replied.

Her smile grew wider and wider. This time, Yan Yue had taken the initiative again. Forget noon; even if it were the middle of the night and she were lying in a warm blanket, as long as Yan Yue asked, she’d get up immediately and go find her.

But very quickly, Qin Qingyan’s smile gave way to restless unease.

The film Yan Yue had invited her to see was precisely her first movie, Baiyin. If this were a year ago, there wouldn’t have been any problem at all; but now their relationship was developing, and this film had quite a few ambiguous scenes between her and Xu Shushu.

What was worse, in all of them she’d been the more active one.

She glanced at Yan Yue. Yan Yue was watching very seriously, the popcorn she’d bought barely touched.

On the screen, Qin Qingyan knew exactly what scene was coming next. She turned her head and awkwardly scratched the back of it as cover. The earlier scenes had mostly been vague, lingering flirtation, but this one was the most straightforward scene in the entire film.

“Guess why I went after him?”

The cinema’s sound system was excellent; even breathing could be heard clearly. The voice of Lin Wan, the character she played, had nowhere to hide, pouring into Qin Qingyan’s ears from every direction.

She silently repeated to herself: I’m doomed.

“Lin Wan, why have you become like this? Were you still the sister who used to protect me with everything you had?” Lin Ruo’s voice came with accusation.

“Heh.” Lin Wan let out a cold laugh, completely provoked. She suddenly reached out and caught Lin Ruo by the chin, leaning in as her gaze moved with predatory intent from her eyes to her rosy lips.

Her voice was low, but crystal clear: “I’ve never been afraid of going against the police; it all depends on whether it’s worth it.” Her fingers brushed against her lips.

Then she looked straight into Lin Ruo’s eyes again. “Of course I’d still protect you, just like before. But who says only an older sister can protect her younger sister?”

“Lin Wan!”

Lin Wan did something even bolder, pinning her into the corner. While pressing down on Lin Ruo’s hands and forcing their fingers together, she also separated and restrained her legs, leaving her with no room to resist.

By then, Lin Ruo had gradually realized something; shame and fury rose on her face.

“Now what? You can barely protect yourself and you’re still thinking about saving that cop?” Lin Wan said with a faint smile. “I’ll give you two choices: let him go, or let yourself go.”

That sentence undoubtedly tore through the last nearly transparent layer between the sisters. Lin Ruo looked at her in disbelief. The person before her was right in front of her; clearly the most familiar face, yet why did it feel so strange now?

“The weather outside is freezing. I can guarantee that in five minutes, he’ll either freeze to death or be dealt with by my people.” Lin Wan smiled. “So, have you decided?”

She turned Lin Ruo’s face back toward her. Did she really not want to look at her? “I’ll count to three. After three, you won’t have a choice anymore.”

“Three... two..."

“I choose!” Tears slid from the corners of Lin Ruo’s eyes. Lin Wan froze for a moment. What was this tear being shed for?

“Let him go, I’m begging you.”

With a bang, the old wooden door was kicked shut. Lin Wan threw Lin Ruo onto the bed, then pressed down on top of her, their fingers still locked together. Lin Ruo turned her face away in humiliation and refused to look at her, while Lin Wan panted against the side of her neck.

In the vast cinema, that breathing sounded especially suggestive.

Qin Qingyan glanced at Yan Yue. Yan Yue was still the same as before, her expression faint and unreadable, with little change. Qin Qingyan let out a breath of relief; her heart eased up a little too.

“You chose it yourself,” Lin Wan said, urgently undoing Lin Ruo’s shirt. Button after button came loose, and when she reached the last one, she stopped.

She saw the horrifying scar across Lin Ruo’s waist.

When they were young, Lin Ruo’s dream was to become an anti-narcotics police officer. As the older sister, she opposed it, yet also had no choice but to support her. As time passed, Lin Ruo grew more and more outstanding; every mission succeeded.

Once, she nearly lost her life because of an accident, and dozens of stitches were left across her waist. From that moment on, she made up her mind to use her own ability to protect her little sister, even if the path she walked was not the right one.

But how had things gone on and on until they became like this today?

She stroked the scar, then propped herself up and took off her coat to cover Lin Ruo with it. Lin Ruo still wouldn’t look at her.

Lin Wan walked to the door, her hand on the knob, and stopped.

Her power was already large enough that the police’s biggest headache had changed from the drug lord of the past to her now. But Lin Ruo, I can’t turn back anymore.

Lin Wan gave Lin Ruo one last look, then gently closed the door and left. That was also the last time they met in the film.

In the finale, Lin Wan was surrounded by police. There were eight boats on the sea, all packed with her people, every one of them armed and facing off against the police. She stood calmly at the front of the yacht.

The lead officer was Lin Ruo’s boyfriend. Lin Wan asked, “Where’s Lin Ruo?”

“You’re not worthy of saying her name!”

Lin Wan smiled. Yes, how could she possibly still want to see her? Having a sister like her was something deeply shameful.

The sunlight was bright; the sea surface glittered and shimmered, dreamlike, just like her life.

A police car sped through traffic, running several red lights in a row. Lin Ruo’s eyes were red, and she couldn’t hear a word of the orders coming through the radio.

At the very end, Lin Wan smiled at Lin Ruo’s boyfriend. That smile was not mocking, nor proud; it was clear and pure, as boundless as the sea itself, a smile filled only with goodwill and release.

She said, “Everyone, everything, is on these eight boats.”

She pressed the button, and all the ships exploded at once. Watching the blaze spread across the sea from afar, Lin Ruo finally stopped the car, already sobbing uncontrollably.

At the end of the clip, Lin Ruo was crouched in front of Lin Wan’s tombstone, placing flowers and Lin Wan’s favorite chewing gum beside it. As she got up and walked away, her figure growing farther and farther into the distance, an echo rose again from far away, carrying their innocent childhood conversation.

“I’m going to be a police officer!”

“Then I’ll protect the police officer.”

“Police officers don’t need protecting. Police officers protect everyone.”

“Then I won’t protect the police officer. I’ll only protect my little sister.”

The lights in the theater came on at just the right moment, accompanied by the rustle of people gathering their things and standing up to leave through the door.

Yan Yue didn’t speak the whole way. Qin Qingyan looked at her expression and didn’t dare say anything either.

Yan Yue had driven there, so naturally she’d drive back too. But when Qin Qingyan reached for the car door, there was no response. Then the car window slid down, and Yan Yue said to her, “Wait for me a few minutes; I have something to take care of.”

Her voice held a trace of fatigue. Qin Qingyan froze, then let go of the handle and nodded.

The car quickly pulled away. Qin Qingyan lowered her gaze and sat down on a red leather sofa by the wall, thinking over her own worries in silence.

After making sure she was out of sight, Yan Yue pulled over and took a deep breath. Her mind was a little muddled, largely because of the movie she’d just watched. The film was very good; Qin Qingyan’s acting had been particularly striking, and all the characters were well done.

While watching, there were many moments when she put herself in Lin Wan’s place and understood the struggle of loving someone yet not saying it aloud. She had already become Lin Wan once; she couldn’t allow a second time.

Qin Qingyan was very good, but people change. Five years from now she’d only be twenty-three, in the prime of her life. If by then Yan Yue had already fallen completely in love, but Qin Qingyan loved someone else—or even made a different choice—how would she stand herself then?

In business, she dared to place even the biggest bets, because she knew she could afford to lose; she had enough room to make mistakes, and she understood exactly where her abilities lay. Everything could be calculated.

But feelings were different. They couldn’t be seen or touched. Not only did she have to be sure of her own heart, but also the other person’s; there were so many factors to consider. Even setting all that aside, the human heart alone was already impossible to predict.

Yan Yue thought about it for a long time. When she finally decided to go back, she checked the time; nearly twenty minutes had passed!

When she returned to the cinema, Qin Qingyan was still sitting there. Before Yan Yue even called out, Qin Qingyan seemed to spot her and stood up to walk over. She opened the car door, buckled her seat belt, and moved naturally, her expression unchanged the entire time.

Was she angry? Yan Yue guessed.

At the traffic light, the car stopped. Qin Qingyan looked at Yan Yue and spoke first. “If it’s something related to me, can you tell me? Don’t think about it on your own. I’d be scared too; scared that if you keep thinking, you’ll decide I’m some unforgivable person.”

She’d guessed too accurately; Yan Yue had no way to refute it.

“So far, have I done anything to disappoint you?” Qin Qingyan asked again.

“No,” Yan Yue said, not looking at her, only watching the countdown on the red light. After thinking carefully, it was true; she hadn’t.

Qin Qingyan fell silent, fidgeting with her fingers. If this kept up, she wouldn’t even need five years; maybe by then Yan Yue would already have pushed her out of her heart.

Yan Yue wasn’t short on admirers. If, by chance, someone her own age appeared at this moment, someone who truly treated her well, if she had to compete with that person, would her chances even reach thirty percent?

Qin Qingyan hesitated on her side of things, while Yan Yue watched the road and kept one hand on the steering wheel, glancing at her from the corner of her eye now and then. She could tell Qin Qingyan was struggling. Didn’t she just tell her to speak if she had something to say? Why had she started hesitating instead?

This time, before Yan Yue could prompt her, Qin Qingyan’s voice came out: “Can I move in with you?”