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After confirming that Yan Yue had gone back to her room, Su Yan and Yan Huan exchanged a look, leaned toward Qin Qingyan, and asked in a conspiratorial whisper, “Qingyan jie, tell us; how far have you and Yan Yue gone?”

Yan Huan was also brimming with curiosity. Ever since she found out about their relationship, she had become the number one CP fan, determined to fulfill her duty as a little matchmaker.

Besides, she could tell her sister truly liked Qin Qingyan. Over the past year or two, Yan Yue had softened a lot as a person, as if she had finally found a backrest and no longer needed to keep herself constantly on guard.

It had been a long time since she had seen Yan Yue like this.

Qin Qingyan smiled and glanced at the two of them. “What do you think?”

“My sister isn’t the kind of person who’s casual about these things. Besides, you two don’t even have anything like an engagement token on your hands. My guess is... at most, holding hands, hugging, maybe a kiss?” Yan Huan said after thinking it over seriously.

Qin Qingyan forced a smile.

“No way. Even if they aren’t official, with Qingyan looking this good, could Yan Yue really hold out?” Su Yan didn’t believe it.

“How is that impossible? My sister is very traditional. She’d never do anything without a proper title. She used to... she’s always been like that.” Yan Huan panicked and quickly changed course; she had nearly blurted out something she shouldn’t have.

She didn’t know whether Qin Qingyan knew about those things. To be safe, as long as Qin Qingyan didn’t ask first, she should keep her mouth shut.

“I still don’t buy it. You have no idea how popular our Qingyan is. There were tons of people who chased all the way to the set just to confess to her.” Su Yan exaggerated wildly, gesturing to show how lively it had been and how packed the crowd was.

The two of them were still arguing when they spotted Yan Yue coming out. Their voices instantly dropped, and they gave awkward smiles like guilty consciences on display.

It was only a little after two in the afternoon; there were still several hours before they would have dinner and leave. Qin Qingyan had been wearing her formal dress the whole time, which was neither convenient nor comfortable. Yan Yue and she were only about two centimeters apart in height, so the clothes would probably fit.

Yan Yue sat down beside her and handed over a set of loungewear. “It’s never been worn. It should fit you. Go change.”

The moment she saw Yan Yue take out the clothes and walk over, Qin Qingyan had already guessed as much. Her eyes softened; she said nothing and got up to go back to the room.

The clothes fit perfectly, and they looked neat and beautiful on Qin Qingyan.

Su Yan clicked her tongue in admiration. Some people were just born to wear clothes well. Not long ago, Qin Qingyan had worn a black haute couture gown; when she walked the red carpet in that outfit, it drew a lot of attention online and was met with praise almost everywhere.

But very few of the clothes Qin Qingyan could wear would ever be bought by anyone else. First, because of the price; second, because they were extremely picky about the wearer. As people said, when you watched Qin Qingyan glide past the cameras in magnificent clothes, only afterward did you realize it might have been nothing more than a slightly cleaner piece of ordinary fabric.

They hadn’t chatted for long before Yan Yue glanced at the time and saw that it was already four or five o’clock. She got up to prepare dinner for them and called Qin Qingyan along as well. Normally, when she was alone, she would just cook something simple; as long as it filled her up, that counted as a meal. But since there were guests today, she couldn’t exactly make them eat noodles. Fortunately, Qin Qingyan was good at cooking.

Yan Yue helped out, though most of the time she was really just standing there and watching Qin Qingyan work. In the past year or two, she had watched Qin Qingyan cook countless times, yet her skills had not improved in the slightest. In her view, making a dish that actually tasted good was no less difficult than closing a business deal.

On the sofa, the two of them leaned against each other. Glancing over, they happened to catch Yan Yue with one hand braced against the tile behind her, her head slightly turned as she smiled while watching Qin Qingyan; the two of them could not help exchanging a look and showing the same satisfied, auntie-like grin.

The knife tapped against the cutting board in crisp, steady beats. Qin Qingyan pushed the shredded potatoes aside, took another peeled potato from the sink, and kept cutting.

Her movements slowed; after a pause, she said, “They just asked how far we’d gotten.”

Yan Yue froze. She glanced toward the sofa, where two sneaky heads immediately turned back around.

“Really? What did you say?” Yan Yue asked, looking away again.

Qin Qingyan kept cutting the potatoes, her movements slow. “I didn’t answer. Your sister knows you pretty well; she basically guessed right.”

Her tone was low, with something weighing on her mind.

Yan Yue thought about it seriously. “Although Huanhuan and I only lived together for a few short years, we were still under the same roof and we’re sisters. It’s normal to understand each other.”

Qin Qingyan pressed her lips together. That wasn’t what she meant, but she couldn’t say it outright. Yan Yue was taking her age into account and wanted to wait until Qin Qingyan was a little older before deciding what came next for them. She understood that, so she was willing to wait.

In the past year or two, the two of them had grown much closer. But she was no ignorant child anymore. After acting in so many dramas, she had long since understood enough about men and women’s affairs. When Bai Ruo found out that she was close to being with Yan Yue, she even sent her a private folder. She had opened it at random; inside were all kinds of heart-racing clips that made her cheeks burn.

And she had watched every single one.

With Yan Yue, she had become bolder, so the smallest spark of those feelings in her heart could spread into a wildfire. Yet she still couldn’t let Yan Yue know, afraid that Yan Yue would think she was no different from all the others who pursued her and reject her outright in the end.

Qin Qingyan took a deep breath and forced down the surging emotions. She dumped the shredded potatoes into the water, wiped her hands on her apron, and walked up close to Yan Yue. Her gaze was bold and unrestrained as it traveled over Yan Yue’s startled face.

She stepped even closer; their eyes met, and they could almost feel each other’s burning breaths.

“You’re more of a blockhead than I am,” she said, then reached out to take the bowl of vegetables from behind Yan Yue and turned away.

Only after Qin Qingyan left did Yan Yue react. She looked left and right, uncomfortable, and blinked, the tips of her ears hot. She didn’t stay in the kitchen any longer; she couldn’t really help with anything anyway. Thinking that, she went to sit on the sofa.

Qin Qingyan looked at her departing figure, gave a soft laugh, then helplessly took a deep breath and continued what she was doing.

The road ahead was long.

By dinner, the conversation had turned to Yu Qingyan, mainly because she had been unusually high-profile lately. She had always made little moves here and there before, but never as openly as now.

“I still remember Zheng Jingteng cursing her for being shameless before. So why is he now officially announcing her? Though Zheng Jingteng himself isn’t exactly a good thing either,” Su Yan said.

“His official announcement with Yu Qingyan is in itself hotter than either of them alone, but shouldn’t people stop stirring up hype just for traffic?” Yan Huan wondered.

“Before, there were all kinds of messy rumors about the upper management at Xinli Media. Zheng Jingteng left Zheng Chong and didn’t have much backing anyway. Why would someone like Yu Qingyan, who only chases the powerful, pick him?” Su Yan still couldn’t figure it out.

Qin Qingyan didn’t say a word. Seeing that Yan Yue’s dish was nearly gone, she picked up a chopstickful and put more on her plate.

Their discussion drew Yan Yue’s attention, and she had some guesses of her own. But they were only guesses, and as for this kind of gossip headline, she wasn’t interested enough to verify it. She wasn’t in the entertainment industry, after all.

After the meal, Qin Qingyan told Yan Huan and Su Yan to leave first; she planned to stay a little longer. The two of them immediately understood, exchanged a sly smile, and gave her a silent cheering gesture before leaving quickly.

Now the entire living room was left with just the two of them. They had been alone together many times before; everything that needed to be communicated had already been communicated enough. One glance was all it took to know what the other wanted to do.

So the two of them sat side by side on the sofa and watched television together. Neither of them made a point of finding something to talk about; neither felt awkward. In fact, they both liked this quiet state very much.

Qin Qingyan took Yan Yue’s hand and toyed with it, rubbing here and pressing there before finally lacing their fingers together and setting it on her own leg.

Yan Yue let her be. When her phone rang with a notification, she picked it up and looked at it; it was work-related. She pulled her hand back and replied to the message, ignoring Qin Qingyan’s resentful stare.

Qin Qingyan moved closer, wrapped her arms around Yan Yue’s waist, and rested her head against Yan Yue’s left shoulder, burying herself there without moving. With every inhale and exhale came the reassuring scent of Yan Yue’s body.

“When are you leaving?” Yan Yue asked between typing.

Qin Qingyan shifted slightly and held her tighter. “I’ll leave a little later.”

It was already dark outside. Yan Yue glanced up; it was almost seven.

Fine; whatever she wanted. At any rate, no matter how late it got, there would still be a way to get back.

Yan Yue tilted her head and adjusted into a more comfortable position, focusing on replying to her messages.

After a long while, Yan Yue turned off her screen, but the person on her left shoulder still hadn’t moved at all. Had she fallen asleep? She lightly patted Qin Qingyan’s shoulder. “Qin Qingyan?”

“Mm.” Her voice was a little muffled, but there was no hint of sleepiness in it.

She lifted her head; her hair was messy across her forehead, but she didn’t bother fixing it. She glanced at the phone in Yan Yue’s hand and knew she was done with work. Then, all at once, she grabbed Yan Yue’s hands and pushed her onto the sofa.

Her long hair spilled loosely over the surface; the beauty in front of her looked startled, losing her words.

Following the smooth line of Yan Yue’s wrist, Qin Qingyan took her phone and set it aside, then laced their fingers together. She was careful not to touch or press down on her.

Qin Qingyan’s gaze moved slowly from top to bottom, finally resting on those rosy lips before returning to Yan Yue’s eyes. Her voice was very soft, yet it landed clearly in Yan Yue’s ears. “I want to stay tonight.”

Yan Yue only stared at her blankly, forgetting to answer; or perhaps she hadn’t heard what Qin Qingyan had said at all.

Qin Qingyan lowered her head and buried it in Yan Yue’s neck, rubbing against her. She felt Yan Yue shiver, and she let out a laugh.

Yan Yue seemed to regain her senses. Just as she was about to speak and stop her, a sting shot through her neck. “Qin Qingyan!”

Her anger held no real deterrence at all.

Qin Qingyan lifted her head, her fingers tightening. The faint bite mark on Yan Yue’s neck had already begun to redden, standing out even more against her fair skin. She looked into Yan Yue’s eyes, and the two of them met each other’s gaze.

One pair of eyes was flustered and complicated; the other was bold and direct.

With Yan Yue’s personality, if she wasn’t pushed, she might never even think about the fact that the two of them could take things further. She did not want to spend her whole life in Plato’s realm.

“Are you a dog?” Yan Yue said.

Qin Qingyan smiled. “Then let me let you bite me back, with interest.” She leaned her neck toward her, looking as if she would submit to whatever Yan Yue wanted.

Yan Yue struggled and moved a little. “Get off.”

“Okay,” Qin Qingyan said, though she still didn’t move. Once again, she said, “I want to stay tonight.”

Yan Yue let out a long breath, drained. This person clearly didn’t exercise much; how was she so strong? Surely she couldn’t be the weak one here. The little episode, though minor, only strengthened Yan Yue’s resolve to go to the gym more when she had time.