Sulking

In the video, when she faced the camera, she always seemed to smile carelessly; she could answer all kinds of tricky questions with ease, and she had even shot back at reporters more than once.

Qin Qingyan closed her phone and came to a conclusion: this model lady knew how to be polite.

Well... polite, but not yielding.

Though she didn’t understand why the model kept sizing her up from time to time, Qin Qingyan didn’t want to dwell on it. After all, their paths wouldn’t cross much. They were only nodding acquaintances from the set.

But things didn’t seem nearly as simple as she’d imagined.

Once the camera was in place, Qin Qingyan performed with remarkable steadiness. Even the director and the staff were drawn in; they forgot what they were doing and watched her intently. When Qin Qingyan was fully focused, it was as if she had merged with the character; it was impossible to tell that she was acting at all.

Yet one person remained completely unmoved, and even seemed to be doing it on purpose. The very first scene it was her turn to play, she messed up. She said her line wrong.

“Oh dear, sorry. I got nervous for a second.” Zou Yun’s eyes curved with a smile, and there was not the slightest hint of apology on her face.

The director waved it off generously and said it was nothing. The rest of the crew also thought it was perfectly normal for someone filming for the first time to make a mistake or two.

Only Qin Qingyan sensed that something was off. When their eyes met, the corner of Zou Yun’s mouth lifted slightly; then she shrugged and turned away with a smile to look at the script.

She had done it on purpose.

But on the second take, it passed in one go, as if Qin Qingyan’s earlier feeling had been nothing more than her own wild speculation.

No matter what, as long as it got through.

During the break, Qin Qingyan was studying the script when Su Yan ran back to the car to get her hat. Suddenly, someone dropped into the empty stool beside her; at the same time, a faint fragrance drifted over.

Zou Yun crossed one leg over the other and gave Qin Qingyan a sweeping look. “Qin Qingyan?”

“Hello. What is it?” Qin Qingyan asked.

“I know you.” Zou Yun withdrew her gaze and looked off into the distance. “Guess why I, a model, would take a tiny part like this and make a special trip here? You should know my time is very valuable.”

“Since that’s the case, Miss Zou, you should make the most of your time and finish filming early so you can leave sooner,” Qin Qingyan said with a smile that was neither cold nor warm.

“Are you trying to drive me away?” Zou Yun asked.

“Of course not. I’m just being honest.”

Zou Yun suddenly laughed. “Miss Qin, this should be our first meeting, shouldn’t it? You look so unwelcome toward me that it makes me wonder if I’ve offended you somewhere.”

Qin Qingyan smiled as well. “I’m also curious. Are we really meeting for the first time?”

Zou Yun paused, then actually thought about it. It really was their first meeting.

“If this is our first meeting, then why do you keep sizing me up? You nearly make me think I’ve done something to offend you.” Qin Qingyan said. “Miss Zou, you’re a world-class model; you’ve seen every kind of scene there is. I don’t think your first scene would be so tense that you’d forget your lines. As for the real reason...”

Qin Qingyan stopped, then asked with a smile a few seconds later, “Miss Zou, tell me why you forgot your line, and I’ll tell you my guess about why you came here to film. How about that?”

What a deal. It sounded like she’d spent too long with Yan Yue; even her speech came with a calculator attached.

“Fine. I forgot my line because...” Zou Yun leaned closer to Qin Qingyan and smiled. “Teacher Qin is breathtakingly beautiful, and I was admiring you so much that I lost focus for a moment.”

Qin Qingyan listened to her off-topic nonsense while quietly leaning back a little.

The one who was being disliked, Zou Yun, said irritably, “Why are you backing away? Do I not know my limits?”

“Miss Zou took a liking to my face and made a special trip here; whether you know your limits or not is really hard to say,” Qin Qingyan replied.

That was her guess; she was using Zou Yun’s own words to trap her. When Zou Yun realized it, she once again sighed that it was no wonder they were family—birds of a feather, indeed.

“You two... no wonder.” Zou Yun drew it out meaningfully.

We two? Qin Qingyan didn’t understand what she meant.

Zou Yun quietly dialed a number, then deliberately turned on speakerphone when the call connected.

“What is it?” the person on the other end asked.

Qin Qingyan’s body went still. That voice should only be similar... It had to be an illusion, right?

Zou Yun smiled in triumph and softened her voice. “Yue, I miss you. I just wanted to call and hear your voice.”

The other end fell silent.

“Yue, have you finished at Changyue yet? Come drive over and take me home with you, okay?” Zou Yun said coyly.

The other side still said nothing. Zou Yun went on, “We slept together for so many years; anyway, you have to take responsibility. I’ll send you the address, and you have to come pick me up. Love you.”

After hanging up, Zou Yun stood and left with only one parting remark.

“Teacher Qin, my darling is coming to get me. See you.”

Changyue, Yue... and that voice on the other end; Qin Qingyan was certain the person there was Yan Yue.

But when had she ever known that Yan Yue had such a... person at her side?

As soon as Zou Yun left, Qin Qingyan immediately dialed Yan Yue’s number. Before long, the call connected. Listening to the other woman’s voice, a faint thread of anger actually rose in Qin Qingyan’s heart.

It felt as though this call had only gone through because of Zou Yun’s favor.

Qin Qingyan steadied herself. “Su Yan has something to do and took the car. Come pick me up.”

There was a brief pause on the other end, then: “Okay. Where are you?”

Where am I... Qin Qingyan thought quickly, glanced at the distant Zou Yun, and said, “China World Center. I’m here. When are you coming over?”

“Half an hour. I’ll come after I finish the things at hand,” Yan Yue said.

Qin Qingyan hurriedly added, “There are a lot of people here, and I’m afraid of being recognized. Come get me after work first.”

The other side agreed.

After hanging up, Qin Qingyan quickly packed up and asked Su Yan to drive her to China World Center, about ten minutes away. Su Yan was puzzled, but did as she was told. Once they arrived, Qin Qingyan told Su Yan to leave first. Su Yan was even more confused, but she didn’t ask further and left.

Fully covered up, Qin Qingyan waited outside, her beautiful eyes peering through her sunglasses as she kept watch over the passing cars.

Once she calmed down, she also felt that her own thoughts and actions were far too childish. From Changyue to China World Center, the route would pass the film crew, so Yan Yue might be giving Zou Yun a ride. Or perhaps she would take a detour, come to China World Center first, and then go to the set.

She hoped it was the latter; she hoped that when Yan Yue’s car arrived, there would be no one inside besides Yan Yue herself.

This little thought tormented her over and over. Several times during the wait, she almost got up and went back to the film crew, but each time she held herself back.

Taking a deep breath, she gave a quiet laugh. Forget it. No matter which outcome it was, she’d accept it calmly. After all, it didn’t prove anything.

Forty minutes later, her eyes tracked the flow of traffic more intently. Not this one; not that one either...

Roughly an hour later, her tired eyes suddenly brightened. A car slowly pulled over, the window slid down, and that familiar face appeared. At a glance, the passenger seat was empty.

Qin Qingyan smiled and quickly walked over, opened the door, and got in. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Zou Yun in the back seat. The smile under her mask stiffened; she lowered her eyes behind her sunglasses and silently fastened her seat belt.

So... she would still be disappointed.

“Teacher Qin, I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon,” Zou Yun greeted her with a smile.

“Yes. We meet again,” Qin Qingyan replied in an even tone.

Tsk, those two even talked the same way. It really was contagious after spending too much time together.

When Yan Yue picked her up, she had gone straight to the front passenger seat. Who would have known Yan Yue, so biased toward love over friendship, would also tell Qin Qingyan in that same indifferent tone, “Back.”

At the time, she had even thought it was some sort of lovey-dovey “my front seat is for you alone” kind of sweetness. Only after picking up Qin Qingyan did she suddenly realize there had already been arrangements in place.

Along the way, Zou Yun asked a few questions from time to time. They went back and forth mechanically, as if simply going through the motions, and it made her feel that there was no fun in it at all. She looked meaningfully at Yan Yue, who was driving seriously, then at Qin Qingyan, who seemed lost in thought. Sensing something, she smiled and quietly started playing with her phone.

The car was eerily quiet.

Yan Yue held the steering wheel and glanced at Qin Qingyan. Seeing that she had removed her sunglasses and mask and was turning her head to look out the window, she barely said anything the whole way.

The car slowed, then came to a stop.

Yan Yue said to Zou Yun in the back, “We’re here.”

Zou Yun looked at the familiar surroundings. Wasn’t this her apartment complex?

“I told you to take me to your place. Why did you send me back here?” Zou Yun asked.

Yan Yue looked at the rearview mirror. “It’s not convenient.”

“What’s inconvenient about it? Is your huge apartment not big enough for my tiny body? I can sleep on the sofa too,” Zou Yun said.

“It’s not convenient,” Yan Yue repeated.

Zou Yun’s gaze swept between the two of them with a meaningful glint, and she stopped insisting. “Fine. Come hang out at my place when you have time.”

Watching the car drive off, Zou Yun shrugged with a smile and went back into the complex.

Only the two of them remained in the car. If the atmosphere just now had been too quiet because Zou Yun was there, then right now it was still far too quiet.

From the moment Qin Qingyan had answered Zou Yun so coolly, Yan Yue had vaguely sensed that something was off. She could catch even the smallest shifts in Qin Qingyan’s mood.

Now that it was just the two of them and the other still refused to speak, Yan Yue guessed it might be because she hadn’t replied to her messages.

So she said, “I got a little angry this morning because you bit me, so I didn’t reply to your messages.” She glanced at Qin Qingyan after saying that.

Qin Qingyan heard her. Compared with something as small as not replying to messages, what pressed on her heart was a much greater sadness; an inexplicable, suffocating feeling, as if it were everywhere and nowhere at once.

“Oh.” She answered softly, while the scenery outside kept flashing past her eyes and her mind drifted somewhere else.

That answer made Yan Yue frown. Normally, whenever Qin Qingyan had something on her mind, she would talk to her about it. This time, Yan Yue had opened the door first, yet Qin Qingyan looked as if she didn’t want to engage at all.

“Qin Qingyan, what’s wrong?” Yan Yue asked again.

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Qingyan turned to look at her. In her eyes was a dense tangle of emotions; she seemed to want to say something but held back. Then she smiled at Yan Yue, though the smile was strained. “Nothing. I just want to think it over myself.”

Yan Yue said nothing. Her foot pressed down on the accelerator, and for the rest of the ride she asked Qin Qingyan about nothing else.

Qin Qingyan could tell something was wrong and guessed it might be related to her answer just now. Unlike before, this time she chose silence.

After parking the car, they took the elevator upstairs and returned home. Neither of them said a word; each went to their own room. The living room, usually lively, was rarely this cold and empty.

Yan Yue closed the bedroom door, thought about it, then went back out to pour herself a glass of water. Her eyes flicked to Qin Qingyan’s still-shut bedroom door. She finished the water in one gulp, strode back to her room, and slammed the door shut with a bang.