It’s Fine

After a few days of rest, Qin Qingyan returned to the film crew. She planned to shoot more in the first half of the year and leave as much time as possible in the second half to spend with Yan Yue. She was very much in favor of the travel plan Yan Yue had suggested before.

Traveling meant plenty of time together, and plenty of space to be together. Someone had once said that if you wanted to see the truest version of a person, you should go traveling with her once.

The film they were shooting would probably wrap in about another month.

Xu Shushu played a deaf-mute in it, so her acting depended entirely on body language, expression, and her eyes. In this production, she had improved a great deal.

“Ah, yes, yes, yes, that look is perfect,” the director praised.

Xu Shushu smiled and thanked the director, then glanced at Qin Qingyan without meaning to. Of course she could act well; the one she had a crush on was far more than just her character.

Qin Qingyan was discussing the next scene with the director, focused and attentive, nodding now and then, speaking or gesturing with her hands. Xu Shushu watched her with something on her mind.

“Teacher Xu, want some water?” Su Yan handed her a bottle of mineral water.

Xu Shushu came back to herself and took it. “Thanks.”

“You play the deaf-mute so well, Teacher Xu. I still remember my first time acting; I was also playing a deaf-mute, and I was full of flaws. Even the director disliked it,” Su Yan said.

“You’ve acted too?” Xu Shushu asked in surprise.

“Yeah. I used to dream of becoming a big star; I just didn’t have the talent, so I decided to be a behind-the-scenes hero instead. Looking at it now, maybe that suits me better. With my temper, if someone curses at me a few times, my brain just floods with blood.” Su Yan said.

Xu Shushu said, “Not necessarily. Maybe people will like you precisely because you’re genuine.”

“Who knows? Anyway, I already made the choice, and the road has brought me here. In any case, it’s pretty good, I guess.”

Xu Shushu looked at Qin Qingyan again and asked, “You and Qingyan debuted together, so you must have suffered a lot?”

“At first, yes. We were always being suppressed, our scenes cut; no director dared to cast us,” Su Yan said. “Luckily, we met Yan… a very good person, who is now Qingyan jie’s partner. She helped us out, and only then did we rise from nowhere to everywhere with White Whale.”

Xu Shushu’s expression shifted slightly. “Qingyan’s partner must be very outstanding.”

“Mm, very capable. Actually, Qingyan jie’s goal in acting was the Golden Ro Award, and she was planning to propose at that time too. She felt that only then would she not be too lousy as the other person’s partner.” Su Yan said. “It really was fate, though; they’d met even earlier than that.”

“Is that so? Then that’s really nice.”

Xu Shushu had known from the start that she had no chance. Now, she was even more certain.

They filmed until very late that day. Starting in the evening, the sky had turned overcast with dark clouds, and by now it was already pouring. The rain was noisy, and the crew shouted to one another at the top of their lungs.

The director took advantage of the weather to finish one more shot before planning to wrap.

Qin Qingyan was in police uniform; during the chase, her police cap had fallen to the ground. Ahead of her, the suspect kept throwing things back at her, and she nimbly dodged every one. At the right moment, she flew into a kick and sent the trafficker crashing to the ground.

The director stared at the monitor, eyes fixed.

Their fight became increasingly tangled. With another kick, the suspect’s calf slammed into a stone step; he cried out in pain, but still got up and dragged that leg forward to flee.

Just as she was about to pursue him, a pair of hands grabbed her.

Qin Qingyan instinctively swung a punch.

“It’s me!” the male officer said hurriedly.

“Let go!”

“Higher-ups said you’re not to chase any further. They’ll handle what comes next!”

“Handle my ass. I can deal with him with my own two fists. You people are more nagging than I am girly. Let go!”

“Okay, cut!” the director called at the right time.

The crew hurried to drape towels over the actors and took them to change into dry clothes.

Su Yan leaned close to Qin Qingyan’s ear and said quietly, “Qingyan jie, Yan zong is here. She’s waiting for you outside.”

Qin Qingyan’s eyes lit up. She handed the towel to Su Yan and ran straight outside without caring that she was still soaked through.

She identified cars in the dark, but the rain was too heavy and her vision too blurred to be sure which one it was.

At that moment, someone got out of a car holding an umbrella. When she got closer, Qin Qingyan immediately smiled and ran into the rain, ducking under the umbrella with her.

A body soaked with moisture came close. It wasn’t hot yet, and it was nighttime besides; with rain falling on top of that, even a thin coat felt a little cold, much less a body drenched from head to toe.

“Does the crew not have clothes?” Yan Yue frowned.

“They do. I just haven’t changed yet. Susu said you were here, so I hurried over,” Qin Qingyan said sweetly.

Yan Yue gave her a once-over. In police uniform, she looked especially sharp; her hair was tied in a low ponytail, already completely soaked. Her forehead was smooth and full, and her eyelashes fluttered.

All in all, she still looked quite good.

Because of that face, Yan Yue’s mood improved a lot.

“I’m not planning to take a shower tonight,” Yan Yue said, pressing her finger against Qin Qingyan’s shoulder and pushing her away just a little.

“I’m going to shower anyway, so let’s shower together. It’s not like it’s a big deal.” Qin Qingyan blurted out, though her body remained obediently where it was and didn’t press closer.

Yan Yue gave her a glare and said nothing.

Qin Qingyan just laughed to herself and kept talking.

Behind them, Xu Shushu looked at the two of them under the umbrella. When Qin Qingyan turned her face slightly, that childlike smile of hers still shone bright and happy even through the blurred curtain of rain.

They really suited each other.

So this was what Qin Qingyan looked like. It turned out she had never truly seen her before.

“They really suit each other,” a voice came from behind.

Xu Shushu jumped and hurriedly turned around. A large crowd of gossip-hungry crew members was standing behind her.

After showering, Qin Qingyan came out drying her hair and didn’t see Yan Yue on the sofa. She looked around; there was no one on the balcony either. Just as she was wondering, she heard movement from the kitchen, along with the faint smell of ginger.

Walking over, she saw Yan Yue with one hand braced on the counter and the other holding a glass lid. The sound of water from the pot was soft; then she put the lid back down.

Qin Qingyan watched quietly. She didn’t speak or step forward; she simply leaned against the wall and watched in silence.

A long time ago, back in Qingyi Village, she had read a book called Letter from an Unknown Woman. In one section, it described the female lead giving birth in an extremely harsh delivery room. She said she felt like livestock laid out on a butcher’s block, at the mercy of others, with no dignity at all; hell probably looked like that.

And yet, for the person in her heart, she would willingly endure such suffering again without a second thought.

When she read that passage, she had been deeply shaken for the first time. At the same time, she had thought back on her own experience; in those hardest moments, was there anything worth going through again willingly?

At the time, her answer had been no.

But now, looking at that figure a few meters ahead, she understood the heroine. All the pain of the past had become tiny and insignificant before this scene.

The water in the pot boiled. Yan Yue lifted the lid, and hot steam with a strong smell of ginger billowed out.

Yan Yue poured the ginger soup into a bowl. When she went to get a spoon from the cabinet, a pair of hands reached from behind to take the soup first, smiling at her.

“I’ll do it,” Qin Qingyan said.

“Careful, it’s hot.” Yan Yue said. After washing the pot and utensils, she took the spoon out and placed it into Qin Qingyan’s bowl.

Then she sat across from Qin Qingyan and watched her drink.

The smile at the corners of Qin Qingyan’s mouth never faded. She scooped up a spoonful and held it to Yan Yue’s lips. “It’s sweet. Try a sip too.”

“No need. Finish it and blow-dry your hair.” Yan Yue said.

“Okay,” Qin Qingyan agreed sweetly. “Just one sip, really; it’s so sweet.”

Yan Yue looked into her eyes and let out a soft sigh. Then she opened her mouth and drank.

Qin Qingyan smiled with satisfaction, her eyes bright. “Well? Isn’t it sweet?”

Yan Yue looked at her for a long time, then suddenly smiled. “Mm. Very sweet.”

“Hurry up and drink it; don’t wait for it to get cold. I’m going to look at some materials for a while.” Yan Yue got up and walked to the sofa.

Qin Qingyan looked displeased. Since Yan Yue wouldn’t keep her company, she quickly finished the rest in a few big gulps.

She took the blow dryer and walked to the sofa to plug it in, then handed it to Yan Yue. Yan Yue froze for a moment; after understanding, she put down the laptop and got up to blow-dry her hair for her.

Qin Qingyan sat on the sofa, hugging Yan Yue around the waist and enjoying the service.

The airflow was soft and gentle, and Yan Yue’s fingers moved through her hair.

When the machine stopped, Yan Yue set the blow dryer aside. Qin Qingyan lifted her head from her waist and looked at her. “It’s not dry yet.”

“The rest can air-dry; it’ll be fast.” Yan Yue said, resting both hands on her shoulders.

“Mm, okay.” Qin Qingyan said, still holding on tightly.

“Qin Qingyan, your hands.”

“What?”

“Let go. I need to go handle something.”

“Okay; you have to unlock it first.” Qin Qingyan smiled.

Yan Yue couldn’t help laughing. She lowered her head and gave her lips a light kiss.

Qin Qingyan was very satisfied and let go, moving obediently to the other side of the sofa to play on her phone.

When it was time to sleep that night, Qin Qingyan intended to ask for some benefits. The moment Yan Yue lay down, she immediately rolled on top of her. She didn’t do anything else; just used the warm yellow bedside lamp as she looked down at her with a smile.

Yan Yue reached up and hooked an arm around her neck, smiling as she said, “Teacher Qin is tireless. How is it that after all that learning, you still only know this?”

“Soon. I’ll graduate in October, and then I’m going to put my new knowledge into practice. I don’t want to keep reviewing all the time.” Qin Qingyan said.

Yan Yue looked at her but said nothing. Their eyes met and held.

Before Qin Qingyan could lean down to kiss her, Yan Yue suddenly turned over and pressed her beneath her, kissing her directly.

After her initial surprise, Qin Qingyan closed her eyes and returned the kiss passionately.

Soon, the top of her pajamas was opened; she didn’t pay it any mind. Very quickly, there was nothing left on her body, and she still didn’t care.

The kiss moved down from her lips and lingered at her neck. Qin Qingyan tilted her head back, breathing hard. Her fingers were forcibly caught, but she held on tightly.

Yan Yue gradually stopped and pressed her forehead against hers, their breathing tangled as she did her best to steady herself.

Looking at her lover so close at hand, Qin Qingyan’s voice was soft and hoarse, carrying a seductive sweetness: “I’m willing.”

She could clearly feel Yan Yue’s breathing go ragged after hearing those words.

“No. Not today.” Yan Yue said hoarsely. But the force with which she held Qin Qingyan’s fingers only increased.

Qin Qingyan understood what she meant this time. This refusal was different from before, so she said, “It’s okay… I bought them.”

Clothes fell away, and the bedroom heat rose, intensely suggestive. Qin Qingyan didn’t dare look at Yan Yue; Yan Yue’s expression was also slightly unnatural.

“Turn off the light?” Yan Yue asked.

“Mm…” Her voice trembled softly.

After lingering on her lips for a moment longer, Yan Yue kissed her eyes. “I’ll try my best. Be careful.”

Even so, since it was their first time and there was no experience to speak of, more than once Yan Yue heard the low, pained sounds Qin Qingyan couldn’t quite suppress.

“Have you… never watched any before?” Qin Qingyan asked, clutching the bedsheets tightly and enduring the discomfort.

“I’ve watched anime… it doesn’t seem quite the same.” Yan Yue answered.

Qin Qingyan’s chest rose and fell. Rather than pleasure, it felt more like punishment; her body needed it desperately, but the other woman simply couldn’t give enough.

What else could she do but bear it?

Fortunately, after they got through the initial stage, Yan Yue seemed to open up all at once. A completely different sensation spread through her body, and she even went weak and soft from the release.

“Now… is it better?” Yan Yue asked softly.

“Mm.”

“Good.”

Yan Yue kissed her lips again, her hands teasing and drawing her in everywhere as she continued into the next round.