Jealousy

Su Yan stiffly turned her head. Her artist was sitting there eating fruit with complete composure.

"Did your account get hacked or something?" she asked.

Qin Qingyan looked baffled. "What?"

Su Yan shoved the hot search in front of her. Qin Qingyan took one glance and understood immediately.

"The Mask is really good. At the very least, I think so."

"Is that the issue? It’s obvious Shen Qing has offended someone. By speaking up for her now, aren’t you just making trouble for yourself for no reason?" Su Yan said angrily.

Qin Qingyan said, "I know. After weighing the pros and cons, I think The Mask is worth it."

Su Yan pressed both hands to her temples. Calm down, calm down. When the enemy comes, meet it with soldiers; when the flood comes, block it with earth. There would be a way. There had to be.

After Qin Qingyan posted in support of the film, a bunch of Shen Qing’s fans came over to thank her in the comments, and her follower count even rose quite a bit. Not long after, news that Lin Xiao had liked Qin Qingyan’s Weibo post sparked even more discussion.

Yu Shuran also found it strange that Qin Qingyan would suddenly write a post for Shen Qing. In her impression, Qin Qingyan hadn’t had much contact with Shen Qing at all. On the way back to Jingsheng, Yu Shuran asked about the confusion in her mind.

Qin Qingyan said, "I just think that film is worth it. I didn’t think much else about it."

Yu Shuran let out a soft sigh. "Su Su’s guess was right. Shen Qing really did offend quite a few people, simply because she doesn’t follow the company’s rules. That’s all."

"The company? Yuguang Media?" Su Yan asked.

"Mm. In any case, it’s very complicated. Qingyan, if you ever have to work with artists under them in the future, make sure you’re extra careful," Yu Shuran said.

Qin Qingyan nodded.

Su Yan didn’t understand. "Is Yuguang Media really that scary?"

"Only puppets with strings attached are the most obedient. There are a lot of artists like that under them. Or rather, with the exception of Shen Qing, they all are."

Su Yan understood. Then she suddenly laughed. "But seriously, it’s kind of ridiculous. That company only really has Shen Qing to show for it, right? The rest are just small fry. I wonder if all of their fans put together are even more than Shen Qing’s alone."

Yu Shuran also laughed. "That just means people are only easier to attract when they’re acting like people."

Su Yan nodded vigorously and gave a thumbs-up.

Back in Jingsheng, Qin Qingyan got her wish and saw Yan Yue sitting on the sofa watching TV; her heart immediately felt full.

She went to her room, changed into loungewear, and immediately sat down beside Yan Yue.

Li Xian watched Qin Qingyan completely fail to notice that there was still one more person there, and couldn’t help feeling both amused and a little envious.

"It’s almost time for the Golden Ro Award. Teacher Qin, are you ready?" Yan Yue asked with a smile.

Qin Qingyan kept her eyes fixed on Yan Yue and shook her head with a smile.

"No need to prepare. I don’t have much hope this year; I’ll just be there as a supporting audience member."

Li Xian said, "How should I put it? I think the few films you’ve done are all really good, especially the one in the running, 《Three Selves》. You still have a lot of hope."

Bai Ruo brought over three warmed glasses of milk and set them on the coffee table. "I’m not flattering you on purpose, but a few of my friends in the entertainment industry all recommended 《Three Selves》 to me. They praised it endlessly."

Su Yan’s eyes lit up. She reached out to grab a glass of milk, only for a slap to cut off her lovely little plan.

"Was that for you to drink? Just taking it without asking. There are only three cups. I thought you two weren’t coming back today, so I didn’t prepare yours."

"We weren’t planning to come back at first, but Sister Yu Shuran happened to be passing by, so she gave us a ride," Su Yan said.

Yu Teacher... Sister Yu Shuran.

Yan Yue lifted her eyes slightly and glanced at Su Yan, then quickly looked away again. In just a few days, the way she addressed her had changed so quickly.

Qin Qingyan took one cup, handed it to Yan Yue, then signaled that she wanted some too. She drank a few mouthfuls by leaning in to use Yan Yue’s hand, completely satisfied.

While Bai Ruo wasn’t looking, Su Yan snatched another cup of milk and gulped it down. "Tastes pretty good. You two can split the last one yourselves; no need to be polite."

Bai Ruo almost wanted to strangle Su Yan on the spot. If there had been a pillow or something behind her, smothering her to death would have worked too. Her gaze landed on the last cup of warm milk on the coffee table; of course she wasn’t going to take it. She couldn’t possibly fight a pregnant woman for something to drink.

"Do you want some?" Li Xian suddenly asked.

The others all looked over at them at the sound. Rare. They were actually seeing signs of a thaw; everyone waited in anticipation for what would happen next.

Bai Ruo was also stunned by the question. Since when could the two of them speak so naturally to each other? She still hadn’t said she wanted to make up.

"No, you drink it yourself."

Su Yan shook her head and sighed. That ended too quickly.

"There’s been nonstop discussion online about the Golden Ro Award lately; the buzz has stayed really high. Qingyan, you’re firmly in the top three," Bai Ruo said.

"Really? That’s quite an honor," Qin Qingyan replied after taking another sip of milk.

Bai Ruo frowned. "You’re not even paying attention to something this big? You really don’t follow your own affairs at all."

Su Yan quickly jumped in at the first opening. "Exactly. So busy, too; besides posting promos for other people, she hardly has time to go online."

"I looked at it. For The Mask, it seems like only Qingyan and that singer—what was her name, Lin Xiao?—the two of you posted anything in support," Bai Ruo recalled.

Lin Xiao?

Yan Yue frowned. "The singer you’re talking about; which two characters is her name written with?"

Su Yan and Bai Ruo exchanged a look. Was there something suspicious here?

"The ‘Lin’ from forest, and the ‘Xiao’ from laughter. Why?"

Qin Qingyan was also looking at Yan Yue. How was it that even she knew so much about entertainment-industry matters?

"She’s a singer?" Yan Yue asked again.

Bai Ruo nodded. "She’s always been very mysterious, basically only sings film promotion songs, but every song she sings becomes a hit. That part is impressive, I’ll admit. She rarely appears in public, and she hardly ever updates Weibo. To put it simply, she’s an outsider with the status of a top-tier singer."

Lin Xiao... was it the person she knew? But that person had always preferred quiet. Someone like her really didn’t seem likely to get involved with a place like the entertainment industry.

After searching, Su Yan handed her phone to Yan Yue. "Here, this is her."

Yan Yue recognized the person in the photo immediately; it really was the Lin Xiao she knew.

The moment she turned her head, she ran straight into Qin Qingyan’s resentful gaze. "When did you get to know her? I didn’t even know."

"I..." Yan Yue had originally intended to explain honestly, but then she remembered something and changed her words. "It’s perfectly normal for me to chat with some friends at home while you’re working on set. We were only acquainted in passing before; after chatting for a while, we found we had quite a few things in common. Of course, deeper conversation just happened naturally."

Qin Qingyan immediately felt a stuffy weight in her chest. Yan Yue wasn’t wrong. She had never had few friends; she just didn’t actively reach out. Once she did, with the kind of social circle the Yan family had, people would be lining up in droves.

She was busy with work most of the time, so she usually couldn’t be bothered to spend the energy. This time, though, being unexpectedly free and stuck at home had just given her the chance.

"I heard she’s pretty rigid. She’s only in her twenties, but she gives off the vibe of at least forty; it doesn’t match her name at all," Bai Ruo said.

Qin Qingyan had completely lost interest in the conversation and didn’t want to hear the words "Lin Xiao" anymore. She held that breath in, and because everyone was still here, she couldn’t make a scene. She forced herself to endure it until just before bed before finally acting on it.

The bedroom glowed with warm, ambiguous orange light. Yan Yue moved her hands, but there was no chance of breaking free; even if she did, she still wouldn’t be able to escape.

Qin Qingyan pinned both of her hands down and panted hard, her eyes clearly holding something back.

"You’re not allowed to," she said.

Yan Yue said, "Not allowed to what? Qin Qingyan, get off me first... talk properly."

Qin Qingyan just stared at her without answering. Before Yan Yue could say anything else, she sealed her lips over hers.

This kiss was full of possessiveness and release. At first Yan Yue could still respond, but later Qin Qingyan bit down hard enough that her lips hurt; she wanted to stop, but couldn’t make herself clear.

Qin Qingyan’s movements gradually slowed. She kissed Yan Yue’s earlobe and lightly ground her teeth against it. She knew this was Yan Yue’s most sensitive spot.

Sure enough, a wave of numb tingling ran through her body. Yan Yue endured the shame and refused to make a sound, but strength kept draining out of her in waves until she went completely soft beneath Qin Qingyan.

Very quickly, she understood Qin Qingyan’s purpose. This wasn’t lovemaking at all; it was deliberate torment.

A chain of dense kisses rose from her lower abdomen, leaving no inch untouched as they traveled up to her neck.

"Qin Qingyan..." Her voice was soft and weak, so much so that even Yan Yue herself felt embarrassed and angry. "Stop."

Qin Qingyan raised her head, their fingers still tightly interlocked. Her eyes held a trace of triumph and mischief.

That made Yan Yue certain she was doing it on purpose.

As for the reason, she could guess it was because of what she had said that afternoon. Was Qin Qingyan the only one who could get jealous? She cared too; she cared about Yu Shuran. But she couldn’t tell Qin Qingyan to stay away from Yu Shuran, because she knew Qin Qingyan had a sense of propriety, and the two of them wouldn’t cross any line.

Even so, she still minded.

Unfortunately, her body was in no condition to turn the tables and torment Qin Qingyan in return, so she could only let the other woman keep fanning the flames on her skin.

Yan Yue’s words made the desire in Qin Qingyan’s eyes burn hotter. Only she knew that if Yan Yue said even one more word in that tone, she would never be able to hold back. She had meant to torment Yan Yue, so how had it ended up reversed?

She bent down and kissed Yan Yue’s lips; that was the safest way.

When Qin Qingyan finally drew back again, Yan Yue was breathing hard, and it took a long time for her body to recover.

She clenched her hand. Qin Qingyan felt it and looked at her with eyes still full of possessiveness.

"My phone. Give it to me," Yan Yue said.

Qin Qingyan swallowed, not understanding why, but still did as she was told. She loosened her grip and took the phone from the bedside table.

Yan Yue unlocked it with one hand, opened WeChat, and then handed it to Qin Qingyan.

"Look for yourself." Her voice was hoarse.

Qin Qingyan took it. When she saw that she was pinned to the top of the chat list, satisfaction surged in her heart. She tapped into the contacts list. This was Yan Yue’s private WeChat, with only a few dozen people on it, and everyone’s name was clearly labeled.

When she saw the two characters Lin Xiao, her eyes darkened. She tapped in to check the chat history; the tone was entirely businesslike. In an instant, Qin Qingyan’s dissatisfaction vanished.

Just as she was about to hand the phone back to Yan Yue, she thought about it, then tapped on her own profile picture and changed the remark to: Darling Baby Wife

Putting the phone back on the bedside table, Qin Qingyan looked at Yan Yue with a smile in her eyes. Even if she had overthought things, it wasn’t a loss; she’d earned plenty of benefits.

"Qin Qingyan," Yan Yue said weakly, "take me to the bathroom."

Qin Qingyan smiled. Yan Yue wasn’t the only one worked up; she needed to clean up too.