Zeng Nian

After filming wrapped that day, Qin Qingyan treated the entire film crew to a meal.

When asked why, Qin Qingyan only smiled and said it was a secret. Yu Shuran, however, guessed at once that it had to do with her girlfriend. Qin Qingyan had no intention of hiding it from her, so when Yu Shuran asked, she quickly learned the truth. At first she found it unbelievable; then she felt genuinely happy for them.

At the table, Qin Qingyan was in high spirits and inevitably drank a little. Not much, but enough to make her head spin.

Yu Shuran didn’t drink a drop, only had some beverages. In this circle, no matter how close the people around her seemed, she always kept at least a little clearheaded. Qin Qingyan was trustworthy, but between the two of them, only one person could afford to get drunk.

After the meal, Qin Qingyan was unsteady on her feet, so Yu Shuran reached out, supporting her by the arm, and sighed. “Only a few drinks and you’re already done for. The one at home probably doesn’t let you drink much, does she?”

Qin Qingyan shook her head and held up one finger. “One drink. I can drink one.”

“You’d better be careful when you get back tonight. You may be in for trouble,” Yu Shuran said with a laugh. But as she looked up, the smile on her face froze.

Qin Qingyan hadn’t noticed anything amiss at all. “No way. She’d never bear to.” After saying that, she smiled sweetly.

The woman’s gaze lingered on Yu Shuran’s face for a long time before shifting to Qin Qingyan, sizing her up with open hostility.

Qin Qingyan blinked and finally made out the red-clad woman in front of her. She didn’t know her; she’d never seen her before. But the look in the woman’s eyes made her deeply uncomfortable.

Yu Shuran said nothing. Supporting Qin Qingyan, she simply walked around the woman and headed out.

The woman didn’t stop them.

At the entrance to the restaurant, Su Yan had just gotten out of the car and was about to call to ask which private room Qin Qingyan was in when she saw Yu Shuran supporting the unsteady Qin Qingyan out.

Alarms went off in her head immediately. After all, Yan Yue was still in the car.

When Yu Shuran had called earlier to say Qin Qingyan had had a little alcohol and asked her to come pick her up, Yan Yue had overheard. Unusually, she’d offered to go along too. There was no way Su Yan could refuse.

They’d driven over as fast as they could, just to get there before the meal ended. Otherwise, the chance of a misunderstanding would have been far too great.

And now, it was obviously over.

Qin Qingyan was gripping Yu Shuran’s arm, most of her body leaning against her because she couldn’t stand steadily. In the front passenger seat, through the glass, Yan Yue’s gaze was fixed on Qin Qingyan’s hand.

Su Yan hurried over. “Sister Shuran, I’ll take care of her.” Oh my god, this time you’re doomed.

As she took Qin Qingyan over, Su Yan said to her, “Sorry to trouble you, Sister Shuran.”

Yu Shuran smiled. “It’s fine.”

Fine? This was not fine at all.

After getting Qin Qingyan into the back seat, Su Yan kept watching Yan Yue’s reaction; Yan Yue, however, showed no reaction whatsoever. She didn’t even glance at Qin Qingyan.

Su Yan quietly let out a breath, then got into the driver’s seat. She had wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but after seeing Yan Yue’s cold, grim face, she wisely kept her mouth shut.

Watching Su Yan’s car drive off, Yu Shuran headed toward her own car. Just as she stepped down the stairs, a hand clamped tightly around her wrist and forced her to look back.

Yu Shuran stared at that face right in front of her. Two years had passed; Zeng Nian looked even more brazen than before.

“Let go,” Yu Shuran said.

Suppressing her anger, Zeng Nian said, “Looks like you’ve been living very well these past two years while I was gone. Yu Shuran, do you even have a conscience?”

Yu Shuran gave a cold laugh. “Zeng Nian, what does how I’m living have to do with you?”

Zeng Nian tightened her grip. “Don’t forget, I never agreed to break up.”

“Really? When did you ever admit I was your girlfriend? What exactly did we have between us?” The words Zeng Nian had said two years ago were now returned to her word for word.

Zeng Nian was speechless. She looked at Yu Shuran, wanting to find even a trace of happiness at seeing her on her face, but there was none. Nothing.

Ignoring the pain, Yu Shuran tore her hand free. Zeng Nian’s nails were sharp; they left a thin smear of blood on her wrist.

Zeng Nian wanted to explain that she hadn’t meant to do it, but Yu Shuran spoke first. “Zeng Nian, let’s part on good terms. Can’t we avoid making this ugly?”

“Yu Shuran, during those two years overseas, as long as you’d made one call, I would’ve come back at once. I waited for you for two years; what about you?”

Yu Shuran only found her words laughable. But she no longer wanted to explain anything, nor did she want to say any more to Zeng Nian. She didn’t want to keep revisiting the past.

“Zeng Nian, do you know? There were times I really missed you. The only thing I could do was look at our old chat logs, foolishly going back over those good times.” Yu Shuran said, “But the further I read, the less you trusted me, the more sarcastic you became. So whenever I had one of those unrealistic thoughts, I’d go read the things you’d sent me; they were enough to wake me up. Now, I’m fine on my own. It’s not that I don’t need you; it’s that I don’t need anyone. Do you understand?”

“Yu Shuran……”

“Zeng Nian.”

The two of them fell silent, staring at each other.

After a long moment, Yu Shuran pressed the car key. Without the slightest hesitation, she turned and walked away.

“Yu Shuran,” Zeng Nian called after her, her voice growing smaller and smaller. “You can’t not want me.”

Back in Jingsheng, Su Yan did her best to make herself invisible. She helped Qin Qingyan into the bedroom, then quickly escaped. Yan Yue was sitting against the headboard, her gaze resting on Qin Qingyan’s sleeping face.

Thinking back on what she’d seen not long ago, she had indeed been a little angry then. Even on the way home, she’d felt very uncomfortable. But when she thought about it calmly, Qin Qingyan had only had a few drinks; it wasn’t as if she’d gotten drunk and started acting improperly. As for Yu Shuran, she’d been the one taking care of Qin Qingyan at the table.

It was just… well, forget it.

She casually tossed the quilt over Qin Qingyan, found that it hadn’t covered her properly, pulled it back and threw it over her again.

Early the next morning, Qin Qingyan woke groggily. Sunlight shone on her face. As she thought back to the night before, she suddenly realized something.

Had she seen Yan Yue last night?

She hurriedly sat up. Her clothes were still on, and an ominous feeling rose in her heart. If Yan Yue hadn’t been angry, she would at least have helped her sort things out a little.

Walking quietly into the living room, she heard a burst of laughter and conversation, and the stone in her chest eased by half.

Su Yan was the first to spot her. She drew a line across her neck with one hand, then shook her head. Qin Qingyan touched her own neck. It shouldn’t be that bad, right?

She sat down beside Yan Yue ingratiatingly and leaned against her, then started massaging her legs.

“Morning is the best time to get moving. I’ll rub them for you a little more.”

Yan Yue didn’t even look at her. She pressed a finger to Qin Qingyan and shoved her away. “You smell like alcohol.”

Smell like alcohol? Qin Qingyan lifted a hand and sniffed herself. “No, I don’t.”

Yan Yue gave her a cold look, and Qin Qingyan immediately stood up. “I’ll go take a shower right now.”

And that was it? Su Yan stared, wide-eyed, completely disbelieving.

She leaned close to Bai Ruo’s ear. “I think this isn’t over.”

Bai Ruo glanced at her. “Any brilliant insight from the strategist?”

Su Yan shook her head with a mysterious expression.

Bai Ruo couldn’t be bothered with her and continued browsing pregnancy recipe recommendations on her phone.

Qin Qingyan’s drunken episode seemed to pass just like that, quietly and without incident, so normal that it made Su Yan think it was abnormal.

“What did you tell Yan Zong?” Su Yan asked after Qin Qingyan finished filming and took a break.

Qin Qingyan drank some water. “The truth, of course.”

“Yan Zong wasn’t angry?”

“No. She believes me.”

Su Yan still thought something was off. No matter how much someone believed you, there should at least have been some reaction; this calm just didn’t seem like a couple at all.

“Then there’s only one possibility,” Su Yan said, resting her chin on her hand.

Qin Qingyan asked, “What?”

“When Yan Zong’s legs recover, you’re going to be in for it,” Su Yan said, eyeing her.

Qin Qingyan choked on her water and needed a long moment to recover.

Then she lifted an eyebrow. “I’d be delighted.”

Qin Qingyan’s scenes were almost finished. Yu Shuran was quite reluctant to see her go. During this time in the film crew, getting along with Qin Qingyan had been very pleasant. She no longer needed to stay constantly on guard and watch out for everyone around her. Qin Qingyan was reliable.

When they finished filming the final scene that day, Yu Shuran was deeply emotional. She wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say.

“The road ahead may not be easy, Qingyan. You need to be prepared.”

Qin Qingyan smiled. “I know. Whatever demons or monsters come my way, I’ll tame them one by one.”

Yu Shuran looked at her, opened her arms, and gave her a light hug. “Be careful on the road.”

“Yu Teacher, you definitely can do it.”

Yu Shuran quickly understood that Qin Qingyan was referring to the betting agreement.

“Of course.”

That night, Yu Shuran returned home. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she spotted a shadow beside her. Before she could even cry out, the person seized her hand and pinned her hard against the wall.

A kiss came down without warning.

Yu Shuran was first startled; then, once she saw who it was, anger flared in her chest.

Slap!

She struck the other person across the face and wiped at her lips with her hand.

Zeng Nian looked at her in disbelief. “Yu Shuran, you’re disgusted by me?”

“Zeng Nian, what’s the point of clinging like this?”

“You really have changed a lot in these two years,” Zeng Nian said, staring at her.

Yu Shuran had run out of patience. “If there’s nothing else, please leave. This is my home.”

Zeng Nian gave a cold laugh. “People who call me heartless should really come and see you. Yu Shuran, I heard you have a betting agreement with the company?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I can help you.” Zeng Nian said, “Stay with me; one time, one million. However much you’re short, I can pay.”

Yu Shuran looked at the person she had once loved, and now she seemed so unfamiliar. The Zeng Nian she used to know might have been proud and somewhat arrogant, but she would never have been this frivolous with someone.

“Think that’s too little? Then—”

Slap! Another slap cut her off. “Overseas for two years, and you’ve become less and less like yourself. The Zeng Nian I knew would never be this shameless, this filthy.”

Zeng Nian tilted her head, her voice turning desolate. “If I changed back to the old Zeng Nian, would you want me again?”

Yu Shuran’s heart stirred. For that instant, it felt as if she could see the old Zeng Nian again; the one she had truly loved.

But that was all in the past.

“Yu Shuran, you said you felt sorry for me. You said you’d stay with me. You said that no matter how others looked at me or said about me, you’d protect me. You said all of that,” Zeng Nian said.

Yu Shuran hid the sourness at the corners of her eyes and smiled. “Zeng Nian, you were the one who gave up on me first.”

So what right did she have to bring up the past?