Yuguang Media

Qin Qingyan had just taken on a new drama. Coincidentally, the set wasn’t far from her previous crew, so she could often invite Yu Shuran to take a walk with her and talk.

As for the new crew… whether by design or by chance, two of the leads were from Yuguang Media.

“Who?” Yu Shuran asked.

“Lin Yi and Yang Zhuting,” Qin Qingyan said.

“After working with them, what do you think? Let me hear your judgment. Since they’re both from Yuguang Media, we should be a little careful.”

“Lin Yi’s acting is really mediocre. He’s optimistic and willing to learn, but it doesn’t seem to help much. He’s all right to deal with; if not for the fact that he’s from Yuguang Media, maybe I could even be friends with him now,” Qin Qingyan said. “As for Yang Zhuting, my impression of her is about the same as the public’s. She’s gentle and soft-spoken, very polite with people. It’s just that for some reason, I keep feeling she isn’t as simple as she looks.”

Yu Shuran stopped and looked at Qin Qingyan. “I’ve worked with her twice. Once when I was just starting out, and once after I’d made it. My impressions those two times were completely different.”

Qin Qingyan smiled, understanding.

Back at the crew, Lin Yi was lying on a reclining chair with the script in hand, mumbling his lines under his breath. When he saw Qin Qingyan, he hurried over.

“Qingyan, teach me this scene. I really can’t pull it off,” Lin Yi said miserably.

Qin Qingyan noticed that not far away, Yang Zhuting was also reciting her lines.

Lin Yi glanced over too and said, “I don’t want to ask her.”

“Aren’t you in the same company?” Qin Qingyan asked casually.

“We are, but I really don’t like her.” Lin Yi leaned closer.

Qin Qingyan shifted a little farther away.

Lin Yi didn’t think anything of it and lowered his voice. “She looks gentle enough, but that’s only in front of people. In private, she’s got way too much temper.” After saying that, he even nodded to himself in confirmation.

“Really? I think she’s pretty good. She’s serious and responsible about work, and also sincere and polite,” Qin Qingyan said.

“An illusion. It’s all an illusion. That woman is best at putting on an act,” Lin Yi said.

Qin Qingyan only smiled. If Lin Yi and Yang Zhuting really couldn’t stand each other, why would Yuguang Media let them take this drama together?

So she asked, “If you dislike her that much, why are you still acting with her this time? When the company hands out scripts, they should tell you in advance.”

“The young general role—what guy wouldn’t want it? The armor looks so cool, and there are fight scenes too. Once it airs, it’ll probably win me tons of fans,” Lin Yi said dreamily.

Qin Qingyan: “…”

Then Lin Yi added, a little indignant, “Honestly, I wanted Yang Zhuting moved to another crew and someone else brought in, but the company wouldn’t agree. They even said I could go to any crew I wanted, but Yang Zhuting had to come to this one. What, she plays a likable role and that’s supposed to make her blow up? Like hell I believe that.”

Qin Qingyan nodded, then quickly caught something in his words. “You wanted Yang Zhuting moved to another crew?” So his identity wasn’t just that of an actor.

Sure enough, Lin Yi scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “My dad’s the boss. I’m not exactly promising, but I really do want to act.”

So that was it. Qin Qingyan had a rough idea of the situation between them.

“You’re only twenty. You still have plenty of room to improve, so don’t rush it. Take your time and learn.” With that, Qin Qingyan left.

Lin Yi was still basking in that praise; it was the first time anyone had ever acknowledged him. Before long, he came to his senses and hurried after her. “Wait, you still haven’t taught me how to act it.”

Yang Zhuting took the water her assistant handed her and drank it slowly.

“Qin Qingyan’s pretty guarded around us. Aside from rehearsing, she spends all her time going to Yu Shuran. If we want to find anything to use, we won’t have a place to start,” the assistant said.

“No need to rush. Take it slowly,” Yang Zhuting replied. She stood up, adjusted her costume, and prepared for the next scene.

At Jingsheng, Su Yan waited anxiously nearby, ready to step in and support Yan Yue at any moment.

Holding onto the railing, Yan Yue spent nearly half an hour before she could finally straighten up. Though it had taken effort, it was enough to make everyone happy. Once she realized she could move her toes, she felt she was recovering faster and faster.

The doctor said a full recovery would take three months, but Yan Yue felt that one month would be enough.

Qin Qingyan heard the good news over the phone, and her mood stayed bright all the way home. When she passed a medical equipment shop, she parked the car and went in to buy a pair of crutches.

They’d probably come in handy during rehabilitation.

When she got back, she set the crutches aside, stuck close to Yan Yue, and told her everything that had happened on set.

Su Yan said, “Judging from that, Yang Zhuting really does seem suspicious. After all, you stood up for Shen Qing over that Golden Ro Award matter. Given how petty Yuguang Media is famous for being, you’ll have plenty of trouble in the future.”

“I’ve worked with Lin Yi before,” Bai Ruo said, thinking back. “He doesn’t have much going on in his head; he’s just difficult to act with.”

Qin Qingyan nodded, then looked at Yan Yue. “What do you think?”

Yan Yue raised her brows and met her gaze. “I don’t know much about the entertainment industry. Since Yu Shuran is your senior, if you have questions, you can ask her more.”

The moment she finished speaking, the room fell silent.

An alarm bell rang in Qin Qingyan’s head as she quickly thought of how to respond. Yan Yue found their expressions odd, and only then realized her words had caused a misunderstanding.

She hadn’t meant anything else; she was simply telling the truth.

“Don’t overthink it. I’m serious.”

Su Yan and Bai Ruo hurriedly nodded. “We know, we know.”

They knew nothing. It was obvious they didn’t believe her.

Yan Yue sighed inwardly. She didn’t usually seem like someone who liked getting jealous, did she? Why did all of them think she would care about something like this?

“Do I really look like someone who gets jealous?” Yan Yue asked them.

The two people she’d singled out straightened up at once and shook their heads in unison.

“So I’m serious. Yu Shuran’s character is fine; I trust her,” Yan Yue said.

Su Yan and Bai Ruo exchanged a look, then rose decisively.

“I’m going to wash some fruit.”

“I’m going to wash a bowl.”

They left the living room together.

Yan Yue looked at Qin Qingyan again. Qin Qingyan sat up straight.

“This isn’t about whether I care or not. Just because I’m not jealous doesn’t mean I don’t care about you; the two aren’t directly related.”

Qin Qingyan listened carefully.

“Not being jealous doesn’t mean I don’t care—that may be what most people think, but it’s not how I am. Your friendship with Yu Shuran is normal. If I mind it, that’s my problem, and I need to reflect on it. You don’t need to distance yourself from your friends because of me,” Yan Yue said. “If I really minded, Qin Qingyan, you wouldn’t even be able to get through the front door when you came home.”

Qin Qingyan had been moved at first, but that last sentence made her flinch.

Still, overall, she liked it very much.

She leaned forward and hugged Yan Yue, burying her face in the crook of her neck.

“Mm, I know. That’s why I’ll properly keep my wife duties and never give you a chance to kick me out. Once your feet are fully healed, we still have lots of things to do,” Qin Qingyan said softly.

Yan Yue answered her.

Qin Qingyan said, “I’m already twenty-three… hiss.”

A sharp pain shot through her waist.

“Stop thinking about nonsense and be serious.”

“I wasn’t thinking about anything improper,” Qin Qingyan said as she drew back and looked at her innocently. “You said before that once I turned twenty-three, there wouldn’t be anyone more suitable than me, so you decided on me then. Even though we’ve basically done everything already, the official status still needs to be settled.”

Yan Yue said, “I never denied your position, and I never said I had to wait until you were twenty-three. It was you who cried and insisted on waiting that long, and even said you wanted to win another film queen award before proposing or something like that.”

Qin Qingyan thought it over carefully. Was that really how it had been? It had been too long; she only remembered being twenty-three, but the rest… Had Yan Yue really never asked her for anything?

That couldn’t be right…

Then another thought struck her. Clinging to Yan Yue’s neck, Qin Qingyan said, “Then does that mean you’d been willing to accept me for a long time, even before I realized it?”

Yan Yue placed a hand on Qin Qingyan’s waist and lifted her aside.

“I’ve been sitting too long. My leg’s going numb.”

Only then did Qin Qingyan realize it. She quickly started giving her gentle taps and massage; once she figured out Yan Yue had only said it casually, she still smiled with complete willingness.

The new drama had been filming for some time, and Yuguang Media showed no sign of stirring up trouble. Qin Qingyan and Yang Zhuting only saw each other when filming, and occasionally interacted on Weibo.

It seemed everything was peaceful.

Su Yan’s guard gradually eased as well. Yang Zhuting had behaved properly, which only made it seem like they’d been overthinking things.

In January, Li Xian was about to give birth. A week before her due date, she moved into the hospital. Bai Ruo rarely took the initiative to visit her; when she did, she would drag Su Yan or Qin Qingyan along. That puzzled Su Yan.

“Didn’t you two already make up? Before, didn’t you always want to get rid of us third wheels? Women really are changeable,” Su Yan said as Bai Ruo pushed her forward.

Bai Ruo said, “It’s different.”

“What’s different? If you care about Li Xian, just say so. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Bai Ruo let out a soft sigh. She herself was a little unable to tell what her feelings for Li Xian were anymore. She loved her, yes, a little. But how should she put it? Her thoughts were different from before. In the past, if she loved Li Xian, then she had to cling to her all the time.

But now, she could love Li Xian and still live well on her own.

“Su Su, do you know? If someone were pursuing Li Xian right now, and Li Xian liked them too, after finding out, I definitely wouldn’t cry all day and wail all night like I used to, tormenting myself over and over. If she’s happy, that’s enough, but I can be happy too. I’d sincerely wish her well,” Bai Ruo said, then looked at Su Yan.

Su Yan met her gaze, stunned for a moment, then casually waved a hand. “That’s more like it. Yourself comes first; why torture yourself?”

When Bai Ruo looked at her, Su Yan thought of Cen Qingqing. Had she, back then, liked Cen Qingqing a little too? It was just that when she heard Cen Qingqing talk to her about the happiness she shared with Zheng Chong like a girl in love, she backed away.

Back then, her thoughts were much the same as Bai Ruo’s now. As long as the other person was happy, that was enough.