Coaxing Her Back

She answered the phone. On the other end, the voice was clear and calm, familiar to her as it said, “Qin Qingyan, maybe we’re just not right for each other. Let’s break up.”

She shouted desperately at that receding figure, chased after it with all her strength, but the farther she ran, the farther away it seemed to get, until at last she was utterly exhausted and could only watch helplessly as Yan Yue fell into someone else’s arms, warm and harmonious with another person.

“No, don’t... don’t!” Qin Qingyan shot awake, sleep vanishing in an instant. The darkness before her eyes slowly gave way to faint outlines; in the huge bedroom, only her ragged breathing remained.

Her eyes were wet. Qin Qingyan wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, turned on the bedside lamp, and sat up against the headboard.

The dream made no sense at all, yet it had hurt her so much, as if she had truly lost Yan Yue once already. The moment she thought of Yan Yue’s decisive expression in the dream, tears slipped down again, beyond her control.

She unlocked her phone, found the pinned contact at the top, and her fingers trembled.

It was three in the morning; Yan Yue should be asleep already.

Without much hesitation, she threw on a coat and went out, heading straight for Su Yan’s room. Half-asleep, Su Yan vaguely saw a figure rummaging through her room for something and cried out in reflex. Before she could even speak, that figure asked her first.

“Susu, where are the car keys?”

Su Yan’s cold sweat faded. “On the bedside table. It’s the middle of the night; you scared half my soul out of me.”

Seeing how anxious Qin Qingyan looked, Su Yan hurriedly asked, “What happened? Why are you in such a rush?”

“I’m going to find Yan Yue.” As soon as she finished speaking, she was gone.

Su Yan understood at once. Seeing that it was still very early, she lay back down and went to sleep again.

There were very few cars on the road in the middle of the night. Qin Qingyan kept her foot on the accelerator the whole way, wishing she could go even faster. When she finally arrived at Jingsheng, she took the elevator up. Standing at the door, however, she hesitated.

She hadn’t figured out what she was going to say to Yan Yue; she only really wanted to see her.

Then something occurred to her, and she tentatively pressed her fingertip to the door handle. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t even be able to get in tonight.

However, the lock opened.

The next morning, Yan Yue heard a rustling sound. That wasn’t strange; perhaps Qin Qingyan was just making breakfast.

Yan Yue lay still for a few seconds, then sensed something was off. She got up while pulling on a coat, and when she went out, sure enough, she saw Qin Qingyan in an apron, frying vegetables and yawning now and then.

When had she come last night?

Yan Yue didn’t make a sound, just watched Qin Qingyan quietly. She was still angry in her heart, but seeing Qin Qingyan appear in the kitchen had softened it a little.

After thinking for a long time, Yan Yue finally came back to herself and looked at Qin Qingyan. “Don’t you have an event to attend today?”

Qin Qingyan froze and didn’t dare turn around.

“Leave first,” Yan Yue said.

The red carpet started at ten. If she went now, there would still be time to change and do her makeup.

Qin Qingyan felt terrible hearing that. She didn’t like the way Yan Yue was keeping her at a distance, but right now she also didn’t know how to fix it.

She took off the apron and put it back on the rack.

“Mm. The food’s ready; serve it yourself.”

Qin Qingyan’s steps hesitated. Seeing that Yan Yue didn’t try to keep her, didn’t say anything else, she left in disappointment.

Yan Yue went into the kitchen and looked at the simple plate of stir-fried pork with green peppers in the pan. She let out a soft laugh and picked up a tiny piece of meat with her chopsticks; the taste was as familiar as always.

The entire red carpet was live-streamed. Qin Qingyan wore a red dress with no other color accents; a layer of sheer fabric draped lightly from her shoulders down her back. She sat below the stage, thinking back to that scene from the morning.

When the camera swept over her, Qin Qingyan already had a proper smile prepared on her face. After greeting the audience, once the lens moved away, that smile slowly faded again.

The organizers had arranged for her to appear later in the lineup; that was also the most sought-after order for an artist’s entrance, but right now Qin Qingyan would rather get through it quickly and be done with it sooner.

Su Yan could tell Qin Qingyan was in poor shape, and thought she’d remind her a little more right before going on. The media’s spotlight was especially good at catching tiny expressions and then spinning them into thousands of words of analysis; if you couldn’t fight it, you could only avoid it.

A few minutes before she went on, Su Yan received a message from Ye Bai. After reading it, her eyes brightened. She leaned close to Qin Qingyan’s ear and whispered, “Qingyan姐, Yan Zong is here too.”

Sure enough, when Qin Qingyan went on stage, her condition was completely different. She restrained the coldness around her, her smile gentle as she lifted a hand and waved lightly to the cameras. Several times during the segment, her gaze drifted subtly across the venue, but she still couldn’t find the figure she wanted to see.

Still, she knew Yan Yue was down there somewhere, watching her.

As usual, the host exchanged pleasantries with the guest in a warm, natural tone. “Qingyan has seen a real surge in the past year; the projects you’ve starred in have been excellent, and you’ve won awards until your hands are full. So what new hopes do you have for next year?”

Qin Qingyan took the microphone and smiled. “I’ll keep polishing my acting and try to perform the best role in my mind.”

The host asked at the right moment, “Qingyan’s acting is obvious to everyone’s eyes; is there really still a role you’re afraid to take on? Then the audience is in luck. We’re looking forward to you bringing us even more wonderful films in the new year. Thank you, Qingyan.”

Qin Qingyan smiled as she left the red carpet, still having not seen that figure.

Only at the cocktail reception did Qin Qingyan spot a familiar back becoming the center of attention from afar.

Yan Yue was in a black suit, holding a wine glass; most of the wine was already gone, and she was talking and laughing with a few other people in suits.

“Qingyan姐, put your coat on first. It’s still cold with your shoulders exposed,” Su Yan said.

“I’m fine. I’ll put it on later.”

Su Yan followed Qin Qingyan’s gaze. Although it was only a little over ten meters away, everyone knew that at this moment, if any actress dared to go up and greet her, the media’s cameras absolutely wouldn’t let it go; any dirty water someone meant to splash would be the hardest to wash clean.

“The weather’s cold. You should still wear something over it; health comes first,” Lin Yi said, not knowing when he had come over, his smile bright.

Qin Qingyan said, “Wasn’t the whole point to admire all the beauty on display? If I put it on, wouldn’t I be disappointing the organizers?”

Lin Yi nodded. “That’s true too. Then why are there so many demands on us male actors? We can only wear suits; wouldn’t a padded coat be much better? As the saying goes, the plainer the clothes, the more one can see a person’s grace.”

Su Yan snorted coldly and rolled up the coat, draping it over her wrist.

Lin Yi looked at Su Yan in confusion. “Are you making fun of me?”

Su Yan couldn’t be bothered to answer him. She turned around and saw Yan Yue and the others walking toward them. She quickly glanced at Qin Qingyan; Qin Qingyan’s eyes were fixed straight on the other side.

When they drew near, a middle-aged man spoke first. “President Yan, the artists under Huanfeng are all outstanding. This Qin Qingyan is now my little girl’s favorite; she’s bought who knows how many posters.”

Qin Qingyan gave him a polite smile.

Yan Yue smiled. “Mr. Liu has always been devoted to his daughter. With such a good chance today, you’re not planning to let it slip by, are you?”

The man called Mr. Liu awkwardly took a handkerchief out of his pocket.

“I was planning to wait until after the event to use this old face of mine to ask for an autograph, but since President Yan has brought it up, I’d be wasting a rare opportunity if I didn’t seize it properly.”

Qin Qingyan smiled as she signed for him, asked his daughter’s name, and added a little note. After the photo was taken, Yan Yue’s group was ready to move on to the next stop. From beginning to end, Qin Qingyan had been very restrained, barely looking at Yan Yue; she knew countless cameras were capturing every one of her movements.

A calm voice suddenly drifted into her ear. “Put your coat on.” Then the person walked away.

Su Yan dutifully held out her arms; the next second, Qin Qingyan took the coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Lin Yi looked at Yan Yue, then at Qin Qingyan again, deep in thought.

He leaned in. “Qingyan, who is she? Why do you listen to her so much?”

“What, your big boss gives an order and you dare not obey?” Su Yan cut in.

“Mm... that’s true too.” His gaze lingered uncertainly on Yan Yue’s retreating back.

After finishing her business, Yan Yue stood alone against the railing and looked down at the riverside scenery from above. There was only one last mouthful of red wine left in her glass; she gave it a light swirl and drank it all in one go.

She raised the glass and looked at the world outside through a thin layer of glass. She couldn’t remember who had told her to drink less; it wasn’t that they were afraid she’d get drunk, but that they were afraid her worries would rise to the surface.

She thought carefully for a long time, but still couldn’t remember who that person was.

A familiar scent wrapped around her. The embrace wasn’t really warm; in fact, it carried a trace of coolness. A slim arm from behind held her tightly, carrying its owner’s unease and fear.

Yan Yue rested a hand on Qin Qingyan’s arm and turned to look at her. She caught a faint smell of alcohol, different from the red wine she had been drinking.

“You drank?”

Qin Qingyan looked at Yan Yue’s empty wineglass and said nothing.

Yan Yue said, “I don’t get drunk. I’m different from you.”

“Why don’t you get drunk?” Qin Qingyan asked.

“How much did you drink?”

“A little.”

Yan Yue could see that she didn’t look drunk at all; she had indeed only had a little.

“I not getting drunk is normal. Nothing strange about that. You should drink less in the future.”

Qin Qingyan gave a soft reply.

“I had a dream. I dreamed that you didn’t want me anymore. If you get angry, would you stop wanting me?”

Yan Yue found that novel and looked at her. “When did you come back to Jingsheng last night?”

“Two or three in the morning.”

“Just because of a dream?”

“To the me that had just woken up, that wasn’t a dream; it was something I really experienced.” Qin Qingyan said.

Yan Yue understood and reached out to stroke her face. Today Qin Qingyan had on very delicate makeup, making her already striking features even more alluring.

“No matter what, the worst I’d ever think about is giving you the cold shoulder. I wouldn’t think about not wanting you. I’m not stupid; just based on looks alone, it’s already hard to find anyone who can compare to you, let alone in other areas.”

Qin Qingyan stared at her. “What if there is? Someone much better than me. Would you not want me?”

“No.” Yan Yue studied the lines of her brows and eyes. “Because none of them are Qin Qingyan.”

The corners of Qin Qingyan’s mouth lifted, then she hurriedly suppressed them.

Yan Yue’s hand slid from Qin Qingyan’s cheek to her neck, drawing them closer; a kiss carrying the taste of red wine landed on Qin Qingyan’s lips.

Qin Qingyan closed her eyes and savored it carefully. Her hands fell to Yan Yue’s waist, tightening slightly to pull her against herself.

After a long while, Yan Yue slowly pulled back. “I’m coaxing you back.”

Qin Qingyan still hadn’t quite reacted.

“You said it yourself; no matter how angry you are, as long as there’s one kiss, you can be coaxed into feeling better,” Yan Yue said.

Qin Qingyan smiled at Yan Yue. She felt that Yan Yue was probably a little drunk, though not because of the wine, but because of her face.