Making Up

“You left without even saying a word. Are you angry?” Yan Yue asked.

Angry...

Qin Qingyan thought back carefully to how she had felt then, her hand tightening around the one at her waist. “No. I just felt like these past few days were like a dream; they didn’t feel quite real.”

She turned to look at Yan Yue. “We’ve both been busy these past few years. The time we’ve had together was all squeezed out in little pieces, so it feels especially precious.”

Yan Yue studied Qin Qingyan’s face. She had seen her in the dazed days of her teens, and she had seen the steadier woman she was now in her twenties. Her features had not changed much; to Yan Yue, she still seemed the same as ever.

But in truth, nearly ten years had passed. Compared side by side, how could there have been no change?

“When things settle down, how about we go traveling?” Yan Yue said. As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly remembered that she seemed to have said something like this before, only for it to never come to pass.

Making the promise again now made her sound like a liar. Thinking of that, Yan Yue couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Do you think that sounds familiar?” she asked.

Qin Qingyan nodded. It did sound familiar; a familiar liar.

“I have time. Once filming wraps up, I can rest whenever you do. But you’re still carrying the company; if you ever suddenly have time to spare, that probably won’t be a good sign.”

“When I run a company, I value trust very highly; I’m the same way with people. So no matter what, I’ll make time to take you away for a while and let you relax, go wherever you want,” Yan Yue said.

Qin Qingyan smiled. “If I ever feel like taking a break, we can go then. I’m not that eager to travel just because of a promise.”

Yan Yue nodded, then lifted a hand to Qin Qingyan’s face and studied her for a long while before kissing her, gentle and lingering. Qin Qingyan closed her eyes and savored the rare, beautiful moment.

At the Li family’s place, Su Yan was coaxing An An. She held a little bell and kept shaking it back and forth in front of her; the crisp sound drifted through the living room. Bai Ruo poured some water onto the back of her hand to test the temperature. Satisfied, she handed it to Li Xian to check.

Li Xian withdrew her gaze from Bai Ruo’s face and tested the temperature of the bottle.

“Mm, this is fine.”

Bai Ruo smiled with satisfaction. Those child-rearing videos hadn’t been watched for nothing. After adding the formula and shaking the bottle, she took it out.

Li Xian watched Bai Ruo’s back, wanting to say something but stopping herself. The past was the past, but the traces it left could never be erased. It was true that Bai Ruo no longer rejected her as much, but they could never go back to being as close as they had once been.

A step behind, she followed them into the living room and saw Bai Ruo patiently feeding the bottle. The child cooperated very well, sucking hard.

“Look how hungry she is. You took so long making that formula. Good thing you’re not her real mother, or she’d be malnourished for sure,” Su Yan said.

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.

Li Xian froze for a moment and instinctively looked at Bai Ruo. Bai Ruo seemed utterly unaware, still smiling brightly. Only then did Li Xian relax a little; then came a thin, piercing ache.

She took a deep breath and forced down the redness at the corners of her eyes.

After the formula feed, Su Yan’s arm was tired, so she asked Bai Ruo if she wanted to hold the baby. Bai Ruo hesitated, then refused.

“I don’t know how to hold a child. She’s so soft. What if I bump into her somewhere?”

Seeing that, Li Xian said, “I’ll do it.”

Su Yan carefully handed the child to Li Xian. The baby was very cooperative; she didn’t cry or fuss, only looked around curiously. Bai Ruo stared at the little thing and couldn’t look away.

Of course she wanted to hold her; she was just afraid of hurting her.

Li Xian teased the baby and played with her, her eyes full of tenderness. The child smiled and reached for Li Xian’s face, or rubbed at her eyes; the whole scene was harmonious and beautiful.

A little later, it was time for Su Yan and Bai Ruo to head home. After Li Xian coaxed the child to sleep, she looked at Bai Ruo. Su Yan, very tactful, gave them space.

Once the living room was left with just the two of them, Bai Ruo felt a little uneasy. Li Xian asked, “You said that once you thought things through, you’d come find me. Have you thought it through? Do you still want me?”

Bai Ruo said, “Your mother gave me a set of materials before. Everything that happened to you in those years abroad was written there very clearly, including everything before and after you got pregnant.”

Li Xian listened quietly to the judgment she had brought down on herself.

“The moment I saw it, I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. We just liked each other; how did it end up tormenting everyone so badly? And you, such a smart person, how could you have made such a stupid decision?” Bai Ruo said. “I don’t doubt your love. But if there were another crisis, would you choose to push me away again? Even if you had your reasons, what did I do wrong? I really did go through that pain. So, Li Xian...”

“I understand.” Li Xian smiled bitterly. “You don’t have to force yourself; I respect your choice.”

She had acted on her own; she deserved the consequences.

Bai Ruo looked at her. Her slender figure seemed even more fragile now, as if she might not be able to hold herself up and collapse the next second.

Before leaving, Su Yan saw Li Xian’s reddened eyes and understood that there still wasn’t an answer between them.

“Like means like; dislike means dislike. You two have been dragging this out back and forth for so long, and still no result?” she asked once they were out on the street.

Bai Ruo shrugged.

“Then what were you doing abroad for all that time?”

“Filming variety shows, of course. Didn’t you already know that?” Bai Ruo shot back.

Su Yan said, “I mean, after all that time, you still haven’t thought through your relationship with Li Xian? You have no idea what she sounded like when she asked me where you’d gone that day. The look on her face, that voice—she was practically crying and begging me. Otherwise, why would I have let it slip so easily?”

Bai Ruo paused, then laughed it off. “Back then, weren’t you still helping me curse out Li Xian? Why are you trying to talk me into making up with her now?”

“I just think that, no matter how twisted and difficult it was, being able to love someone is already a rare kind of luck. So if possible, the result should lean toward something good,” Su Yan said. “You may hesitate over this and that, but at the very least you have to admit that Li Xian’s love for you is real.”

“You really want me and Li Xian to make up that badly?”

Su Yan smiled softly and glanced at her. “Forget everything else; I know one thing. You’re much happier when you’re with Li Xian than you are now.”

“Really?”

“Of course. The Bai Ruo of before hardly ever spoke with her brain engaged. Now every time you open your mouth, it’s all logic. People only think that much when they’re unhappy.”

Bai Ruo seemed to hesitate. Su Yan seized the chance to push again, directly taking Bai Ruo’s phone and calling Li Xian.

“Life is about impulse. Why drag out a few words for so long?”

The phone rang for only a few seconds before the other side picked up.

Su Yan held the phone near Bai Ruo’s ear and motioned for her to speak.

Bai Ruo thought for a moment, then looked across at a supermarket. “What brand of formula does An An drink?”

There was a brief silence on the other end before Li Xian asked back, “Are you going to buy formula?”

“I’m going to the supermarket. If there’s anything else you need, I’ll buy it while I’m there.”

Su Yan gave her a thumbs-up, then turned and left with a smile. Watching other people fall in love was still the most interesting thing.

Having done her good deed, she felt as if those words about brushing off one’s sleeves and hiding one’s merits in obscurity were practically floating above her head, dazzlingly bright.

Because she was too lost in her own satisfaction, she accidentally bumped into someone: a thin girl handing out flyers. The flyers spilled all over the ground. Su Yan hurried to help her pick them up and handed them back apologetically.

“Sorry, are you okay?”

The girl wore a baseball cap pulled low, so low that her face couldn’t be seen clearly.

“I’m fine.” Her voice was as thin as a mosquito’s hum.

Only then did Su Yan notice that there were several other girls handing out flyers nearby. At the moment, the others were watching this side with gossipy expressions. Among the leaflets in their hands, this girl had the most left.

So Su Yan took more than half the flyers from her. “I’ll help you hand these out too; consider it my apology.”

The girl looked a little surprised. Seeing that Su Yan really was helping her, she stood there in a daze for a long time before going back to work, though her speed was nowhere near Su Yan’s.

After the flyers were all handed out, Su Yan walked over to the girl. “Hungry? I’ll treat you to a meal.”

The girl looked up, and Su Yan’s eyes lit up at once. It was a very pretty face; kids these days really were getting prettier and prettier.

“No need.”

Su Yan said, “All right then. Goodbye, little one.”

After she walked off, the other girls handing out flyers jogged over to the girl and asked curiously, “Boss, not bad today. Three men, and one extra woman. Even though she didn’t give any money, she helped hand out flyers, so she still counts for something.”

The girl reached out, and the others immediately split half the flyers and put them in her hands. She knew exactly what her advantage was; it was nothing more than that pretty face. She could use it to get a lot of benefits, enough to make her life better.

“Finish early and go collect the money. Move faster.”

The girl saw a clean flyer lying in the corner ahead and thought it must have fallen when she was bumped just now. That woman who helped her hand out flyers might have been a little off in the head.

When men gave her money or helped her hand out flyers, it was only so they could take the chance to touch her hand, or tease her with a few words; in the end, they always wanted something for themselves.

But that woman hadn’t. She hadn’t wanted anything at all. If that wasn’t crazy, what was?

With a cold laugh, she walked back into the crowd and continued handing out the remaining flyers.

Jingsheng.

Yan Yue sat on the sofa wearing glasses, a computer in front of her displaying all kinds of materials. She habitually frowned as she reviewed them one by one.

After Qin Qingyan exposed the wiretap, Yuguang Media had completely fallen out with Zeng Nian. Although there had been some twists and turns, the result had been achieved; at least for the next few years, they wouldn’t have the energy to cause trouble.

Qin Qingyan was scrolling through photos of An An in the five-person group chat, and besides the ones Li Xian had shared, she discovered that Bai Ruo had posted some too.

It’s already this late and she still hasn’t gone back; looks like that trip abroad really did make her think it through.

She had wanted to share it with Yan Yue, but seeing how seriously the other woman was working, she didn’t disturb her.

In a low voice, she muttered, “Workaholic.”

Yan Yue heard her. “I’ll be done soon.”

“You said that ten minutes ago.”

Yan Yue said, “This time I mean it.”

“Hmph, suit yourself.” A WeChat message suddenly popped up. She clicked it open, and the dissatisfaction in her voice shifted into a smile. “Fine; I won’t hold it against you for being a workaholic anymore.”