Remember to Take the Initiative

Yan Yue couldn’t help laughing.

“What if I don’t want to take responsibility?” she said. “After all, a kiss isn’t that big a deal.”

At that, Qin Qingyan stopped moving and looked at Yan Yue. Her voice was low, but every word carried weight. “Then I’ll do something that leaves you no choice but to take responsibility. For example...”

She leaned close and whispered a few words into Yan Yue’s ear.

Yan Yue’s ears went red, and her face flushed as well; whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. That one sentence seemed to draw a line in the sand. If the Qin Qingyan before had been a small, pure, harmless white rabbit, then the one now was a wolf with bared fangs.

She stood up briskly. Under Qin Qingyan’s puzzled gaze, she tugged at her clothes and left without saying another word.

Watching the woman hurry off, Qin Qingyan was in an excellent mood. She rose unhurriedly and went to find the director to discuss today’s scenes.

The weather was warm, and the breeze was just right. Li Xian and Bai Ruo were holding hands as they strolled leisurely along the riverside, talking back and forth, sometimes laughing, sometimes playfully tussling.

Li Xian’s phone rang. Seeing that it was someone from the Li family, she cut it off immediately; right now, she didn’t want to argue with them. Before long, it rang again. She was about to hang up once more, but Bai Ruo stopped her.

“Maybe it’s something urgent. Take it.”

Bai Ruo didn’t know how strongly Li Xian’s family opposed their relationship. She was afraid that if the call connected, she’d inevitably hear some ugly words.

But this time there weren’t any. The voice on the other end was steady, sounding as if it didn’t want to waste even one extra word on her. “Your mother’s in the hospital. If you’ve got any conscience, come over.” Then the line went dead.

Seeing that Li Xian’s expression had changed, Bai Ruo asked with concern, “What is it? What happened?”

“My mom’s in the hospital. I need to go see her.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Li Xian regretted them. She knew that once Bai Ruo heard this, she would definitely insist on going with her.

Sure enough, Bai Ruo immediately said, “Then let’s go see Auntie together. I’ll get a taxi right now.”

Before Li Xian could stop her, Bai Ruo was already hurriedly opening her phone. In truth, Li Xian didn’t even know how to stop her.

Her gaze at Bai Ruo was full of struggle and hesitation, but in the end she could only give in.

Bai Ruo thoughtfully bought quite a bit of fruit. When the two of them appeared together at the ward door, they could clearly feel the previously relaxed, harmonious atmosphere turn heavy.

Li Xian’s father and mother saw their clasped hands, as well as the guarded look on Li Xian’s face, and immediately guessed Bai Ruo’s identity.

Li Xian took the fruit from Bai Ruo and set it on the table.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” she asked carefully, trying as hard as she could to soften her tone. She was afraid her parents would say something unpleasant in front of Bai Ruo.

Who would have thought that her deliberately lowered posture would only make them angrier?

For the sake of that actress, their daughter, whom they had raised with such effort and pride, had actually become this disregarding of her own dignity.

“I’m not going to die,” Li Xian’s mother said coldly. “Your father called to have you come back alone. Since you can’t come back alone, there’s no need to come back at all.”

The temperature in the ward seemed to drop again and again. Only then did Bai Ruo realize that Li Xian’s family situation wasn’t as easy as Li Xian had made it sound. Standing at the door now, she looked especially out of place.

“If you’re not welcoming us, then we’ll go. Take good care of yourselves, both of you.”

They had only taken a few steps when a violent fit of coughing from Li Xian’s mother abruptly dragged Li Xian’s feet to a halt, pinning her in place and leaving her unable to move forward or retreat.

Ahead was the person she had promised to love; behind her were the parents who had raised her. Everyone was looking at her. She had to choose.

Her feet felt as if they weighed a thousand jin. She lifted them and walked toward the door. Just as when they had arrived, Li Xian held Bai Ruo’s hand and left without looking back.

Once they were out of the hospital, Bai Ruo had a lot she wanted to ask, but sensing the sorrow in her lover’s heart, she asked nothing. She only held her tightly.

When Bai Ruo heard what Li Xian’s mother had said, she understood why Li Xian had always tried as much as possible to avoid talking about her family. Li Xian’s father and mother clearly still couldn’t accept her.

And perhaps they never would.

“I’m sorry,” Li Xian said, holding her.

“No. You’ve had it rough.” More than being kept in the dark, Bai Ruo pitied her. The one caught in the middle, unable to move forward or back, was the one hurting the most.

Li Xian held her even tighter. “No matter what happens in the future, I’ll never let you go. Never.”

Bai Ruo smiled. “Okay. Then you’re not allowed to shoulder everything by yourself anymore. For my sake, you have to take good care of yourself too. Someday we’re going to wear wedding dresses and hold our wedding together, and I do not want to see you even the slightest bit thin.”

“Okay. I’ll listen to you.”

The future was long and far away; no one could predict what changes might come. At least at this moment, they loved the best version of each other.

Inside the luxurious, exquisitely furnished villa, Zheng Jingteng took a deep breath and pushed open the bedroom door he had visited several times before. In the middle of the room, on the large bed, the woman’s clothes were nearly transparent; one side of her wide collar had slipped down over her smooth shoulder, and she looked him up and down with a gaze full of allure. She lightly patted the space beside her, signaling him to come over.

Zheng Jingteng swallowed the dryness in his throat. Even though he disliked this woman, he might not find this kind of transaction all that hard to accept.

He unbuckled his belt, undid his buttons, and walked toward her. The woman watched him quietly. By the time he reached the bed, he was down to his underwear.

Her cold hands rested on his shoulders, and her eyes were languid and seductive. “You’re being obedient this time.”

“Aunt—”

The woman immediately raised a finger to block his lips. Zheng Jingteng understood at once, pulled her hand down, and corrected himself. “Lan’er...”

Xu Changlan’s voice was soft. “Seeing you walking around with that woman still makes me very uncomfortable.”

“It’s fake. She uses me, and I use her. Neither of us loses.” Zheng Jingteng was burning hot inside, tugging at her clothes.

“Of course I know that. The things in her hands could completely ruin both of us. You just need to cooperate with her a little more. Once I think of a way, she’ll know what it means to invite destruction by playing with fire.” Xu Changlan gave a soft snort and tilted her head back. Her breathing was slightly uneven, and her legs hooked around his waist.

“To... to the bathroom.”

Inside the bathroom, steam blurred the surrounding glass, and the soft, breathless sounds of flushed excitement drifted intermittently out from the fog.

For some reason, Yu Qingyan had suddenly grown diligent these past few days. Even after finishing her scenes, she didn’t go back. In the past, with her soft, delicate temperament, she would have needed to rest half a day just from working up a sweat. Su Yan sat at a distance, watching in confusion.

At first, she thought Yu Qingyan was just putting on a show for the actors and director, trying to let everyone see how hardworking she was. But after more than ten consecutive days of this, she still acted the same way, and had even brought a notebook specifically for taking notes.

That afternoon, there was a rival on-screen scene between her and Qin Qingyan. Yu Qingyan was certain she wouldn’t lose to her. Only when they actually ran the scene did she realize she had overestimated herself; she could barely even catch Qin Qingyan’s gaze.

In the script, Qin Qingyan was an undercover agent and also her equal in rank; the two of them were like needle points against wheat awns, and when they met, neither would yield an inch.

When they ran the scene again, Qin Qingyan swept her with a look of oppressive disdain. At that moment, Yu Qingyan steadied herself and met her eyes, but she couldn’t control the panic inside her. She failed once again.

She knew she wasn’t afraid of Qin Qingyan, nor of the character in the drama. What she feared was herself; the self reflected in that contemptuous gaze. In that moment of eye contact, she saw her own filth and lowliness in those eyes.

She stood there dazed, lost in thought. She had clearly been praised by many people too; praised for being kind, praised for being sincere, praised for having natural acting talent. All good words. But why did she still always feel so unbearable, so unworthy?

A bottle of water was handed to her. Yu Qingyan looked up blankly and met Qin Qingyan’s eyes. This time, there was nothing in them that made her feel afraid; they were calm and clean.

She took it and murmured her thanks, only then realizing it was warm water. It was her period today. But how had Qin Qingyan known? Thinking back to earlier, when she had been clutching her stomach while taking notes, it must have been then.

Her eyes stung. But she wouldn’t let herself cry. Even when she was being cursed at so viciously online that she was torn to pieces, she could still meet it with a cold laugh; so why did such a small bottle of water make it so hard to control herself?

Not far away, Qin Qingyan was laughing and chatting with Su Yan. Watching them, Yu Qingyan felt a twinge of envy as well. Looking down at the water in her hand, she felt complicated inside. Qin Qingyan; no wonder Zheng Jingteng had to have you.

After filming officially began, the scene went very smoothly, and the director’s sincere praise warmed her heart. So she could also have real ability; she wasn’t some pretty but useless vase.

After filming, Qin Qingyan no longer needed any excuse at all; she went straight to find Yan Yue. Su Yan had already gotten used to it too. She understood; hot in love, that’s how it was.

The first thing Qin Qingyan did when she came in was tie on an apron and start cooking. Her movements were smooth and practiced, her purpose clear, as if she had come all this way just to make a meal.

Yan Yue had earphones in; her laptop was on the coffee table. She had been on a video call with Ye Bai discussing something, and it ended not long after. She lifted the laptop onto her lap and opened the file Ye Bai had sent, reading through it line by line.

After going through everything once, she had a better grasp of things.

In the kitchen, Qin Qingyan had rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender yet strong forearms. One hand rested on her hip while the other stirred the wok. Among all the scenes Yan Yue had already experienced, this one was the one that put her most at ease.

If life could always be like this, it didn’t seem bad at all.

“Dinner’s ready,” Qin Qingyan called out.

Now it felt even more like a long, settled life together.

On the table were, as always, three dishes and a soup. Two of them were Yan Yue’s favorites, and the third was always a dish she had never tried before.

“Making this many dishes every time; isn’t it troublesome?” Yan Yue asked.

“No.” Qin Qingyan answered seriously. “I really like cooking.”

After they finished eating, Qin Qingyan also rushed to wash the dishes. The moment Yan Yue reached out, the bowl was taken from her. Apart from mealtimes, Yan Yue basically never got a chance to touch a dish.

She followed Qin Qingyan into the kitchen. The tap was running with a thin stream of water; Qin Qingyan was slightly bent over, washing the dishes with focused speed.

After a while, Yan Yue said, “You like washing dishes too?”

Qin Qingyan nodded. “I do.”

“Let me say this up front: since you’ve eaten my cooking, that counts as payment. I’m not paying you wages on top of that,” Yan Yue said jokingly.

Qin Qingyan looked up and suddenly gave a soft smile. “No, I’ve already collected them myself.”

Collected them herself? Yan Yue didn’t quite understand what she meant, so she asked in confusion.

“Look, isn’t it this?” Qin Qingyan nodded toward the sink, as if there were something there that shouldn’t have been there, and yet was.

Yan Yue, puzzled, stepped closer to see what it was. The moment she leaned in, Qin Qingyan lowered her head swiftly and accurately kissed the lips she had long since planned for, touching them lightly like a dragonfly skimming the water before pulling away.

Then she said solemnly, “Capitalists can’t exploit honest workers. Next time, remember to take the initiative.”