Suspicion About Their Relationship

He went cold all at once. With a strained smile, he said his goodbyes and got back into the car. Then he opened Qin Qingyan’s Weibo again, his hands trembling as he enlarged the candid paparazzi photo. In the end, all the strength went out of him and he slumped back into the seat.

No one else would have known, but he recognized her. Even in such dim light, that figure was one he had replayed in his mind countless times; the few photos he had seen, he had looked at over and over. He knew it far too well.

The person with Qin Qingyan was Yan Yue.

QQY was Qin Qingyan, YY was Yan Yue. Wearing a pendant was not strange, but the two of them were wearing pendants with each other’s initials. What exactly was their relationship? Friends? Family? Or…

He slammed on the gas, and the car shot forward. Whatever the answer was, he needed confirmation.

By the time filming ended and they headed back, it was already past midnight. Yan Yue said she would come pick her up, but Qin Qingyan refused. Privately, she did want the other woman by her side all the time, but Yan Yue had also worked hard all day. Besides, it wasn’t very far.

It wasn’t until the car drove into Jingsheng that the black vehicle following behind Qin Qingyan had no choice but to stop. After checking the photos on the camera, they found nothing unusual and still had no idea what the person who had sent them here wanted them to photograph.

They sent all the photos to the pinned contact, then drove off.

The phone lit up; Zheng Jingteng glanced over and immediately opened it. Jingsheng…

The next day, the crew was filming when Su Yan stood off to the side. By chance, she spotted Yu Qingyan and frowned. She remembered that Yu Qingyan had no part in this production at all, so why was she here? Was she here to learn again?

Yu Qingyan walked straight over with a smile and asked for the seat beside her. Su Yan neither agreed nor refused; she turned slightly away and made her rejection of conversation obvious.

Yu Qingyan didn’t mind. She sat down leisurely and watched the actors rehearse. After a long while, she seemed to be talking to herself when she said, “Some people are just born for this line of work.”

Su Yan shot her a strange look, not understanding what she meant.

“I’ve worked hard in the entertainment industry for nearly ten years, and only now have I barely managed to make a name for myself. Qin Qingyan has only been at it for a few years, and she already has both acting skill and fame,” Yu Qingyan said with a smile. “Rolling in money too; no wonder she can live in a place like Jingsheng.”

That startled Su Yan, though she kept her expression normal. Qin Qingyan’s public residence had never been Jingsheng; how did Yu Qingyan know about Jingsheng? Was she being followed?

In the entertainment industry, minds were sharper than one another’s. Even if people were smiling on the surface, praising and greeting each other with one line after another, there was no guarantee they weren’t tearing each other down behind their backs.

“Live in Jingsheng? You must’ve heard that from some crooked little rumor mill. That’s a pretty wild story,” Su Yan said, pretending to think seriously. “Even if it’s true, it’s only because she was invited by a friend and occasionally went out to eat together.”

“Friend? You mean Yan Yue?” Yu Qingyan asked.

Yu Qingyan seemed to know everything, which made Su Yan unable to tell whether she had said something wrong. The more she said, the more likely she was to slip up, so she decided to keep her mouth shut as much as possible.

“Yeah. And Director Nie, too. Shushu lives there as well. A bunch of us often get together for meals. What’s the problem?” Su Yan said, looking at her questioningly.

Yu Qingyan shook her head. “Nothing…” Her gaze fell on Qin Qingyan in the distance. To be honest, she was very envious.

Not long after, Yu Qingyan left. Before she went, she even rarely said goodbye to Su Yan. Su Yan froze, growing even less able to figure out what exactly Yu Qingyan was up to.

Outside the crew, Yu Qingyan tossed her bag aside and got into the car, closing the door behind her.

Zheng Jingteng glanced left and right before asking again, “How was it?”

“How was what?” Yu Qingyan admired her freshly done nails, speaking carelessly.

“The thing I told you to ask about. Is Qin Qingyan living in Jingsheng or not?” Zheng Jingteng asked, barely holding on to his patience and suppressing his anger.

Yu Qingyan gave him a cool look. “No. What, if she really did live there, were you planning to buy a place in Jingsheng and chase her no matter what it cost? Hah, anyone who didn’t know better would think you were some kind of hopelessly devoted lover.”

Zheng Jingteng couldn’t be bothered to explain to her. “You know what I want to hear. Since we’re cooperating, provide your value properly.”

Yu Qingyan’s eyes turned cold, and her hands stopped moving. Provide her value… Ever since she entered the industry, no one had ever treated her as a person in her own right. She was either a plaything or a tool.

Then she suddenly remembered that cup of warm water handed to her.

“Qin Qingyan just went there to have a meal with some people. She’s not as loose as you are, and there isn’t any Mr. Zhang, Mr. Liu, or Mr. Xu,” Yu Qingyan said with an unreadable smile.

Those words hit Zheng Jingteng right where it hurt. He glared at Yu Qingyan and said coldly, “Get out.”

Yu Qingyan gave a soft snort, completely unconcerned. She picked up her bag and got out of the car at an unhurried pace. After only a few steps, she suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned back with a smile and said, “A mouth used to eating maggots should stop fantasizing about swan meat. It’s bad for the stomach.”

Then she walked away at a leisurely pace.

At noon break, Qin Qingyan and Su Yan sat on little stools, eating boxed lunches from the folding table while chatting about recent events. Thinking of what Yu Qingyan had asked her earlier, Su Yan felt it wasn’t really a big deal, but she hesitated over whether to tell Qin Qingyan.

Before she could decide, Qin Qingyan noticed something was off and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you want to say something?”

“Well… it’s not really a big deal. Yu Qingyan came by just now and we just chatted a little,” Su Yan said.

Yu Qingyan?

“Setting everything else aside, among the actors I’ve worked with, she really is quite dedicated,” Qin Qingyan said fairly.

Su Yan curled her lip. She disliked Yu Qingyan, but on this point she had to admit it.

“Oh, right,” Su Yan suddenly remembered. “Qingyan jie, have you ever told her where we’re living now?”

“No. Why?” Qin Qingyan asked, seeing that her expression had grown serious.

Su Yan was silent for a moment before saying, “But it seems like she thinks you live in Jingsheng. I thought about our conversation just now, and it felt like she was testing something.”

Jingsheng…

Qin Qingyan’s expression darkened. How did Yu Qingyan know she lived in Jingsheng? Was it an accident, or intentional? The first person she thought of was Yan Yue. Since Yu Qingyan had Xu Changlan behind her, and Zheng Chong’s matter was involved too, it wasn’t impossible that the Xu Family would bear a grudge.

That night after filming ended, she paid closer attention on the way back. Only after confirming it was safe did she go upstairs. The moment she opened the door and got home, warm light fell across her face, and even the exhaustion in her body seemed to vanish.

Yan Yue was sitting on the sofa watching a film. At the sound of the door, she turned her head and met Qin Qingyan’s gaze; the two of them smiled at each other in perfect understanding.

After changing clothes, Qin Qingyan lazily lay across Yan Yue’s lap, holding her hand as they watched the film together.

“Something happened today that was a little strange,” Qin Qingyan said.

Yan Yue pressed pause. “What happened?”

Qin Qingyan sat up and said, “Keep it playing. We can watch and talk at the same time. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.”

“Say it first; we can watch later,” Yan Yue said.

Qin Qingyan didn’t quite know how to bring it up. This really did seem like she might be overthinking it, but what if she wasn’t?

“Yu Qingyan knew I live in Jingsheng. I’m just wondering how she found out. There basically aren’t any other celebrities in Jingsheng, so no one would have told her. It can only be that she saw it by chance, or she deliberately followed me. If it’s the latter… then Xu Changlan is behind her,” Qin Qingyan said.

Yan Yue didn’t speak. After thinking it over carefully, she suddenly smiled. “Don’t overthink it. So what if she knows you’re here? As for Xu Changlan, she still can’t threaten me.”

Only then did Qin Qingyan relax. She leaned close to her, the thin blanket covering them both as they continued watching the film.

Yan Yue’s eyes stayed on the television screen, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.

When it was time to sleep, Qin Qingyan was so exhausted her eyelids kept fighting to stay open. In the end, she couldn’t hold on and fell into a deep sleep. Yan Yue softly called her name a few times; once she confirmed Qin Qingyan was asleep, she carefully withdrew her hand, sat up, and leaned against the headboard.

She thought about things alone for a while, then took out her phone and typed out a few messages. At last, she glanced at the time; it was almost midnight. She lay back down carefully, wrapped one arm lightly around Qin Qingyan’s waist, and closed her eyes to sleep.

Yu Qingyan woke up in the morning and, as usual, checked her messages. Instantly, all trace of sleep vanished.

For her, the best and worst things in the world happened together on that morning.

Her fingers were almost shaking as she opened the photo. In it, she was naked and asleep, while the man taking the selfie was a director she had dated when she first debuted. She hurriedly tapped at her phone, and after a while, she finally deleted the photo that had branded her shame.

Her breathing was ragged; she felt as though she had fallen into an ice cellar.

The message contained only that one photo, but she knew who had sent it, because only that person had these photos.

She had always thought life was bright; she had always thought the future was radiant. But once she saw these unspeakable things from the past, they kept reminding her at every moment what a lowly person she was, and how she was unworthy of anything good.

She screamed in rage, her hair in disarray. A single tear slid from her dead, empty eyes.

Very quickly, she pulled herself back together; life returned to her eyes. As if remembering something, she suddenly understood.

She might have guessed why Yan Yue had sent that photo. It had to be related to what happened yesterday. Zheng Jingteng wanted to pursue Qin Qingyan, which was why he had asked her to inquire about her residence; so why was Yan Yue warning her so quickly?

Her eyes lit up with calculation. It seemed she would need to investigate the relationship between Yan Yue and Qin Qingyan properly.

But right now she had to hurry to Director Nie’s crew. A female actress had been replaced, and she was taking over the role. Although it was only a supporting female role, as long as she could make an appearance in Director Nie’s film, she was willing to do it even if she had to pay her own way.

She rushed there as fast as she could and fortunately wasn’t late. Director Nie gave her a scene and had her perform it. Perhaps it was the result of a year of hard study, or perhaps it was because her own experiences resembled the character’s; she acted astonishingly well.

The whole morning passed in filming. She sat in a chair memorizing the script, and when she looked up by chance, she saw that the weather was lovely; the sunlight was just right, and a small patch had climbed onto her leg.

She moved her seat so that the part of herself that seemed almost moldy could be fully bathed in sunlight. It was warm. Suddenly, her eyes reddened. If only there had been no such shameful beginning; if only she had steadily, step by step, come to where she was today, needing only to act in peace and sleep in peace. How wonderful that would have been.

But there were never that many ifs.