She Was Doing It on Purpose

The living room held only the sound of the two of them breathing hard. Qin Qingyan still had her head buried in Yan Yue’s neck; her body had stiffened, frozen there like a stone statue, afraid to move even an inch. Every sensation seemed to gather in her palm; soft, full, and burning hot.

Qin Qingyan’s breathing slowed. How could she have forgotten that after a shower, Yan Yue rarely wore a bra...

Slowly, she lifted her hand and withdrew it from inside Yan Yue’s clothes.

“No... no...” Qin Qingyan muttered to herself.

Her cheeks flushed red as she rolled off the sofa. “I, I left the light on in my room.” She hurried away as if fleeing.

On the sofa, Yan Yue’s clothes were a mess. She drew a deep breath and steadied her breathing, one hand pressed to her forehead.

If this kept happening a few more times, she really was going to be unable to take it.

Leaning against the bedroom door, Qin Qingyan let the heat in her face gradually subside. Her expression was awkward. It wasn’t as if she had never seen those videos; she knew perfectly well how the whole thing went from beginning to end. Touching... cough, that was only foreplay. So how had she already lost her composure?

Theory and practice really were two very different things.

When they came out again, neither of them was very natural. Whenever their eyes met, they both pretended to have something to do and looked away. That night, Qin Qingyan, unusually, didn’t go running to Yan Yue’s bed; she behaved herself for once.

The online storm over Qin Qingyan rose and then gradually died down. Xu Shushu had been paying close attention the whole time; she was both an observer and someone caught up in the fallout. In White Whale, she and Qin Qingyan had a huge CP fandom, and with the media’s ambiguous marketing on top of that, not only fans but even she herself had started to feel that Qin Qingyan might really have been especially different with her.

When this happened, the comments were full of netizens expressing concern and comforting her. After the rumor died down, the comments still showed sympathy for her; if anything, it was even stronger than before.

After shipping the CP for so long, fans had long since seen through the feelings Xu Shushu had hidden so deeply. Qin Qingyan treated Xu Shushu openly, with no attempt to avoid suspicion, while Xu Shushu was careful and restrained, always letting her gaze drift toward Qin Qingyan at every event.

In the drama, the one who was deeply entangled was Lin Feng; outside it, the one who was trapped was “Lin Wan.”

There were still some netizens who refused to give up, guessing that the person with Qin Qingyan was Xu Shushu. Even if the hairstyle didn’t match, it could have just been to mislead people.

That view actually won over quite a few netizens. The momentum kept growing, and soon it occupied more than half of Xu Shushu’s comments.

Xu Shushu scrolled through the comments. If she could, she would probably have wanted it to be true more than anyone. In the end, she posted a Weibo to clear things up, and only then did the discussion die down.

Qin Qingyan sat at home studying recipes, learning them carefully. Yan Yue sat on the sofa reading a magazine, relaxed and at ease.

Her phone suddenly rang; it was Jiang Lan. She turned back and glanced at Qin Qingyan, and Qin Qingyan happened to be looking at her too, curious.

She answered, “Jiang Lan?”

“Are you free? My flight is today; can you send me off?” Jiang Lan asked.

She glanced toward Qin Qingyan, and Qin Qingyan quickly withdrew her gaze, pretending nothing was wrong while cutting vegetables.

“What time?” she asked.

“Two thirty,” Jiang Lan said.

The clock on the wall was pointing to a little after eleven.

Yan Yue agreed, but the other side still didn’t hang up. Just as she was about to ask, the call ended.

For some reason, every time she spoke with Jiang Lan, she always felt a little dazed.

Qin Qingyan walked over to her and sat down, turning her head with a deliberately casual expression. “Jiang Lan?”

“You already heard her, didn’t you?” Yan Yue set down her phone and smiled at her.

“What are you... going to do?” Qin Qingyan asked.

She felt a little awkward; the way she was asking sounded almost like she was checking up on her.

“See her off,” Yan Yue said.

“See her off?” Qin Qingyan repeated. “She’s leaving?”

“Mm. After all, her work focus is overseas.” Yan Yue paused for a moment, then said, “What, you don’t trust me?”

“No. Why wouldn’t I trust you? What do I have to worry about?” Qin Qingyan said with a perfectly normal expression.

Yan Yue laughed, noticing the distance between them. “Come sit closer.”

Qin Qingyan moved a little closer.

Yan Yue reached out and rested a hand on Qin Qingyan’s shoulder, her fingers twining through Qin Qingyan’s smooth black hair. “I’ve only just returned to the country, and I’m not very familiar with the roads. Why don’t Teacher Qin send me there?”

Qin Qingyan’s eyes lit up, but her mouth said, “Wouldn’t it be inappropriate if I went?”

The sourness in her tone was obvious.

“Oh? Why would Teacher Qin think that would be inappropriate?” Yan Yue asked with a smile.

“It’s a chance to catch up with old friends. If I go, won’t the two of you have trouble talking freely?” Qin Qingyan said.

Yan Yue leaned closer, resting her head on Qin Qingyan’s shoulder. “Then what should I do? Looks like I’ll have no choice but to turn Jiang Lan down.” As she spoke, she made a show of picking up her phone.

Qin Qingyan pressed her hand down. “Ruoxin should be there too. I can meet her while I’m at it, and send you off.”

Another soft laugh came from Yan Yue. Then she shifted, and before Qin Qingyan could react, she had been pushed down. Just as Qin Qingyan was about to sit up again, another hand pressed her in place. Yan Yue’s face was right in front of her.

“You’re so good to me, Teacher Qin. How should I thank you?” Yan Yue smiled down at her.

“Any... anything is fine.” Qin Qingyan’s body had gone weak and numb, melting into a puddle.

“Anything?” Yan Yue repeated. “That’s what Teacher Qin said.”

She lowered her head and looked at Qin Qingyan’s lips, then kissed her.

Her lips were soft and damp. Qin Qingyan closed her eyes; before she could even savor it, Yan Yue had already pulled away.

Half-rising, she sat astride Qin Qingyan’s waist and reached for the buttons of Qin Qingyan’s shirt, unhurriedly undoing them one by one. Qin Qingyan’s whole body burned; she didn’t dare think too deeply about what might happen next.

From that kiss just now to Yan Yue taking the initiative, everything felt completely different.

By the time the last button was undone, all it would take was a light lift of the hand for the beautiful body hidden beneath the white fabric to be fully revealed.

Qin Qingyan didn’t dare move at all, afraid the shirt would slip open on its own. In her heart, she wanted Yan Yue to carry out that final step.

And yet Yan Yue suddenly got off the sofa, swept her hair back, and said, “I just remembered; I left the light on in my room.”

With that, she left without looking back.

Qin Qingyan let out a long breath. Yan Yue’s line sounded far too familiar; only then did she understand that Yan Yue had done it on purpose. When she stood up, her shirt was naturally open, revealing the white bra beneath. The pendant at her chest swayed lightly in front of her distinct collarbones; below that, her abdomen was flat and firm, with the faint outline of exercise beneath the skin.

Actually, she had been looking forward to Yan Yue continuing, even taking things a step further. But this sort of thing couldn’t be rushed.

At twelve-thirty, Yan Yue set out for the airport and arrived about half an hour later.

Jiang Lan and Jiang Ruoxin were waiting outside for them.

The moment they met, Jiang Ruoxin waved and called Qin Qingyan’s name, then ran toward her. Jiang Lan and Yan Yue met each other’s eyes and exchanged a small smile; there was a lot in that smile, and the clearest thing in it was relief.

“I didn’t want to disturb you, but I don’t know when I’ll be back in the country next time. It’ll be hard to see each other again, so I made that call,” Jiang Lan said.

“As a friend, even if you hadn’t said anything, I would have seen you off as soon as I knew you were leaving,” Yan Yue said.

Jiang Lan smiled and glanced at Qin Qingyan not far away, then looked back at Yan Yue. How could she tell her how much she envied her?

“Qin Qingyan is completely different in front of you and in front of us,” Jiang Lan said.

Yan Yue followed her gaze and looked over at Qin Qingyan. Qin Qingyan’s lips were curved in a faint smile; she looked calm and composed as she listened to Jiang Ruoxin talk.

That was true; the Qin Qingyan in front of her, even when she smiled, carried a childish air and always seemed a little clingy. But seeing her like this now felt strangely fresh to Yan Yue; this was a side of Qin Qingyan she rarely got to see.

“I studied with you for so long; I know you a little by now. Being cautious in matters of the heart is fine, but you can’t be too timid. Qin Qingyan is very good,” Jiang Lan said with a smile.

Yan Yue also smiled, still looking at Qin Qingyan, her eyes soft.

“In the seven or eight months you were away, there were quite a few people offering themselves up, but Qin Qingyan turned them all down with a cold face. Since she’s an actress, you might as well browse the internet more; it may help you understand her better,” Jiang Lan said.

“Thank you,” Yan Yue said.

Jiang Lan shook her head. She had originally asked to meet because she wanted to say what she had never managed to say back in school. Back then, Yan Yue had been secretly in love with her, but Yan Yue definitely didn’t know that long before that, she had already liked her.

But now Jiang Lan didn’t plan to say it anymore. That sentence was her own regret; let it remain a regret forever. Yan Yue now had her own lover, and she would be very happy.

After seeing Jiang Lan off, Yan Yue and the others headed back and passed Central Park. Qin Qingyan held Yan Yue’s hand and sat with her in an inconspicuous corner; thick bushes blocked the blazing sun, and dappled shadows fell across the ground.

A soft breeze blew. Tourists laughed and chatted; everything was beautiful.

“Do you want some ice cream?” Qin Qingyan suddenly asked.

Yan Yue looked across and saw an ice cream shop opposite them, with a long line outside.

“So many people; we’d have to wait a long time...”

Before she could finish, Qin Qingyan had already stood up and gone over, leaving her with one sentence: “If you want it, that’s enough.”

Watching her walk away, Yan Yue suddenly remembered what Jiang Lan had just said to her. She opened her phone, found the search bar, and typed in Qin Qingyan’s name. Related information flooded in, true and false alike. Frowning, she scrolled down and saw a video titled “Qin Qingyan Hurt”; without hesitation, she pressed play.

In the video, a crowd was blocking the road, and bodyguards were struggling to clear a path. One fan’s shouting stood out the most; perhaps because Qin Qingyan had never turned back to look at him, he started swearing, and the more he swore, the uglier it got. The fans couldn’t help but begin to stop him.

Qin Qingyan turned her head and gave him a cold glance, with no intention of getting into a long argument. Just as Qin Qingyan was about to get into the car, the man shouted, “Qin Qingyan, go die!” and a half-brick flew out after it. With so many people in the crowd, it was about to smash into a female fan’s head when Qin Qingyan reacted instantly and reached out to block it. Blood quickly welled up in fine beads on the back of her hand, more and more of them.

The video ended.

Yan Yue watched it almost without breathing. How had she never heard Qin Qingyan mention this?

Then she saw another video. Compared with the first, it was much blurrier, as if it had been filmed by a surveillance camera.

It was nighttime. A man wrapped in a white bath towel looked around, then knocked on Qin Qingyan’s room door at the film crew’s accommodation. Not long after, the door opened.

The man immediately yanked the towel open, revealing his naked body. Qin Qingyan turned her head, ready to close the door. The man hurriedly stopped her and said something; after a long while, Qin Qingyan pulled the door open, and the man bounced inside.

As soon as he entered, Qin Qingyan immediately turned and went back out, pulling the door shut behind her. Before Qin Qingyan disappeared from the frame, a group of film crew staff gathered at the door not long after, broke the lock, and the man inside bent his head and tried to run; he was grabbed and thrown to the ground, sprawled out helplessly.

The video had been censored in many places. Yan Yue clicked on the comments, and what people talked about most, of course, was that male actor.