Online Rumors

To keep Yan Yue from getting bored, Qin Qingyan bought all sorts of little things for her: building blocks, puzzles, comics... After a few tries, though, she discovered that building blocks were Yan Yue’s favorite. So this time, she bought a whole lot more.

Yan Yue stared at the piles of blocks on the bed and the table, suddenly not knowing where to begin. She glanced at Qin Qingyan, who was reading the instruction booklet with utmost seriousness, and sighed. “Qin Qingyan, my leg is injured, not my brain.”

Qin Qingyan paused, looked up at her, and said, “Then should I buy fewer next time?”

“Mm, fewer.” Too many really did tax the mind.

Yan Yue laid the booklet flat and followed the steps carefully. Qin Qingyan sat by the bed, massaging her leg, occasionally looking over with a smile at the lover so absorbed in putting the blocks together.

So this was what it felt like to turn down everything and spend every day together. It was wonderful, and it was happy.

“Qin Qingyan,” Yan Yue asked as she assembled the blocks, “if you were Bai Ruo, would you forgive Li Xian?”

Qin Qingyan froze, then continued massaging her leg. After thinking for a moment, she said, “If I were Bai Ruo, and you were Li Xian, then...”

Feeling Yan Yue’s gaze on her, Qin Qingyan quickly smiled and went on, “Actually, I don’t know. Even though I understand some of the reasoning, and letting go can be a choice too, I definitely wouldn’t choose to let you go. In some ways, I’m a little like Lin Feng in White Whale.”

Yan Yue nodded and looked at Qin Qingyan for a long while before saying, “I probably wouldn’t either.”

“Then I’m honored.” Qin Qingyan smiled at her.

Because endorsements were being canceled one after another, the originally scheduled ad shoots were repeatedly pushed back, and in the end they were canceled as well. Online, all kinds of speculation had already started about Qin Qingyan, and the wind was very much against her.

【When the tree is big, it catches the wind. Which scheming rat is stirring things up behind the scenes this time? Bullying my Qingyan because she has no backing?】

【Please. If she herself were upright and aboveboard, who could stop her? Besides, she was riding such a hot streak; it’s obvious the insiders knew something, which is why they all canceled the endorsements, okay?】

【I think so too. The deals were basically already settled, and now they suddenly switched people. If that’s not a collapse, what is it?】

【And you might not know this, but Qin Qingyan shot a new film with Director Nie. Insider news says it’s already finished, and has been finished for months. But now? There isn’t a single bit of promotion. For someone of Qin Qingyan’s level, investors should be desperate to promote it more. So think about it carefully.】

The speculation and rumors online spread wider and wider, growing more and more intense, until they held the hot search for several days. But no matter how long people waited, Qin Qingyan never responded, and Huanfeng Entertainment also issued no statement.

Su Yan looked at the comment section full of nonsense and immediately switched to her alt account to fight back fiercely; as a result, her account was reported many times.

“What a crappy app. They actually succeeded in getting me reported—was my wording not refined enough? If you wanted to ban me, you should’ve said so. If I didn’t tear those bastards to pieces, I’d be letting myself down!” Su Yan hurled her phone aside and drank some water to calm down.

After enduring it over and over, after thinking it through again and again, she finally picked up her phone and called Qin Qingyan. She could ignore the brainless black fans, but there were still so many fans who cared about Qin Qingyan, and they were waiting for her response too.

The call connected quickly, but the voice on the other end was Yan Yue’s.

“She’s taking a shower. What’s the matter?” Yan Yue asked.

That left Su Yan not knowing how to begin, so she simply explained everything from start to finish. She believed Yan Yue would understand what she meant.

Yan Yue was silent for a moment. “I know. I’ll talk to her.”

After hanging up, Yan Yue opened Weibo for the first time since the car accident. Sure enough, more than half the messages on the page were discussing Qin Qingyan. Once she clicked in, the comments were basically all negative.

She glanced toward the bathroom; Qin Qingyan was still showering.

Su Yan would never have hidden the contract cancellations from Qin Qingyan, so Qin Qingyan herself couldn’t possibly have been unaware of any of this. And yet for so long, she had never let even a trace of it show in front of her.

After finally getting to where she was today, was Qin Qingyan trying to ruin herself?

Yan Yue suddenly remembered what the Yan family had said before, about taking her abroad. So had Qin Qingyan, from that very time, already been planning to give up everything and go abroad with her?

When Qin Qingyan came out after showering, her hair was only half-dry. She noticed Yan Yue staring at her the whole time, then gestured for her to come over. Qin Qingyan walked over in confusion and sat down by the bed.

“Did all your endorsements get canceled?” Yan Yue asked directly.

Qin Qingyan froze, surprised that Yan Yue knew, and answered honestly, “Mm... more or less.”

“And the others?”

“Those too... more or less.”

Yan Yue drew a deep breath. Thinking of something, she suppressed her anger and asked again, “The new film you shot with Director Nie too?”

“What?” Qin Qingyan was momentarily stunned. “No, that wasn’t something I could decide.”

“Why not?” Yan Yue asked, her expression complicated.

“I... at the time, I thought there was a good chance you’d go abroad, so I’d already made up my mind to quit the industry, so...” So anything that could be canceled was canceled.

Qin Qingyan, ah. Yan Yue let out a soft sigh.

“Now that I’m staying, how do you plan to handle all this?” Yan Yue asked.

Qin Qingyan lifted the thin blanket and got onto the bed. Under Yan Yue’s gaze, she leaned in, took her hand, and laced their fingers together. “Don’t worry. I’ve already figured it out.”

“What plan?”

“Secret.”

“A secret?” Yan Yue said. “Fine, then I’ll just wait and see how Teacher Qin plans to handle it.”

Yan Yue picked up her phone from the bedside, opened her contacts, and found Nie Cong: Thanks, Director Nie, for Qingyan’s matter this time.

The other side replied not long after: It was nothing. How’s your leg?

Yan Yue: Not much improvement. We’ll wait a few more months and see.

Nie Cong: That’s fine. After all, rehabilitation takes time. Once the overseas film is finished, Uncle Nie will come see you.

Yan Yue: No need, Uncle Nie. You’re busy.

It was just an ordinary chat, nothing special, but Yan Yue had deliberately tilted her phone slightly, which left Qin Qingyan very puzzled.

She tried edging closer, and sure enough, Yan Yue shifted her body farther away.

Qin Qingyan frowned, looking at her with clear displeasure.

Yan Yue turned off her phone, met Qin Qingyan’s resentful gaze, and said in a very good mood, “Teacher Qin, it’s getting late. Shouldn’t we sleep?”

Qin Qingyan said nothing and helped arrange her legs properly. Yan Yue lay down comfortably, but Qin Qingyan rolled over onto her, looking down from above with an unhappy expression.

Yan Yue simply closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting as if she saw nothing. “Go to sleep, Teacher Qin.”

“What are you being so guarded about? What is it that I’m not allowed to know?” Qin Qingyan asked.

Yan Yue opened her eyes and smiled at her. “There are quite a few things Teacher Qin isn’t allowed to know. Let me think... actually, there are a lot.”

“You can’t tell me?”

“Secret.”

“Secret?”

Qin Qingyan suddenly laughed. The scene was damnably familiar, and only then did she understand that Yan Yue was giving her a taste of her own medicine.

“Fine, secret it is. I’m not curious anymore. There’s something more important to do now.”

With that, she lowered her head and kissed Yan Yue, her fingers searching for Yan Yue’s hands before firmly interlacing with them. If it hadn’t been for this accident, Qin Qingyan felt she very well might not have been able to resist taking Yan Yue then and there.

Yan Yue kissed her back, their lips entwining slowly and unhurriedly. She reached up to wrap her arms around Qin Qingyan’s neck and pulled her closer; they pressed together even more tightly, close enough to feel each other’s pounding hearts.

When the kiss ended, Qin Qingyan lay back down in her own place, chest rising and falling as she stared at the ceiling.

“Once your leg gets better, let’s go abroad and get married, okay?” Qin Qingyan said.

“What if, by chance, it never gets better?” Yan Yue also looked at the ceiling.

“There’s no such thing as by chance.”

“What if there is?”

“There isn’t.”

“I said what if.”

“There is no what if.”

Yan Yue suddenly laughed out loud at how childish they were being. Qin Qingyan turned her head to look at her. Yan Yue was smiling brightly, as if this accident had never happened to her at all.

Qin Qingyan’s heart twisted with pain; her eyes grew slightly hot. She rolled over and hugged Yan Yue, resting her head on her arm and rubbing affectionately against her neck. Only after catching the familiar scent on her body did her heart settle a little.

“Next year, no matter what the result is, if you propose, I’ll say yes.” Yan Yue gently patted Qin Qingyan’s hand in comfort.

“Okay. Definitely. I’ll definitely prepare the best wedding for you.”

Yan Yue stroked her hair. After a while, she asked, “Qin Qingyan, can you accept getting married with only the two of us there?”

“Otherwise? Three or more would be illegal.” Qin Qingyan laughed.

Yan Yue lightly smacked her head. “You know what I mean.”

Qin Qingyan tightened her arms around her. “I’ll listen to you. Everything will ultimately follow Madam’s instructions as the final guide for action.”

Madam...

Those four words made both of them blush where the other couldn’t see.

A few days later, Qin Qingyan went to see the doctor again to ask about Yan Yue’s leg. The doctor could only shake his head and give no definite answer.

“For someone in her condition, there is hope for recovery, but it’s very slim. If there’s still no improvement within six months, then the situation won’t be optimistic,” the doctor said.

Qin Qingyan came out of the consultation room distracted and ran straight into Li Xian.

In the office, Li Xian poured her a glass of water, and the two sat facing each other.

“This has only just started. Rehabilitation takes a long time; sometimes it even takes half a year before there’s any effect. Be patient and wait a little longer,” Li Xian said.

Qin Qingyan asked, “How long has it been now? I’m already starting to get anxious. Yan Yue doesn’t say it out loud, but inside, she cares even more than I do.”

“If she didn’t care, that would be strange, wouldn’t it?” Li Xian said.

Qin Qingyan nodded, then sighed and changed the subject. “How are you and Bai Ruo doing?”

Li Xian’s expression immediately grew heavy. She set down her cup. “I can feel that she’s trying hard to persuade herself to accept me, and I can also feel how much she cares about the child in my belly.”

The room fell silent for a moment. Qin Qingyan said, “What kind of hardship made you willing to pay such a big price?”

“Sometimes I wonder that too—whether what I did was right. More than once, I’ve even thought maybe I was wrong. But more often, I felt it was the best method I could think of at the time.”

“And now? Do you still think it was a good method?” Qin Qingyan asked.

Li Xian didn’t answer; she only took a sip of water.

The two of them suddenly smiled at each other. In a certain sense, they were actually the same. They had hidden things from the people they loved and made what seemed like a foolish decision.

At noon, amid all the speculation online, Qin Qingyan finally posted on Weibo: Love and life are equally important.