The Stirring in Xitualanya

Her ears were still faintly red. Sitting alone on the chair, she couldn’t help thinking back to the days in Qingyi Village, then on and on, until the blare of traffic on the street finally pulled her out of it.

She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

She couldn’t get into Jingsheng, so she had to contact Yan Yue ahead of time. The sun was high overhead; Yan Yue was probably still busy at this hour, so it would be better not to disturb her rashly.

So she waited in a park near Jingsheng, watching the people coming and going, observing their movements. It was a habit she had deliberately cultivated; it was very helpful for acting.

When Yan Yue left Huanfeng and was about to get into her car, a man’s voice called after her in a hurry.

It was Zheng Jingteng, that actor.

He was carrying cured pork.

“Yan... Yan Dong, this was specially sent to you by President Zheng. He kept one piece and gave the rest to you.” He held it out, eyes fixed on Yan Yue.

Yan Yue smiled. “I already said it wasn’t necessary. It was just a joke; keep it and eat it yourselves.”

Seeing that she was about to leave, Zheng Jingteng hurried forward and stopped her. “Please take it. It’s our sincerity too. I’m sure that older sister wouldn’t mind either.”

Yan Yue hesitated.

Zheng Jingteng’s gaze never left her face. For the first time in all these years, he had felt something different toward a woman. She was like light; bright, but not blinding.

Looking at her like this now, he actually felt so small, so unworthy. He lowered his head.

“Alright, then I’ll take one piece. One piece will be enough for me to eat for a long time,” Yan Yue said.

The trunk was opened, and Zheng Jingteng eagerly put the cured pork inside.

Yan Yue looked at him and seemed to think of something. She suddenly asked, “President Zheng said you’re his nephew. You must be very close, right?”

“Yes. Ever since I entered the entertainment industry, Uncle has always been thinking ahead for me, and he was very careful in choosing scripts. That’s why I have what I do today,” Zheng Jingteng said.

“A good script is only part of it; if your acting isn’t good, the audience still won’t buy it. So I imagine you must be very capable yourself.” Yan Yue smiled.

Zheng Jingteng felt light-headed with pleasure. Those words moved him more than a thousand compliments from netizens ever could.

“I admire President Zheng very much, and I believe his judgment won’t be wrong,” Yan Yue said.

Long after the car had disappeared from sight, Zheng Jingteng finally came back to himself. Looking at the remaining cured pork in his hands, he decided not to tell Zheng Chong and kept it for himself.

Maybe it was because, as long as it had anything to do with her, he wanted it to belong to him as much as possible.

Zheng Chong was waiting in the office. When he saw him return empty-handed, he knew the gift had been delivered.

“Well? She accepted it?” Zheng Chong asked.

“Yes. Yan Dong is very nice, and she even praised you, Uncle,” Zheng Jingteng said.

A glint flashed in Zheng Chong’s eyes. He straightened in his seat. “How did she put it?”

Zheng Jingteng said, “Yan Dong said she admired you very much, and believed your judgment wouldn’t be wrong.”

“Heh.” Zheng Chong gave a cold snort, then relaxed back into the chair. “She accepted my gift and still thinks so highly of me. Well, well, that makes it a little hard to leave.”

On the way back, Yan Yue was thinking about something when she happened to catch sight of a familiar figure sitting outside the park. After thinking it over, she didn’t stop; she drove straight back to the residential compound.

Qin Qingyan was sitting there with her eyes closed, repeatedly sorting through the script in her mind. Her memory was good, so she could already recite the other actor’s lines by heart.

And because she had gone over it again and again, the part she hadn’t been able to figure out now seemed like a cocoon with a crack in it; the answer was about to break free.

Footsteps sounded beside her, and someone sat down next to her. Without even opening her eyes, she already guessed who it was.

That faint fragrance; she had only ever smelled it on one person.

She turned to look.

Yan Yue was watching her gently. “Are you here to find me?”

Qin Qingyan was dazed for a moment, then nodded.

“I ran into something I didn’t understand. I originally wanted to ask you about it, but now I think I’m almost clear on it,” she said earnestly.

“Is that so? Tell me. You’re so smart, I’m curious what could still stump you.”

So Qin Qingyan explained it.

After Yan Yue listened, she thought for a moment, then smiled and gave Qin Qingyan a strange up-and-down look. Qin Qingyan grew much more awkward under that gaze.

“You said just now that you were almost clear on it. Clear in what way?” She leaned back a little.

Rosy clouds lay at their feet, and the evening breeze felt comfortably soft.

“Lin Feng... seems to like his younger sister too much.” Qin Qingyan opened her mouth, then stopped. In truth, she had already vaguely sensed something, but she hadn’t said it out loud.

Yan Yue’s eyes lingered on Qin Qingyan meaningfully for a long while before she looked away. “That isn’t liking her too much; it’s possessive obsession. A brother wouldn’t have those kinds of thoughts toward his sister.”

Those kinds of thoughts... Qin Qingyan somehow thought of the two girls kissing that she had glimpsed in the park. So that really was it.

The sunset was extraordinarily bright, red and dazzling; the wind brushed softly past, stirring people’s thoughts.

“When did you get here?” Yan Yue asked, tilting her head.

A few loose strands had fallen across Qin Qingyan’s face. She had the urge to help tuck them back, but held herself back.

“Around noon,” Qin Qingyan said. “I was afraid you were busy, so I didn’t disturb you.”

Yan Yue looked at her with a smile. Noon until now; at least three or four hours. She had just sat here all that time. How silly.

“Do you have my number?”

Qin Qingyan shook her head. She only had WeChat.

“Add me?”

As Yan Yue spoke, Qin Qingyan saved it at the same time, using her name for the note. By chance, Yan Yue caught sight of something on her right earlobe and leaned closer to look carefully.

That movement made Qin Qingyan freeze completely; she didn’t dare move at all.

“A mole?” Yan Yue reached out a finger. The moment she touched it, Qin Qingyan flinched and quickly dodged away.

“I... I’m ticklish,” she said.

Yan Yue kept her hand there and didn’t draw back. Smiling, she looked at Qin Qingyan’s face. “Ticklish? Then what are you going to do in the future?”

“What?” Qin Qingyan didn’t understand what she meant.

“Nothing. It’s getting late; want to have dinner together?”

It really was getting late; she had to go back, so she declined.

“Then I’ll take you,” Yan Yue said.

“No need. I’ll just take a taxi home; it’s very quick,” Qin Qingyan said hurriedly. “I’m leaving first. Thank you.”

A car soon arrived. After another round of farewells, it gradually drove away.

Yan Yue stood quietly in the dusk, her lovely face carrying a faint smile. Then she seemed to suddenly realize something and froze.

What was going on between her and Qin Qingyan?

In the car, Qin Qingyan first took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She herself didn’t know why she had been so nervous.

Feeling her heartbeat still pounding hard, she opened her phone and searched for “sexual orientation test.” She picked the one with the most users, her fingertips trembling slightly as she clicked in.

She thought through every question carefully, then answered each one with equal care. Only when she reached the last question and saw the words “show results” did she click in with a devout heart.

[The test results show that you are more than 97% inclined toward same-sex love. We wish you success in finding your ideal partner soon.]

Her phone suddenly vibrated; a message popped up. Qin Qingyan jumped and nearly dropped it on the floor.

It was from Su Yan, asking where she was and when she would be back. She replied to her quickly, then returned to the previous page and carefully studied the data analysis.

For caution’s sake, she took three or four more tests in a row; the results were all the same.

After turning off her phone, for some reason, she actually felt relieved instead.

If she had to live with and marry a man in the future, she would resist it. But if it were a woman, she seemed to accept it much more easily.

And if that person was...

Qin Qingyan quickly rolled down the car window. The cool breeze dispersed the restlessness all over her body, and her chaotic heart gradually calmed down.

Inside the hotel’s presidential suite, the warm lighting cast an ambiguous glow over the bed. Heavy breathing mixed with faint low moans that sounded half pained, half pleased.

After a long while, the lights came on, slightly dazzling.

The woman pulled the blanket over her chest and sat up, smoothing her disheveled hair. Zheng Chong habitually lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled. Smoke blurred half his face, and his eyes narrowed to slits.

“That drama already has its roles set. Pick another one,” Zheng Chong said.

The woman understood what he meant; whatever resources he could get, he would give her. She had always known her place, and because of that, she had been able to hold a special position among his many lovers.

“When are you planning to leave Huanfeng?” she said. “Don’t forget our agreement.”

Zheng Chong’s hand paused. Slowly, he crushed out the cigarette and stared at the television, where laughter and chatter were playing.

“Relax. You’ve helped me get so many things; of course I won’t treat you badly.” He gave a cold laugh. “That board member from Changyue may have some ability, but when it comes to the entertainment industry, she’s still too young. Not understanding the twists and turns here is no less dangerous than the deceit and intrigue of business.”

“So you’re not planning to leave?” the woman asked sharply.

“Leave? Not only am I leaving, before I go I’m going to personally greet that female board member and make sure she remembers exactly who brought Huanfeng down. I think, with how smart she is, once I set up my new entertainment company and poach a large batch of actors, she’ll come to her senses.”

The woman was much more at ease now. He had promised her that after the new company was founded, she would also receive part of the shares.

She wasn’t afraid he would go back on his word; after all, she had quite a lot of evidence of Zheng Chong’s disgraceful behavior in her hands, enough to keep him in prison for the rest of his life.

It was blackmail, and it was cooperation.

Now everything was ready, waiting only for that crucial step of his leaving Huanfeng.

“So that so-called female board member isn’t all that impressive after all. She hasn’t noticed a thing,” the woman said happily.

“Anyone who can sit in that position has some ability, but she’s still a woman, and so young. Her experience is too shallow. Even now, she still hasn’t suspected me. Heh, it was worth pretending to be obedient and flattering her in front of her; she probably only thinks I’m some company man who still cares about the firm,” Zheng Chong said, already thinking about tomorrow’s plan.

He had always been cautious. Thinking back on Yan Yue’s attitude these past few days, he became even more certain that he had not aroused any suspicion at all. He had always done things in secret, and rarely even acted personally; his tracks were hidden deeply, and then even deeper.

That alone showed how many people still thought of him as kind and generous. Leaning against the headboard, he let out a comfortable breath.

Very soon, he would have a company of his own and never need to smile at anyone again.

At the thought of it, the urge in his heart grew even stronger. The blueprint of the future, like opium, had a deadly attraction for him; he couldn’t pull himself away, and he didn’t want to resist. He let the boundless desire swallow him whole.