CHAPTER 2

Qin Yinong turned her head, as if the sky had suddenly cracked open, and the galaxy surged forth , instantly enveloping the room with radiance.

The silver moon hung in the sky, softly casting its light inside.

It was difficult to distinguish whether it was the moonlight illuminating her face or her face illuminating the moonlight outside. She stood there, tall and graceful, like bamboo in the courtyard, her vibrant red dress gently swaying in the night breeze.

Even though they were so far apart, there seemed to be a faint fragrance lingering in the air.

Hidden in the cover of the night, Tang Ruoyao greedily sniffed the air, her feet rooted in place, her gaze revealing a subtle anticipation.

It had been so long since she last returned. How long would she stay this time? Would they be together all the time?

Since she came so late, would she spend the night tonight?

Qin Yinong smiled as soon as she saw her, and the elegance that flowed through her slender eyebrows and eyes was breathtaking.

She gracefully set down her wine glass and walked towards her.

With jet-black hair and crimson lips, she wore only a red long dress that cascaded down her body. Her feet were bare, revealing snow-white and soft insteps, with beautifully pale toes that stepped lightly on the dark wooden floor, almost making no sound. As she moved, her slender and shapely legs peeked out from under the hem of her dress, exuding a vibrant and fragrant presence.

The boundaries of time blurred in this moment, as the silvery moonlight draped her in a seductive white mist, evoking thoughts of enchanting fairies that walked out of certain supernatural novels.

Tang Ruoyao couldn't help but hold her breath and focus her attention, almost ready to be captivated by her charm and rush forward to embrace her. But in the next moment, her heart trembled, and a chilling sensation spread throughout her body as she remembered her own identity.

She was merely a lover kept by Qin Yinong.

She was not at all what the outside world portrayed her to be. With a prestigious background, her current status and position were all supported and elevated by Qin Yinong behind the scenes. Without Qin Yinong, she would be nothing. In front of Qin Yinong, she couldn't and wouldn't dare to be presumptuous.

Qin Yinong emerged from the mist and walked gracefully towards her. Tang Ruoyao had already lowered her eyelashes, concealing all her emotions.

A subtle expression of either sigh or melancholy flickered in Qin Yinong's eyes. She was very close to Tang Ruoyao, close enough that when Tang Ruoyao lowered her head, she could see the young woman's lowered lashes, one by one, dense and curled, carrying a shallow pale moonlight, delicate and translucent, trembling slightly like fragile cicada wings.

Qin Yinong extended her slender white fingers, and her knuckles touched the young woman's warm chin. Then her palm slowly rose to gently cup her cheek, caressing it softly within her hand.

The young woman's skin was delicate, as fine as high-quality porcelain, and the smooth touch caused her to become somewhat intoxicated.

Tang Ruoyao was tickled a bit by her actions, wanting to escape yet also yearning to move closer. Qin Yinong's body gave off a unique scent, very different from her own, not heavy yet unlike any perfume she was familiar with, a very remote cold fragrance. 

As Qin Yinong drew nearer, that faint, subtle cold fragrance spread indistinctly under her nose, not just failing to reduce the warmth on Tang Ruoyao's face at this moment but making her own breathing become warmer instead.

Tang Ruoyao's gulped, and her eyelashes fluttered gently as she called out softly: "Sister..." With a hint of pleading. When intimate at someone close, a girl's voice cannot help but become sweet, drawing out the sounds even more like coquetry, soft and tender within. 

She tried to dispel this ambiguous atmosphere, but unexpectedly had the opposite effect.

"Hmm?" Qin Yinong felt a warmth in her chest when Tang Ruoyao called her sister. Since she entered the room, it was the first thing she said, accompanied by a lazy tone and an enticing light laugh.

Her gaze remained fixed on Tang Ruoyao's face, substantial and filled with interest, "appreciating" her like a finely crafted piece of art.

"You..." Tang Ruoyao struggled to maintain a calm and composed expression as she conversed with Qin Yinong. "When did you come back?"

Facing various demands from the director on set was less challenging for her than concealing a small movement in front of Qin Yinong.

"When I sent you a message." Qin Yinong sighed softly, her voice as if carrying the intimate whisper of lovers.

Her tone was unbelievably gentle, and Tang Ruoyao's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help but want to see how Qin Yinong was looking at her now. Gathering her courage, she was about to lift her eyelids, but her lips were gently pressed by the warm and slender fingertips.

Tang Ruoyao's eyelashes trembled intensely, mirroring her quivering heart.

The fingertip rubbed against her rosy, thin lips, creating an ambiguous and leisurely sensation.

"The lipstick you're wearing today looks beautiful." Qin Yinong pointed with her index finger at Tang Ruoyao's plump lower lip.

Tang Ruoyao almost couldn't hold back from opening her mouth to take it in. She forcefully swallowed, suppressing the impulse.

The strings in Tang Ruoyao's mind were on the verge of breaking, forcing herself to remain calm amid the loss of control. She thought she had to say something to maintain her clarity in Qin Yinong's presence.

"Sister..." she opened her mouth, but only these one word came out, constrained and tinged with a blush on her fair ears, making it hard to continue.

A delightful soft laughter resonated in front of her.

"If you call me that again, sister will kiss you." Qin Yinong slightly composed herself, lightly caressed Tang Ruoyao once more before releasing her hold on her chin, and walked towards the coffee table after turning on the lights. "I won't tease you anymore. I brought you a gift from overseas. Come and see if you like it."

The warm fingertips quickly retreated, leaving Tang Ruoyao's heart feeling empty. She watched the graceful figure of the woman and bit her lip, a tinge of regret passing through her.

Why didn't she... call her a few more times?

Tang Ruoyao: "Sister."

Qin Yinong turned back to look at her and smiled, "Why are you standing at the door like a fool?"

Tang Ruoyao: "..."

She really wasn't planning to kiss her after all!

No gift could compare to the missed kiss, and Tang Ruoyao's enthusiasm waned as she slowly approached. When Qin Yinong looked over, the disappointment on Tang Ruoyao's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a perfectly timed expression of curiosity. "What gift?"

Qin Yinong raised the flat square box in her hand, adorned with the logo of a jewelry brand.

Tang Ruoyao stood in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room, with Qin Yinong standing behind her, holding a delicate necklace between her fingertips. Qin Yinong was two centimeters taller than her, so when she helped Tang Ruoyao put on the necklace, she slightly lowered her head, displaying a gentle and focused expression.

Seizing this opportunity, Tang Ruoyao gently turned her head to get a close look at Qin Yinong's face, beautiful like a poppy.

She was already twenty-nine years old, but her skin looked as youthful as a girl in her early twenties. If not for the soft peach fuzz, barely visible under the light, and the warm glow that almost concealed her pores, it would be hard to tell her age.

Her complexion was fair, not the pale and frail kind devoid of sunlight, but a powdery white like transparent flower petals, vibrant like spring.

The first time Tang Ruoyao saw Qin Yinong was on television. Qin Yinong made her debut at the age of eighteen when Tang Ruoyao was still in primary school. Qin Yinong portrayed Daji in the TV series "New Investiture of the Gods," with every frown, smile, and step exuding a captivating beauty. From then on, all the fairies in picture books had a concrete face, especially the fox spirits.

Later, some film critics said she was performing naturally, not as a compliment, but as a satire.

Qin Yinong's natural portrayal of Su Daji skyrocketed her to fame. There were many rumors circulating at the time, with many men becoming infatuated with the on-screen Su Daji, while their wives seethed with jealousy. Some even wrote letters to the relevant authorities, demanding that Qin Yinong be banned. The media, with its keen sense of smell, took advantage of the situation and elevated Qin Yinong to the center of attention. They fabricated numerous stories about her, causing marital discord to pale in comparison. They even attributed natural disasters and accidents to Qin Yinong. No matter how outrageous the media's claims were, the curiosity of the masses in that era ensured that as long as they garnered attention, their objectives were achieved.

In the entertainment industry, beauty is a necessity. But when beauty reaches the level of Qin Yinong, it becomes her original sin.

The media condemned her, peers undermined her, and the masses fueled the fire. Since her debut, Qin Yinong had an incredibly poor reputation and endured unimaginable malice. The more famous she became, the more intense things got. The easiest and most attention-grabbing method was to associate female celebrities with scandalous affairs. This malicious intent towards women has persisted for thousands of years and continues to prevail even now.

The power of public opinion can destroy reputations and erode one's spirit. When Tang Ruoyao was a child, she only thought Su Daji was beautiful, and her male and female classmates felt the same way. They bought her posters and stickers. But as she grew older and gained some understanding, she learned from her parents and classmates that Su Daji was not a "good person." She supposedly climbed her way up through unspoken rules, sold her body, and was despised by others. Even when Tang Ruoyao entered film school as an adult and Qin Yinong's name was revered in the industry, while she admired Qin Yinong's achievements, the preconceived notions ingrained in her since childhood led her to disdain the person's character.

Ironically, someone who despised unwritten rules ended up choosing that very path, and coincidentally, her benefactor was the infamous Qin Yinong, who was reputed to have slept with everyone in the entertainment industry.

She had been with Qin Yinong for three years, and the more time passed, the less she understood who Qin Yinong truly was. Qin Yinong was mysterious, powerful, beautiful, and dangerous, exuding a deadly allure like a whirlpool. The closer one got, the harder it became to break free.

In these three years, Tang Ruoyao helplessly watched herself sink deeper into the tender trap, unable to muster even a shred of resistance.

"What are you thinking?" The woman's voice whispered in her ear, soft and seductive, tinged with the huskiness unique to the night.

"The necklace is beautiful." Tang Ruoyao replied with a faint smile, uttering the prepared answer. She gazed at the two faces fused together in the mirror—one enchanting, the other icy—a perfect pair.

"You liking it is all that matters." Qin Yinong whispered, wrapping her soft arms around Tang Ruoyao from behind, encircling her slender waist. Her warm body pressed tightly against Tang Ruoyao's back, and she rested her chin on her shoulder. Her left hand adorned a platinum ring.

Tang Ruoyao turned her face and affectionately nuzzled Qin Yinong's cheek.

Qin Yinong's breath grew slightly heavier, and her scorching breath tickled Tang Ruoyao's sensitive earlobe with every exhale.

Tang Ruoyao remained still, and after a few seconds, Qin Yinong gently turned her shoulder, using her fingers to lift Tang Ruoyao's chin tenderly.

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