CHAPTER 7

Even in a well-secured residential area, Guan Han habitually glanced around before allowing Qin Yinong to get in the car.

The car smoothly drove out of the community gate and sped along the streets in the late night. The light from the street lamps cast quiet shadows, one after another.

"Should I take you home?" Guan Han asked respectfully.

"Just find a random hotel for me. Come pick me up at the company tomorrow at 9 a.m, and we'll return home in the afternoon." Qin Yinong replied with a furrowed brow.

Her mother was getting older, and her sleep quality wasn't great. There was no need to disturb her in the middle of the night. Qin Yinong had previously told her mother that she would be attending a gathering and staying overnight at a friend's place, which was why she wouldn't be able to come home until the next day.

Guan Han nodded and took out her tablet. Her fingers swiftly tapped on it, providing a concise summary. "Then I'll schedule a session with your therapist the day after tomorrow in the afternoon. We have a magazine cover shoot in the morning."

"Okay." Qin Yinong agreed.

Guan Han remained silent after that.

Qin Yinong glanced sideways at the receding scenery outside and then turned her face, stifling a yawn with her hand.

The lights in the car turned on, revealing the redness in her bloodshot eyes, clearly visible in the light.

"Qin Jie."

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to rest for a while?" Guan Han gently suggested.

Qin Yinong hadn't slept for forty-eight hours. Despite being able to maintain her energy in front of Tang Ruoyao, now that she relaxed, exhaustion flooded her limbs, making even lifting a finger feel strenuous.

She made a low "yeah" sound and closed her eyes.

Guan Han dimmed the lights in the car and sat beside her, breathing softly.

Qin Yinong had a mild case of neurasthenia, where even the slightest sound could startle her awake, and even a gaze could disturb her. So at times like this, Guan Han's presence had to be as close to being invisible as possible, almost like air.

Guan Han maintained her rigid posture, keeping her eyes on her nose and her nose on her mind, unmoving.

After about ten minutes, the mobile phone in Guan Han's pocket vibrated against her thigh.

Buzz—

Her eyelid twitched, and she instinctively turned her head to look at Qin Yinong.

Qin Yinong held her temples with two fingers and sighed wearily.

Guan Han apologized, "I'm sorry, Qin Jie. I forgot to put it on silent mode."

"It's okay, I wasn't really sleeping anyway." Qin Yinong waved her hand dismissively, picked up the bottle of mineral water on the table, examined the water inside for a moment, unscrewed the cap, sniffed it, and then took a few sips. The cold liquid slid down her throat, briefly relieving the pain in her temples.

Guan Han pursed her lips, her eyes revealing a hint of guilt.

Guan Han was recruited into Qin Yinong's studio right after graduating, and by a fortunate coincidence, she caught Qin Yinong's attention and became her personal assistant. While Qin Yinong had several other assistants to handle various tasks on set, Guan Han was the only one who served as her personal aide and was almost inseparable from her, except during sleeping hours.

If there was anyone in the world who understood Qin Yinong better than her own family, it was Guan Han. Even though Qin Yinong never spoke about it, Guan Han had grown observant and couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity.

That was why she felt guilty for disturbing Qin Yinong's rare moments of sleep.

"What's with that expression on your face?" Qin Yinong placed the mineral water bottle on the table with a light thud and raised an eyebrow, a hint of brightness in her gaze, tinted with a playful smile. "I don't have the energy to indulge you right now. Give me back my cold and ruthless assistant, Guan."

The strictly business-like Guan Han instantly reverted to her cold and ruthless demeanor and replied in a flat tone, "Is this better?"

She had a cold facade, and even when she was serious, it was quite convincing.

Qin Yinong lazily propped her forehead with her fingers and chuckled softly. "Yeah."

Assistant Guan remained cold and silent.

The car cabin fell quiet once again.

Fatigue and the effects of alcohol hit Qin Yinong simultaneously. Her temples throbbed, and her eyelids felt heavy and swollen. She closed her eyes and pinched the increasingly painful spot between her brows. "Find the video of Yao Yao receiving the award last night. I want to watch it."

Guan Han took out a tablet from her bag, unlocked the screen, and handed it over within a span of no more than ten seconds.

"You found it already?" Qin Yinong exclaimed in surprise as she took the tablet. Even though Tang Ruoyao's award had been big news in the past two days, flooding the internet with videos, she didn't expect it to be found so quickly.

Guan Han smiled at her.

Qin Yinong suddenly realized that Guan Han probably knew in advance that she would want to watch it and had prepared it ahead of time. She fell silent for a moment, lowered her eyelashes, unable to discern her own emotions in her eyes. With both hands steady, she clicked on the video.

The video started from the moment the host announced the nominees for Best Actress, a total of five of them. After the big screen played promotional clips of each nominee's works, it split into five sections, with each candidate occupying one. As the onstage presenters opened the golden envelopes and delivered their lines, the screen showed the four other nominees trying to maintain a calm facade, while the atmosphere in the venue grew unprecedentedly tense.

Tang Ruoyao stood out among them, frequently looking back, seemingly searching for something. The other audience members at her table followed her gaze, and even one of the male presenters jokingly commented in a warm voice, "It seems like one of our nominees is a bit absent-minded." The other female presenter seemed to have a hidden meaning in her lowered voice as she said, "I hope certain young actors can remain humble and not become complacent with a little success."

Her words were quite harsh.

Both Qin Yinong, watching from outside the screen, and Tang Ruoyao on the screen had darkened expressions.

Qin Yinong recognized the face of that female presenter and let out a cold chuckle.

So, it was her.

This person's name is Hao Meihua, and she is also one of the veteran Actors in the entertainment industry. She is considered a senior compared to Tang Ruoyao. Hao Meihua and Qin Yinong debuted around the same time, but she is about five or six years older than Qin Yinong. The two of them were nominated together three times for the "Three Golden" awards, with the Golden Magnolia Award being the most prestigious among them. Hao Meihua lost to Qin Yinong all three times. Later, she finally won the Best Actress award, but the media and netizens sarcastically referred to it as "picking up the leftovers" because Qin Yinong didn't participate that year.

Later on, the two encountered each other several more times, and Hao Meihua tried to redeem herself each time but failed, completely solidifying her title as the "Queen of picking up the leftovers." Living under Qin Yinong's spotlight, her Best Actress trophies became a joke, and everyone in the industry knew not to mention the words "Best Actress" in her presence.

Guan Han noticed that Qin Yinong had pressed pause and came over to take a look. She said, "Hao Meihua considers you a mortal enemy and has said a lot of bad things about you, both openly and behind your back. Recently, there were rumors online that you had a romantic relationship with Director Liu Jiang, but it was all fabricated by her, and she even posted some ambiguous photos."

"She's nothing more than a petty clown. No need to pay attention to her." Qin Yinong replied.

"I understand." Guan Han responded.

Suddenly, Qin Yinong asked, "Is the Golden Magnolia Awards' list of nominees about to be announced?"

"Right now, it's May. The nominations will be announced around July." Guan Han replied.

"Do I have any films in contention?" Qin Yinong asked.

"Yes, you do." Guan Han confirmed.

"Good." Qin Yinong's lips curled into a cold smile as she sneered, "I'm curious to see how she'll react when she loses to me once again. Her expression will surely be quite spectacular."

Guan Han nodded in agreement.

Qin Yinong stared at the screen, where Hao Meihua's face practically spelled out "sarcastic and spiteful." She chuckled, "After so many years, she still wastes her time on such petty matters. It serves her right that she can't surpass me. I bet it won't be long before even Yao Yao surpasses her."

When mentioning Tang Ruoyao, Qin Yinong's gaze softened, and she continued watching.

In the video, a male guest appeared embarrassed and tried to save the situation for Hao Meihua. With great excitement, he read out the name on the envelope, "The Best Actress award for this year's Golden Laurel Awards goes to — Tang Ruoyao!"

A strong beam of light shone down as camera flashes flickered, welcoming the coronation of the newly crowned Best Actress. Tang Ruoyao stood up, lifting her gown, amidst applause and radiant light. She wore a handcrafted gradient sky-blue gown, perfectly accentuating her tall and exquisite figure. The hem of the gown cascaded the ground, trailing behind her, creating a long, starry tail that shimmered.

After embracing everyone present, Tang Ruoyao raised her chin, resembling a queen surveying her domain, calmly and confidently making her way to the stage to receive the award.

Her impeccable appearance, innate grace, and pride captivated Qin Yinong, freezing her breath as her eyes remained fixated on her. Her fingers unconsciously reached out, gently caressing Tang Ruoyao's indifferent face through the air.

The male guest handed her the trophy, inviting Tang Ruoyao to deliver her acceptance speech.

Tang Ruoyao lowered her gaze sorrowfully, leaving the microphone silent for a long moment.

The audience began to stir with anticipation.

Tang Ruoyao raised her eyes, a faint shimmer of water glistening in her amber-colored pupils. She took a gentle breath and spoke in a clear and composed tone, "I want to thank the director... And thank you, everyone. I will continue to work hard."

As the ceremony proceeded, Tang Ruoyao's acceptance speech consisted of a series of clichés, without a single unnecessary word.

She bowed and left the stage.

The camera swept over Tang Ruoyao, who sat in her seat without a hint of joy from winning the award. She remained expressionless, resembling a delicate puppet devoid of a soul.

Qin Yinong closed her tablet with mixed emotions.

A faint bitterness arose in her heart, and she placed her hand over her chest. Was it regret? Did she regret deliberately skipping Tang Ruoyao's award ceremony last night?

If she had been sitting in the audience at that time, what would she say to herself?

Qin Yinong lightly rubbed the metal edge of the tablet with her thumb. The curve of her lips carried a hint of self-mockery and bitterness.

This question would probably never have an answer.

Qin Yinong closed her eyes and raised her hand slightly. Guan Han intuitively took the tablet from her lap and put it in her bag.

They had arrived at the hotel.

Guan Han accompanied Qin Yinong upstairs and handed her the bag, saying, "I've put the sleeping pills inside for you, but since you've been drinking, it's better not to take them. If you can't sleep, wait for an hour or two to let the alcohol wear off before taking them."

Qin Yinong nodded in agreement.

"I'll have the front desk send up some hangover tea." Guan Han said.

Qin Yinong nodded again.

She obediently listened, behaving like a primary school student.

Guan Han resisted the strong urge to pat her, turned around, and headed back to the elevator.

Qin Yinong watched her retreating figure and suddenly said, "Thank you."

Guan Han turned her head to look back. Qin Yinong stood at the door, slender and frail figure holding the bag, her thin lips pressed together, calmly watching her. The corridor's light made her face appear pale, almost translucent, reminiscent of petals swaying precariously on a branch in a stormy night.

She had always been lonely, deeply lonely to the core. Others didn't know, but Guan Han knew.

Guan Han's eyes welled up with tears, and she forced herself to keep her eyes wide open, putting on a smile. "I'm your assistant, it's my duty to do this." Without giving Qin Yinong a chance to speak, she quickly said, "Rest early, I'll come to pick you up tomorrow. Good night."

Qin Yinong moved her lips slightly. "Good night."

Guan Han's figure disappeared into the closing gap of the elevator, and Qin Yinong lowered her gaze as she turned around and closed the door.

.....

Tang Ruoyao woke up from a deep sleep, her bones feeling weak. As she habitually reached out to touch the pillow, it was as cold as usual. She sat up and looked down, noticing her disheveled robe, which revealed a few ambiguous red marks.

Her ears suddenly grew hot.

After freshening up in the bathroom and tidying her hair in front of the mirror, Tang Ruoyao suppressed her embarrassment. She loosened the robe's belt a bit, adjusted her breathing, and opened the door to step outside.

"Sister?"

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