CHAPTER 106

Qin Yinong lowered her head and looked at the wet and crystal-clear back of her hand, remained motionless for a long time. A sweet sensation rose in her throat, accompanied by the taste of rusty blood. She raised her hand and pressed it tightly against her chest, swallowing the sweet yet bloody sensation, then bowed down and slowly curled up on the narrow sofa. She became a small bundle, with her eyelashes drooping, motionless for a long time.

Tang Ruoyao stormed out, causing a loud noise that could be heard on both floors.

The first person to come out and check was Guan Han. She caught a glimpse of Tang Ruoyao's angry figure, and then heard another sound as her own door slammed shut.

Guan Han: "..."

Guan Han thoughtfully looked at Qin Yinong's door. Even if she couldn't guess the specifics, she could roughly infer what had happened. She sighed softly, intending to return to her room. But in the moment she turned around, she caught a glimpse of Lin Ruohan's figure at the stairs.

Guan Han: "!!!" She immediately stopped in her tracks.

Following the sound, Lin Ruohan came up. The corridor was empty, with only Guan Han's frozen face. Lin Ruohan met her gaze expressionlessly and greeted her, "Senior Lin."

Lin Ruohan looked around, the surroundings were quiet and still, so she chose to ask Guan Han, "What happened?"

Guan Han remained calm and said, "Rehearsing a scene."

Lin Ruohan raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Rehearsing a scene?"

Guan Han replied, "It's an emotionally intense scene in the later part of the script."

"Oh, are they still inside?" Lin Ruohan gestured towards Qin Yinong's room.

"They are." Guan Han confirmed.

Lin Ruohan looked at the motionless door in front of her and furrowed her brow slowly, feeling that something was off. However, seeing Guan Han's calm expression and the trust placed in Qin Yinong's assistant, she said, "Once they are done discussing, call me downstairs."

Guan Han remained silent.

Lin Ruohan added, "I'll be sleeping in your room tonight."

Guan Han whispered, "I'll tidy up."

Lin Ruohan glanced back one last time before going back the way she came.

.....

Tang Ruoyao locked herself in her room, gripping the metal edge of the window sill tightly with her fingers. She tilted her face up and took deep breaths continuously. She had left her tears with Qin Yinong, and now she wasn't crying anymore. Anger overshadowed her sadness.

She didn't want to be rational anymore. She let her impulses dictate her emotions.

She didn't want to understand, didn't want to analyze, didn't want to repeatedly torture herself by recalling Qin Yinong's detailed expression when she said those heartless words. Qin Yinong liked her, but why was she able to inflict such piercing pain on herself over and over again? Did she not have a heart, or did she pretend not to have one?!

Qin Yinong.

Tang Ruoyao gritted her teeth and shouted the woman's name in her mind, wishing she could just tear a piece of flesh from her to vent her hatred.

But hatred couldn't last. The strength in her fingertips gradually weakened, and she slid down the wall, leaning back weakly. Tears still uncontrollably filled her eyes.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard a knocking at the door.

Knock, knock, knock -

Three polite yet firm knocks.

Tang Ruoyao lifted her head, her expression numb. A glimmer of desperate hope flickered in her eyes, mixed with anger.

Was Qin Yinong going to play the same trick again? How many times would she do this?

But even so, Tang Ruoyao couldn't help but admit that her heart still skipped a beat because of those knocks.

She stubbornly chose not to respond for the moment.

Knock, knock, knock -

Three more knocks.

A voice came from outside the door.

"Junior Tang, are you in your room?" It was a mature and composed female voice.

The owner of the voice was Lin Ruohan, not the woman Tang Ruoyao had expected at all.

Tang Ruoyao didn't know what expression to make for a moment. Should she be sad? Despair? Angry?

Tang Ruoyao's anger turned into a sarcastic smile, and the corners of her lips curved with increasing mockery. She raised her hand and touched the dried tear stains on her face, casually answering the person outside the door, "Yes, is there something?"

Lin Ruohan replied, "No, I just came to ask if you're asleep."

Tang Ruoyao responded, "I was. Sister Ruohan, you should go to sleep early too. Goodnight."

Lin Ruohan lowered her eyes and looked at the light seeping through the crack of the door. She said, "...Goodnight."

She thought to herself, "Sigh."

After knocking on one door and then the other, Qin Yinong did open the door. However, her complexion appeared quite bad, with pale lips. She asked, "What's the matter?"

Earlier, Lin Ruohan had heard Tang Ruoyao mentioning that Qin Yinong's mood might not have been good since she joined the crew, and now seeing her like this confirmed it even more. She made up her mind to comfort her and smiled, saying, "Do you mind if I come in and sit for a while?"

Qin Yinong stepped aside, creating a path for one person to pass through.

Lin Ruohan glanced aimlessly, and her gaze fell upon an open bottle of whiskey on the balcony table, along with a glass containing amber-colored liquid. She turned her attention back to Qin Yinong's face and remarked, "You're so leisurely, drinking at this late hour?"

Qin Yinong replied, "I can't sleep."

Lin Ruohan had been Qin Yinong's "neighbor" for over three months, and she knew about her habit of drinking to help with sleep from the time they first met. She walked over, shook the bottle of whiskey, which was now only half full, and said, "Drinking so much isn't good for your health."

"I don't drink this much every time." Qin Yinong explained.

"Do you have another glass?"

"Hmm?"

"A glass." Lin Ruohan gestured with an outstretched hand, raising an eyebrow. "Drinking alone is boring. Coincidentally, I'm a bit hungry. Give me one."

Qin Yinong took out a glass from the liquor cabinet and asked her, "Do you want ice cubes?"

"Yes."

Qin Yinong added ice cubes and handed it to her.Lin Ruohan took a sip of the cool liquid, placed the glass next to Qin Yinong's, and the liquor refracted a glass-like color in the light.

She got straight to the point and asked, "Do you have something on your mind?"

"...Not really." Qin Yinong replied as she sat down.

"Then why are you so cold towards the kid?"

"The kid?"

"Oh, I mean Tang Ruoyao."

Have you become so close with her already?

Qin Yinong thought to herself, and her heart, which had been hurting so much that she almost lost sensation, suddenly twitched again. She raised her hand to her chest, as if it would alleviate the pain a little.

"What's wrong with you?" Lin Ruohan asked with concern. "Is there something wrong with your body?"

Qin Yinong shook her head. "I don't know." Her face turned pale. "It's been happening frequently lately."

"It's definitely because you've been drinking too much, causing insufficient blood supply to the heart." Lin Ruohan quickly gathered the bottles and glasses from the small table, tightened the bottle cap, and said, "Schedule a medical check-up. When was the last time you had one?"

"Last year, I don't remember the exact month."

"You should get a check-up soon. You're not young anymore, yet you're neglecting your health like this."

Qin Yinong fell silent for two seconds and said, "...You're older than me."

"My mindset is younger than yours!" Lin Ruohan said irritably and flicked her forehead with her finger. After flicking, she regretted it, observing Qin Yinong's expression, afraid that she would get angry, but she didn't.

A hint of sadness appeared on her face as she said, "You're right."

Lin Ruohan looked puzzled, "Right about what?"

Qin Yinong suddenly looked up and stared at her seriously, "Being friends with me must be exhausting, right?"

With Qin Yinong's personality, it's difficult for her to open up her heart. This friendship has been sustained until now, mainly because of Lin Ruohan's efforts. She would message her from time to time to ask about her well-being, invite her for a meal when they're free, or coincidentally meet at an award ceremony and go out for a meal. Qin Yinong is reserved and occasionally confrontational towards her, and they have never had deep conversations. But Lin Ruohan doesn't mind. She still finds time to visit Qin Yinong's class.

With Qin Yinong's family background and status, Lin Ruohan has no need to flatter her. What's the point?

Without hesitation, Lin Ruohan said, "No, not at all."

Qin Yinong looked at her, and even though she didn't say anything, her eyes clearly expressed disbelief.

"I mean it." Lin Ruohan smiled. "I'm really happy to be friends with you. You're so beautiful that even just looking at you feels like a baptism for the soul. It makes me feel several years younger."

Qin Yinong: "..."

Lin Ruohan clicked her tongue and said, "Why didn't I notice that you're a bit insecure before?"

Qin Yinong lowered her eyes.

Lin Ruohan patted the back of her hand, covering it, squinted her eyes, made a thoughtful sound, and said, "When it comes to your personality, you're really dull. It's hard to get a reaction out of you, and occasionally when you do say something, it usually infuriates me. I can't figure out why I willingly chose to be friends with you and suffer."

Qin Yinong pulled her hand away from her grasp.Lin Ruohan stopped her and continued, "But when it comes to connections between people, it's about chemistry and aura. You fit in my eyes, and I like you. I feel happy when I see you, so I'm willing to be your friend. Not everything needs a reason."

Qin Yinong lifted her eyelids and quietly looked into her eyes.

Lin Ruohan's irises were light and brown, sincere and clear.

She said, "And even though you don't like to talk much, you take action. The restaurant we went to tonight was to my liking, and the signature dishes we ordered were all my favorites. When you have good notebooks, you think of me. When you go overseas for filming, you remember to bring me gifts. When I went through a breakup, you stayed up all night talking with me, patiently listening to me ramble. You never show any signs of impatience."

Qin Yinong seemed to have a sudden disconnect in emotional intelligence and rebutted her sentence by sentence, "The restaurant was arranged by Guan Han, she's the one who remembers your preferences, not me. I gave you the notebook because my schedule was too busy for filming, and it would be a waste to leave it unused. Bringing gifts is just a habit of mine, not just for you, but for others too. Chatting with you is because I happen to have insomnia, and it's better to have a conversation than to stay awake."

Her words landed with a resounding impact.

Qin Yinong nervously and anxiously waited for the other person's reaction. She didn't know why she had said all that, but the person mentioned by Lin Ruohan was so unfamiliar to her, leaving her at a loss.

Lin Ruohan let out a long sigh.

Qin Yinong's expression remained wooden as she thought, Are you leaving too?

Suddenly, a slight pain came from her cheek as she turned her eyes and saw Lin Ruohan's fingers resting on her face. Her expression wasn't angry or sad, but rather... excited and playful?

Qin Yinong: "???"

Lin Ruohan couldn't help but playfully pinch her smooth cheek and burst into laughter, saying, "I suddenly remembered another advantage of yours. You talk tough but have a soft heart. You say one thing but mean another. You obviously care about me a lot, but you say these things."

"I... I don't." Qin Yinong's gaze flickered with unease, and even her toes curled up inside her slippers.

Lin Ruohan raised an eyebrow, "Then why is your face turning red?"

Qin Yinong pushed away her hand.

Lin Ruohan stared at her with unblinking eyes, fixated on the crimson tips of her black hair hidden behind her ear, and a hint of infatuation appeared in her gaze as she said, "You're really cute." Then she immediately snapped out of it, vigorously shaking her head and muttering to herself, not quietly at all, "No, I can't go for someone younger."

"Younger?" Qin Yinong: "..."

Forget it, let's just continue hurting each other.

Lin Ruohan tilted her head and said, "Are you smiling?"

Qin Yinong was slightly startled, only then realizing that a smile had formed at the corner of her lips, the curve appearing without her noticing.

"I don't know what kind of stimulation you've been through recently or who said something to make you suddenly have this lack of confidence," Lin Ruohan didn't delve into the details, she simply said, "Setting aside our family backgrounds, you, Qin Yinong, have more fame than me, more awards, more money earned, and even your appearance slightly surpasses mine. It's my honor that you're willing to be friends with me."

"I..." Qin Yinong instinctively lowered her head.

Lin Ruohan cupped her face with both hands, making her look into her eyes, and said each word, "Remember, anyone who doesn't appreciate you must be blind."

Qin Yinong smiled and whispered, "Thank you."

"Does it make you feel better?" Lin Ruohan blinked her eyes.

"Yes." Qin Yinong's eyes curved as she laughed again, genuinely entertained.

However, her situation with Tang Ruoyao was much more complicated than this.

Lin Ruohan glanced at her watch, went to the balcony to wash the two glasses, and advised her, "It's getting late, you should go to bed. If I come knocking on your door in the middle of the night after drinking, I won't scare you to death."

She made a ferocious expression, baring her teeth and claws.

Qin Yinong burst into laughter and said, "Got it." Then, seemingly casually, she asked, "Are you going to sleep too? Not going to see Tang Ruoyao?"

Lin Ruohan waved her hand and said, "I already went before coming here. She's asleep."

"So early?"

"Early to bed, early to rise, good for the body." Lin Ruohan seized the opportunity to scold her, "Unlike you, who stays up late every night." Then she suddenly turned fierce again, "Go to sleep quickly. Do you want me to turn off the lights for you?"

"...I haven't taken a shower yet."

"Oh, I forgot about that. Then I'll leave first then."

"Okay."

Lin Ruohan walked to the door, then suddenly turned her head to look at her, with a puzzled expression in her eyes.

Qin Yinong felt uneasy under her gaze, tugging at her collar and asking, "What's wrong?"

Lin Ruohan propped her chin up, deeply puzzled, and said, "When you were in your twenties, why didn't I ever consider dating you?"

Qin Yinong countered with reason, "I'm still in my twenties now." A woman's age is always a forbidden zone, and being thirty is still twenty-nine if it's just a little over a month!

Lin Ruohan disdainfully said, "Oh." And walked away.

It can be seen that there is indeed a matter of resonance between people, where Qin Yinong only fit into her friendship but didn't touch upon her romantic feelings.

Just like when Lin Ruohan saw Tang Ruoyao on set for the first time today, it was a feeling of love.

Walking in the corridor toward Tang Ruoyao's room, Lin Ruohan smiled to herself for a while before reluctantly returning to her own room.

As the night breeze blew, the thoughts in the three rooms varied, and only Lin Ruohan had sweet dreams, sleeping soundly until dawn.

Early the next morning, she turned off the alarm clock that she had purposely set an hour earlier, got up, freshened up, and picked out a figure-hugging red dress from her suitcase. After thinking for a moment, she sent a message to Qin Yinong:

[Don't wear red today!! I want to steal the show!!]

.....

"Get another one, not in red." Qin Yinong pressed her temples, feeling a slight headache, her eyelids half-closed. She looked around and saw a neat pile of bright red fabric covering her, and she spoke up.

Guan Han asked, "Alright, what color do you want then?"

Qin Yinong replied, "The more low-key, the better. I don't want to attract attention."

Guan Han took out a set of lighter-colored clothes from the wardrobe, holding it up on a hanger for her to see. Qin Yinong said, "This one will do."

Guan Han hung up the hanger while wondering to herself: Isn't it usually better for Qin sister to wear more vibrant and eye-catching outfits in public? Why suddenly become low-key?

"Qin Jie, is your hand better now?" Guan Han suddenly remembered.

Qin Yinong opened her palm and showed it to her. The wound caused by the scratched nails was small after all, and even though she had applied medicine and had a strong self-healing ability, after one night, it was mostly healed. There were only a few relatively new marks left on her skin.

Guan Han breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then I'll go out first, you can change your clothes." Guan Han closed the door behind her.

Qin and Tang both woke up around the same time, and Guan Han was waiting outside. As expected, she once again encountered Tang Ruoyao in the corridor. She greeted Tang Ruoyao as usual, and even because of yesterday's incident, her icy face had a rare friendly smile. "Good morning, Miss Tang."

Tang Ruoyao didn't respond, she just glanced at her, her eyes filled with unmelting ice, cold enough to drop ice shards.

Guan Han: "???"

She was completely confused, and just as she was, the door to her room, which is now Lin Ruohan's room, opened.

Guan and Tang both looked over at the same time. Guan Han frowned, while Tang Ruoyao's expression momentarily appeared dazed.

Lin Ruohan and Qin Yinong were similar in height and figure, and even their temperament had some similarities. When Lin Ruohan put on Qin Yinong's iconic red long dress, if you didn't look at her face, you would almost think it was the same person.

Lin Ruohan smiled brightly, "Good morning, Tang Tang."

"Good morning, Senior Lin." Tang Ruoyao replied indifferently after recognizing that face.

"Just yesterday, you called me Sister Ruohan, and today it's Senior Lin?" Lin Ruohan feigned displeasure.

Tang Ruoyao corrected herself, "...Sister Ruohan."

It was because Lin Ruohan suddenly "resembled" Qin Yinong that Tang Ruoyao subconsciously felt a hint of displeasure.

"Good girl." Lin Ruohan's eyes were full of charm, then she turned to Guan Han and asked, "Has Qin Yinong woken up?"

"She's changing clothes, she should be coming out soon."

Timing is everything. Just as the words fell, Qin Yinong opened the door, wearing a light-colored striped short-sleeved sweater and white trousers, with a plain face, no makeup, and a simplicity that exceeded imagination.

Especially when compared to Lin Ruohan, who had exquisite makeup and radiance, no, there was simply no comparison.

Upon witnessing this scene, if Tang Ruoyao still didn't perceive anything, then all her efforts in competing with Qin Yinong in a battle of wits would have been in vain. She sarcastically tugged at the corner of her lips and said, "Good morning, Senior Qin."

Qin Yinong looked at the two standing together and said, "...Morning."

A barely noticeable cold smile flashed in Tang Ruoyao's eyes as she went downstairs on her own.

"Tang Tang," Lin Ruohan followed her.

Guan Han tightly pursed her lips.

She was infuriated! Fuming! She was losing her sanity from anger!

Qin Yinong stood there for a while, sighed, lowered her gaze, and softly said, "Let's go."

On the set.

Lin Ruohan was attentive in every way, showing concern and care, while Tang Ruoyao went against her usual demeanor and responded instead of coldly rejecting everything.

"I just had my assistant buy some strawberries, want to taste them?" Lin Ruohan offered the strawberries to Tang Ruoyao's lips.

Tang Ruoyao was not used to it, so she took them herself and ate them, saying, "They're sweet, thank you. Don't just take care of me, eat some yourself."

As Tang Ruoyao looked at Lin Ruohan's increasingly bright eyes, a hint of guilt rose in her heart, but she quickly suppressed it. She would be honest with Lin Ruohan, soon, but not now.

A nameless anger burned inside her, a mixture of sadness and resentment, devoid of reason. Wasn't Qin Yinong rejecting her? Insisting on pushing her into someone else's arms? She wanted to see if Qin Yinong truly remained indifferent when she truly left her!

Even Han Yuping, this straightforward guy, noticed that something was wrong. He pulled Tang Ruoyao aside and whispered, "You two haven't made up yet?"

Tang Ruoyao maintained a calm expression and said, "No, we already made up."

Han Yuping asked, "Then why are you getting so close to Lin Ruohan?" They never saw her and Qin Yinong together, as soon as Qin Yinong arrived on set, she went straight to her rest area.

Tang Ruoyao pretended to be puzzled and said, "Isn't Sister Ruohan her good friend?"

So good that she could entrust herself to her, how nice.

Han Yuping scratched the back of his head. As a straightforward guy with a simple mind, he couldn't judge the complex situation at this moment. He simply instructed, "Anyway, just spend more time with Qin Yinong."

Tang Ruoyao self-deprecatingly thought, "But she doesn't want me to accompany her."

Han Yuping whispered again, "Lin Ruohan is also gay. I think you three should probably avoid any suspicion or something."

Tang Ruoyao replied, "I understand, Director Han."

Han Yuping patted her shoulder and left.

......

Grinding...

Tightening her jaw, grinding her teeth, the intermittent sound reverberated, incessant.

Qin Yinong put down the script in her hand and glanced helplessly at Guan Han beside her. "What are you doing?"

Guan Han released her jaw and said, "My teeth are a bit itchy."

Qin Yinong took out her phone, opened an e-commerce app, and smiled. "Should I buy you a teething toy?"

Guan Han couldn't bear it any longer. She forcefully exhaled through her nose and looked at Qin Yinong. "Qin Jie."

"Hmm?" Qin Yinong had a calm expression as she turned a page of the script.

"Miss Tang, she..."

Qin Yinong raised an eyebrow, looked at her with an extremely deep and silent gaze. The weight of that gaze was heavy, making Guan Han gasp for breath.

Guan Han's lips moved, but she couldn't utter a word.

Her heart felt inexplicably tight, her whole body tensed up, and she stiffly said, "I'll go boil some water."

Qin Yinong lowered her eyelids, as if she had turned into an ignorant and unaware statue.

Although the soundproof door panel was good, the laughter from their conversation seemed to reach their ears from a distance.

Drip...

A transparent water stain suddenly appeared on the paper in front of the woman, spreading slightly.

Qin Yinong raised her hand and wiped her eyes.

.....

"Cut, you haven't even gone back yet, and you're holding such deep grudges?"

"Cut, why are you so stiff? You're embracing your lover, not your enemy!"

"Cut! Your emotions need to be full throughout, but you ran out of energy halfway!"

"Cut!" Han Yuping threw the microphone onto the table in frustration, exclaiming, "You! You might as well just make me angry to death!"

Tang Ruoyao, who was easily affected by emotions offstage, fell into her old habits again. This time, her negative emotions offstage were too intense, and she couldn't even adjust herself properly. She took several breaks in a row but couldn't meet Han Yuping's expectations.

Han Yuping went to pull Qin Yinong, feeling a headache. "You, quickly teach her!"

Qin Yinong pulled her arm back and calmly said, "I can't teach her." She always had to learn to overcome it herself, rather than relying on others to get into character all the time.

Han Yuping was about to go crazy. He was ready to use his most primitive way of scolding people.

Lin Ruohan looked at Tang Ruoyao, who was being scolded and blushing, and volunteered, "Director Han, how about I give it a try?"

Filming was the most important, and Han Yuping didn't care about avoiding suspicion anymore. He waved his hand and said, "Quick, quick."

Lin Ruohan took Tang Ruoyao to the rest area.

Qin Yinong silently glanced at the two's backs, feeling as if she had been burned. She quickly turned her head away.

She didn't know what technique Lin Ruohan taught Tang Ruoyao, but after they returned and filmed two more takes, Tang Ruoyao successfully completed the scene. And this scene was meant to fully evoke the deep love in Tang Ruoyao's heart.

Qin Yinong couldn't help but imagine the scene of Lin Ruohan and Tang Ruoyao in the rest area. Like herself, did Lin Ruohan also embrace her? Maybe even... kiss her?

Guan Han looked at Qin Yinong, who tightly clenched her fist by her side, and almost sighed from the bottom of her heart. She would have to take first aid for her again tonight.

Why torture each other like this?

After finishing work in the evening, Qin Yinong heard Lin Ruohan inviting Tang Ruoyao to have dinner together, and she agreed.

Qin Yinong's heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. Without saying goodbye to anyone, she got into her car, looking disheveled, and fled in a hurry.

That night, the two of them didn't come back until very late. Qin Yinong closed her door tightly and listened to the sounds downstairs, the sounds of lights being turned on, conversations, and footsteps on the stairs. As the footsteps approached, she woke up from her reverie and closed the door tightly.

The two said goodbye in the corridor and went into their respective rooms. Qin Yinong leaned against the door, waiting for her numb body to gradually regain sensation before unsteadily walking towards her inner room.

A knock on the door.

Coming from the next room.

Qin Yinong's footsteps paused, and she couldn't help but open the door slightly to take a peek outside.

Lin Ruohan stood at the door of Tang Ruoyao's room with a smiling face, just like Tang Ruoyao had done to her before, holding pajamas in her arms. Her voice was calm and pleasant, "The water heater in my room is broken. Can I take a shower in your room?"

Qin Yinong's entire nervous system focused on her sense of hearing.

It felt like a thousand years had passed, yet it also felt like just a short second. She heard Tang Ruoyao's clear and melodious voice with a smile, "Sure, please come in."

Whether she agreed or not, Qin Yinong didn't know which answer she wanted to hear. But when Tang Ruoyao said those words, her eyes suddenly shed tears, and her vision became blurry.

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