CHAPTER 141
Qin Yinong's recovery was better than expected, and she applied for discharge after just 48 hours of observation. Guan Han couldn't resist her, and the doctor, upon her insistence, repeatedly reminded her to undergo regular follow-up examinations after returning to Beijing before letting her go.
On May 31, the day before Qin Yinong's birthday, she boarded a plane back to Beijing.
The flight was at night, taking off in May and landing on the first day of June, which also happened to be Qin Yinong's 30th birthday.
The capital was still cold at night, and Qin Yinong was feeling unwell. She wrapped herself in a thick coat and discreetly boarded the car that had been waiting for her at the VIP channel, heading towards the Hongmeng Residence.
Qin Yinong owned four properties in the capital. One was a villa bought for Ji Shulan, one was currently occupied by Tang Ruoyao, and the other two were vacant. The Hongmeng Manor was recently prepared for her as a temporary place to stay.
Due to her weakened condition, Qin Yinong could only consume liquid food. If Ji Shulan saw her like this, she would undoubtedly worry again. Therefore, Qin Yinong planned to wait until her health improved and at least there were no visible signs of abnormality before returning home. Celebrating her birthday was not a big deal, the extraordinary thing was spending her birthday at home.
As soon as she turned on her phone, it started buzzing incessantly. The screen was filled with messages, all birthday wishes.
Qin Yinong opened WeChat and found Tang Ruoyao's profile among her starred friends. She clicked on it directly and indeed found a birthday message from midnight. Instead of sending a text message like others, Tang Ruoyao had handwritten a card and sent a photo of it.
Qin Yinong's eyes immediately caught the lipstick mark in the upper left corner, similar to the one in the necklace box, except for a different shade of lipstick. This color was even more vibrant.
She stared at the lipstick mark, her throat unconsciously rolling, before focusing on the handwriting above it.
[Happy birthday, forever eighteen.]
Although it was a simple sentence, Qin Yinong stared at it for a long time, carefully examining her elegant and clear handwriting, breaking down every stroke and trace with her fingertips. Her brows softened, and she saved the image after a long press.
Qin Yinong personally replied to a few important messages from the list, leaving the rest for Guan Han to handle.
She leaned back in her seat, put on an eye mask, and closed her eyes to rest.
But Guan Han softly called out to her, "Qin Jie?"
Qin Yinong kept her eyes closed. "What's wrong?"
Guan Han said, "Would you like to take a look at Weibo?"
Qin Yinong responded with a questioning tone, "Hmm?" She lowered her eye mask, puzzled, and took the tablet from Guan Han's hand.
The tablet landed in Qin Yinong's hands, and it was her large-sized model. Due to her extensive network and good interpersonal relationships. Every year on her birthday, she would receive a bunch of birthday wishes from both familiar and unfamiliar people on Weibo, but Qin Yinong didn't pay much attention to that platform. Those with whom she had a close relationship usually communicated privately through WeChat, so Guan Han took care of handling the Weibo messages on her behalf, replying individually to those that required a response.
Among the messages on her Weibo this year, there was one that stood out because it was from Tang Ruoyao.
Tang Ruoyao's Weibo post read:
[Filming has wrapped up. It has been a fulfilling three months, and I have created unforgettable memories. Happy birthday to Senior Qin @Qin Yinong]
The post was accompanied by a 3x3 gird of pictures: a photo of the production team at the start of filming, a group photo of the team after wrapping up, a photo with the main actors, a solo picture of Tang Ruoyao, and in the center, a photo of Tang Ruoyao with Qin Yinong.
Qin Yinong had never seen this photo before and didn't remember it. It wasn't so much a group photo as it was a candid shot. Tang Ruoyao had adjusted the selfie camera, with herself in the foreground and Qin Yinong several meters behind, engrossed in studying the script. It was like the perspective of a fan finally getting a picture with their idol.
Fans always captured their idols in an especially beautiful light. Qin Yinong's delicate facial features were highlighted as she tilted her head, with strands of ink-black hair cascading down the side of her fair face. She raised one hand, gently tucking her long hair behind her ear, exuding an elegant and gentle temperament.
Qin Yinong stared at her own figure in the background, reminiscing. It should have been during the later stages of filming the movie, after Tang Ruoyao had finished her part, and Qin Yinong was under immense mental pressure, burying herself in the script every day, delving into it for both research and escape. She had become so absorbed that she didn't even notice when Tang Ruoyao took the candid photo.
Once Tang Ruoyao posted this Weibo, even though it was midnight, it sparked a wave of enthusiasm and climbed to the top of the trending topics the next morning.
[Tang Ruoyao Celebrates Qin Yinong's Birthday at Midnight]
It was only natural for collaborators to celebrate each other's birthdays. Even though Tang Ruoyao and Qin Yinong had vastly different lifestyles, there shouldn't have been any major controversy. However, what made this situation peculiar was that these two individuals were not connected on Weibo.
From the time the cast for the movie was confirmed until the completion of filming, which was over three months and almost four, the two lead actors had no interaction or connection on social media. The only intersection they had was when an absurd rumor circulated online during the filming period, which Qin Yinong promptly dealt with by revealing the truth and directly defending Tang Ruoyao, resulting in an unexpected wave of sympathy for Tang Ruoyao.
When the birthday Weibo post came out, marketing accounts immediately highlighted the fact that they had no connection. They asked, "Why celebrate the birthday of someone who isn't even your Weibo friend?"
Netizens speculated about the relationship between the two. A good relationship was deemed impossible, so there was only one explanation: Tang Ruoyao was trying to get Qin Yinong's attention, but Qin Yinong paid her no mind. By noon the next day, Qin Yinong had replied to the birthday wishes from several close friends in the industry on Weibo, but she remained indifferent to Tang Ruoyao's well-wishes.
The fans of Qin and Tang have been quiet for a while because the main actors were busy filming. But now, they have started arguing again. Tang's fans are trying to control the situation by saying that Tang Ruoyao was just showing respect to her senior and that people shouldn't overinterpret it. The Empress thinks, "What's wrong with you people? She respects her senior, so what if we, the Qin faction, don't take care of the junior? It's a matter of mutual consent. You just want to cling to someone, don't you? Well, you've been slapped in the face!"
The fans of the Qin-Tang couple are going crazy. Based on a few scarce leaks and behind-the-scenes footage released by the official account of the movie "True Colors," it's clear that these two individuals got along well on set. So why is there zero communication between them outside of the filming? It must be intentional! Love is like a hand that wants to touch but then pulls back. What a beautiful love story! Of course, if they respond to their fans, they would be even happier. No matter what, they will ship them.
Qin Yinong drank a bowl of rice soup and basked in the sun on the balcony. She covered her knees with a blanket and lazily scrolled through the comments on the Weibo trending topics. She checked her list of followed accounts and realized that she really wasn't following Tang Ruoyao.
"Why is that?" she asked Guan Han.
Guan Han replied, "Weren't you two... not on good terms at that time?" She thought for a moment and carefully worded her response, "You know, having a cold war? Anyway, she didn't follow you, and you didn't follow her." Later, when their relationship improved, both of them were not enthusiastic about social media, and they didn't even open Weibo. Naturally, they didn't recall this matter.
Qin Yinong listened and made a noncommittal sound, saying, "That's fine."
It would be best if everyone thought their relationship was bad, that they couldn't get along. The more secure Tang Ruoyao would be.
Guan Han asked, "Do you want to follow her now?"
Qin Yinong decisively said, "No."
Guan Han silently stopped talking and tidied up the tea table for her.
Qin Yinong lowered her head and looked at the book spread out on her lap, passing the time.
Her thirtieth birthday was going to pass so boringly.
In the afternoon, Guan Han received a call on her phone, asking her to pick up a delivery at the entrance of the residential complex. When Guan Han put down the phone, Qin Yinong's calm and composed demeanor vanished.
She rarely stayed in this private residence, and she never shopped online. She only gave the address to one person, Tang Ruoyao, who asked for it a couple of days ago to make sure she could send her birthday gift to the right place. One of the main reasons Qin Yinong was in such a hurry to leave the hospital was to return to Beijing before today and receive Tang Ruoyao's gift on time.
Guan Han picked up the delivery and came back inside, weighing it in her hands and looking at the outline through the packaging. It felt like a book, a thick one at that.
Guan Han fetched a paper knife and Qin Yinong suppressed her impatience, calmly saying, "I'll do it myself."
Guan Han followed her instructions and handed her the delivery and the paper knife.
Qin Yinong opened the packaging, raised her gaze, glanced at Guan Han standing beside her, and paused, clearing her throat.
Guan Han: "..."
The delivery was probably personally wrapped by Tang Ruoyao. It was layered upon layers, and after Qin Yinong brushed Guan Han aside, she struggled to unpack it for a while before catching a glimpse of the true nature of this gift.
It was B5 colored stationery, a thick stack, about the thickness of an ordinary book, enclosed in a delicate wooden box.
Qin Yinong didn't know what it was and furrowed her brows in confusion. She looked at the first line at the beginning and as she read further down, her eyes widened in astonishment. She then quickly flipped through the pages, holding the stack of paper, and looked at the page numbers thoughtfully marked in the bottom left corner, her eyes slightly reddening.
While other people's love letters were thin, just two or three pages, Tang Ruoyao's love letter was a genuine "book."
Tang Ruoyao's handwriting was neat and clear, with no difficulty in recognition, but Qin Yinong read it slowly, not line by line, but letter by letter.
Tang Ruoyao wrote this love letter in chronological order, starting from the day they met at the dining table, describing every little thing about their time together. She mentioned that when she first moved to Qin Yinong's place, she was particularly afraid that Qin Yinong was a pervert, especially in that aspect. She even had nightmares, dreaming that Qin Yinong would use various methods to deal with her, and it would scare her, waking up in a cold sweat. Tang Ruoyao drew a sweat emoji when she wrote this part.
Qin Yinong smiled knowingly.
In fact, she knew that at that time, Tang Ruoyao had just turned nineteen and seemed a bit mature for her age, but she was still young and could fool most people, but not her. Qin Yinong didn't explain it because there was no need, and also because she found Tang Ruoyao's trembling and trembling appearance, while trying to please her, quite cute.
Tang Ruoyao wrote about the part where she started to have feelings for her, and Qin Yinong pulled the blanket on her knees up and sat up straight.
Qin Yinong could roughly guess when Tang Ruoyao started liking her, but she wasn't sure about the exact moment.
Tang Ruoyao said it was one evening when she came home and saw Qin Yinong sitting on the sofa, not reading or watching TV, not doing anything, just lost in thought. When she heard the sound of the door, Qin Yinong turned her head, glanced at her, and softened the furrow between her brows. The corner of her eyes naturally curved into a gentle and almost sweet smile.
She unconsciously removed all pretenses, revealing a kind and gentle soul before Tang Ruoyao.
Perhaps the occurrence of feelings often happens in an inconspicuous detail in life, but it is like a thunderstorm in the hearts of those involved, causing turmoil.
Tang Ruoyao still had dreams, where Qin Yinong would still act freely towards her, but when she woke up, her body would be covered in a thin layer of sweat, feeling hot and steamy. Especially when she thought that Qin Yinong was sleeping in the room next door, her heart couldn't help but beat wildly. She grabbed a corner of the pillow, breathing heavily, unable to fall back asleep.
In the latter part of the letter, she asked Qin Yinong: "How did you come to like me?"
Qin Yinong had Guan Han pour her a glass of water, drinking half of it in one gulp, calming herself down and soothing the restlessness caused by Tang Ruoyao's words before considering this question.
At first, it was because Tang Ruoyao looked familiar to her, and coupled with her first experience of taking care of someone, even if it was only nominal, it held an extraordinary weight in her heart. Qin Yinong was someone who was stingy with genuine affection, her heart was small and could only contain a few people. Tang Ruoyao had been labeled by her and was included in her protective circle. Moreover, Tang Ruoyao was weak and helpless, obedient and sensible. Qin Yinong felt pity and love for her, and she also placed her own expectations on her. Their feelings gradually transformed, but if she had to explain how it happened, Qin Yinong couldn't quite put it into words.
If she had to say, Tang Ruoyao was a white moonlight engraved on the tip of her heart. She didn't need to do anything, just her presence alone was enough to make Qin Yinong's heart burn with warmth. She had once genuinely felt unworthy, her existence was a blemish for Tang Ruoyao. Tang Ruoyao was a deity, perfect and flawless, the embodiment of her best imagination. No one could destroy her, especially not herself.
But Tang Ruoyao stubbornly took step by step down from her pedestal, determined to pull her out of the mire, holding her dirty hand and bathing together under the moonlight.
Until the day before the wrap-up, Tang Ruoyao was still writing this thick love letter.
At the end of the letter, Tang Ruoyao's elegant and ethereal handwriting wrote:
"I heard that every person is born as a half circle, and throughout their lives, they search for the other half that fits to attain completion."
"You are my completion."
Signature: Yours, Yao Yao.
A drop of water stained the colorful stationery, and Qin Yinong hurriedly moved the paper aside, using the back of her finger to wipe her eyes.
She read through it again from beginning to end, even more carefully than before, reading until her eyes felt sore, before carefully placing it back into the box.
Qin Yinong held the box for a long time with a dazed expression before realizing that there seemed to be something else in the package. After seeing the love letter, she was so stunned that she completely forgot about it.
The other item was also a book, B5 size, slightly thinner than the love letter. It was indeed a book because there were words on the snow-white cover:
"A Detailed Study on the Details of Tang Ruoyao's Feelings for Qin Yinong (Part 1)"
Qin Yinong rubbed her eyes and confirmed once again that the words written on the paper were indeed these few. She skimmed through it roughly and discovered that Tang Ruoyao had written a research paper for her, and judging from the title, there should be Part 2, and maybe even Parts 3 and 4?
Her phone vibrated.
Tang Ruoyao's message arrived just in time: [Did you receive the birthday gift?]
Qin Yinong held the research paper, feeling at a loss, her mind in a daze. She replied absentmindedly: [Yes, so this is the research paper?]
Tang Ruoyao's morning schedule was postponed, and she was still outside. She avoided the others and typed slowly: [It's for you. I've also prepared a few more, just selected the topics and made outlines. The specific content is not filled in yet. I'll send them to you after I finish writing.]
Qin Yinong: "..."
She knew it was written for her, but she was just surprised by this form.
Qin Yinong uttered some nonsense: [Were you good at academics in school?]
Tang Ruoyao bit her lip and smiled, modestly saying: [It was okay.] Just enough for you to personally present me with a degree certificate.
Qin Yinong's heart was dominated by a certain emotion, and a few words poured out from her fingertips: [Can we talk on the phone when you have time?]
Tang Ruoyao looked back at the busy staff, wasting no time and directly dialed Qin Yinong's number.
Qin Yinong answered, her voice slightly tense: "Hello."
Tang Ruoyao's voice contained a hint of laughter as she said, "I have two minutes."
Qin Yinong, no longer monotonously passive, took the initiative and said, "I received the gift."
"Do you like it?" Tang Ruoyao discerned her way of speaking and actively guided the conversation.
"Yes."
Tang Ruoyao glanced at her wristwatch and said leisurely, "One minute and forty seconds."
Qin Yinong's heart skipped a beat. She flexed her fingers, racking her brain to come up with a response. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Tang Ruoyao replied smoothly, "Attending a business event. The time got changed last minute, and it hasn't started yet. I'm backstage now. How about you?"
"I'm looking at your gift." Qin Yinong hastened to say a few more words to make the most of their time, increasing her response speed and speaking rate.
"What else?"
"Sitting."
"What else?"
"Drinking water."
Question and answer, like a mother going out and leaving her obedient baby at home.
Tang Ruoyao chuckled softly.
The laughter reached Qin Yinong's ears clearly, causing her earlobes to burn.
"Good girl," Tang Ruoyao said gently, reluctant to part. "I have to go on stage now."
Even over the phone, she could hear the sudden eruption of enthusiastic cheers. The host announced, "Let's welcome our long-awaited goddess, Tang Ruoyao!"
Qin Yinong responded with a soft "Hmm." She opened her mouth, trying hard to say something else, but couldn't utter any additional words.
"Happy birthday." Tang Ruoyao added before hanging up.
She walked out from backstage, wearing a starry long gown, gracefully accepting the microphone from the host's hand. Facing the crowd eagerly waiting below the stage, she was engulfed by a tidal wave of applause and cheers.
Qin Yinong felt empty inside, pursing her lips. She lowered her gaze and tightly held the research paper in her hand.
After staying at Hong Meng Manor for a week and recovering well, Qin Yinong moved back home.She fully embraced a period of rest and recuperation, with the first item on her agenda being quitting alcohol. The plan made by Guan Han was temporarily unnecessary because her current physical condition forbade her from touching a drop of alcohol. Even if she craved it, she had to resist for the sake of her health. She had Guan Han hide the entire liquor cabinet in an undisclosed location, locked away.
Suddenly stopping drinking after a long period of alcohol consumption would not only cause psychological discomfort but also result in bodily warnings. Qin Yinong started experiencing excessive sweating, prolonged periods of low mood, accelerated heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and irritability. Ji Shulan had initially wanted to talk to her about important matters but seeing her daily lethargy, either isolating herself in the bedroom or shutting herself in the study, she couldn't find the right time.
Qin Yinong's withdrawal from alcohol was taking a long time, and she was driving herself crazy at home. She decided to go out and work. She could temporarily stop filming, but she couldn't stay idle at home. The more idle she was, the less control she had over herself. She was never someone who could enjoy a life of leisure.
"Why are you here again?" An Ling sighed as she watched Qin Yinong enter through the door.
"Can't I come? This is my company, isn't it?" Qin Yinong didn't wear sunglasses, and the tiredness couldn't be concealed by her eye makeup.
"You should give it a rest," An Ling sat down and placed a blanket over her shoulder. "How long has it been since you last slept?" Her eyes were bloodshot from staying up.
"Not long." Qin Yinong yawned and held onto the thin blanket. But instead of lying down on the spot, she closed her eyes, unable to fall asleep. She used to be able to have a few sips of alcohol to help her sleep, but now she couldn't drink and had to resist the negative effects of quitting alcohol. Even sleeping pills didn't work. Her personal doctor said that if she increased the dosage any further, she would have to meet God all at once.
"You can't continue like this." An Ling said, worried.
"I'm going to see a psychologist this afternoon. Maybe I'll be able to sleep if I go there."
"Why don't you go now?"
"I remembered something I wanted to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Isn't Yao Yao's luxury brand endorsement about to expire? Her manager, Mu Qingwu, isn't competent enough in that area. I came here to remind you."
"Remind me of what?" An Ling asked, knowing the answer.
Qin Yinong chuckled.
An Ling huffed and said, "Hmph." She had clashed with Qin Yinong several times over the issue of Tang Ruoyao, and she had always ended up losing. She didn't want to struggle anymore. After the completion of the movie "True Colors," Tang Ruoyao had been busy with various schedules all over the country and barely had time to return to Beijing.
An Ling thought about having to tear resources away from Tang Ruoyao again, and her protective instinct flared up. She couldn't help but say, "You're almost knocking on death's door, and she doesn't even come back to see you?"
"What do you mean 'almost knocking on death's door'? This is just temporary." Qin Yinong corrected her with a smile. "She's not playing around, she's working. Why should I bother her?"
"Are you two together?" An Ling asked.
Qin Yinong hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's just say we are?"
Tang Ruoyao was busy traveling everywhere but never forgot to send messages and make phone calls to Qin Yinong from time to time. She updated her social media daily, and Qin Yinong confirmed through Guan Han's phone that the posts were only visible to her.
In the past month, Tang Ruoyao had sent her several lengthy articles, each consisting of over 10,000 characters. She wrote four articles titled "A Detailed Study on Tang Ruoyao's Feelings for Qin Yinong" and one titled "A Feasibility Study on Tang Ruoyao and Qin Yinong Being Together Forever." The latter had a word count of 50,000, and Qin Yinong didn't know how she calculated it, but the conclusion was a hundred percent probability.
Qin Yinong had never attended university, so she didn't understand the logic and discourse methods of top students. However, she was quite satisfied with the final results. When she saw the titles of the articles, she laughed for a while, and when she read the conclusions, she laughed again.
Under Tang Ruoyao's unique strategy, Qin Yinong's emotional barriers had collapsed almost completely. She believed that she would never have anyone else in her life. The main obstacles now were the unresolved details about Qin Hongjian and the unknown enemies behind him. The second obstacle was her own deteriorating physical condition. She didn't want to meet Tang Ruoyao.
Even though Tang Ruoyao had seen her in a disheveled state more than once, Qin Yinong couldn't bring herself to show her vulnerability. She wanted to be forever strong and the other person's reliance. To this day, Qin Yinong regretted the night after the completion of filming when her emotions got the best of her, and she said many things she shouldn't have, revealing information she didn't want to share.
Since that day, the situation had spiraled out of her control. Losing control made her instinctively panic and resist facing the consequences. She had lost her initiative, and the unease didn't just stem from her mistrust of Tang Ruoyao but also from herself.
"What do you mean by 'let's just say we are'?" An Ling asked, confused.
"It's nothing," Qin Yinong didn't want to say more. She was still in a mess herself and said, "You can help her secure resources. When we get married, I'll send you a wedding invitation."
"I was just asking if you two were together, and you suddenly mentioned marriage. What's that about?" An Ling retorted.
"Of course, if we're together, we should get married," Qin Yinong replied without hesitation.
Qin Yinong's casual tone surprised An Ling, and she realized that she had misunderstood her long-time partner and friend. She didn't expect her view on love to be so simple, to the point of considering marriage as a natural progression.
An Ling raised an eyebrow, and with a playful thought, she teased, "Have you picked out the ring then?"
Qin Yinong lowered her gaze, and her index finger nervously brushed against the tip of her nose as she softly replied, "Yes, I have."
Author's Note:
Ruoyao: I want to go public with our relationship.
Qin Jie: I've chosen the ring.
So why aren't you two together yet?! [Dragon roaring]
It's happening soon. Let's enjoy peaceful days for now. When we're together, it will be grand. Today's question with a prize (2000 Qidian Coins): How will the two of them come together in a grand way?
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