CHAPTER 212

As Tang Ruoyao continued to look lost, Qin Yinong knew that she still hadn't remembered, the fragments were completely disconnected.

Qin Yinong pursed her lips.

Seeing Qin Yinong's serious expression, Tang Ruoyao didn't have a clue, but she had an intuition that it was something significant because she still couldn't remember, and her guilt grew more pronounced on her face.

Time passed minute by minute, Tang Ruoyao threw off the covers, put on her shoes, and turned around to tuck Qin Yinong into the bed, covering her with the sheets. She said, "You go to sleep first, I'll go to the study and think."

How could Qin Yinong really let her go to the study? She reached out and tugged at Tang Ruoyao's sleeve.

"If you can't remember, I'll tell you, it's not a big deal." Qin Yinong bit her lip lightly, paused for a moment, and whispered, "Besides, you weren't fully conscious at the time, so it's normal not to remember."

Tang Ruoyao became even more curious. She sat back down and asked, "What exactly is it?"

Qin Yinong opened her mouth but found it difficult to say.

Being proactive and confessing this matter, compared to being taught while being done, it seemed like there wasn't any less embarrassment.

Tang Ruoyao moved closer to her, looking into her eyes and said, "Hmm?"

Qin Yinong gritted her teeth and said, "On that night four years ago, not only did I do that to you, but you also... did that to me." After saying that, Qin Yinong's ears turned red, and she lowered her head.

Tang Ruoyao blinked, thinking: That? What?

A flash of realization hit her.

Could it be that?

Tang Ruoyao suddenly widened her eyes and blurted out, "No way?" She didn't disbelieve what Qin Yinong said, but she was just too shocked.

Qin Yinong had finally mustered up the courage to bring up this matter, but seeing Tang Ruoyao's reaction, she immediately raised her head with a displeased expression and said, "What benefit do I have in lying to you?"

Tang Ruoyao said, "That's not what I meant." There was a sense of urgency in her tone as she grabbed Qin Yinong's wrist and said, "Why didn't you tell me at that time?"

Tang Ruoyao's heart was pounding.

If she had known earlier, if she had known, she would never have given up on Qin Yinong. Both of them were women, and Qin Yinong was even stronger than her. If she didn't want to, how could she have done anything to Qin Yinong? Besides, there's also Guan Han.

If she was willing, it meant she liked herself. If she had known earlier that they both had mutual feelings...

Tang Ruoyao's excited heart gradually calmed down. Qin Yinong didn't want her to hold onto hope, that's why she intentionally didn't tell her. And she herself was quite "impressive" to forget everything.

Tang Ruoyao took a deep breath and said, "It's okay."

Qin Yinong asked, "You're not blaming me?" If she hadn't concealed this matter, perhaps they could have been together earlier.

Tang Ruoyao smiled and said, "Why would I blame you? The timing wasn't right back then, and I wasn't mature enough. We've come to where we are today, and everything is the best arrangement." She continued, "No matter how you look at it, the responsibility for this matter lies with me. I accidentally drank the spiked drink, and although I don't remember, it was probably the effect of the drug that made me actively seduce you. I'm the one who caused our relationship to lose balance."

The past is gone, the dead cannot be brought back. Tang Ruoyao was not someone who dwelled on the past, but losing this memory really bothered her.

Even though it was an accident, it was still their first time together, and she couldn't remember anything! What a useless brain! Even a chamber pot is more useful!

"Can you tell me what happened that night?" Tang Ruoyao sighed in disappointment. "Starting from when you saved me."

Qin Yinong was completely opposite to her. That night was a turning point for her, and she remembered every detail clearly. She remembered Tang Ruoyao's reaction, her own downfall, and the regret afterwards. She often recalled it to remind herself not to lose control again.

Qin Yinong began telling the story from the beginning, "That night, I had a dinner outside and drank a lot of alcohol. On my way back, I received your distress call..."

As Qin Yinong narrated, Tang Ruoyao gradually pieced together that night.

When she heard that she couldn't help but touch and kiss Qin Yinong in the car several times, she couldn't help but cover her eyes with her hands.

Qin Yinong teased, "What's wrong? Brave enough to do it but not to own up?"

Tang Ruoyao peeked through her fingers, blinked her eyelashes, and said, "No, I just think being a scoundrel is not good."

Qin Yinong smirked.

Aren't you already quite the scoundrel yourself?

Tang Ruoyao took advantage of the situation and acted coyly, sweetly asking, "And then?"

Qin Yinong said, "After that, we went home. You were being a rascal, and I didn't let you get away with it. It went back and forth, and eventually, I couldn't resist and played along, and then you got 'that.'"

Tang Ruoyao laughed, "Hahaha, you're so annoying."

Qin Yinong replied, "You stole my catchphrase!"

Tang Ruoyao confidently said, "What's yours is mine. Do we still need to distinguish between yours and mine?"

Qin Yinong huffed, "Ugh."

Tang Ruoyao laughed, "Hahaha."

Qin Yinong couldn't help but also laugh, and the two of them laughed so hard they could barely breathe.

After having enough laughter, Tang Ruoyao held her hand and playfully swayed it back and forth, saying, "Don't brush over it like that, tell me in more detail. What if I remember?"

Qin Yinong was initially just teasing, but now she gradually recounted those details to her, bit by bit. Tang Ruoyao felt a little embarrassed listening to them. She didn't expect herself to be so uninhibited.

When it came to Tang Ruoyao's part of the story, she described it in a more general way. Firstly, because she was embarrassed, and secondly, she genuinely couldn't remember clearly. She had also been drinking, just closing her eyes and feeling, so it would be strange if she could remember.

After her narration, Qin Yinong held some anticipation in her eyes, hoping that Tang Ruoyao would remember something.

It took a while.

Tang Ruoyao pursed her lips and apologetically looked at her.

Qin Yinong said, "It's okay."

Tang Ruoyao said, "I have one last question."

Qin Yinong gestured for her to ask.

Tang Ruoyao felt a bit embarrassed and asked, "Did I perform well that night?"

Qin Yinong's expression became subtle, "..."

Tang Ruoyao felt awkward and quickly changed her words, "Anyway, it's all in the past, it doesn't matter."

But Qin Yinong thought to herself: It does matter.

The reason why Tang Ruoyao couldn't let go in this matter was twofold. Firstly, it was due to her personality, and secondly, she was accustomed to being dominated. After all, Qin Yinong had been practicing it for two or three years before her. Tang Ruoyao had learned for so long, and she had mastered the techniques and methods, but whenever the atmosphere arose, she found herself lying down passively, except in cases when she felt jealous.

Qin Yinong didn't dislike taking the initiative. On the contrary, she loved Tang Ruoyao's reactions so much that she wanted to devour her in one bite. However, she couldn't always be the one in control. Now that Tang Ruoyao had become more proactive under her guidance, it still wasn't enough. She lacked confidence.

After a long time, Tang Ruoyao had already laid back down. The two of them were preparing to sleep. Suddenly, Qin Yinong blurted out, seemingly out of context, "It was really good."

Tang Ruoyao: "???"

Qin Yinong looked at her, a hidden meaning in her words, and said, "Before, and now, everything is really good. I'm very happy."

After saying this, Qin Yinong immediately closed her eyes tightly. Her ears became uncontrollably hot, her cheeks flushed, and even her breath felt hotter than usual. She started sweating, and her pajamas stuck to her body, feeling a bit sticky.

Click.

She heard the sound of the lights turning off.

Tang Ruoyao hugged her tightly, not just a hug, but she also...

The curtain was not tightly closed, and moonlight seeped through the crack, flickering in the woman's eyes, like a small boat floating on a lake, causing ripples in the water. She became the boat, floating on the water.

Qin Yinong's biological clock was always on time, but now she no longer took any acting jobs, and her schedule became more regular. However, on this particular morning, she broke her routine and slept until 10 o'clock. Tang Ruoyao was nowhere to be seen, but Qin Yinong remained calm. She turned her head to look at the bedside table and lifted a sticky note from it.

[I went downstairs, call me when you wake up.]

It was signed with a single word: "Yao."

A slight smile curved Qin Yinong's lips. She flipped through her contact list and dialed "Baby."

Click. The call connected. From the receiver came Tang Ruoyao's clear, yet gentle voice, "Are you awake?"

Qin Yinong held the phone a bit further away and focused on listening to the sounds outside the door. As expected, she heard the footsteps climbing the stairs, heavy and fast, as if someone was running. She brought the phone back to her ear and replied, "Mmm, just woke up."

The next second, the door was pushed open.

Tang Ruoyao walked in, holding her phone.

Qin Yinong stared at her blankly, suddenly feeling an indescribable sensation.

Her nose tingled, and she felt like crying. Even if she were to die in the next second, she would feel content.

Tang Ruoyao sat down at the edge of the bed and saw her slightly reddened eyelids, causing her to pause.

Qin Yinong opened her arms towards her.

Without hesitation, Tang Ruoyao leaned down and hugged her, gently patting the woman's back.

Women are emotional creatures. Emotions come quickly and go quickly. Qin Yinong slowly returned to normal. Tang Ruoyao brought her clothes and helped her get dressed and freshen up. The two of them held hands and went downstairs.

Ji Shulan and Aunt Fang were in the garden. Tang Ruoyao brought a pot of warm porridge, which had been kept warm all along, and placed it on the dining table. She sat next to Qin Yinong and accompanied her while she ate.

Ningning was in class, and she got along well with her teacher.

After the meal, Qin Yinong and Tang Ruoyao took a walk in the yard and then went to the backyard. They were too lazy to change into swimsuits to go swimming, so they sat by the pool, dipping their feet in the water, playfully splashing each other and having a great time.

In the afternoon, Qin Yinong went to work, and Tang Ruoyao watched a movie in the newly installed home theater on the second floor. She watched all of Qin Yinong's movie records and took notes one by one, catching up on her own.

After the teacher's class ended, Ningning went upstairs and knocked on the door. Tang Ruoyao came out and played with her for a while. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting late, and Qin Yinong would be back soon.

The whole family had dinner together, chatting in the living room. Ningning went to the piano room to practice the piano at the designated time. Qin Yinong and Tang Ruoyao stayed in the living room, occasionally whispering sweet nothings based on Tang Ruoyao's reflections from the afternoon's learning and communication. After Ningning finished practicing the piano, she sent the child to bed, and the rest of the night belonged to the two of them.

It was an unusually ordinary day, and they had already spent many days like this.

"True Colors" ultimately earned 970 million at the box office. Although it didn't reach one billion, which disappointed many netizens, it still far exceeded expectations. The cast and crew held a celebration banquet, and after Qin Yinong's unprecedented promotional tour, she also made an exception and attended the celebration banquet.

Because she was the executive producer, there was nothing suspicious about her making these exceptions.

After the celebration banquet, "True Colors" came to a complete end.

Qin Yinong freed up some time to handle some accumulated miscellaneous matters, one of which involved Huo Yuke. Huo Yuke had targeted Tang Ruoyao for the second time, which was known only to Qin Yinong. The number of unknown tricks she had up her sleeve was countless, and Qin Yinong planned to teach her a lesson.

The annual Golden Magnolia Awards ceremony was about to be held, and the list of nominees for Best Actress was announced. Huo Yuke was among them. Although Tang Ruoyao was also nominated, which made her particularly unhappy, she couldn't win the award because of Qin Yinong's presence. This brought a sense of balance to her, as Tang Ruoyao couldn't win the award either.

In the Chinese film industry, dominated by Qin Yinong with absolute superiority, being nominated was equivalent to winning. Not to mention herself, even those big shots like Hao Meihua had only won the Best Actress award by luck.

And what about Tang Ruoyao? The Golden Magnolia Award she won could only be considered a stroke of luck.

Jealousy can blind people, and Huo Yuke saw Tang Ruoyao as her mortal enemy, attributing all of her achievements to luck. It had been over a month since her last exposure of Tang Ruoyao, and she was initially terrifed, but later discovered that no one had found out it was her doing. Even if they did, she hadn't faced any repercussions. Thinking about recently, after Tang Ruoyao finished filming "Xiao Hong," she rarely made appearances.

Huo Yuke was ecstatic. Did this mean that Tang Ruoyao had really been abandoned by her financial backer?

That person didn't deceive her after all!

Without Tang Ruoyao as an obstacle, Huo Yuke felt that her chance had finally come. She would work harder to please Liu Yayu, take on more roles, and leave Tang Ruoyao further behind, letting her taste what it was like to be ignored. Wait, why did she always have Liu Yayu on her mind? Qin Yinong, as the financial backer, must be much more generous than Liu Yayu, otherwise Tang Ruoyao wouldn't be where she was today! Since she liked women, why couldn't she give it a try herself?

Isn't there an opportunity right now?

Huo Yuke's eyes suddenly lit up.

She immediately made a phone call to her agent.

Huo Yuke was diligent and hardworking, with the only flaw being her somewhat dark personality. But who in the industry didn't have some issues? Her agent treated her well, and answered the phone in a gentle voice, "What's up, Yuke?"

Huo Yuke asked, "Will Qin Yinong attend the Golden Magnolia Awards ceremony this time?"

The agent was surprised and asked, "Why are you suddenly interested about her?"

Wasn't she always considering Tang Ruoyao as her rival?

Huo Yuke said, "Qin Yinong has always been my idol, but she doesn't appear much in the country. Didn't she attend an award ceremony last year? I just want to know if she'll go this year."

The agent believed her and responded, "I don't know if she'll go or not. The list of confirmed attendees will be released in a couple of days, and I'll let you know, alright?"

"Okay, thank you, Sister Du." Huo Yuke replied.

The agent smiled and said, "No problem. By the way, I have an endorsement opportunity. When you have time, come back to the company and see if you're interested in taking it?"

"Alright, I'll check my schedule and make a trip back when I'm free." After chatting with the agent for a while, Huo Yuke hung up the phone, tightly gripping her phone and made a firm mark on the calendar on the day of the awards ceremony. She raised her eyes, filled with a sense of determination.

......

Qin Yinong encountered a slight setback.

She sat in the boss chair in her office, facing An Ling across the desk.

Qin Yinong tapped her index finger on the wooden desk in a rhythmic manner, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she asked, "You're saying it's not just Huo Yuke?"

An Ling nodded.

Qin Yinong asked, "Why?"

An Ling replied, "It was indeed leaked by her, but the question is, how did she find out?"

The post exposing Tang Ruoyao's allegedly financial backer didn't cause much of a stir, and An Ling had taken it down. But it contained some details that could only have been known through thorough investigation.

Huo Yuke, being Tang Ruoyao's long-time rival, was someone An Ling had specifically looked into, and the whole situation seemed somewhat strange from beginning to end.

Qin Yinong didn't understand this as well as An Ling did, so she asked, "What are your thoughts?"

An Ling pondered for a moment and then waved her hand, saying, "Whether we investigate or not doesn't really matter. You two were going to go public sooner or later anyway."

Qin Yinong chuckled.

She said, "We still need to investigate, at least a little."

An Ling shrugged, "It's not that I don't want to investigate, but it's too difficult. You know how outstanding your wife is, and there are too many people who see her as an obstacle. Any two people joining forces to plot against her could be possible."

Qin Yinong felt pleased with An Ling's praise and commented, "An Ling, you're getting better at speaking."

An Ling humbly replied, "Thanks for your guidance, President Qin."

The two cunning foxes exchanged a smile.

An Ling chuckled and said, "Have you read that post exposing the scandal?"

Qin Yinong raised an eyebrow, "Yes, I did. What about it?"

An Ling asked, "Can you give your opinion on it?"

Qin Yinong wrinkled her nose and said, "The first half had some truth to it, but the second half was complete nonsense."

To be honest, she found it amusing at the time, especially from the part where Miss T did things to anger Miss Q, and Tang Ruoyao, being straight, found herself a young playboy. Later, when she went to W City to buy a house and tried to win back Tang Ruoyao's heart, it gave Qin Yinong a good laugh and even gave her goosebumps.

An Ling said, "Huo Yuke, this person. When it sounds nice, we call it being opportunistic, and when it doesn't sound nice, we call it bullying the weak and fearing the strong. After you snatched that role back from her last time, she hasn't made any moves since. But this time, she suddenly let someone expose Tang Ruoyao's scandal, and the way it was done..." An Ling struggled to find the right words and said with some disdain, "It's something I actually suspect she really believes it's true."

Qin Yinong asked, "Huh?"

An Ling continued, "I mean, she genuinely thinks that you dumped her, so she went after Tang Ruoyao."

Qin Yinong asked, "And then?"

An Ling crossed her arms and with great interest said, "Don't you find it amusing?"

Qin Yinong shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't find it amusing." She looked at An Ling intently for a few seconds and said, "An Ling, have you been bored lately?"

An Ling lowered her gaze and covered her lips, admitting, "Ahem."

Qin Yinong had been working too hard at the company, and the employees in the company were easy to manage. An Ling only had two "disciples" to take care of—Qin Yinong and Tang Ruoyao. One was practically on hiatus, and the other stayed at home charging up every day. An Ling was getting bored out of her mind.

Qin Yinong put down her pen, crossed her hands under her chin, and asked, "What do you want to do for fun?"

An Ling said, "The awards ceremony is coming up soon, right? You, Tang Ruoyao, and Huo Yuke will all be attending. You should show some affection with Tang Ruoyao in front of her..."

Qin Yinong interrupted her and said seriously, "Do I need to be in front of her to show affection?"

"..." An Ling's temple twitched, and she picked up a ballpoint pen from her pen holder and threw it at Qin Yinong. "Go ahead, show all you want! Show it in front of the whole nation!"

Qin Yinong burst into laughter.

An Ling intended to use Huo Yuke to lure the person behind her. If she succeeded, great, if not, it didn't matter. The awards ceremony was just a few days away, so she would keep her for a while longer and deal with her later.

As for Qin Yinong, she had entrusted An Ling with this matter, so An Ling could handle it however she liked. In any case, she would definitely show affection, and it had nothing to do with Huo Yuke.

Both female leads of "True Colors" were nominated and would walk the red carpet together. There was no way to avoid suspicion.

In mid-October, the Golden Magnolia Awards ceremony arrived as scheduled.

The weather was clear and the sky displayed a pure blue color, decorated with fluffy white clouds—a rare beautiful day.

Huo Yuke spent the whole day in the hotel, meticulously doing her makeup, and then boarded the car to the venue.

As one of the three major film awards in the Chinese-speaking world, this year's Golden Magnolia Awards had an even grander scale than the previous year. The red carpet stretched endlessly, filled with eager reporters on both sides, holding cameras and various equipment.

After passing the security check, Huo Yuke tightened her grip on her bag with both hands, looked around, but didn't see Qin Yinong.

Qin Yinong was always the final appearance on the red carpet, and Tang Ruoyao benefited from her popularity this year and was also a final appearance.

Though the two of them arrived separately this time, their timing was precise, and they practically arrived at the same time. They met at the entrance, both looking surprised and pretending to run into each other.

Tang Ruoyao spoke first, politely saying, "Hello, Teacher Qin."

Qin Yinong nodded and smiled lightly, "Hello, Teacher Tang."

Tang Ruoyao glanced up and down at her and said, "What a coincidence."

"You too." Qin Yinong responded with the same scrutiny, praising, "Teacher Tang is truly beautiful."

"Really? Teacher Qin is even more beautiful."

Their gazes met, and smiles simultaneously appeared at the corners of their lips.

Guan Han, standing behind Qin Yinong, struggled to maintain her icy expression.

Oh, a young couple in love, how amazing! Yes, truly remarkable.

After exchanging pleasantries, Qin Yinong took a step forward, with Tang Ruoyao following closely behind.

Huo Yuke didn't wait for Qin Yinong. According to the order of the red carpet, it was almost her turn, so she went to the starting point and waited for the host to announce her name. The person in front of her had just finished a brief interview. Huo Yuke took a deep breath, lifted the hem of her long gown, focused her attention forward, and concentrated on listening.

Today, she wore a golden gradient gown that sparkled like starlight. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, highlighting her elegance. Her neck was slender, and in the middle of her collarbone, there was a shining star pendant, radiant and dazzling.

As the sun set in the west, Huo Yuke walked the red carpet, shining brightly like the rising sun.

Listening to the frequent bursts of camera flashes and seeing the bright-eyed reporters, Huo Yuke effortlessly posed and took photos on the red carpet, enjoying an unprecedented sense of delight and satisfaction.

These camera flashes belonged to her, and the glory should be hers. Tang Ruoyao was simply unworthy.

After completing the red carpet walk, Huo Yuke didn't immediately enter the venue. Instead, she waited at the end of the red carpet. A cold smirk appeared at the corner of her lips. She was waiting to see how Tang Ruoyao would embarrass herself!

The awards ceremony was once again broadcasted live, with millions of viewers glued to their screens.

As the red carpet segment reached its end, the barrage of comments became more frequent.

一 "Ahhhhhhh!"

一 "Did I arrive late? Did Qin and Tang arrive?"

一 "Shen Han! Qin and Tang! Hurry up!"

一 "Impatiently waiting for Qin and Tang!"

Amidst the attention of the masses, the host of the red carpet bid farewell to the second-to-last invited celebrity, lowered her head to check the script in her hand, and realized it was the same host as last year. Despite having experienced storms and waves, she couldn't help but feel nervous again. After taking a deep breath, she held the microphone upright, and with a solemn voice, she introduced, "And lastly, coming to us are the renowned actress Qin Yinong and the well-known actress Tang Ruoyao. Please welcome them!"

Qin Yinong, undoubtedly one of the most talked-about public figures of the year, has always been the center of attention. And alongside her is Tang Ruoyao, the most valuable emerging actress, who co-stars with Qin Yinong in the highly anticipated release of their first same-s*x themed film, "True Colors." The magnitude of this collaboration can only be imagined.

All camera lenses turned towards the starting point of the red carpet.

Tang Ruoyao stood tall and elegant, wearing a modified version of an equestrian outfit with a British touch. The fitted white shirt with dark gold buttons, paired with a short black jacket, riding pants, and knee-high boots, accentuated her posture and exuded a heroic charm.

Like a true knight defending a queen, she gracefully inclined her body slightly towards Qin Yinong, who stood beside her, and extended her hand with the white gloves, palm facing upward.

Qin Yinong smiled and returned the gesture, gently placing her hand in Tang Ruoyao's palm.

The perfect couple approached with grace.

The barrage of comments went into a collective frenzy:

— "What is this? What is this? What is this?"

— "Am I so uncultured that I didn't know red carpet walks could be like this???"

— "Shen-Han! My Shen-Han! Ahhhhhh! Tang Ruoyao looks so cool in this outfit! Emperor Qin is so beautiful, waaaahh!"

— "This scene needs background music: "Wedding March.""

— "I died and came back to life, my CP is real!"

- "Ahhhhhhh!"

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