The first words out of Qin Xing’s mouth after she stepped through the door were directed at Yun Chun, who had let her in. “Why is your face so red?”
Yun Chun let out an “ah” and instinctively glanced toward a certain someone on the sofa.
Meeting Lu Qingxue’s half-smiling gaze, Yun Chun quickly looked away. She touched her cheek and said, “It’s from the sun.”
It was a lie.
After Yun Chun had countered Lu Qingxue’s question about her “other half,” there had been a table between them. But in the blink of an eye, Lu Qingxue was right in front of her.
Then she leaned in slowly, bending at the waist.
Yun Chun’s mind went blank.
Just as she thought Lu Qingxue was about to kiss her—her face flushing in that instant—
Lu Qingxue watched her with a playful smile. Then she gently raised her hand, resting it on Yun Chun’s head and softly ruffling her hair. Tilting her head, she sighed lightly by Yun Chun’s ear. “Little Darling, are you just going to tease and not take responsibility?”
Right then, the doorbell rang.
It shattered the ambiguous atmosphere.
Yun Chun breathed a sigh of relief, finally having a moment to properly think over Lu Qingxue’s question.
In her view, what she’d said was simply the truth. It didn’t count as teasing.
Even if the ghost marriage wasn’t acknowledged—even if Lu Qingxue disliked it—it had undeniably bound them together.
Qin Xing glanced around the room upon hearing this. The lighting was bright and warm; it really could make one’s face flush.
“As long as it’s not a fever,” Qin Xing said.
Yun Chun fetched a pair of slippers for her.
As Qin Xing changed into them, she asked, “Is anywhere feeling off?”
Then she turned to study Yun Chun. Hmm, her eyes were a bit puffy, but it was manageable—a little makeup would hide it, no impact on work. There were faint dark circles under her eyes, but no big deal. Her lips… Qin Xing frowned slightly. How had her lips gotten swollen? Could drinking really puff up your mouth like that? Still, it was just mild swelling; no real issue.
“Can you tough it out?” Qin Xing asked.
Yun Chun raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Tough it out? That’s too dramatic. I’m fine—don’t you know my tolerance?”
She knew. Yun Chun could drink like a fish. So seeing her clearly drunk the night before had shocked Qin Xing. Just how much had those two rounds been? Qin Xing gave a casual “mm-hmm.” “Eaten yet? I brought some medicine. Take some if you’re not feeling great.”
“I ate. No need for medicine.”
“Did you make it yourself?”
“Nope.”
Qin Xing eyed her, and Yun Chun smiled. “The fairy made it.”
Qin Xing let out a cold huff and didn’t pursue it. She headed toward the sofa—right to the spot where Lu Qingxue was sitting.
Lu Qingxue stayed put, seemingly watching Qin Xing approach, but her eyes were actually fixed on Yun Chun behind her.
Yun Chun didn’t notice Lu Qingxue’s gaze. Seeing that Qin Xing was about to plop down on Lu Qingxue’s lap, she called out, “Sister Xing!”
Her voice pitched up a notch. Qin Xing turned to look at her. “What?”
“Why don’t you sit over here?”
Qin Xing paused, glancing at the single-seater sofa Yun Chun indicated. Though puzzled, she walked over. “Can’t sit there?”
“You could, but… it’s not convenient.”
“…”
Qin Xing looked at the perfectly empty, unremarkable sofa, then back at Yun Chun. She asked earnestly, “Are you still hungover? Or did you drink your brain cells dead? Why are you acting all jumpy?”
She’d felt it the moment she walked in.
Faced with Qin Xing’s blunt, sincere question, Yun Chun was speechless for a few seconds. “I’m fine.”
Qin Xing sat down. “Doesn’t show.”
Yun Chun didn’t dwell on it. She glanced at the dining table. “I’ll tidy up the kitchen, then we can head out.”
Qin Xing: “Mm-hmm.”
A little later, Yun Chun finished cleaning the kitchen and walked into the living room. She glanced around—Lu Qingxue was gone. Just as she was about to speak to Qin Xing, Qin Xing beat her to it.
“Why’d you put the leaf in the photo frame?”
Yun Chun blinked in confusion. “What?”
Qin Xing pointed at the photo frame standing on the coffee table. “Not your doing? I didn’t see it yesterday when I was here.”
If Qin Xing hadn’t mentioned it, Yun Chun wouldn’t have noticed the frame at all. She’d had her back to it. She picked it up for a look.
Inside the wooden photo frame lay a single willow leaf, all by its lonesome.
Nothing else.
The frame was its exclusive home.
Willow leaf…
Yun Chun frowned. Had Lu Qingxue put it there? Why a leaf?
She thought for a moment, then remembered where it came from.
Her eyes curved into a smile.
A few seconds later, Qin Xing—who’d been staring at Yun Chun, waiting for an answer—called out, “Chun.”
Yun Chun turned to her, the smile still lingering at the corners of her eyes.
Qin Xing had her legs crossed, wrist resting on her knee, her deep red lips parting slightly. “Are you in love or something?”
“Nope. Why do you ask?”
Because that day you randomly asked me what it feels like to like someone, and last night you got yourself smashed for no reason—and more than that—
Qin Xing pointed it out. “You’re positively glowing right now.”
Full of springtime vibes.
Yun Chun: “…”
She coughed lightly, set the photo frame back on the coffee table to dodge Qin Xing’s scrutiny, and hurried toward the bedroom. “Gonna change clothes.”
~~~
The next few days of work were a breeze for Yun Chun. Not only did she nail everything flawlessly, she even landed a business deal, snagging herself a few more gigs.
Before she knew it, it was time to head back home. Due to work delays, Yun Chun returned three days later than planned. Qin Xing and Mo Yue had left Milan ahead of her.
Work wrapped up late that day, and by the time Yun Chun got home, it was already very late. She hadn’t expected to spot Zhu You by the mailbox outside her door.
Zhu You wore a khaki trench coat, her straight hair gleaming under the light.
Yun Chun got out of the car and asked in surprise, “Waiting for me?”
Zhu You nodded.
Yun Chun gave her a glance, then turned to say goodbye to Cris. She confirmed the time he’d pick her up for the airport the next day before turning back to Zhu You. “Come inside to talk.”
The word “home” slipped out too naturally from Yun Chun’s lips. Zhu You paused for a beat, then smiled and nodded. “Sure.”
She followed behind Yun Chun, tilting her head up slightly to look at the person ahead. So tall. Though Lu Qingxue was a touch taller.
She remembered needing to crane her neck to look at Lu Qingxue—it got sore after a while. But with Yun Chun, it was different. Yun Chun was just a hair shorter than Lu Qingxue, so they could look straight at each other.
Even their heights matched perfectly.
Not just heights—their careers complemented each other too.
A model and a designer.
Childhood sweethearts who’d grown up together.
Every single point was something she couldn’t measure up to. A total defeat.
A flash of bitterness welled in Zhu You’s eyes. But as Yun Chun deftly unlocked the door and stepped aside to invite her in, Zhu You’s expression smoothed back to normal.
“Thanks,” she said.
Once inside, Yun Chun poured Zhu You a glass of water and cut straight to it. “What brings you here?”
Zhu You cleared her throat and said to Yun Chun, “I mentioned wanting to interview you before, but you’ve been too busy. I heard you’re leaving tomorrow, so I waited here. Hope it doesn’t feel too abrupt.” She smiled as she spoke. “Though our first meeting was pretty sudden too.”
Yun Chun thought it over. She had indeed promised Zhu You an interview, but…
“Like this?” Yun Chun asked. “Just winging it?”
No prep? Verbal interview?
“No.” Zhu You pulled out a digital recorder. “I’ll record our chat and transcribe it later for the article. That okay with you?”
Yun Chun had no issue. “Sure. But what do you want to ask?”
Hearing Yun Chun agree, Zhu You set the recorder on the table and switched it on softly. “Just chat about your career stories from debut onward.”
“…”
The interview didn’t last long—about forty minutes.
After Yun Chun answered the final question, she watched Zhu You turn off the recorder. Zhu You looked at her and said, “One more question. Personal one—not for the record.”
Yun Chun smiled. “Not gonna ask if I’m still Sister Qingxue’s wife, is it?”
Zhu You smiled at that. “If I did, how would you answer?”
Yun Chun didn’t hesitate. “Same as before.”
“Then no need to ask.”
Zhu You studied Yun Chun curiously. “But you don’t seem annoyed at all. Don’t you find it weird that I’ve kept hounding you on this?”
“You’re not after my answer,” Yun Chun said calmly, striking right at Zhu You’s heart. “You’re after Sister Qingxue.”
Because she couldn’t forget Lu Qingxue—that’s why she brought her up over and over. Yun Chun got it.
Back when her mom passed, every visit to the village grave with Aunt Ping brought the same questions over and over. The content didn’t matter; it was that they involved Yun Yueqin.
Mentioning her again and again—just to make her passing feel less real. Or because she was too important, too unforgettable.
Zhu You’s smile faded from her lips, then lifted again as she ducked her head and chuckled. “Yeah, you saw right through me.”
Seeing this, Yun Chun couldn’t help asking, “Before you ask yours, can I go first?” Zhu You nodded, so Yun Chun asked, “How’d you meet Sister Qingxue?”
Last time, Lu Qingxue had called her Little You—proof they were on pretty good terms.
And Zhu You kept bringing up Lu Qingxue in front of her, eyes full of reluctance and lingering attachment. It all screamed that there was a story between them.
Zhu You fell silent at the question. Her gaze suddenly landed on the photo frame on the coffee table, drawn to the yellowing willow leaf inside. She didn’t ask why Yun Chun had put a leaf in there. Instead, staring at the leaf, she slowly began recounting the past:
“That was right after I graduated. I was just an unknown intern, and the editor-in-chief sent me to interview Qingxue. She was already famous by then, and she never accepted interviews. I knew the editor was deliberately making things hard for me because one of my colleagues from the same batch was her relative, but I didn’t want to give up so easily. I camped out downstairs at her company for a whole month and got turned away for a whole month. Then one day, it suddenly started pouring. I couldn’t get out of the rain in time and ended up soaked to the skin like a drowned rat. At that moment, I wasn’t thinking about my wet clothes or catching a cold from the rain. All I could think about was that I was going to lose my job. All the tasks assigned to my batchmates had been completed—except for mine. I hadn’t even gotten to see Qingxue’s face.”
Zhu You sank into the memory. What had been a painful experience back then now came out with a smile, all because of what happened afterward. She continued, “I couldn’t tell anymore whether the water on my face was tears or rain when an umbrella suddenly appeared over my head. It blocked the rain and let me hear my own sobbing. But louder than my cries was a beautiful voice I’d never heard before. When I looked up through my tear-blurred eyes at the person holding the umbrella for me, she asked, ‘Is this worth it?'”
