Chapter 26
The filming schedule wasn’t heavy these few days, so it didn’t matter if they stayed up too late. It wouldn’t even matter if they disappeared for a whole night.
The next day, Xu Ling asked for leave from Chang Ning and Yi Huai, saying she had some personal business and wouldn’t be returning to the hotel that night.
Chang Ning said it was no problem and didn’t ask any further, only saying, “Then you can go directly to the rooftop tomorrow morning. Just be there on time before nine.”
Yi Huai, on the other hand, questioned her thoroughly. Xu Ling insisted it was a private family matter. “I have a distant relative in Mist City who’s in a bit of trouble. My parents asked me to go see them when I have time.”
“Which hospital? I’ll go with you.”
“She’s not in the hospital, just recuperating at home. I’ll stay at my relative’s place for one night.”
Having said this much, Yi Huai couldn’t press any further and agreed to let her go, also telling her to be on time the next morning.
Xu Ling left the film set and hailed a cab. But she didn’t know where to go, so she told the driver, “Take me to the hotpot restaurant you think is the best.”
And so, Xu Ling was ripped off. Only then did she realize that because tourists often asked this question, taxi drivers and some hotpot restaurants had a business arrangement.
After a mediocre meal, far less delicious than the one near the hotel, Xu Ling was completely emo.
Xu Ling then took a cab to a shopping mall, of course avoiding the one where Xie Jing was doing his promotion.
As a former fashion model, Xu Ling loved to shop for clothes and try them on. She loved both expensive and cheap clothes, and there was nothing she couldn’t pull off.
The sales assistants in every store were a little excited to see her, like a group of doting mothers seeing a real-life dress-up doll, eager to press her into changing outfits.
But today, Xu Ling was a little listless. When she looked at these clothes, she wasn’t thinking about how she would look in them, but rather that this one would suit Qin Cong’an, and that one would also suit Qin Cong’an.
Qin Cong’an’s personal style was always very understated, mostly muted, solid colors. But every time she wore a high-profile gown on the red carpet, she pulled it off very well.
Xu Ling was starting to miss her.
Xie Jing was in Mist City for these two days. They hadn’t contacted each other last night. After Xie Jing finished work today, they might contact each other. Although it was just Xu Ling’s speculation, she was afraid of running into something, so she had run away first.
Xu Ling bought a ticket for a late-night horror movie. A weekday, late at night, plus a horror movie—the entire theater was empty except for her.
Sitting in the best viewing spot in the middle, Xu Ling ate sweet caramel popcorn, watching with a blank expression.
When she was getting a little sleepy, Xu Ling felt a tap on her shoulder.
She turned her head and saw a standard, semi-transparent, long-haired female ghost in a white dress appear before her eyes.
The female ghost gave a strange smile and suddenly brought her face close to Xu Ling’s.
Xu Ling’s expression didn’t change. She pressed the seat next to her. “Sit down and let’s talk. I was just looking for someone to talk to.”
“…”
Seeing that she didn’t seem to agree, Xu Ling pleaded pitifully, “Please, please come.”
“…”
The female ghost disappeared for a moment, then reappeared in the seat next to Xu Ling.
“It’s like this, I’ve fallen for someone I shouldn’t have…”
The female ghost glanced at her. No preamble at all. It seemed she had been holding it in for a long time. She listened quietly and patiently as she spoke.
To the ghost who would absolutely not reveal her secrets, Xu Ling told the whole story from beginning to end. Her mouth was dry from talking. She took a big gulp of sugar-free cola and then asked, “What do you think?”
“That’s it?” the female ghost said disdainfully. “When you’re dead, you’ll know that all these troubles are meaningless.”
“…But you can’t just let me die now.”
“What I mean is, you don’t have to make such a big deal out of it. Just enjoy the present. Think of it as a short, no-strings-attached romance. Isn’t that good?”
“No, I want it to be long-term.” On the day of the concert, she had had a similar thought, to just seize the moment, but she found she couldn’t do it.
“What’s the use of you wanting it? The question is, can it be long-term?”
Xu Ling felt her tone was full of sarcasm.
“So the key is your mentality. I understand that because of this ‘other woman’ status, you’ve naturally put yourself in a passive position. But you have to take the initiative. You were the one who went to her in the beginning. You had a good start. You should maintain that state.”
“Instead of overthinking, you should perform well in front of her, leave more special and deep memories that belong to the two of you. Maybe she’ll come to you after she breaks up. But don’t think it’s a sure thing. In short, do what you can, and don’t dwell on things you can’t decide.”
Xu Ling nodded thoughtfully. Do what she can, and don’t dwell on things she can’t decide. That made a lot of sense.
The sound effects of the movie were a bit scary, but neither the person nor the ghost paid any attention.
“Don’t you think this is very immoral?” Xu Ling asked.
“I’m already dead. Do I still care about morality?”
“Oh.” Xu Ling still had to care. But anyway, she didn’t know. She had never heard that Qin Cong’an had a boyfriend.
Xu Ling said, “Okay, I’m done with my story. Let’s talk about yours. What grievances do you have? You can talk to me.”
“Me? None. My life was pretty smooth. Nothing worth complaining about. And even if there was, it doesn’t seem important anymore. I’m just bored now, randomly picking an unlucky person to scare every night.”
“…” What an enviable mentality.
Xu Ling was nudged by a staff member and opened her eyes. The movie was over. It was time to leave.
The staff member found her quite amazing, to be able to fall asleep while watching a horror movie alone in a theater.
After leaving, Xu Ling went into a 24-hour massage parlor that also served food. She restrained herself and only ordered a bowl of rice noodles. After eating, she was comfortably massaged on her shoulders and neck and fell into a deep sleep.
In the morning, Xu Ling saw photos of Xie Jing at the airport. She let out a breath of relief. He was finally gone.
Before returning to the set, Xu Ling went to a very popular pastry shop and bought freshly made egg yolk pastries, pineapple cakes, sesame biscuits, and so on, to share with everyone on the set for breakfast. Then she went to another shop and bought a savory cheese and ham bread specifically for Qin Cong’an.
See how thoughtful she was. This would deepen Qin Cong’an’s memory of her liking these kinds of pastries, and she would also know that she had remembered her preferences separately. In the future, whenever Qin Cong’an saw a pastry or ate a savory bread, she would definitely think of her… right?
The set was filled with the sounds of everyone thanking her and opening the packages to eat the pastries. For a moment, the air was filled with a milky fragrance.
Xu Ling held the only different package and walked up to Qin Cong’an. “You don’t like sweet things. I bought this especially for you. It should be to your taste.”
Qin Cong’an took it, glanced at it, and said, “Mhm, I like it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Xu Ling sat next to her and watched her eat. When some bread crumbs fell, she caught them with her hand so they wouldn’t dirty her clothes.
Qin Cong’an found it a little strange. She asked, “Aren’t you eating?”
“I’ve already eaten.”
“Oh. What, are you in a good mood today?”
Xu Ling nodded, looked at the distant sky and the bridge, and sighed. “Yeah, because the weather is so nice today.” After saying that, she turned to look at her and smiled sweetly. It was so nice to be able to see such a view with her.
Qin Cong’an didn’t follow her gaze to the scenery but kept looking at her face. “It seems your relative is recovering well.”
“Mhm… she’s doing alright.” Xu Ling asked, “Did you ask Sister Huai?”
“Such a big person like you disappears, of course I’m concerned.”
Oh. Xu Ling had thought she was busy meeting her boyfriend and didn’t even know she wasn’t at the hotel. No need to show it. Xu Ling smiled. “Then I’m very happy. Is the bread good?”
“It’s good.” Qin Cong’an felt that her happiness was completely unreasonable. Did she really go to her relative’s house last night? No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem like it. It was more like she had gone to see someone who made her very happy, which was why she was happy about everything now.
During her free time, Qin Cong’an opened IG and looked at Li Yan’s account. She happened to see that she had posted something last night, showing that she was in Madrid. So she hadn’t gone to see Li Yan. Wait, could there be another ex-girlfriend? Or had she met someone at the lesbian bar last time?
Xu Ling walked up to Qin Cong’an, who was looking at her phone, and asked her, “Director Chang said we have to wait for an hour. Do you want to go out? I found a bakery nearby. The reviews say the coffee is also very good.” Let’s go on a date. There’s bread that I like, and coffee that you like.
Qin Cong’an turned off her phone and didn’t answer, just looked straight at her, trying to see through her intentions. But she only saw a pair of clear and clean, puppy-like eyes.
“Are you going or not?”
“Let’s go.” Qin Cong’an put on her hat, threw on a thin shirt, and went downstairs with her.
Their clothes in the movie were very casual. Wearing them out wouldn’t attract attention or reveal any movie secrets. During a break like this, it was fine to go out for a while.
But this was their first time doing this.
Although it was allowed, Xu Ling, walking in front, inexplicably felt like a student sneaking out to play with a classmate, which made her heart itch a little.
The two of them went downstairs. Xu Ling held her phone and opened the navigation. It showed a distance of 500 meters. “It’s just 500 meters. Should we walk?”
“Mhm.”
Xu Ling opened the walking navigation. It showed a walking time of 20 minutes. Hmm? Wait, how could 500 meters take 20 minutes to walk? She looked at the map carefully. Because of the complex terrain in this area, the straight-line distance was indeed 500 meters, but they had to take some winding roads, which made the walking distance 1.3 kilometers.
“Um…” Xu Ling apologetically showed her the phone. “It’ll take 40 minutes to walk there and back. We might not have enough time. Taking a cab will also take time, and there will be traffic.”
“Oh, since we’re already down, let’s just walk around nearby.”
Xu Ling nodded, checked the time, and randomly chose a direction to walk.
Qin Cong’an walked beside her. “Watch the road. Don’t get lost.”
“Okay.” Xu Ling put away her romantic thoughts and conscientiously memorized the route.
The two of them, in the early summer breeze, strolled through the unique streets of Mist City, enjoying a date in their stolen work break.
The above was just Xu Ling’s imagination. There was no date. In fact, she was almost hit by bird droppings on her arm.
They did manage to find a coffee shop. The shop sold some simple desserts, which were obviously pre-made. Xu Ling felt it was a pity. But the coffee was good. The beans were roasted by the shop owner and were very fragrant. Qin Cong’an was quite satisfied.
Xu Ling took a bite of the lemon-mint basque cheesecake and showed a somewhat subtle expression. “Mmm, how should I put it? But it’s actually okay. Do you want to try some?”
Qin Cong’an shook her head and asked, “Do you like baking a lot?”
“Yeah, I especially like the freshly baked kind. It’s a pity I’m clumsy and can’t do it myself.” As Xu Ling spoke, she remembered something, took out her phone, and very cunningly moved from the seat opposite her to the one next to her.
Qin Cong’an smelled the lemon scent in her mouth. She didn’t like sweets, but she liked to experience all citrus scents with her sense of smell.
On a weekday afternoon, there were no other customers in the shop besides them. But the staff, either because they recognized them or for some other reason, kept looking in their direction.
Qin Cong’an couldn’t find a chance to kiss her.
Xu Ling lowered her head and scrolled through her phone’s photo album, showing her pictures of Li Yan and the pastries Li Yan had baked. “I used to have a roommate who was especially good at baking these. She could make both Chinese and Western styles, and the sweetness was just right, not too sweet, much more delicious than the ones sold in stores abroad.”
“…Roommate?”
“Yeah, my roommate when I first went to London. She was a senior from my university. She was also the one who introduced me to modeling. It’s a pity she went to Munich to study architecture after graduation and stopped modeling. We’ve barely been in contact since.”
Regardless of whether Qin Cong’an cared, Xu Ling shared her stories with her, wanting to leave a more three-dimensional and deeper impression in her mind.
Xu Ling found that Qin Cong’an really didn’t care.
Because she went on to talk about her university and modeling days, but Qin Cong’an remained silent the whole time. After a long while, she only nodded, as if she hadn’t heard anything she said after the beginning, still stuck on the first topic. “Oh, roommate.”
