Chapter 34
Twelfth day of the fourth countdown.
Xu Ling, that little muddle-head, had worn the wrong clothes. She had left her own light blue sleeveless tank top in Qin Cong’an’s room and had worn Qin Cong’an’s dark gray short-sleeved shirt.
The other party involved was in the shower and didn’t notice.
Xu Ling quickly returned to her own room. It was just a matter of wearing the wrong clothes, but why was her heart beating so fast? She took off the shirt and stuffed it into her suitcase, pretending that she also had a similar one.
After hiding the stolen goods, Xu Ling collapsed weakly in front of her suitcase. What on earth am I doing… It was simply ridiculous and laughable.
Why did she have to like someone she shouldn’t? She should have stopped long ago, shouldn’t have started in the first place. She had started a relationship that couldn’t be called a relationship, and she couldn’t handle it.
The game of pretending to be in love, she had originally thought it would bring her temporary happiness, but now she was facing a pain a thousand, ten thousand times stronger than happiness.
Xu Ling reached out and picked up the shirt again. It was better not to take it. She should return it, or throw it away.
This childish act was meaningless and would only make it harder for her to let go. But she had to let go.
Xu Ling curled up on her bed and sent a message to Meng Bai, asking if she was free. After getting a reply, she made a video call.
“What’s up? Miss me?” Meng Bai’s voice was clear and energetic, exactly what Xu Ling needed right now.
“Yeah.” Xu Ling was startled by the fatigue in her own voice, especially in contrast to Meng Bai.
“What’s wrong? You’re so tired?” Meng Bai asked. “When do you wrap? Is it soon?”
“Mhm, just a few more days.” Xu Ling tried to make herself sound less lifeless. “Where are you? North City? Let’s have dinner together when I get back.”
“I’m in Tokyo. I’ll be here for a while. Naoko broke up, so I’m keeping her company.” Meng Bai thought for a moment and then said, “Yanzi is coming the day after tomorrow. Why don’t you come over and the four of us can hang out? It’s been a long time since you’ve all seen each other, right?”
Xu Ling wasn’t very enthusiastic, but she agreed. “Okay, then I’ll go over after I wrap.” This was a much better plan than going straight back to North City. She just didn’t know if Naoko’s post-breakup mood would affect her.
“OK, want to chat some more?” Meng Bai asked, seeing that she wasn’t in a good state.
Xu Ling was about to cry from being so touched. There was still some time before she had to meet up. She said, “Let’s chat for another ten minutes.”
Meng Bai immediately started talking, not leaving a single moment of silence in the conversation. “I was originally planning to go to a dessert shop today. Since you’re coming, I’ll wait for you and we can go together. Let the master give her critique.”
Xu Ling’s lips curled up, accepting the title of master. She asked, “Then where are you guys going today?”
Meng Bai chattered on, the two of them sharing their stories.
Xu Ling felt a rare sense of relaxation. Chatting with a little sun like Meng Bai was so comforting. Chatting with Qin Cong’an was… so tiring.
Why? Xu Ling suddenly got a little distracted. She realized something. It seemed that Qin Cong’an had never talked about her private life with her.
There was no need for them to talk about such things, that was true, but Xu Ling still felt it was strange that she never said anything at all.
All Xu Ling knew now was that she liked to drink red wine, didn’t like sweets, preferred savory food, liked citrus scents, and even only used orange-flavored finger cots. But these weren’t things Qin Cong’an had told her; they were just some superficial things she had discovered naturally through their interactions.
As for her past, Qin Cong’an hadn’t said a single word. Xu Ling had mentioned her university and modeling days a few times. Even if she didn’t mention her boyfriend, there should still be something to talk about.
They had gone to Jiang Ruzhi’s concert together. She had said she knew Jiang Ruzhi well, but she hadn’t said how they had met.
If you were to say that Qin Cong’an was just a quiet person, that was true. After all, even her fans didn’t know she knew Jiang Ruzhi before this. But then again, Qin Cong’an had talked about the future with her.
Meng Bai screamed on the other end, “Xu Ling!! Are you listening to me! You were the one who wanted to talk to me!”
“My bad, my bad,” Xu Ling quickly groveled. “Desserts, right?”
Meng Bai was furious. “Desserts my ass! I was talking about bars!”
***
While showering, Qin Cong’an thought a lot and felt a little regretful. She had known all along. Xu Ling was so beautiful and had a good personality, much better than hers. She was very charming. It was perfectly normal for her to have an ex.
She was the one who had kept asking that question. She had gotten an expected answer, yet she had still gotten angry at Xu Ling. It was very unreasonable.
And she had even made Xu Ling cry.
Qin Cong’an knew that Xu Ling would cry when she was climaxing, but she could also see clearly that at the beginning, she was crying from pain.
Was it good to have sex with Xu Ling? The answer was a definite yes. It wasn’t just a physical pleasure, but also a feeling of her chest being filled to the brim.
She really did like her… then why did she make her hurt so much? Qin Cong’an was a little annoyed.
Qin Cong’an came out of the bathroom and didn’t see Xu Ling. Had she really made her uncomfortable? Qin Cong’an changed her clothes and went to Xu Ling’s room to find her.
As soon as she opened the door, she heard her laughter, a hearty laugh, the kind that made your stomach hurt.
Qin Cong’an slowed her steps and walked in quietly.
When she reached the bedroom door, she heard Xu Ling scream, looking as if she had seen a ghost. Qin Cong’an sat down at the foot of the bed with a blank expression.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Meng Bai asked quickly.
“Nothing.” It wasn’t nothing for Xu Ling. Seeing Qin Cong’an in the middle of her laughter, she almost couldn’t catch her breath. “I’m hanging up now.”
“Fine.” Meng Bai felt like she had been summoned and dismissed at will. “I won’t hold it against you since you’re in a bad mood today. See you then.”
Xu Ling quickly glanced at Qin Cong’an. She didn’t want Qin Cong’an to find out that she was in a bad mood.
After hanging up the video call, Xu Ling said, “Shouldn’t we go down now?”
“Mhm.” But Qin Cong’an grabbed her ankle as she was about to move. “Why are you in a bad mood? Were you uncomfortable just now?”
“Hmm? No,” Xu Ling said, moving closer. “It was very comfortable.”
Qin Cong’an pushed the hair hanging on Xu Ling’s shoulder back. “I didn’t hurt you?”
“You did, but it was very comfortable.” Although she had been startled, her mood was much better after chatting with Meng Bai. She didn’t want to show anything in front of Qin Cong’an and even smiled at her.
This time, the smile wasn’t glaring. But Qin Cong’an averted her gaze and looked at her slender ankle. “I saw you crying the whole time.”
“You know I cry when I climax.”
“I mean at the beginning.”
“Right, it was good from the very beginning.” Xu Ling hooked her beautiful fingers. “I like it when you treat me like that. It’s okay to be even rougher.”
“…”
Seeing Qin Cong’an’s stunned expression, Xu Ling genuinely laughed and then said, “Really, I’m not lying. But why? Could it be that you were jealous after I answered your question?”
Xu Ling knew that “jealousy” was the correct answer. And she had deliberately said that with the intention of provoking her. No one would want to hear such things in bed, even in a short-term relationship like theirs.
But this kind of “jealousy” was different from the jealousy in a real relationship.
Just this level of jealousy was enough to satisfy Xu Ling. At this moment, Xu Ling was eagerly awaiting her answer.
But Qin Cong’an didn’t answer her. After hesitating to speak several times, she asked her, “Have you booked your flight yet?”
Xu Ling raised an eyebrow, got out of bed, and stood firmly on the ground. She stretched her waist and turned to look down at Qin Cong’an. “What?”
“Are you going back to North City right after the wrap?”
“I’m flying to Tokyo.”
Qin Cong’an was a little surprised, but not that surprised. “To see friends?” She knew Xu Ling had friends all over the world.
“Mhm.”
“I see. Then when are you coming back to North City?”
“When I come back, I’ll come back,” Xu Ling said. Her phone started to vibrate. It was Sister Huai, calling her to go down and meet up.
Qin Cong’an glanced at it, also stood up, and said, “Then contact me when you get back.” After saying that, she left the room first.
This was good. Qin Cong’an felt they needed to be apart for a while. They were stuck together every day, and the intensity was too high, sometimes so high it was abnormal and a little crazy. A short cool-down period would help both of them make better judgments about their future.
The afternoon shoot that day went smoothly. Everything had been worked out.
Third day countdown.
All three actors filming the action scenes got injured. Although they were all very careful, accidents were still unavoidable. Fortunately, none were serious enough to affect the filming progress, which continued to move forward.
But Xu Ling still had to take a painkiller to continue. Every time they cut, she had to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Liang He kept encouraging everyone. It was almost over, it was almost over. Just hang in there.
Xu Ling really did want to finish filming and leave now. She was too tired, so tired that when she saw Qin Cong’an moving around in front of her, all she wanted was for her to stay away.
Jian Yu, shot in the abdomen, and Wen Xi, with a broken arm, join forces to deal with this formidable opponent. They coordinate seamlessly, not looking at each other, but always sensing each other. After finishing one off, they exchange a look of relief and exhilaration.
Qin Cong’an felt that it wasn’t just Jian Yu and Wen Xi who had an unbreakable connection; she and Xu Ling did too.
During breaks, Qin Cong’an would watch Xu Ling, seeing her on the verge of rolling her eyes, and found it very cute and stress-relieving.
But she knew Xu Ling must be very tired.
Back at the hotel that night, Qin Cong’an brought some aromatherapy essential oil and went to Xu Ling’s room. There was the sound of water from the bathroom; Xu Ling was taking a shower. Qin Cong’an first set up the aromatherapy in the bedroom.
When Xu Ling opened the bathroom door, she was greeted by the pleasant scent of chamomile, and instantly felt her tense nerves relax.
“Why isn’t it a citrus scent?”
“I did it for you. You looked so tired. But I don’t know if you like this scent.” Qin Cong’an was already lying down. She opened her arms, gesturing for her to come over.
Xu Ling walked to the bed, obediently climbed on, and burrowed into her embrace, taking a deep breath of her post-shower scent, the smell of medicine much fainter. She instantly felt every cell in her body relax.
“I like it,” Xu Ling said, her kisses landing on her chest. But after just two kisses, she pressed her cheek against her and closed her eyes.
Qin Cong’an didn’t say anything, just gently patted her shoulder. Soon, she felt Xu Ling’s breathing become even. She curled her lips, held her, and slid under the covers together, gradually falling asleep.
Second day countdown.
That day, the behind-the-scenes camera captured a big “candy.” Because Qin Cong’an had accidentally lost a shoe while filming the dragging scene a few days ago, she could only wear one shoe when filming the scenes at Feng Xuelin’s house.
It was a bit slippery. Qin Cong’an was very careful, but being careful didn’t mean that problems wouldn’t arise.
However, this was a “sweet” fall, because when her foot slipped, she slid right into Xu Ling’s arms.
It was obvious that both of them were stunned for a moment, then they simultaneously looked at the camera, then averted their gazes, both extremely uncomfortable.
To make matters worse, Liang He teased from the side, “Is it that awkward? It’s not like you fell and your lips touched. But be careful, don’t let it really happen next time.”
What was meant to ease the awkwardness seemed to make the two of them even more uncomfortable.
Xu Ling helped Qin Cong’an stand steady, inexplicably swallowing. “Be careful.”
“Mhm.” Qin Cong’an looked at her own foot. “Sorry.”
Xu Ling shook her head.
The crew had been together day and night and could see that the two of them were much more familiar than when they had first started. Liang He had even teased them about getting familiar “after sleeping together.”
But their reaction at this moment was as if this kind of accident had happened on the first day of filming, or… there were other possible interpretations.
Qin Cong’an quickly walked away, applied some anti-slip powder to the bottom of her foot, and continued to immerse herself in the shoot.
Today was the planned last day of filming for the action scenes. The past few days had gone smoothly, and the schedule hadn’t been delayed. In fact, it was the last scene.
Xu Ling finished filming first. Qin Cong’an still had a few shots to retake. Xu Ling’s toe was scraped, so she went back to the hotel first.
Before she left, Chang Ning stopped the two of them and said, “The motorcycle scene we talked about before, I’ve arranged with the people over there to film it tonight around one or two in the morning. You two arrange your time. You can go back and get some sleep now.”
Tomorrow was the last day.
Xu Ling had been thinking of having a good meal tonight to send her off, only to hear this terrible news. She would rather not have this publicly funded date.
But there was nothing she could do. She had to listen to the director.
Xu Ling went back to the hotel first. After applying medicine, she limped to Qin Cong’an’s room. With only a few hours left, it seemed even more precious.
In case Gao Quan followed Qin Cong’an back to her room, Xu Ling hid in the bathroom first this time. It turned out she was right. She did hear Gao Quan’s voice outside.
Xu Ling finished her shower. While applying body lotion, she cracked open the bathroom door a little and listened to the sounds outside.
“Tsk, tsk, look at your injuries. Let alone Xie Jing, even I feel bad for you.”
“Just don’t let him know.”
“This injury of yours won’t heal in a short time. He’ll see it when you go back.”
“Then I won’t see him.”
There was a smile in Gao Quan’s voice. “If you don’t want to see him, he’ll come find you. He even asked me for your flight number, said he wants to pick you up at the airport.”
“You didn’t tell him, did you?”
“Of course not. If I had, he really would have come. Wouldn’t it be over if you were photographed?”
“Mhm.” Qin Cong’an sat on the sofa and twisted her neck. “I want to take a nap.”
“Okay, okay, get some sleep. I won’t disturb you.” Gao Quan left.
Xu Ling was a little surprised at how calm she felt after hearing all this. Anyway, it was the last night. There was no point in caring about these things anymore. Hearing the main door close, she walked out.
Qin Cong’an had just stood up. Seeing the person who appeared at the bedroom door, she was stunned for a moment. “I was just about to go find you.”
Xu Ling opened her arms, wanting a hug, but Qin Cong’an took her hand and didn’t let her.
“I haven’t showered yet. I’m dirty.”
“It’s okay,” Xu Ling said in a light tone. “We have to film later anyway. It’s fine to be a little dirty.”
“Then why did you shower?” Qin Cong’an lifted her arm and sniffed it. “And you used my body lotion.”
“I wanted to smell nice.” Xu Ling took the opportunity to hug her, and they both fell onto the sofa. She then leaned over, took the remote control from the coffee table that no one had ever touched, and turned on the TV.
Qin Cong’an looked at her profile, not quite understanding. “You want to watch TV?”
“Yeah, I want to watch TV with you for a bit, and then take a short nap.” Xu Ling said while fiddling with the TV. “Can this TV play movies?”
Qin Cong’an paused for two seconds and said, “I think you can cast to it. What movie do you want to watch?”
“Mmm… a horror movie?” Xu Ling rested her head on her shoulder and left the choice of movie to her. “Can you watch it? If not, you can choose one. I’ll order some food.”
Qin Cong’an opened the horror movie category for her to see.
“This one. This one is new. I haven’t seen it yet.” After choosing, Xu Ling asked her, “See if you’re interested.”
Qin Cong’an wasn’t very interested in horror movies, but was this a must-do item for couples? Anyway, she opened it and asked, “Have you seen all the old ones?”
Xu Ling nodded.
This time, Qin Cong’an didn’t ask her if she had watched them with her ex. She already had the answer in her heart. There was no need to ask again. It wasn’t important. What was important was the time they were watching a movie together now.
Soon, the food Xu Ling had ordered arrived. The two of them sat on the carpet in front of the sofa, eating and watching.
Their attention was focused on the food and the movie. Ignoring the very hotel-like background, it was as if they were on a date at home.
They ate one mouthful after another, exchanging the food in front of them, and also switching drinks. Neither of them found it strange.
When they couldn’t eat anymore, they both half-lay on the sofa, regardless of their image, sprawled out, and continued to watch the movie.
Xu Ling didn’t know when she had fallen asleep. A horror movie, after a meal, in Qin Cong’an’s embrace—it would have been strange if she hadn’t fallen asleep.
After a perfect date, she slept very soundly and continued it in her dreams.
