Chapter 48
Opening Xu Ling’s closet, Qin Cong’an threw out the clothes one by one, making a mess of the entire bedroom. But she still couldn’t find what she was looking for—the shirt she had lost.
Qin Cong’an questioned Xu Ling, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, watching her rummage through the cabinets. “Where’s my stuff?”
“What stuff?” Xu Ling asked, a look of confusion on her face, her legs swinging leisurely.
“My shirt. Didn’t you take it?”
Xu Ling smiled and asked, “Why would I take your shirt?”
Qin Cong’an stood there, the world spinning. After a long while, she said, “But your shirt was left at my place.”
“Ah, I was wondering where I lost it. I really like that shirt. So it was at your place. Give it back to me.” Xu Ling’s face was filled only with the joy and innocence of having found something she had lost. She took the watery blue tank top from her hand. “Thank you for bringing it to me.”
“Then what about mine?”
Xu Ling’s voice was so innocent it was cruel. “Yours? How would I know? You probably lost it somewhere yourself. Why are you asking me? So strange.”
Qin Cong’an hunched over, her back arched. She woke up from the dream and stared blankly at the sunlight seeping in from behind the curtains. Last night, there had been lightning and a downpour, but this morning, the sun was so bright, a little too bright, a little glaring.
Yesterday, she hadn’t gone through Xu Ling’s closet. It wasn’t because it was too private; after all, she had thoroughly searched both side cabinets. It was just because she subconsciously felt that she wouldn’t find what she was looking for.
After all, when she had put on those watery blue slippers, Xu Ling’s expression hadn’t changed at all, as if she didn’t know why she had chosen that color, and wasn’t curious.
She seemed to have completely forgotten that she had left a shirt at her place.
Had she forgotten everything from that period? Was she the only one who still remembered? Still foolishly thinking about it, like a thorn stuck in her skin, which she could get used to on very rare occasions, but most of the time, she couldn’t ignore its presence.
Xu Ling had probably just accidentally worn the wrong shirt and taken hers. After discovering it when she got back, she had probably thought, huh, what’s this? and thrown it away.
Qin Cong’an felt that Xu Ling was capable of doing such a thing. Maybe she was the only one foolishly treating it as their only connection after they had parted.
Her stomach felt a little uncomfortable. Even curling up didn’t help. This emotional organ was filled with fragments she couldn’t speak of, unable to digest.
***
Before leaving, Xu Ling stared at the pair of watery blue slippers and thought deeply, then found that she couldn’t figure it out at all.
Why had Qin Cong’an chosen that color yesterday? She had clearly put out black slippers. She had thought Qin Cong’an would definitely choose black. She didn’t like such bright colors at all.
But she also looked good in watery blue. It made her toes look fair and tender. If… cough.
Xu Ling put away her perverted thoughts, went out, and stepped into the elevator. Then she thought, what’s so perverted about that? It’s just human nature. She just wants to be stepped on, just wants to give a couple of kisses. Is that wrong?
Anyway, she couldn’t have it, so couldn’t she at least imagine it?
Yi Huai’s face at the entrance of the basement floor startled Xu Ling. She always felt like Sister Huai could see through everything. Instantly, her mind was filled with green leaves, red flowers, green mountains, and clear water, as healthy as could be.
Seeing Yi Huai’s long face, Xu Ling didn’t even dare to step out of the elevator. “Sister…”
Yi Huai suddenly broke into a smile and even clapped. “You’re on such good terms with Qin Cong’an, and you didn’t even tell me. You secretly hid it and posted the picture. Honestly, I don’t understand what you mean. Do you think the company won’t let you post it?”
Was this… a praise disguised as a criticism? Xu Ling tentatively stepped out. “Sister, you’re not angry, are you?”
“How could I be angry? As soon as you posted that photo last night, the AnLing CP Super Topic gained tens of thousands of new fans.” Yi Huai couldn’t be happier. “And most importantly, your own followers are constantly increasing!”
Xu Ling was very guilty. “They’re all from the CP. Isn’t that a bit bad?”
“There’s nothing bad about it. The other side doesn’t mind. You two don’t have conflicting types, and you’re not in a competitive relationship. As long as it doesn’t involve any interests, the friendship won’t collapse.”
“…Friendship?”
“Yeah, although the fans are shipping you hard, they must all know in their hearts that you’re essentially just friends,” Yi Huai said. “This kind of situation is common in the industry. It doesn’t matter even if you break up the CP later. As I said, as long as it doesn’t involve any interests, it’s an amicable parting.”
Xu Ling felt a little disappointed for some reason. If it could really end like this, it would indeed be more dignified. It was just that the word “friendship” sounded so unpleasant.
They were meeting again today. It could be said that the days they didn’t see each other were fewer recently.
The movie was about to be released at the turn of spring and summer. There wasn’t much time left. And because Qin Cong’an’s last drama hadn’t wrapped yet, a lot of dual-character materials had piled up and hadn’t been filmed, and there were also many shows to attend.
Over the past few days, Xu Ling felt that Qin Cong’an was hot and cold towards her.
She couldn’t figure out the pattern. When she thought Qin Cong’an was only so proactive during promotions, she would come to her house and rummage through her bed and cabinets. When she thought Qin Cong’an was just teasing her on a whim, she would still be wearing that ring on her finger.
Qin Cong’an’s fans and the AnLing CP fans were all curious about the origin of this ring. Why had she suddenly started wearing it and never taken it off? It didn’t seem to be required by a brand, and Xu Ling changed her jewelry every day.
Of course, Xu Ling was even more curious, but she didn’t ask. After Qin Cong’an had left that night, she hadn’t asked anything.
The staff from the various collaborations recently, of course, also knew that the number of their CP fans had reached a point of commercial value, and many of the staff were also shipping them, so they paid more attention to the two of them at work.
How should she put it? It was very subtle. Sometimes, they would be holding a small gadget together, their two little heads close together, looking very intimate. Sometimes, as soon as the camera was off, they wouldn’t even look at each other, or one would look and the other wouldn’t. In short, they never met.
It was a little heartbreaking for those who shipped them, but this feeling was also strangely addictive.
Today, they were going on a business trip to a southern island to shoot a dual-cover for a certain magazine, as well as an inside spread.
Both of them had worked with this resource before. Qin Cong’an had shot three solo covers, and Xu Ling had shot an inside ad with two other Chinese female models.
After boarding the plane, Xu Ling saw Qin Cong’an, who was already seated, leisurely reading a magazine. At first, she didn’t think much of it, until she saw the familiar cover. My god, wasn’t this the issue she had been in?
She had shot a lingerie ad, the hot kind… she was going to die.
Although they were separated by a wide aisle, and Qin Cong’an hadn’t even glanced at her, Xu Ling’s whole body started to burn.
Xu Ling silently prayed. It had been three years. Maybe Qin Cong’an wouldn’t even recognize her. And in the photo, she had even applied oil to make her skin look darker. Maybe she looked completely different.
No, Qin Cong’an must have known it was her and bought this issue for that reason. It couldn’t be that the plane still had a three-year-old magazine.
Xu Ling had also bought all three of Qin Cong’an’s magazine issues, and she had bought them a long time ago, keeping them enshrined in her own bedroom.
Xu Ling could even remember what clothes she had worn and what her styling was. Her favorite was the all-white set, with her hair all tied back. She looked particularly high-class, like a goddess descending to the mortal world.
The thought of this set of photos suddenly calmed Xu Ling a little. She felt purified.
But the next second, Qin Cong’an held up the magazine from across the aisle and pointed to a person’s thigh in the inside spread, her eyes asking, is this you?
“…” Xu Ling nodded, resigned to her fate.
Qin Cong’an had confirmed it just to see her expression. Satisfied, she turned back and looked at the picture carefully. There were a few more in the following pages. All three of them had long arms and long legs, and they were all professional models. The photos were very beautiful. But, did they really have to have their hands and legs intertwined?
This was probably art, but Qin Cong’an didn’t understand it. She reached out and covered the other two. Just looking at Xu Ling, mmm, this she understood.
Dark-skinned Xu Ling, with a leopard print on her lingerie, combined with her arrogant expression, she really looked like a powerful leopard. Especially the two distinct lines on her lower abdomen, extending downwards… it felt like dark chocolate, with a bitter fragrance, yet so tempting that it made you want to savor it.
Qin Cong’an turned her head and glanced at Xu Ling again. She was fanning herself with a magazine. A flight attendant happened to come over and ask if she was hot. She waved her hand and said, “It’s fine,” looking as cute as a baby leopard.
Xu Ling noticed that Qin Cong’an was looking at her but deliberately avoided her gaze. She didn’t want to get any hotter. If she had known, she wouldn’t have taken the same flight…
But it wasn’t just one flight. They also had to take the same boat. The small island was an hour away from the main island.
Xu Ling got seasick and had taken motion sickness pills in advance. But when the boat started to rock violently, she still felt a little dizzy. She looked at Qin Cong’an and saw her and Lin Xinnuo leisurely by the side of the boat, as if they were taking pictures while enjoying the scenery… while she didn’t even dare to walk to the side of the boat.
Yi Huai also got seasick. She had long lost her image and was sitting on the floor. When it was at its worst, she even lay down.
Xu Ling closed her eyes and took a deep breath, praying for time to pass quickly. Really, did they have to shoot on that island? Couldn’t they just find any coast? Sigh, it seemed she couldn’t go on a yacht date with Qin Cong’an. Sigh, how did that ad shoot go? She had almost forgotten. Would Qin Cong’an think she wasn’t good after seeing that photo…
As her mind was racing, the plastic chair next to her made a sound. Someone had sat down and even taken her hand.
Xu Ling opened her eyes and looked at the hand with her ring on it, which was now pressing on the web between her thumb and forefinger.
“I just looked it up. They say if you get seasick, pressing here will help,” Qin Cong’an said. She didn’t have her phone, and Lin Xinnuo’s phone signal was a little weak. They had been looking it up by the side of the boat for a long time.
“…Oh.”
“Is it better?” After asking, Qin Cong’an saw her nod and then reached out to press the spot where her head and neck connected. “Here seems to work too.”
It was very effective. But Xu Ling couldn’t say if it was because she had hit the right pressure point or because Qin Cong’an had come to care for her. When you’re not feeling well, and the person you like comes to help you with their gentle yet strong hands… how could you not like her?
Qin Cong’an suddenly said, “I saw online that some people call you ‘Xuxu.’ It’s quite fitting.”
“…” Xu Ling glared at her. Why was she so annoying! “Don’t you have any weaknesses?”
“I do.”
“What?”
Qin Cong’an kneaded the pressure point on the back of Xu Ling’s neck and didn’t answer, then after a moment, asked back, “Why would I expose my weakness to you?”
“It’s fine if you don’t say it.” Xu Ling pouted. “Anyway, I know your weakness.”
Now it was Qin Cong’an’s turn to frown and ask, “What?”
Xu Ling didn’t know, but she gave her a meaningful look. The force on the back of her neck suddenly increased, and it hurt a little. It was a long-lost feeling.
