After We Broke Up, She Started Pursuing Me [Entertainment Industry] 11

Chapter 11

Her heart seized.

Zhou Jinsi’s gaze, filled with a mix of confusion and shock, fell upon Shi Qin. But the other woman still wore a nonchalant expression, letting her words hang unfinished.

The air suddenly fell terrifyingly silent.

In the next second, Shi Qin’s eyes curved into crescents. She tilted her head with a bewitching coyness and said, “She’s my former schoolmate.”

Beneath her mask, her beautiful, petal-like lips curved into a triumphant smile.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Teacher Zhou?”

Shi Qin tossed the question back to her.

Zhou Jinsi breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment of silence, she looked down at the still-confused Shen Nan and said, “Teacher Shen, I’m going to step out to talk for a bit.”

“Oh, oh, okay, okay.”

Zhou Jinsi was always polite and courteous to others, but seeing this, the small flame that had just been extinguished in Shi Qin’s heart flared up again.

Why isn’t she looking at me when she speaks?

Shi Qin was stunningly beautiful and had grown accustomed to the gazes of attraction or admiration from others. This was the first time she had tasted a hint of defeat, and it was from Zhou Jinsi. It was like offering a warm face only to be met with a cold shoulder.

Blockhead!

Zhou Jinsi, who was naturally insensitive to others’ emotions, of course, didn’t notice her strange mood. After stepping out of the room and seeing that Shi Qin hadn’t moved, she grew anxious and had no choice but to grab her by the wrist and pull her outside.

Leaving behind Shen Nan, who had just been mistaken for a rival in love and was now staring blankly at their retreating figures.

…

“You…”

Shi Qin was being dragged along by her. Zhou Jinsi was tall, with long legs and a wide stride. One of her steps was equal to two of Shi Qin’s. What’s more, she was quickening her pace. How could Shi Qin possibly keep up?

“Where on earth are you taking me?”

Zhou Jinsi didn’t speak, still pulling her forward with large steps.

“Zhou Jinsi!”

Helpless, Shi Qin couldn’t stop herself from calling out to her in annoyance.

Finally, Zhou Jinsi pulled her to a stop inside the restroom at the corner of the hallway.

When she turned to look at her, Shi Qin saw a rare sight: Zhou Jinsi, angry. Her brows were slightly furrowed, her eyes filled with unconcealed fury.

Shi Qin didn’t know what she was angry about. Was it because she had come to find her?

“What did you bring me here for?”

Zhou Jinsi didn’t answer, only saying in a cold voice, “What did you come to find me for?”

“Can’t I come find you if there’s nothing specific?”

Zhou Jinsi’s frown deepened. She tilted her head back slightly and took a deep breath, saying helplessly, “Can you please not be so unreasonable?”

“I’m being unreasonable?”

Shi Qin looked at Zhou Jinsi in utter disbelief, as if she had just heard a joke.

Zhou Jinsi: “What you did just now… if someone had really overheard and decided to look into it, what would you do? Have you thought about that? What if it brings about some consequences?”

What she was thinking was, whether it was Shen Nan or someone else, words spoken without thought could be taken to heart by the listener. What if they really did find out about Shi Qin’s past relationship? After all, she was a public figure now, and she didn’t know if her past would affect her.

She was afraid that Shi Qin would be hurt by others because of her relationship with her.

But Shi Qin misunderstood.

“What did I do? Did I say something? Do you think I haven’t considered the potential consequences? Zhou Jinsi, I’m an adult too.”

“Or should I say, you just don’t want your colleague to know about us?”

Shi Qin retorted with a cold laugh, her heart sour and bitter. It felt awful.

She had run all this way to find her, to see her, to have a proper talk. And what did she get? A lecture like this.

Hearing this, Zhou Jinsi whipped her head around to face her, her eyes filled with disbelief.

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment. She slowly said, “What are you talking about?”

She and Shen Nan weren’t even what you could call close. She truly didn’t understand why Shi Qin would say such a thing.

Hearing her say that, an image of graduation night flashed in Zhou Jinsi’s mind—of seeing her with her arms around someone else.

Even after so long, the memory still hurt.

Originally, Shi Qin had spoken harshly in a moment of anger. She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. Seeing Zhou Jinsi’s eyes gradually redden, she was even considering softening her tone and apologizing.

But in the next second, the words Zhou Jinsi spoke sent a chill through her entire body.

“She’s an irrelevant person. And besides, we’ve already broken up. There’s no need to bring it up again.”

This was the first time Shi Qin had heard Zhou Jinsi say to her face, so decisively, that they had broken up.

Shi Qin’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out. In the end, her anger turned into a laugh. “Fine. Fine, Zhou Jinsi. Very good…”

So, for the past two years, she was the only one acting like a fool, still wanting to find her, still wanting to wait for her, still thinking there must have been some other reason behind their breakup.

But now, that person was saying it was meaningless.

Her pride and arrogance forced Shi Qin to hold back the tears that had already filled her eyes. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Finally, she looked away and said nonchalantly, “Fine. You’re right.”

“Thank you for the reminder.”

With that, Shi Qin walked out without a backward glance. Zhou Jinsi watched her leave, her expression complicated. The look Shi Qin had given her just now made her feel a strange pang of regret.

Was I too harsh…

Thinking back, it had always been Shi Qin who had initiated contact these past few times. It didn’t seem like she had no feelings for her. But she also couldn’t see through Shi Qin’s heart. It was all so vague, so blurry, seemingly real and fake at the same time. How was she supposed to tell the difference?

With this contradictory feeling, Zhou Jinsi walked all the way back to the office.

The moment she sat back down, Shen Nan immediately came over and asked curiously, “Teacher Zhou, you know Shi Qin?”

Zhou Jinsi’s thoughts were still a mess. She looked up and replied distractedly, “Oh… yes… we’re friends.”

Shen Nan nodded thoughtfully, then remembered something and chuckled. “Hey, Teacher Zhou, do you have to proctor the evening study hall tonight?”

Zhou Jinsi thought for a moment and then shook her head.

Shen Nan: “Then do you want to come with me to watch them film? You can even chat with your old friend.”

Zhou Jinsi’s brain didn’t quite catch up. She subconsciously asked, “Huh?”

Shen Nan continued to explain, “Just now, I saw my cousin post on his Moments. I thought the background looked familiar, so I messaged him and found out he’s also filming at our school!”

Zhou Jinsi: “Your cousin is also an actor?”

Shen Nan said proudly, “No, he’s the director of this movie, Shen Junnan.”

.

Although it was early evening, spring had not yet arrived, and the days were still short and the nights long.

During the school’s evening study hall, the academic building grew quiet. Zhou Jinsi and Shen Nan walked together, heading up the stairs to the rooftop.

According to Shen Nan, the evening shoot was taking place on the school’s rooftop. When Shen Junnan heard she was coming to watch, he was, of course, happy to invite them.

But at first, Zhou Jinsi had refused.

She had spent the entire afternoon replaying the look in Shi Qin’s eyes when she had said those last words that morning. It was a coldness Zhou Jinsi had never felt before.

She didn’t refuse because she didn’t want to see her, but because she was afraid to. She didn’t know what kind of expression to wear when facing Shi Qin. Speaking so harshly hadn’t been her intention; subconsciously, she still wanted to maintain a dignified relationship with her.

And so, two little figures were constantly fighting in her mind.

One little figure said, You’ve already broken up, you don’t know her attitude, and it’s been two years. Why not just be more decisive? The other little figure said, But seeing her like that makes you sad too, doesn’t it? Breaking up doesn’t mean you have to burn bridges…

Besides, do you really not want to see her?

Zhou Jinsi asked herself internally.

In the end, her emotional side won. Two years had passed, and she realized that whenever Shi Qin took the initiative, she was still unable to refuse.

The two of them reached the rooftop. The entrance was surrounded by a group of staff, making it impossible to see inside. After Shen Nan explained the situation to a staff member, they were led to Shen Junnan.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes had been watching them intently.

From the moment Zhou Jinsi and Shen Nan walked over to Shen Junnan, Shi Qin had noticed them. And so, the anger from the morning, which had not yet subsided, was now stoked with fresh fuel.

But this time, when Zhou Jinsi’s gaze turned toward her, she silently averted her eyes, which in turn made Zhou Jinsi freeze and lower her own gaze.

The crew got ready, and after a short while, they began to film.

Last time, she could only watch from below the stage. This time, Zhou Jinsi was standing near her, and she could even observe the changes in her facial expressions on the monitor.

She acted very vividly, at least in Zhou Jinsi’s layman’s opinion.

Every time she saw Shi Qin in a school uniform, Zhou Jinsi couldn’t help but recall the past. She wondered how the Shi Qin of then had changed from the Shi Qin of now, and whether she had ever truly noticed her existence back then…

This scene was an emotional one between the male and female leads. It was about the female lead, who, after finding out she had done poorly on an exam and being scolded by her parents, runs to the rooftop in despair. The male lead secretly follows her up and, seeing her crying, can’t help but gently hug her to comfort her.

It was a scene with very delicate emotional changes. There was intimate contact, but the female lead hadn’t yet developed feelings for the male lead. It was a purely friendly hug that had to be brief but also appropriately show the female lead’s shyness at being in such close contact with a member of the opposite sex for the first time.

But with Zhou Jinsi watching, and after their argument that morning, Shi Qin was not in a good state. After two cuts, they had to do another take.

Even though she knew it was acting, seeing her embrace someone else like that, Zhou Jinsi couldn’t help but feel a sour pang in her heart. She couldn’t suppress this wave of emotion.

Just as she couldn’t control the fact that she was still in love with Shi Qin.

Of course, Shi Qin didn’t miss Zhou Jinsi’s distracted state, her eyes looking at her and then darting away. She knew she clearly cared, but when she remembered the words she had said that morning, her heart grew cold again.

The new take was finally a success. But unusually, Shi Qin didn’t leave right away. Instead, she took the initiative to grab Yin Chenxuan’s arm, shaking it and telling him in a flirtatious way that she wasn’t in a good state today, which was why they had to do so many retakes, and asking him not to mind.

Yin Chenxuan hadn’t taken it to heart in the first place; after all, he himself sometimes had to do several retakes. But when had Shi Qin ever acted like such a young girl toward him?

Of course, he happily accepted this sudden “blessing.”

Why was the sight of these two talking and laughing so piercing?

Zhou Jinsi frowned as she looked at the laughing pair, her heart naturally feeling awful.

So, she can be this intimate with another person at any time. Ha.

Zhou Jinsi, what are you getting all sentimental for again?