After We Broke Up, She Started Pursuing Me [Entertainment Industry] 4

Chapter 4

Zhou Jinsi’s brain short-circuited for a few seconds. Her gaze slid from Shi Qin’s face down to the tantalizing scenery below her collarbones. She froze, blinked, and then turned her head away. “Why… were you looking for me?”

This person’s eyes used to be fixed on her. When had she started avoiding her gaze like this? Shi Qin felt a twinge of resentment.

Besides, why was she looking for her? Did she really not know? Or was she playing dumb?

Shi Qin looked directly into her eyes. “You left so suddenly, it was like you vanished from the face of the earth. Not a single word. Shouldn’t I have looked for you?”

Zhou Jinsi still didn’t look at her, her gaze dropping to the empty space beside her. She stated woodenly, “But we already broke up…”

In Zhou Jinsi’s world, a breakup meant the end of a relationship. Since their relationship was over, why complicate things? Besides, the person she truly wanted wasn’t her. She probably only agreed back then out of a sense of being moved.

Zhou Jinsi didn’t need that kind of pity. If she wasn’t in Shi Qin’s heart, she would rather Shi Qin be with the person she truly loved.

Hearing her answer, Shi Qin couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger. “Zhou Jinsi!” she snapped.

“Are you really not getting it, or are you playing dumb? We broke up without a clear reason. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

A sharp pain pierced Zhou Jinsi’s heart. How could she say it? Was she supposed to say she had seen her entangled with her ex—no, her ex-ex-girlfriend? Ha, speaking of which, wasn’t she in a similar situation now?

Her usually calm eyes slowly rose to meet the other woman’s. No matter the time or place, those eyes were always exquisite and full of emotion, yet Zhou Jinsi could never see through them. She could never understand what Shi Qin was thinking, even though they had once been in an intimate relationship.

“I already told you, I felt we weren’t a good fit…”

Shi Qin pressed, “Not a good fit? In what way? Tell me clearly.”

Back then, it was because of this very phrase, “not a good fit.” Shi Qin had kept asking, but Zhou Jinsi could never give an answer, only repeating the same line. In a fit of anger, Shi Qin had blocked her. By the time she regretted it, she found she could no longer contact Zhou Jinsi either.

Zhou Jinsi’s lips pressed together. She couldn’t speak, her knuckles clenching into a fist beneath the covers.

Seeing her reaction, Shi Qin felt a pang of pain in her heart and let out a cold laugh. “It’s been two years, and you still can’t give me a concrete reason, can you?”

“You don’t like me anymore? You hate me? You’re tired of me?” Seeing her refuse to speak, Shi Qin decided to provoke her. She leaned down, her lips close to her slightly flushed ear. “But when I kissed you last night, you didn’t reject me.”

She said such seductive words in the most nonchalant tone, tinged with a hint of irony, but Zhou Jinsi’s heart still traitorously skipped a few beats.

With that, Shi Qin’s long, fair fingers slowly caressed Zhou Jinsi’s cheek, her gaze falling to the thin lips that were now swollen from her kisses last night.

Just as she was about to lean in again, Zhou Jinsi jerked her head to the side, dodging her. Shi Qin’s lips brushed against her cheek, leaving behind a tingling sensation.

Zhou Jinsi had to admit, Shi Qin’s importance in her heart had never changed. Even after two years, her heart still fluttered at the sight of her. But her affection wasn’t something for Shi Qin to play with. What did this kind of casual intimacy even mean?

After bottling it up for so long, even the most level-headed person would get angry. Zhou Jinsi’s breathing grew heavy. Her brows furrowed, but even in her anger, she didn’t raise her voice.

“Do you really not know?” Zhou Jinsi asked her softly.

Her gaze slowly turned back to meet Shi Qin’s. The depth and complex emotions in her eyes made Shi Qin freeze. She heard her ask again, “Why our relationship ended, do you really not know?”

Shi Qin didn’t understand at all. Her lovely brows knitted together in confusion. “How would I know if you don’t tell me?”

“It was a long time ago,” Zhou Jinsi replied faintly. There was no point in talking about it anymore. Besides, what was Shi Qin’s motive for getting close to her now? Resentment, or perhaps indignation? If so, Zhou Jinsi wanted her charity even less.

Or maybe, what Zhou Jinsi cared about wasn’t just what happened back then, but the realization that there was a real gap between her and Shi Qin, one that stemmed from a deeper layer of insecurity…

In truth, they had never truly understood each other.

That single sentence choked off the questions Shi Qin was about to ask. A rare trace of melancholy appeared on her usually bright face. So, in her heart, she thinks it’s already over… Zhou Jinsi…

Shi Qin’s gaze landed on Zhou Jinsi’s small, high-bridged nose, and she zoned out. She had no idea what to do with this version of Zhou Jinsi, who was immune to both hard and soft tactics.

The two fell silent for a long moment. Zhou Jinsi looked at the light from the window casting a patch on the corner of the bed, then at Shi Qin, who was staring blankly at something, lost in thought. She prepared to get up. “I drank too much last night and went to the wrong room. I’m sorry… I’ll be going now.”

“Wait.” Shi Qin grabbed her wrist. Zhou Jinsi froze and looked back at her.

Shi Qin flashed her signature innocent smile, which now seemed incredibly bewitching. “Leaving just like that? You’re not going to take any responsibility for what happened last night?”

Zhou Jinsi paused, subconsciously looking down at her clothes. She was only wearing a thin inner shirt; the rest of her clothes were on the small sofa nearby. She then looked at the bathrobe Shi Qin was wearing. A few shameful fragments of memory flashed through her mind, and a blush slowly crept up her face.

But her memory contained nothing beyond the two of them kissing… nothing else. Her clothes were on properly. If something had really happened, how could she have no memory of it at all?

As if she knew what she was thinking, Shi Qin added fuel to the fire. “We didn’t go all the way, it’s true. But we were just one step away. Are you planning to… have your fill and run?”

Zhou Jinsi’s heart gave a heavy thud.

She swallowed, her hand slowly clenching the quilt covering her legs. She forced herself to calm down. Though still confused, she spoke with a hint of apology. “I’m sorry… I, I really don’t remember…”

The way she lowered her head to admit her fault, with her back to her, was like a small child. Shi Qin found it amusing and couldn’t help but smile.

After an internal struggle, Zhou Jinsi mustered the courage to turn back to Shi Qin. But she only glanced up for a second before quickly looking down again. She had indeed drunk too much last night. Although she remembered Shi Qin initiating it… what if she had… later on…

The thought made Zhou Jinsi feel even more mortified. She lowered her head further. “If… if I really did something… I’m sorry. I promise it will never happen again, really…”

“I’ll be going now…”

Without waiting for Shi Qin’s reply, Zhou Jinsi scrambled out of bed, head down, hastily slipped on her shoes, grabbed her clothes from the sofa, and hurried out of the room.

If she stayed any longer, she would only become more flustered. She couldn’t face Shi Qin with a calm heart, especially since she was the one who had gotten drunk and entered the wrong room…

Shi Qin watched her frantic departure with an amused smile. She had been teasing her on purpose; after all, she knew Zhou Jinsi would blush. She’d been so drunk last night that even if she’d wanted something to happen, it couldn’t have.

Zhou Jinsi…

Shi Qin silently repeated the name.

It’s good that you’re back. Now that you’re back, don’t even think about running away from me again. Even if some things can’t be cleared up now, with a little more time, they will be…

.

Zhou Jinsi fled back to her own room. Her room number was 918; Shi Qin’s was 916. Drunk and confused last night, her vision had been blurry, and she’d mistaken the 6 for an 8, leading to this accident.

She didn’t dwell on it. She just focused on packing her luggage and heading downstairs. It was almost lunchtime. Her family had just called to ask how much longer she would be. She hadn’t been back in two years; she wondered how things were at home.

Zhou Jinsi’s home was a standalone villa in an affluent neighborhood. Her father, Zhou Lin, was the president of Tianyu Media, one of the four major entertainment media companies. Her mother, Lin Qing, also came from a wealthy family; Zhou Jinsi’s maternal grandfather had even provided some financial assistance when Tianyu was first established.

Not only was the family wealthy, but the family atmosphere was also very warm.
Zhou Lin and Lin Qing doted on Zhou Jinsi as if she were a precious treasure, though they never neglected her education. That was why they had supported her without a second thought when she proposed going to graduate school in another city, only adding a few words of concern.

As soon as Zhou Jinsi stepped through the door, Auntie Wu came over to take her luggage. “Oh my, Miss has changed so much, I almost didn’t recognize you,” she said kindly. “The Master and Madam are already waiting in the dining room on the second floor. You should go up, Miss.”

Auntie Wu had been the family’s housekeeper since Zhou Jinsi was three, managing everything in the house impeccably. Although they were technically employer and employee, she adored Zhou Jinsi. Hearing her words, Zhou Jinsi finally felt the reality of being home and smiled. “Thank you, Auntie Wu. I’ll head up now.”

Auntie Wu’s comment about her changing wasn’t just a pleasantry. When Zhou Jinsi walked up to Zhou Lin and Lin Qing, both of them lit up at the sight of their long-unseen daughter.

Lin Qing, though middle-aged, had lost none of her elegant beauty. She smiled, took Zhou Jinsi’s hand, and had her sit beside her. “After two years, you’ve become so much more beautiful,” she said happily.

Zhou Lin chuckled in agreement. “Yes, they say a girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood. Daddy almost didn’t recognize you just now.”

Embarrassed by their praise, Zhou Jinsi lowered her head slightly. The three of them shared a long-overdue meal at the table, chatting about everyday things, before Zhou Lin finally asked, “So, now that you’re back, have you thought about what kind of work you want to do?”

“How about I take you to the company sometime? Your Auntie Jiang misses you.”

Jiang Nuo was a top agent at Tianyu Media and a good friend of Zhou Lin’s. She would occasionally visit their home to discuss work with him. Zhou Jinsi had met her a few times and only remembered her as a capable-looking yet kind-faced auntie.

Zhou Lin had always intended for Zhou Jinsi to start with a basic position at the company. He believed in his daughter’s abilities, but unfortunately, Zhou Jinsi’s ambitions lay elsewhere. “It would be nice to see Auntie Jiang,” she said, politely declining, “but I’ve already found a job, Dad.”

“Oh? What job?”

“A teacher at Jing’an Jingcheng High School. I’ll be teaching a senior class soon.”

Jing’an Jingcheng High School was a well-known private school for the wealthy in Jing’an City. It boasted first-class facilities and environment, and its educational resources were naturally outstanding, with academic results second only to Jing’an No. 1 High School.

Hearing this, Zhou Lin nodded in approval. He had heard of the school. Although he was still a little disappointed, he respected his daughter’s choice, only saying that if she ever had the desire to come to the company, she was welcome anytime.

After some more casual chat, Lin Qing, concerned about Zhou Jinsi’s health and worried she might be tired from the trip, told her to go rest in her room after she finished eating.

The moment she returned to her room and closed the door, Zhou Jinsi received a message from Lin Qi.

Lin Qi: Which school are you working at again?

Lin Qi: I just saw the news. Shi Qin’s new movie is going to be filmed at Jingcheng High School.