After We Broke Up, She Started Pursuing Me [Entertainment Industry] 46

Chapter 46

Zhou Jinsi’s gaze lingered on the photo, her brow slightly furrowed, her thoughts frozen.

She tried her best to recall the childhood photos she had seen at Shi Qin’s house, but her memory was frustratingly vague.

And besides, using common sense, one wouldn’t connect Shi Qin with this welfare institute.

But…

Zhou Jinsi tilted her head, staring at the girl in the photo, her expression even more troubled.

Could it be another relative? Or was she originally…

Zhou Jinsi sighed softly to herself and put the photo frame back in its place.

She didn’t dare to think too deeply. On one hand, she was afraid she was being too suspicious. On the other hand, she realized that even now, her understanding of Shi Qin was truly limited.

The scene from that day suddenly flashed in her mind. She had opened the door to a dim, lightless room. Shi Qin stood alone by the window, her silhouette vaguely visible in the evening glow from outside.

When she heard the sound, she turned to look, and the hazy smoke swirled through the room with her movement.

Zhou Jinsi had smelled it—a faint scent of tobacco, and also the smell of loneliness.

To this day, she had never asked her when she had picked up such a habit. Perhaps it was after entering this industry in the past two years, or maybe even earlier, when no one knew.

Her thoughts slowly returned. Zhou Jinsi’s dazed eyes moved away from the photo. She took out her phone and silently took a picture of the photo.

Looking at the still image of the little girl on her phone, Zhou Jinsi paused for a moment, then switched to the WeChat chat interface with Shi Qin.

Her eyes lowered, hovering over the input box, as if she were contemplating something.

.

Inside Jinzhong Welfare Institute.

Wang Yan and Jiang Nuo hadn’t seen each other for some time. The two of them had already taken a stroll around the courtyard, yet their conversation flowed endlessly, increasing rather than diminishing.

“Hey, that child you brought, she really looks a bit like you from back then,” Wang Yan said, looking at the person beside her and smiling as she adjusted her reading glasses.

Jiang Nuo raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is that so?”

“Yes. You used to be so quiet and sullen too, looking like you didn’t like to talk much.”

Hearing this, Jiang Nuo recalled her younger self and lowered her head with an undeniable smile.

Seeing her silent, Wang Yan glanced at her again and couldn’t help but sigh with regret. “Sigh… you, I told you to find someone sooner. It would be so nice to have your own child to accompany you. Sigh…”

Jiang Nuo was taken aback, her heart stirred. Then, she smiled warmly. “Some things you can’t force. Besides, you know, I’ve always seen Qinqin as my own child.”

Wang Yan looked at her and finally shook her head helplessly. “You, you’ve been saying this for years, but in reality, you’ve never truly forgotten. It’s just that you’re too soft-hearted, willing to take care of Qinqin for her all this time…”

“Sister,” Jiang Nuo interrupted her. “It’s not that I’ve been taking care of her all this time. I’ve been busy with work these years. But Shi Hua has also taken good care of her, and she has a younger sister to keep her company.”

Seeing that she was intentionally avoiding certain topics, Wang Yan tactfully didn’t bring them up again. But in her heart, she still sighed for her. After all, she and Jiang Nuo had known each other since they were young, and their relationship was close. Perhaps others didn’t know, but Jiang Nuo would confide in her about many things.

Why Jiang Nuo was still single to this day—thinking about the story behind it, Wang Yan couldn’t help but sigh to herself again.

Evening approached. The afterglow spilled across the narrow path of the welfare institute, a brilliant reddish-gold. A breeze blew, rustling the leaves of a nearby tree, and one fell at Wang Yan’s feet.

She slowly lifted her foot to brush it away. As if remembering something, she looked up at Jiang Nuo and said, “By the way, he came to find me recently, asking about Qinqin’s situation.”

Jiang Nuo was stunned for a moment, then asked, “Who? Is it who I think it is?”

Wang Yan nodded. “He comes every six months or so, asking if Qinqin has come back to visit. I always say no, that since Qinqin was taken away, I haven’t been in contact.”

“Sigh…” Jiang Nuo let out a faint sigh, looking up at the clouds in the sky, and said with emotion, “Maybe there are some things Qinqin shouldn’t know. When I told her back then, I thought she could get away, that she could live a happier life in another family. But now…”

“By a strange twist of fate, she still ended up in this industry. I don’t know what will happen in the future…”

Jiang Nuo remembered the determination with which Shi Qin had spoken of her ambitions before, and she grew even more uneasy. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like when Shi Qin and that person truly came face to face.

Seeing this, Wang Yan patted her on the back in comfort. “Who knows what the future holds? No one can predict it. If you had kept it from her all this time, and she found out one day, wouldn’t she have been even more devastated?”

“Qinqin is not a child anymore. If she really wants to do it, then let her…”

“That person owes her, after all…”

.

The sun set, and night gradually enveloped the bustling city.

After dropping Jiang Nuo off at home, Zhou Jinsi turned toward Shi Qin’s set. She had only decided to go on the way, so she hadn’t notified Shi Qin in advance.

When the car was parked near the location, she finally called Shi Qin. She remembered her saying that she didn’t have many scenes these two days, and she should be off work by now.

The phone rang for a while before it was answered. At first, the voice on the other end was a bit noisy. After a few seconds, it grew quiet. She could feel that Shi Qin had probably walked to a corner to talk.

“Hello, what’s up?”

Zhou Jinsi asked, “Are you still filming?”

Shi Qin: “No, my part is done. I’m getting ready to pack up. What’s wrong?”

Zhou Jinsi hesitated for a moment before saying, “Tonight… do you want to go out for dinner?”

“Huh?” Shi Qin was a little surprised. It was rare for Zhou Jinsi to take the initiative to invite her out. In fact, it was mainly because of their different work schedules, so she cherished every time they could meet.

But…

Zhou Jinsi heard Shi Qin’s helpless “ah” again. “But I already have plans with someone else tonight. What should we do… I’m free all day tomorrow. Can we eat tomorrow?”

Hearing this, Zhou Jinsi naturally agreed. Although she said so, being rejected still made her feel a little disappointed.

She looked at the photo in her phone’s album. Actually, she had also wanted to confirm with Shi Qin in person if this photo was really…

Zhou Jinsi stared at the photo, lost in thought. The car remained parked, not moving. Just as she lifted her eyes, she saw a large group of people walking out from the direction of the set.

She felt a sense of doubt and followed the crowd with her eyes.

After the people had dispersed a little, she finally saw the two tall women standing in the center. One of them was Shi Qin, and the other…

Zhou Jinsi’s gaze fixed on Ji Chen’s face. Seeing her laughing and talking with Shi Qin beside her, her brow furrowed. Her fingertips on the steering wheel dug in, a sour and astringent feeling in her heart, an indescribable taste.

Soon, under her gaze, the two of them got into the same car, blocking her view. Then, the car drove away in front of her.

Zhou Jinsi suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. She opened the car window and took a breath. The fresh air made her feel much better, but the sour, numb feeling in her heart was still hard to dissipate.

This unspeakable sourness came and went. Whenever she thought of it, it would rise in her heart again.

Until night, when she lay in bed with the lights off, her heart was still uncomfortably tight.

At night, once one’s emotions start to overflow, doubts will inevitably grow. She suddenly remembered an analysis post she had seen about Shi Qin’s participation in the variety show during her work break.

She hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time, only skimming it. The content was roughly about how Shi Qin, in her rising career period, urgently needed to quickly accumulate popularity and break through the “young starlet” level. And the seemingly niche same-sex couple, if played well, would have an incredibly high payoff.

And according to the poster’s analysis, Shi Qin was also taking a risk. After all, she had just cut ties with Yin Chenxuan, and forming a new couple with a male artist might be met with public backlash.

But if she went with a same-sex couple, it might have a different effect. Moreover, Shi Qin’s partner was an acquaintance. The poster told everyone not to get too invested.

In summary, maybe this was just a means for Shi Qin to climb up, using the variety show to sell a “couple” for benefits. It would be pitiful if the netizens took it seriously.

At first, when Zhou Jinsi saw this post, she also thought it was nonsense. After all, online opinions varied, and she was the only one who had really interacted with the person in reality.

But… now Zhou Jinsi thought again, was it possible that her choosing her to participate in the variety show really had a profit motive? If so, she actually wouldn’t mind too much. After all, it was for her work. It was just…

If everyone prefers her with…

Zhou Jinsi thought of Ji Chen’s face, beautiful with a unique charm. Then she looked at herself… For a moment, Zhou Jinsi inexplicably started to compare, and a strange sense of inferiority gradually rose.

She opened her chat history with Shi Qin and scrolled through it. After sending a picture of her at the restaurant, there had been no other messages. Several hours had passed…

Feeling uneasy, Zhou Jinsi tossed and turned for a long time but couldn’t fall asleep. She simply lay there with her eyes open, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.

She didn’t know how long had passed. Just as she was feeling a little sleepy, she saw her phone screen light up.

She picked it up, her eyes squinting uncomfortably from the bright light. After a moment, she saw it was a message from Shi Qin.

Shi Qin: Is it convenient to talk?

Zhou Jinsi replied in a second.

: Convenient. What’s wrong?

There was no reply to the message. Instead, a call came through immediately.

Zhou Jinsi turned on the small lamp beside her and answered the phone.

“Are you at home? Right?”

Shi Qin’s question made Zhou Jinsi pause. She replied, “Of course… at this time, where else could I be but at home.”

“Then come out and take a look.”

“Huh? What?”

A light laugh came from the other end of the phone. “I said, come out to the balcony and take a look.”

Zhou Jinsi was stunned. A bold idea popped into her mind. She immediately got out of bed. The living room was dark. She fumbled her way to the balcony in a hurry.

From the second-floor window, she could clearly see the entrance to her house outside. A familiar figure stood under the streetlight. Seeing her arrive, she waved at her.

Zhou Jinsi blinked in disbelief, for a moment only feeling the tightness in her heart grow even more. She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

After a long moment, she asked softly, “Is… is that you?”

She saw the person under the streetlight seem to tilt their head. She could imagine her smiling at her.

“Yes, it’s me.”

She replied, the light shining on her, making her stand out. Shi Qin took off her mask, her eyes curving, a smile on her lips.