After We Broke Up, She Started Pursuing Me [Entertainment Industry] 83

Chapter 83 – The End

Another year and a half passed in the blink of an eye.

Originally, due to the impact of Lu Xing’s misdeeds, the release of “Delicate Flower” was met with much controversy. But the public unanimously believed that since the director did not act in it, it should not have a fundamental connection to whether the work could be shown.

And so, after “Delicate Flower” was released, with its dramatic plot that exposed human nature and the exquisite acting of the cast, it received unanimous praise from both inside and outside the industry.

Some of the actors who played important roles in the film also saw their fame rise as a result. It could be said that the actor and the work achieved mutual success.

And Shi Qin, through the role of “Jiang Han” in “Delicate Flower,” successfully received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the annual Golden Lion Awards.

Although she did not win, Shi Qin did not feel any regret.

After all, she had debuted for less than five years. To be nominated for such a major award was already an affirmation and encouragement of her acting skills.

After that, Shi Qin decided to transform, turning down most variety shows and carefully selecting her scripts. She planned to settle down from now on. She wanted to become a real actress, not a so-called “popular starlet.”

This was not only her pursuit, but from another perspective, it was also her taking the path that Ye Qingnan had not finished walking back then.

.

These past few days, Shi Qin had been busy with the filming of a new drama, while Zhou Jinsi was preparing a speech.

She had been invited to participate in the high school spirit rally for the third-year students at her alma mater. Zhou Jinsi would be giving a speech on stage as an outstanding graduate.

Zhou Jinsi was also very surprised by the invitation, but she also took it very seriously, staying up for several nights to revise her speech over and over again, until she was most satisfied with the version.

On the day of the spirit rally, as Zhou Jinsi listened to the principal’s speech from below the stage, she was in a daze, also recalling her own high school memories, feeling a wave of emotion.

She had thought she was sufficiently prepared, but she hadn’t expected that when it was her turn to go on stage, looking at the students below, all of them in the prime of their youth, all eyes were on her.

Today, Zhou Jinsi wore a relatively loose suit, a black and white combination. The top button of the shirt inside was fastened, and the hem was tucked into her suit pants, very fitting and neat.

Her long black hair fell straight down, making her face look even more fair and clean. She had even put on some light makeup today, a rare occasion, her complexion much better than usual.

On the podium, she stood straight, her voice clear and steady as she read the speech in her hand. Her whole person exuded a natural maturity and an elite presence.

Just by looking at the students below, and comparing their gazes toward her with those toward the principal just now, one could feel how eye-catching Zhou Jinsi was at this moment.

“What I want to tell everyone is that the gaokao (the national college entrance exam) is not a defining test for you, but the first crossroads you face on the journey of life. But please remember, no matter which path you take, there are different sceneries and different stories along the way.”

“Finally, I hope everyone can work hard in this one year and strive for yourselves. Thank you, everyone!”

With that, a round of applause erupted from below the stage, lasting for a long time.

Zhou Jinsi let out a sigh of relief. After bowing, she stepped down from the stage. Just as she was about to return to her seat, she was suddenly called out—

“Classmate.”

Zhou Jinsi was taken aback, not sure if she was being called, but she still subconsciously looked back.

A girl in a school uniform, but wearing a baseball cap and a mask, was looking at her.

Surprise flashed in Zhou Jinsi’s eyes. She quickly pulled the girl to the covered sports field behind them. Seeing that there was no one around, she finally asked, “What are you doing here?”

The girl took off her mask and raised an eyebrow at her with a smile. Who else could it be but Shi Qin?

“Isn’t it your speech today? I came to see.”

With that, Shi Qin pretended to be serious and patted Zhou Jinsi’s shoulder. “Not bad. As expected of Xiao Zhou-laoshi. Some of the students were yawning before, but the moment you went on stage, they all perked up.”

Being praised by her like this, Zhou Jinsi was a little embarrassed. She cleared her throat twice, her gaze returning to Shi Qin, sizing her up.

“Then why are you still… wearing a school uniform? Where did you get it?”

This school uniform looked very new.

“I bought it at the little shop at the entrance,” Shi Qin said matter-of-factly.

Then, she took out a set of school uniforms that had not yet been unwrapped from her backpack and handed it to Zhou Jinsi.

“Here, I also bought a set for you.”

Zhou Jinsi was baffled by her action and asked in confusion, “Huh? What is this for?”

Shi Qin took off her hat, gently shaking out her hair. The fragrance of her hair entered Zhou Jinsi’s nose. She saw Shi Qin give her a mysterious smile.

“A date.”

“Let’s go—” Shi Qin pulled on Zhou Jinsi’s sleeve and walked. “Go change your clothes.”

Zhou Jinsi still didn’t understand Shi Qin’s thoughts and was helplessly pulled by her to change.

When she walked out of the restroom in a school uniform, Zhou Jinsi was still not used to it and looked down at herself.

“Mhm, it suits you very well,” Shi Qin said with a smile as she helped her adjust her collar.

As the two of them walked down the stairs, Zhou Jinsi asked her, “Aren’t you filming today? Why did you suddenly come over?”

“My co-star had a scheduling conflict. My scenes were changed to be filmed tomorrow.”

“Then what are we doing now…” Zhou Jinsi looked at the school uniform she was wearing, hesitating.

Seeing her confusion, Shi Qin smiled and linked her arm through hers. “Didn’t you say you regretted not being with me sooner? Today is a good day. Let’s experience it.”

Zhou Jinsi stared at her for a long time before she slowly said, “So are we back in high school now?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then…” Zhou Jinsi’s lips curved into a smile. “Classmate, what we’re doing now is considered puppy love. We can’t do this…”

Zhou Jinsi’s jokes were always so sudden.

“Tsk,” Shi Qin chided her, raising her hand to hit her. Seeing this, Zhou Jinsi was about to dodge. Shi Qin chased after her, and the two of them began to chase each other on the stairs like children.

The two of them first took a stroll around the academic building, then went to the athletic field, holding hands and walking in circles.

They wore school uniforms, walked on the red track, and looked at the green trees along the way, as if they had really returned to their middle school days.

Perhaps because the two of them were too eye-catching, they were recognized by some students who were having a physical education class. They all ran over to ask for autographs and photos.

In the past, Shi Qin might have had to hide, but since she and Zhou Jinsi often shared their daily lives online, she was also very generous when they were recognized.

Although she couldn’t announce it in a more explicit identity, at least this way, everyone would know of Zhou Jinsi’s existence, and her significance to her.

How was this not another form of official announcement?

Zhou Jinsi looked at the few female students who had gotten their autographs and were excitedly pulling their friends away, and couldn’t help but sigh, “In the past, I also used to look at you like them.”

Shi Qin looked up at her. “Mhm? How did you look at me?”

“It’s just… with sparkling eyes, feeling like you were a star, very distant.”

Shi Qin smiled. “And now?”

“Now… now it’s different.”

“How is it different? Are you tired of looking after so long?”

“Of course not,” Zhou Jinsi said with a smile as she pulled her into her arms and whispered, “Now I feel that your beauty is more real.”

“Especially when we’re in bed.”

Shi Qin glared at her coquettishly and unceremoniously pinched her waist. She didn’t even bother with the other’s cry of pain.

She didn’t know how, but in just these one or two years, Zhou Jinsi was not only not shy about these things now, but also very proactive.

Occasionally, she would even say similar things to her. Shi Qin even suspected that the original simple and dazed Zhou Xiao Si had been replaced by someone else.

With nothing to do, the two of them went to the library and the cafeteria, and took a stroll around every corner of the school.

It wasn’t until night fell that the two of them returned to the lawn of the athletic field and lay down directly to look at the starry sky.

They said they were looking at the starry sky, but the sky was pitch black, and they couldn’t see anything. But it made one feel that the sky was infinitely vast, and for a moment, one’s heart felt open.

They just lay there silently. After a long moment, Shi Qin finally found Zhou Jinsi’s hand and held it, their fingers intertwining.

“Do you know?”

Hearing this, Zhou Jinsi turned her gaze to look at her.

Shi Qin stared at her exceptionally clear eyes in the night and said, “You said before that you noticed me because of the new student assembly at that time.”

“But when I saw you giving a speech on stage today, I was thinking…”

“If we had switched identities back then, and you were the one giving the speech, then I probably would have noticed you at a glance too.”

“And then… maybe like you, I would have silently placed this person in my heart and secretly observed her for a few years?”

“But perhaps even if we did it all over again, I would still fall in love with you, and you would also fall in love with me, right?”

Faced with Shi Qin’s sudden and nonsensical thoughts, Zhou Jinsi couldn’t help but laugh.

She moved closer to Shi Qin, raised her hand to brush away the hair that had been messed up by the wind, and said softly, “I don’t want any ‘ifs.’ And I don’t want to do it all over again. I just want the present.”

“I really like the you now, and the me now. I want to be by your side like this, always, and then grow old, and then…”

Before Zhou Jinsi could finish, her mouth was covered by Shi Qin.

“Don’t say the rest.”

“I also really like the us now. No matter what happens in the future, at least for now, I want to cherish it.”

Shi Qin smiled gently, her eyes as soft as water.

“I love you.”

She closed her eyes. Her hand had not yet been removed from Zhou Jinsi’s lips, and she kissed her through it.

Zhou Jinsi lowered her eyes and looked at her emotional appearance. Her heart was also a soft mess, her deep feelings hard to express.

She gently removed Shi Qin’s hand, and bit by bit, moved closer to her. “Then I will love you more than you love me.”

With that, she closed her eyes and lightly placed a kiss on Shi Qin’s lips.

Under the night sky, on the school’s lawn, in the faint moonlight, they stared into each other’s eyes, as if time had frozen at this moment.

They looked at each other without words, but it was as if their words were being exchanged in this lingering gaze, for a long, long time…