Chapter 57: Doubts Part 2

It was already impressive that a young lady like her could face the camera barefaced. By the time Yan Muyu got back to the room, Xi Xi couldn’t resist asking, “You and Director Qiu got something going on?”

Yan Muyu: …

She glanced at Liu Song, who was sitting nearby editing photos on her laptop. After hours, the Little Mud House felt just like a girls’ dorm.

Yan Muyu herself had never lived in a six-person dorm. Back in high school, she’d always roomed with Qiu Siyuan, and because the bathroom conditions were so bad, they’d even sneak out to a hotel to shower.

She figured someone like Xi Xi had never dealt with that either.

Yan Muyu shot back irritably, “What do you mean ‘something going on’?”

She could be pretty mean when she wanted, tailoring her barbs perfectly. “What about you and Liu Song—got something going on?”

Ding Yingxue and Pei Wan had already retreated to their rooms, leaving just the three of them in the hall.

Liu Song was still trying to edit a photo of herself and Xi Xi to make them look more mature, countering those snarky netizen comments calling them mother and daughter.

Suddenly put on the spot, Liu Song jumped.

She let out a bewildered “Huh?”

Xi Xi waved her off. “This doesn’t concern you. Keep editing your pics.”

Yan Muyu snorted. “What’s there to worry about? Photoshop Xi Xi to look eighteen, and if she meets an eighteen-year-old, it won’t be you anyway.”

The words cut straight through that thin veil between Xi Xi and Liu Song.

Liu Song panicked all of a sudden. She looked at Yan Muyu, then at Xi Xi. “Did you two fight?”

Yan Muyu shook her head. “No fight. Your Sister Xi just seems in a foul mood—stabbing at anyone who crosses her path.”

Her hair was almost dry now, fluffed up and messy.

The loose sleepshirt made Yan Muyu look even flatter-chested, but the way she stood there so casually sharpened her gaze.

All traces of her usual laziness vanished.

Yan Muyu took a couple steps forward. As she passed Liu Song, she asked, “You didn’t hear her ex is stirring up trouble again?”

Liu Song turned to Xi Xi, then whipped out her phone the next second.

Liu Song wasn’t that old, and Xi Xi even handled her social media for her.

Despite the big age gap, the younger one acted more like the old fogey.

Xi Xi sighed. “Don’t bother looking. I’ve handled it.”

Yan Muyu smirked. “If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out to her. Your Sister Xi is so gorgeous—suitors line up from here to overseas.”

If it had been teasing before, now Yan Muyu sounded just like she’d felt after Qiu Siyuan poked at her—after being the entertainment for so long, she wanted to see someone else’s drama.

“Who knows? She might end up with a singer boyfriend, and then she won’t be your manager anymore.”

Xi Xi let out a sharp “Hey!”

Yan Muyu sauntered upstairs at a leisurely pace.

She ran right into Qiu Chao coming down. The two of them locked eyes, one heading up, the other down.

Qiu Chao glanced at the door, then whispered, “What’s going on?”

Yan Muyu replied, “Just reminding the kid to seize the moment when she should, or regret it forever.”

Qiu Chao didn’t continue down. She watched Yan Muyu climb the wooden stairs, smiling as she asked, “Sounds like you’ve got some experience with that. When’s the last time you missed your shot?”

Yan Muyu shook her head. “Never happened to me.”

Qiu Chao said softly, “It has to me.”

She turned and headed back up. The spaghetti-strap nightgown hugged her curves perfectly, swaying seductively with every step.

It was easy to sense the beauty forged in her soul from the ups and downs of life.

Yan Muyu called after her. “You still have regrets?”

Something clattered to the floor downstairs— a sharp, crisp sound.

Yan Muyu figured it was one of Xi Xi’s collectible mugs that had shattered.

The second floor was still the half-finished state Yan Muyu had left it in after cleaning, the little living area cluttered with odds and ends.

The air carried the musty scent of aged wood.

Qiu Chao approached the room and parted the beaded curtain.

That time Xuan Zhelu had gotten drunk and nearly tumbled down, hurting Yan Muyu in the process. Fearing a repeat, Yan Muyu had tried to make her sleep downstairs.

But Xuan Zhelu refused to share with Qiu Chao. She claimed it was too much pressure bunking with a big senior, though everyone knew what she really meant.

She’d muddied the waters herself and even tried roping Ding Yingxue in. “Don’t you worship Teacher Qiu Chao? Wanna swap with me?”

Ding Yingxue wasn’t having it, of course. She was glued to Pei Wan. In the end, Xuan Zhelu ended up sulking on the first floor, watching enviously as Qiu Chao and Yan Muyu headed upstairs.

Ding Yingxue was loving the gossip, barely holding back her laughter behind Pei Wan.

These past few days making the fish lamps had worn Yan Muyu out—she’d crash the moment she hit the bed.

With her hand injured, Qiu Chao hadn’t gotten clingy either. Sharing a bed felt even more restrained than their old twin setup.

But tonight was different.

Qiu Chao had shattered that barrier between them, even admitting her scheming.

And for some inexplicable reason, Yan Muyu had gone along with it.

The upstairs furnishings were just as dated, and the morning streams had the viewers all nostalgic.

From the DVD player to the beaded curtain, even the half-empty jar of cold cream on the side.

Yan Muyu had just tidied things up, not thrown anything out.

She had her contradictions too—a wealthy heiress who didn’t worry about food or clothes, yet obsessed over old junk.

Like that time over a decade ago, hitting the Ghost Market at midnight for treasures, comforting Qiu Chao late into the night, playing a scratchy “Sweet Honey” on a beat-up phonograph.

Later, when someone interviewed Qiu Chao about her favorite song, this one slipped out first.

It wasn’t Yan Muyu’s favorite—it was hers, the lullaby backdrop to Yan Muyu lulling her to sleep.

Just like her mood back then, sweet beyond words.

She’d even turned away so Yan Muyu wouldn’t see her on the verge of tears, pretending to shiver as she reached for the other’s hand.

Back then, Yan Muyu never refused, just soothed her.

Don’t be scared. I’m here.

I’ll stay with you.

Qiu Chao had regretted it countless times since— if only she’d recorded it.

Maybe she wouldn’t have suffered those long bouts of insomnia abroad, standing by the window watching cold rain fall, yearning for that one drop of scorching warmth from her.

Praying that one day Yan Muyu would willingly fall into her palm.

Qiu Chao murmured, “I do.”

She paused, then reached out to take Yan Muyu’s hand. Her touch was teasing, fingers brushing then pulling away, only to cover it again.

Finally, she guided Yan Muyu’s hand to her waist, pressing close to her face. “But I won’t regret it forever.”

“This is what I want now.”

Yan Muyu whispered, “But I’m so tired.”

She lowered her eyes to Qiu Chao’s face, doubts still lingering in her heart. She’d won the affection of so many, yet it always felt replaceable.

Like attending every wedding of her ex-girlfriends.

Some even joked: “Does dating you make it easier to get married off?”

Yan Muyu had shrugged back then. “Guess that makes me a natural matchmaker?”

She’d always been witty, and the mood had been lively. But now, meeting Qiu Chao’s gaze, she saw a stubborn devotion that puzzled her.

What made me irreplaceable?

Even the best lovers could be swapped out, like Xuan Zhelu’s affection—touching in its intensity, sure, but Yan Muyu knew deep down.

What Xuan Zhelu wanted wasn’t her—it was that tenderness, that experience.

The little princess, spoiled since childhood, was driven only by a desire to tame, sparked by her refusal to accept her shelf life.

“I didn’t say I wanted to do anything with you,” Qiu Chao said.

She burrowed into Yan Muyu’s embrace, wrapping her arms around the other woman’s neck as her body pressed tightly against Yan Muyu’s.

The matching pajama fabrics clung together, and Qiu Chao took a deep sniff of Yan Muyu’s scent.

“Next time, use my body wash. Yours is a little too cool.”

She sniffed again. “Mint-flavored. Kinda chilly.”

“You even have to manage this?” Yan Muyu asked.

“I’m just saying it casually. No need for you to change if you don’t want to.”

As she spoke, Qiu Chao didn’t loosen her grip at all. Because of the height difference, she had to stand on tiptoe, but she tired quickly and tugged Yan Muyu toward the bed instead.

Qiu Chao flopped onto it first, pulling Yan Muyu down on top of her. Her arms and legs wrapped around Yan Muyu like vines.

It gave Yan Muyu the distinct feeling that, had she not been injured, Qiu Chao might have rolled them both across the sheets.

The scrapes on Qiu Chao’s body from her fall had already scabbed over. As a female celebrity, she used a scar-removal cream infused with a herbal fragrance, and now some of it had rubbed off onto Yan Muyu.

“Get some sleep early. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow,” Yan Muyu said.

“Really? Then can I hold you while we sleep?” Qiu Chao asked.

She wasn’t even pretending anymore. Her eyes sparkled with naked longing for Yan Muyu.

“Haven’t you ever hugged anyone before? Do we have to sleep like this? It’s uncomfortable,” Yan Muyu replied.

“Didn’t you hold your ex-girlfriends when you slept with them?” Qiu Chao shot back.

“I don’t stay overnight.”

Qiu Chao’s eyes widened. Yan Muyu, still leaning over her, let out a hum. “Is that so strange?”

“But you stayed overnight with me,” Qiu Chao pointed out.

“Wasn’t that because you tricked me?”

Yan Muyu felt a surge of exasperation just thinking about it, a flicker of resentment crossing her face.

“That person back then clearly wasn’t you.”

Qiu Chao let out a laugh. “Don’t worry, I’m way better than her. Didn’t you have plenty of experience?”

“No,” Yan Muyu said.

In the next second, Qiu Chao pressed her face down. The softness made Yan Muyu’s breath hitch.

“I thought you were super promiscuous, a total player, and a complete pervert,” Qiu Chao murmured.

Yan Muyu’s voice came out muffled, purely from the pressure. “Then why bother seducing me? Not afraid I’ll be too dirty for you?”

“But your reputation is pretty good. Your relationships always had names attached—no casual hookups, right?”

Yan Muyu let out a scoff.

“Am I your first hookup? Your first overnight guest?” Qiu Chao pressed.

“What’s there to be proud of? Can’t you have a little self-respect?” Yan Muyu’s tone carried a note of helpless exasperation. “What’s so great about me that you have to cling like this?”

The question slipped out unbidden, leaving Qiu Chao momentarily stunned.

The room’s curtains were drawn, but the night breeze still rattled the beaded curtain with sharp little clacks.

Cicadas chirped steadily outside. Somewhere, a phone buzzed faintly.

Qiu Chao paid it no mind.

She rolled over, straddling Yan Muyu’s hips. Leaning down, she planted soft kisses on her face—from her eyes, to the tip of her nose, and finally to her lips.

Yan Muyu could feel every bit of Qiu Chao’s bubbling excitement.

It was ridiculous. They were both over thirty, yet this felt like the impulsive silliness of teenagers.

“Anyway, as long as I know,” Qiu Chao said.