Chapter 88: Yue Yiyue: Gu Nanqiu Strongly Recommends, Refuses to Share

The other party acted as if nothing had happened, nearly fooling Yue Yiyue into thinking she wasn’t A City’s Zhou Qingyi.

The people around looked over curiously when they saw Zhou Qingyi actually greeting someone else, seemingly wanting to know just who in this vast C City could be called a “friend” by Zhou Qingyi.

Such gazes were not particularly friendly. Yue Yiyue slightly turned her body to block their stares, which had turned a bit dazed upon seeing Gu Nanqiu.

“President Zhou, you’re too polite. We’ve already paid, so no need to trouble yourself,” Yue Yiyue said calmly, tactfully refusing Zhou Qingyi’s offer of unclear intent.

The people around drew in a sharp breath. No way, she just refused Zhou Qingyi like that? And from her flat tone, she didn’t seem particularly close to Zhou Qingyi.

The stunning beauty behind her was the same.

Could it be that the two of them…

Before they could finish guessing, they heard Zhou Qingyi say in an almost amiable tone, “Then next time, when there’s a chance, I’ll treat you to a meal alone. Back in A City, I was truly grateful to you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even know if I could have made it back here alive.”

The people around fell silent.

The café’s music continued its slow melody, while the clinking of knives and forks against porcelain produced crisp sounds.

“No big deal.” Yue Yiyue didn’t really want to bring up those matters.

Especially not in front of so many people who hadn’t experienced that mess.

She could only guess at Zhou Qingyi’s motives.

She wasn’t as out of control as she had seemed back in A City, but Yue Yiyue still felt like there was some inexplicable ominous aura around this Zhou Qingyi.

“Alright then, I won’t disturb you two.” Zhou Qingyi slipped her hands into her pockets and walked inside.

Gu Nanqiu poked her head out from behind, fork in mouth. “She doesn’t look like she’s up to any good.”

Yue Yiyue nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”

But she needed to find a way to contact her older sister.

Hmm, but their circles were different; forcing a connection wouldn’t work.

Yue Yiyue poked at the food on her plate. “Do you know if Zhou Qingyi has an older sister?”

“We might need to get in touch with her later.”

Zhou Qingyi’s original plot had already changed; she stood on the opposite side of the protagonist because of Gu Ye.

Gu Ye had saved Zhou Qingyi, leading to their encounter in A City. Then she had guessed the connection between Gu Nanqiu and the other Qiu… um.

She had accepted it quite naturally too. That worked.

In a sense, she even needed to thank Zhou Qingyi.

Yue Yiyue watched Zhou Qingyi’s departing steps, missing the instant chill in Gu Nanqiu’s eyes.

A light tapping sound pulled Yue Yiyue’s attention back. “What do you need her for?”

Gu Nanqiu casually poked at her plate, mimicking Yue Yiyue. “Is there something about her sister that’s caught your interest?”

“Her sister is a very capable president.”

This character didn’t get much focus in the original work, but from the comments section, someone had spoiled a bit—her sister helped Gu Nanqiu in some Rule later on.

There were also quite a few fanfics about the two of them.

But Yue Yiyue had blocked them; she never looked.

After racking her brains, she finally said, “Zhou Qingyi might make a move on her sister.”

Her sister was the true powerholder in the Zhou Family now.

And she had made a deal with Greed.

Yue Yiyue wouldn’t believe Zhou Qingyi did it purely for Gu Nanqiu’s friendship; she’d think it was just fooling an idiot.

Their bond wouldn’t go that far; it had to be about interests.

The Zhou Group was the largest entertainment company, with all sorts of other ventures. Yue Yiyue didn’t know much, but she knew they had plenty of money.

It made sense for the second daughter to feel uneasy when others called her President Zhou.

“Her sister is the president of the Zhou Group. Ordinary people like me rarely get to see her—even if I told you, you might not believe it.” Yue Yiyue took a sip of her drink.

At this point, Yue Yiyue felt a bit troubled. “Forget it, Nanqiu. Just treat it as me talking nonsense.”

She could only research this herself later and figure out how to proceed.

Maybe connect through the Coroner.

With that, Yue Yiyue settled on her next step in her mind. “Let’s eat. The food’s getting cold, and the movie starts soon.”

————

The movie was pretty captivating. For Yue Yiyue, it was relaxing—sinking into the soft cinema seat and looking up at the screen.

It was a suspenseful crime thriller about a police officer whose childhood friend went missing for twelve years, only to send a letter saying she had been kidnapped by a serial killer.

What followed was the officer’s chase across seven provinces to catch the perverted murderer.

The visuals shifted from bright to gradually darkening, the music changing from soothing tunes to tense instrumental tracks.

The killer looked at the police officer and delivered her final monologue. “This really was a beautiful game. I declare you the winner, just like playing house when we were kids.”

The mask came off, revealing the face of the childhood friend the officer had been searching for.

Torrential rain pounded the outer walls, fierce winds rustled the trees, and the friend opened and closed her mouth. “See you in the next life—”

The screen went dark, and photos of the police officer and her friend playing in the past scrolled by with the music.

Finally, a small line appeared: I’m sorry, I love you. Beside it, in bold strokes: Me too.

Seeing this, Yue Yiyue quietly wiped away her tears.

Due to different upbringings and standpoints, they ended up on completely divergent paths.

What was the killer thinking while watching the police officer search for traces of her?

Did the killer know at the end that the police officer liked her too?

But the murderer had to die; she had killed so many people…

“Yiyue.” A hand with distinct knuckles offered a soft wet wipe; it wasn’t cold to the touch, but not warm either.

Yue Yiyue took it, a bit embarrassed. “It was pretty good, especially the ending.”

“Really?” Gu Nanqiu thought for a moment. “Meh, I wasn’t too satisfied with the ending. If they loved each other, why did the killer expose herself and choose death?”

Yue Yiyue recalled carefully. “You mean the part where the killer sneaks into the police officer’s home and inexplicably gets exposed.”

The paper in the killer’s hand was probably the one from the end credits where the police officer wrote “Me too,” confessing her love.

“Because she had blood on her hands, and deceiving her future partner like that wasn’t right.” Yue Yiyue shared her thoughts.

Moreover, the plot built up layer by layer to a key point: whenever the case hit a bottleneck, the police officer would pull out photos of her friend and look at them repeatedly.

Yue Yiyue felt that by then, the police officer already knew who the culprit was. Looking at the photos was her way of reminiscing about her friend’s habits to make new judgments.

“I think this ending was the best for them.” As they followed the crowd outside, Yue Yiyue held Gu Nanqiu’s hand. “Besides, they were on different paths from the start.”

“A twisted killer would one day end up killing her own lover out of possessive desire, right?” The movie didn’t say this, but Yue Yiyue inexplicably felt that if they stayed together as Gu Nanqiu suggested, that would be the only outcome.

The killer’s parents were perverts; she grew up in warped emotions and was clueless about love.

Her later murders were all tied to her obsessions, so something like that would be normal too.

Hearing Yue Yiyue’s answer, Gu Nanqiu paused for an instant. She gave Yue Yiyue a meaningful look. “Is that so? That’s pretty awful then.”

“But I don’t think it would necessarily reach that point. If the killer hadn’t exposed herself, the police officer wouldn’t have known. After feeling loved, the killer could have stopped.”

“From the moment the killer casually killed that first male classmate, they were destined to drift further apart. She already had so many lives on her hands; it wasn’t forced killing.” As Yue Yiyue tried to analyze further, Gu Nanqiu suddenly quickened her pace.

“Alright, let’s stop there. Yiyue, no more talking about this movie. Let’s head back.” After Yue Yiyue finished, Gu Nanqiu squeezed her hand, signaling the topic was over.

“Fine.” Yue Yiyue reluctantly shut her mouth and replayed the movie’s details in her head.

She could write a review when she got back!

Then she remembered. “Nanqiu, aren’t we going on the Ferris wheel?”

“Too tired, want to rest.” Gu Nanqiu glanced at Yue Yiyue. “Movies like this aren’t good. We won’t watch them again.”

Gu Nanqiu was unhappy, right?

Even someone as oblivious as Yue Yiyue sensed something off.

She really hated that ending.

It gave Yue Yiyue a strange sense of disconnect.

Maybe because Gu Nanqiu was a firm HE fan.

But honestly, there was no HE possibility here. Yue Yiyue turned the details over in her mind. She’d rewatch it alone later.

Gu Nanqiu probably wouldn’t come with her again.

————

Back home, Gu Nanqiu went straight into her room.

Yue Yiyue tried to keep her in the living room for a bit, but heard her say she needed to review.

Fine.

Exams were coming up, so reviewing made sense.

Looking at the closed door, Yue Yiyue pulled out her phone and checked online discussions about the movie.

Some netizens lamented the tragic romance, but most focused on the plot.

They praised the police officer’s analytical skills and sharp eye for details.

There were discussions about how the killer brushed past her multiple times, her counter-detection abilities, and her proficient killing methods.

The two leads performed steadily as always; this one had award potential.

There were a few bad reviews too, saying the killer seemed to get dumber at the end, like it was forced BE.

Someone joked that some people lost their lives, but the killer lost her life and love too.

The comments roasted that person for putting their ship ahead of morals.

Yue Yiyue exited the thread and looked at a recent long review.

It analyzed plot and emotions separately, eloquently and convincingly.

Especially the part on why the killer chose to expose herself: largely due to an unspoken agreement between her and the police officer.

It added the detail that whenever they played as kids, the killer always admitted defeat first.

What touched Yue Yiyue most was the review’s final line: The killer was extreme evil, the police officer good. The director didn’t let good redeem evil but had evil abandon evil itself.