Overly Intense [Criminal Investigation] 16

Chapter 16: The Result Is Wild Vegetables

There was no one else in the conference room, just the two of them.

Qin Luo was wearing heeled boots today, making her half a head taller than Shen Yiyi. As she spoke of minding, her eyes lowered, tracing a slow-motion path from Shen Yiyi’s ear to the tip of her nose, then over her collarbone, and down to a tasteful white shirt.

But the shirt was made of a cotton-linen blend, not only breathable but also just sheer enough to reveal the form-fitting tank top underneath.

Her pupils were filled with a summer illusion. Shen Yiyi’s waistline melted her, as if inviting her to bed to strike some privately arranged poses. Hearing her benefit from her own impact was equivalent to cutting open an unknown person’s chest.

Qin Luo laughed inwardly.

For so many years, she had written about how women should refuse to bear the burden of sexual demands, but now she found she had gotten the direction wrong. The path of adult love first passes through imagination, then enters the chapter of sex. This is the prerequisite for a change in relationship; love and responsibility have to come later.

Qin Luo tentatively took a step forward.

Seeing that the other person didn’t flinch, she smiled and raised her hand. “Liu Jia messed up your hair.”

Her raised hand met no resistance, so her fingertips gently touched the strands of hair. But Qin Luo’s hand was well-behaved, simply to fix the hairstyle of a person with mysophobia, a hollow movement without any force.

Shen Yiyi stood straight, the words in her mouth held back.

In her peripheral vision, a watch brushed past her ear. The fingertips tucking her hair were a subtle touch. It seemed a reflective ring was passing through the blurry figure beside her. Her body temperature fluctuated.

Just a moment ago, Shen Yiyi had been asking if she minded. Now she asked something else.

“Aren’t we supposed to have a meeting? Why… is there no one here? It’s…” In her confusion, she looked down at her watch. “It’s a quarter past nine. Why hasn’t anyone come yet?”

“Because you’re in the wrong conference room.”

Qin Luo finished tidying her hair and withdrew her hand, saying slowly, “Because this is the internal creative meeting room for the production.”

“…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine to be late.” Qin Luo comforted her, then turned and started to walk out of the conference room, holding the door open for her. “Anyway, we’ll be late together.”

“…”

As she walked out, Shen Yiyi deliberately looked for a sign on the door, only to see a piece of A4 paper that read: Her Kill Conference Room 1.

“The room’s designation isn’t even clearly marked,” Shen Yiyi said unhappily.

“It’s their fault,” Qin Luo chimed in.

Shen Yiyi took out her phone again and searched her chat history. “The staff member who contacted me didn’t say which conference room to go to.”

“It was indeed her mistake.”

“Is your production team always this impulsive?” Shen Yiyi said in a low voice.

“Is there a hidden meaning in that?” Qin Luo smiled. “I was just helping you with your hair. Don’t overthink it.”

I wasn’t thinking about it, but you had to bring it up. Shen Yiyi turned her head away and followed Qin Luo’s steps toward the end of the hallway.

When Qin Luo stopped at the door of a new conference room.

Shen Yiyi looked up. This time, the A4 paper on the door read: Her Kill Character Training.

Qin Luo raised her hand and knocked, then pushed the door open.

Shen Yiyi glanced inside. It was an open round-table discussion. Except for the empty space in front of the whiteboard for the trainer, the room was full of people.

The only actress she recognized, Chen Han, was sitting in the front row, looking toward the door at her. And that… the one Li Siting had mentioned, the one who played the mad demon, Jing-something Yi, was also sitting beside her, looking at her.

“Sorry, I was just discussing some professional knowledge with Director Shen, which took up some of her time.” Qin Luo apologized to everyone present, then made an inviting gesture, indicating for Shen Yiyi to go in by herself.

??

Just her alone?

Shen Yiyi blinked and whispered to Qin Luo, “Aren’t you coming in?”

Qin Luo replied, “I have my own internal creative meeting to attend.”

Oh.

Shen Yiyi stepped into the conference room, found a corner seat, and when she looked up again, the door had been closed.

Qin Luo, now outside the closed door, was on the phone with Liu Jia.

“Where are you? Where? Get out here.”

Liu Jia was touching up her makeup. Hearing her friend’s aggressive tone on the other end, she hung up and poked her head out of the restroom. “Here.”

Qin Luo quickly walked up to Liu Jia, glanced back down the hallway, and pulled her back into the restroom.

“Your acting was so over the top just now.” She warned her in a low voice, “Next time you see her, talk to her properly. Don’t pull that socialite act.”

Liu Jia raised an eyebrow and looked the lovesick Qin Luo up and down, her tone quite displeased. “Holy shit, it’s only been five minutes and you’re already protecting her? Didn’t you hear what Shen Yiyi was implying just now?”

She even imitated her, “‘Not yet~ I’ll let you know if it does~’ She’s basically saying she’s not interested. My god, who’s going to wait around for her for eight hundred years? She should get over herself.”

Qin Luo explained, “You misunderstood her…”

“I didn’t misunderstand. I just have a problem with her! I heard too much of her cold remarks in high school. It’s giving me PTSD just thinking about it. This won’t do! Absolutely not!”

She suddenly became alert. “I’ll call Little Li. Aren’t they going to Xiamen to interview that sailor? I’m in the middle of a heated chat with her. She’s a lesbian, single, and has great stamina. I’ll reluctantly give her up for you now. How about she takes you for a passionate night of sailing? I’ll book your ticket right now.”

Qin Luo’s eyes widened. “Since when were you and the sailor a thing?”

Liu Jia buried her head in her bag, looking for her phone. “Don’t worry about me. Your mission now is to escape.”

Qin Luo stopped her. “Why is your reaction to seeing her bigger than mine?”

Liu Jia pushed Qin Luo’s hand away and continued to search for her phone. “The moment I think about you crying to me in the future, acting like a wimp in front of her, my reaction just gets out of control!”

“…”

Liu Jia held up her phone. “I fully support your right to love whomever you want, but I really don’t approve of a silent bride like Shen Yiyi, because you’re not the only one who gets hurt. I do too.”

Qin Luo was amused by her. “You’re too prejudiced against her. It’s too exaggerated.”

Liu Jia shook her head. “Just in those few minutes when we walked in, the way you looked at her, your eyes were practically drawing silk threads. You were so focused. And look at her, her eyes were so cold, not even as much affection as she had for you in high school. It’s been sixteen years. You two have a whole adolescence between you and the past. I advise you not to try to collect old debts, not to start anything. Let others go, and let yourself go.”

Qin Luo said thoughtfully, “But I feel like she still has feelings for me.”

Liu Jia blinked a couple of times. “…You’re not going to pull that abstract ‘digging for wild vegetables’ thing on me, are you?”

Qin Luo said softly, “I’m sure. She has feelings.”

She had deliberately tucked her hair behind her ear just now to see Dr. Shen’s reaction.

If Shen Yiyi had no feelings, with her severe mysophobia, she would have definitely avoided her touch. Let alone touching her ear, she wouldn’t even have let her touch a strand of her hair.

Not to mention, when her fingertips touched her earlobe, she had seen with her own eyes the other’s fingertips, pressed against the seam of her trousers, tremble slightly. Although the movement was small, it was particularly conspicuous to her.

“As for the sailor, you can keep flirting with her.”

Qin Luo took the phone from Liu Jia’s typing hands and put it in her pocket for her. “As for Dr. Shen, I’ll rely on my own efforts.”

Qin Luo poked Liu Jia’s shoulder with her finger. “It’s not certain which of us will get to sleep with her first.”

“Help! Me!”

“I’m leaving.”

Qin Luo ignored Liu Jia’s frenzy and waved at her retreating back. “I’m going to find her for dinner after the meeting.”