Overly Intense [Criminal Investigation] 83

Chapter 83: I Need Something You Don’t Have

The person on the floor took the slippers and grinned foolishly at Qin Luo.

“What are you laughing at?”

You Ning said, “I just feel like laughing.”

Qin Luo had known You Ning for a few years. The first time they had met was at a dinner party, and she had only thought of her as a quiet girl. The next time she had met You Ning was at a film festival. She had filmed a nice short film and had gotten a nomination. You Ning used to live in Beijing and Hengdian. In these past few years, she had moved to Hangzhou for the convenience of filming commercials. Qin Luo didn’t know where she lived in Shanghai now. She had asked for a long time but couldn’t get an address, so she had no choice but to drag her back to her own home.

Her Kill was an adaptation project. The team was centered around the producer, director, and screenwriter. Therefore, choosing an assistant director from outside the team was a huge problem.

The director had her temper, and the actors had their personalities. The assistant director was the lubricant of the whole production. From the beginning of the coordination period, she had to take on the heavy responsibility of managing the actors’ auditions, distributing the resources for each group’s filming, from the small details of the scene execution to negotiating with the management companies. Not only did she have to be able to stay up late, be patient, and be able to withstand pressure, but most importantly, she had to have connections and be well-connected in the industry.

Her Kill did not have a big star to support it, nor did it have a theater chain investor as a backer. A small-budget film was not attractive to those with strong abilities, so the producer had been looking for an assistant director for half a year before she had mustered the courage to ask You Ning to talk.

You Ning had originally planned to team up with Lu Xi to film a documentary. Her luggage was already packed, but when she heard that it was Qin Luo’s Her Kill, she had immediately agreed to join the production. You Ning had even helped Sister Li persuade Lu Xi to change her mind and come back from Africa.

From the first day Qin Luo had had You Ning’s WeChat, You Ning had been persistently chatting with her on WeChat, asking about the script changes today, and her thoughts on the actors’ auditions tomorrow.

Qin Luo had seen through her thoughts but had not dared to have much contact.

This kind of third-generation rich kid had a red background, and her mother’s generation was strong. Even if You Ning played around until middle age, her family could still support her. So what was there to talk about? Even if they could really talk, it wouldn’t lead to a good result.

Not to mention that she was past the age of taking risks.

“I know you’re not so drunk that you need someone to support you.” Qin Luo sighed and turned to enter the house. “The floor is cold. You should get up.”

Qin Luo threw her bag on the sofa and watched the swaying You Ning walk toward her, pointing to the corner. “Sleep in the guest room. The restroom is opposite.”

You Ning didn’t dare to say anything else and just said, “Okay.”

Seeing her fidgeting and not leaving, Qin Luo asked softly, “Do you want some water?”

You Ning said directly, “I… don’t have a change of clothes.”

“I’ll find you some.” With that, Qin Luo walked toward the cloakroom.

Qin Luo’s house had not had many guests. Besides Liu Jia and Guo Rui, only the most special Shen Yiyi had come.

She glanced at the closet. Hanging next to her own pajamas was that light gray, washed linen pajama set. It was the one she had cried in, and had lain in her arms. An image of Shen Yiyi’s face flashed before her eyes, but in her ears, she clearly heard a sentence: “Let’s not see each other again in the future.”

Forget it.

She hadn’t had the heart to throw it away when she had been decluttering a few days ago.

Qin Luo took it down and draped it over her arm, then took out a white T-shirt from the farthest corner. She walked to the living room and threw the gray one into the trash, then turned and handed the white one to You Ning.

“Wear this. It’s been washed.”

You Ning was very dizzy, but she was scared by the expression on Qin Luo’s face as she threw the clothes. She peeked at the trash can. The brand of the discarded pajamas was quite expensive.

Then she looked at the one in her hand. It was a pure white cotton T-shirt that you could buy two of for a hundred yuan, and the size was also wrong.

You Ning forced her eyelids open and held it up to her body. “Sister, the shoulder line is so narrow. Is this your clothes?”

Qin Luo did not answer. She went into the kitchen to get some water and honey, then took two pills from the bottles and jars in the cabinet, and then walked into the living room and placed them in front of You Ning. “Water.”

Then she took a piece of paper, placed the pills in her palm, and her voice was soft and cold. “For hangovers, for liver protection. Take them before you go to bed.”

At two in the morning, the signal lights on the river were faint, shining on the flood wall in a mix of light and dark. The building on the other side of the river was dark, and everything was quiet.

Qin Luo was still wearing her shirt and trousers, sitting on the balcony, smoking.

The auntie had been on leave yesterday, and the ashtray was full tonight. But she was too lazy to clean it and found a gap to put out the cigarette.

“You’re still not asleep?”

You Ning poked her head out. Her hair was blown dry and not tied up, just draped over her shoulders.

Qin Luo looked up and glanced at her. It was rare for her not to wear a hat, not to wear exaggerated necklaces and earrings. Especially the T-shirt on her, which made her look light and fresh.

“Is it nice?”

Qin Luo’s gaze did not move away. Her ankles were exposed in her white slippers, and she was wearing light summer pants, which made her look particularly youthful. You Ning usually wore sneakers and ran up and down in the production, but she had not expected her ankles to be so slender and her legs so long. It was just… the size of the clothes was indeed a little small, very tight and close-fitting.

Seeing Qin Luo’s intense gaze, You Ning quickly tugged at the corner of her clothes. “Ever since I entered this industry and have been on location a lot, I haven’t dared to wear white. It gets dirty easily.”

Qin Luo turned to look at the river, her expression dark and silent.

“Haha, a white T-shirt instantly makes you look like a high school girl.”

You Ning looked down at herself and rubbed the fabric with her hand. The clothes were soft, as if they had been washed many times. When she had just put them on, she had inadvertently smelled a faint scent of Qin Luo’s perfume on them, not the one she usually wore, but the fragrance she could only smell when she got close while drinking at the KTV.

Could it be that Sister Qin wears this every day…

“Is this your shirt? It’s way too small for you. But you know, the cut looks good, and it feels pretty soft. I was afraid it would expose my figure’s flaws before I put it on, but I just looked in the mirror, and the waistline is tight without squeezing my flesh. Sister Qin, send me the link. I’ll buy a couple when I get back.”

Sobering up turned her into a chatterbox. Qin Luo listened with a heavy gaze.

Seeing no reply, You Ning quietly approached and sat down on the balcony sofa. “Are you still in a bad mood?”

Qin Luo said, “I’m fine.”

You Ning glanced at the ashtray. “If you’re unhappy, you can talk to me. I’m very tight-lipped. I know you and that white moonlight—”

Her mouth was faster than her brain could keep up. You Ning slammed on the brakes. “No… you and your old classmate broke up.”

Qin Luo’s eyes twitched, her brow furrowed. “Who told you that? Liu Jia?”

“…”

Huh? Wasn’t this something the whole production knew? You Ning said in a panic, “This… does Sister Jia even need to say it?”

Qin Luo was awkwardly silent. She picked up the cigarette pack on the table and took another one.

“Oh, don’t smoke.” Seeing this, You Ning quickly grabbed her arm, gently squeezing it as a reminder. “It’s late. It’s not good for your health.”

Qin Luo let go of the cigarette pack, pulled her hand back, and was about to get up and go back to her room, but she was held back again.

“Qin Luo.” You Ning held her cuff and stood up with her, but she didn’t dare to use too much force, just gently leaning on her. “Can’t we give it a try? I’m confident I can make you forget her.”

Qin Luo averted her gaze, preparing to walk around her. “I don’t like your type.”

“How do you know you don’t like it if you haven’t tried?”

You Ning was persistent, unwilling to back down. She thought that even if the producer made her pack her bags and leave tomorrow, at least she would have been true to her own heart. And she thought that Qin Luo’s answer was very vague, which meant that the other was hesitating. If she really wanted to refuse, she would at least have made her get out of her house immediately.

“You don’t hate me that much, do you?”

Qin Luo’s eyes softened, and she stood where she was.

“We’re not too close, not too far right now. If you get to know me again, maybe you’ll like me?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not the type to be clingy, to whine, or to get jealous. Who hasn’t been in a few relationships? It’s normal not to be able to let go. But as long as you’re willing to take a step into a new relationship, you’ll naturally let go of the past.”

There was only half a meter between them. Qin Luo could clearly hear the slight tremor in her sincere voice, and the humble greed, the kind of greed that couldn’t be faked—the other was expecting her to love her with something she didn’t have.

Suddenly, she found it amusing.

Qin Luo looked up at You Ning’s eyes. They were bright, as if they were going to wrap around her tightly. As Qin Luo looked, she laughed out loud, detached, and her eyes gradually became sour.

“Why don’t we give it a try? Don’t think about anything else. Maybe I’m even worse at being in a relationship than you are.”
“I like this kind of relationship. It means we’re not too close, not too far.”

So that’s how it was.

This pair of eyes was reflecting herself.

So this was what the expression she had wanted to get from Shen Yiyi looked like when it was magnified in someone else’s pupils.

“What are you laughing at?”

You Ning was scared by Qin Luo’s laughter. She wanted to be angry but was afraid of ruining the atmosphere. Before she could react, she saw Qin Luo’s eyes well up with tears.

“Huh? Why are you crying? Don’t cry!”

She was crying?

Qin Luo was also shocked. She hadn’t realized she was crying. She hurriedly suppressed her emotions with her breathing to calm down, then turned sideways to cover her face and wipe her tears. “The wind on the river is too strong. I’m nearsighted, so my eyes tear up in the wind. It has nothing to do with you. I’m going back to my room. You should go to sleep.”

She quickly walked around You Ning, opened the balcony door, and strode away.

You Ning’s eyes were filled with a black light. She stood there, stunned, her mouth wide open—Qin Luo was crying? Huh?

She really couldn’t figure out what had made Screenwriter Qin so emotional in just a few sentences. In her eyes, Qin Luo’s emotions were as stable as the precisely calibrated Rolex on her wrist. Even when she expressed her anger on social media, she always maintained her objectivity and calmness.

Qin Luo had always seemed so certain, so clear before. You could find the answer just by turning a page.

But that single tear just now had suddenly made her blurry.

Even more moving.

Not only had Qin Luo not told her to get lost, but she had also cried in front of her!!!!

You Ning was so happy she wanted to shout at the river, but she was afraid of disturbing Qin Luo, so she just whistled a couple of times instead. She took out her phone and took a couple of pictures of the cargo ship on the river. “The view here is really nice. I shouldn’t have refused when my mom bought me an apartment.”

After muttering, she turned around and saw her reflection in the balcony glass. A white T-shirt was indeed versatile, especially when it was tight, it would make her shoulders look wider and her body more upright.

She reached out and patted her stomach, trying to suck it in.

Click—

“I’ve been drinking too much lately. I need to work out.”

You Ning took a picture of her blurry reflection and then posted it on social media:

“Tonight, there are stars and a cargo ship that I want to hold onto!”