Chapter 12: Cute

“…”

Big Star Nian clearly hadn’t processed it yet.

This was a genuinely delightful discovery! If she hadn’t been right in front of Nian Qiao, Ding Sishu would have burst out laughing. Though she was already pretty much laughing. She couldn’t help puffing up her back.

She’d never noticed before — either they were too far apart, or Nian Qiao was in high heels. She’d always assumed Nian Qiao was taller. Maybe it was the woman’s presence?

She’d seen the height chart online and never even questioned it, thinking Nian Qiao must have underreported. No way she was only 172 cm. Ding Sishu was 173.

Why did being one centimeter taller than Nian Qiao make her this happy?

Rounding up or down, she was the top! Self-confidence swelling, Ding Sishu felt an inexplicable sense of having already half-succeeded at topping.

Even when the captain called her, she was still grinning like an idiot.

“Shushu?” Her colleague spread her fingers and waved them in front of Ding Sishu’s face. “What’s got you so happy? You’re drooling.”

Ding Sishu sucked back her saliva and straightened up. “Yes! Captain, you called me?”

The captain looked at Ding Sishu, a faint smile on her lips. “I do have something important to assign you.”

“But with you in this state, I’m a little worried.” The captain said.

“Don’t worry, Captain.” Ding Sishu’s cheeks flushed. “I just had a special moment.”

A very rare special moment.

The captain chuckled, deciding not to tease her. “Have you looked at next week’s schedule?”

“Yes.”

“The key event next week is the Little Boss’s engagement ceremony.” The captain said.

Ding Sishu thought about it — yes, that was on the schedule. “The Little Boss hasn’t been out of college that long, has she?”

The Little Boss was the one she’d seen before. Last time, she’d gotten the captain’s notice and rushed to the company. Luckily, the Little Boss had shown up, and Big Star Nian got called into a meeting.

The Little Boss was very young — fresh out of university. A detail to keep tightly under wraps. If her parents found out, they’d definitely use it as a “positive example.” “See? People get married without holding up their careers. Establish the family first, then the career. That’s what wise people do.”

In her parents’ eyes, she and her cousin were the unwise ones.

“Yes.” The captain said. “At the engagement ceremony, you’ll be with Miss Nian.”

“Captain, what about you?”

“I’m in charge of the engagement’s security.”

“Got it.”

“You’ve done very well so far. Keep it up. Do even better.” The captain said.

“Yes.” Ding Sishu straightened her back.

The captain smiled and patted Ding Sishu’s shoulder.

The Little Boss and Big Star Nian had a good relationship — Big Star Nian was going to be the Little Boss’s bridesmaid. Well, the Little Boss was Big Star Nian’s employer, after all.

Nian Qiao had debuted at fourteen, signed with Huateng at sixteen or seventeen, and had been with them ever since. Her contract was apparently almost up.

Li Ting’s character had a few scenes opposite the boss. Li Ting’s acting was average — about on par with the boss. If anything, maybe slightly better.

Netizens said the boss had gotten the perfect roles at the perfect age. After Contending for the Phoenix, Nian Qiao rarely did TV dramas anymore. Mostly films. A few of them were Hollywood productions.

Things were different now. Ding Sishu had been the type to worship Hollywood productions — assuming anything Hollywood was a blockbuster worth seeing in theaters. Hollywood productions had maybe made a bit of a splash.

The Asian films she’d taken recently — Korean, Japanese, and domestic — all flopped without making a single ripple. The only mildly notable one was a low-budget romance with Li Ting. But “low-budget” was relative — if you could hire Li Ting and Nian Qiao, how low could the budget really be? Presumably they’d cut corners on the script and props instead. And it was actually the romance rumors between Nian Qiao and Li Ting that had drummed up “heat” for the movie.

Vitriolic netizens called it a temporary rally before the final crash.

Nian Qiao’s fame really wasn’t what it used to be.

Of course, Ding Sishu didn’t want Nian Qiao to fade away. As for the acting… maybe it would just take a moment of enlightenment.

Off camera, Nian Qiao crooked her finger at Ding Sishu again. Ding Sishu hurried over.

“You go on ahead. I’m going to touch up my makeup.” Nian Qiao rested her hand on Ding Sishu’s shoulder and turned her head to look at Li Ting.

“Then this weekend—” Li Ting asked through a mouthful of “blood.”

Makeup wasn’t even cleaned off and he was thinking about dating. How was he supposed to act well? Li Ting had just been “shot,” and Ding Sishu thought it looked more like a seizure.

“I have a retake this weekend.” Nian Qiao said, then glanced at Ding Sishu.

Ding Sishu caught the signal and promptly took Nian Qiao’s hand. “Miss Nian, shall we go?”

“Alright.” Li Ting said. “I’ll see you at the engagement.”

The word “engagement” seemed to pin Big Star Nian in place. As she turned, a frown creased her brow.

“Miss Nian?” Feeling that Nian Qiao wasn’t happy, Ding Sishu asked.

Nian Qiao said nothing, just looked down. Following her gaze, Ding Sishu looked down too.

Their fingers were interlaced.

She hadn’t been paying attention just now and had laced her fingers directly into Nian Qiao’s. No wonder Nian Qiao had flinched a little.

“It’s fine.” Ding Sishu was just about to lower her head when Nian Qiao looked up. “Comes naturally.”

The prairie little sheep’s ears turned red.

Comes naturally. It sounded kind of… if hands weren’t such an important organ for lesbians…

Ding Sishu’s mind raced.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Nian Qiao reached up and brushed a lock of Ding Sishu’s hair. Her gaze was strangely tender. “For the engagement, will you wear high heels?”

Damn. Nian Qiao looked like they were the ones getting married. “N-no… I—”

“I need to protect you.” Being able to speak at all under that gaze was an achievement. She couldn’t worry about the possible double meaning anymore.

“There’ll be security on site.” Nian Qiao’s lips curved. “If you follow me dressed like that, you’ll outshine the bride.”

Outshining a bride at her wedding was a death sentence.

“B-b-but —”

“Hm?”

“I can’t walk in high heels.” Ding Sishu said.

Unlike the movies, where special forces soldiers infiltrate banquets in stilettos as undercover agents — looking at herself, Ding Sishu could tell she’d never gone undercover. She basically never wore high heels. And with heels, her center of gravity was unstable. If something unexpected happened at the engagement, it would be a problem. This was the captain’s assignment to her.

“Try them.” Nian Qiao said. “You’ll be wearing a formal gown that day anyway.”

Who wears boots with a formal gown? The image was too beautiful to imagine.

“I have to wear a gown too?” Kill me.

Nian Qiao put her hand on Ding Sishu’s shoulder, smiling. “I’ll make you look beautiful.”

Ding Sishu thought: no woman of any age can escape the dominance of the 4399 Dress-Up Mini-Game. Women were born loving to dress up themselves and others.

“It’s not just anyone I’d dress up.” Nian Qiao smiled, stroking Ding Sishu’s hair. “You’ll be very pretty.”

Ding Sishu froze, looking at Nian Qiao’s smile. She suspected Nian Qiao had a thing for cross-dressing. She was basically a “straight guy” — what was there to doll up?

Still, Ding Sishu noticed that the topic of dressing up had visibly improved Nian Qiao’s mood.

She was a dedicated bodyguard — protecting not just Nian Qiao’s body, but her mood too.

When she told the captain, she expected some sympathy. Instead, the captain smiled. “Then do what Miss Nian says.”

“As your captain, I’m also looking forward to seeing you in a gown,” the captain said.

…Captain, that’s the real reason you said that, isn’t it?! What kind of boss does this? Do you really want to see your subordinate embarrass herself in high heels?

Since she was going to be in a gown, makeup was inevitable.

“Makeup is non-negotiable. It’s not obvious in your daily clothes, but in a gown it’s glaring.” Nian Qiao said.

“…Then what if I just wear my daily clothes?” Ding Sishu ducked her head.

Nian Qiao laughed, cradling Ding Sishu’s head. “I’ll be gentle.”

Bullshit! You were NEVER gentle! The only reason I could walk the next morning was sheer physical conditioning!

That’s what she thought, but Ding Sishu didn’t dare argue. She hung her head. “Okay.”

A prairie little sheep.

Actually, Ding Sishu didn’t hate makeup. No woman would turn down beauty. She was just embarrassed. She was even too embarrassed to say she was embarrassed.

Clearly, Ding Sishu had been a “man” for far too long.

“Don’t be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

Nian Qiao’s hand paused mid-application. She reached up and smoothed the brow that Ding Sishu had been furrowing. “Relax.”

Ding Sishu understood what “relax” meant, but she couldn’t figure out how to do it.

“Don’t purse your lips.” Seeing Nian Qiao about to apply lipstick, Ding Sishu couldn’t help pouting slightly.

“It’s just…” Nian Qiao said. “When you pout, if I don’t do something, it feels strange.”

“Too adorable.” Nian Qiao said.

Ding Sishu hastily pressed her lips shut and stared with wide eyes.

Motherfucker. Can you die if you don’t tease me for one minute? Can you just focus on the makeup?!

The makeup took over an hour, leaving Ding Sishu’s neck stiff. Even standing at attention in formation hadn’t been this tiring.

Nian Qiao was meticulous, her soft hands on Ding Sishu’s face. Then Nian Qiao leaned in. Looking at Nian Qiao’s exquisite makeup, Ding Sishu swallowed.

Actually, the pouting earlier was also because Nian Qiao had come too close.

Damn. Can you be a little more restrained? Nian Qiao hadn’t even done anything, and just her proximity made Ding Sishu’s lips move on their own. No wonder Nian Qiao teased her.

Think of it differently. She was the top. She was THE TOP. Calm composure was a quality every top should possess. Nian Qiao’s perfume kept invading Ding Sishu’s nose. Ding Sishu kept telling herself she was the top. Be calm. Be composed. No top in the world purses her lips when a woman comes close.

“Not satisfied?” Seeing Ding Sishu’s “stern” face, Nian Qiao asked.

“You’re the one who told me not to make expressions!”

“I told you to relax.” Nian Qiao smiled and took half a step back.

“What is it?” Seeing Nian Qiao staring at her, Ding Sishu felt self-conscious again.

Too ugly?

Nian Qiao’s eyes sparkled. “Very pretty.”

Looking at herself in the mirror, something felt off. Ding Sishu scratched her neck. “The makeup’s a bit heavy.”

“You’re just not used to it.”

Indeed, she wasn’t. Bare-faced for years, at most splashing on a bit of water. Looking a few more times, she got used to it. Nian Qiao’s makeup skills were genuinely decent.

Nian Qiao’s hand drifted to Ding Sishu’s collar.

“What are you doing?”

“Changing your clothes.” Nian Qiao blinked.

So this was where her focus had been all along! The little sheep protectively grabbed her collar. Her stance was fierce, but her voice was small. “I-I’ll do it myself!”