It was an almost thoughtless, completely subconscious action that made Song Yushi’s heart flutter in panic.
Qi Ke didn’t understand. “Yushi?”
Song Yushi snapped back to her senses and immediately took two steps back, creating a safe distance. She complained softly, “How could you be so careless? Do you need a tetanus shot?”
Qi Ke waved her hand dismissively. “No need. Why be so dramatic?”
She was the one playing the victim, and she was also the one saying not to be dramatic.
Song Yushi stuffed a flyer into Qi Ke’s hand and said, “My work is done once I finish handing these out. You don’t have to go back either.”
Qi Ke nodded, found a random place to sit, and pondered what kind of candlelight dinner they could have for 2,100 yuan. She racked her brains until Song Yushi came out in a change of clothes, but still couldn’t come up with anything.
Qi Ke was dejected. “Two thousand one hundred. What can we even eat?”
Song Yushi glanced at her and muttered under her breath, “Rich girl.”
Qi Ke was close to her and naturally heard it clearly. She pounced, wrapping her arms around her neck. “What did you say? Did you forget I went with you to catch loaches in the second season of our group’s variety show? I even caught more than you! Was that easy for me?”
Thrown off balance by her pounce, Song Yushi leaned back, subconsciously shrinking into her embrace. She pursed her lips into a smile. “Not easy, not easy at all. The rich girl worked hard washing dishes today. I’ll make sure the rich girl eats and drinks her fill and has a perfect candlelight dinner. How’s that?”
She shot Qi Ke a sidelong glance, the doting look in her eyes not seeming fake.
Qi Ke responded smugly, “You’re the one who said it!”
Children from poor families learn to manage households early. Song Yushi was much better at managing daily life than Qi Ke. After shopping at the supermarket and buying all the ingredients, she even had money left over to buy a few champagne roses from a flower shop, which she placed in a tall glass vase on the long table covered with a tablecloth.
The candlelight flickered.
Song Yushi was busy in the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the living room lights go out. She called out, “Don’t waste the candles, blow them out. What time is it?”
“Eight ten!”
The candles were blown out, and the lights once again filled the living room, complementing the night view of the suburbs, casting starry reflections on the glass balcony doors.
Qi Ke had nothing to do and was told she was in the way in the kitchen, so she had no choice but to run downstairs a few times.
The other two pairs had already returned. The young couple was taking a walk in the residential complex, while the two from the boy band were sprawled on the living room sofa playing games. When Qi Ke went over, they, seeing a senior, quickly sat up straight and engaged in small talk with her.
Chen Sheng looked upstairs. “Where’s Teacher Song?”
Qi Ke: “…” Teacher Song, Teacher Song, all he knows is Teacher Song.
She feigned nonchalance with an “Oh,” and said, “She’s cooking for me.”
After a pause, she added, “Sigh, I told her I can cook too, but she insisted on feeling bad for my injury…” She showed them the wound on her palm, afraid it would heal if she didn’t show it soon, and shrugged helplessly. “What can I do? I can only let her have her way. A candlelight dinner, you know.”
Chen Sheng immediately looked envious.
His teammate was puzzled. “A candlelight dinner? Is that your task?”
Qi Ke: …
Would it kill you to not talk?
“A candlelight dinner, how could there be such a romantic task!” Chen Sheng hugged a pillow, his face full of sorrow. “We went to the countryside to visit left-behind children today. It was so pitiful and heartbreaking.”
Qi Ke: If you still think it’s romantic after washing dishes all day, then I have nothing to say.
Qi Ke chatted with them for a few more sentences before going upstairs. Song Yushi had just turned off the stove. The aroma of steak filled the entire space, and cola bubbled in the wine glasses, gurgling as if it was very uncomfortable in this container.
Qi Ke laughed at the sight, picked up a glass, took a sip, and praised, “Tastes better than red wine.”
Song Yushi also took a sip and agreed, “It does.”
They looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.
It looked incredibly harmonious on camera.
Song Yushi directed Qi Ke to turn off the lights while she lit the candles with a lighter. The candlesticks were tall, and the flames flickered with her movements, casting their huge shadows on the wall.
A romantic scene.
It was just that the main characters were a bit absent-minded.
Everything proceeded according to the production team’s plan. The red light of the camera was blinking. Perhaps feeling that the night mode wasn’t capturing things clearly, they couldn’t be bothered to put on a full show with their expressions.
The two of them made idle conversation.
“I can’t believe your Western food is so delicious. I thought you only knew how to make dumplings!”
“That was two years ago, okay?”
“Missing two years of your life is the biggest regret of my life!”
“…”
“Oh, right.” Qi Ke deftly changed the subject. “I just went downstairs and found out what the others’ tasks were.”
“What?”
“One was to go to the countryside to care for left-behind children, and the other was to visit a nursing home to see lonely elderly people. Oh, and I also heard that our task was actually meant for a real couple.” Qi Ke clicked her tongue. “My luck is really something else.”
Song Yushi: “…” How are you going to repay what you owe that couple?
The atmosphere fell silent again.
Qi Ke put down her knife and fork and suddenly called out, “Director, this part won’t be in the final cut, right? How about turning off the cameras and mics? Can you turn them back on after we finish eating?”
Song Yushi’s eyes widened slightly. There was such a move?
Not two minutes later, a voice came through both of their earpieces simultaneously: “Trip the circuit breaker on your third floor.”
Qi Ke smiled. “Thanks, Director.”
She said to Song Yushi, “Let’s turn off our mics.”
Song Yushi turned off her mic, a look of suspicion on her face. “Why did the production team listen to you?”
Qi Ke paused for a moment, then said a bit embarrassedly, “My family’s brand sponsored this show.”
Song Yushi: “…” She was really starting to hate the rich.
The cameras were off, the mics were off, but the two of them had nothing much to talk about. They silently wrestled with the steaks on their plates from opposite ends of the long table.
Song Yushi speared a cherry tomato and took a bite. Juice splattered, a sourness hidden within the sweet, spreading between her lips and teeth. Just when she thought the silence would last until the end of the candlelight dinner, Qi Ke suddenly spoke: “Captain.”
“…Hmm?”
“Do you still remember that time we snuck out to eat hot pot?”
Song Yushi was taken aback.
She remembered.
Back then, she had just gotten together with Qi Ke. Their group was also at the peak of its popularity, with a packed schedule. It was work, work, and more work, and any occasional free time was spent sleeping, sleeping, and more sleeping. That day was one of the few rest days, a brief respite during the preparations for their concert tour.
Qi Ke was the main vocalist and had to protect her throat. Sister Ming had strictly forbidden her from eating any spicy or irritating food. Knowing that several members of the group doted on her, she reminded and warned each of them one by one, except for Song Yushi.
Sister Ming thought, Yushi’s relationship with Qi Ke is just average, and she’s the captain. She definitely won’t spoil her, so there’s no need to give her a separate warning.
And so, the upright and reliable captain was coaxed by her girlfriend.
“I really want hot pot, I really want hot pot~~~” Qi Ke was sprawled out like a starfish on the captain’s bed, her dangling feet swinging back and forth, pestering Song Yushi, who was reviewing the tour procedures. “Baby, come eat hot pot with me!”
“Go find Meng Ying.” Song Yushi didn’t even spare her a glance.
“She’s in extra training. Sister Ming said if she makes another mistake that gets her on the trending list, she can forget about eating hot pot for the rest of her life.”
“What about Cheng Zhi?”
Cheng Zhi, the group’s main dancer, nicknamed Chengzhi, a diligent idol who earnestly engaged in CP-shipping, a very pretty girl with surprising strength.
“Her? At this hour, she’s definitely in the living room listening to Zhong Yi tell cold jokes.”
Zhong Yi, the group’s designated rapper and purveyor of bad jokes, a young woman who desperately wanted to be cool.
“One dares to tell them, the other dares to laugh. A match made in heaven, right! Zhong-Cheng is real!”
“…”
“Nobody cares about poor Qi Ke. She wants to eat hot pot, but her baby girlfriend only has the tour on her mind. In this vast Yunzhou City, there’s no room for…”
“So noisy.” Song Yushi put down the procedure sheet and looked at Qi Ke.
Qi Ke had already rolled over and was propping her chin on her hands, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes, appearing very easy to bully.
For some reason, Song Yushi thought of how she was at night, not cute and well-behaved like this, but assertive and domineering.
Song Yushi closed her eyes, shaking the lewd thoughts from her mind. When she stood up, her expression was still one of righteousness. “Are you going or not?”
Qi Ke leaped up, hugged Song Yushi, and gave her a loud smooch. “Let’s go, let’s go!”
Song Yushi pushed her away in mock disgust.
Her face turned slightly red.
It was also winter. They put on their down jackets, wrapped their scarves, and snuck out of the house like thieves. As expected, Zhong Yi was in the living room telling cold jokes to Cheng Zhi, who would burst into laughter from time to time. Catching sight of the two sneaking around, Cheng Zhi sat up from the sofa. “Where are you going!”
Qi Ke was determined to lead her girlfriend astray and didn’t even turn her head. “For a walk!”
Then she shut the door on Cheng Zhi’s “What kind of walk are you taking when it’s snowing!”
The winters in Yunzhou City were very cold. Snow fell one storm after another, painstakingly conquering the entire city, blanketing it in white. As far as the eye could see, only the bright color of snow was visible.
Even though they wore masks and hats, a hot pot restaurant was still a public place. Song Yushi and Qi Ke were famous, so it wasn’t surprising for one or two people to recognize them. Especially Qi Ke, who was so hot from the heating as soon as she entered the restaurant that she took off her hat.
And so, someone called out to her: “Qi Ke!”
Qi Ke quickly went, “Shh!”
Song Yushi wasn’t recognized. She pulled her hat down lower, turned her face away, and listened to Qi Ke talk to the fan, sign an autograph, and listen to the fan’s soft, continuous squeals.
After a moment, someone boldly asked, “Qi Ke, did you come here to eat with a friend? Is it Cheng Zhi?”
Qi Ke smiled and said, “It’s a friend.”
That night, while Qi Ke and Song Yushi were eating hot pot, a heated discussion erupted online about who exactly Qi Ke went to eat hot pot with.
【Went to eat hot pot with my bestie today and ran into Qi Ke! She came with a friend, but I didn’t get a clear look at who it was. It must be someone from the group!】
【OP has no pics, what a load of crap.】
【This shipper has rushed to the scene. First, don’t blame them for not having photos; fans shouldn’t ask for private photos. Now, let me guess. This person must be from the group. Everyone knows Sweet Day is in training for their tour recently. Let’s first rule out the Captain, who isn’t close to Keke and is very strict with her figure management. Now we have three options: Chengzhi, Zhong Yi, and Meng Ying. No matter which one it is, I’ll ship them to death!】
【It’s definitely Chengzhi. She dotes on the maknae the most and grants her every wish.】
【I think it’s Zhong Yi, because Zhong Yi also loves hot pot. It’s normal for two foodies to be together.】
【? Meng Ying is the most likely, okay! Who doesn’t know they’re the closest in the group? Get with the program, they’re the most popular ship.】
A certain group fan timidly raised their hand: Is it really impossible for it to be the Captain?
As soon as she posted, nearly a hundred replies came in, all with the same two words: Absolutely impossible!
…
And the person everyone thought was impossible.
In the snow-white scenery, shared a kiss with Qi Ke that tasted of hot pot and strawberry ice cream.
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