“…What does ‘the pinnacle of BE aesthetics’ mean?”
Hearing this, Qi Ke immediately put her arm around Song Yushi’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to their nonsense.”
The cousin retorted, “It’s not. Look, after the girl group disbanded, the Captain seamlessly joined a film crew and filmed for half a year. She disappeared from the public eye, and aside from some commercial activities, she never returned to Yunzhou City.” She touched her chin. “As far as I know, Sister Keke stayed at home that whole half-year and only released one new song.”
Song Yushi turned to look at Qi Ke.
Qi Ke: “…” Can’t you get a person’s consent before bringing up such an embarrassing past?!
Qi Ke gave a forced laugh and said seriously, “With just that one song, I won so many awards at the end of the year my hands went soft. What can I say, just look at me.”
Song Yushi rolled her eyes at her.
Qi Ke leaned closer to Song Yushi again, the friction of their clothes making a soft sound. Qi Ke tilted her head, resting it against Song Yushi’s. “See? We’re doing great now.”
The hand on Song Yushi’s shoulder tightened, signaling the Hundred Flowers Best Actress to play her part.
Song Yushi said emotionlessly, “Mm.”
The cousin: “Is… that so?”
Qi Ke: “…” Why is this kid so hard to fool!
Qi Ke smiled faintly, turned, and planted a peck on Song Yushi’s cheek. “What do you think?”
Song Yushi, who had just been taken advantage of for no reason: “…”
The cousin, with a look of pure shipping bliss on her face: “!!!”
Song Yushi: “?”
Deliberate. She must be doing this on purpose, right?
A child’s curiosity is endless. The cousin fired off a few more questions like a machine gun, but Qi Ke and Song Yushi were in no mood to entertain her. After a couple of perfunctory replies, the cousin left with a satisfied look on her face.
Once her figure disappeared at the top of the stairs, Qi Ke tugged on Song Yushi’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”
Song Yushi asked, puzzled, “To do what?”
“That little brat is acting weird. Let’s see what she’s up to. Secretly, come with me.”
Song Yushi: “…”
For some reason, whenever she was at Qi Ke’s house, she always ended up having to act like a thief at least once or twice.
Qi Ke had grown up in this manor and could find her way to any place with her eyes closed. She took a shortcut and actually arrived before her cousin.
Humming a song, the cousin turned into the hallway and pushed open her bedroom door. Children aren’t very cautious; she didn’t close the door and walked straight to her desk to turn on her computer.
She skillfully opened a music player. Amidst the thumping beat, she opened a web browser, her keyboard clattering away.
Qi Ke’s expression changed slightly. “It’s our CP Super Topic.”
Song Yushi: “?”
She silently took out her phone.
Qi Ke strained to see the words being typed on the computer, reading them out one by one. Song Yushi casually asked, “What’s her name?”
“Huh? Qi Yue. We all call her Qiyue.”
“No, I mean her Weibo name.”
“Oh. It’s—” Qi Ke’s face darkened. “Qi Yu Consummates Tonight. What on earth is this kid’s head filled with?”
After her complaint, Qi Ke continued to watch Qi Yue post on Weibo. Beside her, Song Yushi tugged at her. “Let’s go.”
Qi Ke lowered her voice, “I haven’t finished reading!”
Song Yushi paused for a moment, then said, “Your eyesight is really good, being able to see from this far away.”
Qi Ke said proudly, “Of course!”
Song Yushi resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her and shook her phone. “But since we know her Weibo name now, wouldn’t it be better to look it up on our phones?”
Qi Ke: “…”
That makes so much sense!
And so, Song Yushi and Qi Ke, who were bored out of their minds, spent the entire afternoon scrolling through Qi Yue’s Weibo—a little world filled with the shrieks of a rabid shipper.
On their last refresh, a new post had been featured in the Super Topic.
【Qi Yu Consummates Tonight: On a day with no new content and after I’ve finished digging through old material, I’m just making up some fake stories, so don’t believe them. Disclaimer: Marketing accounts that repost this can drop dead. Details in the comments.】
【The little Captain really did go home with Keke, as a friend. The little Captain is sweet and beautiful, and easily won the affection of the elders. It was the first time Keke had a friend stay over, so her parents couldn’t help but ask a few more questions. But Keke habitually shielded her from those unnecessary pleasantries. Her little Captain, in her home, should be completely free and at ease.】
【They would kiss at home, avoiding everyone’s eyes, enjoying the thrill of forbidden pleasure in a secret corner.】
【No one was allowed in Keke’s home recording studio; the little Captain was the exception. They would play the guitar and sing love songs in there.】
【Keke grew roses in the conservatory and would give all of them to the little Captain.】
【One day, she will bring her home as her lover.】
The blogger’s comment ended there. The rest of the replies were a flood of comments like “I’ve been resurrected and died from shipping this,” and someone even shouted, “I’m the nightstand in Keke’s house, I can prove it’s true!” There were even more extreme comments, saying that bringing her home meant they had already “done it.”
Qi Ke: “…” Should we send this kid to screenwriting school in the future?
Song Yushi: “…”
My toes are curling so hard they could dig out a villa. You get it?
Song Yushi wanted to murder someone, but she calmly put down her phone. Before closing the app, she glanced at Qi Yue’s Weibo profile.
Verification: Qi Yu Super Topic Fan Guru
Followers: 13,658
She was even a major fan leader!
Song Yushi looked at Qi Ke. She was silent and expressionless, but her posture was clearly one of calling someone to account.
Although she was also the subject of the fantasy, Qi Ke felt she owed Song Yushi an explanation. She pursed her lips. “Her allowance for this month and next is gone.”
Little Qi Yue, still unaware that her allowance was gone, was in the Super Topic, raising her arms and shouting: Let’s shout the five-word mantra!
Comments: Qi Yu is real!!!
The winter rain seemed to fall endlessly, bringing a deep chill. The entire coastline was shrouded in a thick fog that crept inland, making the manor appear even more tranquil in the drizzle.
It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve that the rain slowly turned to snow. By dusk, it was falling even harder, a flurry like willow catkins that painted everything white.
The Qi family’s New Year’s Eve dinner was such a grand affair that it was hard to eat properly. Half the time was wasted on chatting and pleasantries, so when the banquet ended, Song Yushi was only half full.
She was used to dieting and didn’t think much of it—that is, until Qi Ke brought over a pot of instant noodles.
It was pickled cabbage flavor, with two fried eggs nestled on top, a few stalks of green vegetables floating within, and bits of diced ham sausage hidden inside. The aroma was intoxicating.
Qi Ke handed Song Yushi a pair of chopsticks. “You didn’t get enough to eat, did you? My treat. It’s absolutely delicious.”
“And absolutely fattening,” Song Yushi said as she took the chopsticks.
Qi Ke laughed heartily. “Come on, it’s the New Year. Let’s kick our manager to the curb and say to hell with dieting!”
Song Yushi thought she had a very good point.
“Aren’t you going to ask why my cooking skills have suddenly gotten so good?” Qi Ke started a new topic.
Song Yushi took a mouthful of noodles and mumbled, “I already asked during the show, and you said you wouldn’t tell me.”
Qi Ke: “…” This is why having an ex-girlfriend with such a good memory isn’t a great thing.
Qi Ke tried to patch things up. “The cameras were rolling then, could I just say whatever I wanted? There are no cameras now, so you can ask.”
She really has to be asked before she’s willing to talk.
Song Yushi said with resignation, “When did you learn?”
“Not long after we broke up.” Qi Ke lifted some noodles, her features indistinct in the rising steam. “I had nothing better to do, so I learned to cook from the aunty at home. I moved her to tears. She said whoever married Keke would be truly blessed.”
“…And then?”
“Then I blew up her kitchen.” Qi Ke laughed. “She almost threw me out of the house.”
“…”
“Later on, I learned my first dish. Scrambled eggs with tomato. No one was home that day, so I sat right here eating and looking out at the sea. I missed you.”
“…”
“I thought I should have learned sooner, back when we were in the group. That way, I could have cooked for you.”
Clack.
Song Yushi put down her chopsticks, her usually calm eyes churning with anger. “Is there any point in saying all this now?”
She was the one who initiated the breakup, and she’s also the one who can’t let it go. What’s the point?
Qi Ke turned her face to the side. The children of the family were setting off fireworks and firecrackers in the backyard. Amidst the crackling sounds, her heartbeat was hidden, amplifying her courage.
“You’re right, there’s no point,” Qi Ke said, continuing to eat. “I just thought of it and wanted to tell you. If you don’t want to listen, then never mind.”
There she goes, acting all wronged again.
Song Yushi picked up her chopsticks again, thinking to herself that it had been the same when they were dating. Qi Ke had never been a perfect lover.
She was a pampered young lady—willful, unrestrained, and possessive, always needing to get what she wanted. She would propose things that Song Yushi would never agree to, yet she would act cute, call her “Captain,” and make Song Yushi give in.
What is love? Love is the principles one constantly breaks for that person.
Song Yushi sighed inwardly. She lowered her head, bit through a noodle, and said in a low voice, “I’m eating it now.”
Qi Ke froze for a second. “…What?”
Song Yushi looked up, her features captivatingly beautiful as she smiled faintly. “So there’s no need for regrets,” she said.
Qi Ke: “Captain…”
“But don’t get too moved,” Song Yushi added, offering a carrot only to immediately wield the stick. “I don’t want a bloodbath on New Year’s.”
Qi Ke: “…” And the atmosphere is gone.
Yet, for some reason, Song Yushi’s mood had lifted. By the end of the meal, the smile hadn’t left the corners of her mouth.
Following the rule that the cook doesn’t do the dishes, Song Yushi prepared to wash the bowl, but Qi Ke beat her to it. “I’ll do it.”
Song Yushi let go. “Then you can do it.”
Not even a token protest.
She had expected Qi Ke to return quickly—after all, she was just washing a bowl, not likely to blow up the kitchen. But after waiting for a long time, she still hadn’t come back. Leaning against the sofa, listening to a sketch on the Spring Festival Gala, she was about to fall asleep when her phone suddenly rang.
Song Yushi fumbled for it, her voice a little nasal from sleepiness. “Hello?”
“Come to the window.”
The sound of whistling wind came through the phone along with the voice.
It was Qi Ke.
Song Yushi slowly opened her eyes, and it took a moment for her to process what Qi Ke meant. She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, where the glass reflected her own figure, the snowy landscape, and, standing down below in the snow, Qi Ke, who was on the phone with her.
Song Yushi rubbed the bridge of her nose. “…What is it?”
“Come down!”
Song Yushi stood frozen for a moment. She opened the window, and a gust of wind swirled snowflakes inside. Down below, Qi Ke was waving at her. “Captain! Hurry up!”
I shouldn’t go, Song Yushi thought.
At the very least, she should have put on socks. At the very least, she should have hesitated for two or three minutes. At the very least… there were no more “at leasts.” She didn’t hesitate. She simply slipped on a pair of slippers, threw on a down jacket, and went downstairs.
The moment she opened the door, one of the Qi family’s children shouted, “Pretty sister!” and rushed over to hug her leg.
Song Yushi was caught completely off guard. Her feet sank into the snow, and she froze in place.
Qi Ke walked over, beaming. She was dressed thinly, the hem of her silk pajamas fluttering in the north wind. Her face, free of makeup, was breathtakingly beautiful amidst the vast expanse of falling snow.
Song Yushi: “You—”
Qi Ke hugged her.
Then, she turned her head, her warm breath brushing against Song Yushi’s fair, slender neck. Her voice was as light and soft as the falling snow.
Qi Ke said, “Captain, Happy New Year. You have a new wish gift pack ready to be claimed.”
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