Song Yushi was not a person who liked to show weakness.
When they were in the group, no matter how hard the training was or how tiring the schedule was, when the other members couldn’t hold on and were whining, their captain was always calm and composed.
So, in fact, Qi Ke really liked how Song Yushi was in bed.
She liked watching Song Yushi’s cool eyes become tinged with desire. She liked seeing a thin layer of sweat form on Song Yushi’s flushed face under her assault, her entire face looking as if it had been washed, beautiful and vivid. She also liked the things Song Yushi said when she lost her composure, words one could never hope to hear anywhere else.
As for the time before they got together, Qi Ke had never seen Song Yushi lose her composure.
Even fifteen minutes before a concert tour began, after receiving the news that Ruan Xiangmeng had a medical episode and was hospitalized, she could calmly go through all the procedures, only slowly taking a taxi to the hospital after the show ended.
As if possessed by some whim, Qi Ke followed her.
Young Miss Qi always had a luxury car to chauffeur her around and had never taken a taxi. The moment she got out of the car, she rushed into the hospital bathroom and threw up violently. When she came out to look for Song Yushi, Song Yushi was sitting in a small park in the inpatient department, staring blankly.
It was winter. Her tall boots crunched on the dry branches, making a soft, rustling sound. A bird flew past, and the old snow covering the branches scattered down from the sky.
Hearing the footsteps, Song Yushi looked up. “Feeling better?”
Qi Ke nodded and sat down beside her.
Song Yushi silently stared into space, the air quiet and everything still. Qi Ke thought to herself that she was naturally someone who loved excitement and having fun, but strangely, right now, she was willing to sit in this dilapidated hospital, with the north wind blowing, and just stare blankly with Song Yushi.
There were few people in the hospital late at night. The streetlights cast a gentle glow on the wet ground.
“I’m not a doctor.” Song Yushi suddenly said. Her gaze fell on a spot the streetlights couldn’t reach, as if she were talking to herself, yet also as if she were speaking to Qi Ke. “Even if I came after getting the call, it’s useless. I’m not qualified to sign the surgical consent form either.”
Qi Ke listened to her quietly.
“I thought about not caring about her. Her parents don’t care about her anymore, so why should I be a saint and care about her? But people are so strange. Once you’ve spent time with someone, you develop feelings. I always thought I hated her, even when she was nice to me later, I still hated her. But I don’t want her to die.”
“Tell me, why can’t people be hard-hearted?” Song Yushi turned her head to look at Qi Ke.
The wind lifted Song Yushi’s long hair, and the beauty in the disarray was even more captivating. Qi Ke felt her heart skip a beat. Forcibly suppressing the palpitation, she kept her gaze fixed and smiled at Song Yushi.
“If the Captain were hard-hearted, she wouldn’t have run out to buy us oden when we were training ourselves to death. In that case, I still prefer the Captain who buys us oden.”
Firing off a wink, the main vocalist was explosively sweet.
Song Yushi smiled too.
Qi Ke patted her own shoulder and volunteered, “If you want to cry, you can borrow my shoulder. I charge for it.”
“How much?” Song Yushi leaned over.
“Next time you buy oden, add an extra portion of beef balls for me.” A weight settled on her shoulder; her little captain was leaning on her. Qi Ke’s thoughts were in a jumble, and the next words tumbled out without thinking: “Don’t give any to Meng Ying and the others, just for me, okay?”
Qi Ke heard Song Yushi say “okay” with a barely perceptible sob in her voice, and hot tears fell into the dim yellow light.
At that moment, Qi Ke knew that Song Yushi wasn’t crying for Ruan Xiangmeng. No, it wasn’t just for Ruan Xiangmeng. It was just that life is sometimes so bitter that it needs a little something to balance it out. Like a good cry, like showing weakness, like a little bit of sweetness.
Qi Ke was very lucky to have become Song Yushi’s sweetness.
In the ten-odd seconds that Song Yushi hugged her, Qi Ke recalled that heart-to-heart talk at the hospital. By the time she finished reminiscing, Song Yushi had also regained her composure and let her go.
For a moment, both of them felt a little awkward.
Qi Ke didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet. After struggling for a moment, she finally found a topic: “How is she?”
Song Yushi made a sound of realization. “Oh, she’s out of the critical period. She’s in the ICU now, but she can be moved to a regular ward tonight.”
Qi Ke nodded.
Ruan Xiangmeng was in the ICU, so they couldn’t go in anyway. Song Yushi just hadn’t come to her senses yet, which was why she hadn’t gone to rest. The moment she saw Qi Ke, her nerves relaxed, and she immediately became so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.
It was her family’s hospital, so getting a break room was a piece of cake.
The strong smell of hospital disinfectant filled the air, making it not a very good place to rest. Song Yushi had already lain down, but Qi Ke was still complaining, suggesting, “Why don’t you go home and rest? It’s not far anyway.”
Song Yushi didn’t speak, her consciousness slowly drifting away amidst Qi Ke’s chatter.
“Honestly, you really scared me to death. Cutting off the livestream. But now you can sign the consent form for Ruan Xiangmeng, so I can understand why you were in such a hurry.”
“When a life is on the line, I shouldn’t be jealous. But… alright.” Teacher Qi’s greatest strength was her ability to face her own heart: “I’m still a little bit jealous.”
“You little fool, you can’t even tell when someone likes you.”
The quiet nagging was like a murmur. Song Yushi didn’t even last until the second sentence before falling asleep. She lay on her side, her fingers curled, gripping a corner of the pillow with a slight force, her knuckles turning white.
This was a sign of insecurity.
Her little captain always shouldered too much.
Qi Ke gently patted Song Yushi through the blanket and coaxed in a low voice, “Alright, alright, I won’t be jealous anymore, okay? Anyway, you won’t like her. You’ve only ever liked me, right?”
“Please, please don’t see my love for you as a burden, Yushi.”
Qi Ke’s fingertips gently brushed across Song Yushi’s face, a faint smile mixed with pity appearing in her eyes.
Pity, heartache, desire—all stemmed from love.
Song Yushi slept for a long time, not waking until dusk fell again. Qi Ke handled the procedures for transferring Ruan Xiangmeng to a different room. In the VIP ward, a bouquet of lilies stood in a vase on the bedside table.
The hospital bed was raised, and Ruan Xiangmeng, who had just cheated death, was now leaning against the bed eating an apple.
As for Qi Ke, she had already rolled her eyes at her three times in the span of two minutes.
When love rivals meet, their eyes are particularly red with jealousy.
Having stayed up all night, Qi Ke’s eyes were especially red. She said irritably, “Can’t you just take good care of that little heart of yours and make it behave?”
Ruan Xiangmeng spread her hands. “My heart doesn’t feel so good when I see you.”
Qi Ke scoffed.
“Alright, I’m done bickering with you.” Ruan Xiangmeng finished the apple in a few quick bites, tossed the core into the trash, and got to the point. “My heart attack this time was because of my parents.”
“I don’t know why they’ve become like this. Clearly…” Ruan Xiangmeng rested her elbows on the table and scratched her hair. Thinking that her audience was Qi Ke, her heart felt a bit choked up again. “Forget it, being melodramatic with you is useless. Let’s skip the sob story part. In short—” Ruan Xiangmeng looked up. “They’re short on money again, but Yushi didn’t answer their calls, so they wanted me to get money from her.”
“I gave them a good scolding, but they said if I didn’t help them get it, they would find a way themselves. It just so happens that a few media outlets have been wanting to interview them. They watched Yushi grow up…” At this point, Ruan Xiangmeng felt a bit nauseous. She forced herself to finish, suppressing her disgust. “They can say whatever they want. Someone will always believe them.”
“I don’t want to trouble Yushi anymore. You should pay more attention.” Ruan Xiangmeng picked up another apple, took a bite, and said with a reluctant expression.
Qi Ke now had a measure of the situation. She nodded. “I know. But—”
Ruan Xiangmeng looked up. “What?”
Qi Ke said seriously, “You should still call her ‘Sister’.”
Ruan Xiangmeng: “?”
Qi Ke ignored her increasingly speechless gaze and nodded thoughtfully. “You grew up together, after all. Calling her by her name is so impolite. Call her ‘Sister’. I’ll treat you as a younger sister too.”
Ruan Xiangmeng: “…”
Who the hell wants you as a sister! And! At a time like this, can you be a little less jealous?
The Vinegar King of Yunzhou City, she must be the Vinegar King of Yunzhou City!!!
Just as Qi Ke and Ruan Xiangmeng’s “friendly meeting” was about to fall apart, Song Yushi pushed open the door to the ward. Her gaze flickered back and forth between Ruan Xiangmeng and Qi Ke two or three times. She had a bad feeling about the current “harmonious” atmosphere and was contemplating whether to retreat when Qi Ke stood up. “Have you had break… dinner?”
Song Yushi slowly shook her head.
She had just woken up and came to see Ruan Xiangmeng after washing up a bit.
Qi Ke said, “I’ll wait for you in the staff cafeteria. The food for the doctors here is really good. Just offer her a few words of comfort and then come eat. Don’t go hungry.”
Ruan Xiangmeng: “…?”
She can hear you!!!
Song Yushi said in a low voice, “Thank you.”
Song Yushi had just run into a nurse delivering the patient’s meal at the door, so she brought it in. She placed the meal box on the bedside table and said, “Eat it.”
Ruan Xiangmeng ate obediently while Song Yushi sat beside her, watching in silence.
The ward window was half-open, and the cool early summer evening breeze rustled the curtains. Song Yushi looked out at the deep darkness outside, and amidst her jumbled thoughts, she finally faced the idea at the bottom of her heart.
She wondered, just how good is the staff meal at this hospital?
“Hey. Sis?” Ruan Xiangmeng’s voice pulled Song Yushi back.
Song Yushi came back to her senses.
Ruan Xiangmeng finished the last bite of her meal and asked with a smile, “When are you going to dance to 《Cherry》?”
Song Yushi: …
If you don’t bring this up, you can still get breakfast tomorrow morning.
But Ruan Xiangmeng ignored her glare and just continued on her own, “I suddenly think Qi Ke isn’t bad. If you still like her, you shouldn’t hesitate.”
“What’s not bad about her?” Song Yushi asked.
“She’s rich.”
“?”
“Uh, she’s pretty.”
“…”
“She’s rich.”
“I think you already said that!”
“Alright.” Ruan Xiangmeng laughed until tears came out. She wiped them away and said seriously, “I don’t know if I count as your family, but anyway, Qi Ke, I think she’s okay.”
Song Yushi shot Ruan Xiangmeng the fourth eye-roll she had received today.
Song Yushi didn’t get to eat the staff meal that Qi Ke had hyped up so much, because the meals were served at a fixed time and in fixed quantities. The cafeteria ladies clocked out on time, ruthless and indifferent. Even if you were the hospital’s young boss, you couldn’t stop them from leaving.
Qi Ke spread her hands. “What do you want to eat? My treat.”
“Let’s eat at home.” Song Yushi wasn’t very hungry yet. Her work schedule hadn’t been busy lately, and she usually cooked for herself at home after work. “There are still vegetables in the fridge. They’ll go bad if we don’t cook them soon.”
“You’re cooking for me?”
“Mhm.”
“Can I take a picture and post it on Weibo?”
“…”
“I won’t let the fans know you cooked for me!”
“It doesn’t matter if they know.”
“?”
“We’re a business CP.”
“…”
Qi Ke sat on the sofa in Song Yushi’s house, debating whether she should apply to Sister Ming to end their business relationship. Otherwise, everything they did now felt like work.
Who would have thought that just as she started, Sister Ming would send a sneering emoji sticker.
Qi Ke: ?
Sister Ming: 【I see you’re dreaming.jpg】
Qi Ke: 【I’m serious.jpg】
Sister Ming: 【The other party has rejected your message and thrown a dog at you.jpg】
Qi Ke: …?
Sister Ming: End the business relationship and officially announce you’re dating?
Qi Ke: Uh
Sister Ming: Don’t even think about it! I haven’t finished writing the PR drafts! Until I’ve written out one hundred and one possible scenarios, don’t you dare go public!
Qi Ke: Money is hard to earn.
Sister Ming: Shit is hard to eat.
Being a corporate slave is really tough.
Qi Ke was worried about Song Yushi’s emotional state and couldn’t sleep on the plane back. Now, in Song Yushi’s home, listening to the sounds of Song Yushi busying herself in the kitchen, drowsiness gradually crept over her.
So when Song Yushi finished cooking, what she saw was Qi Ke asleep on the sofa, wrapped in an off-white embroidered blanket, curled up in a small ball like a glutinous rice dumpling.
The annoyance that had just risen in her heart instantly vanished.
Song Yushi untied her apron, folded it, and set it aside, then walked lightly towards Qi Ke. The floor lamp beside the sofa cast a gentle, orange-yellow glow over Qi Ke. Her long hair was slightly curled, and her sleeping face was serene.
Song Yushi reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, so she could see that face more clearly.
She liked looking at Qi Ke.
Song Yushi thought. Qi Ke had many fans of her looks. When the pretty older sister trended on hot search, she could kill with her beauty. She looked good from every one of the three hundred and sixty degrees, not to mention, back then, Qi Ke was her possession.
Growing up, Song Yushi had rarely possessed anything.
Even for most of the time she was dating Qi Ke, she didn’t feel that Qi Ke was hers. Only in the spotlight, surrounded by a grand crowd, would she have the sudden realization that this person belonged to her.
After breaking up with Qi Ke, she was sad for a very long time.
Her emotions weren’t outwardly visible, so no one knew. After graduating, she went straight into a film crew, staying for half a year, and then seamlessly moved on to another one after filming wrapped. Her fans all said she was career-focused and wasn’t afraid of losing popularity. Only she herself knew that she just wanted to hide, to hide in a place where public opinion couldn’t find her, to hide in a place where she couldn’t see Qi Ke.
But a person can hide, but their heart cannot. She still liked Qi Ke.
The ridiculous reason for their breakup, the misunderstanding had been cleared up, but the knot in her heart was not so easily untied. She had no idea if she had the courage to go through it all again.
Song Yushi closed her eyes and turned off the floor lamp.
The last livestream had been abruptly cut off. Even though the studio had issued a statement, the fans wouldn’t be at ease until they saw her in person. Song Yushi had also said she would compensate the fans, so taking advantage of her current free time, Song Yushi started another livestream.
【Ahhhh Yushi! Seeing you puts my heart at ease! Sob sob, baby, how are you?】
【Are you at home? Have you been resting well?】
【It’s good that you’re okay, it’s good that you’re okay.】
【Baby is so nice, even taking the time to explain to us. It was a private matter to begin with. Those media outlets stare at artists’ private lives like they have a voyeurism fetish, just making things up. Some media even said they saw Qi Ke rush to the hospital too, isn’t that ridiculous? It made this grandpa laugh.】
【Can the paparazzi drop their CP brains before making stuff up? Qi Ke is in Sydney, okay? Does she have an Anywhere Door or can she teleport? I’m speechless!】
In the livestream, Song Yushi was also quietly answering her fans’ questions, her voice gentle, soothing their hearts like a spring breeze.
But just then, a discordant voice suddenly rang out—
“When are we eating? I’m so hungry, I woke up from hunger.”
The fans watching the livestream immediately did a 360-degree turn, thinking the sound came from their end. When they confirmed it wasn’t, and then felt that the voice was mysteriously familiar, their pupils immediately dilated.
Then, they saw a person suddenly sit up on the sofa in the camera’s view.
Messy long hair that couldn’t hide a beautiful face.
Everyone: !!!
Everyone: ???
Everyone: ……
Whoa! When did Qi Ke get an Anywhere Door!!!
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