It took a while for Song Zhiqing to stop crying. Looking at the pile of white tissues on the table, she flushed and quickly threw them into the trash can. Then, as if nothing had happened, she said to Ye Yuhuan, “The movie was pretty good. My mom’s acting was amazing.”
Ye Yuhuan played along with her attempt to change the subject, nodding in agreement. “Indeed. I’ve seen every one of Ms. Gao’s films. To be honest, she’s truly a rare movie star of this era.”
Song Zhiqing let out a soft “huh?” and squinted, looking Ye Yuhuan up and down before taking a step back. “Don’t tell me you’re a fan of my mom?”
Considering she had collected the Blu-ray discs of all of Gao Yiren’s films, Ye Yuhuan nodded. “Given Ms. Gao’s charm, very few people aren’t her fans.”
Song Zhiqing pouted and turned to walk away.
Ye Yuhuan followed, completely bewildered, wondering which of her words had offended the young heiress.
It wasn’t until they were in the car that Song Zhiqing, holding an iced drink in her left hand, poked Ye Yuhuan’s shoulder with her right. “Let me ask you something. Are you so nice to me because I’m Gao Yiren’s daughter?”
Ye Yuhuan frowned. “That has nothing to do with it, does it? Besides, I don’t think I’m particularly nice to you. Isn’t this how everyone treats each other?”
Song Zhiqing took a large gulp of her fruit tea, then snorted coldly. “How does it have nothing to do with it? Haven’t you ever heard of loving something for association’s sake?”
Song Zhiqing had plenty of experience with that concept. She didn’t mind it and didn’t feel the suffocating pressure of being overshadowed by a famous parent’s halo that many second-generation stars complained about. After all, she was still young and hadn’t reached the point where she needed to fly beyond that halo.
But Ye Yuhuan was different. If Ye Yuhuan was nice to her because of someone else, Song Zhiqing would be very disappointed, even if that someone else was her own mother.
Ye Yuhuan rubbed her temples. She didn’t quite understand Song Zhiqing’s logic. “First of all,” she said, her head aching, “let’s not even talk about how that kind of association is unfeasible in our relationship, whether in terms of time or space. Even if it were, that level of emotion wouldn’t be enough to make me become friends with someone.”
Hearing this, Song Zhiqing said coolly, “In plain English.”
Ye Yuhuan sighed. “I wouldn’t become friends with someone just because I like someone they’re associated with. And even if I did, it should have happened a year ago, not now. So your theory is completely invalid.”
Song Zhiqing glanced at the renowned top student, thinking she wasn’t so smart after all. She grabbed Ye Yuhuan’s face, forcing them to look at each other. The atmosphere wasn’t exactly romantic, but it wasn’t entirely innocent either.
Song Zhiqing said, word by word, “In this situation, you should say, ‘Song Zhiqing, I’m nice to you because you yourself are an especially worthy person, not because of any other factors.’”
Ye Yuhuan repeated the words with a deadpan expression, then added just as flatly, “Did you make all this fuss just to get me to say something so meaningless?”
Song Zhiqing protested, “How is that meaningless!”
“Is there any difference in meaning between that and what I just said?”
At that, Song Zhiqing pressed her cold drink against Ye Yuhuan’s cheek and said with a grin, “The difference is that I like hearing it.”
Only now did Song Zhiqing’s mood finally break free from the oppressive weight of the movie, though its impact still lingered. She turned her head and asked Ye Yuhuan, “Are there many cases like Lin Qi’s?”
She seemed to assume by default that Ye Yuhuan knew everything.
Ye Yuhuan pondered for a moment before answering, “It’s hard to say, because most girls who experience something like that won’t speak up. These girls are very young and can’t distinguish between affection and admiration. If they’re tricked by a teacher in the name of love, they’ll probably end up thinking it was their own fault, making it very difficult for them to move on.”
“Isn’t there any way to punish these teachers?”
“I think if we just show these girls more care and support, they’ll find the courage to retaliate. In many cases, these predatory teachers specifically target quiet, introverted girls.”
“Girls like Lin Qi?”
“Girls like Lin Qi.”
Song Zhiqing put down her half-melted drink and pressed both hands to her forehead, deep in thought. Then, her eyes lit up. “I can’t save every Lin Qi, but I’m going to save the Lin Qis around me! This semester, the main activity for the Cosmic Beauty Garden will be caring for girls. Hmm, we should include boys too. Perverts don’t seem to discriminate by gender.”
Ye Yuhuan mimicked her, pressing a hand to her own forehead. “In that case, we could set up a website for anonymous reporting. But the important thing is to get our classmates to let their guard down and trust that we’re willing to help them.”
Song Zhiqing raised her hand. “I’m good at this! I’ll give everyone in school a ticket to see First Love Paradise. And since I’m my mom’s daughter, if I’m the one talking to them, they’ll definitely let their guard down!”
The daughter of the movie’s lead actress stepping up in person—nothing could be more convincing. Of course, Ye Yuhuan knew that their circumstances were exceptionally rare: students who didn’t fear the school authorities and who had enough resources and influence to push this forward. But weren’t they trying to do something good? It took the right time, the right place, and the right people to be the first Song Zhiqing, but being the second wouldn’t be so demanding.
That’s the significance of being the first Song Zhiqing, Ye Yuhuan thought.
Her lips curved into a smile as she looked at the girl who was still lost in thought. She felt like she finally understood the meaning behind what Song Zhiqing had said earlier about being happier. She reached out and pinched Song Zhiqing’s cheek, something she had wanted to do for a while.
As Song Zhiqing turned her head in annoyance, Ye Yuhuan put on an innocent expression. “Just a reminder, we’re going for hot pot. We have the whole National Day holiday to plan this campaign, so there’s no rush.”
Song Zhiqing shot her a glare but put down the phone she had been tapping on. “You still haven’t told me where we’re eating!”
Ye Yuhuan calmly dropped a bombshell: “My place.”
Song Zhiqing’s face was a mask of surprise. She had never had hot pot at home. Among the upper-class circles, her family was considered relatively casual, but certain high-society rules still applied. For instance, intensely aromatic foods like hot pot would never appear on their dining table. Influenced by her parents, Song Zhiqing had fallen in love with hot pot. Logically, since all three of them liked it, they should have had it at home at least once. Unfortunately, her family was rarely together, and on the few occasions they were, it wasn’t worth breaking the rules and becoming a laughingstock just to satisfy a craving.
Seeing Song Zhiqing’s reaction, Ye Yuhuan explained, “My mother is from Sichuan province, the hometown of hot pot. We have a family recipe for the soup base. None of the hot pot I’ve had outside is as fragrant as ours, so I wanted you to try it.”
Realization dawned on Song Zhiqing. “No wonder you asked me yesterday if I could handle spicy food. Does that mean you’re making the hot pot yourself?”
“Mhm. When it comes to cooking, I’d say I know a thing or two,” Ye Yuhuan said with considerable confidence.
Wow, it seemed like Ye Yuhuan really did know everything!
Besides, not being able to eat hot pot at her own home didn’t mean she couldn’t eat it at someone else’s, right? Song Zhiqing had perfectly exploited the loophole. “Should we go buy groceries, then?” she asked excitedly. “I’ve never been grocery shopping at a supermarket before!”
Ye Yuhuan had originally planned to just have everything delivered, but seeing the heiress’s eager expression, she obligingly said, “I’ve only bought some of the offal and seafood. We still need to get meat, vegetables, and drinks.”
“Let’s go, Uncle Yu! To the biggest supermarket nearby!” Song Zhiqing commanded, pumping her fist.
The driver, Uncle Yu, acknowledged her and started the car. Ye Yuhuan wanted to say something but held her tongue.
They really should have gone to the supermarket closest to her house.
Oh well, this one wasn’t too far from her place either. Let the young heiress have her fun.
Once inside the supermarket, Ye Yuhuan felt more and more like the reporter accompanying Princess Sisi. The young heiress was interested in everything, darting here and there. After all, when she was little, she usually ate at restaurants with her parents, and when she got older, there was a housekeeper at home. This was her first time feeling involved in the kitchen.
Thankfully, Song Zhiqing was only curious and didn’t actually grab all the things whose purpose even Ye Yuhuan couldn’t decipher. Otherwise, she really would have worried about her fridge not having enough space.
The two bought some vegetables they liked. Out of curiosity on Song Zhiqing’s part, Ye Yuhuan also picked up some ingredients that seemed like the “dark cuisine” version of hot pot additions, such as carrots and onions.
But their harmony came to an abrupt end in the beverage aisle. Ye Yuhuan saw Song Zhiqing’s eyes drifting toward the liquor cabinet and quickly blocked her view. “Absolutely not! We’re not adults yet!”
“Don’t be so rigid. Just a little bit. Besides, we’ll be at home, so nothing will happen,” Song Zhiqing tried to tempt her.
Ye Yuhuan’s will was firm. She picked out some soda and soy milk and dragged Song Zhiqing away.
What a joke, she thought. A small leak will sink a great ship. If she dares to drink at home today, she’ll dare to drink outside next time. She would never forget that in the novel’s plot, Song Zhiqing gets drunk, goes crazy, and tries to run Shen Wei over with her car, only to crash herself into prison.
In Ye Yuhuan’s opinion, it would be best if Song Zhiqing never touched alcohol in her entire life.
Having failed to get the alcohol she wanted, Song Zhiqing huffed pointedly several times as they checked out. Hearing this, Ye Yuhuan simply grabbed a lollipop from the counter, tore open the wrapper, and stuck it in her mouth. “Have some sugar. You should know, alcohol is just what’s produced when sugar is broken down by yeast.”
Song Zhiqing was so infuriated by this explanation that for a moment, it felt like her brain had vanished. How could such cold words come from Ye Yuhuan’s warm mouth!
Song Zhiqing pulled the lollipop out and shoved it into Ye Yuhuan’s mouth. “You eat the sugar! I’ve never seen anyone so…”
…perfunctory…
Before she could finish, Song Zhiqing quickly snatched the lollipop back. Ye Yuhuan was still frozen in place. Now Song Zhiqing was left holding the lollipop, not wanting to eat it but also feeling it would be rude to throw it away in front of her. She could only stomp her foot, grab a bag of groceries, and run off.
Uncle Yu watched in surprise as a red-faced Song Zhiqing ran over, holding a lollipop in her left hand and groceries in her right. He hurried over to take the bags from her. The young heiress had said she wanted to enjoy the fun of shopping independently and had told him to wait in the parking lot. But seeing her like this, he had no idea what kind of fun independent grocery shopping was supposed to be.
Song Zhiqing sat in the car, dazed, still holding the lollipop. By the time she noticed, Ye Yuhuan was walking over with bags in both hands, and Uncle Yu was outside to help. It would be too abrupt to throw the lollipop away now, but it was also incredibly awkward to just hold it.
The business van was spacious, its leather seats gleaming, but she couldn’t find a trash can anywhere. Seeing that Ye Yuhuan was almost done loading the groceries, Song Zhiqing steeled herself, shoved the lollipop into her mouth, and quickly crunched it to pieces and swallowed.
It was… it was just the taste of candy.
No big deal.
When Ye Yuhuan got into the car, she was greeted by the sight of a big tomato in a white dress. The moment her lips moved, Song Zhiqing shouted, “Don’t! Ye Yuhuan, you are not allowed to say a single word right now!”
