Soft, and wet.
Carrying a bit of the rain’s chill, it passed through Song Yushi’s lips, twining around the tip of her tongue, gliding over it lightly, and then leaving in an instant.
A kiss as light as a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface.
Qi Ke’s hand was on Song Yushi’s waist. She squeezed it and said in a low voice, “You’ve lost weight.”
Song Yushi swallowed.
The set was most chaotic when they wrapped up for the day. It was noisy with people coming and going. It seemed like no one was paying attention to them, yet gazes couldn’t help but drift their way. Even through the bath towel, she could feel the shame of being watched.
The palm on her waist moved slightly, displeased with her distraction. “What are you thinking about?”
“Thinking of you,” Song Yushi blurted out.
Her face, still dotted with water droplets, began to slowly heat up.
She subconsciously changed the subject. “Why did you come?”
Qi Ke lowered her head, resting her forehead on Song Yushi’s shoulder. She silently stared at the muddy ground being washed by the rain for a while, a slow ache growing in her heart, before she said in a low voice, “I missed you too much.”
Song Yushi’s heart softened.
During the two years they were broken up, Qi Ke had missed Song Yushi too, but she could never find a reason to visit her on set. She would rather stay home and take anti-anxiety medication than go find Song Yushi.
Now, things were better. It was perfectly justifiable. No matter how tired or how far, she had to visit the set as a family member.
“I’d fight anyone who tried to stop me.” Qi Ke straightened up and pulled the towel off their heads. A fine, cold rain drifted down, landing on both of them. Qi Ke slowly dried Song Yushi’s hair, pleased with herself. “Let the paparazzi follow if they want to follow, let the fans ship if they want to ship, let Sister Ming jump off a building if she wants to. No one can stop me from coming to see you.”
Song Yushi’s face darkened. “Does our meeting have to be so against the world?”
Qi Ke’s eyes curved as she smiled, and she whined softly, “Alright, alright. I already had my pilot apply for a flight route to fly directly to the city’s helipad, and then I drove over.”
“You drove yourself?”
“Of course I have a driver.” Qi Ke yawned. “I’m so tired, how could I drive fatigued?”
Song Yushi’s heart ached again. She touched Qi Ke’s face, and just as she was about to speak, a voice suddenly came from behind her. “Hey—” The final syllable was drawn out indefinitely, full of helplessness. “I’m talking to you two!”
Song Yushi turned around.
Zhong Yi stood there holding an umbrella, looking at them with a speechless expression. “It’s raining outside, and you’re wiping while getting soaked. Are you going to keep wiping until the next life?”
Song Yushi: “…”
Qi Ke: “…”
Zhong Yi rolled her eyes.
This is why they say love lowers your IQ.
Zhong Yi, being a good person through and through, handed the little couple an umbrella and shook her short hair. “Don’t be too moved. After all, I’m a Sweet Day group fan.”
Song Yushi & Qi Ke: “…”
Schrödinger’s group fan.
And Zhong Yi, as a Sweet Day group fan, after doing her good deed, immediately posted about it in the Sweet Day group chat. By the time Song Yushi and Qi Ke had changed and arrived at the private room in the restaurant Zhong Yi had booked, Chengzhi and Meng Ying had already sent 99+ laughing messages in the group.
Qi Ke calmly replied: The joys of being in love, what would you single dogs know?
The group chat fell silent at once.
Two seconds later.
Song Yushi: Mm.
Two more seconds.
Chengzhi: 【System prompt: Message sent, but was rejected by the recipient, who also kicked over this bowl of dog food.】
Meng Ying: 【System prompt: Message sent, but was rejected by the recipient, who also threw a dog at you.】
Qi Ke: 【Catches the dog, force-feeds it dog food.jpg】
Chengzhi & Meng Ying: “…”
Forget it, they couldn’t win.
Qi Ke put down her phone and saw Song Yushi resting her chin on her hand, staring at Zhong Yi. Zhong Yi pleaded with Qi Ke for help. “Keke, Keke, look at your girlfriend, she keeps staring at me! Your hat is green!”
Qi Ke said coolly, “Don’t get chummy, and don’t be narcissistic. She’s using her mind to make you forget what just happened.”
Zhong Yi: “?”
Song Yushi burst out laughing.
Zhong Yi looked utterly exasperated. “No way, no way? My cool Captain is actually this childish? Quick, tell me this isn’t real.”
“Mm, she’s not yours,” Qi Ke added.
Song Yushi’s mind trick only worked on Qi Ke. On second thought, since Zhong Yi had already told Chengzhi and Meng Ying, she had to let it go.
The conditions at the filming location were not good. It was called a restaurant, but it was really just a small eatery that served local dishes. Business was already average, and now that it was raining, it was even more deserted.
Originally, when the director saw Qi Ke had arrived, he wanted to treat her to a meal. But the screenwriter had something urgent come up, and the production came first. Qi Ke expressed her understanding, and was even happier that no one would disturb her being lovey-dovey with Song Yushi.
Zhong Yi?
It was fine, she was used to it.
Zhong Yi: “…”
Heh, this is what a true warrior is like. What’s a little dog food? As long as she was a CP fan, this wasn’t dog food, but evidence of their love! She was the head-pushing squad, ready to escort them to bed at a moment’s notice!
Qi Ke leaned closer to Song Yushi. “…Don’t you think Zhong Yi is being weird?”
Song Yushi was silent for a moment. “Maybe she’s under too much stress from work.”
Qi Ke: “You should talk to her properly.”
Song Yushi: “Mm.”
Zhong Yi: “…”
Chengzhi’er, Meng Ying’er, I miss you guys.
Originally, when Qi Ke heard from Zhong Yi that the conditions here were not good, she didn’t think much of it. She figured the restaurant was a bit shabby and the set a bit plain, but since the whole crew was full of big-name stars, the living quarters should be decent.
It turned out—they were just making do.
As a junior actress, Song Yushi was assigned a single-bed room in the hotel booked by the production. It rained a lot here, and the whole room was very damp, the quilt so moist it felt like you could wring water out of it.
The room was too small, just enough for one bed. With two people squeezed in, there was no room to even turn around.
Qi Ke sat sullenly at the foot of the bed, staring at the small room. She could hear the sound of water from the bathroom, hot steam emerging and turning into vapor, making the whole room even more humid.
She knew filming was hard for her, but she never expected it to be this hard.
Qi Ke’s heart was filled with a mix of sorrow and bitterness, as if a tiny needle was pricking her heart over and over again, a slow, dull ache. While still lost in her emotions, a towel landed lightly on her.
Qi Ke looked up.
Song Yushi, wearing a long-sleeved house dress, stood at the bathroom door looking down at her. When she saw her looking over, Song Yushi lifted her chin. “Hurry up and take a shower. I have to wake up early tomorrow.”
Qi Ke didn’t move, just looked at her in silence.
Only then did Song Yushi notice that something was off with her. She frowned slightly, walked over, and was about to go past her to sit on the other side. After a thought, she sat directly on Qi Ke’s lap, her fingertips touching the corner of Qi Ke’s eye. “Why is it red?”
Qi Ke wrapped her arms around her waist and tugged at the corner of her lips. “From heartache.”
Song Yushi was confused. She pressed her forehead against hers, only feeling softness. She let out a muffled laugh. “Heartache for what? You think the conditions here are bad? You haven’t seen worse.”
Qi Ke’s hands tightened slightly. “…There’s worse?”
“I’ve slept in a tent. Slept on a big shared bed with several other girls. Oh,” Song Yushi recalled, “wasn’t there a drama filmed on an isolated island? We filmed for three days, sleeping on beds.”
Qi Ke frowned. “I watched the behind-the-scenes footage for that drama, it wasn’t mentioned.”
“Mm.” Song Yushi had just washed her hair, and her long hair was dripping water onto Qi Ke’s clothes, creating a damp patch. She sighed softly. “I was afraid the fans would worry too much, so I asked the director not to edit me in.”
Her fingertips traced up the slim back. Qi Ke asked softly, “Now you’re telling me, aren’t you afraid I’ll feel heartache?”
Song Yushi lifted her head, pinched Qi Ke’s chin, and tapped her soft lips with her fingertips, her voice low and domineering: “You’re my lover. It’s your duty to feel heartache for me.”
Qi Ke was stunned for a moment, then, with her arms around Song Yushi’s waist, she turned and pressed her down onto the bed.
The sheets and duvet cover were Song Yushi’s own, with little oranges printed on the white fabric, fruitful like a brilliant autumn. Qi Ke lowered her head, kissed Song Yushi’s neck, and said, “When did my little Captain get so good at sweet talk?”
Song Yushi complied with her, but still retorted softly, “It’s not sweet talk.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s the truth.”
Song Yushi looked at Qi Ke quietly, grabbing her collar to pull her closer, her voice pressed against her ear. “So you have to tell me about anything that makes you sad or unhappy.”
Qi Ke said coquettishly, “But I might play the victim.”
Song Yushi laughed softly. “I can tell the difference.” She let go of Qi Ke and patted her on the chest, saying with “disdain,” “Go take a shower.”
Qi Ke was about to get up, but hearing this, she couldn’t resist pressing down on Song Yushi and kissing her for a good while before letting her go, leaving her little Captain in a daze on the messy bed.
The shower conditions were also just average. Qi Ke was used to being pampered and couldn’t adapt, so she just rinsed off quickly and came out.
Song Yushi’s pajamas, Song Yushi’s shampoo, Song Yushi’s shower gel.
Peach-scented.
It was all the scent of Song Yushi.
Qi Ke leaned against the bathroom door and gave a wolf-whistle to Song Yushi, who was leaning against the bed holding a tablet. Song Yushi gave her a cool look and lifted the covers. “Get in yourself.”
Qi Ke’s eyebrows twitched. “Do it myself?”
Song Yushi: “…”
“What are you watching?” Qi Ke decisively changed the subject. Hearing the light and sweet background music, she leaned over curiously. “Damn! Are you watching our CP video?”
Song Yushi nodded seriously.
Qi Ke was shocked. “Then why aren’t you smiling?”
Song Yushi tilted her head. “?”
“This video is so sweet! Wow—the BGM is even ‘Little Kid,’ who wouldn’t have an auntie smile watching this? You’re watching with a frown, I thought you were watching something about national affairs!” Qi Ke’s voice grew quieter. She scooted closer to Song Yushi—not that she could move much. The bed was too small; the slightest movement would make them touch.
Song Yushi dragged the progress bar to a certain point. It was on stage during their second tour. Qi Ke was waving Song Yushi’s support light stick and shouting her name during her solo dance.
The lyrics at that part were: “She is a little kid, your name is the one she remembers best.”
Song Yushi pressed pause and reflected, “You called my name, but I didn’t hear it.”
Qi Ke made an excuse for her. “You were dancing.”
Song Yushi was still unhappy. “I didn’t watch the videos the fans released afterward either. We only had a few CP fans back then. Logically, I should have been able to see it.”
“Song Yushi.”
“Hmm?”
“Song Yushi.”
“What is it?”
“Song Yushi!”
“…”
“From now on, whenever I call your name, just respond like that.” Qi Ke smiled at Song Yushi. Taking advantage of her daze, she took her tablet, tossed it aside, removed the pillow from behind her, pulled her down to lie down, and turned off the light.
The room went dark.
This place was remote, without even streetlights. Once the light was off, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
Qi Ke pressed closer.
Song Yushi tried to stop her but failed. Her lips were captured, and Qi Ke’s fingertips pinched her earlobe, making it burn. Her breathy voice was sexy and alluring. “I heard from Zhong Yi that the soundproofing here isn’t good.”
“Mmph…”
“Don’t cry out,” Qi Ke licked her lips.
In the darkness, Song Yushi’s eyes widened slightly. Her heels rubbed against the bedsheets, her toes tensed up. Just as she was about to cry out, she bit down on Qi Ke’s shoulder.
Why wait for updates? Get all chapters now and read the entire story on your schedule.
