Yan Qi encouraged her to continue.
Zhou Shichen shifted uncomfortably. She felt like a ripe apple, red and hanging on a branch. Yan Qi’s fingertips were poison, injected into the flesh. Before it could even be delivered to Snow White, she would die an incurable death.
“It’s a little itchy,” Zhou Shichen said.
“Where exactly does it itch?”
“Everywhere, a little…” Zhou Shichen said softly, her stiff fingers poking Yan Qi’s wrist. “Why don’t you touch this side?”
It was so unfair to only touch one side and leave the other one out.
Yan Qi was quite obedient, though it was mostly because her meticulous nature didn’t want to miss any supporting data. She thought for a moment, then had Zhou Shichen bite the hem of her shirt and asked, “Can I use my mouth?”
Zhou Shichen, with the fabric in her mouth, couldn’t speak clearly. For just a moment, her pupils dilated.
Yan Qi said, “Never mind, then.”
Zhou Shichen: “Mmm-mmm-mmm!”
Yan Qi: “Hm?”
Zhou Shichen pulled the shirt from her mouth, said “You can,” and then put the hem back between her teeth. Yan Qi stared at her, stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled. She raised a hand to stroke her face and said, “So good.”
Zhou Shichen’s face turned red again.
…But how did it go from helping with a small favor to helping with the whole package?
The sudden ringing of her phone pulled Yan Qi from her memories. She had been deeply immersed, but she pulled away just as quickly. She unhurriedly picked up her phone from the desk. The call was from her and Zhou Shichen’s manager.
Yan Qi answered, “Sister Duan.”
“Xiao Qi, are you done with your work?” The manager knew her habits and made a point to ask, “Do you have time for a call right now? I only need five minutes.”
Yan Qi said, “Go ahead.”
The manager didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. “Xiao Jiang told you today, right? The talent show you’re going to is short a mentor. The production team wants Shichen to be the dance mentor.”
Yan Qi: “Mm.”
Manager: “But Shichen won’t go. She’s on vacation in Northern Europe right now and won’t come back.”
Yan Qi: “Mm.”
Manager: “Why don’t you… help me persuade her?”
It was about this, just as she’d expected.
Yan Qi lowered her eyes. “Shichen and I had a fight.”
As expected, the manager was shocked. “A fight? You know how to fight?”
Yan Qi: “…I’ve never studied it, but when it happened, I seemed to figure it out on my own. We really did fight.”
The manager asked, “What was it about?”
What was it about? Yan Qi couldn’t figure it out either.
It was just because of their usual aftercare session in the hotel after they finished-actually, Zhou Shichen had said their relationship was, at most, friends with benefits. They could just pull up their pants and leave, only talking about sex, not love. But Yan Qi had researched it; aftercare could increase feelings of happiness, harmonize the atmosphere, and deepen their connection.
Zhou Shichen had initially disagreed. “We don’t need to deepen any connection, do we?”
Yan Qi had argued cogently, “Why not? Just hugging and kissing for a while can increase the happiness from this act by twenty percent. Why wouldn’t we do it?”
Zhou Shichen thought she had a good point.
But that day, their moment of tenderness was abruptly interrupted by a certain topic.
Yan Qi loved kissing Zhou Shichen. She thought Zhou Shichen’s lips were soft, like jelly, and would occasionally steal a peck or two even after they were done. But Zhou Shichen loved to talk, chattering on and on.
Yan Qi was calculating the probability of shutting her up with a kiss without it escalating into another round of activity when she heard Zhou Shichen say, “I have to join a new cast next month, and there’s a kissing scene. So annoying.”
Yan Qi froze. “What kissing scene?”
“With the male lead.” Zhou Shichen, oblivious to her mood, snuggled deeper into her arms, draping an arm across her waist. “But my kissing skills are pretty good now. People won’t be able to tell I’m an old hand at this, will they?”
Zhou Shichen’s kissing skills were indeed good; Yan Qi had taught her everything, bit by bit. Whether it was a light peck or a deep kiss, even when Yan Qi held her from behind and Zhou Shichen was clutching the sheets, barely able to stand, she could still turn her head to kiss her passionately. If she were to film a kissing scene, being too skilled would definitely be noticed and commented on.
…But even without that problem, Yan Qi didn’t want Zhou Shichen to do a kissing scene.
So she asked, “Can you use camera angles?”
Zhou Shichen made a sound. “Probably not. The director for this drama is very demanding. She’s famous for making every project a hit. If we use camera tricks, it might not create the feeling she wants.”
Yan Qi stared at her lips and said, “But I don’t want you to kiss someone else.”
Zhou Shichen’s expression faltered. She slowly sat up, the silk duvet draped over her shoulders sliding down. She stared at Yan Qi, saw that she was serious, and suddenly laughed. “On what grounds do you not want me to?”
Yan Qi didn’t know on what grounds she didn’t want her to, but she just didn’t.
The lips she had tasted, she didn’t want anyone else to touch.
“We’re just bed partners.” Zhou Shichen’s fingertip poked her shoulder, sinking in slightly. She enunciated each word clearly, “You have no right to be possessive or jealous. I belong to myself. Understand?”
Yan Qi calmly removed her hand. “I know.”
Then she added, “But my true feeling is that I don’t want anyone else to kiss you.”
And Zhou Shichen got angry.
She wanted to say more, but Zhou Shichen pushed her away, threw on her dress without even showering, and left with her bag. The next day, during their group interview recording, she was still angry, finding fault with everything Yan Qi did, and an assistant even overheard.
They haven’t had any contact since.
Yan Qi rested her chin on her hand, listening to the manager on the other end. “It’s fine if you won’t tell me what you fought about. I just want to tell you, Shichen is easy to coax. Just say a few nice things to her.”
Yan Qi asked, “What kind of nice things?”
The manager said, “Hold on.”
After hanging up, a moment later, she sent Yan Qi links to a few articles on WeChat: “How to Make Up with a Good Friend,” “One Hundred Little Tricks for Coaxing People,” and “What to Do When Your Girlfriend Gets Angry Too Easily?”
System: Sister Duan retracted a message.
Sister Duan: Sent the last one by mistake.
Girlfriend?
Yan Qi replied with a “thank you,” then opened her browser and searched for the girlfriend article from memory. In the two or three seconds it took for the page to load, she thought, If I were Zhou Shichen’s girlfriend, would I have the right to be jealous?
But… was she gay?
Did she like Zhou Shichen?
Yan Qi had to admit it.
The first time she slept with Zhou Shichen was out of novelty.
She had never shied away from this topic, but she had also never been interested. Zhou Shichen had opened a brand-new door for her, letting her swing between self-control and a lack of it. She was becoming a little addicted to this feeling of occasionally going off the rails.
In the beginning, they didn’t do it often.
Only occasionally.
She was the one who took the lead, moving from shallow to deep. Like a professional product tester, she used the pile of things Zhou Shichen had bought to experiment on her, even taking notes in a notebook afterward.
Zhou Shichen likes this one. This one is too loud. This one doesn’t feel good. This one… Zhou Shichen’s moans are beautiful, and she’ll blush and reach out for a hug or a kiss. Adhering to the principle of making Zhou Shichen comfortable, she granted almost every request.
When they first started kissing, they were both inexperienced. Their lips would touch, and they wouldn’t know how to proceed. It made her regret later, why had she rushed into practice without studying the relevant knowledge first?
Thankfully, only heaven, earth, she, and Zhou Shichen knew. She later studied diligently before kissing Zhou Shichen again, redeeming herself.
Later on, Zhou Shichen asked her, “Do you want to try?”
She froze, wanting to refuse, but Zhou Shichen had already climbed onto her shoulders, teasingly tracing the edges of her clothes, staring into her eyes. The lips she had kissed glistened, and when they moved, her voice was light and husky. “You clearly feel it too.”
Would a straight girl have feelings for a female teammate?
Yan Qi didn’t know, but she did feel it. She faced this fact head-on, honestly letting Zhou Shichen do as she pleased, pushing her to the edge of the forbidden, letting her fall into an endless ocean, making her become someone unlike herself.
Reason was wearing away, composure was collapsing.
Poise was gone.
They tacitly acknowledged each other’s new status. Whenever they had time, they would end up in bed. Back at the dorm or in a hotel room, in the gaps between their busy schedules, amidst the overwhelming pressure.
Once, after not seeing each other for a long time, they happened to be transferring to different cities at the same airport. In the forty minutes they had while waiting for their flights, she took Zhou Shichen into a bathroom stall in the VIP lounge and let loose.
Zhou Shichen, so beautiful and carefree, was rendered completely speechless by her, able to do nothing but bite down hard on her fingers, suppressing her desire. The moment her instep tensed, Yan Qi suddenly remembered a group dinner.
She only drank plain water, but Zhou Shichen insisted she drink Coke. When she refused, Zhou Shichen played a trick, pouring Coke into her water when she wasn’t looking.
The brown liquid spread through the plain water, gradually filling the entire glass.
She was plain, tasteless water.
Zhou Shichen was the sharp, refreshing Coke.
It was hard to say whether she was indulging her or if her defenses were just low to begin with, but her life was being eroded by Zhou Shichen, her principles were being broken by Zhou Shichen, and even her emotions seemed to be gradually controlled by Zhou Shichen.
The feeling was strange, and also wonderful.
In the end, Yan Qi opened a chat window with Zhou Shichen.
Still direct: “The talent show on XX platform wants to invite you to be a dance mentor. Are you interested?”
Despite the time difference, Zhou Shichen, who was always online, replied instantly. First a question mark, then an indignant, “Why haven’t I blocked you?!”
Yan Qi replied, “Because I’m the Captain.”
Zhou Shichen: “…”
Zhou Shichen: “Not interested.”
That was in response to her first question.
Yan Qi asked, “Why?”
She analyzed the pros and cons for Zhou Shichen. “I’ve seen the plan for the talent show. The concept is new, and the trainees have never been revealed before, so there’s no pre-existing fanbase. It’ll be easier to win over the general public, attract new fans, and let them experience the joy of watching someone grow. The final result is forming a group, which is right up our alley.”
Zhou Shichen: “Still not interested!”
Zhou Shichen: “Besides, we’re two disgraced idols. What right do we have to teach trainees?”
Yan Qi: “…We’re just teaching skills.”
Zhou Shichen: “Not interested!”
Zhou Shichen: “I’m done talking. I see a handsome guy, going to hit on him.”
Yan Qi: “You can ship CPs up close.”
Zhou Shichen: “?”
Yan Qi: “One hundred and one trainees. A free-for-all of CPs.”
Zhou Shichen: “!”
Yan Qi: “There will be every type of CP you could want to ship. You can even get involved and create sweet moments yourself, pairing up the girls.”
Zhou Shichen: “When does filming start?”
Not five minutes later, the manager sent Yan Qi a message: “What did you say to Shichen? She’s asking me when filming starts and is getting ready to book her flight back.”
Before Yan Qi could reply, the manager added, “Never mind, don’t waste your time.”
Yan Qi sent back an OK emoji.
Then she sent another message to Zhou Shichen: “Next Saturday, in H City. Let’s have a proper talk.”
Zhou Shichen was probably booking her flight. Yan Qi sat at her desk, watching the seconds tick by, waiting for her reply. Five minutes and twenty seconds later, Zhou Shichen said, “I have nothing to talk to you about.”
She even added a haughty little emoji.
Yan Qi frowned in frustration. This wouldn’t do, she thought. How could Zhou Shichen not want to talk to her? If they didn’t talk and communicate, how could they resolve things? This kind of vicious cycle would only pull them further apart.
She thought for a moment, then took a screenshot and sent it to the romantically experienced Lin Yi.
Lin Yi sent a string of question marks.
Yan Qi asked, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Yi: “Are you two in a relationship or something?”
Yan Qi: “No.”
Yan Qi: “I just made her angry, but she’s not willing to talk to me.”
Yan Qi: “What should I do?”
Lin Yi: “Who said she’s not willing to talk to you?”
Yan Qi sent the screenshot again.
Lin Yi: “The emoji she added at the end is clearly her being tsundere! ‘I don’t want to talk’ here means ‘we can talk’.”
Yan Qi: “?”
She said, “I don’t understand.”
After a moment, she added, “Is it convenient for you to call and explain in detail? I’ll take notes.”
Lin Yi: “…”
She asked gossipily, “First, tell me, what’s going on with you and Shichen?”
Yan Qi: “It’s hard to say.”
Lin Yi wouldn’t let her off the hook. “You have to tell me why she’s angry. We need to analyze the specific reason. If you don’t say anything, you’re making it very difficult for the teacher!”
Yan Qi: “What teacher?”
Lin Yi: “The relationship analysis teacher!”
Yan Qi: “Relationship.”
She uncapped her gel pen and wrote the word “Relationship” in her notebook, followed by a question mark. Beside it, she wrote a series of terms: “Roommate-ship,” “Teammate-ship,” “Familial love,” “Friendship.”
At the very end, she wrote: Love.
She took a photo and sent it to Lin Yi. “Which relationship?”
Lin Yi sent several exclamation marks and asked, “Wait, Captain, tell me, you’re straight, right?”
Yan Qi thought to herself that she had never liked anyone, never had a crush. Her only experience was with Zhou Shichen. It was really hard to say what her orientation was, so she just replied with two words: “Questionable.”
“You’re still ‘questionable’?” Lin Yi sent back an eye-rolling emoji. “A mosquito coil is straighter than you!”
Yan Qi: “…”
I’ve heard that gay people have gaydar. Did Lin Yi’s gaydar go off?
But Lin Yi understood her, knowing she wouldn’t jump to conclusions without a definite answer, so she didn’t press further. She just said that when Yan Qi saw Zhou Shichen, she should take the initiative to talk to her. Sometimes people say the opposite of what they mean, commonly known as saying one thing and meaning another.
Yan Qi: “The mouth says no, but the body is very honest?”
Lin Yi: “…Overbearing CEO tropes, no.”
Yan Qi: “Oh.”
The next time she saw Zhou Shichen was at the recording for the talent show.
All the mentors were gathered to look over the trainees’ profiles. As the show’s initiator, she was the last to arrive. When she got there, Zhou Shichen was focused on eating dessert, seemingly detached from reality despite being right there.
This was Zhou Shichen’s willfulness. When she wanted to socialize, she was the most beautiful and skillful social butterfly in the room. When she didn’t, she maintained a superficial distance and politeness, like an untouchable flower on a high mountain.
Hearing the door open, she glanced up briefly, her gaze meeting Yan Qi’s for a fleeting moment before pulling away.
Yan Qi was the initiator, the center of attention. She was officially in charge of proceedings. After she had greeted everyone, Zhou Shichen stood up to shake her hand. “Hello, Teacher Yan.”
Yan Qi shook it in return. “Hello, Teacher Zhou.”
The other mentors thought they were putting on an act for the show and burst out laughing. “You two are in the same group and you’re being so formal. When the show airs, the trending topic will be #TheNotesInternalDiscord#!”
Yan Qi smiled, and Zhou Shichen smiled along with her, stepping forward to give her a hug for the sake of the show.
Yan Qi wrapped her arms around Zhou Shichen’s waist, but before she could even register the embrace, Zhou Shichen let go. She stood there for two seconds, feeling a sense of loss, thinking that Zhou Shichen seemed to have lost weight. Her waist was even slimmer, and the feel of it…
She rubbed her thumb and index finger together. The feel of it was good, she thought.
She was only lost in thought for two seconds before switching into work mode. As the Captain of her group, organizing and running through procedures was second nature to her. Plus, the other mentors were all interesting and witty, ensuring this segment would be entertaining.
One hundred and one trainees was a lot. By the time filming ended, it was nearly one in the morning.
The production team had prepared a late-night snack for the mentors, but many of them needed to maintain their figures, were on a diet, or wanted to eat back at the hotel. In the end, only Yan Qi, Zhou Shichen, and the director were left.
The director poured them some juice and gestured for them to sit. “Please, have a seat, Teachers.”
Yan Qi sat down. Zhou Shichen hesitated for a moment before sitting opposite her.
Since not everyone was there, there was no need to film. The director had the camera crew leave, treating it as a casual meal, and started chatting with Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen.
“Teacher Zhou is quite hard to get ahold of,” the director said, raising her glass to Zhou Shichen. “I waited at your studio for two days, and every day I was told you weren’t there. Later I found out you really weren’t.”
Zhou Shichen smiled. “I was on vacation.”
The director said, “Honestly, I was a little surprised when you finally agreed. Tell me the truth, were you moved by our production team’s sincerity, or do you have high hopes for our show?”
Zhou Shichen glanced at Yan Qi across the table.
The great Captain Yan followed the rule of not speaking while eating. She was quietly eating her meal right now. The sight of it irritated Zhou Shichen, and she blurted out, “Neither. Our Captain begged me to come.”
Director: “?”
Yan Qi, having been called out, looked up. “…”
The director gave a dry laugh. “Ah?”
Under the table, Zhou Shichen slipped off her high heels and placed her bare foot on top of Yan Qi’s. Yan Qi raised an eyebrow imperceptibly, wanting to stop her, but then she heard Zhou Shichen say, “Of course. If the Captain hadn’t begged me, if I hadn’t seen how pitiful she was, I wouldn’t have wanted to give up my vacation.”
She asked Yan Qi, “Isn’t that right, Captain?”
Don’t speak while eating, huh? She was determined to make Yan Qi break all her principles for her.
Yan Qi looked at her, indulging her mischievous foot as it traveled up her ankle, caught the hem of her dress, and grew bolder. After a long moment, she finally said, “Yes. I begged her.”
The director was sharp and naturally sensed the undercurrent between the two. But no matter how wild her imagination, she never thought they were involved with each other. She just thought, Girl groups are so complicated, so many secrets. I really want to know, I really want the gossip. But seeing Yan Qi’s expressionless face, she suppressed her gossipy heart.
In the end, she just said, “You two have such a good relationship.”
“Of course.” Zhou Shichen’s toes hooked the fabric, pressing against the small of Yan Qi’s back. She said with a grin, “The Captain and I are roommates. We were inseparable back when we were in the group, so of course our relationship is good.”
The director said, “That’s great.”
Yan Qi hummed distractedly and lowered her head to continue eating, but her rhythm was off.
But Zhou Shichen seemed addicted, watching her expression as she continued her movements, tormenting her again and again. She watched Yan Qi clench her fists, her breathing growing uneven, and finally swallow hard, warning her with her eyes.
Zhou Shichen’s mood instantly improved, and she gave her a toothy grin.
…So beautiful.
Yan Qi was dazed for two seconds. She felt Zhou Shichen’s toes unhook from her dress, retrace their path, and withdraw from her leg, returning to their original spot. It brought her back from her confusion, but she was still thinking.
Zhou Shichen’s smile was beautiful. Like the white snow of early spring, pure and captivating.
Lin Yi had mentioned a term: saying one thing and meaning another.
So, after returning to the hotel, when Yan Qi messaged Zhou Shichen asking, “Can I come to your room?” and Zhou Shichen refused, she still knocked on her door five minutes later.
Zhou Shichen opened the door and snapped at her, “Didn’t I tell you not to come?”
She said, “You say one thing and mean another.”
Zhou Shichen put her hands on her hips. “You’re the one who says one thing and means another! I’m closing the door!”
Yan Qi closed the door before she could. “I have something to say to you.”
Zhou Shichen said, “I have nothing to say to you.”
Yan Qi asked, “Why?”
“Why what? There aren’t that many whys!” Zhou Shichen pushed her. “Don’t just stand here. If someone takes a picture, they’ll think something is going on between us.”
Yan Qi said, “Then let me in.”
Zhou Shichen: “No.”
Yan Qi paused, then said, “You got my dress dirty. You have to compensate me.”
Zhou Shichen’s eyes widened. “Are you trying to frame me?! You’re the one who got it… dirty. Don’t blame me!”
Yan Qi said, “If you hadn’t moved, I wouldn’t have gotten it dirty.”
Zhou Shichen: “…”
She helplessly stepped aside. “Come in.”
Yan Qi got her wish and entered the room.
As she closed the door, she thought, So being shameless is this useful. Why didn’t anyone teach me this before? Before she could finish the thought, Zhou Shichen blocked her in the entryway. “Whatever you have to say, say it here.”
Yan Qi didn’t push her luck. “Okay.”
Zhou Shichen asked, “What did you want to talk to me about?”
Yan Qi recited her prepared lines. “Last time, after we finished, we talked about the kissing scene. I admit I was wrong. I’m no one to you, so I have no right to be jealous, but…”
“I told the director to use camera angles for the kissing scene,” Zhou Shichen interrupted.
Yan Qi blinked slowly. “The director…”
Zhou Shichen said, “The director said this drama isn’t primarily about romance, so using camera angles is fine. After all, I’m an idol, so they’ll take my status into account and reduce physical contact.”
Yan Qi agreed. “The director is right.”
Zhou Shichen said, “But now I’m having second thoughts. I don’t want to use camera angles anymore.”
Yan Qi asked, “Why?”
Zhou Shichen stared at her. “Because I want to make you jealous.”
Yan Qi said, “I don’t have the right to be jealous.”
Zhou Shichen said, “I want you to have the right to be jealous.”
Yan Qi: “…Why?”
But Zhou Shichen smiled. She said, “Because I like you.”
