The important explosion scene wrapped up smoothly, just as everyone had hoped. By the time it finished, it was already past four in the morning, a faint sliver of white light beginning to show on the horizon.
After a full night’s shoot, once everyone wrapped, no one’s first instinct was to stretch and yawn—instead, people were somewhat wound up, calling out to see if anyone wanted to go grab beer and crawfish at a roadside stall.
Someone else suggested going straight for breakfast instead.
Someone came to ask Qiao Qi if she wanted to join; Qiao Qi knew they weren’t really expecting her to come, just being polite, so she shook her head and said no.
Lin Chu didn’t decline, adjusting his clothes and saying, “Let me go change first.”
Lin Chu’s popularity on the crew was no less than Zhou Suiyu’s—though he had rough, rugged features that made him seem hard to approach at first, his temperament was actually quite good, and everyone enjoyed chatting with him.
Privately, people were always inviting him out to eat too.
“Want to head back together?” Lin Chu turned to ask Qiao Qi.
Qiao Qi’s last shot of the night ended with her and Lin Chu rolling together on the ground in an embrace, her qipao coated in dust, her face covered in it too.
The first time Maiya saw them rolling around together, she’d genuinely thought Qiao Qi was hurt, and had shouted that she needed to run over and save her.
In the end it was Zhou Suiyu who reached out and held her back.
So once the scene wrapped, Qiao Qi thought to go find Maiya right away, and thank Zhou Suiyu while she was at it, so she told Lin Chu, “You go on ahead, I’ve still got something to take care of.”
“Alright.”
Qiao Qi found Maiya in the makeup room; Zhou Suiyu had apparently found her a phone game to play, and she was sitting in a chair nearby, thoroughly absorbed—she didn’t even notice Qiao Qi come in.
Zhou Suiyu spotted her right away, though, and smiled. “Teacher Qiao.”
Qiao Qi glanced around the makeup room; though the lights were bright, there was no one else around.
Her gaze settled back on Zhou Suiyu, who sat with her legs crossed at a makeup table ringed with small lights, the light shining directly on her face, lending her fine features a somewhat eerie edge.
“Maiya, we can head back now.” Qiao Qi looked away, calling over the still game-absorbed Maiya.
Seeing her, Maiya immediately set down the phone without a hint of reluctance.
Qiao Qi saw her casually set the phone on the sofa and spoke up. “You should bring the phone back to give to auntie.”
Maiya obediently handed the phone to Zhou Suiyu, who was still seated in her chair; taking it, she said, “Such a good girl.”
Thinking of how Zhou Suiyu had helped hold back Maiya’s impulsive rush during filming, Qiao Qi thanked her, her tone quite sincere.
Zhou Suiyu didn’t think it was any big deal, smiling as she ruffled Maiya’s head a couple times. “It’s nothing, she was just worried about you.”
Recalling the scene full of smoke and flames from earlier, Maiya’s eyes welled with belated tears; her little mouth puckered as she hugged Qiao Qi’s leg, not minding the dirt, pressing her face right against her leg. “So worried.”
Qiao Qi smiled, comforting Maiya for a while first before pulling her along to properly thank Zhou Suiyu again.
Zhou Suiyu, half-covering a yawn, suddenly remembered something as Qiao Qi turned to leave. “Oh,” she called out, “I’ll have my assistant send that face mask and eye cream over to you later.”
Hearing this, Qiao Qi paused her steps. After a moment’s thought, she turned back around, looking directly at Zhou Suiyu.
She didn’t quite understand what Zhou Suiyu meant by this.
There was no one else around now; she didn’t think Zhou Suiyu had any further need to keep performing for her.
“Well, I already said it out loud.” Zhou Suiyu finally dropped the friendly smile she’d been wearing with Qiao Qi; privately, she couldn’t be bothered to spare Qiao Qi another glance. “Use it or don’t, up to you.”
This response actually put Qiao Qi at ease. She took Maiya’s hand and, turning to leave, tossed back one line: “No need.”
She left walking toward the light; from Zhou Suiyu’s angle, the woman’s graceful figure looked like a silhouette—though covered in dirt and disarray, there wasn’t a trace of anything pitiful about her.
She was always like this, so aloof it made people want to tear her apart.
Zhou Suiyu stared for a long while, thinking of everything she herself had gone through to get to where she stood now, her eyes darkening with a flicker of unwilling resentment.
Her nails nearly dug into her palm; after a long moment she finally let out a soft, cold huff.
—Just you wait.
But she hadn’t expected that the moment she stepped out of the makeup room, she’d run into Liang Yan passing by.
Liang Yan had wrapped and left before Qiao Qi and Lin Chu; Zhou Suiyu had assumed he’d left long ago—why was he still here?
“Mr. Liang…” Zhou Suiyu felt a flash of guilt, unsure whether he’d overheard anything.
“Hm?” Liang Yan, having pulled an all-nighter, looked visibly tired too, faint creases under his eyes; he turned toward Zhou Suiyu with somewhat dull eyes, responding unhurriedly, letting out a long yawn before asking, “What’s up?”
Seeing him like this, Zhou Suiyu relaxed, smiling. “Nothing, just noticed you don’t look too great—want me to have my assistant send you some face masks?”
Liang Yan paused at this, then a light laugh escaped his lips; as he brushed past her, his voice came out casual and unbothered, “Nah, no need.”
Hearing this all-too-familiar reply, Zhou Suiyu froze slightly; by the time she recovered enough to look back at Liang Yan’s retreating direction, his silhouette too had stretched into a thin, long shape.
This scene was identical, down to the last detail, to Qiao Qi’s departure just now.
—
Though Qiao Qi had brought Maiya home with her some years back, she’d never actually slept in the same bed with the child due to how busy work kept her.
To be precise, she’d never slept in the same bed as anyone.
She wasn’t sure she’d even be able to adjust to it.
But Maiya was thrilled, her little hand gripping one of Qiao Qi’s fingers, bouncing along, her face grubby as a little stray cat, eyes still shining bright. “Seventh Princess! We get to sleep together tonight!”
Qiao Qi nodded, smiling audibly in her voice. “That’s right.”
Maiya went on, “So do I need to wake you up tomorrow morning?”
Qiao Qi almost wanted to laugh. “Do you want to wake me up?”
“Of course! Isn’t a princess always woken up by someone?” Maiya tilted her head, thinking seriously for a good while, then suddenly went “oh no” softly. “Then do I have to kiss you awake?”
“Hm?” Why would that involve a kiss?
“Well, that’s how it goes in all the storybooks! Princesses get kissed awake by their prince!”
Qiao Qi: “……Shouldn’t that be a job for the prince, though?”
Maiya froze at this, mulling it over for several minutes, only realizing the truth right as they reached the door. “Oh right! The prince has to be the one to kiss you!”
Qiao Qi patted her head. “So I guess I’ll be the one waking you up instead.”
Maiya looked quite disappointed.
Just as Qiao Qi swiped her keycard to open the door, Maiya suddenly turned her head and called out, “Prince!”
Qiao Qi turned to look and saw it was Liang Yan coming back.
Liang Yan looked thoroughly exhausted too; though he was usually not the most proper sort, walking with a lazy gait, at least there was always a distinct air about him.
Right now, Qiao Qi noticed his soft bangs plastered flat against his forehead, his steps sluggish.
Like some beast that had lost all its bite.
Somehow, this looked a little more agreeable than usual.
Just then Maiya had already trotted over to Liang Yan’s side; seeing her, a smile rose on his face. The hallway light outside caught his profile as he crouched down slowly, meeting Maiya at eye level. “What’s up?”
Qiao Qi suddenly remembered the topic they’d just been discussing, her pupils contracting sharply, and immediately stepped forward.
—But she wasn’t fast enough to stop it.
“Prince! Can you kiss the Seventh Princess tomorrow?! The princess needs to be kissed by the prince to wake up… mmph…”
Qiao Qi, closing the distance in a few quick strides, clapped her hand over Maiya’s mouth and scooped her up, retreating back the way she’d come, tossing an expressionless “Goodnight” at Liang Yan on her way.
Liang Yan, still crouched there: “……”
—
Qiao Qi wasted a great deal of breath before she could barely manage to explain to Maiya that she and Liang Yan weren’t the prince and princess from a fairy tale.
Though Maiya only half-understood, her disappointment and regret were entirely genuine. Even after Qiao Qi had bathed her and dried her hair, she was still tugging drowsily at Qiao Qi’s collar, asking, “So will you get to meet your own prince?”
Qiao Qi carried the child in her arms toward the bedroom; by the time they’d gone just a few steps, Maiya was already half asleep. Qiao Qi carefully set her down on the bed and switched off the desk lamp.
Only the light from the living room, spilling in through the doorway, remained in the room. Maiya rolled over, burying her face in the blanket, kicking at it restlessly.
Qiao Qi adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature, and just before leaving, remembering what Maiya had just said, smiled to herself.
Would she still get to meet him?
She hoped she already had.
—
Qiao Qi had actually been quite tired, but by the time she finished washing up and drying her hair, her mind had grown clear instead. Worried about disturbing Maiya if she went back to the bedroom, she simply lay down on the living room sofa in her bathrobe.
The director had given her a morning off plus half the afternoon; thinking there was nothing else to do, she planned to spend the time on her script and sleep.
Just as she opened the script, her phone buzzed with a WeChat notification.
Who was awake this early?
She fished her phone out from between the sofa cushions and looked, a little surprised.
It was Li’ang.
Liangou: [Video]
A short video.
Qiao Qi didn’t open it right away; her first thought was, when had they started sending each other photos to share their lives like this?
Now videos too.
That meant… the day they’d actually meet in person couldn’t be far off, could it?
Thinking this, Qiao Qi’s lips curved up without her noticing. She tapped to open Li’ang’s video—only ten short seconds.
The shot seemed deliberately zoomed in, focused on the sun just rising in the east; only a sliver of red poked above the skyline, but layer upon layer of light radiated outward from that red center.
Suddenly, a hand swept in front of the camera—because the lens was held so close, the hand appeared quite large too. But the fingers were slender, the wrist pale; he spread his five fingers, shielding the sun.
Light leaked through the gaps between his fingers.
Then came a voice, slightly hoarse, extremely lazy, “Morning.”
The feeling was strangely intimate—though they didn’t know how many kilometers apart they were, it felt as though they’d slept side by side.
…Slept side by side?
Qiao Qi only belatedly realized how ridiculous her own thought was; the tips of her ears flushed red almost instantly.
She pressed her lips together, and even knowing full well the other party couldn’t see her at all, she still couldn’t help clearing her throat guiltily a couple times.
7: Morning.
That she could reply so early surprised the other party too.
Liangou: You’re up already? Liangou: Or you never slept?
Qiao Qi had originally meant to lie and say she’d woken up, but the moment her fingers touched the screen, she suddenly changed her mind.
7: Haven’t slept yet. 7: So tired. Liangou: I can tell. 7: ? Liangou: You’re really out here making the big bucks.
Seeing this response, Qiao Qi frowned, not too pleased.
That’s it?
That’s all he had to say?
The next moment, another message popped up in the chat window.
Liangou: But have you ever heard that saying? 7: What saying? Liangou: Health is the foundation of the revolution.
Only then did the corners of Qiao Qi’s mouth curve up.
Liangou: So have you eaten?
Qiao Qi hesitated this time, but before she could answer, the other party sent, with utmost certainty:
Liangou: Right, you haven’t eaten. 7: ……? 7: How did you know?
Qiao Qi really was curious.
Liangou: If you had eaten, you’d be eating right now. Liangou: And if you were eating right now, you’d have sent me a photo. 7: ……Solid reasoning. 7: Can’t argue with that. Liangou: So what are you still standing around for? 7: ? Liangou: Right now. Liangou: Go to the hotel restaurant and eat. Liangou: You’ve been up all night, no work today, right? Liangou: If you do have work, quit.
At this point the other party paused the stream of nonsense.
Qiao Qi waited a good while, then received one more message.
Liangou: Worst case, daddy will provide for you.
Qiao Qi: “…………”
Expressionless.
7: Get lost! Liangou: Hahahahahaha. Liangou: Kidding aside, playing aside, don’t joke around with your health. Liangou: Go eat, quickly.
Qiao Qi thought back to that slightly hoarse voice in the video she’d just watched several times over and saved to her phone.
7: Why are you up so early too? 7: Your voice sounded a little hoarse too? Liangou: What a coincidence. Liangou: Because I also pulled an all-nighter, babe! 7: ……Looks like you were making big bucks too?
[Liangou recalled a message]
7: ? Liangou: Good thing it wasn’t over 2 minutes. Liangou: That line was way too infuriating. Liangou: You take it back too! 7: ……Okay.
After she recalled it, the other party seemed satisfied.
Liangou: Now restate it properly. 7: ……How old are you? Liangou: Twenty-two, just the right age to get married. [smirk] 7: ……Pah.
She wasn’t falling for that.
7: You’re clearly a twenty-five-year-old man. Liangou: Twenty-five is even more marriageable. [smirk] 7: Get lost. Liangou: I’m being honest here, why are you telling me to get lost? Liangou: What were you thinking? Liangou: Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?
Qiao Qi: “……”
This man was so annoying!
But Qiao Qi didn’t notice that a smile had been hanging at the corners of her mouth the whole time.
7: I’m going to go eat. 7: 886. Liangou: ? Liangou: I stayed up all night and you don’t even ask if I’ve eaten? Liangou: You’re such a disappointment!! 7: …………my bad. 7: So, have you eaten? Liangou: Eaten what! Liangou: I’m so mad I could burst! 7: ……Not worth it. 7: Playing aside, joking aside, don’t joke around with eating either. 7: Haven’t you heard that saying? Liangou: What saying? 7: Health is the foundation of the revolution. Liangou: …… Liangou: If I remember correctly, not only have I heard it, I’ve said it myself. Liangou: Just now, in fact. [smile] 7: Mhm mhm. 7: A real man follows through on his word. 7: Come on, let’s go eat breakfast together! Liangou: Come back and sleep together after?
Qiao Qi: “……”
She had reason to suspect this man’s idea of “together” wasn’t quite the same as hers.
But Qiao Qi obediently climbed off the sofa anyway; as she did, the script that had been lying on her the whole night slid to the floor. Looking at the script that had gone unopened all night, Qiao Qi felt an odd twinge of guilt.
Why did this feel so much like being a student sneaking around dating instead of studying properly?
……Never mind.
Studying could wait until after breakfast too.
So Qiao Qi changed into a casual white T-shirt and black pants, gathered her hair loosely at the back, a few strands slipping free to reveal her slender, pale neck. The moment she opened the door, red light hit her full in the face, illuminating the red mole on her neck and shoulder even more strikingly.
She hadn’t slept well, and her eyelids naturally felt heavy.
With the light hitting her, Qiao Qi squinted uncomfortably.
She walked unhurriedly toward the direct elevator, and just as she passed Liang Yan’s room, the door suddenly swung open.
Qiao Qi paused, turned her head, and saw Liang Yan also dressed and freshly groomed, about to head out.
She hesitated a few seconds before greeting him. “Morning?”
Liang Yan glanced at her, deliberately teasing. “Awake, huh? Did a prince sneak into your room?”
Qiao Qi: “……Are you unwell in the head.”
Liang Yan laughed and turned to close his door behind him.
He stretched lazily and fell into step with Qiao Qi, heading the same direction.
Liang Yan: “Going to eat?”
Qiao Qi hummed an “Mm.”
Liang Yan hummed an “Oh” back. “I’ll go too.”
Qiao Qi: “……”
What a coincidence indeed.
No further conversation.
Off the set, they were basically just normal colleagues, without that much to chat about.
Once the two of them reached the restaurant, one after the other, they each picked out their own preferred food.
On the way, they ran into an early-rising Wu Shuang, who stretched out an arm and called out, “Sister Yanyun! Young Master Ming!”
Qiao Qi and Liang Yan exchanged a silent glance, each noticing something a little subtle in the other’s expression.
Seemed neither of them particularly wanted to eat together.
But they couldn’t very well let news of the leads not getting along leak out, so they had no choice but to carry their trays over to Wu Shuang.
Wu Shuang, having just woken up, had already heard in the group chat that filming had gone smoothly last night, and kept asking about various details throughout breakfast.
Liang Yan generally didn’t discuss work casually, and stayed mostly quiet throughout. Qiao Qi, usually the quieter one, actually chatted with her a fair bit more than usual.
As they chatted, Qiao Qi and Wu Shuang noticed Liang Yan across the table pick up his phone.
…Taking photos?
Noticing their attention, Liang Yan quickly snapped a couple shots. “What?”
Wu Shuang said, “Posting to Weibo to share your life?”
Liang Yan gently pushed one of the now-empty plates aside; his fingers were long, his skin pale, complementing the glossy white plate nicely.
Watching this pass before her, Qiao Qi found herself inexplicably reminded of the video Li’ang had sent her.
But out of some subjective bias, Qiao Qi privately thought Li’ang’s hands were probably even nicer-looking than Liang Yan’s.
As she thought this, a flicker of smugness she herself didn’t notice crossed her eyes.
Liang Yan didn’t pay it any mind either, too busy figuring out how to show off.
“Actually, taking these for my girlfriend.”
“You two don’t take photos?”
He smiled, looking at Qiao Qi and Wu Shuang. “When you’re dating, you’re supposed to share your life.”
Qiao Qi thought about it seriously, then also pulled out her phone. “Guess I’ll take one too, then.”
Wu Shuang, who’d thought she was getting some genuine ship content today: “?”
What a sudden gut punch.
“Aren’t you taking one?” Liang Yan and Qiao Qi asked Wu Shuang at the same time.
Wu Shuang: “……”
Gritting her teeth, “I’m taking one! Why wouldn’t I take one! Not taking one would make me the odd one out!”
But I don’t even have a boyfriend or girlfriend, who am I sharing my life with, damn it!
Author’s Note: Later—
Wu Shuang: What the hell? So this really is a real ship after all!!