17. Good Night Miss Qin

She didn’t know what she was thinking, but she just blurted out jiejie after all.

Maybe it was to make Luo Yue happy.

After all, it’s her birthday.

But after saying it, Qin Zhaoyi quickly retreated to her room.

Leaving Luo Yue alone in the living room.

Qin Zhaoyi leaned against the door, thinking that Luo Yue must be very surprised.

And her heart would probably beat like a war drum, just like hers.

After all, such an inexplicable term can make one’s heart race when it suddenly comes out.

Qin Zhaoyi felt that Luo Yue would be the same.

She leaned against the door for a long time, and Qin Zhaoyi couldn’t calm down.

And she was overwhelmed by a belated sense of embarrassment.

How could she… so easily call her “jiejie”?

Calling her “Luo Jie” would have been fine, at least it would have been teasing.

The more Qin Zhaoyi thought about it, the more she felt that Luo Yue might be secretly laughing at her, so she quickly opened the door and added, “I called you jiejie to make you happy. I won’t call you that again in the future.”

It sounded like a solemn oath, and she firmly set this flag.

As Luo Yue walked toward her room, she replied with a teasing tone, “Oh~”

Qin Zhaoyi: “…”

That’s it?

Qin Zhaoyi had actually scared herself.

But Luo Yue didn’t reject her hug.

It might have been because she hugged her so suddenly and let go too quickly, and Luo Yue didn’t have time to push her away.

Before Qin Zhaoyi could fully recover, Zhong Ling sent a message urging her: [Yi Jie, by the way, have you looked at my documents?]

Qin Zhaoyi: [Not yet.]

Zhong Ling: [Take a look, observe and learn. It might come in handy later.]

Qin Zhaoyi frowned, always feeling that this person had ill intentions, but she still listened to her and opened the drive.

She hoped to use the video to divert her attention.

As a result, as soon as the video was opened, there were two women.

The appearance value is not bad, but it is not yet comparable to Luo Yue.

The light in the room was dim, so the movements of the two of them could not be seen clearly, so Qin Zhaoyi adjusted the brightness of the mobile phone screen to the maximum.

What caught her eye was a woman pressing the other against the wall, gently biting her clavicle.

……like a kiss, not a kiss.

And accompanied by some panting and gasping.

This action is very beautiful. If someone who is not beautiful makes it, it will be a bit vulgar, but nevertheless the picture was very aesthetic.

Qin Zhaoyi’s patience allowed her to continue watching.

Moving down along the collarbone, every step was in slow motion.

It must be said that this value was worth being treasured by Zhong Ling.

With a combination of aesthetic perception and desire, every shot was just right.

But as the camera moved lower, surprisingly, there was… no censorship.

Qin Zhaoyi, “…?”

Well, she might as well keep watching, after all, she had it too.

With this in mind, Qin Zhaoyi closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and continued her “study.”

One minute later, when she saw that woman half-kneeling, Qin Zhaoyi immediately turned off the video.

The temperature in the room inexplicably rose, making her feel a bit flushed.

Qin Zhaoyi gritted her teeth and sent a voice message to Zhong Ling, “Are you crazy? What was that thing?”

Zhong Ling replied, [Just some videos of life’s greatest harmony.]

Qin Zhaoyi, […]

md, isn’t that just a movie?
MD = 媽的 [mā de] (Fck his] mother’s [vgina]. Fck.

Zhong Ling, [These are all my collectible editions.]

Qin Zhaoyi angrily asked, “Don’t tell me you usually watch these when you’re looking for content?”

Zhong Ling replied, “Audiences like to watch romance, don’t you know? When promoting dramas and movies, you have to include some of these scenes for better ratings, don’t you know?”

Qin Zhaoyi, “…”

She knew too much.

Isn’t it because of this that she escaped to Moon Island?

Zhong Ling felt that her good friend was really “naive.” Although she knew that her friend was devoted to reading and writing and hoped for a soulful romance, it shouldn’t have reached this extent, right?

Moreover, Zhong Ling was gay herself, so if she talked too much with Qin Zhaoyi about such matters, it could easily lead to misunderstandings.

So Zhong Ling deliberately avoided the topic.

Even during college, she had been in a relationship with a girl and even lived together for a while.

At that time, Qin Zhaoyi had been a bit curious and asked how two girls did certain things, and Zhong Ling had just patted her on the shoulder and said, “Sweetie, you don’t need to know. Your boyfriend will teach you in the future.”

But she never expected that a few years later, Qin Zhaoyi… became interested in women?

Although it was open to interpretation, Zhong Ling felt it was highly likely.

So she endured and endured, but in the end, she couldn’t resist asking the burning question: “Qin Zhaoyi, are you really considering celibacy?”

Qin Zhaoyi, “…No.”

Zhong Ling said, “Then go ahead and watch. Love without a sexual component is not complete love.”

Qin Zhaoyi retorted, “You’re behaving like a rogue.”

Zhong Ling chuckled at her innocence and sent a light, airy voice message, “Darling, someone who doesn’t love you might still sleep with you, but if they love you, they’ll definitely want to be intimate with you.”

Qin Zhaoyi, “…?”

Nonsense.

“Sex is a way of expressing love,” Zhong Ling, drawing from her experience as a director, explained, “In literary works and films, it ultimately leads to the harmony of life, because human ways of expressing love are limited, and sex is the most direct and tangible way to feel someone’s presence and affection.”

Qin Zhaoyi, “…”

Qin Zhaoyi didn’t know how to counter that argument and chose to change the subject, saying, “You’re shameless!”

But late at night, when she lay in bed tossing and turning, Qin Zhaoyi couldn’t resist opening that small video again.

This time, she lasted for five minutes…

After turning it off, she covered herself with a blanket and muttered in a low voice, “Zhong Ling, you dog.”

She hasn’t even figured out her own feelings, so how did it escalate to that point?

Zhong Ling is just a love fraud.

At three in the morning, Qin Zhaoyi sent a message to Zhong Ling: “You scoundrel!”

Zhong Ling replied instantly: “Why do you say that?”

There was a red exclamation mark before the message.

Miss Qin, in her fit of anger, blocked her best friend again.

Zhong Ling sighed in resignation but then sent a message to Zhou Xi: “Your writer Qin probably won’t stop writing.”

Zhou Xi was lying in bed, feeling sorry for herself, almost obsessively reviewing Qin Zhaoyi’s recent blog post, constantly checking the comments, and clearing away the negative ones.

Simultaneously, she felt sorry for Qin Zhaoyi. She had been a pioneering author of a certain genre and was once hailed as a genius girl.

How could this happen…

She didn’t know whether to lament for literature or for Qin Zhaoyi.

After receiving Zhong Ling’s message, Zhou Xi felt like she had been “awakened from the brink of death.” She almost considered driving over to confront Zhong Ling and ask her in person what was going on.

Realizing it was past three in the morning, she dismissed the thought.

Zhou Xi: “Zhong, what do you mean?”

Zhong Ling: “She’s currently in a phase of abundant inspiration.”

Zhou Xi: “?”

Zhong Ling’s words were somewhat ambiguous, but Zhou Xi caught the key point.

Zhou Xi: “Xiao Yi is in love?”

Zhong Ling: “Not sure, but her current emotional state is suitable for writing.”

Zhou Xi: “That’s good.”

After ending the conversation with Zhong Ling, Zhou Xi sent another message to Qin Zhaoyi “with a serious tone”: [Xiao Yi, remember to eat on time, go to bed early, don’t trouble yourself.]

Qin Zhaoyi replied with annoyance, [Why are you acting crazy in the middle of the night?]

Zhou Xi: [?]

Qin Zhaoyi, with an irritated tone, sent her a voice message, gritting her teeth, “Stop listening to Zhong Ling’s nonsense! I’m not in a relationship!”

Zhou Xi: […]

It had to be said that Qin Zhaoyi understood these two people well.

After all, they had met each other years ago and had openly discussed her right in front of her, without mincing their words.

At this moment, Zhou Xi was definitely worried because of her statement. Zhong Ling had shared the message with her, which was normal. But… Qin Zhaoyi was feeling all mixed up now, still awake at three in the morning, pondering what Luo Yue meant.

She couldn’t sleep because she couldn’t figure it out.

In the end, she decided to “seek answers without shame.”

[If you kissed someone, and your heart was racing at that moment, and you wanted to continue kissing, is that liking someone? Or is it just hormones?] Qin Zhaoyi earnestly asked Zhou Xi.

Zhou Xi also replied seriously, [If something unexpected like that happened on your first meeting, it’s possible that it’s a fondness. But if you’re unsure, kissing again will clarify things.]

Qin Zhaoyi, “…”

Kiss again?

Again?

Could a person actually say such a thing?

She didn’t dare.

Finally, Qin Zhaoyi turned off her phone, deciding to ignore these unhelpful friends.

But when she covered herself with the blanket, she smelled the fragrance of white tea, a scent that belonged solely to Luo Yue.

It was intoxicating.

She took a deep breath, pressed her fingertips to her lips, trying to recall the events of last night.

That lingering and tender kiss…

As she reminisced, her body grew hot, and she pushed the blanket aside, staring at the ceiling lost in thought.

This was just the first day on Moon Island.

It felt so long.

Long enough for every moment to be etched into her memory.

---

Meanwhile, Luo Yue didn’t have as many concerns.

True, she felt a flutter in her heart for a few seconds because of the “sister” remark, and her ears had heated up when she returned to her room. But before she could dwell on it, she received a series of messages.

First, it was Cheng Shijing, followed by Cheng Shiyu, and then Yan Ci.

They all wished her a happy birthday almost simultaneously.

Cheng Shiyu even invited her to dinner at their home tomorrow and promised to cook something delicious for her.

Luo Yue agreed.

But as soon as she replied, Cheng Shijing messaged her: [Don’t agree to Cheng Shiyu’s cooking.]

Cheng Shiyu’s culinary skills were somewhat lacking, often resulting in kitchen disasters, and she could never get the salt right.

But she still enjoyed cooking.

Whether she was in a good mood or a bad mood, she cooked. And after cooking, she would invite everyone to eat. If no one ate, Cheng Shijing was the only victim.

Luo Yue was aware of this situation, but when Cheng Shiyu offered, she couldn’t refuse. She could only console Cheng Shijing: [It’s okay, we’ll endure it together tomorrow.]

Cheng Shijing wasn’t too thrilled about it. “How about I take you out to eat under the guise of a date?”

They had done this in previous years, watched a movie together, and then had a meal.

That’s how they celebrated her birthday.

But this year…

“Luo Xing is coming back tomorrow,” Luo Yue said. “Let’s all go to my aunt’s place.”

The mention of Luo Xing made Cheng Shijing fall silent, but he eventually agreed. “Okay.”

Still, Cheng Shijing had some doubts. “Is Luo Xing really coming back?”

“She told my aunt this,” Luo Yue replied. “I guess it should be true. She hasn’t even shown up for Chinese New Year.”

Cheng Shijing, “…”

Luo Yue suddenly sensed something was off. “Is there something between you and Luo Xing that I don’t know about?”

Cheng Shijing took a long time to reply with just one word: “Sleep.”

Luo Yue didn’t usually pry into other people’s affairs, but this was her cousin and childhood friend after all.

However, when she asked too much, Cheng Shijing remained silent, so she had to let it go.

Unexpectedly, just before Luo Yue went to sleep, she received a transfer and a voice message from Luo Xing.

Luo Xing had always been strong-willed from a young age, but she softened when she was around Luo Yue, even her voice message sounded gentle and mellow. “Jiejie, my company arranged a last-minute business trip, so I won’t be able to come back tomorrow. Happy birthday, sister. Goodnight.”

Luo Yue felt her heart sink, but she could only reply, “Alright, don’t overwork yourself.”

Luo Xing responded with a soft [Mm, jiejie.]

After sending the message, Luo Yue listened to Luo Xing’s voice message two more times.

Unconsciously, she thought of the well-wishes from Qin Zhaoyi earlier that evening.

A beautiful girl who had never flirted, feeling awkward and trembling when she called her sister.

Luo Yue couldn’t help but smile, her tongue touching her lips gently as she softly said, “Goodnight, Miss Qin.”