Chapter 92
Qin Qianrou’s Chinese New Year holiday was spent quietly in Meng City with Shen Yiqiu. They occasionally went grocery shopping together, watched movies at home, and sometimes, seeing Shen Yiqiu’s tireless efforts in the kitchen, Qin Qianrou, wanting to give her a break, would order takeout, using a change of taste as an excuse.
Li Wan would occasionally call Qin Qianrou, mostly just idle chatter. Compared to their usual hectic work schedules, this holiday was truly a welcome respite.
“Qianrou, what have you been doing at home these past two days? I asked you to go shopping, you said you were busy, I invited you and Shen Yiqiu for dinner, you said you were too lazy to go out, are you planning on forgetting you have a best friend?”
Li Wan wasn’t usually this clingy. She had even planned on spending her vacation at Lin Shuangzhi’s place, learning culinary skills or pottery together. However, on the second day of the new year, Lin Shuangzhi had received a call from Yong City and rushed back home.
It seemed like a family emergency, and Li Wan had hesitated, wanting to express her concern, but feeling it wasn’t appropriate, it was a personal matter.
“It’s a rare holiday, shouldn’t you enjoy the freedom of doing nothing at home? We can do all those things you suggested after the holidays.”
Logically, this made sense, but Li Wan was bored at home. Although her parents weren’t pressuring her as much about blind dates anymore, after Zhuo Cheng’s online antics, which they had probably seen, his name was rarely mentioned at home now.
Li Wan was relieved, that pest was finally out of her life. However, her parents’ expectations remained, their subtle hints still annoying.
“Of course you’re enjoying yourself, you’re far away from your family, you don’t feel the pressure of their constant ‘concern.’ And Shen Yiqiu is so obedient, you two are living the good life.” Li Wan’s tone was tinged with envy, she and Qin Qianrou were in similar situations, how had the gap between them become so wide?
Qin Qianrou, her mood light, patiently responded to Li Wan’s familiar complaints.
“Xiao Wan, are you complaining about the team leader going back to Yong City for the holidays and not staying with you? You should tell her that, complaining to me won’t help.”
Li Wan snorted softly, a tacit agreement.
“Of course I want to tell her, but I need an opportunity, she’s been so busy since she got back, practically living at the station again, not even replying to my messages. If I didn’t know she was in Yong City, I would think she had been kidnapped.”
The deep resentment in her voice was unmistakable.
When you cared about someone, separation was the hardest thing to bear. Qin Qianrou just wanted to spend all her time with Shen Yiqiu now, even if it was just quietly sitting together, doing nothing, it still felt warm and comforting.
“That’s why I’m willing to be your emotional garbage disposal.”
Li Wan sighed on the other end of the line, having vented her frustrations, she hadn’t really expected Qin Qianrou to agree to meet up, she didn’t know what was going on, but ever since their New Year’s Eve dinner at her place, Qin Qianrou had become increasingly attached to her home.
*Could it be…? *
Li Wan’s tone changed, a mischievous smile in her voice as she asked, “Qianrou, tell me honestly, have you used… my gift yet?”
This was the unspoken understanding between close friends. The moment Li Wan said these words, the image of that small box flashed through Qin Qianrou’s mind.
Two-thirds of it remained, still tucked away in the drawer of her nightstand. They hadn’t actually used them these past few days, but she couldn’t deny their… significance.
Li Wan, seeing Qin Qianrou’s silence, her smile widening,
continued, “Don’t be shy, it’s just a matter of time, tell me, how was the user experience? I haven’t left a review yet, the shop keeps messaging me, asking for feedback.”
Qin Qianrou felt a little flustered, what “user experience?” Her own review wouldn’t count, and she certainly wasn’t going to ask Shen Yiqiu about it.
“I don’t know.”
Li Wan chuckled, she was used to Qin Qianrou’s aloofness and reserved nature.
If they weren’t close friends, and if it weren’t her gift, she wouldn’t dare to ask Qin Qianrou such a question, she was usually so tight-lipped, Li Wan had once thought Qin Qianrou was emotionally detached, destined for a life of celibacy.
“Alright, usually, ‘I don’t know’ means it was… decent.”
Li Wan drew this conclusion from her past shopping experiences, a reasonable assumption. If it hadn’t been… satisfactory, Qin Qianrou would have definitely complained. She thought about writing a generic positive review for the shop later.
She glanced at her bag in the corner, she had bought two boxes that day, one for Qin Qianrou, and one for herself, she didn’t know why she had kept one, she was the one least likely to need it!
Qin Qianrou, afraid Li Wan might continue her questioning, she didn’t want to discuss the details with her friend, she was still a little embarrassed about it.
Thankfully, Shen Yiqiu was considerate, she didn’t tease her or pressure her, only offering gentle comfort, and nestled safely in Shen Yiqiu’s arms at night, Qin Qianrou would occasionally recall those moments, the exhaustion and weakness similar to what she had felt that night,
just… less pleasurable.
She collected her thoughts and changed the subject, “I heard the relevant departments are formally investigating Director Yu after the holidays.”
“Yes, it seems the materials we submitted were effective.”
They had submitted the materials just before the New Year holiday, effectively halting Director Yu’s promotion, but they hadn’t expected the investigation to progress so quickly.
Qin Qianrou, lost in thought, said, “It seems Director Yu’s problems are quite serious.”
Usually, the bigger the problem, the faster the authorities reacted, not even pausing for the holidays meant Director Yu’s wrongdoings weren’t limited to financial matters.
“From what my father said, someone must have intervened, expedited the process. But Director Yu’s situation… everyone knows about it, that new apartment he bought before Dongsheng’s advertising investment, it’s obvious what happened.”
The story about Director Yu’s wife winning the lottery was only believable once, everyone at the television station was perceptive, no one would truly believe it.
“It’s a good thing it’s being dealt with quickly, there are bigger problems to solve.” Qin Qianrou recalled the information Wen Shao Ze had shared, besides He Chao’s connection to Shen Zhifeng, there was also Shao Qidong’s recent activity.
Shao Qidong had rarely left the country lately, spending most of his time in Meng City or attending various meetings in other major cities within the country. This Chinese New Year, his sudden trip to the US, without Zhuo Cheng, was unusual.
Li Wan also felt a headache at the mention of Dongsheng. “Yes, let’s discuss it when we’re on duty the day after tomorrow.”
Discussing work during the holidays was too tiring, and Li Wan chose to continue her beauty sleep.
Qin Qianrou’s phone call with Li Wan today had been longer than usual, and when she emerged from her room, Shen Yiqiu was no longer on the sofa, she must have slipped back into the kitchen.
Before Qin Qianrou could even walk over, Shen Yiqiu returned.
“Perfect timing.” She placed a bowl on the coffee table, her fingers instinctively covering her earlobe.
Qin Qianrou took her hand and examined it carefully. “Did you burn yourself?”
Shen Yiqiu blinked, her hand still held in Jiejie’s grasp, “No, it’s just a habit.”
Qin Qianrou carefully checked her hand, her long, slender fingers only slightly reddened, no signs of injury, and she chuckled, “Stubborn child.”
“I made red bean soup, try some.” Shen Yiqiu took Qin Qianrou’s hand and led her to the sofa.
The projector screen was still displaying the time from when Qin Qianrou had been on the phone. There were two spoons in the bowl Shen Yiqiu had brought over, clearly intending to share.
“I don’t like sweet things.”
“I know, this one isn’t very sweet.”
“Then what about you?” Qin Qianrou knew that although Shen Yiqiu wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, she wasn’t as averse to them as she was.
“I’ll have the same as you.” Shen Yiqiu stirred the soup and offered Qin Qianrou the first spoonful.
At some point, Shen Yiqiu feeding her had become a natural and effortless act.
“You’re lying again.” Qin Qianrou opened her mouth slightly, swallowing the red bean soup.
The temperature was just right, not too hot, the thick, smooth texture and the sweet fragrance lingering in her mouth, not cloying at all, utterly delightful.
“I’m not lying, I just… my taste buds have adapted to yours.” Shen Yiqiu took a spoonful for herself.
Seeing her enjoying the soup, her tone so sincere and natural, Qin Qianrou’s heart softened. She realized she had indeed changed; the soft and vulnerable side she had always suppressed was now freely expressed in front of Shen Yiqiu.
In this home, she could relax, enjoy Shen Yiqiu’s love and her constant care and tenderness, she didn’t have to constantly maintain a strong facade.
With Shen Yiqiu, she didn’t have to be the “Iron Woman” anymore, she could let her guard down, let her heart soften.
They were watching an old movie today, a classic Shen Yiqiu had never seen before. Qin Qianrou had suggested it, saying it was one of her favorites from her student years, she had watched it countless times.
Hearing this, Shen Yiqiu had naturally become interested.
The plot was a bit cliché, a famous actress, during a movie shoot, meeting a bookstore owner, a spark between them, their budding romance, then, the next morning, the media frenzy,
the overwhelming pressure of public opinion, and the actress, her ingrained self-preservation instincts kicking in, misunderstanding the bookstore owner, their nascent love ending abruptly.
Thankfully, the actress realized her mistake, returned to find him, and even chose to stay in that small town for him.
A sweet and bittersweet, yet complete, love story.
Shen Yiqiu snuggled closer to Qin Qianrou, they were always touching whenever they had the chance, this physical closeness a comforting reassurance, another way of expressing their love.
“That was close, I thought the bookstore owner wasn’t going to show up at the press conference.” The movie neared its end, a happy or sad ending depending on the male protagonist’s choice.
Qin Qianrou already knew the ending, this movie had stayed with her for years, rewatching it now felt like meeting an old friend, but some scenes weren’t as impactful as they had been when she first saw it.
Nostalgia, it seemed, was best left in the past.
“Relationships are like that sometimes, if two people are walking in the same direction, they’ll eventually meet, but if the direction is wrong, then they’ll never be together.”
Shen Yiqiu looked at Qin Qianrou meaningfully, her eyes filled with an emotion Qin Qianrou couldn’t quite decipher, a hint of melancholy.
“Ours is a matter of meeting, not distance, so there’s no need to worry.”
As she spoke, Shen Yiqiu leaned closer, her warm breath tickling Qin Qianrou’s face. She turned away slightly, wanting to escape the warmth, but Shen Yiqiu held her closer.
“Jiejie, I’ll always be walking towards you, I won’t disappoint you.” Shen Yiqiu could sense the underlying worry in Qin Qianrou’s heart.
Qin Qianrou stopped struggling, nestling against her, and after a moment, she responded with a soft “Mm.”
**
The last two days of the Chinese New Year holiday were Qin Qianrou and Li Wan’s shifts. Nothing had happened during the first few days, and their so-called “duty” was just bringing snacks and drinks to the office and chatting.
Qin Qianrou, seeing Li Wan enter with a bag full of snacks, was slightly taken aback.
“You’re really treating this like a tea party.”
Li Wan placed the bag on the table, took out two bottles of drinks, and handed one to Qin Qianrou, “I wouldn’t, I just don’t want to starve during my shift.”
Very few restaurants near the television station were open, her usual two favorites closed for the holidays, Li Wan didn’t mind working, but she hated working with an empty stomach.
“Don’t worry, it’s sugar-free.”
Qin Qianrou shook her head helplessly, opened the bottle, and took a sip.
“You’re on duty, isn’t Shen Yiqiu bored at home alone?”
“She went to see Yuan Qi today.”
Finally remembering she has a cousin, Li Wan was, however, quite pleased with Shen Yiqiu’s prioritization, placing family over her girlfriend, she was, after all, unconditionally biased towards her best friend.
“How is Wen Shao Ze doing lately? I heard he waited downstairs at Yuan Qi’s place for two hours, without even seeing him.”
Qin Qianrou frowned, That happened?
Li Wan, seeing her expression, was surprised. “He didn’t tell you?”
“No.” Wen Shao Ze had told her everything was progressing smoothly.
Li Wan tied her long hair up in a bun, since Lin Shuangzhi wasn’t here, she didn’t have to maintain her glamorous image.
“He’s too proud to let you know about such a humiliating experience.”
Qin Qianrou didn’t comment, she didn’t doubt Wen Shao Ze’s determination this time, but Yuan Qi’s stance seemed firm, it was hard to say what the outcome would be.
“Does Shen Yiqiu still not know about their past?”
“I haven’t found an opportunity to tell her yet, and it’s better for Yuan Qi to tell her himself.”
Li Wan nodded. “That’s true, it’s always better to hear such things directly from the person involved.”
Besides, judging by his behavior during their New Year’s Eve dinner, Yuan Qi might not be willing to bring it up again.
With nothing happening at the station, Li Wan simply stayed in Qin Qianrou’s office, chatting, drinking tea, and eating cake, enjoying their shift.
“The shop messaged me again last night, asking for a detailed review, they even offered me a premium VIP membership.”
Qin Qianrou, looking at her computer, didn’t immediately understand which “shop” she was referring to.
Then, her eyes met Li Wan’s, and she understood.
“What are the benefits of a premium VIP membership?”
“A permanent 20% discount and priority access to new products.”
“Not bad, just write one then.” After so many years at the television station, writing a review was a simple task.
Li Wan, however, sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I don’t have any personal experience to share, how can I write a convincing review if I’m just making things up?”
Qin Qianrou stared at her computer screen, her ears burning, thankfully, her hair was down today, otherwise, Li Wan would definitely notice.
“Qianrou, why don’t you write one for me?”
Qin Qianrou didn’t respond, still focused on her work.
Li Wan pressed on, “I’ll buy you two of everything from now on?”
Qin Qianrou’s ears burned even more intensely; she almost wanted to tie her hair up to cool down.
“I don’t need anything.”
Such a decisive rejection. Li Wan pouted, slightly disappointed.
Then, she thought, That’s not right, she and Shen Yiqiu are in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, why wouldn’t she need them?
She must be too embarrassed to admit it.
“If you don’t want to write it, you can just tell me what to write, and I’ll organize it.”
This was a basic skill for reporters, everyone knew how to organize and summarize information.
Qin Qianrou paused, then finally looked at her.
“I really don’t know.”
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