Gu Yan felt a sudden surge of nausea, as if she had just been licked by a ghost. Before she could pull away, Gu Ming stepped in. Displacing Yan Ling’s hand with a firm, decisive movement, Gu Ming ran her own hand through Gu Yan’s hair…almost like a cleansing gesture…and stepped up beside her with the protective air of family.
“Thank you for the compliment, CEO Yan. Your performance wasn’t half bad either today. No one would ever guess it was your first time acting.”
The two women locked eyes. The tension was so thick that an outsider might have mistaken them for romantic rivals fighting over Gu Yan.
As the atmosphere froze, Wen Xixi didn’t dare breathe. Looking back and forth between the two, she realized she couldn’t afford to offend either of them. Glancing at the clock and seeing it was already past eight in the evening, she finally called it. “Let’s wrap it up for today. Everyone go back and get some rest. We have an early start tomorrow for the sunrise scene.”
The crew immediately began packing up.
Yan Ling’s eyes fixated on Gu Ming’s hand, which remained casually yet possessively draped over Gu Yan’s shoulder. A faint, sharp smile played on her lips. “Ming, the shoot is over for the day. Don’t you think it’s time to take your hand off my person?”
Instead of letting go, Gu Ming pulled Gu Yan a little closer into her side. “I’m afraid not, CEO Yan. We have an early call time tomorrow, so Yan and I need to go over the script tonight. If you’re tired, you should head back and rest.”
Yan Ling’s smile stiffened. “If it’s a script reading, count me in. After all, I’m in tomorrow’s scene too.”
“CEO Yan, you manage a whole empire. Surely you wouldn’t waste an entire evening over a mere three or four lines of dialogue?”
“You’re planning to read the script the entire night?” Yan Ling’s smile vanished completely.
“Hard to say. It depends on our progress,” Gu Ming replied smoothly. “But even if it runs late, it’s fine. It’s not like Yan hasn’t slept in my bed before. Staying over in my room tonight won’t be an issue.”
Yan Ling’s expression darkened. She shot a look at Gu Yan, who was pointedly staring at the ground, pretending to notice nothing.
Ha, Yan Ling thought bitterly. Do you really think you can hide behind Gu Ming forever?
“Ming, perhaps you aren’t aware,” Yan Ling said, her gaze drilling into Gu Yan, her voice suddenly dripping with a deep, affectionate devotion that made it seem like they were madly in love. “Gu Yan and I are actually in a relationship. I trust your character and know you wouldn’t do anything, but… surely you can understand how I feel.”
Gu Yan let out a silent, mocking scoff, fighting back a wave of genuine disgust.
“I understand,” Gu Ming countered flawlessly. “But since you trust my character and know my preferences, what is there to worry about? Unless, CEO Yan, you plan to act like Lin Zhen in the script—suffocating Yan with baseless jealousy and violence until you force her away?”
“O-Of course not,” Yan Ling forced a dry laugh.
“In that case, you have nothing to worry about. I can even swear an oath: I will never use a script reading as an excuse to harass Gu Yan. Now, can you rest easy leaving Yan with me?”
Driven into a corner by Gu Ming’s sheer eloquence, Yan Ling had no cards left to play. She could only swallow her anger and back down.
Seeing Yan Ling utterly defeated by Gu Ming made Gu Yan want to let out a massive sigh of relief and cheer. However, not wanting to expose her petty, vindictive side to Gu Ming, she forced herself to keep a straight face.
It wasn’t until Gu Ming led her back into the hotel suite and shut the door that Gu Ming finally laughed out loud. “You can stop holding it in now. The walls are soundproof. Laugh if you want to.”
Gu Yan blinked in surprise, biting her lip. “I… I didn’t want to laugh…”
“Really?” Gu Ming teased, her eyes crinkling.
Fidgeting with her fingers, Gu Yan confessed, “Okay, fine, I did. It felt incredibly satisfying. But…”
“But what?”
Gu Yan hesitated, nervously picking at her thumbnail. “Aren’t you angry? I kept my relationship with Yan Ling a secret from you.”
“I am. Very angry.”
Gu Yan’s heart sank. Her anxiety spiked as she pressed down hard on her thumb. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”
“If it wasn’t an accident, it was intentional, right? We’ve been spending so much time together; you had plenty of chances to come clean.” Gu Ming leaned against the wall, crossing her arms in a playful yet firm demand for answers.
Gu Yan felt a wave of shame. Standing before Gu Ming like a scolded schoolgirl, she lowered her head. “I was afraid that if you found out, you’d be disgusted by me and distance yourself… just like you did with the previous girls.”
Gu Yan was deliberately skirting the real issue. What she truly feared…what she didn’t dare voice…was the terror of Gu Ming discovering her true, illicit feelings for her.
She didn’t want Gu Ming to know how she had fallen in love with her, nor the desperate circumstances of their very first encounter.
She was far more damaged, and far uglier inside, than Gu Ming could ever imagine.
“Then you should also know,” Gu Ming said softly, “that I only disliked and pushed them away because they lied to me.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Gu Ming felt a headache coming on. An apology wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Yan, I’m giving you a chance to explain yourself.”
Gu Yan kept her head down, offering only silence.
“Fine. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to,” Gu Ming sighed, dropping her arms. “Are you hungry? There’s a kitchen in this suite.” It was obvious she intended to cook.
Gu Yan’s guilt intensified until it was almost unbearable. Gu Ming gave her endless tolerance and trust, time and time again, yet she couldn’t even offer a proper explanation in return.
But how could she speak? She couldn’t. Gu Ming’s stance was already crystal clear…she was straight, and her affection for Gu Yan was purely platonic, like a friend or a sister.
“What? Are you refusing to even tell me if you’re hungry now?” Gu Ming sighed, a hint of helplessness in her voice.
Gu Yan vigorously shook her head, then nodded quickly. “I-I’m hungry. Let me help you.”
“Alright. Be my sous-chef; it’ll go faster with two of us.” Gu Ming checked the time…it was already past nine. “Let’s just make some noodles. It’s late, and we’ve been starving for hours.”
“Okay.”
Gu Ming suddenly reached out and ruffled her hair gently. “If only you were this obedient and honest when you’re explaining things.”
Gu Yan lowered her gaze.
“Alright, look at me and my big mouth. Come on, let’s cook.”
Gu Ming couldn’t bear to see even a hint of sadness or grievance on Gu Yan’s face. She really was a lost cause; she was supposed to be the one who was angry, yet here she was, comforting the offender.
Gu Ming led the way into the kitchen and pulled ingredients from the fridge, deciding to whip up a simple tomato and egg curry noodle soup.
As Gu Ming chopped the tomatoes, Gu Yan was tasked with whisking the eggs. But as she whisked, her eyes drifted to Gu Ming’s profile. The longer she looked, the heavier her heart became.
Unable to control herself, she stepped up behind Gu Ming and wrapped her arms gently around her waist, resting her forehead against Gu Ming’s back, soaking in her soothing warmth.
Gu Ming stopped chopping, letting out a soft, amused chuckle. “What’s wrong? Are you really mad at me now? Should I apologize?”
Gu Yan rubbed her forehead against her back, shaking her head. “I’m the one who should be saying sorry.”
“Gu Ming… could you… could you give me a pass? Just this once?”
“I know it’s a selfish thing to ask, but I—”
“Okay.”
Gu Yan looked up, stunned.
Gu Ming turned her head, easily spinning Gu Yan around and pulling her into a proper embrace. She gave Gu Yan’s cheek a gentle, playful pinch. “Stop frowning. I must have owed you a massive debt in a past life. I can’t even bring myself to stay mad at you. Why settle for one pass? I’ll give you ten.”
Gu Yan’s eyes instantly welled with tears. She quickly looked down, trying to brush them away, but her sudden tears threw Gu Ming into a panic. “Hey, what’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… you’re too good to me,” Gu Yan choked out, a sob breaking through her voice. Her tears fell freely now, a bitter yet sweet cascade. “I… I don’t deserve it.”
A sudden, fierce wave of self-loathing washed over her.
She hated herself. She hated herself for falling in love with Gu Ming, and she hated herself for tarnishing someone so pure with her own dark, hidden desires. Gu Ming was so good. She was so, so good…