The elevator was a bit slow to arrive.
When Qiao Mengdi turned her head, she saw Yao Chiyue leaning slightly to the right, using her left hand to cover her mouth as she stifled a yawn. Even in her exhaustion, she remained elegant. If Qiao Mengdi had to compare Yao Chiyue to an animal, she thought she would be a white swan.
“Sister Yao, can I ask you a question?”
Yao Chiyue turned back, her eyes glistening with a thin layer of moisture triggered by the yawn. She didn’t refuse, which Qiao Mengdi took as an agreement. Qiao Mengdi pursed her lips—lips that looked like beautiful cherries. “It’s just—Yi Hongzhou was the one who called you here, right?”
In truth, what she really wanted to ask was the nature of the relationship between Yao Chiyue and Yi Hongzhou. However, because they weren’t close enough to ask such a direct question, she intentionally asked a more indirect one. That way, even if the other woman didn’t want to answer, it wouldn’t be too awkward for either of them.
“You want to ask what my relationship is with Yi Hongzhou, don’t you?” Yao Chiyue ruthlessly pierced through Qiao Mengdi’s facade.
Qiao Mengdi was just about to say, “Can you tell me, Sister?” when the elevator chimed. The doors opened, and a group of people coming from the pool walked out.
They were the only two on the way down. Once inside the confined space of an elevator, Qiao Mengdi always felt that the connection between people intensified instantly. The distance narrowed abruptly; their breath and body heat seemed to entwine and interweave in the small space like two forces constantly colliding. Naturally, the bond between people grew stronger in those brief moments.
Sure enough, Qiao Mengdi felt her heart rate quicken again. The conversation that had been suddenly interrupted was impossible to continue now. Yao Chiyue didn’t press her either.
The elevator descended rapidly. It only took a moment to reach the bottom of the thirty-plus floors. They stepped out into the underground parking lot.
“I’ll drive you back,” Yao Chiyue said.
“Is that okay?” Qiao Mengdi asked, feeling a bit unsure. She knew now that the one who actually needed looking after was Yao Chiyue.
“Do you want to go back by yourself?”
“It’s not that,” Qiao Mengdi quickened her pace to walk side-by-side with Yao Chiyue. “Sister Yao looks a bit tired. It’s not good to always have you acting as my driver.”
“I don’t have time to be your driver all the time. I’ll arrange one for you later.”
Just like that? Qiao Mengdi was startled. In Yao Chiyue’s world, arranging a driver seemed like handling a trivial piece of administrative business.
“Or, I could try again later. If I work hard, maybe I can still get my driver’s license.”
“You’ve studied for it before?”
“Yes, I have.” Qiao Mengdi wasn’t sure if the other woman wanted to know, but since they were getting married, she felt it was better to let her understand her as much as possible. “But as soon as I sit in the driver’s seat, I get so nervous I start sweating profusely.”
“Is that so?” Yao Chiyue’s expression suggested she was imagining Qiao Mengdi covered in sweat. “Don’t force yourself too much.”
“Usually, I try even the hardest things three times. But with driving, I only tried once.”
Listening to Qiao Mengdi talk about her trivial matters, the nerves that Yao Chiyue had been keeping taut somehow relaxed a little. “Isn’t hiring a driver simpler?”
They reached the car. Once they were inside, Qiao Mengdi said, “Hiring a driver is simple, but the feeling of independence is better.”
“Then good luck.” Having said that, Yao Chiyue started the car.
As they left the parking lot, Qiao Mengdi felt that the topic from the rooftop couldn’t be revived, so she fell silent and gazed out at the street scenery. The autumn sun was bright, but its golden glow wasn’t as piercing as the summer sun.
Yao Chiyue drove in silence. In reality, her mind was full of thoughts because of Yi Hongzhou.
“I’m also thinking about getting married. See you on the rooftop in five minutes.”
That was the text she had received from an unknown number halfway through dinner. There was only one person in the world who would speak to her in such a slightly manic tone: Yi Hongzhou.
The message seemed ordinary, but based on Yao Chiyue’s knowledge of him, his “thinking about getting married” didn’t mean marrying just anyone—it meant wanting to marry whoever Yao Chiyue was marrying.
So, even though she had completely blocked Yi Hongzhou from her life, Yao Chiyue couldn’t sit still after receiving that message. She went to the place he designated.
On one hand, she wanted to see just how pathological Yi Hongzhou had become after nearly two years. On the other hand, she wanted him to know that she didn’t care about Qiao Mengdi as much as he thought.
As it turned out, her paranoid cousin was still alive and well, perhaps even more capable of enchanting people than before.
Before the meeting, she thought she could remain indifferent toward this marriage of convenience with Qiao Mengdi. However, seeing Qiao Mengdi faint because of Yi Hongzhou, and hearing Qiao Mengdi admit she was his fan, made Yao Chiyue feel strangely uncomfortable. The discomfort was clear, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit it.
Driving silently, Yao Chiyue subconsciously thought of Qiao Mengdi’s concern for her; her hesitation to approach after chasing her down; the sight of their left hands extended in the sunlight wearing engagement rings; the way she said she would buy her gifts in the future; and her cautious, tiptoeing manner when asking about her relationship with Yi Hongzhou.
She even thought of how Qiao Mengdi blushed at the drop of a hat. She knew it wasn’t just shyness; it was the sincere expression of joy that comes from being moved by someone. If she wasn’t mistaken, this “younger sister” had likely fallen for her in this short span of time.
So, as long as I accept her, will Yi Hongzhou be powerless? The problem was, could she really accept Qiao Mengdi’s feelings? Yao Chiyue lacked confidence.
On the rooftop, she had made it clear to Yi Hongzhou: she, Yao Chiyue, could pretend not to care about Qiao Mengdi, but as long as they had a legally recognized marriage, she would never tolerate anyone making a move on her.
Yet, when Yi Hongzhou had been quick enough to catch the fainting Qiao Mengdi, his eyes had revealed that pathological madness again. He was silently declaring: Let’s see just how far you will go for her.
At that moment, she realized that whether she liked Qiao Mengdi or not, Yi Hongzhou would follow his old habit of trying to steal her away first. His reappearance was simply a warning that he was back. And today was just the beginning.
“Do you still want to know what my relationship is with Yi Hongzhou?” Yao Chiyue suddenly broke the silence.
What’s with this timing? Qiao Mengdi was dazed for a moment, thinking she was hallucinating. She secretly pinched her thigh; the pain was sharp. “If I want to know, will you tell me, Sister?”
“Of course.”
Hearing her answer so readily, Qiao Mengdi almost thought Yao Chiyue was about to open her heart to her. However, having read the novel’s plot, she remained clear-headed. They weren’t even officially married yet; Yao Chiyue certainly didn’t have those inclinations. At the very least, her words wouldn’t carry the romantic weight Qiao Mengdi hoped for.
There was only one explanation: by saying this, she was beginning to act in the capacity of a partner. It made sense; the engagement banquet was over. Once the financial reporters and the Luzhou Evening News published their articles today, their alliance would be known to everyone in Luzhou. Even without the marriage certificate, their relationship was practically set in stone.
“I want to know,” Qiao Mengdi said clearly. “Please tell me, Sister.” Tell me what role this big star—who never appeared in the original novel—is playing now. She didn’t dare voice that part of her curiosity.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. There is no ambiguity between us.”
“Oh.” Qiao Mengdi had indeed let her mind wander while on the rooftop. Hearing Yao Chiyue say this, she felt a sense of relief, though a small, mischievous part of her felt a tiny bit of disappointment. “If there was something between you two, I think I could understand.”
“What kind of talk is that?”
“I just feel that you and Yi Hongzhou both seem like such exceptional, outstanding humans, so—”
“Being grouped with him makes me unhappy.”
“I see. Then just be direct, Sister. Speak plainly,” Qiao Mengdi said, her curiosity nearly snapping.
“He is my cousin.”
He is my cousin! Cousin! Cou-cou-cou-cou-cousin!
It was as if an atomic bomb had gone off in Qiao Mengdi’s head. This news hit her harder than the moment she realized she had traveled into a book.
Wait a minute! Once the roaring in her head subsided, Qiao Mengdi immediately remembered that Yao Chiyue’s cousin’s name was not Yi Hongzhou!
So, could this be a different cousin? Yes, that had to be it. Qiao Mengdi, oh Qiao Mengdi, you nearly scared yourself to death.
“So he’s a cousin. How many cousins do you have?” Qiao Mengdi couldn’t directly ask “Isn’t your cousin’s name Ji Hongqian?”, so to confirm if Yi Hongzhou and Ji Hongqian were the same person, she changed her approach. It was common for stars to use stage names, and she didn’t want to wait another minute to confirm this.
“Why do you ask?”
Yao Chiyue was wary, but Qiao Mengdi had already prepared her answer. “I’m just asking. I wanted to know how many cousins Sister Yao has who are so talented and good-looking, that’s all.”
Yao Chiyue gave a light scoff, clearly not believing her. “I only have one cousin.” She felt there was no harm in telling her. “Good-looking? Yes. Talented and virtuous? That’s just a misunderstanding the public has of him.”
Qiao Mengdi’s head exploded a second time.
Now, she desperately wanted to ask if Yi Hongzhou’s real name was Ji Hongqian. She needed to know for sure if Yi Hongzhou was the “scumbag cousin” who had driven the original host to her wits’ end. If he was, she was in a dangerous position—after all, she truly liked his work and his looks.
But she couldn’t ask. If Yao Chiyue misunderstood and thought she was investigating her, things would get even worse.
Forget it, Qiao Mengdi thought. Although she liked Yi Hongzhou, that “like” was fundamentally different from the “heart-fluttering” kind of attraction. She was certain of that; she was nothing like the original host.
If surviving before only required marrying Yao Chiyue, now her survival required an additional rule: Stay away from Yi Hongzhou. She warned herself.
Wooo… sorry, top-tier idol. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Qiao Mengdi’s scales had completely tilted toward protecting her marriage to save her life.
While waiting at a red light, Yao Chiyue turned to look at Qiao Mengdi. “What is that expression on your face?”
“Cousin Yi—” Qiao Mengdi paused. “Idol” becoming “Cousin” felt surprisingly natural to say. “He has so many great works. Why can’t you say he is talented and virtuous?”
“Are those works his alone?” The light turned green, and the car moved forward. “You can’t judge a person’s character just by their work. Those things are superficial. You don’t know the real him.”
“But there are interviews, variety shows. He couldn’t possibly—”
“He could. Don’t forget, he’s an actor.”
“Sister Yao seems to dislike him very much.”
“Yes. I loathe him.”
“Why?”
“Whatever I have that he doesn’t, he tries to steal.”
Qiao Mengdi’s jaw nearly dropped. When she read the novel, she felt that while the female lead was instantly attracted to his looks, the cousin’s interest in the original host hadn’t seemed as natural. Back then, she thought falling for someone in a second was too theatrical and impossible.
Now, knowing that Yao Chiyue’s only cousin was Yi Hongzhou, she understood. She understood why the original host was like a moth to a flame for Ji Honghan, and why the cousin succeeded so easily: one was calculating his theft while acting like he’d found true love, and the other was blinded by beauty and walked willingly into the trap. It would be strange if it didn’t end in tragedy.
Thinking about her obsession with Yi Hongzhou and his work, Qiao Mengdi felt a chill. It felt like her game was already in jeopardy just as it started. This was so similar to the original heroine’s fate! She absolutely had to keep her distance from Yi Hongzhou.
“I hate that kind of man, too,” she declared.
“And yet you fainted right in front of him?”