Chapter 37 Reward: "I do have a bit of a crush on you."

"You said it yourself, this is the next scene, and it hasn't been filmed yet, how am I supposed to know what we're going to film?"

"What are we filming?" she asked Yu Jintang in a drawn-out tone.

The tulips fell, so I squatted down to pick them up.

I just picked it up and spilled water again, so I quickly went to wipe it up.

Before the table was overturned, Jiang Yan finally spoke: "Film the part where Taiping learns that Xue Shao is imprisoned and plans to plead with Empress Wu on his behalf."

"Oh," Qin Lan said curtly.

Yu Jintang is causing trouble again.

"Teacher Qin, you're pretending to be Shangguan Wan'er!" Yu Jintang, always eager for a good show, said, "Taiping really likes Shangguan. She'll know exactly how to act as soon as she sees Shangguan."

Neither of the two lead actors commented on her fallacious reasoning; they simply exchanged silent glances.

Qin Lan took a stiff step forward, trying her best to put herself in Shangguan Wan'er's shoes, but her heart inexplicably started pounding: "Your Highness."

She cleared her throat, and her second tone was already in character: "Your Highness."

Jiang Yan stared at her face, her expression momentarily dazed.

Qin Lan felt a pang in her heart, and the words blurted out: "Jiang Yan."

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yan finally looked away and stared into her eyes.

Qin Lan was even more displeased. Was he looking at Shangguan Wan'er or at her?

Yu Jintang coughed loudly.

Qin Lan pursed her lips: "Teacher Jiang, don't get too caught up in the role, or you won't be able to get out of it later."

"No, I can tell the difference between the play and reality." Jiang Yan laughed. "Director Yu, I'm all set."

"Once that's all set, everyone else can leave," Yu Jintang said.

The unrelated people were even more unhappy, but they couldn't say anything, so they stormed off in a huff.

Before long, everyone on set, whether busy or not, was talking about the latest development in the feud between Teacher Qin and Teacher Jiang, because Teacher Qin publicly stated that she did not want Teacher Jiang to get into character with her.

Teacher Jiang immediately retorted with a sarcastic remark, claiming that she would never be able to escape Teacher Qin's acting style in her entire life.

The two were at loggerheads, and the atmosphere was tense and confrontational.

Two hours later, Jiang Yan finished filming and asked her assistant to go back with her in the car. She then knocked on Qin Lan's car window.

Qin Lan remained silent, and Jiang Yan didn't move either. Ye Wei, afraid that the two of them would freeze together, quickly got out of the car and opened the car door for Jiang Yan: "Teacher Jiang, let's go."

She suddenly received a message from her boss late last night, saying that he was taking Jiang Yan on a date today and asked her to wait for him on set.

Ye Wei was so excited that she spent half a day refreshing the CP super topic.

Jiang Yan got into the car and looked at Qin Lan after a while: "Why is Teacher Qin unhappy?"

"What kind of look is that? It's clearly Princess Taiping's look." Qin Lan said unhappily, "Drive!"

Ye Wei started the car and tactfully raised the partition.

Before Jiang Yan could answer, Qin Lan angrily spoke up again: "Didn't I tell you I broke up with you? What's the meaning of raising this stupid board?"

Could they possibly be doing something in the back seat? What a joke, would she be that lacking in self-control?

The barrier was silently retracted.

Jiang Yan suddenly burst out laughing: "When Teacher Qin gets angry..."

She said half of what she meant and then stopped, looking at her with an expression that was half suspicious and half provocative.

Qin Lan was enraged by her gaze and angrily moved closer to her: "Do you think I can't help myself?"

"How could that be? I just think that Teacher Qin is self-disciplined and can still adhere to her bottom line after the breakup."

Jiang Yan tilted her head slightly, her smile making Qin Lan's heart flutter. To be honest, Jiang Yan had never flirted with her since the breakup, and her smiles towards Qin Lan had become somewhat formulaic. But the more she acted this way, the more Qin Lan hated her, hated that she had once given her a uniquely genuine smile.

She was furious, feeling both disappointed and resentful. She gritted her teeth and asked, "When you were on set, were you watching me or the character Shangguan Wan'er?"

Jiang Yan blinked: "What is Teacher Qin saying? I don't quite understand."

Qin Lan knew she was doing it on purpose, but she couldn't do anything about it: "Tell me, I wasn't wearing a costume at the time, but you were still in character?"

"Hmm? Yeah." Jiang Yan glanced at her and said lightly, "After all, we're on set. I have professional ethics. I won't... um—"

Qin Lan was furious and bit her lip hard, but then hesitated and pursed her lips tightly, glaring at her unhappily.

Jiang Yan initially trembled and slumped into her seat. But when Qin Lan's hand touched her waist, she seemed to wake up and pushed her away, struggling and saying, "No...you, let go."

Qin Lan was so angry at her push that her mind went blank. She sneered, "Teacher Jiang is no longer satisfied with directly seducing Yin. She's starting to play hard to get now?"

Jiang Yan lowered her eyes and didn't look at her: "I just feel that it's not appropriate for us to kiss now that we're in this relationship."

"Hey, you didn't refuse when I gave you lipstick last time."

"Last time, seeing how you were, I couldn't bear to do it."

Qin Lan felt a surge of anger welling up inside her, as if she was about to explode: "What's wrong with me?"

Jiang Yan was silent for a moment, then reached out to brush away her messy curls, her fingertips tracing a sigh across her brow.

"Last time, you seemed a little troubled."

"Teacher Qin, don't you understand? I'm afraid you're just infatuated with my body."

"Who do you think you are? I have everything you have."

Qin Lan retorted without thinking, his first thought being that it was shameful to admit he was fascinated by this woman's body.

Jiang Yan looked at her quietly for a while: "Since that's the case, then don't touch me."

"If I don't want to touch it, then I won't!"

"Stop the car," Jiang Yan said.

Ye Wei stopped the car.

Qin Lan couldn't stop Ye Wei, so she went to stop Jiang Yan instead: "What are you doing?"

Jiang Yan opened the door to leave, but Qin Lan pulled her back and forcefully pinned her to the back seat. The woman placed her hands on either side of Jiang Yan's body, glaring at her fiercely: "Trying to leave before you're done arguing?"

"Didn't you refuse to touch me just now? Qin Lan, don't you think you're contradicting yourself?" Jiang Yan's eyes also reddened, and she raised her voice: "Do you think I have a good temper and will never get angry or sad? You always disregard other people's feelings and say whatever you want!"

Ye Wei got out of the car very consciously, walked a few steps away and looked up at the sky.

"So what do you mean by this? You can kiss me whenever you want, and not kiss me whenever you want. Didn't you come to the set first? We've kept to ourselves for three years, so why did you suddenly show up again?" Qin Lan's heart ached. "Didn't you seduce me first? Why are you pretending to be so indifferent now?"

She finished speaking without thinking, and then, for the first time in her life, she began to reflect on how harsh her words had been. Normally, Jiang Yan should have slapped her, yelled "You bastard!" and slammed the door shut, but Jiang Yan just stared at her with red eyes, and two lines of tears unexpectedly streamed down her face.

Qin Lan's heart softened instantly, and she reached out somewhat flusteredly, wanting to wipe away her tears. She moved her lips, but didn't know what to say, and what came out sounded dry: "...Don't cry, I shouldn't have said that."

She saw the light in Jiang Yan's eyes gradually fade, and despair appeared on her face. Jiang Yan looked at her painfully, feeling that she was truly love-struck, always completely helpless when facing Qin Lan. She finally mustered the courage to get off the bus, but after wiping away her tears, she couldn't move.

She'd give her whatever she wanted, regardless of whether it was right or wrong; life was all about living in the moment. She grabbed Qin Lan's collar and kissed her fiercely until Qin Lan tasted a salty flavor, then froze, staring blankly as salty, moist tears streamed from beneath Jiang Yan's closed eyelashes and landed on her lips.

She felt her heart begin to throb more violently, the pain making her panic. Unfamiliar emotions welled up; she rarely felt guilt. She still didn't understand Jiang Yan's inner turmoil, but she vaguely sensed that Jiang Yan was in so much pain she was about to go mad. How could someone shed so many tears? Was she the only one who had ever seen her cry?

Have you seen Jiang Yan's tears, not just the tears of the actress Jiang Yan?

Jiang Yan released her, unbuttoned her clothes, expressionless, still crying: "The wet wipes are behind you, wipe your hands and then come and have me."

Qin Lan's heart clenched suddenly, the pain contorting her face. She realized that Jiang Yan's tears were the source of her heartache and quickly pressed Jiang Yan's hand down.

She shifted her sitting position, pulled Jiang Yan into her arms, and gently stroked her hair.

Jiang Yan's numb voice came from her arms: "What, Teacher Qin, are you no longer interested in my body?"

"I'm sorry," Qin Lan said sullenly, then couldn't help but rub her face against Qin Lan's with her chin. "If I want to kiss you again in the future, I'll ask for your opinion."

Jiang Yan remained silent and motionless.

Qin Lan hugged her tightly, struggled for a while in frustration, and then embarrassedly used his ultimate move: "I do like you a little."

Jiang Yan reacted, raising her head as if to see her expression.

Qin Lan kept her head down, refusing to let Jiang Yan see, so all Jiang Yan could see were her bright red ears: "Alright, alright, I've thought about the problem you mentioned. I'm sure I don't have any physical urges towards anyone but you, but it's not just physical urges towards you either. You... I've missed you a little while you were gone."

"What do you miss about me?" Jiang Yan asked, her voice hoarse, still lacking emotion, as if she were heartbroken.

"Well... I just want to, but not *that* kind of thing." Qin Lan wanted to die. "It's not that I don't want to *that* kind of thing at all, but it's only been three or four times. It's mainly just...wanting..."

She couldn't continue, but fortunately Jiang Yan didn't let her suffer for too long and helped her say, "Thinking of me?"

Qin Lan remained silent, but nodded in tacit agreement.

"Oh." Jiang Yan gently pushed her away: "I know."

What?

knew?

What does "I understand" mean?

Qin Lan sensed that she was still angry, so he had no choice but to say, "Don't be angry."

"I shouldn't have said those things." She looked dejected. "I was so angry. You've changed, and I can't stand it..."

"You're deliberately trying to annoy me." Remembering her grudge, she said resentfully, "Were you even in character on set?"

"Say it again," Jiang Yan said, seemingly unrelated to the question.

Qin Lan glared at her: "...Were you even in character on set?"

“That’s not it.” Jiang Yan glared at her, stubbornly refusing to tell her.

"Which line is it..." Qin Lan suddenly had a flash of inspiration, her face turning slightly red: "It's about liking you."

"real?"

"……real."

Jiang Yan was visibly much happier and even wiped away her tears.

"I'm not angry with you anymore." Jiang Yan wiped away her tears, leaned in and hugged her, burying her still slightly damp face in the crook of her neck and rubbing against her affectionately.

Qin Lan hugged her awkwardly and patted her back stiffly twice.

Silly girl, she stopped being angry just because she said she liked you.

"So on set..."

"I just wanted to tease you. I've never thought of you as Shangguan Wan'er." Jiang Yan stroked her hair: "You've always been Qin Lan."

She noticed that Qin Lan's gaze was becoming more restrained, so before Qin Lan could speak, she raised her head and gently kissed her lips.

Qin Lan trembled, her fingers instinctively grabbing Jiang Yan's hair. In a daze, she saw Jiang Yan's tightly closed eyes, still as careful and devout as when she first kissed her. Her heart softened, and she couldn't help but gently stroke Jiang Yan's head, suddenly tasting something salty on her lips.

"Why are you crying again?" she mumbled, taking a step back and opening her eyes.

Jiang Yan didn't speak, her hand still clutching her sleeve.

Qin Lan wiped her face, her voice unusually gentle: "Don't cry anymore."

She said awkwardly, "Your tears have soaked my heart."

Jiang Yan looked up and smiled, her face still wet with tears, her eyes glistening with laughter.

Do you like me now?

Qin Lan's heart pounded. She unconsciously gripped her sleeve and said fiercely, "Dead Jiang Yan, you know perfectly well what you're asking."

"Why are you kissing me again?" Qin Lan couldn't help but ask her.

"A reward for you."

"What reward?"

"This is a reward for admitting you like me." Jiang Yan laughed, her tears flowing even more as she wiped them away. Qin Lan frantically rummaged for tissues, standing there dumbfounded.

Jiang Yan looked at her frizzy hair and couldn't help but laugh again, tapping her own face: "Don't you know how to wipe a girl's tears?"

Qin Lan raised her stiff arm, wrapped a tissue around her index finger, and gently wiped it.

“That’s not how it is,” Jiang Yan shook her head.

"Huh?" Qin Lan looked at her dejectedly: "Then how do I wipe it?"

"Come a little closer," Jiang Yan beckoned to her with her eyes.

Qin Lan involuntarily leaned closer, and now they were very close. Jiang Yan's tear tracks were clearly reflected in her eyes like a winding river. The woman reached out and hooked her neck, pressing her face towards her own. Before Qin Lan could react, she tasted a salty tear between her lips.

She stared blankly at Jiang Yan, only able to see her trembling eyelashes, and heard a sigh-like voice in her ear: "Teacher Qin, please say it again."

Qin Lan's heart trembled, and she slowly closed her eyes. She tasted Jiang Yan's tears, her voice a little hoarse: "I like you."

＊

Ye Wei, a former armed police officer, stood with impeccable posture. She maintained the same posture when Qin Lan called her again. Hearing this, she quickly returned to the car, hesitated for a couple of seconds, then raised the partition and asked in a muffled voice, "Miss, shall we go back to the same place?"

“Yes.” Qin Lan stared at the barrier in front of her.

Jiang Yan seemed to chuckle, which annoyed her so much that she looked away: "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at how cute you are." Jiang Yan turned her head, her eyes crinkling.

For the first time in many days, she saw Jiang Yan's bright smile, and for a moment she was dazed. She turned her head and sat up straight, thinking to herself that she couldn't help but want to kiss her again. To distract herself, she urged Ye Wei, "How much longer until we arrive?"

Five minutes.

Qin Lan shifted her waist, tilting her weight slightly to the right.

The car was filled with Jiang Yan's fragrance. Qin Lan caught a glimpse of her taking out her lipstick and slowly touching up her makeup, which made her heart flutter.

She felt a long time had passed, so she asked again, "How much longer until we arrive?"

"Three minutes left."

Qin Lan fell silent, speechless. After a while, feeling as if a long time had passed, she urged again, "Why aren't we here yet?"

Ye Wei's muffled voice came from in front of the barrier: "Because we've only just passed one intersection."

Qin Lan waited anxiously for a long time before the car finally stopped. She got out as if granted a pardon and took a deep breath of fresh air. Ah, this is wonderful! The sky is the sky, the earth is the earth, and the air is the air. Compared to that cage filled with the smell of river smoke, this place is so free!

Jiang Yan also got out of the car and looked around.

"This way." Qin Lan grabbed her wrist, then tossed her head and led her to an industrial-style house in front of them: "Come here."

Jiang Yan was pulled along a couple of steps, her breathing quickening. The woman's brown curly hair gently brushed against her face in the wind, and vitality emanated from every part of her body, making Jiang Yan's heart leap with excitement. She pursed her lips and followed, secretly glancing down at the hand the woman was holding. The way she held her hand was so subtle; not interlocking fingers, but gripping her wrist.

"Paper force field?"

Jiang Yan looked at the three huge metal signs standing in front of her.

The door was locked, and a sign next to it said it was temporarily closed.

Qin Lan banged on the door. A mature woman quickly came over, unlocked the door, and opened it.

"Oh, Miss Qin is here?" the mature woman said with a smile, opening her arms wide.

Qin Lan released Jiang Yan, then hugged her with a big smile: "You look great."

He Luqing chuckled, but her eyes kept glancing at the people Qin Lan had brought. First, she noticed their slender waists and long legs; they were carrying a new L brand bag from this season, wearing high heels and a pencil skirt—just her type.

He Luqing's satisfied gaze then moved upwards, before she opened her mouth in shock, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.

Good heavens, who is this? Jiang Yan??

Is it Jiang Yan, Qin Shihuang's legendary rival?