Chapter 42 Questionnaire: You don't think love is important, you think Jiang Yan is important.
The discharge procedures were completed quickly, but we ran into trouble with the discharge method.
Ye Wei bought a wheelchair, but Jiang Yan absolutely refused to sit in it, saying that there were too many people in the hospital and she wanted to maintain her image.
Qin Lan had no choice but to ask Ye Wei to carry her. Jiang Yan was very unwilling and asked if she thought she was too heavy and why she wouldn't carry her.
Qin Lan grumbled that she was a spoiled brat: "You know how crowded the hospital is. With our relationship right now, what would it look like if someone saw me carrying you?"
"Why don't you just wear a hat and a mask?"
Qin Lan said expressionlessly, "Are you saying that two people with figures that look a lot like Qin Lan and Jiang Yan, wearing hats, sunglasses and masks, dressed in all black, walked through the busy hospital without being noticed by anyone?"
Jiang Yan was very unhappy: "You just don't want to go public with me."
"No, we didn't actually 'reconcile' (or rather, we did)," Qin Lan nearly collapsed. "Or do you think that just because we did it, we've 'reconcile'?"
Jiang Yan felt particularly aggrieved: "That's not important. What's important is that you don't want to be seen with me."
"We're both celebrities, isn't this normal?" Qin Lan was exasperated: "Heterosexual actors have to keep their relationships secret, it's common knowledge in the industry."
"I hate this. I can't feel your affection," Jiang Yan said sullenly.
"Do you think I like this? I can't ruin my career because of a momentary impulse!" Qin Lan was getting annoyed by her nagging: "Has anyone in the industry gone public with their legal status after all these months? Don't you want to work anymore?"
“I won’t give up my career, but I also want your favoritism.” Jiang Yan sniffed. “Just once, can you carry me on your back? We’ll wear masks, and even if we get photographed, we can just deny it.”
She looked so fragile. Qin Lan recalled her nightmarish crying on the plane, and a fog suddenly settled over her heart.
"Go downstairs and get the car," she said to Ye Wei, and told Xiao Qing to go downstairs first as well.
Then she put on her hat and mask, and also fully armed Jiang Yan, before turning around helplessly: "Come on up."
Jiang Yan leaned over, her body soft and warm, and breathed into her ear.
"Don't do that." Qin Lan tilted her head uncomfortably, carrying her down the fire escape, her teeth clenched: "You're really getting off easy, you get all the benefits."
"Only I can take advantage of Teacher Qin," Jiang Yan said with a smile, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Qin Lan, I can wait as long as you want. I will wait for you to say you love me, but please don't reject me."
Qin Lan didn't know what to say, so she remained silent.
Jiang Yan gently buried her head in her neck and murmured, "If you say you don't love me in the end, I will be very, very, very sad."
Her breathing became very light, as if she were asleep. Qin Lan couldn't help but turn her head slightly, her cheek brushing against Jiang Yan's fluffy hair, a pang of heartache welling up inside her.
She knew that if that day ever came, Jiang Yan would never bother her. She would cry, she would be sad, but she wouldn't beg for her love. She just felt heartbroken; just thinking about that scene made her sad, and she felt even more sorry for Jiang Yan, who was now on her back, having to plan for the future so far in advance and accept that bad ending.
The more she liked Jiang Yan, the more guilty she felt. Three years ago, she hadn't even offered a proper apology; all she could think about was how to repay her debts, treating Jiang Yan as a burden to be rid of…
How heartbroken Jiang Yan must have been back then.
＊
Qin Lan was quite busy that noon. First, she took Jiang Yan back to her room, then found her own room, changed her clothes, and went downstairs to supervise Jiang Yan's dressing change and lunch.
Perhaps because her wish had been fulfilled, Jiang Yan behaved very actively and obediently. Qin Lan sat with her for a while and then left; neither of them mentioned moving in together.
Qin Lan felt that she and Jiang Yan had developed a strange understanding. Kissing was acceptable, but intimacy was not; making love was acceptable, but sleeping in the same bed was not.
Jiang Yan was waiting for her answer, and she was also anxiously asking everyone around her who had bought a mobile phone: "What do you think love is?"
Yang Xingji: [Sister Qin, what's wrong?]
You asked this question before, but you haven't asked it recently. I thought you were going to film a romance scene.
Love is about feeling heartache, I think. I've heard people say that loving someone means feeling heartache.
Next one.
Lan Yaqing: [Mom saw your drama poster, right? Is Lanlan filming with Jiang Yan now?]
Qin Lan didn't try to hide it and readily admitted: "Yes, I asked that question because of her."
Lan Yaqing: [Daughter, you've finally come to your senses! It seems your father and I will soon be able to welcome our daughter and daughter-in-law into our home.]
Qin Lan sensed something was amiss: [What daughter/daughter-in-law? Whose daughter-in-law? Where did this daughter-in-law come from?]
Lan Yaqing: [It's that kid, Yanyan.]
Qin Lan was dumbfounded. How come even the way they addressed each other had changed?!
She stared in astonishment at her own reflection on the screen, then furiously typed: "Mom, how could you accept her so quickly?"
Lan Yaqing: [Jiang Yan is perfect in every way, why wouldn't I accept her?]
Qin Lan: [Who told you she's perfect in every way? Do you even know her?]
She remembered that Jiang Yan and her parents had never met before!
About twenty minutes later, Lan Yaqing sent a long message: "My dear, Mom is so happy to see you enter a new stage of your life. What is love? It's a profound question. Romain Rolland said it well: Love is the flame of life; without it, everything turns to darkness. Once upon a time, Mom witnessed it too…"
Qin Lan patiently read through the entire article and finally concluded that Ms. Lan Yaqing believed that love was the sign that she had entered a new stage in her life.
Qin Lan: [Mom, could you say something more? I don't understand.]
Lan Yaqing: [Oh dear, love is what makes you and Yanyan a couple in the end.]
"..."
Over the next two hours, Lan Yaqing posted one essay after another. Qin Lan couldn't wait any longer and went to ask her father for his opinion.
Qin Zhiyang was in a meeting and didn't reply to her yet.
She then asked Song Man: "What do you think love is?"
An hour later, Song Man replied: "You should ask the winner, not the loser in this relationship."
Qin Lan: [Oh, I'll ask her later, so what are your thoughts?]
Song Man replied with a vengeful rage: 【What feelings can I possibly have? I'm the one who's been betrayed, what feelings should I have? Love is all bullshit, only dancing will never let me down.】
Qin Lan decisively replaced him.
She clicked into [Yu Buguai's] chat interface: [What do you think is the true meaning of love?]
Yu Jintang responded quickly with a long post: "Love is a complex phenomenon combining physiological, psychological, and subjective emotions influenced by social factors. Different eras, cultures, disciplines, and scholars have different understandings of love..."
Qin Lan was speechless: [Could you be any more perfunctory?]
Yu Jintang: [I have a much bigger project to deal with right now. If you really want to know, let's talk over drinks tonight.]
Qin Lan: [Change to no discussion]
After Yu Jintang's personality changed drastically, she became more easygoing, but she was never ambiguous when it came to friends. Don't be fooled by her current tendency to plagiarize and deceive; when the Qin family's cash flow dried up, she contributed all her assets. Qin Lan understood her change and didn't take it to heart.
She clicked into Yun Chui's chat box in frustration.
Everyone is busy and doesn't have time to explain properly to her. If she hadn't taken the day off, she would also be too busy to think about this not-so-great question.
Qin Lan: [What is love? What is liking?]
Yun Chui: [Is it evening in China yet? It's only four o'clock.]
Qin Lan: [You seem quite interested!]
Yun Chui readily admitted: "I've been paying close attention."
Qin Lan: [I just finished talking to your ex-girlfriend. She complained for ages like a nagging wife. If she knew you were paying so much attention, she'd definitely get angry.]
Yun Chui didn't reply to this: 【What do you think love is? I'd like to hear your opinion】
Qin Lan: [I don't know. Right now, I just feel that love is a double-edged sword.]
Yun Chui: [Let me tell you]
Qin Lan: [Love is like poison, sweet but deadly. It's fun while you're in it, but incredibly painful after you break up.]
Yun Chui laughed for a while: [You seem to be holding a lot of resentment.]
Qin Lan: [I don't know what's wrong with me, I keep thinking about her. I clearly agreed the night she said she was leaving, so why do I feel so bad now?]
Yun Chui: [I probably don't need to describe to you what liking is. The fact that you're saying this means you like Jiang Yan. Love is a sublimation of liking. The threshold between liking and loving is probably when someone becomes brighter and brighter in your eyes, and you like her more and more during this process. And one form of love is when you see her ordinariness again, but still want to hold her hand.]
Qin Lan seemed to understand: [Master, should I wait until her ordinary side appears?]
Yun Chui: [This is just one aspect; there are many other expressions of love. Love means liking her flaws and being there for her through her low points, not just loving her strengths and brilliance. You should also love her imperfections and vulnerabilities. Perhaps you should first consider what her flaws are?]
Qin Lan: [There are too many to list. There are green tea bitches who pretend to be innocent but are actually cunning, who love to pick fights with me, and...]
Yun Chui: [I've forgotten that you two were rivals from the start.]
Qin Lan: [But now I feel I can accept it, and it's even kind of cute.]
Yun Chui: [?]
Yun Chui: [Alright, you've learned this part. Let's move on to the next one.]
Love should also be exclusive, selfless, respectful, supportive, understanding, nurturing, and growth-oriented, maintaining personal independence and never losing oneself. In short, I believe love is something that makes two people better. People don't discover love instantly; testing true love requires a long process, and you can wait patiently. As far as I know, Jiang Yan is happy to wait for you.
Qin Lan blushed slightly upon seeing the last sentence, surprised that she and Jiang Yan had such a close personal relationship: "[I've grasped some of it, I'll read it carefully. You said so much, none of them were as attentive as you.]"
Yun Chui: [Really? Everyone must be busy.]
Qin Lan: [The most outrageous one is that Yu Guaiguai, she actually copied and pasted!! And she even said she had a more important research topic!]
Yun Chui: [Compared to love, what she's doing is indeed more noble.]
Without hesitation, Qin Lan typed: 【But love is important too!】
Yun Chui couldn't help but laugh; he never expected that Qin Lan would say something like that one day.
[You don't think love is important; you think Jiang Yan is important.]
About five minutes later, Qin Lan replied casually, "Just a little bit."
＊
At nine o'clock in the evening, Longcheng was brightly lit.
Qin Lan got out of the car and walked into Nile Club.
"Hello ma'am, please show your membership card."
Soon someone led Qin Lan to the private room.
Qin Lan pushed open the door and went in; there was a pile of wine jugs on the table.
She put down her bag, picked up the two bags, and looked at them: "Thinking about her again?"
"How did you know?" Yu Jintang looked up, her eyes hazy.
Given her alcohol tolerance, the fact that she's drunk like this means she's in a very bad mood. Qin Lan has seen her force herself to drink; that's practically suicide.
“People drink either to have fun or to express their sorrow.” Qin Lan sat down opposite her and said to the waiter, “Don’t give her any more cocktails, bring me a dozen beers, a bottle of milk, and two wine glasses.”
"Didn't you say you weren't coming? Why did you come back? Aren't you afraid Jiang Yan will be unhappy?" Yu Jintang said vaguely.
"I'm afraid you'll really drink yourself to death here." Qin Lan confiscated the cigarette pack from her hand: "If you want to smoke, go outside. Don't smoke indoors. You're smoking and drinking all day long, do you really not want to live anymore?"
"No, I value my life." Yu Jintang stared at the lighter, flicking the old cap with her fingertips: "I'm in a bad mood today, so I took it out to smell it."
"Who's upset you again?" Qin Lan glanced at her, just then the beer arrived, and the waiter filled Yu Jintang's glass.
Qin Lan casually poured the remaining wine into other glasses and placed the empty bottle on the table: "Give it a spin."
"Oh." Yu Jintang listlessly stretched out her hand and nudged the bottle.
The bottle spun around and soon rolled to the edge of the table and shattered.
Yu Jintang stared at the shards on the ground for a long time before saying dejectedly, "A bad omen. I have a bad feeling about this."
"What's going on?" Qin Lan asked impatiently, clinking glasses with her and taking a sip of milk.
"We've found out who was spreading our flight information online. Do you remember how I met Lin Yi back then?"
"Of course I remember." Qin Lan had a sudden inspiration: "Could it be that the person who kidnapped you has been released from prison?"
Yu Jintang exhaled a breath of stale air: "It's him. I checked his file and found that he had his sentence reduced because of good behavior. I didn't pay much attention to this person back then, but I didn't expect him to hate so much. He was released legally and didn't hurt anyone. He just sold our flight information. We can't do anything about him."
"What was his motive?" Qin Lan was a little confused: "The first thing he did after getting out of prison was to cause trouble for you? Aren't you the victim?"
“Yes, but it was Lin Yi who sent him there back then.” Yu Jintang lowered her eyes sadly. “Lin Yi saved me, ruined his plans, and sent him to prison. It’s normal for him to want revenge. He should have wanted to take revenge on Administrator 01, but she… is dead, and I have become the new administrator.”
"The rats from last time." Qin Lan thought of something.
“It must be him.” Yu Jintang nodded.
"Weren't those extreme fans of Jiang Yan arranged by him?"
“No.” Yu Jintang shook his head: “There are many people targeting eNet, and our group is a minority, so we are destined to be pointed at and criticized by the majority.”
Qin Lan stared at the cup, seemingly lost in thought, before finally saying, "Jiang Yan's matter cannot be left like this; he must pay the price."
"Of course, he actually tried to harm one of the actors in my group." Yu Jintang sneered, vigorously emptying the wine bottle. "He'll make another move, and I'll send him back to jail again. Let him fight me to the death if he dares. Anyway, I'm still young, I can outlive this scumbag..."
Qin Lan leaned closer: "Yu Buguai, you're not going to use yourself as bait, are you?"
"Oh dear, nothing escapes your notice," Yu Jintang said with a grin. "If you're worried about me, then protect me closely."
Qin Lan glared at her: "You wish! I don't have time for that. I'll hire a few more bodyguards! Otherwise, I'll end up like last time, stuck on the overpass by a bunch of kids..."
"Hey, don't underestimate me, okay? I admit you're very athletic, Lao Qin, but it's not certain who will win if we really fight." Yu Jintang raised his eyebrows.
Qin Lan paused for a moment, then glanced at her legs.
After the real e-network administrator 01 died, Yu Jintang was deeply affected and even considered joining the army. However, her leg was crippled after she was trafficked; she could walk normally, but it would become noticeable after running a few steps. In the end, only Qin Lan practiced contortion.
"Yes, yes, you're the best." Qin Lan smiled at her, "Now you're the director and I'm the actress, so you're practically my boss."
"Cheers!" Yu Jintang clinked glasses with her: "Let's have a proper contest in the next life."
Qin Lan felt a pang of sadness, but she retorted sharply, "You still won't be able to beat me in your next life."
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?" Yu Jintang sat down next to her. "Oh my, your eyes are all red. Honestly, it's not like it's your leg that's broken..."
Qin Lan impatiently shoved her away: "Who's crying? Who's crying? Stop talking nonsense and drink!"
“You milk drinker…” Yu Jintang said with a smile as she picked up her cup.
"Hey, didn't you ask me what love is? I'll give you a simple and straightforward answer."
"What?"
Yu Jintang blinked: "You're drunk, so drunk that you're not even aware of what's going on. An unconscious state is the best reflection of a person's subconscious."
Qin Lan didn't believe it at all: "You're trying to trick me into drinking, aren't you?"
“I’m serious.” Yu Jintang chuckled. “I’m passing on my own experience to you. Back then, I didn’t know how to confess my feelings, so I got myself completely drunk. When I woke up the next day, I was in my sister’s arms, hehe.”
Qin Lan: “Explain in detail.”
Yu Jintang looked embarrassed: "Okay, actually my sister said that she has dedicated her life to her career, and there are still so many inequalities in the world, so she can't feel at ease talking about love."
If someone else had said this, Qin Lan would have scoffed, but she had met Lin Yi, who was widely recognized as the greatest woman of this century.
Qin Lan still refused to drink: "You have ulterior motives."
"Try it or not, it's up to you." Yu Jintang shrugged. "There's no harm in getting drunk. People tend to tell the truth when they're drunk. Don't you want to see what you're really thinking?"
Qin Lan was somewhat tempted: "But we live separately now, so even if I get drunk, she won't know."
Yu Jintang pointed to herself: "For the sake of my sister's love, I, Yu Jintang, will not shirk my duty. Don't worry, leave this arduous task to me!"
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