Chapter 85 How can I tolerate this? : "Don't you want to play with me?"
Yu Jintang led Xiahou Cheng to find a hotel to stay in.
The conditions were quite basic, but they were much more welcoming than they had been in the luxurious bathroom.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together, as were their two passionate hearts. Xiahou Cheng kissed the scars on her body and asked her how they got there. Yu Jintang described her past in between breaths, and was then kissed repeatedly, treated like a precious treasure.
“I’ll be with you from now on,” Xiahou Cheng said calmly, but her voice carried far more weight than any promise. “Let’s break down all prejudices. I have three investments maturing in two months; that should be enough to build a decent school.”
Reaching her peak, Yu Jintang suddenly burst into tears, as if all the neglected past experiences had been soothed in that moment. She choked back tears as she touched Xiahou Cheng's face, unable to utter a single extra word, only repeating "I love you, I love you, I love you. Chengcheng, I love you."
Xiahou Cheng rubbed her hand against hers, her eyes smiling beautifully: "Then do you want to come home with me? Don't worry, my parents won't make things difficult for you."
"Let's go back," Yu Jintang said breathlessly, "I'll take you back to my house first."
Yu Jintang's parents were fine, treating Xiahou Cheng warmly and politely. Xiahou Cheng's parents, however, were a bit strange. They were polite throughout, but Yu Jintang sensed something was off as soon as she entered.
At first, she thought it was because Xiahou Cheng hadn't been around her parents since childhood, creating a psychological distance within the family. But later, something felt increasingly off; she always felt that Xiahou Cheng's father looked at her with disgust. Yet, he put on a very good show, even pulling Xiahou Cheng's mother aside to ask her to calculate a wedding date for the two of them.
As Xiahou Cheng emerged from the old house, he let out a cold laugh: "Do you know why they agreed?"
"Back then, they kicked me out of the house when they found out I liked women, but now they wholeheartedly agree. You are the second young lady of the Yu family in Beijing, the younger sister of Tulip, the president of a global hotel chain. You'll have plenty of benefits coming your way to that old man Deng in the future."
"Don't take them to heart." Yu Jintang shook the hand she was holding, in high spirits: "That's great, the law allows it, my parents agree, the road ahead is bright, and you are in my future too."
Xiahou Cheng grinned, "Then let's sing a song! I woke up this morning still feeling sleepy and my eyes are glazed over! I suddenly remembered that today is a holiday!"
Yu Jintang sang loudly: "I called and arranged to meet Miss Chen in the park, but who knew I was wearing a t-shirt and a shoe on my left and a sock on my right!"
The two walked hand in hand on the stone bridge: "Haha ...
Then they all fell into the water: "Hehehehehehehehahahahahahahahahaha!"
This is the daily life of a madwoman. But they don't see themselves as crazy; instead, they enjoy life and express themselves freely. In their eyes, falling into the water is romantic, because now there's someone who understands all their oddities.
She would hold my hand and dance with me in the street, even if the end of the world was coming.
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Sadness doesn't disappear; it usually just moves on.
Yu Jintang and Xiahou Cheng from next door have already gotten engaged.
Song Man and Yun Chui have both received their certificates.
Liu Lü and Feng Manhong were discussing moving.
Qin Lan and Jiang Yan are still struggling through a long period of adjustment.
They argued four times in one month. One big argument, three medium arguments, and two periods of cold war.
Both cold wars ended with Jiang Yan taking the initiative to apologize and appease the other. Because they couldn't meet in person, these procedures were all completed on their phones, sometimes resulting in conversations like the one below:
"Wait a minute, the photographer wants me to change clothes. We can argue again when I get back."
[It's over, where are you?]
Where did the argument start?
[I've taken your phone. We'll talk tonight.]
[Don't make any videos for the next couple of days, I'm recording a program.]
The pressure of their busy work schedules exacerbated their tension, and Jiang Yan repeatedly threatened to ask Wang Zihan for leave to confront Qin Lan. However, Qin Lan was currently filming a program, living under constant surveillance. She felt that she would be even busier in the future and couldn't maintain their relationship by taking leave every month. She refused to diminish her career ambitions; she was at a crucial stage in her career and hoped Jiang Yan would understand.
Jiang Yan exploded, angrily accusing Qin Lan of not loving her at all. Qin Lan also got angry, "How dare you say I don't love you? We are indeed very busy with work!"
Jiang Yan didn't want to hear it at all: "You say you love me, but where is your love? I can't see it!"
Qin Lan was so angry she wanted to hang up, but she forced herself to hold back and retorted, "If I didn't love you, why would I drop everything and run all the way to save you, and even call my parents to come see you? You don't remember anything I did. I don't know why you're so angry!"
"Because I need more security!" Jiang Yan shouted. "I need lots of sweet words, passionate meetings and reassurance, and to be able to see you when I miss you terribly, instead of now where I'm willing to take time off, but you won't even spare a moment to see me!"
"That's just how our job is!" Qin Lan didn't understand: "If you choose the path of acting, you have to give up your personal time. This stage is very important to me. I can't stay a popular young actress forever!"
The two parted on bad terms, and then Yu Jintang brought more bad news: "The Era of Red Powder" had been rejected. The committee believed that "the direction was biased" and temporarily refused to approve it.
Qin Lan was at the peak of her frustration, pessimistically feeling that all her efforts had been in vain.
Yu Jintang created a small group chat, hoping to pool their wisdom and efforts to overcome the difficulties together.
[Liu Lv]: We don't think we filmed anything that goes against our values, so why is this happening?
[Qin Lan]: It's simply that they feel the era of Wu Zetian is too female-centric. Maybe they even think that once a drama airs, women will rebel and become empresses. They'll definitely tell you that it involves sensitive content, doesn't conform to mainstream values, and doesn't promote truth, goodness, and beauty, etc.
[Yu Jintang]: Everyone, please offer your suggestions. What methods are there to get our masterpiece approved?
[Jiang Yan]: What if we cut some controversial scenes? Try to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
[Xiahou Cheng]: If all else fails, we can reshoot.
[Liu Lü]: I suggest providing a detailed explanation of the revisions so that the other party can see our adjustments and attitude, at least they won't be offended by us.
Everyone offered their opinions for a long time, but Yu Jintang was still not satisfied. She hoped to "pass the review without any damage."
The law establishes protections through coercive means and cannot fundamentally reverse discrimination and inequality. The solution she and Lin Yi discussed was education. Too many women take their oppression for granted, and too many men don't take women's suffering seriously. Only by changing perceptions of gender discrimination can the equality they expect be further improved.
Then Feng Manhong spoke up, which was exactly what she wanted to say: "I think the key to persuading the other party is to explain why our way of filming is reasonable and beneficial to the people."
[Feng Manhong]: Downplaying sensitive plot points won't truly change the situation. The male censors already believe this drama will infringe on their group's interests; if we modify the plot, they'll feel, "There really is a problem."
Our first step is to tell them that this isn't a "feminist" topic, but rather a positive one about "women's growth" and "breaking down prejudice." We haven't emphasized "women resisting male oppression." Our focus is on how women, through their intelligence and hard work, demonstrate unique resilience and strength, aiming to encourage more women to strive for success and providing positive educational value for young people.
We must also emphasize that our script is fully in line with mainstream values. We can seek the assistance of experts, such as sociologists and women's studies scholars, to strengthen the positive social value of our script.
After she posted those messages, the group chat fell silent for a long time. Only after a long while did Qin Lan exclaim: "As expected of Actress Feng, we are all humbled in admiration!"
Everyone rushed to shower her with praise, but Feng Manhong smiled, still exuding the composure that comes with age: "When you all reach that age, your perspectives will change. Don't worry, the only difference between us is a little bit of time."
Yu Jintang typed rapidly: "That's why Feng Yinghou is an international superstar!"
[Xiahou Cheng]: My mom's vision, logic, and thinking have long surpassed those of most actresses!
The others were comforted, but Liu Lü became even more anxious. She clicked into Feng Manhong's chat window and typed with pursed lips: "I'm much older than them, so why am I not as wise as you?"
Feng Manhong laughed: "You're much younger than me. Perspective is also an important factor; you develop your career domestically, while I travel internationally. You're busy with life, while I have more time to think. Most importantly, I joined eNet a long time ago, as one of the first members, so I've had more time to reflect on women's issues."
Liu Lü suddenly felt relieved: [Sister is so good at comforting people, I suddenly feel less anxious.]
Feng Manhong smiled and tapped her profile picture: "Don't be anxious, I'll teach you."
Liu Lü threw down her phone, covered her face, and screamed.
Oh no, she actually brought up her sister.
She's still the older sister I've admired for over twenty years.
＊
After countless arguments and reconciliations, this couple, who were constantly at odds, managed to get through Qin Lan's show.
Qin Lan got a two-and-a-half-day vacation, so he hurriedly booked a plane ticket to see Jiang Yan, resolve the problem, and perhaps deepen their relationship.
Jiang Yan's response was curt; in fact, after receiving the message, she began packing her things to ask for leave and return to the hotel.
Luckily, we didn't go in together, because someone took a picture of us.
They took the photos, but this paparazzi, for the sake of publicity, didn't even ask for money and released the photos without saying a word.
Bai Ai was extremely anxious, contacting the other party while urging public relations to reduce the heat.
The two main accounts remained silent, causing their individual fans to become increasingly uneasy. However, everyone insisted that it was just a coincidence that they stayed at the same hotel, and that any talk of "visiting the set" or "booking a room" was the biggest rumor of the century.
Jiang Yan suffered an unexpected disaster.
Qin Lan suffered an undeserved disaster.
The claim that one's wife is one's nemesis is completely unfounded, baseless, unreasonable, and absurd.
Qin Lan was completely unaware of the situation and even had Yu Shan investigate before she thought she had sneaked into Jiang Yan's room very discreetly.
Jiang Yan was still on her way. Her assistant opened the door, and upon seeing her, quickly stepped aside, slipped out swiftly, and then deftly closed the door behind her.
Qin Lan put her suitcase in the corner and slumped into the sofa, catching her breath.
Four or five minutes later, the door rang again, and Jiang Yan walked in, looking travel-worn. The two looked at each other from a distance, but neither of them went forward.
An awkward silence hung in the air; this was not the meeting they had hoped for.
Just as Qin Lan decided to say something, Jiang Yan closed her eyes, her voice filled with disappointment: "Have you reached the point where you have nothing left to say to me?"
Qin Lan got a little angry too: "Aren't you the same? We finally get to see each other, do you think I want this?"
Jiang Yan was very agitated: "I've said I wanted to see you so many times before, how did you refuse me? Or do you think that you're being merciful by coming to see me now and that's how we make peace?"
"I already said I'm on the rise and I'm recording a show."
Qin Lan irritably ran her fingers through her hair: "What do you mean by 'showing great compassion'? Your word choices have become increasingly subjective lately..."
"Are you the only one with a job? I'm not a celebrity! Why won't you take a day off for me?" Jiang Yan said angrily. "You're rational, you're cold, you don't love me enough!"
"You're starting to make subjective assumptions again. How can I not love you enough? It's all just your assumptions. I'm an independent person. Don't keep projecting your fantasies onto me, okay?"
"You didn't understand what I meant at all."
Jiang Yan was both annoyed and angry.
She thought meeting in person would ease the tension, but the argument only escalated when they faced each other.
She felt a sharp pain in her heart. They had finally managed to meet, and she should have been greeted with flowers and a hug when she opened the door, but instead, she saw Qin Lan sitting coldly on the sofa, his first words being an argument.
She was in so much pain that she didn't realize her face reflected the same doubt and despair as Qin Lan's.
After a long standoff, Jiang Yan took her change of clothes, went into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut.
Qin Lan rubbed her face wearily and walked to the bedside to charge her phone.
She sat on the sofa for a while, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. It was Jiang Yan's assistant's voice: "Sister, I've come to bring your phone and dinner."
Qin Lan walked over and opened the door listlessly.
The other person avoided her, their eyes quickly sweeping over her neatly arranged clothes. Qin Lan took the phone and food, and her assistant reminded her, "Sister's phone is out of battery, and her power bank is almost dead too. Could you please remind her to charge it?"
"She's taking a shower." Qin Lan shrugged. "Where's the cable? I'll charge it for her."
"Please take a look at the bedside table."
When Qin Lan returned to the room, there was indeed a tangled mess of thread next to her pillow.
After struggling for a while, Qin Lan finally managed to untangle the mess. After finally getting it charged, the call interface popped up again, displaying the word "Assistant."
Qin Lan shouted into the bathroom, "Your assistant called you."
Jiang Yan's voice was muffled: "You answer the phone and ask her what's wrong."
Qin Lan answered the phone and listened intently for a few minutes. She was told that they had been photographed, the PR team was handling it, and they shouldn't act impulsively or respond; everything should be left to the company. Then Jiang Yan's assistant handed the phone to Xiao Qing in the hallway, asking if she wanted to book another room downstairs.
"Kai, wrap yourself up tightly, wear my clothes and go in for the night. Let Bai Ai handle the rest."
Qin Lan wasn't in the mood to listen to these things. She hung up the phone hastily and stood there in a daze when her phone suddenly flashed.
Qin Lan forgot that this wasn't her own phone. When she looked down, she saw a message pop up: "Xiao Jiang, are you really not going to consider me?"
Qin Lan's eyes widened, and she fiercely slammed the button into the chat. The messages inside seemed endless; Du Jin could send hundreds of messages in a single night.
She kept scrolling up, and the earliest one was actually five years ago.
After watching for a while, she understood that Du Jin had been eyeing Jiang Yan since she became a minor celebrity. He had repeatedly hinted that if Jiang Yan was willing to be his girlfriend, he would provide her with the resources to become an overnight sensation.
Jiang Yan played games with him, and Du Jin understood her meaning, remaining quiet for a long time. Recently, for some unknown reason, he approached Jiang Yan again, shamelessly claiming that if Jiang Yan was willing to spend some time with him, he could make her the next Feng Manhong.
He typed out the word "death" for Qin Lan, then deleted it with a grim expression.
Jiang Yan isn't her; she doesn't have the resources and can only solve things on her own. While she might feel good about uttering that phrase about national essence, Jiang Yan is likely to hold a grudge. Even if she intervenes, Du Jin will know that Jiang Yan has powerful backers and can spread any kind of rumor.
Her anger burned even brighter, but she patiently charged Jiang Yan's phone and paced around the room a couple of times to calm herself down.
Then, picking up her phone, she angrily messaged Bai Ai: "Go cause that Du Jin some trouble, make him shut up."
Bai Ai replied instantly: [Sister, Sister Qin, you're my sister, okay? Do you know you're trending on social media? We're in a crisis, and you're adding to my workload?]
Qin Lan couldn't care less about the online commotion. "Get to work! If you get this done, your year-end bonus will be doubled!"
Bai Ai rolled away quickly.
Qin Lan was still feeling stifled. She wanted to open the window, but then she saw that the curtains were drawn tightly and gave up.
The room was soundproofed quite well; she could barely hear anything coming from the bathroom.
Qin Lan was a little distracted; she missed Jiang Yan terribly.
She should be almost done showering, right? Will she take a bath later? Maybe I should just go in...
She was pacing around aimlessly when Jiang Yan suddenly called out to her in a muffled voice, "Qin Lan, my eyes are blurry..."
Qin Lan strode towards the bathroom: "What happened?"
Jiang Yan's voice was muffled: "Shampoo..."
Qin Lan opened the door, and a puff of white steam hit her face. Before she could react, she saw Jiang Yan standing opposite her with a wronged expression. She pulled her inside and kissed her.
Qin Lan bumped the back of her head on the door frame, but Jiang Yan didn't comfort her. She just kept pressing Qin Lan against the wall and kissing her. They only stopped when both of them had broken skin. Qin Lan felt that her whole body was wet and hot, and the skin pressed against her was hot and slippery.
She paused for a moment, then asked insincerely, "Are you lying to me?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan's eyes welled up with tears. With reddened eyes, she pulled her wrist down and asked, "Don't you want to play with me anymore?"
Qin Lan's face was about to split open.
How can I possibly tolerate this?
Another confrontation has begun, more intense than the last, like a venting of anger or a form of retaliation.
"Your fighting skills... lately... haven't been great."
Panting, Qin Lan grabbed Jiang Yan's wrist and forcefully pushed her away with her knee again: "Didn't Ye Wei teach you not to expose your abdomen? And this... most vulnerable area..."
Jiang Yan groaned loudly, her hand gripping her ankle trembling, and she desperately turned her head to bite the bed sheet.
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Sad people can search for the song "A Wonderful Date," and they'll definitely find themselves laughing for no reason.
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