Gu Qingtong also stared at Yan Chi, who was completely absorbed in her drawing. At this moment, she exuded an enigmatic and hypnotic aura within her cool and composed demeanor, as if her expression was surreal, like a flower seen through mist, indistinct and elusive.
Yan Chi’s gaze seemed to project from a distant place and gently landed on her face. It didn’t seem like she was merely copying her appearance on the canvas; rather, it was as if she was carefully examining and savoring every detail, engraving them into her mind.
Their gazes intertwined, seemingly transcending the sea of people and the confines of time and space, focusing solely on each other.
It was the first time someone had asked Gu Qingtong to be a model, and she hadn’t expected that just sitting there without exchanging a single word could evoke such palpitations in her heart. Though only a little over ten minutes had passed, it felt like an eternity in the eyes of the production team.
Everyone could sense the extraordinary atmosphere between the two, and they witnessed the gradually emerging portrait on the paper. The charcoal lines and textures were meticulously and skillfully arranged, capturing the woman’s peerless beauty with astonishing accuracy.
“Done.”
Yan Chi placed the brush on the easel and lifted her eyes to address Gu Qingtong.
But when she redirected her gaze back to her portrait, she noticed something out of the ordinary, and there was a hint of darkness in Yan Chi’s eyes.
Gu Qingtong snapped out of her trance and immediately leaned in to take a closer look, uttering a puzzled “huh?”
The sketch indeed showed Yan Chi’s mature strokes, capturing her essence perfectly. However…
Gu Qingtong’s earlier intuition was correct. Yan Chi didn’t follow the angle and expression she had presented; she took creative liberty. Instead, she depicted her with teary eyes, tears falling on a highly recognizable teardrop-shaped beauty mark, like a dazzling diamond embellishment.
This expression was all too familiar to Gu Qingtong; she would often display it whenever she felt hurt, wronged, or wanted to act coquettishly. Although she didn’t like crying in front of others or cameras, certain circumstances sometimes made it inevitable, especially in front of Yan Chi.
Thus, Gu Qingtong couldn’t help but feel that Yan Chi was teasing her again, and she quickly withdrew her gaze in surprise, asking: “Teacher Yan….why did you draw me with this expression?!”
She had become accustomed to drawing it.
As Yan Chi put pen to paper, she couldn’t help but unconsciously draw the woman from her dreams once more…
Before meeting Gu Qingtong again. Every night, as she drifted between reality and dreams, she could only endure in this manner. The haunting dreams were indeed the source of all her inspiration. And Gu Qingtong, she was her muse.
These thoughts flashed through Yan Chi’s mind, but in an instant, she collected them and looked at Gu Qingtong, saying: “I just thought your teardrop-shaped beauty mark was beautiful, so I added a little creative touch.”
Not expecting such an answer, Gu Qingtong stood still for a moment, her hand instinctively touching the beauty mark as she said sheepishly: “R-really?”
Although she had been praised by fans and makeup artists before, it was different when Yan Chi complimented her! She had always been prone to crying, but she felt it was shameful behavior. Upon hearing that people with teardrop-shaped beauty marks tend to cry, she even despised this faint brown mark on her face.
Even after learning that the two were unrelated, Gu Qingtong didn’t abandon her prejudice against her teardrop-shaped beauty mark. “If you think it’s good, I’ll start drawing for the tourists,” Yan Chi said, not mentioning anything more about the manner in which she created the artwork, as if it was just a casual sketch.
However, what Gu Qingtong didn’t know was that in Yan Chi’s villa, the basement had been converted into a dark studio filled with various paintings related to her. Paintings of her crying, angry, and pleading…
Yan Chi’s brush recorded each dream as if she had personally experienced them.
Yan Chi was not the first to paint tourists here. The scenic area originally had artists doing small business, charging 50 yuan per painting. Despite being a celebrity, Yan Chi charged the same price. She hung Gu Qingtong’s portrait and quietly waited for customers. When everyone hesitated to approach, the two fans who had just rented their art supplies to Yan Chi became her first customers.
As the crowd around her grew larger, Gu Qingtong found herself gradually unable to see Yan Chi, hidden among the people. It was as if she could do anything…
A distant feeling started to rise within her.
Yan Chi was so outstanding, and she, Gu Qingtong, had become her wife. As she continued to understand Yan Chi step by step, she seemed to become more aware of the unbridgeable gap between them. However, unlike before, besides the sense of desolation, a different kind of thought started to emerge within her.
The desire to stand on the same level as Yan Chi… had never been so intense.
At least at this moment, Gu Qingtong wanted to contribute in some way. What could she do to earn money? Gu Qingtong shifted her gaze from her distant observation of Yan Chi, and feeling dejected, she lifted her spirits and looked around.
Seeing a spot nearby, her eyes lit up as if she had remembered something. She noticed a group of young women in Hanfu1Traditional Han Chinese dress dresses not far away, taking photos of each other with their smartphones.
Gu Qingtong recalled the praises she had received for taking photos of Yan Chi and suddenly had an idea. She turned towards the camera assistant following her and fixed her starry eyes on the DSLR camera he was carrying on his back.
The cameraman instinctively clutched his camera bag and stepped back, asking: “What… What do you want to do?”
“Camera teacher! Could you rent or lend me the DSLR for a bit? Don’t worry, I won’t break it. I’ll even share the money I earn from arranging photoshoots with you!”
Gu Qingtong clasped her hands together, her eyebrows forming a pleading shape, and begged earnestly.
“You, are you really capable of using it? This equipment doesn’t belong to me, and if it gets damaged, I’ll have to compensate the production team.” The cameraman clearly couldn’t resist Gu Qingtong’s insistence, and his gaze avoided meeting her sparkling eyes.
“I really can, I promise! My dad is a director, and he has taught me since I was little.”
Gu Qingtong nodded repeatedly to confirm, appearing genuinely sincere. Her sincerity eventually touched the cameraman. He reluctantly took off his DSLR bag and handed it over to Gu Qingtong, reminding her with a reluctant tone: “Small mistakes while shooting are minor, but causing damage is a big deal. Even if you’re not confident, don’t pretend to be!”
Gu Qingtong’s skilled actions quickly dispelled the cameraman’s doubts. She took out the camera and turned it on, immediately adjusting the aperture towards the direction where people were being photographed. It was clear that she knew how to use it. The camera provided by the production team for the cameraman was the same model that Gu Qingtong was familiar with. With her previous experience of taking photos of Yan Chi, she easily adjusted the settings to her liking. Unlike skiing, taking photos was her familiar territory.
With newfound confidence, Gu Qingtong confidently walked up to the group of women in Hanfu dresses while holding the camera. Instead of having the cameraman accompany her, she first politely asked if they minded being in the shot. After getting their approval, she asked: “Hello, I’d like to ask if you ladies are interested in having a photoshoot? I’m currently participating in a variety show, and one of the tasks given by the production team is to earn money for our accommodation tonight. I looked around and thought you might be interested in having a photoshoot.”
Her guess was correct. The group of women was indeed dressed in Hanfu dresses and seemed prepared to take photos in the snowy scenery.
Little did they know that a program was coming to film here, and several famous tourist spots were closed. The photographer had received several bookings that were all canceled. Thinking that they wouldn’t even earn back the money for the tickets with just one photoshoot, they decided to cancel the appointments. The group of women had already purchased tickets and booked a hotel for today, so they had no choice but to take a few photos with their phones and post them on social media.
Seeing Gu Qingtong with the camera, there was indeed a sense of excitement in the air.
“Will it be very expensive?…” Perhaps because she recognized Gu Qingtong as a celebrity, one of the women cautiously inquired.
“No worries, even teacher Yan only charges fifty yuan per photo over there. After the shoot, you can decide how much to pay based on the quality. After all, this isn’t my own camera, and I can’t show you examples of my work,” Gu Qingtong explained.
She did have examples, but they were all photos of Yan Chi. She couldn’t let them know that she took those photos herself!
Maybe it was because Gu Qingtong’s face naturally carried an aura that made people involuntarily agree, the person who had questioned her ended up being the first to volunteer as a guinea pig.
Encountering a customer who trusted her so much, Gu Qingtong was deeply moved and naturally couldn’t let down that trust. The two of them discussed their vision for the final photos in detail. The customer didn’t have many specific requests, just hoping that Gu Qingtong could make the images brighter.
As a result, Gu Qingtong settled on a theme similar to “Snow Mountain Goddess,” emphasizing the sacredness of the subject through light and shadows. Once immersed in her work, Gu Qingtong became incredibly meticulous about every aspect. Whether it was angles, poses, or the direction of lighting, she compared and contrasted multiple times to choose the best approach.
Given that the natural light today was relatively weak and required supplementary lighting, she went through several different types of lighting setups to achieve the desired contrast of light and shadow, making even their hair strands glow with a divine radiance.
Although Gu Qingtong was skilled in handling light and shadows, it still took a significant effort to manage everything in this particular situation. With such dedication, the final results naturally lived up to everyone’s expectations.
Even without post-processing or filters, the soft light enveloping the model gave the entire image a soulful quality. Not only the person being photographed, even the two other observing girls couldn’t help but fall in love with it at first glance, eager to claim the second spot for taking photos. The cameraman, after gaining approval, came over to take a close-up shot as well. He marveled at the image, amazed at what seemed like a makeshift setup, yet the quality was actually worthy of being used for a professional photoshoot!
Although the customers were very satisfied, when Gu Qingtong looked back at her own work, she suddenly realized: the way she manipulated light and shadow when photographing others was no different from how she photographed Yan Chi before. In other words, her photographic style was quite distinctive. If Gu Qingtong were a professional photographer, she could certainly accumulate a fanbase with this unique and delicate style.
However, the downside was that with such a recognizable style, she could easily be found out! Gu Qingtong hadn’t considered before that even taking a casual photograph could potentially expose her secret identity. It was only now that she began to feel a sense of caution.
With this in mind, Gu Qingtong restrained her habit of pursuing perfect lighting and unconsciously using the same photography techniques she had used before. Both Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi evidently hadn’t realized that they were both using the hobbies they had developed for each other to complete their tasks. They had even naturally adopted their previous styles.
In the time it took Gu Qingtong to photograph one person, Yan Chi had already sketched two portraits for the tourists. She raised her head slightly, glancing in Gu Qingtong’s direction. When Gu Qingtong had left to do her task earlier, Yan Chi hadn’t expected her to choose photography. Seeing Gu Qingtong receiving compliments left and right now, her hidden worries seemed to dissipate.
However, Yan Chi also hadn’t expected that despite her thorough investigation and research on Gu Qingtong, she had remained unaware of this particular hobby. Taking… photographs? Before this, who else had she taken photos of?
Due to the limited time, after capturing a satisfying nine-grid shot of the first girl, Gu Qingtong moved on to assist the other two.
Their requests became more specific. One of them hoped to capture the feeling of snowfall, while the other wanted to evoke the sense of “searching for plum blossoms in the snow” to match her red Hanfu dress, which shared a name with that sentiment.
Simulating snowfall was relatively easy; they could pick up snow from the ground and let it fall, or kick a tree overhead to create the effect. However, depicting the plum blossoms was a bit more challenging.
❖❖❖❖❖
While it was the season for plum blossoms, it was evident that there were no plum branches atop the high mountain. However, in order to capture the desired feeling of “searching for plum blossoms in the snow,” with the help of her clients, Gu Qingtong searched half the mountainside until they finally found a relatively low and barren tree branch. She signaled for them to come over and pose.
“If you’re not in a hurry, I can help retouch the image. This tree branch looks quite similar. We can cut out real red plum blossoms and paste them onto the image,” she earnestly suggested to the young ladies. After all, both photography and photo editing were essential skills for a photographer.
After photographing Yan Chi, Gu Qingtong had learned photo editing on her own, as she couldn’t exactly let others handle the editing, given the situation. Thanks to Yan Chi, she had indeed acquired a variety of skills…
The camera assistant widened their eyes in astonishment, how can she even do retouching?! Teacher Yan is one thing, but now even Gu Qingtong has a hidden talent!
As soon as they heard that Gu Qingtong could do photo editing, not only the young lady who wanted to be photographed with the red plum blossoms, but also the other two, expressed their desire for Gu Qingtong to handle the post-processing. They were willing to wait until after the variety show was done before receiving their photos, showing their trust in Gu Qingtong’s skills. After all, they had just been concerned about how to maintain the harmonious soft lighting natural filter while editing their own photos.
“I should be able to give you the photos the day after tomorrow, and we can exchange contact information,” Gu Qingtong casually mentioned, without any awareness of the typical celebrity behavior. This caught the three of them off guard.
“Are you really not worried about leaking private information by adding us like this…?” one of them exclaimed in astonishment, never having witnessed such a casual approach.
In fact, they had already searched for information about Gu Qingtong during the photoshoot and knew that she was a minor actress.
Gu Qingtong was momentarily taken aback, then nonchalantly waved her hand and smiled: “It’s fine, it’s just adding contact information. Otherwise, I won’t be able to send you the finished photos, right?” She showed no airs, behaving as if she didn’t consider herself a celebrity at all, and her smile was especially warm.
In an instant, Gu Qingtong had captured the hearts of the young ladies, and all three of them felt a slight urge to become fans. After all, no one could resist the healing power of a sweet girl’s smile.
After the photoshoot was completed, the three of them discussed it and decided to add Gu Qingtong’s contact information. One of them took the initiative to transfer a hundred to Gu Qingtong. While she wasn’t exactly sure if this price was high or low, she had almost earned three hundred dollars in one go. This meant she had earned most of the highest-level task reward, leaving her pleasantly surprised.
With three hundred dollars in her pocket, Gu Qingtong went to find Yan Chi. For the first time, she had the feeling that it was her turn to treat her partner!
Thinking back, she realized that most of the previous tasks had been successfully completed with Yan Chi’s help, and she had mostly been there as a mascot. She secretly resolved that from now on, she couldn’t rely on Yan Chi anymore; she had to stand on her own feet!
However, in the midst of her thoughts, she seemed to forget about her wholehearted efforts during the previous breakfast task. Gu Qingtong had always been like this—once she set her mind on something, she would earnestly chase after it, forgetting how much effort she put in or how many setbacks she encountered. Every time she fell, she would get back up and run forward again.
By now, the sky had gradually darkened. A lamp was lit next to Yan Chi, illuminating the slightly dim paper in front of her as she continued to draw for others. The halo cast her silhouette as a long shadow, extending all the way to Gu Qingtong’s feet.
Even the crew members responsible for filming the behind-the-scenes footage were feeling tired and bored, yawning as they walked by. Yet, Yan Chi remained quietly seated, her posture upright and dignified. She was completely absorbed in her artwork, not even noticing Gu Qingtong’s approach from behind.
Holding her breath, Gu Qingtong waited silently until Yan Chi finished the drawing and handed it over to the person. Then, she stepped up behind her and gently tapped her shoulder.
Yan Chi wasn’t startled by the tap; instead, a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes as she turned to look:
“What’s the matter? Were you getting impatient?”
“No, teacher Yan. I’m here to show off my achievements. I earned three hundred dollars! Even if Teacher Yan doesn’t make a penny, we can still afford a decent room for the night~”
Gu Qingtong exclaimed with excitement, her face lit up with a touch of pride, and there was a hint of wanting praise in her expression. If it were cash instead of a bank transfer, she might have already started flaunting it around.
Even the filming crew couldn’t help but chuckle, and they nearly captured it on camera. They held back their laughter and turned the camera towards Yan Chi’s reaction.
“So impressive?”
Yan Chi was pleased with Gu Qingtong’s desire for praise, looking at the delighted expression of her own little friend. The fondness in her words was almost about to overflow.
Gu Qingtong became even more pleased: “This time it’s my turn to… no, it’s my turn to help teacher Yan.”
She almost blurted out the phrase “financially support,” but fortunately, she corrected herself quickly. Her cheeks, already slightly flushed with excitement, turned a bit paler in an instant.
She realized she really couldn’t utter such words casually in the entertainment industry!
She could almost envision a scenario where, if she had actually blurted it out, various media outlets would take screenshots and twist her words, creating a terrifying scene of Yan Chi’s fans tearing her apart.
Yan Chi simply smiled and responded: “Okay.”
In the end, it was the assistant cameraperson of Yan Chi who revealed the truth to Gu Qingtong: “You might be disappointed, teacher Yan has already earned five hundred.”
“Five… five hundred? Earned so much just from drawing? How many sketches did she do?!”
Gu Qingtong, who had just been proudly basking in her three hundred, was dumbfounded and bewildered.
Was she still a human being? How could she achieve such incredible feats?!
As Gu Qingtong looked at her with a mixture of astonishment and admiration, Yan Chi clearly enjoyed this reaction.
She had originally intended to earn the highest reward on her own, and even endured the pain from her bruised and swollen shoulder that resulted from saving Gu Qingtong, all to draw for the visitors.
After all, she wanted to give the best to her own little friend.
“Now that it’s enough, let’s go.”
Yan Chi, who had been working for a long time, finally stood up, started packing up, and returned the equipment.
The exhausted filming crew finally breathed a sigh of relief and picked up their equipment, ready to leave. Teacher Yan was truly a workaholic, and they couldn’t fathom how she efficiently managed to draw so much.
The visitors who hadn’t been able to get their portraits drawn felt a bit disappointed, but they had no choice but to accept it and disperse while it was still not completely dark.
With the task concluded, Gu Qingtong finally remembered the hidden task assigned by the production team. Her earlier pride from earning money was replaced by a sense of unease.
Although it was just a pretend confession, she didn’t know why, but her nervousness was making her palms sweaty. After all, her emotions were almost written all over her face. As Yan Chi returned the equipment to the crew and turned around, she was met with Gu Qingtong looking visibly anxious and fidgety. Unable to hold back, she asked: “What’s wrong?”
Gu Qingtong naturally felt a sudden fear of being discovered by Yan Chi with the hidden task, deeming herself a failure, so she quickly shook her head and said: “Ah, it’s nothing…let’s go, I can’t wait to go soak in the hot springs!”
Yan Chi pondered for a moment, thinking that Gu Qingtong might be worried about something tonight. Knowing that she was sensitive, she didn’t press further and just glanced at her hand.
With Yan Chi’s prompt, Gu Qingtong finally noticed that she was holding a painting in her hand. Obviously, it was the showcase image she had just drawn.
“…Even though it’s not as detailed as I’d like, since it’s a painting of you, I’ll give it to you,”
Despite having drawn so many pieces, this one was the first that she had seen.
This time, Yan Chi didn’t keep it hidden, though the excuse she gave for sending it out was clearly quite feeble.
“This, this is for me?” Gu Qingtong was taken aback, looking at Yan Chi. A ripple of emotions appeared in her clear eyes as she gazed at the drawing once more. This was… herself as depicted by Yan Chi, and even more so, it was how Yan Chi saw her.
Like a poem, like a song, this drawing seemed to carry a lot of meaning. However, she wondered what Yan Chi had in mind when she was putting pen to paper. With her face blushing, she accepted the drawing quietly, saying: “Thank you.”
Once she had the drawing, she cradled it in her arms carefully, making sure not to crease or damage it. Her assistant nearby saw her struggling and reached out to take the drawing. To her surprise, Gu Qingtong nervously instructed: “Please be very careful with it, thank you!”
However, in the dim light, Gu Qingtong didn’t notice the subtle difference between the drawing she was holding and the one she had seen earlier – the difference was in the signature. Yan Chi didn’t say anything; she knew about Gu Qingtong’s absent-mindedness.
‘There will be a day when it’s discovered….maybe by that time, I won’t need to be so cautious and meticulously hide anymore.’ Yan Chi thought to herself, looking up at the moon hanging in the sky, calming her inner turmoil.
With her emotions in check, she and Gu Qingtong walked back to the gathering point side by side. The night had quietly fallen, and the surroundings were gradually losing their distinctness due to accumulating snow and thin ice. Only Yan Chi, with her slightly better night vision, could perceive everything clearly.
After reminding Gu Qingtong for the third time not to step onto unstable ground, Yan Chi grabbed her sleeve in resignation, pulling her closer to her side. It was really quite a task to keep her out of trouble.
The reason Gu Qingtong was lost in thought was naturally because she was paying attention to whether there were any suitable trees around. After all, deep down she knew that no matter how much she procrastinated or how unwilling she was, she would eventually have to complete the task.
At this moment, being pulled by Yan Chi, she briefly snapped back to reality. Even though it wasn’t holding hands, just gripping the edge of her sleeve, it was different in front of the camera – it had already crossed a certain boundary.
The moonlight cast shadows that seemed to ambiguously suggest that the two were holding hands. They didn’t speak, their gazes fixated on that shadow.
As if prompted by the shadow, just then Yan Chi suddenly spoke: “Are you cold?”
Her tone now was one that only appeared when they were alone, devoid of coldness or detachment. This simple caring question took on the warmth of two lovers cuddling on a winter night.
“Huh?” Caught off guard again by Yan Chi’s sudden remark, Gu Qingtong was swiftly met with: “You can tuck your hand into your sleeve, I’ll hold onto the edge of your sleeve for you.”
Gu Qingtong belatedly realized that the temperature on the snowy mountain seemed even colder after dark. As she spoke, her breath formed a white mist in the cold air.
Because she had been gripping her hand tightly, she hadn’t felt the cold air invading. “I’ll tuck my hand into my sleeve, but won’t your hand get cold, teacher Yan?”
Almost instinctively, Gu Qingtong looked at Yan Chi’s hand that was holding onto her sleeve. She then noticed that Yan Chi’s hand, exposed outside her sweater, appeared paler, and her skin seemed taut from the cold breeze.
For some reason, she felt the urge to warm Yan Chi’s hand, but the thought quickly dissipated as she became aware of the camera behind them.
Yan Chi’s voice was gentle, leading the conversation skillfully: “So, what should we do? If I don’t hold onto you, you might stumble.”
Gu Qingtong blinked, clearly not grasping what Yan Chi was getting at. Then, she heard Yan Chi’s voice slowly continue: “So, I can only hold on…”
Sensing that Yan Chi was about to say something significant, Gu Qingtong was taken aback and hurriedly interjected, cutting off the word “hold hands” that Yan Chi was about to say. She quickly said: “Teacher Yan, look, I can tuck my hand into my sleeve and still hold onto your sleeve! That way, your hand can stay warm.”
As she spoke, she awkwardly tucked her small fist into the sleeve of her gray down jacket, leaving only a few fingertips to delicately hold onto the edge of Yan Chi’s sleeve. Seeing her success, she even gave a silly smile to Yan Chi.
Yan Chi’s thought of holding hands was clearly interrupted by Gu Qingtong, but looking at her in that manner, Yan Chi couldn’t help but feel a stir in her heart. She allowed Gu Qingtong to playfully pout and be cute, while she herself remained motionless, unwilling to let go of her hand as suggested.
The two of them continued this way, awkwardly holding onto each other’s sleeves, creating a more intimate shadow on the ground as they intertwined.
Time passed by second by second, and the trees they walked past seemed to be never-ending. However, Gu Qingtong was quite conflicted and hesitant, yet she still hadn’t started the hidden task.
Somehow, even though it was just a task of saying a sentence, Gu Qingtong felt a sense of difficulty. Clueless about the reason, her dullness prevented her from understanding it fully. Under the atmosphere between the two of them, it became even harder to speak those ambiguous words.
Perhaps noticing her hesitation, even the cameraman trailing them gave her a subtle reminder: “We’re almost at the meeting point. If the other guests haven’t finished their tasks, it might trouble both of you to wait.”
Almost there?! Gu Qingtong’s heart tightened as she realized that after completing the task later, it would probably be difficult to find such an opportunity again. This impatience was indeed the catalyst for impulsiveness.
As the dappled shadows of the trees were once again cast overhead, Gu Qingtong’s footsteps suddenly halted. She tugged at Yan Chi’s sleeve, turned to face her, and her voice trembled due to nervousness:
“Yan, teacher Yan… Can you wait for a moment? There’s something I want to tell you.”
The unfamiliar sound of her own voice startled Gu Qingtong, even herself. Why was she so anxious? Was it because she was afraid that Yan Chi would be upset due to the prank? Or perhaps…
Were there other reasons that she wasn’t aware of?
This hesitation and confusion once again occupied Gu Qingtong’s mind. At that moment, she suddenly didn’t want to do the task anymore and felt an urge to escape.
Yan Chi clearly hadn’t anticipated Gu Qingtong speaking up suddenly. Her gaze climbed up to Gu Qingtong’s cheeks. Even though the moonlight was obscured by the shadows of the trees, making Gu Qingtong’s face somewhat unclear, Yan Chi could still make out her expression.
Gu Qingtong’s flustered nervousness was visible to the naked eye. The casual upturned corners of her mouth, which she usually exhibited, were now pursed, and she avoided looking in Yan Chi’s direction. It seemed as though if she glanced at Yan Chi even for a moment, she would bolt in the next second.
This inexplicable expression brought about subtle changes in Yan Chi’s own heart. A vague sense of intimacy and tension enveloped her as well. Sensing something, she felt her heartbeat quicken slightly. In an effort to keep her voice from startling Gu Qingtong, she patiently inquired: “What’s wrong? You can tell me anything.”
Indeed, that gentle tone had some effect, managing to dispel at least a bit of Gu Qingtong’s unease.
She took a deep breath, about to speak, but the words seemed to catch in her throat. She couldn’t manage to say that sentence no matter how hard she tried.
“It’s… it’s nothing!” Gu Qingtong left behind those words, clenched her lips tightly, and was about to step aside.
Yan Chi couldn’t just let Gu Qingtong escape like that. She tightened her grip on the sleeve of Gu Qingtong’s clothes and pulled her back. At that moment, the fact that they were in a reality show seemed to have completely slipped from their minds. Yan Chi held onto her wrist, turning Gu Qingtong to face her, her gaze intense: “I want to know, tell me.”
“Is that okay?” Even the last three words quivered, devoid of Yan Chi’s usual composure.
Gu Qingtong was trapped, caught between a rock and a hard place. She looked back at the production crew who were filming behind them, only to see them all suppressing their laughter, as if they were enjoying a joke at her expense. It was clear that the production crew saw this game as a prank.
After all, it was embarrassing to even utter such a joking confession; it seemed way too timid! The camera was right there, and Yan Chi couldn’t possibly be unaware…
Instead, it was herself. Continuing to act all awkward and nervous would make things even more suspicious. Almost all factors were urging Gu Qingtong to complete the task.
Finally, with a firm grip on her hand and her fingernails digging into her palm, a sharp twinge of pain jolted her into action. She quickly withdrew her gaze, stared at her own toes, and rapidly recited the words:
“There’s something I’ve never had the courage to say, I like you.”
She spoke quickly and purposely mumbled, making her words intentionally unclear. It was to the point where even the production crew couldn’t quite catch what she said. They sighed in disappointment, thinking that this was getting absurd. Maybe Yan Chi didn’t even understand; this lacked excitement!
But no one saw it. When Yan Chi heard those words, a sudden gleam appeared in her dim eyes. It was like hearing the sound of blossoms opening on this snowy winter night.
However, right at this moment, Gu Qingtong’s voice, clearer than ever before, exploded in her ears:
“Teacher Yan, I’m sorry. The production team arranged that hidden task for me just now! They wanted me to act out a scenario from a fanfiction, I wasn’t trying to prank you. It’s all the production team being too excessive…”
She hurriedly explained, throwing all the blame onto the production team. After uttering these words, Gu Qingtong finally dared to lift her head and look at Yan Chi. Her gaze was filled with apprehension, and her movements were cautious.
But as she gazed into Yan Chi’s eyes, her entire body froze for a moment. What kind of eyes were those?
What was stirring in the depths of Yan Chi’s eyes? It seemed to unravel and separate, the slightly moist gaze swiftly transforming into an icy chill that pierced to the bone.
She… She’s angry…
However, amidst these emotions, Gu Qingtong seemed to sense something else. In her flustered state, she couldn’t even process what that underlying emotion might be.
“Yan…teacher Yan…”
Gu Qingtong stuttered, attempting to say something, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the depths of Yan Chi’s eyes. This expression seemed to sear her heart, causing an unusually sharp pain.
Yan Chi looked into Gu Qingtong’s eyes, a smile suddenly playing on the corner of her lips. Her voice carried a hint of self-deprecating amusement:
“So, it was a task after all. Why was it so hard to say? Were you afraid that I’d get angry?”
“I-I…” Gu Qingtong could hardly form words, but Yan Chi continued to fixate on her, as if determined to hear this answer. Under the unwavering gaze, Gu Qingtong could only reluctantly speak with a pitiable tone, “You… aren’t you already angry now?”
“Since you’re so scared,” Yan Chi’s smile held a hidden meaning. Her hand gently brushed against Gu Qingtong’s slightly trembling lips, her voice tender, “Then you should know the consequences of making me angry, right?”
At this moment, not only Gu Qingtong, but the entire production team was shocked by Yan Chi’s response. Director Bu, staring at the transmitted footage, felt his heart nearly stop. This was bad, things had gone awry.
The nearby crew members who were filming could only see Yan Chi’s actions of keeping Gu Qingtong from moving, but they were all too frightened to approach. They had no idea what Yan Chi might do next, to the point that some of them even turned off their cameras.
No one saw how Yan Chi’s touch had caused Gu Qingtong’s lips to turn slightly red. She could only look at Yan Chi with tear-filled eyes, unable to utter a word.
Yan Chi looked at her, the color of her eyes growing deeper, a hint of struggle and stubbornness within, along with emotions that weren’t just accumulated in that moment.
“Yan Chi, it hurts…” Gu Qingtong finally couldn’t bear it any longer, resembling a frustrated little child as she spoke these two words.
