Although the posts in the timeline mostly talk about various difficulties that one encounters in campus life and experiences that nearly every college student faces, it doesn’t seem to specifically refer to Gu Qingtong, who studies at the Central Academy of Drama. However, these posts express the kind of unwavering encouragement, the determination to pursue a certain goal, and the attitude of not dwelling on failures, getting back up with resilience in the next moment. It’s almost like a reflection of Gu Qingtong’s character.
Could it be her?
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As time passed, it was like moving upstream in the calendar of history, seeking the younger Gu Qingtong from that period. This account was created five years ago, and the photos only started appearing in the last year. The earliest posts related to life sharing and encouragement date back to about four years ago.
In the first year, she hardly posted any updates online. There were a few lengthy texts, all of which were reviews of Yan Chi’s works. Yan Chi’s gaze was fixed on the first Weibo post from this account, and her pupils even constricted in shock.
It was because she had seen this particular review five years ago when their worlds had absolutely no connection.
Five years ago, during the summer, Yan Chi returned to the film industry with her movie “Drowning Sands” after a few years of absence. However, this film was immediately embroiled in controversy due to accusations of similarities in the plot and some lines with a short film called “Gray Asphalt,” which was part of a young director’s graduation project. In the world of filmmaking, once an accusation of plagiarism is made, it’s almost like self-sabotage for one’s career.
Moreover, this controversy involved Yan Chi, who had once enjoyed immense popularity and stood at the pinnacle of her career.
Yan Chi was indeed a spirited figure. She made her debut at the age of 15 and skyrocketed to fame, becoming the youngest leading lady in the industry. Yan Chi was so perfect that she hardly seemed like a real person, which attracted countless admirers.
Whether genuine or fake, all the noisy fanfare seemed meaningless. Some people even harbored grudges because they couldn’t share in her success and started spreading rumors about Yan Chi being difficult to work with.
However, after sweeping numerous awards in just a few short years and reaching what everyone considered the pinnacle of her career, she chose to set aside her flourishing career and pursue further studies abroad. She disappeared from the film industry.
Returning to the scene, she was immediately embroiled in such controversy. Almost no one believed that Yan Chi could rise again.
For a moment, it was as if one could witness all the variations of life.
It’s as if, after painstakingly finding a single discordant “blemish” on a perfect piece of jade. Those who once held her in high regard were now eager to trample her into the mud. So, when no conclusive evidence had emerged, and the accusation of plagiarism remained unproven, numerous industry professionals and prominent figures had come forward to criticize and reject, with no one willing to speak up for Yan Chi anymore. The writer and director of “Drowning Sands” was a recent college graduate, and she had approached numerous production companies with her script. However, due to the niche nature of the subject matter and plot, they all rejected it because they couldn’t see profit potential.
Once on the brink of poverty, she was coincidentally discovered by Yan Chi. Yan Chi had also been involved in the adaptation of the film, further complicating the allegations of plagiarism. However, the author of “Drowning Sands” had neither copied anyone else’s work nor knew how to explain the striking similarities, mainly because the other film had been released and its electronic documents archived before her own. It seemed as though they were caught in a deadlock.
Yan Chi didn’t care much about what others thought, but under these circumstances, she began to reflect on her original purpose for acting. She gradually couldn’t see the point of immersing herself in other people’s emotions. Amidst the derisive comments and questioning of her character and past works, that particular movie review felt like a breath of fresh air in Yan Chi’s field of vision.
This review didn’t mention any allegations of plagiarism, and its language had a certain innocence to it, indicating it wasn’t crafted by a professional. However, in its simplicity, it managed to identify every detail in “Drowning Sands.” Even the emotions buried deep within, those Yan Chi hadn’t consciously realized, were brought to light by the author of this review. It was evident that they must have watched the movie very attentively multiple times to gather all these insights.
This person was clearly a long-time fan of Yan Chi, someone who hadn’t given up waiting for her return and breakthrough during her years of absence. In “Drowning Sands,” they finally saw Yan Chi’s transformation from portraying others to portraying herself. It was this very insight that awakened Yan Chi. Perhaps, initially, her focus on playing other characters had stemmed from a lack of personal emotions.
But this time, it was due to a strong resonance with “Drowning Sands.” Yan Chi increasingly felt the emotions welling up within her own heart.
This completely quiet text, which made no mention of the controversy, seemed to miraculously soothe Yan Chi’s heart. For her own sake and for the sake of this persistent and believing fan, the truth should come to light. With Yan Chi and the director’s collaborative investigation, the truth emerged two weeks later.
As it turned out, even before “Drowning Sands” reached the script stage, the director’s roommate, who was struggling financially, had secretly taken pictures of the incomplete manuscript, claiming it as her own, and sold it to other graduating students who needed projects for their graduation. That’s how the acclaimed graduate project microfilm “Gray Asphalt” came into existence.
Knowing that there was no way to prove the time she had written the manuscript, she shamelessly refused to admit to her actions. If the investigators had not been Yan Chi, backed by the influential Yan family, the plagiarism scandal would likely have never been resolved.
In an instant, countless people who had thrown stones at her found themselves embarrassed. From that point on, Yan Chi’s demeanor seemed even colder, but her acting skills continued to improve. Until now, she had become an unshakable presence in the industry.
The guiding light that had helped her find her way out of a difficult situation many years ago reappeared in Yan Chi’s eyes. But this time, it appeared on the profile page of a person called TT.
Did she write….that review?
Perhaps, in the eyes of this young girl, Yan Chi would always be the person she could trust and chase after.
No matter what others were saying, her eyes always contained only one person, silently waiting for the precious truth to arrive, not the accusations of plagiarism from others. The intersection of the five-year gap seemed to pause at this moment.
Yan Chi finally lifted her head from the profile of the user called TT and gazed deeply at the partially closed door. She could hardly describe her emotions at this moment. The closer she got to the truth, the less she dared to hope, fearing that it might all be in vain in the end.
Therefore, her breathing became lighter, as if she was afraid of disturbing something. Tongtong, if this is really you, why didn’t you tell me anything?
Yan Chi is a cautious person; she meticulously investigates everything she comes across. Even before her union with Gu Qingtong, she had thorough knowledge of every aspect of Gu Qingtong’s life. However, no matter where she looked, Yan Chi has never discovered any other form of attention from Gu Qingtong, even after their union. This made Yan Chi’s hesitant heart even more doubtful.
Even in the face of such shock and turmoil, Yan Chi’s nature dictates that she cannot impulsively ask Gu Qingtong directly. It’s either she first investigates from other sources or, as in the past, sets a trap and waits for her to fall into it. She thought of someone who had mentioned TT to her several times in the past, Xiao Jun.
Xiao Jun once said that she tried to contact TT to get her into Hua Yan’s studio. TT not only didn’t reply but also disappeared for three whole months, nearly being regarded as someone who quit the entertainment industry. It seems like something that the timid Gu Qingtong would do. She was obviously scared…but why, after three months of absence, would she come back to film herself, risking being discovered?
Yan Chi no longer hesitated; she immediately called Xiao Jun. She urgently wanted to learn more about this situation. Because the morning’s rumors were personally coordinated between Yan Chi and the public relations department, Xiao Jun had been waiting at her home. When she finally received the call, she thought something had happened again. However, upon hearing Yan Chi ask about TT, her calm voice seemed to carry some unusual heat, and she asked: “Do you remember TT, whom you used to talk to me about often?”
The two letters “TT” hit Xiao Jun’s ears like an explosion because it was just yesterday that she discovered that TT and Gu Qingtong were the same person. She almost instantly realized that Gu Qingtong’s pseudonym seemed to have gotten into trouble.
What should she do? Should she be honest or cover for Tongtong? Thinking about this secret of Gu Qingtong that she had never let anyone else know, Xiao Jun, although she didn’t understand why two married people would still need to hide like this, figured there must be a reason why Tongtong didn’t want people to know…..
With this in mind, Xiao Jun pretended to be clueless and replied: “TT? Is she the fan who took photos of you at the event?”
“Given your previous attention to her, sending her an invitation to join Hua Yan, do you have any other information about her?” Yan Chi tried to keep her voice as calm as possible, even though her sudden interest in this seemingly unimportant fan behavior was already raising various suspicions.
After all, if Xiao Jun didn’t know, then perhaps this secret could only be explored further by Gu Qingtong herself. Xiao Jun was quite cautious, even pretending to think for a moment before saying:
“Regarding her knowledge? It should only be what’s shown on her Weibo….after all, you know I was ignored by her. But, Teacher Yan, why are you asking me about this?”
Upon hearing this response, Yan Chi lowered her eyelashes and quickly found an excuse. She spoke calmly: “Didn’t Song Lian tell you? I’m about to celebrate my 15th anniversary in the industry and I’m planning a fan meet-up. She asked me to choose some dedicated fans, and the first person who came to mind was the one you often mention in our daily conversations.”
This response was surprising to Xiao Jun, but upon further reflection, she realized that Song Lian had indeed mentioned that she needed to ask Yan Chi about this matter, but hadn’t given her any instructions yet.
Moreover, both Xiao Jun and Song Lian actually thought it was highly unlikely that Yan Chi would agree, considering she had always kept her distance from fans. There had never been such a precedent before!
For the moment, Xiao Jun wasn’t sure if Gu Qingtong’s alias had been exposed, but her response was quick: “If Teacher Yan wants to invite someone, you can take your time selecting. When you have the list, just give it to me, and I’ll handle sending the invitations when the time comes.”
Both sides knew that TT and Gu Qingtong were very likely the same person but were also hiding it from each other.
“Mmm,” Yan Chi replied casually, but after hanging up the phone, she already had other ideas in mind. Since no one else knew, she could only proceed with cautious probing and wait for her to fall into the trap.
Yan Chi knew Gu Qingtong quite well, so she didn’t hold high hopes for her to openly respond to her probing. But while Yan Chi was thinking about a plan A, she was certainly planning a plan B. Perhaps the fifteenth-anniversary fan meeting would be a suitable bait…..
While Yan Chi had set her trap, Xiao Jun’s thoughts were in turmoil. She could never quite fathom what Yan Chi was thinking. She wanted to warn Gu Qingtong, but she was afraid of misunderstanding and causing her to react too aggressively and expose herself. Moreover, if she were to expose Yan Chi, her own knowledge of the alias would also be exposed to Gu Qingtong, and she might never see “TT” again.
After pondering for a while, she decided to wait and see if Yan Chi would indeed organize that fan meeting and what kind of invitation list she would create. While Yan Chi was slowly uncovering Gu Qingtong’s alias, Gu Qingtong was busy searching “how to pursue an older sister” on Baidu. She seemed to have no awareness of the impending crisis.
In recent years, May-December romances had become quite popular, and there were countless answers on the web. Gu Qingtong felt like she was thrown into a sea of melons, discovering for the first time that pursuing someone in a romantic relationship had so many nuances. She realized why she was considered a novice in love, despite her dedication to honing her acting skills all along.
It’s true that you have to study and work hard to make progress in anything!
Gu Qingtong felt quite confident as she looked at the numerous answers. She was certain that after reading through them all, not only would she be able to pursue sister Yan, but she might even become a love expert.
Although each answer provided different strategies, Gu Qingtong’s approach to learning had always been to draw from multiple sources, so she diligently summarized them in her memo app, which she usually used for memorizing lines.
“Take care of your appearance…”
The first piece of advice hit her like a bombshell. Gu Qingtong looked at herself in her plain sleepwear, feeling a pang of anxiety. After a moment of silence, she resolved to change into the outfit that Yan Chi had already prepared on the side. She decided that she would have to outshine everyone when she appeared on the show later in the evening. Then, she could proceed to seduce….no, pursue Yan Chi.
Clearly, the first piece of advice aligned with Gu Qingtong’s habit of paying attention to her appearance management, so she placed great trust in these answers. She had no idea she would soon discover some rather unusual suggestions.
In no time, Gu Qingtong changed into the outfit prepared by Yan Chi and proceeded to freshen up in her own bathroom. Soon, Sun Xiao’s car arrived at Yan Chi’s apartment building to pick up Gu Qingtong. Although one of Gu Qingtong’s feet was still recovering from her minor injury, it wasn’t a severe sprain. Her difficulty walking the previous day was due to wearing high heels for an extended period and overusing her legs. With the help of medication, she had already recovered enough to walk at a slower pace, just as she did before the shoot.
Gu Qingtong was already slowly making her way out of the bed on her own, wearing rabbit slippers, and had almost reached the door. Then, she recalled the advice on how to pursue someone. It mentioned, “Learn to show weakness to make her feel concerned.”
Yes….that’s right!
Thinking this, Gu Qingtong kicked off her rabbit slippers and stealthily hid behind the door.
Gu Qingtong thought this approach made perfect sense, so she decided to act pitiful and helplessly called out towards Yan Chi’s retreating figure: “Yan…”
She had almost called out Yan Chi’s name but then remembered the advice: using the name might feel too distant, and it suggested calling her “Big sister” or “Miss sister.”
For Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong, “Big sister” had a special connotation and charm. Gu Qingtong hesitated for a moment, but in the next instant, she realized that Yan Chi could call her “Tongtong,” so it was only fair for her to call her “Big sister” to take things further.
Gu Qingtong finally spoke: “Tongtong’s feet are injured. Does big sister not care about Tongtong?”
While saying this, she also followed the instructions, drooping the corners of her eyes and giving Yan Chi a pitiful puppy look.
Calling out “big sister” was still something she was unaccustomed to, but she remembered that she would have to use this term more often in the future. Gu Qingtong was still blushing but pressed on. After saying it all, her heart was racing.
It took her a moment to realize that even though she was trying to flirt with someone, it was herself who had become flushed and was feeling her heart pound.
Yan Chi had just managed to cool down her emotions after the excitement of discovering the TT account. She didn’t want Gu Qingtong to notice anything. However, upon hearing Gu Qingtong’s voice, she felt like her previous efforts were in vain, and her heart started to burn once more. When she turned around, she was met with her little friend leaning against the door frame, lifting one foot, and gazing at her with a pitiful, affectionate expression. Furthermore, she even referred to Yan Chi as her “Big sister”?
Yan Chi recalled that in the past, every time Gu Qingtong had made a mistake or asked her for something, she would reluctantly utter the word “Big sister” as if it were an extremely embarrassing phrase.
Was the sun rising….in the west?
Yan Chi’s initial reaction was to assume that Gu Qingtong had done something wrong again and had come to her, acting all cute. As Yan Chi observed Gu Qingtong from head to toe, her face lost some of its initial blush. She couldn’t help but think something was amiss. Wasn’t it supposed to work like a charm, making her blush instead?
“Did Tongtong do something to upset me again?” Yan Chi walked up to Gu Qingtong but didn’t lift her. Instead, she bent down, leaning closer to Gu Qingtong’s face, habitually scratched her chin, and tilted Gu Qingtong’s head upward. Gu Qingtong’s guilty eyes were revealed without a doubt.
Thinking of that account, Yan Chi couldn’t help but break her silence and ask: “Is there something you’re hiding and not telling me?”
Gu Qingtong, who was confronted with Yan Chi’s suddenly enlarged and stunning appearance, was a true admirer of beauty and was left speechless due to the shock.
Just as she regained her composure, she heard the second half of Yan Chi’s sentence, and her eyes widened all of a sudden. Could it be that Yan Chi had already figured out that she was planning to pursue her? Gu Qingtong remembered the things she had repeatedly shouted in her dreams last night, and she couldn’t rule out the possibility that she might say them in the real world.
Regardless of what she might be hiding, she couldn’t let Yan Chi know about it now!
Recalling the many secrets she had learned about pursuing someone, Gu Qingtong shook her head frantically, pretending to be innocent: “Absolutely not!”
She wouldn’t confess to watching that kind of video directly.
Yan Chi knew Gu Qingtong’s personality all too well, which was one of the reasons why she still didn’t ask directly. She understood that everything was mere speculation, and Gu Qingtong would surely deny it just as vehemently as she did now. Unless she could catch Gu Qingtong red-handed, identifying herself as her fan “TT,” Gu Qingtong would remain obstinate, with no way out.
But Yan Chi couldn’t help but continue to probe. She had lost her former self-assuredness when it came to Gu Qingtong’s matters. In the midst of this waiting, Yan Chi’s empty heart clearly needed more information and clues that Gu Qingtong would unintentionally reveal.
After Gu Qingtong’s response, Yan Chi stopped pressing further with her questions.
Yan Chi remained seated and cast her gaze down at the foot she had just gently teased. She saw that the swelling from the day before, after she had applied the ointment to Gu Qingtong’s foot three times, had completely subsided, leaving only a rosy tint due to Gu Qingtong’s complexion. Yan Chi’s eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement as she deliberately asked: “Your foot still can’t walk?”
Gu Qingtong obediently nodded in response, only to be taken aback when Yan Chi continued: “If you can’t walk, how can we proceed with the variety show? You should request leave from Director Bu.”
It was at that moment that Gu Qingtong remembered the variety show.
If she didn’t say her foot was fine, Yan Chi wouldn’t let her attend the variety show. Gu Qingtong had been pretending to be injured just a moment ago, but she soon realized that she had kicked her bunny slippers to the back and had to reach for them with her extended leg. She awkwardly said: “That’s strange, it seems….it seems like I can walk again! I can go to the variety show!”
It appeared that her first attempt at flirting with her sister had failed, a massive failure indeed. It was like lifting a stone and dropping it on her own foot. Gu Qingtong’s face turned red, this time from embarrassment and regret. However, in the next moment, Yan Chi picked her up in a princess hug.
“I can walk!” Gu Qingtong exclaimed, feeling embarrassed about being carried by Yan Chi, and it was just a reflexive response.
“Even though you can walk, you still want someone to carry you. Taking advantage,” Yan Chi teased her in a low voice, and added, “But can I resist carrying you? Otherwise, you might say one day that I don’t care about you.”
Hearing this, Gu Qingtong realized that everything she had just said was remembered word for word by Yan Chi. It wasn’t that she didn’t intend to tease her; it was just that she wanted to bring these things up again to torment herself once everything was resolved. The current situation became colorful and lively because of her embarrassment and humiliation.
“So, why did you call me ‘big sister’ just now?” Yan Chi, seizing the opportunity while Gu Qingtong was blushing intensely, continued to press on, making it clear that she wouldn’t leave without an answer.
Gu Qingtong had no other option but to take the plunge and replied with a hint of coyness: “….Aiya! If you don’t like it, I won’t call you that next time. I’ll just say Yan Chi, Yan Chi Yan Chi!”
Seeing Gu Qingtong getting flustered when she couldn’t win the argument, Yan Chi, for once, didn’t continue with her teasing. She had finally managed to get Gu Qingtong to change her address to a more intimate one after a lot of effort. There was no way she was letting her go back to the previous formality.
“No, you can’t change it. You have to call me ‘big sister’ next time,” Yan Chi asserted. After all, Gu Qingtong had been carried back without her shoes. She had left her high heels at the beauty salon yesterday, so she hadn’t even changed into her bunny slippers before being carried down.
So, they recreated the princess hug scene from the video, making Sun Xiao, who was sitting in the car, have a mild panic attack. Even though Yan Chi’s downtown apartment had much better security and privacy compared to that company, wasn’t it crucial to learn from past mistakes?!
Seeing Gu Qingtong’s bunny slippers, Sun Xiao was at a loss for words. Heh, so this was what Gu Qingtong meant by a business union?
“Yan Chi, see you tonight,” Gu Qingtong still couldn’t bring herself to call Yan Chi “big sister” in front of Sun Xiao. However, as she waved goodbye, she playfully mouthed the word, “big sister~”
It seemed like she thought she was being quite clever. Everything was evident in Yan Chi’s eyes. Her little wife….was just too adorable.
