“Th-that’s how it was! I don’t know if you…..still remember that dirty little girl.”
Gu Qingtong had let go of Yan Chi and obediently knelt back onto her legs. She still looked up at Yan Chi, who was standing by the bed, her face already flushed with color.
Gu Qingtong had just told Yan Chi about their first encounter, of course, only the part about how she had always wanted to meet her since she was a child. She left out the part where, despite her denial, she had engaged in various fan-like behaviors, and she carefully tucked that part away again.
The reason she had never told Yan Chi about this was because she felt she was too young back then, completely different from who she was now. That day of meeting her “fairy sister” was incredibly important to her. From Yan Chi’s perspective, it might have been just a fleeting moment among countless others, something she wouldn’t even remember.
It was only when Yan Chi said she had never left any mark in her first twenty years of life that Gu Qingtong finally made up her mind to tell her about their first encounter.
In her heart, she thought:
“See! We’ve actually met a long time ago, when you didn’t know me, but you were already a part of my life.”
“Ah! So that was Tongtong,” Yan Chi looked at her, the smile spreading to her eyes. “I remember.”
Gu Qingtong had hoped she would remember, but hearing this answer made her feel a bit frustrated:
“Of course, I looked super messy that time, right? Ugh, I didn’t leave a good impression at all. When I first saw you, I was thinking how could there be someone so beautiful in the world…..”
She suddenly recalled the first time Yan Chi saw her, at the explosion scene. Back then, she was covered in dirt from the extra’s makeup and didn’t get a chance to clean up until she went to the medical room. She didn’t have a bit of grace left because of her rescue effort.
Not to mention the official first meeting at the hospital, with a concussion and her head bandaged, looking pathetic thanks to Yan Song.
Why did she always look so messy and embarrassing every time they met?
Gu Qingtong almost laughed at her own luck. She always cared so much about her appearance; when wasn’t she looking pretty from childhood to now? Yet Yan Chi always managed to catch her at her worst moments.
“I wasn’t laughing at Tongtong’s dress back then,” Yan Chi explained, seeming to understand exactly what was going on in Gu Qingtong’s mind. “I saw a little girl bravely standing up and refusing to let others bully me. It was the first time in my life that someone protected me like that. I felt a sudden warmth in my heart and smiled at the little girl because of that.”
Yan Chi did remember that day clearly. Her cousin Song Lian’s family had returned from abroad to pack up and move their belongings. Yan Chi had been invited to stay at their house for a week, and on the last day, she unexpectedly encountered her half-brother Yan Song, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Yan Song was obviously more shocked and angry than she was. As a group of kids discussed how to get revenge and scare her, Yan Chi felt no particular emotion and only glanced indifferently at them from afar. Suddenly, a pink figure caught her attention.
That child, who had said something that distanced her from the others, stood alone, seemingly isolated from the group.
Yan Chi had little interest in the dynamics between children. She was momentarily distracted but soon returned her gaze to her book. Because of this, she didn’t see Gu Qingtong hiding in the flowers, guarding her.
When Yan Song and the other kids came back, Yan Chi had already noticed their presence. Seeing the stones in their hands, she wasn’t worried about the bulletproof glass windows breaking. She felt no concern at all.
What she didn’t expect was that the little girl in the pink dress she had noticed earlier would suddenly jump out from the bushes and stand in front of her, shouting something fiercely at the kids, scaring them all away.
It was only then that Yan Chi realized that the reason the little girl had been isolated might have been because of her. Was it because she refused to join Yan Song in seeking revenge and instead chose to protect her?
As she pondered this, she saw the little girl trying to sneak back into the bushes, only to realize she had been caught. The little girl’s face, now panic-stricken, was adorably flustered.
Despite not knowing what to do, the little girl stood there, dumbfounded and awkward.
Yan Chi found this unexpectedly….endearing, a new feeling for her. At 14, she was not used to her emotions being stirred easily.
Most of the time, her emotions, which seemed normal to others, were actually mimicked. Was it because the little girl had just protected her? She recalled the feeling when she saw the scene earlier, a strange tug at her heart. Is this what it feels like to be protected? It was a peculiar sensation.
By now, the little girl’s initial panic had faded, but she didn’t leave. Her bright eyes stared directly at Yan Chi, filled with curiosity and affection. Yan Chi had thought it was just because she was a child that her eyes were so pure and easy to read. Reflecting on it now, she realized that it was simply that Gu Qingtong’s pure nature had never changed.
Yan Chi suddenly smiled at the little girl outside the window. She didn’t smile often, and when she did, it was usually a polite, forced smile. But now, facing the little girl, the ice around her heart melted effortlessly. Yan Chi knew she didn’t have eyes as clear as hers. If she wanted to express her affection, perhaps a smile….would suffice?
Unexpectedly, that faint, unfamiliar smile scared the little girl away. Watching her flee, Yan Chi almost thought her smile was so hideous it scared people off. Knowing she was leaving the next day and might never see the little girl again, she felt a twinge of regret.
She watched the little pink figure run away, a sense of melancholy suddenly filling her heart. She stared for a long time, lost in thought. It wasn’t until later, when she heard from Song Lian, that she found out the little girl had come looking for her the next day after she left. After all their twists and turns, they had met again.
Realizing that the only person who could easily stir her emotions and make her feel the full range of human feelings—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—was Tongtong all along, Yan Chi decided to tease Gu Qingtong:
“Who would have thought that my smile would scare the little girl away? She ran off faster than a rabbit. I was so disheartened that I never smiled again.”
“Ah?! Was it…because of me?” Gu Qingtong exclaimed in shock, clearly believing every word Yan Chi said. She had always wondered why the fairy-like sister who smiled so warmly at her seemed so cold and distant on television, as if she had become a different person!
“It was because of Tongtong,” Yan Chi quickly added, not wanting Qingtong to misunderstand, her tone full of affection. “I just wanted to save my warmth and smiles for you alone, so I didn’t let anyone else see them.”
Suddenly flustered by the affection, Gu Qingtong froze for a moment before blushing and burying her face into Yan Chi’s embrace: “That’s too greedy!”
After a while, with a voice filled with excitement, Gu Qingtong asked the question she’d longed to ask: “So…..have I fulfilled the promise I made to you back then? The promise to recognize you when we meet again?”
Gu Qingtong was referring to the promise she made to Yan Chi on the Ferris wheel before the world was reset. This promise, made the moment it was requested, became a bond between them. Even though all sounds turned into fragments and disappeared, and her promise never reached Yan Chi, it remained etched in her heart. Despite having no memory of the past after the restart, from the first time she heard Yan Chi’s name and saw her, she knew she had to recognize this important person.
“Yes, thanks to you, Tongtong. Tongtong…why are you so wonderful?” Yan Chi imitated the tone that had moved Gu Qingtong earlier while editing the videos, whispering sweetly in her ear. Each word felt like it was wrapped in honey, melting into her heart.
Realizing that Yan Chi was mimicking her, Gu Qingtong let out a playful exclamation and tried to retaliate. But before she could make a move, Yan Chi anticipated her intentions. Taking advantage of the moment, Yan Chi leaned in and let her tongue flick across Gu Qingtong’s sensitive ear, catching her off guard.
Yan Chi’s tongue flicked across the sensitive skin of Gu Qingtong’s earlobe.
“Mmm!” Gu Qingtong let out a soft moan, feeling the pleasure, and didn’t shy away.
“Does Tongtong want it?” Yan Chi asked, continuing her teasing, seemingly determined to make Gu Qingtong say it out loud.
The sensations overwhelmed Gu Qingtong, her discomfort growing more intense in other areas of her body. Unable to withstand the imbalance, she finally conceded: “Yes… I want it!”
“Just saying that won’t work, Tongtong. What do you want?” Yan Chi pushed further, unsatisfied, coaxing more out of her.
Cornered, Gu Qingtong’s face flushed deeply as she finally said: “Want you, I want you to devour me!”
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Yan Chi silenced her with a deepening kiss.
As their passion peaked, they both understood the tantalizing pleasure of slow, enduring love. Throughout the long night, Gu Qingtong felt herself yielding completely to Yan Chi’s gentle yet relentless attention.
Just as Gu Qingtong had invited, she was entirely consumed by Yan Chi, every inch of her thoroughly adored.
❖❖❖❖❖
After three months of intense work, the filming of “Bai Mei Sheng” was nearing its end, and Gu Qingtong only had one more scene left with Yan Chi. However, due to Yan Chi’s busy schedule, their scene was scheduled for the last day of shooting, making it the perfect finale.
With no other scenes to film recently, Gu Qingtong had a lot of free time. She spent it either studying on set or secretly spending time with Yan Chi as “crew wives.” Their secret meetings outside of their rooms felt like a game of hide-and-seek, requiring careful scouting and quick relocations whenever someone approached. There were a few close calls, but Yan Chi always managed to cover for Gu Qingtong.
Gu Qingtong, feeling confident in her discretion, had no idea how obvious her actions were. She was blissfully unaware of the many slip-ups she made, such as Yan Chi frequently visiting the makeup artist to retouch her lipstick.
The crew, entertained by their romance, had long accepted their relationship, choosing not to confront Gu Qingtong about it. Even Yan Chi played along, maintaining the facade that they were merely colleagues. The entire crew, including Yan Chi, went along with Gu Qingtong’s act of “I’m not familiar with Teacher Yan, we’re just coworkers.”
The assistant director, who had been questioned by Director Yuan earlier, played a crucial role in promoting and organizing the “Silent Gaze” fandom within the crew. As the leader of the crew’s CP1Couple Pairing fan group, she was very active. Initially, she single-handedly kept the group alive, but as the group grew larger, she focused on recruiting more fans into the “Silent Gaze” ship.
The only regret was that her mentor, Yuan Jingyu, adamantly refused to ship “Silent Gaze,” clearly having a generational gap with the younger crew members. Today, she finally had a break from work and eagerly dived into the “Silent Gaze” super topic.
Since the casting announcement for “Bai Mei Sheng,” the output of “Silent Gaze” content has exploded. The competition was fierce, whether it was writing a binding play or depicting speech training; the variety of settings was endless. The unique tension between the characters left no room for substitutes, drawing many renowned fanfic writers into the fold, resulting in an abundance of content.
Fanfiction and video edits competed for dominance, but as the available video material became exhausted, fanfiction emerged as the more sustainable form of content. The quality and quantity of the fanfics delighted the CP fans, who enjoyed a mix of various genres. Most notably, much of the content was quite risqué, making the adult CP even more appealing.
After the variety show ended, Gu Qingtong felt somewhat embarrassed and refrained from following the “Silent Gaze” super topic and its content. Instead, she returned to her old habit of watching videos featuring herself and Yan Chi individually.
Gu Qingtong was clearly unaware of how the output of “Silent Gaze” content had evolved since the release of “Bai Mei Sheng.” Today, the assistant director felt lucky. After browsing for only a few minutes, she stumbled upon an exceptionally appealing fanfic that perfectly matched her preferences.
It was a…..pregnancy-themed story!
Following her usual practice, she believed that such great content shouldn’t be enjoyed alone. Sharing it would be much better, but given the risqué nature of the story, she thought it might not be suitable for everyone. Then she remembered the stage manager sister who had been discussing romance stories with her late into the night yesterday. Knowing that both of them had a penchant for mature content, she thought this might appeal to her as well.
Although the stage manager wasn’t a fan of “Silent Gaze,” she had heard of its reputation in the fandom and was curious to give it a try. With this in mind, and having just spoken to her yesterday, the assistant director decided to share the story directly. She didn’t bother typing in her name to find her, instead, she just looked for her in the recent chat list. Seeing the familiar pink fox plushie avatar, she sent the story along with an invitation to join the “Silent Gaze” discussion group, so she could join in on the fun and discussions once she got hooked.
However, the assistant director hadn’t realized that the pink fox plushie avatar belonged to someone else. She….had accidentally sent both the fanfic and the group invitation to Gu Qingtong herself!
