Qin Ran's tone wasn't pleasant, and her speech lacked any formality. The refined demeanor that had momentarily made Pei Qi feel a sense of familiarity was gone, making him wonder if he had misjudged her earlier.
He didn't dwell on it, though, and instead complimented Qin Ran, "I think you have a good presence. If you took off your glasses and dressed up a bit, you could carve out a space for yourself in the entertainment industry."
Qin Ran simply responded with a "Thank you," leaving it at that.
Pei Qi shifted his gaze away from her. He wasn't particularly interested in whether Qin Ran had a background or was attractive. He had made the comment out of habit—after all, he was the head of an entertainment company, always on the lookout for potential talent. But in truth, there were plenty of people with the potential to be stars. In the entertainment industry, attractive men and women were as common as grains of sand, and without resources, they wouldn't make it far.
Pei Qi's real interest was in Sister Li, the agent he had once considered for Ling Miaohan. Young, with shared interests with Ling Miaohan, and as a fellow woman, there was no risk of romantic entanglements. Professionally skilled, she could surely turn Ling Miaohan into a star.
He had thought of everything, except for the possibility that Yan Li would reject him and instead join the rising star in the industry, 99 Entertainment. It felt like a slap in the face. Pei Qi smiled at Sister Li, "If you change your mind, feel free to reach out to me."
"That won't be necessary. I signed a non-compete agreement when I joined this company."
—A total lie.
Qin Ran mentally rolled her eyes at Sister Li. There was no way she would have dared to make Sister Li sign a non-compete agreement. If that had been the case, Sister Li wouldn't have joined at all. Sister Li was too independent to agree to something that would keep her out of the industry for several years. But with Pei Qi standing right there, Qin Ran wasn't about to expose the lie.
Pei Qi paused at Sister Li's words, then sighed regretfully, "I hope we don't end up as enemies."
That seemed unlikely.
After Pei Qi left, Sister Li joked with Qin Ran, "How about that? Pretty impressive, right? He's still thinking about me." Qin Ran didn't respond, instead hearing the staff calling her, so she went off to help again.
Once Qin Ran was out of earshot, Sister Li sighed. Pei Qi hadn't been wrong—if Qin Ran took off her glasses and tidied herself up, she was indeed a natural beauty. As a professional agent, Sister Li's hands itched seeing Qin Ran neglect her looks.
Some time later, Sister Li noticed Qin Ran had let herself go even more. After a day of hard work, she was drenched in sweat and covered in dirt. And she wasn't alone—Yu Shuman was with her.
Yu Shuman hadn't had much training today and had sneaked out under the pretext of meeting her agent but was actually there to see Qin Ran.
She brought Qin Ran some water, and upon seeing the dirt streaked across Qin Ran's face, she took out her towel to clean it. As the evening darkened and the sun dipped below the horizon, Yu Shuman sat with Qin Ran on a wooden crate outside the filming area, gently wiping the dirt from her face.
Qin Ran had taken off her glasses, holding them in her hand, and Yu Shuman had pushed aside the messy bangs that usually obscured her face. Qin Ran obediently let Yu Shuman clean her up, her face, which had been smudged with dirt, gradually being wiped clean.
When Sister Li saw this, she instinctively ducked out of sight. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to hide, but the atmosphere between the two was so intimate that she felt like she couldn't interrupt. Checking her watch, Sister Li sighed—tonight was definitely going to be a late one. She resigned herself to waiting.
As she walked away, Sister Li overheard Yu Shuman sharing something with Qin Ran and couldn't help but think to herself: Ah, youth. Such pure and beautiful friendships are rare.
The sky was darkening, and the light from the filming set spilled out from the gaps in the doors and windows, casting a soft glow on the two figures sitting outside. Yu Shuman, dressed in her dance practice clothes, sat on the crate, her feet occasionally swinging.
"How did I do today?" Yu Shuman asked.
"You did great, just as good as anyone else."
Qin Ran wasn't just seeing things through rose-colored glasses; she was being truthful. All of Yu Shuman's hard work in practice had paid off—she had kept up with the others and executed every move to the best of her ability. If she continued at this pace, she would surely win over the audience during her first performance.
The thought made Qin Ran a little jealous. She knew Yu Shuman was captivating and would naturally attract others. But before, it was only classmates and passersby who noticed her. Once the show aired, she would attract a lot more attention, including genuine fans who would truly admire her.
That was inevitable. As long as Yu Shuman stood on stage, people would be drawn to her, and some would inevitably fall for her.
It gave Qin Ran the feeling that her rivals in love were multiplying.
She sighed, and Yu Shuman, noticing, reached out to ruffle her hair. "Shimei, why are you sighing? You should be cheering me on!"
"I'm always cheering for you."
In the outskirts of the capital, not a single star could be seen in the black night sky, but as Qin Ran looked at Yu Shuman, it felt like her eyes were filled with stars. Qin Ran was deeply infatuated with her, so much so that she feared that if she opened her mouth, all that would come out would be confessions of love. But Qin Ran knew she had no right to drag Yu Shuman into the depths with her.
Yu Shuman's mother had poor health, and after a divorce, she had single-handedly raised Yu Shuman. She was a strong-willed woman. If she ever found out that Yu Shuman was involved with another woman, she might very well collapse from the shock.
Yu Shuman was a filial daughter, and Qin Ran didn't want to see her caught between herself and her mother, torn and miserable. Moreover, Qin Ran wasn't confident that Yu Shuman would return her feelings. She didn't even look like someone who might be into women, and Qin Ran couldn't picture anyone standing beside Yu Shuman. But one thing was clear—it wouldn't be her.
As much as she enjoyed spending time with Yu Shuman, every moment of solitude with her was accompanied by a deep ache in her heart. She longed to be closer to Yu Shuman, but she had to suppress her feelings, remaining just a supportive Shimei by her side.
Yu Shuman was truly mesmerizing. The dance clothes she wore outlined her graceful figure, her hair tied up in a bun, exposing the length of her fair neck. She had an excellent posture, with a long neck and strong back muscles. Even though she hadn't been through the rigorous etiquette training Qin Ran had endured, she still carried herself with poise. Yu Shuman radiated energy, like a sun constantly emitting warmth.
Qin Ran couldn't take her eyes off her.
"Make sure to come watch the performance!" Yu Shuman said.
Qin Ran nodded. "I will."
They continued chatting for a long while, with Yu Shuman doing most of the talking and Qin Ran listening. This was how it always was between them—Yu Shuman would talk endlessly, while Qin Ran, like a wooden block, would simply nod or occasionally say "mm," unable to come up with anything interesting to add.
Eventually, a staff member came to remind Yu Shuman to return to the dormitory to rest. Yu Shuman acknowledged with a quick, "Coming!" She jumped down from the crate, her bun bouncing slightly with the movement, and smiled at Qin Ran. "Shimei, don't push yourself too hard. You were telling me not to overdo it, but you're just as bad. Don't exhaust yourself."
"You have no right to lecture me," Qin Ran retorted.
Yu Shuman chuckled. "But I've been listening to you. I'm not overworking myself anymore."
Qin Ran looked at her for a moment, not responding directly but instead teasing her to hurry back. The staff member called out twice more, and Yu Shuman waved to Qin Ran before quickly leaving.
Qin Ran watched her walk away, her figure merging with the memory of the girl who used to run across the schoolyard with her ponytail flying in the wind during their first year of high school.
She couldn't help but think, It's wonderful, Shijie hasn't changed at all.
After spacing out for a while, Qin Ran was snapped out of her thoughts by Sister Li, who was eager to go home and shoved her into the car before driving off toward Qin Ran's apartment. On the way, Sister Li grumbled, "I had to work late for so long today, and I still have to get up early tomorrow..."
Her complaints were cut off by Qin Ran's casual suggestion, "File a request for triple overtime pay." This made Sister Li laugh. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that. It's all for the job; it's not about the money."
Qin Ran didn't believe her for a second. If she were to say now that she was just kidding and there was no overtime pay, Sister Li would probably floor the gas pedal and drive them off the highway, taking both of them down with her. After dropping Qin Ran off, Sister Li glanced around at the apartment complex and couldn't help but comment, "Boss, why do you live here?"
"..."
Where else would she live?
Qin Ran remained silent. Given Sister Li's status, her neighborhood was likely better than this one. After all, Sister Li had been in the entertainment industry for years and had earned the title of a top agent, so a two-million-yuan apartment wouldn't impress her. In her mind, Qin Ran, who had poured so much money into 99 Entertainment, should have at least a billion or so in assets.
In reality, Qin Ran was broke. Buying this apartment had cost her a fifth of her entire fortune.
"I live here because it's close," Qin Ran finally answered.
Sister Li didn't press for details, not caring whether it was close to work or something else. After dropping Qin Ran off, she happily opened her phone and submitted her overtime request before quickly disappearing from the complex. Qin Ran returned to her 28th-floor apartment, gazing out at the bustling traffic below before collapsing onto the window seat.
If only I could spend more time with Yu Shuman.
The thought crossed her mind, making her realize just how deeply she was infatuated. She got up from the window seat and headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. Assistant Wu had hired a housekeeper who had prepared some late-night snacks for her, just in time to satisfy her hunger.
A note stuck to the fridge with a magnet listed the available snacks for her to choose from.