Applying what she had learned in her acting class to Qin Ran, Yu Shuman felt a bit guilty.
But when she saw how Qin Ran froze, her hand stopping mid-action and involuntarily looking at her after what she had just said, a voice inside Yu Shuman confirmed it: That's it. Junior... Qin Ran must like me.
Because no matter whether she was a best friend, a junior, a close friend, or a boss, there shouldn't be such an expression in her eyes. No matter what her role was, there shouldn't be any bitterness, pain, or helpless compromise in her gaze.
Qin Ran seemed to realize that her emotions were too revealing and immediately lowered her head.
But Yu Shuman, who had been watching her closely, didn't miss this moment.
Qin Ran tried to suppress her emotions, working hard to make her expression appear normal. She earnestly advised, "Senior, there's really no rush right now. Even though it's inevitable to have these kinds of scenes when you start acting, you wouldn't want to give your first kiss to someone you don't like, right?"
Qin Ran was speaking the truth, and Yu Shuman indeed thought so too. But to say she cared so much that she couldn't accept it would be an exaggeration. When Yu Shuman decided to act, she knew that one day she would have to face such a scene, whether it was a fake kiss or a real one. Acting in romance dramas, kissing scenes were inevitable.
If she couldn't handle that, she shouldn't be in this industry.
But the way Qin Ran spoke now showed she was genuinely afraid that Yu Shuman might take on this role. She was scared, worried, and anxious, hiding all her love in her heart, terrified that Yu Shuman might find out.
Yu Shuman initially wanted to tease Qin Ran, but she quickly realized she couldn't do it. To tease someone who was so deeply in love with her, whose heart was full of her, felt too cruel. She didn't know how to respond to Qin Ran's feelings, but she also couldn't bring herself to make fun of her.
She decided to stop there and nodded, indicating that she would think about it some more.
After finishing the midnight snack, Yu Shuman lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She realized she didn't actually dislike Qin Ran's feelings as much as she thought she would. Rather than disliking them, she didn't know how to deal with them. In fact, it wasn't dislike at all—there was even a hint of joy. She felt that her guess had been right: her junior did like her, just as she had suspected.
Conflicting thoughts churned in Yu Shuman's mind, leaving her unsure of what to do, leading to a sleepless night. The next morning, she left the house with a messy bedhead. Qin Ran, who didn't have classes in the first two periods, was still at home and had prepared breakfast for her.
When Yu Shuman sat at the dining table, she was surprised to see that the breakfast Qin Ran had made looked quite decent. Qin Ran was wearing a bear-themed apron and had a smile on her face. For a moment, Yu Shuman felt a pang of confusion. She knew Qin Ran well and knew that she wasn't good at cooking. Not long ago, her attempts at cooking were barely edible, but now she could effortlessly prepare a hearty breakfast.
—All of this was for her.
Realizing this, Yu Shuman couldn't stay indifferent. She struggled through breakfast, then hurried out of the house she was temporarily sharing with Qin Ran, burying herself in work.
Sister Li came by today with her upcoming schedule and brought some information on variety shows for her to choose from.
Yu Shuman was interested in one variety show, but Sister Li informed her that Ling Miaohan was also going to be on it and that Qin Ran wasn't too keen on her participating. But Yu Shuman looked at it and said, "The guest lineup for this show is really good. Ling Miaohan is the reason it was chosen, so there's no need for me to avoid her."
Sister Li nodded, understanding her decision.
Yu Shuman hesitated, wanting to talk to Sister Li about something. She looked hesitant, which was unusual for someone as straightforward as her. Sister Li wasn't used to seeing Yu Shuman being so indecisive.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Yu Shuman bit her lip, feeling that her hesitation was unbecoming. She decided to ask Sister Li directly, "Sister Li, do you know that Qin Ran actually likes me?"
She had thought about it a lot last night and realized that Sister Li probably knew. After all, when she didn't know Qin Ran's true identity, it was Sister Li who helped coordinate between them. Sister Li was smart, and Qin Ran's behavior had been so obvious. It was only because she hadn't thought along those lines before. If it was Sister Li, she would have seen it clearly.
Sure enough, Sister Li's expression showed a moment of surprise—not the kind of surprise that asked, "How could you say such a thing?" but more like, "So you figured it out." Sister Li hesitated for a moment but eventually replied, "I promised Qin Ran I wouldn't tell you, but since you figured it out on your own, she can't blame me."
She gave a bit of a disclaimer before asking Yu Shuman, "Now that you're asking me this, do you have any plans?"
In the small meeting room at the company, only Sister Li and Yu Shuman were present. Yu Shuman hesitated for a long time before replying somewhat dejectedly, "I don't know."
Sister Li organized the documents on the table, her tone cold, "As your manager, I suggest you don't tell Qin Ran and don't let on that you know. Right now, she likes you and is offering you all the best resources. In this industry, you should use the resources that come your way. Once that window is closed, she might not treat you as well. So sometimes, it's best to pretend you don't know."
Yu Shuman responded bluntly, "I don't want that. It's too underhanded."
Sister Li finished organizing the papers, tapped them twice on the table to align them, then clipped them together and neatly placed them on the table. After doing all this, she crossed her arms and looked at Yu Shuman, "So what will you do?"
Yu Shuman fell silent. She shook her head, her tone filled with uncertainty, "I don't know either."
"Heh," Sister Li chuckled, "Then just tell her straight up that it's impossible between you two."
Faced with this option, Yu Shuman replied, "I don't want to..." but this time, her tone wasn't as firm as before. Sister Li understood—just like Qin Ran, Yu Shuman was scared.
Qin Ran was afraid that if Yu Shuman found out her feelings, they wouldn't even be able to remain friends. Yu Shuman feared that if she rejected Qin Ran, they would end up as strangers.
Sister Li laughed again, "I don't know what you're hesitating about, but it's really simple. If you don't like her, just reject her outright. Given how much Qin Ran likes you, even if you reject her, she'll still act as your personal ATM; if you do like her, accept her and let her be your ATM openly." Sister Li stood up, picked up the documents from the table, and said, "Yu Shuman, I'm very busy. I don't have time to deal with your and the boss's love life. My advice is purely from a manager's perspective—I don't have time to be your love counselor."
"But don't worry, whatever you decide, Qin Ran will just have to go along with it. After all, she likes you, so she's already lost." Sister Li threw out these words, then opened the meeting room door and walked out.
She really was busy—so busy that her feet barely touched the ground. Now she had to get to work on the new variety show Yu Shuman had chosen. Yu Shuman was left standing there, contemplating Sister Li's words. When Xiao An came in, she found Yu Shuman sitting there, lost in thought.
Xiao An called out to Yu Shuman, and when Yu Shuman looked up, she said, "I want to take a leave."
"Huh?"
Xiao An was confused, and then she heard Yu Shuman say, "I want to take a long leave, for two weeks. I need to think about some things, make some decisions… and deal with some personal matters." Xiao An didn't understand why she hadn't mentioned this when Sister Li was there, only to say she wanted to take leave now.
But Yu Shuman said she would talk to Sister Li herself, and then Xiao An watched as Yu Shuman hurried out.
Qin Ran had no idea that Yu Shuman had already figured out her feelings and was dutifully attending classes at school. After class, she got a call from Assistant Wu, who told her that the video from the other night had been sent to Ling Miaohan, and this morning, Ling Miaohan had stormed into Pei Qi's office.
What happened afterward in Pei Qi's office, Assistant Wu couldn't say.
Hearing this put Qin Ran in a much better mood, and then she got a call from Sister Li saying that Yu Shuman had decided to participate in the variety show that Ling Miaohan was also in. Qin Ran's expression turned sour. She knew that as long as Yu Shuman stayed in the industry, she couldn't avoid Ling Miaohan unless she could bring down both the Pei Group and the Ling Group.
It was possible, but it would be a lot of trouble and wouldn't happen overnight.
Now that the two of them were still teammates, it wasn't the best time to make a move. After these two warnings, Pei Qi shouldn't cause any more trouble for Yu Shuman. If this resolved the conflict and they could stay out of each other's way, Qin Ran could pretend nothing had ever happened.
After stirring up trouble for Pei Qi and Ling Miaohan, Qin Ran was in a great mood. If Yu Shuman wanted to join that variety show, she could go ahead. Qin Ran also thought the guest lineup was great—the show was in its third season and had a good rating, so there was nothing but benefits for Yu Shuman to participate.
The show was scheduled to be recorded in mid to late October, just when the weather would be mild, neither too hot nor too cold. In high spirits, Qin Ran began preparing the clothes Yu Shuman would need, along with the items to bring and the sponsorships for the show.
When Qin Ran returned home, she found that Yu Shuman wasn't back yet. She figured Yu Shuman was still at work, even though her schedule indicated she had nothing in the afternoon. But for an artist, it wasn't unusual for something to come up suddenly. She started preparing dinner, and after working up a sweat, she took a shower.
After drying her hair, she sat on the living room sofa and began playing video games. She was practicing the two-player game she had played with Yu Shuman before, determined to show off her gaming skills next time.
Qin Ran played for most of the day, and when her phone showed it was almost seven o'clock, Yu Shuman still hadn't come back. Qin Ran began to wonder, what was Senior doing?
She picked up her phone and sent a message to Yu Shuman, but there was no reply. Qin Ran guessed that she was too busy to check her phone, so she called Sister Li to ask what Yu Shuman was up to.
The answer she got was, "Yu Shuman? She took leave, for two weeks. She said something about going back home to deal with some personal matters."
"Huh?"
Sister Li: I'm such a good person. If these two get together, Qin Ran better buy me another bag to thank me!