Chapter 3: What Is Lin Qingyi Up To?

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5821232
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

The dancing music started playing, and Qin Shiyue had to put her hand on Lin Qingyi's shoulder, following her dance steps, although her body remained very stiff.

"Little Boss Qin, is your body so stiff because you don't like dancing with me?" Lin Qingyi's lips were close to Qin Shiyue's ear, clearly teasing.

Being called "Little Boss Qin" by employees and fans of her own company wasn't a big deal, especially the fans, who used it affectionately. But when Lin Qingyi called her "Little Boss Qin," Qin Shiyue felt surprisingly uneasy as if Lin Qingyi was mocking her as a useless vase.

In the first two or three years of her debut, Qin Shiyue's acting skills were heavily criticized. At that time, Qin Shiyue, who had a fiery temper, didn't want to endure it and thought about quitting the industry, so she impulsively returned to her own company to work. Her sister, Qin Shilan, who always cherished her, immediately arranged a general manager position for her at the company. Qin Shilan was called "Boss Qin," and now she was too, so to distinguish her from Qin Shilan, the employees called Qin Shilan "Boss Qin" and her "Little Boss Qin." After working in the company for a month, Qin Shiyue found that working wasn't easier than being a celebrity, so she reluctantly returned to the entertainment industry as a popular female star, receiving both criticism and love. At that time, she had also come to terms with it, feeling that if she wanted to be liked by people, she also had to endure being disliked. As for acting skills, if she didn't have them, she didn't. Qin Shiyue had been staying still and letting others mock her for many years.

Although Little Boss Qin hadn't been around for long, this title caught on, and fans loved using it. Face Tyrant* Little Boss Qin, this is the nickname Qin Shiyue's fans affectionately use.

*颜霸 (Yanba) - can refer to someone who has a strong, imposing presence or who is very impressive in appearance.

For Qin Shiyue, this title was far from honorable. Being called by Lin Qingyi like this at the moment, she couldn't help but feel that the other party was mocking her.

"It's because I haven't danced for a long time. I'm a little rusty. I'm surprised that Qingyi also reads entertainment gossip? She even knows the nickname my fans give me in private. I thought Qingyi was a goddess who was detached from the mundane world and lived a life of luxury!" Qin Shiyue suppressed her displeasure and said in surprise. "Actually, for a white lotus* aren't you too narcissistic? Aren't you supposed to be above the mundane world? Yet you pay attention to my gossip. I knew your ethereal demeanor was all a pretense, your persona is so fake!"

*White Lotus (白莲花/Bái Lián Huā): Depending on the context, it may mean: the original definition: 1) Pure, innocent, and virtuous woman.

Or  2.) This later became a satirize label to refer to females with such innocent persona but completely contradictory on the inside, similar to a green tea bitch

"With Little Boss Qin being so popular, do you really need special attention?" Lin Qingyi looked at Qin Shiyue's beautiful face up close and asked back. She thought to herself that Qin Shiyue, without any masterpieces, could still be this popular for so long. Indeed, this face deserved credit.

Qin Shiyue fell silent, as if... indeed she didn't really need special attention.

"Little Boss Qin's makeup is a bit too heavy." Lin Qingyi deliberately hit where it hurt, intentionally provoking Qin Shiyue.

Qin Shiyue then realized that her face was only a palm's width away from her love rival. She was facing Lin Qingyi directly, and in the heat of their confrontation, she had temporarily forgotten about her recent divorce. Now, Lin Qingyi made her remember it again. She felt that this woman was definitely no good, appearing like a white lotus on the outside but a green tea on the inside. Who didn't know she had just been divorced? Could she be in a good state? And now, Lin Qingyi was implying her poor state. Ha!

Qin Shiyue hated Lin Qingyi to the core, but she had to maintain a facade of calmness.

"Doesn't this make-up look good?" Qin Shiyue asked in a tone as if she didn't understand the insinuation, seemingly inquiring like a close friend. 

Pretending, who couldn't do that?

Lin Qingyi pretended to seriously scrutinize Qin Shiyue's face. Despite the heavy makeup, she could still see the fatigue underneath. However, even though she looked tired, she appeared as spirited as a fighting rooster. Truly spirited.

Lin Qingyi really started to seriously scrutinize her face, making Qin Shiyue feel even more uncomfortable. Although she was very confident in her looks, the past few days after her divorce had left her in a terrible state, and her appearance had certainly suffered to some extent. If her rival noticed any flaws and outshone her, it would be very displeasing.

Especially at this moment, Qin Shiyue was also trying to find some flaws on her rival's face, but she was disheartened to discover that Lin Qingyi was indeed quite beautiful. Her features, skin, and makeup were all flawless. This woman constantly exuded a pretentious air, yet Qin Shiyue had to admit that she did a pretty convincing job of it.

“It does, but it would look even better with lighter makeup. Although you look a bit tired, Little Boss Qin is indeed naturally beautiful." Lin Qingyi moved even closer to Qin Shiyue's ear than before.

Was this woman really complimenting her? Qin Shiyue was somewhat uncertain; she vaguely felt that the other party's tone was more sarcastic.

And why did this woman have to get so close to her ear while talking? Didn't she know she was into women and needed to avoid suspicion? At this moment, if Qin Shiyue's hand were free, she would definitely want to rub her ear to suppress the slightly strange feeling. But since she was dancing with Lin Qingyi, she couldn't free her hand, so she could only move her ear away from the distracting breath.

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5821232
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

Seeing Qin Shiyue avoid her, a trace of displeasure flashed in Lin Qingyi's eyes. After all, she was used to being the one who disliked others.

"Does Little Boss Qin hate me that much?" Lin Qingyi's lips moved even closer to Qin Shiyue's ear, leaving no room for escape. This was clearly beyond normal social boundaries and overly intimate.

Qin Shiyue again thought Lin Qingyi was crazy. Was she actively flirting with her? She felt that if Lin Qingyi moved any closer, her lips would touch her ear. The most troublesome thing was that her ear felt a tingly numbness, making Qin Shiyue panic. She wanted to push Lin Qingyi away, and she could, but she knew that if she pushed this flirt away, she might turn to seduce Kong Huizhi. Her ex-wife, who already regarded this woman as a white moonlight, definitely wouldn't be able to resist her. She absolutely wouldn't let them become a pair! Qin Shiyue held on to the "if not me, then who" mentality, forcing herself to endure.

"How could I? Inside and outside this circle, who wouldn't like Qingyi?" Qin Shiyue answered, gritting her teeth and speaking insincerely, though her body grew even stiffer.

"Really?" Lin Qingyi asked with a faint smile. Her hand, resting on Qin Shiyue's lower back, suddenly pressed inward with force.

Caught off guard, Qin Shiyue was pulled into Lin Qingyi's embrace. The close, upper-body-to-upper-body posture left Qin Shiyue bewildered. What was going on? She couldn't help but narcissistically wonder if Lin Qingyi was trying to seduce her or just deliberately teasing her.

Yes, she must be teasing her. Qin Shiyue realized and tried to push Lin Qingyi away.

But Lin Qingyi tightened her grip on the Qin Shiyue in her arms.

Qin Shiyue realized that despite Lin Qingyi looking slimmer than her, she was surprisingly strong, and she couldn't push her away.

"What are you doing?" Qin Shiyue's ears turned red without her realizing it, as she had never been this close to a woman before. She felt incredibly flustered, not knowing if she was embarrassed or angry. Today's events were so surreal that Qin Shiyue couldn't help but wonder if any of this was real.

Qin Shiyue felt that either Lin Qingyi was crazy or she herself was.

In fact, it wasn't just Qin Shiyue who found the situation surreal; even the few people watching them from a distance were stunned.

Lin Qingyi's manager, Bai Wenxi, had just finished chatting with the producer and stepped out to take a call. Upon returning, she was astonished to see Lin Qingyi dancing with Qin Shiyue, and they were both stunned.

Bai Wenxi had been with Lin Qingyi for many years and was one of the few who truly understood her. Since her debut, Lin Qingyi had never been in a relationship because she simply didn't find anyone worthy. While she seemed easy-going on the surface, she was actually very difficult to approach, with an attitude of "don't touch me, I'm afraid of dirt and trouble." She held herself to high standards in terms of reputation, behavior, and public image, seeking perfection in everything. She was incredibly self-centered and proud, with a cleanliness obsession, both mentally and physically.

Qin Shiyue, a mere vase with popularity but lacking acting skills, was not someone Lin Qingyi would normally pay attention to. Recently divorced and a hot topic on social media for all the wrong reasons, Qin Shiyue was someone Lin Qingyi should have avoided, shouldn't she? Shouldn't she keep her distance? Yet here she was, unexpectedly close and intimate. Bai Wenxi was so shocked that her jaw nearly dropped. The only thing Bai Wenxi could be certain of was that Lin Qingyi, in both her mind and body, didn't seem to reject Qin Shiyue. Could this be the legendary blooming of the iron tree*?

*铁树开花 (tiě shù kāi huā) means that something is very rare or difficult to be seen/achieved.

But the blooming target is Qin Shiyue who has a hot search, black-red* constitution? Bai Wenxi felt her scalp tingling slightly, she felt there would be new hot searches appearing soon, and she had a premonition, her white peacock seemed to be in danger of losing its reputation and would not be able to be white anymore.

*a mix of both negative and positive publicity 

Author's Note:

Qin Shiyue: Is my love rival attracted to me? I was panicking inside…

Lin Qingyi: Are you very happy to be flirted with by me? This is a treatment that many people can't even hope for!

Qin Shiyue: Shameless!

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