Chapter – 52
“Hey, have a strawberry. Any problem with that?” Lin Qingyi complained, her hand practically aching from holding it out, yet the woman still hadn’t opened her mouth. She felt a little annoyed. As expected, this woman was clueless and stupid. So Lin Qingyi simply withdrew the fork and popped the strawberry into her own mouth.
“Have you never heard that saying?” Qin Shiyue felt a bit more at ease when she saw Lin Qingyi take back the strawberry.
“What?” Lin Qingyi noticed that Qin Shiyue’s attention had shifted, and took the opportunity to ask.
“When a straight girl flirts with a lesbian, lightning will strike.” This was basically an unspoken rule in the “lesbian circles.” Qin Shiyue thought that right now, Lin Qingyi was just asking to get struck by lightning.
“Flirt?” Lin Qingyi was a little surprised. She had been flirting with the “vase” quite a bit tonight, but when she fed her the strawberry earlier, she hadn’t really thought too much of it. Now, with Qin Shiyue’s reminder, it did seem like it had a certain meaning. But the fact that this woman thought she was flirting with her—and then rejected it—felt frustrating. It made her feel like she was somehow unattractive.
Since Miss Qin always rejected her teasing, Lin Qingyi decided she would see if Qin Shiyue could really resist her.
“Did Miss Qin get flustered then?” Lin Qingyi suddenly leaned closer to Qin Shiyue, her gaze intensely focused on Qin Shiyue’s lips. Her hand moved to caress the other woman’s face, fingers lightly brushing along the delicate contours of her cheeks and teasing her sensitive ears.
Seeing Lin Qingyi staring at her lips as if she were about to kiss her, Qin Shiyue felt a tingle of pleasure along her cheeks and ears. Her face flushed involuntarily, and her body felt almost frozen. But having been teased by this woman so many times, Qin Shiyue managed to retain some composure. This damned woman was definitely trying to toy with her again, and this time, she wouldn’t let her succeed.
Lin Qingyi had only meant to tease, but when she stared at Qin Shiyue’s slightly parted lips, they seemed increasingly tempting, as if inviting her to taste them. Lin Qingyi couldn’t help but move closer—until Qin Shiyue suddenly pushed her away.
Lin Qingyi froze for a moment, then realized that she, who had been teasing, was the one almost losing control because of Qin Shiyue’s allure.
Qin Shiyue glared at Lin Qingyi angrily. She hadn’t let her succeed this time, but her racing heart reminded her that Lin Qingyi’s acting was so convincing that she nearly fell for it.
“Just a strawberry, and Miss Qin can have all these fantasies. That’s real flirting, isn’t it?” Lin Qingyi smirked and stepped back, as if it were just another harmless little joke.
“Whether real or not, don’t flirt with me so much. Even jokes have limits!” Qin Shiyue scolded. She was angry because she realized she had actually been flustered by this woman. She wanted to strictly forbid this annoying straight girl from teasing her again. If she allowed herself to develop feelings, who would she complain to? Lin Qingyi wouldn’t take responsibility, and Qin Shiyue had no intention of liking someone one-sidedly ever again.
“Why are you still mad? If it’s really unbearable, just flirt back.” Lin Qingyi seemed to be hoping Qin Shiyue would take the initiative.
Qin Shiyue wanted to retaliate but, lacking confidence, she felt she couldn’t compete with Lin Qingyi in teasing. Besides, Lin Qingyi was straight; if she made a move and Lin Qingyi didn’t react, it would be incredibly awkward. Better not risk it.
Feeling she couldn’t win, Qin Shiyue pouted, unsure if she was angry at herself, Lin Qingyi, or both. She turned her back on Lin Qingyi, refusing to engage. She reminded herself that she was here to improve her acting skills, not get distracted by messy emotions.
Lin Qingyi noticed that Qin Shiyue was genuinely annoyed and didn’t continue teasing her, letting her focus on memorizing her lines. After all, it was getting late, and serious work couldn’t be delayed—or she’d lose sleep. Lin Qingyi glanced at the time and realized she probably wouldn’t get to sleep on time tonight.
Qin Shiyue concentrated on memorizing her lines, while the previously entertaining Lin Qingyi found the fruit on the plate suddenly tasteless.
“Got it memorized?” Lin Qingyi asked after about ten minutes.
Qin Shiyue nodded. The anger had subsided somewhat over those minutes, but she still felt a twinge of annoyance toward Lin Qingyi.
“Do you want to have them come in too, to simulate having people on set?” Lin Qingyi suggested.
Seeing Lin Qingyi’s relaxed attitude, Qin Shiyue thought there was no need to be petty. She decided to bury her awkward feelings and focus on the work—she didn’t want to fall behind Lin Qingyi. For some reason, this thought was stronger than ever.
“Sure.” Qin Shiyue had no objections.
Seeing that Qin Shiyue had calmed down, Lin Qingyi thought this “vase” wasn’t so grudging after all, and her opinion of her improved slightly.
Meanwhile, Fang Xinhua and Bai Wenxi came over to watch.
Once they began acting together, Qin Shiyue’s impression of Lin Qingyi improved further. Although she was annoying in private, when it came to acting, she was focused and serious. This professional charm was completely different from her teasing side.
Qin Shiyue’s script revolved around a wealthy heiress spoiled by everyone around her, full of a “princess syndrome.” But after her family’s sudden downfall, she experienced hardship, and none of her former friends helped. Eventually, she was rescued by a bright, kind, hardworking man, learned to live as a commoner, gradually shed her spoiled habits, and reached a happy ending.
“I don’t think I have princess syndrome. My personality is still better than the heroine in the story, right?” Qin Shiyue asked Lin Qingyi. Was she supposed to play herself naturally? Did Lin Qingyi have the wrong impression of her?
