Love Finds Its Time - Chapter 2

Shi Qingqiu’s daily life was extremely busy. Ever since she was discovered by her agent Pan Jiawen in college and entered the entertainment industry, more than ten years had passed. She was still young, but with her excellent qualities and high natural talent, in recent years she had produced several acclaimed works. Her awards had grown from “Best Supporting Actress” at the beginning to now “Best Leading Actress.” The very morning after registering her marriage with Wen Qinghan, Shi Qingqiu was already on her way to City C with her assistant to begin filming.

Her marriage to Wen Qinghan was a planned accident, and it was one that would not affect either of their careers. It sounded a little bitter, but neither of them had ever mentioned that they should, like others, fix a wedding date with both families, draw up a guest list, prepare wedding candies, or go through any of the usual steps that came with marriage.

Their relationship was still the same as before, like lukewarm water that never boiled over. Their marriage was something only heaven and earth knew, she knew, and the other she knew.

In the car to the airport, Shi Qingqiu finished browsing Weibo and handed her phone to her assistant Yang Xiao. Just as she was about to take the milk and bread from Yang Xiao’s hands, she suddenly thought of something and took the phone back again.

“Shi-jie, what’s wrong?” Yang Xiao, holding bread in one hand and milk in the other, looked puzzled.

“Nothing, I just need to make a call. Once we get out of the car, there won’t be time.” Shi Qingqiu smiled, lowered her head, and scrolled through her contacts to dial Wen Qinghan’s number. 

She thought Wen Qinghan would still be asleep at this hour, but the call connected quickly. A low, pleasant “Mm?” came through. Shi Qingqiu asked, “Up this early?”

“Mm. I have a case in court today.”

Wen Qinghan always spoke this briefly. In Shi Qingqiu’s memory, Wen Qinghan was never lively like her peers. Even when she joked occasionally, her jokes were deadly serious. Looking back now, there was something oddly charming about it.

“Qinghan, I’m going out of town for filming. There aren’t many scenes left, maybe a week, at most two or three days more. After that, it will wrap up.” Shi Qingqiu frowned slightly, feeling a bit unaccustomed to this kind of reporting.

Her parents had long known about her work and, over the years, had grown used to her public figure lifestyle. She never needed to check in about everything. Now, choosing to tell Wen Qinghan on her own, she thought of their relationship. Since they had decided to live together, at the very least, she should start changing a little. Wasn’t it natural for lovers to share their schedules with each other?

Lovers? Shi Qingqiu gave a quiet laugh. Their relationship was hardly ordinary.

“Mm.” Another short reply from Wen Qinghan. Then, as if realizing she sounded too cold, she added, “Take care of yourself. Don’t forget to eat.”

What else was there to say? That was about it. What was she supposed to do, half-jokingly ask her to remember to call?

Shi Qingqiu replied, “Got it.”

In the past, they could still talk about work, childhood, anything at all. It was never warm, but it was at least a topic. Now, with this closer bond tying them together, they could no longer find what to say. She could not tell if that was fortunate or sad.

Just as Shi Qingqiu was about to hang up, Wen Qinghan said calmly, “Tell me before you come back. I’ll pick you up.”

Wen Qinghan had picked her up before, always with the same plain tone. Without thinking much, Shi Qingqiu agreed, “All right, I’ll call you in a few days.”

And just like that, it was decided that there would be little contact until then.

Her assistant Yang Xiao took the phone again when Shi Qingqiu handed it over, balanced the bread on top of the milk, and casually asked, “Shi-jie, do you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend?” It was rare to see Shi Qingqiu report her movements to anyone. Naturally, it aroused curiosity. And with her fame, even though Yang Xiao had worked with her for a while, sometimes she still could not help but gossip.

“Why do you ask that? Do I look like I’m in a relationship?” Shi Qingqiu stuck a straw into the milk carton, unwrapped the bread, and took a bite.

Leaning closer, Yang Xiao lowered her voice and teased, “Then who were you just reporting your schedule to? You explained the timing so clearly. And from the way you addressed the person, it wasn’t ‘mom’ or ‘dad.’”

Taking a sip of milk, Shi Qingqiu chuckled, set her bread on her lap, reached out to poke Yang Xiao’s forehead, and laughed. “Silly girl. Of all things to pay attention to, you want to play paparazzi and dig into my private life?”

Yang Xiao stuck out her tongue and leaned back with a grin. “I wasn’t serious. Just curious, that’s all. It’s not like I’d tell anyone.”

She had been with Shi Qingqiu for more than a year now. Of course she knew the difference. Curiosity was one thing; chasing gossip like the paparazzi was another. There was no comparison. But it was also because Shi Qingqiu had a good temper. If it were anyone else, Yang Xiao would never dare to ask. Thinking this, she dropped the matter. If it really was a lover, there would come a day it would be public anyway.

Before Yang Xiao could finish comforting herself, Shi Qingqiu smiled faintly, then pressed her lips together and said, “Just now it wasn’t a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Just a friend. You’ve seen her before. She picked me up once.”

“Oh, that ice face…” Yang Xiao pouted in disappointment. A beautiful woman had indeed come to find Shi Qingqiu once, and though she looked flawless in every way, she had seemed far too cold.

Shi Qingqiu said nothing more, quietly sipping her milk as she gazed out the window.

As the car pulled into the airport parking lot, Shi Qingqiu curved her lips in self-mockery. Why had she thought she would not have time to make that call once she got out of the car? Calls between her and Wen Qinghan had never needed much time. One question, one answer. Quick and simple.

After the security check, they boarded. Shi Qingqiu and Yang Xiao sat side by side. Shi Qingqiu had the window seat. Yang Xiao read a magazine while she idly leaned her cheek on her hand, watching the clouds outside.

When quiet, she always thought about something to pass the time. Having just registered her marriage, her mind was now full of those long-buried memories.

Qi Yue. That memory had a name, and it was Qi Yue.

Shi Qingqiu first met Qi Yue during freshman military training. Reserved and quiet in a new environment, she noticed the girl at once: chestnut hair straight and long, a bright and youthful face, as though nothing in the world could ever trouble her. She smiled at everyone, and everyone called her cheerful and lively. Even Shi Qingqiu could not help but watch her, wondering: how could a girl smile so often, so brightly?

Shi Qingqiu had expected her college life to remain uneventful. But one day, that pleasant laugh pierced through the transparent glass she had built around herself and entered her world with force.

“Hi, I’m Qi Yue. What’s your name?”

Shi Qingqiu thought she might remember that smile forever. From that moment on, she could not escape from Qi Yue’s side, or perhaps she had never wanted to.

“I’m Shi Qingqiu.”

Back then, Shi Qingqiu was easily drawn in by Qi Yue. Perhaps it was because her life had been too short on laughter, and Qi Yue filled that space. 

Every smile, every expression of Qi Yue carried the warmth of sunlight, making Shi Qingqiu smile more often too. Once you had been warmed, how could you ever fall back into coldness?

Shi Qingqiu could not escape, so Qi Yue ran instead, taking away the light in her life.

“Shi-jie? Shi-jie?”

Yang Xiao nudged Shi Qingqiu’s elbow. The quiet atmosphere was gone, replaced by the noisy stir of the cabin.

“Hm? What is it?” Shi Qingqiu came back to herself, turned, and saw people around them standing and leaving their seats. She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I was lost in thought. Let’s go.”

Yang Xiao agreed, pulled down their luggage, and led the way. The cabin was no longer quiet. She had not noticed that Shi Qingqiu’s voice carried a faint rasp, different from its usual calm.

Somehow, Shi Qingqiu’s travel plans had been leaked, or perhaps the company had arranged it. A crowd of fans held signs with her name, and reporters waited outside. Yang Xiao immediately grew alert. Luckily, the company had made prior arrangements. They slipped away without much trouble and drove straight to the hotel.

After Yang Xiao brought her luggage inside and left, Shi Qingqiu removed her makeup and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Her tall, elegant figure reflected back, her eyes like a cold moon, filled with countless thoughts.

After a moment, she pulled out her phone, opened her recent calls, but after blinking once, she moved her thumb away and switched to WeChat instead. She sent Wen Qinghan a short message: I arrived.

The reply came quickly, just as brief: Mm.

Before she could think further, her phone rang. On the screen appeared three characters: Pan Jiawen. She raised an eyebrow and answered with a smile. “Wen-jie.”

Her sudden warmth was no surprise. Pan Jiawen had been the one to lift her career skyward, a top agent at Xingye Entertainment, known for her fairness and deep care.

“Qingqiu, at the hotel already?” Pan Jiawen asked, phone tucked between cheek and shoulder while typing away at her keyboard.

“Just arrived. What now, another task?” Shi Qingqiu sighed. Her life was always this busy, rarely with time to rest.

Pan Jiawen smiled, stopped typing, shrugged lightly, and said, “Must I always have a task when I call? Can’t I just chat?” She flipped open a file, thoughtful as she read the title. Shi Qingqiu was famously dedicated, rarely resting. With her contract nearing its end and the boss eager to keep her, perhaps it was time to fight for her a break.

“Then, Wen-jie, what do you want to chat about?” Shi Qingqiu carried the phone to the sofa, sat down, crossed her long legs casually, and leaned an arm on the sofa armrest in a relaxed, listening pose.

Flipping through several pages, Pan Jiawen finally said, “All right, I won’t tease you. Seriously now, a few dramas have reached out. One of them is a period film I think is worth it. Both the investors and the director specifically asked for you as the lead. I’ll send you the script. If you’re interested, let’s take it.”

A period film? Shi Qingqiu frowned, fingers tapping lightly on the sofa arm.

For something Pan Jiawen made a point of calling about, the background and pay were beyond question. But she had been working nonstop for so long. Each time she plunged herself into a shoot, it took tremendous resolve.

Thinking of this, she said, “All right. I’ll look it over and decide.”

After hanging up, Shi Qingqiu pulled her laptop from her luggage, opened her inbox, and found the email from Pan Jiawen. Balancing the laptop on her knees, she opened the file, her fingers hovering above the keys, brows furrowed in thought.