Love Finds Its Time - Chapter 25

The third episode of the large-scale outdoor reality show Inside and Outside the Drama was about to begin filming. Except for Shi Qingqiu, who was on vacation and staying home in City B, the other four well-known actors had already quietly arrived in town. 

Weibo was in an uproar—every day the trending topics were flooded with news of the five stars preparing to join the show.

The production team of Inside and Outside the Drama was famous for being lavish. Each season had multiple episodes, every episode featured several top-tier stars, and sometimes even international actors were invited. Because of this, the show had long dominated the reality-show ratings.

Shi Qingqiu happened to be scrolling through Weibo when a message popped up from Qin Wang. His profile picture—a dog—jumped to the top of her chat list, followed by his familiar playful tone: Goddess, I’m here. Wanna come out for a couple drinks?

She chuckled and typed back. “Where?”

A moment later, Qin Wang replied, “Going out to eat feels too stiff. Just come to my hotel instead. Lanlan already went to buy food. Hurry up.”

He sent her his location right after. Shi Qingqiu rubbed her forehead, got up from the lounge chair, and went to change clothes.

The “Lanlan” he mentioned was his assistant. She’d been with him for nearly three years and remained his only assistant to this day. Even as Qin Wang’s fame skyrocketed, she stayed by his side. Sometimes he’d be carrying his own backpack while she walked empty-handed.

By the time night fell, Shi Qingqiu parked in the hotel lot where Qin Wang was staying. Before stepping out, she put on a mask.

She scrolled through their chat to find his room number, walked to the elevator, and pressed the button. Just then, a woman stepped up beside her to wait.

“Little Lan?” Shi Qingqiu called hesitantly. The woman turned at the sound. The familiar, delicate features made Shi Qingqiu smile. “Knew it was you.”

Ji Lan nodded with a smile of her own. “Qingqiu, A-Wang’s already waiting upstairs.”

She was Qin Wang’s assistant, about the same age as Shi Qingqiu. Since graduating college, she had stuck with him, managing every detail of his schedule flawlessly.

Being an assistant was tough work with poor pay, so many came and went. Even Shi Qingqiu’s own assistant, Yang Xiao, had only been in the business for just over a year. For Ji Lan to last three years was no small feat.

When they arrived at the hotel room, Qin Wang opened the door almost before they knocked. He immediately reached for the takeout in Ji Lan’s hands, then ushered them inside.

Setting the food down, he greeted Shi Qingqiu warmly, arms opening as if for a hug. “Ah, Goddess, you finally came.”

“You’re overdoing it. Forget me—even Little Lan wouldn’t buy it.” Shi Qingqiu sat on the sofa, took off her mask, and teased with a half-smile. “Right, Little Lan?”

Still busy unpacking the food, Ji Lan didn’t even lift her head. “Of course. He calls every woman ‘goddess.’”

Grinning, Qin Wang tugged lightly at her sleeve. “Lanlan, stay and eat with us. It’s been so long since you and Qingqiu caught up.”

Shi Qingqiu watched with amusement. Ji Lan straightened and shook her head. “I can’t. I need to check if any reporters are outside. It’s not just you now—since Qingqiu’s here, I have to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“What’s there to check…” Qin Wang started to protest, but one sharp look from her shut him up immediately.

Such an assertive assistant was rare. Shi Qingqiu’s gaze grew thoughtful, memories of similar scenes surfacing from past encounters with them.

“Come back later, okay?” Qin Wang called after her. “We’ll save you some.”

“We’ll see.” Ji Lan gave Shi Qingqiu a polite nod before leaving with her phone.

When the door closed, Qin Wang’s face fell into a mock pout. The steady, composed image he usually had in public was nowhere to be seen—but Shi Qingqiu was used to that.

Still, something had been nagging at her. After thinking it over, she asked, “The one you like… it’s Little Lan, isn’t it?”

Since they were close, Qin Wang didn’t bother with formalities. He plopped down on the coffee table, speared a lotus root slice with a toothpick, and popped it into his mouth. Grabbing a beer, he shot her a glance. “You’re only figuring it out now? I thought you knew ages ago. I even bet with Lanlan that you’d have noticed long before this.” He cracked the bottle open, poured half a glass, and handed it to her.

Shi Qingqiu accepted it, brows arched. “Of course I noticed. You think I just guessed? But seeing something once isn’t enough to conclude anything. I only felt like bringing it up today. And the fact that you’re letting me see it means you’re not afraid I’ll find out.” Her eyes gleamed mischievously. “Or rather—you wanted me to know.”

Qin Wang nodded and clinked his glass with hers. “You’re the only one who knows right now. Lanlan and I agreed—you’re a friend, so you should.”

In this industry, stars couldn’t freely show their relationships. If word got out, fans could react in unpredictable ways. At best, they’d support and continue following; at worst, they’d lash out, hurl insults, even curse them to break up.

As one of the most popular actors of the moment, Qin Wang’s career was soaring. Even if he wanted to go public, his company would never allow it—especially since the woman involved wasn’t in the industry. Whether going public would be a blessing or a disaster, no one could say.

Still, he couldn’t abandon the relationship either. So the company gave him an ultimatum: as long as no intimate photos were leaked, he could do as he pleased.

Resting her elbow on the arm of the sofa, Shi Qingqiu swirled her glass thoughtfully. “So… in Inside and Outside the Drama, your partner this time is Little Lan?”

He nodded.

“She’s joining as what, a friend?” she asked, taking a sip of beer.

“Exactly. Assistant and friend. I cleared it with the big boss, no problem.” Qin Wang looked pleased, clearly proud to have secured the chance.

Some people, forced by circumstances, had to hide their true feelings. For them, even the smallest chance to express love in another form was a rare joy.

Right now, Qin Wang was undoubtedly one of those people. Shi Qingqiu relaxed and lifted her glass. “Then I hope you two get your happy ending. If you ever need my help, just say the word.”

At that moment, Shi Qingqiu felt an unusually strong desire to shed this employer–assistant relationship. If not for the restrictions of his contract, Qin Wang wouldn’t have to be so bound in everything he did.

She parted her lips, just about to speak, when Qin Wang cut in with a spark of excitement in his voice. “Qingqiu, what about you? You’ve been keeping your partner’s identity such a tight secret—even from me. That’s not fair.”

Reminded of it, Shi Qingqiu couldn’t help recalling Wen Qinghan’s cold, distant face. The corner of her lips tugged upward despite herself. “You’ll find out soon enough. Let me keep it a surprise for now.”

“So stingy. What’s the harm in telling me early…”

The night grew late. Ji Lan never returned to Qin Wang’s room. When Shi Qingqiu took her leave, Ji Lan was waiting outside, escorting her dutifully out of the hotel.

Neither of them noticed that in the shadows, the red dot of a professional camera was quietly flashing.

***

“Qingqiu, you should take a look at this.”

In the Xingye office, Pan Jiawen pulled up the latest trending Weibo post, turned her phone around, and pushed it toward Shi Qingqiu.

【The next recording of Inside and Outside the Drama is about to begin. After arriving in City B, actor Qin Wang was soon visited by Shi Qingqiu, who stayed at his hotel for nearly three hours before being escorted out late at night by his assistant.】

Shi Qingqiu didn’t scroll; she had already seen it. She pushed the phone back and asked evenly, “How’s his company planning to handle this?”

“They’re not issuing any crisis PR. From their standpoint, being tied to you can only benefit him, not harm him. But…” Pan Jiawen trailed off, leaning back in her chair with a sigh.

“A-Wang doesn’t agree, does he?” Shi Qingqiu finished for her.

Her manager’s expression darkened as she nodded.

Pan Jiawen didn’t know the truth, but Shi Qingqiu did. It was obvious: Qin Wang didn’t want Ji Lan to see rumors about him and herself.

In this industry, there’s an unspoken rule: if you don’t clarify, it’s taken as tacit acknowledgement. Even staying silent to avoid trouble is treated as confirmation.

The previous night’s outing had been exposed, but Shi Qingqiu hadn’t contacted Qin Wang since. She hadn’t even had time to sort out her own thoughts before Pan Jiawen summoned her to the office and broke the news that he refused to stay quiet.

“This could be nothing—or it could be something,” Pan Jiawen said seriously, folding her hands on the desk. “On the small side, you’ve always had plenty of fake rumors with Qin Wang, and those usually die down in a few days. On the big side, this is the first time you two have trended because of a supposed affair. And while Qin Wang wants to clarify, his company won’t let him.”

Her words rang true. They brought back memories for Shi Qingqiu: after she registered her marriage with Wen Qinghan, she had rushed back to set, only for rumors accusing her of plastic surgery to flood Weibo. Back then, Wen Qinghan had immediately sent her old photos as proof—evidence she was watching over her.

This time was the same. She knew she must have seen the trending topic. Yet, unlike before, she hadn’t reached out or asked a single question.

Shi Qingqiu leaned back, closed her eyes, and let their past promises surface in her mind one by one.

Finally, she sighed and opened her eyes. “Wen-jie, what if I say I’m already married? That I went to see Qin Wang simply because he’s a good friend, and I wanted to tell him personally?”

The office froze. Pan Jiawen’s usually calm expression hardened. She shot to her feet, palms slamming onto the desk. “What did you just say? Say that again.”

“I said—I’m married. That should be enough to crush this rumor, right?” Shi Qingqiu spoke with unnerving calm, as if she weren’t aware of the bombshell she was dropping.

Pan Jiawen searched her face desperately for any hint of a joke. She found none.

“Is it that partner of yours? Wen Qinghan?”

Shi Qingqiu nodded. “Yes. Her.”

Pan Jiawen let out a long breath and sank back into her chair.

With Shi Qingqiu’s contract nearing expiration, her value had evolved far beyond a money-making actress—she was now a collaborator the company had to tread carefully around. They couldn’t push her too far.

Shi Qingqiu pulled out her phone, which she had muted before entering the office. Several missed calls from Qin Wang lit the screen, but she swiped them away. Her thumb hovered over her contacts list until it stopped at Wen Qinghan’s name, circling there in hesitation.

If she stayed silent, who knew what chaos Qin Wang might stir up? And if she didn’t clarify, rumors would only fester and grow. She didn’t know exactly what would happen, but she knew one thing clearly: letting gossip run unchecked was disrespectful to her marriage.

At last, she pressed down. A few seconds later, the call connected.

“Qingqiu, what is it?” Wen Qinghan’s voice was calm, even detached.

Shi Qingqiu’s free hand rubbed her thumb against her index finger, over and over. After a pause, she lifted the phone to her ear. “Qinghan, did you see the trending topic on Weibo?”

“Yes. I saw it.”

Hearing her certainty brought Shi Qingqiu a strange kind of peace. She remembered how they had once talked about going public with their marriage. They could never keep it hidden forever. And since Wen Qinghan had been the one to fend off suitors last time, this time—it was her turn.

Her voice was steady. “Something happened on my side, I can’t explain it fully right now. There are reporters outside the company as we speak. I want to go public with us. What do you think—”

“Alright.”

Wen Qinghan didn’t even let her finish. The reply was soft, like words pulled from the depths of thought.

“Alright.”