Love Finds Its Time - Chapter 45

“Not… what do you mean by that?” Qin Wang asked nervously, glancing at his assistant in name but girlfriend in truth, Ji Lan.

Yu Shushen maintained her gentle smile. When it came to knowing one’s partner, no one had more of an advantage than her team—she and her daughter were bound by blood. That was a natural advantage. But as for strong rivals, it would have to be Shi Qingqiu’s team and Lu Sizhou’s team. Both pairs were childhood friends who had grown up together. Shi Qingqiu’s team was even more remarkable, since the two of them not only had names with similar meanings but had also married. That advantage was not much less than her own.

“What’s the rush? You’ll know in a moment.” The host soothed Qin Wang, waving for the staff to hand out papers before announcing, “Everyone switch seats. Don’t sit next to your own partner. Actors to the right, partners to the left. Let’s switch now.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Wen Qinghan patted Shi Qingqiu’s hand and gave her a reassuring look before moving across to sit with Du Lingmeng. At the same time, Qin Wang, Lu Sizhou, and Xu Zhi came over to Shi Qingqiu’s side.

“These questions are designed based on your own circumstances, closely related to your relationships. There won’t be any blind spots. So please answer carefully—they’ll be made public shortly.”

The host strolled around the center, then paused, his face suddenly sly. “Of course, some of the more risqué questions won’t be aired, so don’t worry.” As he said this, he cast a meaningful glance at Shi Qingqiu and Wen Qinghan, his smile deepening.

Shi Qingqiu looked over each question, her expression growing more unnatural as she went. How was she supposed to answer these…?

“When did you register your marriage?” That one was fine.

“How long have you known each other?” The simplest of all.

“List the exact schools you attended together from elementary through university.” No problem there either.

But then came…

“What position do you most enjoy during intimacy?”

“When was the last time you said ‘I love you’?”

“When was your most recent kiss?”

Sweat gathered on Shi Qingqiu’s fingers as she gripped her pen. They hadn’t done any of those things. And yet, these were the most ordinary of questions for any couple.

If they couldn’t answer, then even if this part wasn’t broadcast, the actors present would surely assume she and Wen Qinghan weren’t truly close. With time, the rumor would spread.

She looked up, only to see everyone else’s heads bent, pens never stopping.

She risked another glance at Wen Qinghan, who was calmly tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Under the lights, her profile was soft, her pen moving steadily without pause.

“Qingqiu, stop staring at your wife—finish writing first, you can look later.” The host passed by and reminded her in a low voice, yet in the quiet room his words carried clearly enough for all to hear.

Shi Qingqiu cleared her throat. She saw Wen Qinghan pause for a moment, turn to give her a sidelong glance, lips faintly curved, then lower her head again to keep writing.

Gritting her teeth, Shi Qingqiu forced herself to write her answers.

About ten minutes later, the host clapped his hands. “Is everyone finished? Time to hand in your papers.”

When Shi Qingqiu finally looked up, nearly everyone was done. Wen Qinghan sat composed, gazing out the hotel window as if without a care in the world.

“All right, collect the papers, and everyone return to your partners.”

The staff gathered the sheets and delivered them to the host. Those who had switched seats returned to their original spots.

Leaning close, Shi Qingqiu whispered, “Qinghan, what did you write for those questions at the end?”

“You’ll know soon. Don’t worry.” Wen Qinghan’s eyes shimmered with amusement as she clasped Shi Qingqiu’s right hand, gently stroking her still-damp fingertips.

The host first drew Yu Shushen and Du Lingmeng’s answers. Comparing the two sheets, he read aloud, “When are your partner’s birthdays? Mm… same answer. First family trip together? Both wrote down Lingmeng’s age at the time. Passed.”

While listening, Yu Shushen whispered softly to her daughter, clearly praising her for remembering so well, her face full of pride.

The host went on to check Lu Sizhou’s, Qin Wang’s, and Xu Zhi’s teams. Each time Shi Qingqiu grew tense, yet her team was never called.

By the fourth draw, still not theirs, she knew—she and Wen Qinghan had been saved for last.

Listening along, she realized everyone else’s questions were perfectly proper. Why were theirs the only bizarre ones?

“All right, now for our grand finale—the team that has won three consecutive rounds, the duo from Inside and Outside the Drama: Miss Shi and Lawyer Wen.” The host winked, building anticipation. “Given their winning streak, their chemistry must be flawless. Let’s see…”

He compared their papers, his brows twitching more the further he read, until finally he hesitated. “Do you want to change your answers? Especially you, Lawyer Wen…”

Shi Qingqiu was puzzled, but Wen Qinghan answered firmly, “No changes. Announce them.”

Swallowing hard, the host read, “Marriage registration date—correct, same answer. Born in the same hospital, about thirty years ago—same answer. Elementary, middle, and university all attended together—same answer as well…” He hesitated again, glanced at the two, then braced himself and continued, “Favorite position during intimacy…”

Laughter erupted. Qin Wang, mid-sip of water, nearly choked and laughed. “Wait—you two had questions that spicy? No wonder they saved you for last.”

Ignoring him, the host struggled to keep a straight face. “Qingqiu’s answer: traditional position. Qinghan’s answer: whatever Qingqiu likes.”

Heat rushed to Shi Qingqiu’s face. She shifted her right hand awkwardly but found Wen Qinghan still holding firmly, utterly composed.

“Lawyer Wen, do you have anything to say for your answer? It doesn’t quite pass.” The host himself was barely holding back laughter.

Wen Qinghan calmly drew Shi Qingqiu’s hand closer to her abdomen, her faint smile unshaken. “I love her. So whatever she likes, I naturally like as well. What’s wrong with that?”

“Uh… I suppose there’s nothing wrong…”

The host licked his lips, then doubled over laughing, unable to contain it. The others joined in, laughter filling the room.

“All right, next one: the last time you said ‘I love you.’ Oh…” The host paused, then chuckled with renewed interest. “This one, and the next—last time you kissed—both of you wrote the same day. But your answers aren’t identical.”

At this, Qin Wang teased, “Hey, are you sure the two of you were kissing each other?”

As soon as he said this, the laughter grew even louder.

Even the corners of Yu Shushen’s eyes crinkled with amusement as she urged, “What’s the answer? Hurry and announce it.”

The host coughed twice before saying, “Qingqiu’s answer was—the day in the village when they were searching for the mission envelope.”

At those words, a gentle warmth slowly surfaced in Wen Qinghan’s dark, luminous eyes. That was the day they had stargazed, the day Shi Qingqiu had stumbled and fallen into her arms, the day she had told her that even in defeat, she would give her all.

“As for Lawyer Wen’s answer… well…” The host faltered again.

“Oh, come on, just say it already,” Qin Wang couldn’t help urging impatiently.

Rolling the paper in his hand and hiding it behind his back, the host stifled a grin as he asked, “So… are you sure the one you kissed last night was Qingqiu?”

Everyone turned to Wen Qinghan in surprise—including Shi Qingqiu herself. Qin Wang grew excited, exclaiming, “Oh wow, last night? That passionate, huh…”

“Yes, last night.” Wen Qinghan turned toward Shi Qingqiu, the corners of her lips lifting as her gaze softened. Her voice lowered tenderly. “Because she was asleep, she didn’t know what I said or what I did. Is there anything wrong with that?”

The quiet stretched on until finally Yu Shushen broke it, her voice carrying softly from the other end, tinged with a smile. “Your relationship is truly wonderful. You must treasure each other well.”

Clutching his stomach, the host leaned against the sofa, handing the paper back to the staff with a sigh. “I can’t, this dog food is too much—I’m stuffed. Who eats dog food while playing a game…”

“My goodness, Qingqiu’s ice-cold wife is really this romantic?” Qin Wang tugged at Ji Lan’s sleeve, his eyes still fixed on Shi Qingqiu and Wen Qinghan, who had just stood up.

“Do you think everyone’s a pig-brain like you?” Ji Lan scolded him with a laugh.

***

The group went on chatting and laughing, the host joining in as well. But Wen Qinghan quietly led Shi Qingqiu out of the hotel, finding a small nearby diner where they sat down inside.

At the counter, Wen Qinghan instructed carefully, “Two bowls of wontons, no scallions. One with less broth.”

Something stirred again in Shi Qingqiu’s heart. It was clearly the sweltering summer, yet her hand felt frozen stiff, unable to move. Because of Wen Qinghan’s attentiveness, her rare tenderness, and the care she showed everywhere without fail.

Whenever she ate dishes with broth, she always disliked too much of it, only wanting the barest bit.

They chose a table in the corner, one side against the wall.

Wen Qinghan sat down beside Shi Qingqiu, lacing her fingers together and resting her hands on the table. She turned slightly, her voice gentle. “Qingqiu, just wait a little longer. If you’re hungry, bear with it for now.”

Shi Qingqiu shook her head. Countless words clogged her throat, too many things she suddenly wanted to say. After that questionnaire game, certain emotions had only grown stronger inside her—guilt and reluctance toward Wen Qinghan, spreading ever wider, and a faint, undefinable feeling she could not quite name.

Seeing Shi Qingqiu remain silent, Wen Qinghan quietly drew her hand back, resting it on her knee without a word. But when she looked up again, she found Shi Qingqiu biting her lip, staring fixedly at her.

She smiled and asked, “What is it?”

Suddenly, the hand Wen Qinghan had left under the table was seized. A warm palm pressed firmly over the back of her hand, with no hesitation at all.

Shi Qingqiu’s expression, however, was not as decisive as her action. She hesitated for a long while, the words she had rehearsed over and over finally spilling forth.

At last, she let out a soft laugh, her voice tinged with genuine guilt. “Qinghan, I don’t know what to say. I always feel like I’ve wronged you. That game just now made me think of many things. Honestly, those questions weren’t really the point. If they’d asked me what food you like, what books you read, what habits you have, we would’ve been done for. Because I don’t know any of it…”

“Then from now on, you’ll get to know me. Every detail—I’ll let you know it all.” Wen Qinghan interrupted softly, her other hand reaching over to cover Shi Qingqiu’s on the table, while the hand below turned palm-up, enclosing Shi Qingqiu’s hand firmly in both of hers.

Shi Qingqiu felt she should be smiling now, yet instead, a strange sadness welled inside her. She was already someone who no longer dared touch upon love, and yet when facing Wen Qinghan, she found herself again and again clinging to that feeling. Not clinging to those little gestures themselves, but unable to resist Wen Qinghan as a person.

This woman was like a colorless, tasteless poison, silently seizing hold of the nerves in her body that could still feel emotion. Back when they hadn’t been this close, she hadn’t noticed. But now, living side by side day after day, she realized her growing reluctance. She could no longer imagine a day of parting.

But as long as they had no reason to part, that day would never come.

Shi Qingqiu nodded, at last suppressing the unease in her heart with a smile. Thinking of what Wen Qinghan had said earlier that day, she smiled faintly at her lips. “All right. From now on I’ll make sure to understand you well—and see just how long you can keep things bottled up.”

At that moment, the waiter arrived carrying their two bowls of wontons. Wen Qinghan curved her lips in a smile. “Then remember this: I don’t eat spicy food. Don’t forget.”

Shi Qingqiu smiled with gentle warmth. “Okay, I’ll remember.”