At three o'clock in the morning, Qiao Sixiao woke up from a dream and sat up, instinctively embracing the person in front of her, leaning against her and quietly weeping.
"Are you scared?"
Qin Wei gently stroked her slender back, comforting her softly,
"It's just a nightmare, don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."
Being comforted, Qiao Sixiao's emotions eased slightly, and her rapid breathing gradually calmed down. She let go of her hand, lowered her head, and there were still a few teardrops hanging on her eyelashes.
Even when her wrist was broken, she didn't cry, but now she shed tears in her dream.
Qin Wei couldn't help but raise her hand to wipe away the tears.
This person in front of her seemed so fragile that she felt a bit unfamiliar.
"It's just what He Hong said in the dream, unable to resist, utterly embarrassed."
That kind of emotion lingered for a short time. When she spoke again, Qiao Sixiao had already returned to her usual self, with a calm and composed expression. She spoke unhurriedly,
"He Hong is skilled at oppressing others with her words. I know I shouldn't let her words affect my emotions, but I just can't help it..."
Qin Wei replied to her:
"She understands you too well. She can make every word dance in your sensitive areas intentionally, deliberately hitting your triggers. It would be strange if you weren't angry."
Qiao Sixiao looked at her, and it seemed like there were emotions hidden in those beautiful eyes that she didn't want others to see. She always felt that this person in front of her had a heavy burden on her heart, but there was no evidence.
Qiao Sixiao rubbed her forehead. Maybe she was just being overly sensitive. She told herself it was just her imagination running wild, then said to Qin Wei:
"You're really amazing. He Hong is adept at controlling others' emotions, but it seems to have no effect on you."
It was a genuine praise because even someone as perceptive as Su Yang, at times, would be influenced by He Hong's "education."
Qin Wei was one of the few people who could not be easily manipulated by He Hong.
"Because I don't care," Qin Wei told her the truth.
"It's difficult for people to be emotionally affected by someone or something they don't care about.
If you don't want her to lead you around, you have to learn to face her without having your emotions stirred up.
She intentionally says those things that embarrass you, clearly trying to provoke you. Her assumptions are obviously meant to see you panic. Every word she says has a purpose. He Hong is really skilled at that..."
He Hong knew what Qin Wei cared about and knew the secrets between them, but He Hong chose to inform them of her knowledge without taking any action because she had everything under control.
If Qin Wei hadn't made an effort to interrupt, she wouldn't know how this conversation would end up.
Because of He Hong's words, she also felt a bit scared.
"Yesterday, when I saw you coming in, I didn't feel anything, but after hearing her words, I felt terrible. It turns out I trusted her too much, just like she said, I never thought about what I would do if someone else had come in at that time."
Qiao Sixiao curled up on the bed, hugging her knees.
"And she knows, this is her warning to me. She thinks I'm disobedient, she..."
"Okay."
Qin Wei went over and hugged her, feeling the slight trembling of her body due to fear. Qin Wei whispered comforting words in her ear.
"Once you know, you know. Just tone it down a bit and find a way to soften her up using your own methods. You can give her the earnings yourself after they're in, but safety is the most important thing. As for money, I'm not afraid to start from scratch again. How about you?"
"Alright..."
...
The next day, Su Yang had no filming tasks and could rest for two days. He Hong gave him tickets to a themed amusement park, and Su Yang understood what he should do.
"Since it's all for promoting the drama, having a few more people should be fine, right? Qiao Sixiao... Can she join us too?"
Su Yang looked at the ticket in his hand, then turned to look at Qiao Sixiao sitting on the sofa.
He Hong said, "She has her own ideas, no need for me to arrange it. Ask her yourself."
"I'm not going. We have a rare day off today, and I want to spend time with my mom..."
Qiao Sixiao looked at He Hong, her tone much softer than usual.
"Mom, I haven't been home for a long time. Can you still cook?"
...
"So, just the two of us?"
Qin Wei knew they were going out for publicity today and had prepared for live streaming. However, Su Yang arrived, and he didn't even bring an assistant.
"Yeah, my manager said this is how celebrities secretly date. They don't bring staff, just the two of them, and being randomly caught on camera makes it more authentic."
Su Yang shrugged.
"We're going to the theme park tomorrow. What do you want to do today? My manager suggested going on an outing, driving around... it's so boring. You decide!"
Qin Wei raised an eyebrow.
"Listen to me? Then let's have a normal day together like other couples."
...
In the early morning, a clean-cut young man in a white T-shirt sat at a desk next to the library's floor-to-ceiling window. The morning light shone on him, casting a faint glow on his handsome face.
Sitting beside the young man was a girl of the same age, equally good-looking. The two looked at each other, revealing radiant smiles.
People passing by couldn't help but take a second look, some even pulled out their phones to discreetly take photos.
The beautiful scene was pleasing to the eye.
"Qin Wei, do normal couples come to the library to study past English reading test papers? Is this normal?"
Su Yang, the good-looking young man in the eyes of others, lowered his gaze and flipped through the book in his hand, quietly asking Qin Wei.
"Yeah, isn't it? Your girlfriend has an upcoming English closed-book exam, a film history closed-book exam, and a lot of homework to finish. You're here to accompany your girlfriend to study. Isn't that normal?"
Qin Wei spoke softly while both of them kept their heads down, focusing on their books.
"Alright..."
Su Yang picked up a pen and made a cross on her test paper.
"You're good at speaking, so why did you make a mistake on the grammar question?"
...
Their efforts didn't go in vain. They were caught on camera and became a hot topic, with beautiful visuals and high popularity. However, the most common comment they received was:
[Very nice, but no chemistry between them.]
Su Yang and Qin Wei exchanged a glance, immediately reaching an unspoken agreement.
"Let's just be siblings!"
...
Qin Wei took him to a decent restaurant near the school for a meal. After eating, she took him to tour the campus. Ye Jiahe didn't go home during the break, and luckily managed to get a photo with Su Yang and his autograph.
"Is Zhou Fang on campus? Here are two tickets to the theme park. Take Zhou Fang and go play tomorrow."
Qin Wei realized that it was pointless to continue with the business. On one hand, they were criticized for forcefully promoting a romantic relationship, and on the other hand, Qiao Sixiao's investment was discovered by her mother, so there was no need for them to resort to any means of publicity for this drama.
They proceeded with the promotions as planned and waited for the broadcast.
In the afternoon, the two of them went shopping together. Since they had some snacks earlier and weren't hungry, they decided to watch a movie directly. After the movie, Su Yang drove Qin Wei to the entrance of her residential area. Before she got out of the car, he said to her:
"To be honest, it's been a long time since I had so much fun. No pressure at all. Whatever I wanted to play, I had a friend to accompany me. I've already been to the arcade and the cinema for a long time. Qin Wei, thank you. Even after I retire, I want to live in this residential area and go square dancing together."
Qin Wei also felt happy. Although their publicity stunt didn't succeed, it was enough to relieve stress, and she also obtained some prizes, like the dolls she caught herself.
She gave some of the dolls to Su Yang and kept the rest to take home.
When she got home and opened her phone, she was surprised by the trending topic.
#Su Yang and Qin Wei#
The difference was that this time, there was a red "explosive" symbol after the trending topic.
[OrangeLittleEightv: Qin Wei was photographed spending the mini-vacation with Su Yang. Do you think it's true or false? [View Images] [View Images]...]
Comments:
[I used to think they were good friends, but when I saw Yangyang and Qin Wei looking at each other in the arcade, their expressions were genuinely happy.]
[Hmm... I've never seen Su Yang smile like this. His smile is usually very brilliant and proper, but in this candid photo, his smile isn't as perfect, but it looks natural.]
[So... is the Su Yang and Qin Wei couple possibly real?]
[Be confident! Remove the possibility, and it's real!]
Well, unintentionally, this happened...
Qin Wei didn't pay any more attention to it. As long as there was buzz, it was good enough. She didn't need to bother with the specific content.
She exited and unintentionally saw the second trending topic, so she clicked on it again.
#The Empress's Counterattack premieres today#
This... was a drama from her home country!
