Foreseeing the Future: The Scheming Film Queen and I Got Married - Chapter 4

She bit off a large chunk of the popsicle and held it in her mouth, the cold making the back of her head ache.

Lin Yunyi waved her hand twice in front of Dong Yao’s eyes. “I’m talking to you. The concert. Are you going or not?”

Dong Yao crunched the big piece of ice in her mouth. A moment ago, it had hurt from the cold, but now she let out a comfortable sigh. “Not going. I’m not interested.”

Lin Yunyi said, “If you’re not interested, why did you draw her? And so sneakily too.”

Dong Yao coughed lightly, feeling guilty.

“In any case, I’m not interested. If I have the time to run that far to watch a concert, I might as well draw a few more pictures, record a few more clips, and edit a few more videos. That’s more practical,” Dong Yao said.

Lin Yunyi gritted her teeth. “When words don’t agree, half a sentence is already too much.”

During the boring afternoon, Dong Yao continued drawing, and Lin Yunyi continued playing with her phone.

After who knew how long, Dong Yao put down her paintbrush, shook her sore neck, and glanced at the phone on the table. After hesitating again and again, she picked it up.

She typed the three characters “Gu Shiqiu” into the search bar.

As Dong Yao searched, she could not help shaking her head in amusement. In truth, she had not really been able to calm down and draw all afternoon.

After she pressed search, information related to Gu Shiqiu popped up: actress, singer, representative works Hibiscus, With You in Deep Winter, White Crane, The Legend of Xiyun, and so on.

Dong Yao was reading intently when a fluffy head suddenly leaned over, startling her so badly she nearly threw her phone away.

“What are you doing? You almost scared me into having a heart attack.” Dong Yao pressed the phone screen black.

Lin Yunyi said, “I saw it. You were searching Gu Shiqiu.”

Dong Yao avoided her gaze. “No, I just got tired from drawing and wanted to look at something.”

Lin Yunyi half-lay, half-sat there in a lazy posture. “Comrade Dong Yao, there’s really no need. There really isn’t. Chasing a celebrity isn’t something you need to do sneakily. If you like her, you like her. It’s not a big deal.”

“And you spend all day either painting or painting. You should have some other hobbies too. You’re still so young, but you live like a seventy- or eighty-year-old lady.”

Dong Yao choked. “Who’s an old lady? I’m just not interested in entertainment gossip.”

“Oh? Not interested?” Lin Yunyi raised her brows. “If it’s about Gu Shiqiu, instead of searching online, you might as well ask me directly. I know her extremely well.”

Dong Yao did not fall for it. “Rather than me wanting to listen, I think you’re the one who wants to talk. I don’t want to listen. Hold it in.”

Lin Yunyi got anxious. “Don’t.”

When it came to Gu Shiqiu, Lin Yunyi did not even need to drink water. She could talk for an entire afternoon, practically enough to hold a lecture.

Usually, Dong Yao did not like listening to her talk about these things. It always went in one ear and out the other. But today, she kept unconsciously perking up her ears.

“Oh, right. I suddenly remembered something. Didn’t I say before that Gu Shiqiu hasn’t had a single rumored boyfriend since her debut? Actually, that’s not entirely true. It’s just that it wasn’t a rumored boyfriend—it was a rumored girlfriend.”

Dong Yao’s expression paused. “What do you mean?”

Lin Yunyi made a bent-finger gesture. “There’s a very high chance that she likes women.”

Dong Yao’s heart skipped a beat.

Shock. Astonishment.

She did not know what she was shocked about. Clearly, there was nothing worth being shocked over. It was only an online rumor. Even if it was not just a rumor, even if it was true, whether Gu Shiqiu liked women or men, what was there to be shocked about?

They were people from two different worlds. There would never be any intersection between them.

Lin Yunyi said, “This kind of thing is half true and half false. Mainly, she has never denied it either. Anyway, no matter what her orientation is, I support her. She’s not young anymore either. It’s about time she fell in love.”

Dong Yao did not speak.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about that.” Lin Yunyi said, “Auntie told me a few days ago that KS sent you a job offer. Are you really not planning to go? Wasn’t working there your dream before?”

“People change. In the past, I even wanted to pluck the stars and moon from the sky.” Dong Yao pinched her pencil and spun it deftly between her fingers.

Lin Yunyi stared at her, her expression serious.

Dong Yao found it funny. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Lin Yunyi pressed her lips together. “Is it because of Uncle? So many years have passed. Actually…”

A sharp cry suddenly came from outside.

“An earthquake is coming! Run! Everyone, run!”

A middle-aged woman, her hair messy and tangled, wearing a pair of slippers with half of one sole broken off, ran back and forth along the main road, constantly shouting that an earthquake was coming.

Uncle Li, who ran the convenience store, poked his head out. “Aiyo, she’s started shouting again. It’s so hot out, Auntie Yang. Aren’t you hot?”

The middle-aged woman called Auntie Yang turned a deaf ear and kept running back and forth through the town.

As for Auntie Yang’s madness, everyone in town was already used to it. No one reacted in the slightest.

Dong Yao looked at the person running and shouting in the street, her brows slightly furrowed.

Whatever Lin Yunyi had originally wanted to say was forcibly interrupted by Auntie Yang’s shouting.

“Forget it. If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. If you stay here, I’ll have someone to play with too. That’s pretty good,” Lin Yunyi said with a smile.

Dong Yao stood up. “I’ll send Auntie Yang back.”

Lin Yunyi sighed. “Just let her be. Even if you send her back, she’ll come out again after a while.”

Dong Yao did not listen. She chased after Auntie Yang. “Auntie Yang, it’s time to go home.”

Auntie Yang turned back and grabbed Dong Yao’s shoulders. “Run! Run! There’s an earthquake! The houses are all going to collapse!”

Dong Yao’s tone was gentle as she patiently comforted her. “The earthquake ended a long time ago. It’s safe now. You can go home.”

“It ended?” Auntie Yang’s eyes were cloudy and confused. “It ended. It ended. I can go home now. It’s safe.”

Dong Yao said, “Yes. It’s safe.”

After sending Auntie Yang home, Dong Yao was covered in a layer of sweat when she returned. This damned weather—just moving a little made her feel dehydrated.

“You sent her back?” Lin Yunyi asked while playing on her phone.

Dong Yao hummed in response and stood under the electric fan, letting the wind blow over her. The heat in her body gradually subsided.

“Her own family doesn’t even care about her anymore, yet you send her back every time.” For a moment, Lin Yunyi did not know what to say about her.

Dong Yao said, “Auntie Yang used to be very good to me.”

Lin Yunyi sighed. “Life is unpredictable. Forget it, why talk about this? All right, it’s getting late. I’m going back first.”

Dong Yao nodded and watched her leave.

Close to six o’clock, it started raining again outside.

As usual, Dong Yao was bored. As usual, she turned on the TV.

Speaking of which, it was funny. She had followed this drama for two days straight, from episode one to episode four, yet she had not managed to watch a single complete episode. Every time, she fell asleep.

Today was episode five. She did not even know whether she could still understand it if she started watching from episode five. Or perhaps she should go online and rewatch it from episode one?

As Dong Yao’s thoughts wandered, the advertisements had already ended. The drama began. At six o’clock, accompanied by the sound of rain, sleepiness attacked her again.

Before she fell asleep on the table, she was dazed, and only one thought remained in her mind: what the hell? Did this drama have some kind of magical hypnotic effect? The moment it aired, the results were immediate—head down, asleep.

Someone walked over. A soft, light blanket was draped over her body.

Dong Yao half-opened her eyes.

Good grief. She really had seen a ghost. She had dreamed of Gu Shiqiu again. Three times in a row, she had fallen asleep before watching TV, and three times in a row, she had dreamed of Gu Shiqiu.

“You’re awake?” Gu Shiqiu looked at her. “Sleep a little longer. It’s still early.”

Dong Yao looked at the blanket on her body, then at Gu Shiqiu. “Why do I keep dreaming of you?”

Gu Shiqiu sat down. The sofa was already crowded, and with her sitting down, it became even more cramped.

She pinched Dong Yao’s nose. “Is dreaming of me not good?”

“Not good.” Relying on the fact that it was a dream, Dong Yao spoke without shame or restraint. “Every time, it’s a half-finished erotic dream. Either it’s already over, or it stops abruptly. Besides, although you are quite pretty, we’re both women, so… you know?”

Gu Shiqiu froze for a moment, then laughed aloud. “Are you indirectly saying that I didn’t work hard enough last night?”

Dong Yao was stunned. Was she really at that age now? Was it time for her to fall in love? Otherwise, why did she keep having dreams like this?

Gu Shiqiu moved closer, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pressed their foreheads together, close enough that they could feel each other’s breathing.

There was a faint fragrance on her body. It smelled very nice.

Gu Shiqiu’s voice was low and husky. “We’re resting today. There’s plenty of time. I’ll work hard properly.”

Dong Yao swallowed. The thought of pushing her away popped into her mind, but in action, she was completely unable to resist.

How about… just letting it happen? Anyway, it was a dream. No one else would know. But…

Gu Shiqiu’s lips pressed down, and Dong Yao’s mind fell into chaos.

Ding-dong. The doorbell rang.

Startled, Dong Yao pushed her away. The sofa was not large to begin with, and with that push, Gu Shiqiu fell directly to the floor.

“Are you all right?” Dong Yao hurriedly went to help her.

Gu Shiqiu stood up with her support and looked at her in amusement. “I’m fine. Wait here for a bit. It should be the delivery I ordered. I’ll go get it.”

After saying that, Gu Shiqiu walked toward the entrance. Dong Yao then heard her exchange a couple of words with the person outside. When she came back, she was holding a tightly wrapped plastic bag.

Gu Shiqiu placed the bag on the coffee table. “Didn’t you say you wanted barbecue before? I ordered some for you.”

Although the delivery bag was wrapped very tightly, the fragrance still drifted out.

The aroma was mouthwatering, and Dong Yao swallowed.

“Wait a moment. I’ll go get the drinks.” Gu Shiqiu walked toward the kitchen.

Just as she opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of Coke, she suddenly heard a hiss from the living room.

Gu Shiqiu hurriedly ran over. “What happened?”

Dong Yao was holding her finger. Just now, in her eagerness to eat the barbecue, her hand had accidentally been scratched by a bamboo skewer while she was untying the plastic bag.

Seeing this, Gu Shiqiu pulled her hand over and looked at it. She let out a breath of relief. It was only a small cut.

“Why are you so careless?” Gu Shiqiu looked at her reproachfully. “Don’t touch anything else. I’ll go get a bandage.”

After Gu Shiqiu left, Dong Yao stared at the wound in a daze.

Why did it hurt so much? This was almost exactly the same as the feeling of being cut in reality. The pain was too vivid.

So vivid that this could not possibly be a dream.

But if this was not a dream, then what was it?

Dong Yao blinked hard twice and took a deep breath. Don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it. Maybe the pain just now was only an illusion. Maybe because her subconscious thought it should hurt, it hurt in the dream.

Her gaze fell on the fruit knife on the table. After hesitating for a moment, she picked it up.

She would know if she tried.

Since this was a dream, it definitely would not hurt. Dong Yao gathered her courage and planned to make a cut on the back of her hand.

Just as she was about to do it, Gu Shiqiu came out of the room with a bandage. “What are you doing?”

Dong Yao glanced at her, pressed her lips together, and decisively cut the back of her hand.

What she felt at first was the blade sliding over her skin, the sensation of flesh being cut open. Then blood visibly welled out, and only at the end did the pain arrive.

Dong Yao frowned and sucked in a cold breath from the pain.

The fruit knife in her hand fell to the floor with a clang.

Blood instantly flowed all over the floor.

Dong Yao’s expression went blank. The blankness was partly because of the pain, but even more because of shock.

Her ears roared.