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"You finally came..."
Jiang Rou threw herself into Lin Yue's arms, the scent of alcohol mixed with her signature iris fragrance making Lin Yue frown slightly.
"What were you talking about with Su Yao for so long?" Her voice was tinged with a sob, her eyes filled with grievance. "I waited for you for three hours!"
Lin Yue carefully supported her swaying body, gently coaxing, "Just some work-related matters."
"Work?" Jiang Rou let out a low laugh, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Lin Yue, the way she looks at you is definitely not just work-related!"
Lin Yue was taken aback, avoiding Jiang Rou's gaze. "Xiao Rou, you're drunk."
As soon as he finished speaking, he bent down and picked up Jiang Rou, who was leaning against him, cradling her in his arms.
The effects of the alcohol seemed to hit her all at once; she melted against Lin Yue, closing her eyes. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her warm breath brushing against his sensitive skin.
Lin Yue gently laid her on the bed and was about to turn away when Jiang Rou's grip on his wrist tightened.
"Where are you going?" Jiang Rou suddenly opened her eyes. "Are you going to find her?" Her expression was filled with alertness and unease.
"I'm just going to get you a glass of water," Lin Yue said helplessly, pointing towards the door.
Jiang Rou shook her head, tears welling up again. "I don't want water; I just want you to stay with me."
Outside the window, stars twinkled like countless eyes watching this pair of once-close friends, now pulled apart by unexpected emotions.
Lin Yue looked at Jiang Rou, who was crying like a rain-soaked pear blossom, feeling at a loss. "Alright, I won't go. I'll stay right here."
He sat down on the edge of the bed as Jiang Rou struggled to sit up, wrapping her arms tightly around Lin Yue's waist and resting her forehead on her shoulder.
"Lin Yue..." Jiang Rou's voice was as soft as a feather. "Do you like Su Yao?"
The question pierced Lin Yue's heart like a knife, hitting the softest spot within.
He instinctively wanted to deny it but found himself unable to speak.
Their relationship was too complicated. Growing up together, Jiang Rou had accompanied him through countless dark moments of depression; he couldn't bear to hurt her.
"Xiao Rou..." Lin Yue began to speak but was interrupted by an unexpected kiss.
Jiang Rou's lips tasted of the sharpness of alcohol and the saltiness of tears as they pressed against Lin Yue's.
Lin Yue froze for a second before gently pushing her away and pressing her back onto the bed. "Xiao Rou, you're really drunk. Please stop this."
"Stop?" Jiang Rou's voice was filled with bitterness. "Do you think I'm just playing around?"
She looked directly into Lin Yue's eyes. "When did our feelings turn into 'playing around'?"
Seeing the hurt in her eyes caused a sharp pain in Lin Yue's heart. "That's not what I meant; I..."
"You do like her, don’t you?" Jiang Rou held onto Lin Yue tightly, pinning her beneath herself. "Why? Why have I stayed by your side for so many years only for you to fall for someone you've only known for a few days?"
Her voice trembled uncontrollably. "You can't leave me... We're already engaged... I can't live without you..."
Her voice was like that of a lost child, filled with fear and despair.
"Alright, alright," Lin Yue gently patted Jiang Rou's back. "I won't leave; I'll stay here with you, okay?"
Jiang Rou gradually calmed down, her sobs becoming softer until, overwhelmed by alcohol and fatigue, she finally fell asleep.
Lin Yue looked at Jiang Rou's sleeping face, her heart a mix of emotions. This girl, who had accompanied her since childhood, had given her countless warmth and comfort but had also unwittingly become her cage.
Even in her dreams, Jiang Rou furrowed her brow restlessly, occasionally murmuring indistinctly as if she couldn't find peace even in sleep. Lin Yue gently stroked Jiang Rou's hair, kissed her forehead tenderly, and carefully extricated herself from her embrace.
Lin Yue's phone vibrated; it was a message from Su Yao: "Are you home?"
Those simple four words warmed Lin Yue's heart. After a moment's hesitation, she replied, "I'm at Jiang Rou's place; she drank too much and needs looking after." She added, "Thanks for your concern."
A few seconds later, Su Yao replied: "Take good care of her and yourself. Good night."
Lin Yue glanced at the sleeping Jiang Rou again, feeling another wave of guilt wash over her as she replied, "Good night."
Locking her phone, Lin Yue sighed and pulled out a pill bottle from her pocket, taking one and swallowing it.
Just as she left the bedroom to take a shower, Jiang Rou slightly opened her eyes. Tomorrow, all she needed was to "just happen" to have a fever, and Lin Yue would stay by her side all day long.
Jiang Rou touched her already warming cheek and smiled smugly; she would do anything to reclaim Lin Yue from Su Yao.
After finishing her shower, Lin Yue quietly lay down beside Jiang Rou. It was as if Jiang Rou sensed her presence; she immediately shifted closer, pressing herself against Lin Yue like a small cat that had found warmth.
Lin Yue let Jiang Rou hold onto her while keeping her eyes wide open, her heart drifting toward another person.
That night, Lin Yue had another nightmare. In the dream, she stood at a crossroads: on the left was the weeping Jiang Rou, and on the right was the smiling Su Yao.
Jiang Rou reached out with tear-filled eyes: "We promised to be together forever..."
Su Yao simply watched her silently, filled with understanding and acceptance.
Lin Yue tried to grasp both their hands at once but found she couldn't reach either of them.
Startled awake from this suffocating dream, Lin Yue was drenched in sweat with her heart pounding like a drum. Outside the window, the first rays of sunlight quietly crept in, casting a golden hue over the room.
Lin Yue glanced at the still-sleeping Jiang Rou beside her before quietly getting up to prepare breakfast in the kitchen.
Jiang Rou secretly opened her eyes and watched Lin Yue leave. She waited patiently for a moment until she confirmed that Lin Yue had gone into the kitchen before contentedly closing her eyes again.
When Jiang Rou woke up again, Lin Yue had already placed breakfast and hangover medicine on the bedside table. Jiang Rou looked extremely haggard, yet her cheeks were unusually flushed, her breathing rapid, and her eyes seemed to be veiled in a mist.
"Xiao Rou, eat something," Lin Yue urged, lifting a steaming bowl of congee with a tone full of concern.
"I don't want to eat..." Jiang Rou weakly shook her head, her voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.
Lin Yue frowned and reached out to touch her forehead, finding it burning hot. "You have a fever!"
"It's nothing, just drank too much..." Jiang Rou closed her eyes, her voice clearly weak.
Lin Yue took out her phone, intending to call their private doctor, Doctor Zhang. "I'll call Doctor Zhang and have him come over right away." Just as she spoke, Jiang Rou grabbed her wrist.
"Don't!" There was a pleading look in her eyes. "I just want you to stay with me. With you here, I'll get better soon..."
This fragile dependence softened Lin Yue's heart. She reluctantly put down her phone. "Alright then, but you have to take your medicine, understood?"
"Okay..." Jiang Rou nodded, a satisfied smile appearing on her lips.
Lin Yue turned to find the fever-reducing medicine while Jiang Rou's gaze followed her every move. The satisfied smile quickly transformed into a seductive grin, her eyes reflecting a near-morbid attachment and possessiveness.
Taking advantage of the moment while searching for the medicine, Lin Yue called Lu Chen. "Brother Chen, Xiao Rou has a fever; I need to take care of her at home. The film set..."
"Take good care of Xiao Rou," Lu Chen immediately understood. "I'll keep an eye on the film set."
"And..." Lin Yue hesitated, the words caught in her throat before she swallowed them back down. She realized it wouldn't be fair to involve Lu Chen in this.
After a brief silence on the other end, Lu Chen softly said, "Don't worry; I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, Brother Chen." Lin Yue sighed in relief.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yue returned to the bedroom with the medicine and water. Jiang Rou obediently took the medicine and lay down while Lin Yue tucked her in snugly.
Before long, Jiang Rou fell asleep again, her brow furrowed and breathing uneven. Lin Yue gently placed a fever patch on Jiang Rou's forehead, watching her flushed cheeks with concern.
A few hours later, Jiang Rou woke up to find Lin Yue sitting by the bed reading a book.
"Lin Yue..." Jiang Rou called out weakly.
Lin Yue immediately set down the book. "Do you feel any better?"
Jiang Rou forced a shake of her head; her voice was still hoarse. "I still feel awful."
Lin Yue checked her forehead again. "You're still hot; let's get you to take some more medicine."
Jiang Rou obediently swallowed the medicine and leaned against Lin Yue, holding onto her hand tightly as if afraid to let go. Her voice was as light as a feather. "Lin Yue, can you stay and talk with me?"
Lin Yue sat by the bed, her fingers gently stroking Jiang Rou's warm hand. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Do you remember our promise in the garden when we were kids?" Jiang Rou's voice was filled with nostalgia.
Lin Yue froze, her thoughts drifting back to that summer when they were ten years old. They had hidden beneath the great banyan tree in Lin Family Garden, making a pinky promise to always be together, never to part. Back then, promises were so simple, without the complicated emotions and entanglements that surrounded them now.
"I remember," Lin Yue replied softly, her eyes filled with guilt. "How could I forget?"
Jiang Rou's eyes lit up, as if she had rediscovered a certainty. "Lin Yue, no matter what happens, we won't be separated, right?"
Lin Yue looked at Jiang Rou's hopeful gaze, a pang of sorrow swelling in her heart. "We will never be apart." As she said this, Lin Yue avoided Jiang Rou's gaze.
Jiang Rou looked at Lin Yue with satisfaction. "Lin Yue, don't lie to me."
"I won't lie to you." Lin Yue gently brushed Jiang Rou's hair. "You should sleep a little longer; the medicine should take effect soon, and you'll feel much better when you wake up."
Having received the answer she wanted, Jiang Rou nodded gently and closed her eyes. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye; Lin Yue still cared for her so much.
Lin Yue sat by the bed, watching as Jiang Rou gradually fell asleep, feeling both guilty and restless. On one side was her childhood companion, and on the other was the woman who made her heart race.
She instinctively thought of Su Yao, wondering what she was doing and how things were going on set, but immediately chastised herself for that thought.
Lin Yue gently held Jiang Rou's hot hand, her gaze falling on the pair of plain rings on their middle fingers. She sighed softly.
The next day on set, Su Yao stood in front of the camera with a vacant expression, as if covered in a layer of dust. She couldn't help but glance back at the monitor for the third time but still didn't find that familiar figure.
"Su Yao!" Director Li finally lost his patience. "You're distracted! This is the fifth NG!"
"I'm sorry, Director." Su Yao pressed her lips together; the regret in her eyes was greater than in her voice.
"Do it again!" Director Li straightened up. "This scene needs despair, not distraction!"
The cameraman raised his hand and signaled: "Ready, three, two, one, action!"
Yet in the following takes, her performance remained unsatisfactory. Her gaze lacked depth, her timing was off; she seemed to have lost her soul.
"Cut!" Director Li slammed his hand on the table. "Su Yao, what's going on today?"
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