Chapter 370
Lin Qinghe's heart leaped with joy. She sat up abruptly, a sudden movement startling Yuan Xiaoai.
"Sister Qinghe? Are you... are you sober now?"
Lin Qinghe smiled, raising her eyebrows. "I'm not drunk."
"You're not drunk?" Yuan Xiaoai was bewildered. "Sister Qinghe, I'll go get you some hangover medicine. You seem quite drunk right now..."
She had been so drunk she could barely stand earlier, confessed her feelings to You Rong in the car, yet insisted she wasn't drunk. Clearly, you couldn't believe what a drunk person said!
Lin Qinghe stopped Yuan Xiaoai, who was about to go out to buy medicine. She flicked Yuan Xiaoai's forehead. "I'm fine. It's getting late. You should go back and rest. Don't worry about me."
"But Sister Qinghe, you..."
Lin Qinghe pushed her out, bid her goodnight, and closed the door. She sat down on her bed, and with Yuan Xiaoai gone, she could finally think clearly about her next move.
The progress bar had increased by five percent after her confession. Lin Qinghe wasn't deluded into thinking You Rong liked her; she knew it was the result of the pitiful strategy she had employed a couple of days ago.
Now that You Rong realized she liked him, being nice to him would be natural and wouldn't arouse suspicion of ulterior motives. She believed that as long as she was good to him, reaching one hundred percent wouldn't be difficult!
With her plan clear, Lin Qinghe lay down and slept soundly. The next day, on set, as she was thinking of finding an opportunity to talk to You Rong, he approached her first. "Is now a good time? I have something I want to discuss with you alone."
Lin Qinghe's eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes! Of course, I have time!" As she spoke, she subtly signaled Yuan Xiaoai to leave quickly.
Yuan Xiaoai hesitated, wanting to say something, but catching Lin Qinghe's repeated signals, she held back. "Sister Qinghe, I'll go check if the set is ready."
Yuan Xiaoai left, and the makeup room door closed. Lin Qinghe, feigning anticipation mixed with restraint, asked, "You Rong, you came to see me... are you here to talk about yesterday?"
"You... you remember everything?"
Lin Qinghe nodded emphatically. "Yes, I remember it all! So, are you here to tell me..."
For some reason, faced with Lin Qinghe's expectant gaze, You Rong shifted uncomfortably, averting his eyes. "I'm very sorry... I don't like you."
It was the answer she had expected, and Lin Qinghe felt a strange pang of闷 in her heart. She didn't dwell on it, attributing the gloom to the task not progressing smoothly.
Lin Qinghe bit her lip, appearing to suppress her sadness. "It's... it's okay. I understand. After all, I did some pretty terrible things to you before. It's only right that you don't like me..."
"It has nothing to do with what happened before. We're not compatible," You Rong said calmly. "You don't need to feel guilty anymore, nor do you need to do anything to make amends. If you really can't let it go, let's just film together during our collaboration period. That's what I need most right now. I just want to focus on filming."
"Then..." A sly glint flashed in Lin Qinghe's eyes as she lowered her expectations. "I promise I'll focus on filming! Can you not be distant with me because of this? At least... at least can we be friends?"
You Rong had always considered himself not a soft-hearted person, but when Lin Qinghe asked that question with a pleading tone, he hesitated. Almost on impulse, he replied, "Yes, we can."
Lin Qinghe's demeanor changed instantly from sad and dejected to beaming. A bright smile spread across her face. "Don't worry! Even though I like you, I won't let my feelings bother you. Being able to be your friend makes me very content and happy."
Putting other things aside for now, it was definitely good to take a step forward in their relationship!
You Rong frowned. His mind flashed back to a conversation he had overheard between Lin Qinghe and Zhang Shanghua. His expression became complicated, and he finally offered a subtle reminder: "With your current popularity in the entertainment industry, and your good acting skills, as long as you focus on acting, you'll succeed sooner or later. There's no need to resort to methods that hurt yourself."
You Rong left, and Lin Qinghe was left confused.
???
What did You Rong mean by that? Was he concerned about her? Encouraging her?
But why did it feel slightly off...
Lin Qinghe thought long and hard but couldn't come up with an answer. So, she decided to stop thinking about it. After all, the difference between a friend and a boyfriend was just a single word. She believed her mission in this world wouldn't be far from completion!