Chapter 62: Not Entirely Impossible

As soon as the National Day celebrations ended, Min’er Yu’s singing video began to trend on Weibo. There was a flurry of comments from netizens, who were split into two camps. One group praised Min’er Yu’s performance at the National Day banquet, lauding her for her creative rendition and beautiful voice. The other group accused her of desecrating the goddess Annin’s song, dismissing her performance as unworthy. Fans from both sides clashed beneath Min’er Yu’s Weibo posts, and the controversy lingered for days on Weibo’s trending topics, the heat refusing to die down.

Many passersby who had never heard of Min’er Yu gradually became acquainted with this rising star, and some netizens dug up the fact that she was the daughter of the illustrious Yu family from Fancheng, as well as a painter of some renown. As a result, the story of Min’er Yu—who would inherit a fortune of millions if she didn’t become famous—remained on the trending list for another day. Her followers shot up by three million, her popularity now rivaling that of second-tier actresses.

*

Early in the morning, Shen Qing received a package sent from Country M. When Nie Huan arrived with Nie Yu to see her, she was still asleep.

“Here, take one of these every day, and your hand will be healed in half a month.”

“This ointment is for Nie Yu—apply it before bed, and keep her out of the sunlight.”

Shen Qing placed the items on the table and went back to her room to sleep.

“Have you had breakfast? I brought some,” Nie Huan followed her to the door, waving a bag of buns.

Shen Qing glanced at it. “No, I’ll just have lunch.”

“Alright, I’ll cook for you. Go back to sleep,” Nie Huan smiled and closed the door for her.

By noon, when Shen Qing woke up, Nie Huan was already busy in the kitchen.

“Big sister, it needs a bit more salt,” Nie Yu suggested after tasting a spoonful of soup.

Nie Huan nodded solemnly and added a little more salt from the jar. “Try it now.”

“Mmm! Delicious!” Nie Yu gave her a thumbs-up.

“Shen Qing, you’re up,” Nie Yu greeted the young woman leaning against the door, a gentle smile in her eyes.

“Mm.” Shen Qing walked over and ladled herself a bowl of soup.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Nie Yu reminded her sweetly.

“Mm.” Shen Qing blew on it lightly and sipped a small mouthful.

“Tastes good.”

Nie Huan laughed. “I’ll take these out. You two wait at the table.”

Shen Qing put down her bowl. “I’ll help you.”

*

After lunch, the three of them took a stroll around the square. Shen Qing bought Nie Yu a few new outfits, and when night fell, she sent them home before heading back alone.

The streetlights brightened the road, Shen Qing’s shadow stretching long, then short behind her.

The motion-sensor lights in the stairwell were broken, and maintenance hadn’t fixed them yet. As soon as she entered, Shen Qing narrowed her eyes and swung a fist into the darkness.

A muffled grunt sounded, followed by a low chuckle.

A man caught her wrist with one hand and stepped into the light. His strikingly beautiful face, illuminated by the dim glow of the streetlamp outside, appeared all the more seductive.

“So fierce?” he teased, releasing her hand.

Shen Qing eyed him warily for a couple of seconds. “Mr. Gu, is something the matter?”

“I have nowhere to stay,” Gu Ting replied, locking eyes with her.

“Oh.” Shen Qing’s expression remained flat as she pressed the elevator button.

“Could you put me up for the night?” The elevator was stuck on the seventeenth floor and would take a while to come down.

Shen Qing shot him a sideways glance, her tone tinged with irony. “Master Gu, are you short of money?”

Gu Ting smiled. “You know, Master Gu has a gambling problem; my family cut off my funds.”

“What about the others?” Shen Qing meant Dongfang Cheng, Mo Wuxie, and the young driver who always followed him.

Gu Ting looked at her with wounded eyes. “They’ve all gone back to the capital—they’re not here.”

The elevator finally reached the ground floor. When the doors opened, Shen Qing stepped inside without hesitation.

Gu Ting followed, tugging at her sleeve pitifully. “Can I sleep on your sofa?”

He emphasized the word “sofa.”

Shen Qing half-closed her eyes, raising an eyebrow.

“As you wish.”

Just then, the elevator doors slid shut, and a sly smile flashed across Gu Ting’s eyes.

*

Shen Qing entered her home barefoot as usual. Gu Ting glanced at the two pairs of slippers on the shoe rack—one white, one pink—and his eyes darkened. He put on one pair, picked up the other, and walked over to Shen Qing.

“Put these on,” Gu Ting said, crouching down to place the slippers at her feet.

“You’re going to put them on for me?” Shen Qing’s eyes narrowed, her lips curling to one side, a hint of mischief in her expression.

Gu Ting looked up at her, his heart skipping a beat. After a few seconds, he lowered his head and murmured, “I suppose I could.”