She Said: A Passionate Kiss [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 24
Qiang Huai was caught off guard by the sudden situation. She tried to pull Zheng Yu off her, but Zheng Yu was as limp as a melted gummy bear.
Seeing this, Gu Pingwan immediately stepped in to help Qiang Huai support Zheng Yu. Together, they managed to carry her into the hotel lobby.
By then, the paparazzi outside had already captured the entire scene.
Qiang Huai asked the hotel staff to check Zheng Yu’s room number, and followed behind them to help get her back to her room.
This was Qiang Huai’s first time dealing with something like this. She and Gu Pingwan laid Zheng Yu on the bed. Luckily, Zheng Yu was quite light, so they could manage.
“Are we just going to leave her lying like this?” Gu Pingwan asked, glancing at the unconscious Zheng Yu.
Qiang Huai took out her phone and called Xiaoyu, asking her to get in touch with Zheng Yu’s assistant. She was worried that something might happen later—alcohol could sometimes cause sudden physical complications, and someone needed to be there to respond.
After hanging up, she turned to Gu Pingwan and explained, “I really just met her. There’s nothing between us.”
Gu Pingwan’s expression wavered slightly. “So… are we still going out to eat?”
“Of course. Let’s go.” Qiang Huai grabbed her hand and tiptoed out of the room, gently closing the door behind them.
As they went downstairs, they happened to bump into Zheng Yu’s assistant, who looked deeply grateful. She had been searching for Zheng Yu in the banquet hall for ages but couldn’t find her.
“Thank you, Teacher Qiang. Sorry for all the trouble Zheng Yu caused you,” the assistant said, bowing repeatedly.
Qiang Huai waved it off. “It was nothing. Just make sure your artist drinks less next time if she can’t handle alcohol. You don’t want things to go wrong.”
The assistant listened respectfully. “Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Teacher Qiang.”
Once they left, the assistant rushed upstairs to take care of Zheng Yu.
Gu Pingwan normally ate at her workplace’s cafeteria in Beijing and rarely went out. She had looked up a few places online that were suitable for couples or friends, though she wasn’t sure if Qiang Huai would like any of them.
“I found a hot pot place that looked pretty good. Would that be okay with you?” she asked.
Qiang Huai nodded. “I’ve never had it. Usually when I’m in Beijing, I just eat boiled vegetables.”
“Then we’ll just treat it as flavorful boiled vegetables?” Gu Pingwan said with a subtle smile.
“Sure.” Qiang Huai flagged down a cab, and the two of them headed to the restaurant Gu Pingwan had found.
Compared to Jincheng, Beijing’s nightscape was much more subdued. The city lights of a sprawling metropolis seemed cold and distant, and being alone in Beijing might’ve felt especially lonely.
Qiang Huai adjusted her mask. “You really don’t go out much?”
Gu Pingwan nodded. “Being alone doesn’t really make me feel like going anywhere.”
“Fair enough. You probably don’t have much free time either,” Qiang Huai said, noticing the faint dark circles under her eyes. She probably hadn’t been resting well lately.
“This is actually the first time I’ve gone out to eat since coming to Beijing,” Gu Pingwan admitted a bit awkwardly. She hadn’t even taken the subway more than a few times.
Qiang Huai suddenly wondered — did she mean that much to Gu Pingwan? She teased, “So it seems I must be pretty important to you. Ahem.”
Gu Pingwan stifled a smile. “Well, since a classmate came to town, I had to treat you to a meal.”
Qiang Huai: “Oh.”
The hot pot restaurant was located in a narrow alleyway, with kids running around and young adults just getting off work. The warm atmosphere of everyday life softened the chill of the northern wind.
The server led them into a private booth. Qiang Huai took off her coat and let Gu Pingwan handle the ordering.
Once the copper pot began bubbling, the two of them started dipping the meat.
“I never thought I’d see you again after all these years,” Qiang Huai said, placing a thin slice of meat in her bowl. Not used to the northern flavors, she didn’t add any dipping sauce.
Gu Pingwan sat across from her, steam blurring her outline slightly.
“Me neither. Jincheng’s probably just too small,” Gu Pingwan replied.
Qiang Huai took a bite of lamb. “It’s delicious. Thanks for the treat, Wanwan.”
Gu Pingwan suddenly remembered a note Qiang Huai had written in her old social media blog about wanting to watch the flag-raising ceremony at □□. “Are you staying in Beijing for a while?”
Qiang Huai shook her head. “No, I’m heading back to Jincheng tomorrow.”
Seeing Gu Pingwan’s brief spark of interest dim again, she added, “What, planning to take me sightseeing?”
“I want to see the flag-raising. I’ve been in Beijing this long and still haven’t seen it,” Gu Pingwan said while stirring the meat in her bowl.
“Oh, I see.” Qiang Huai leaned her chin on her hand, her voice soft and gentle. “If it’s for you, Classmate Wanwan, maybe I can consider staying a few more days.”
“It’s better not to delay your work,” Gu Pingwan said earnestly.
Qiang Huai immediately sat up straight. “It won’t delay anything. Really.”
Gu Pingwan nodded slightly. “Then how about tomorrow? It’s the weekend.”
“Sure.” Qiang Huai suddenly felt like she was being completely outmaneuvered by Gu Pingwan.
But honestly, there wasn’t anything that urgent waiting in Jincheng. Everything could be pushed back.
Gu Pingwan looked up the schedule and made a reservation for the flag-raising ceremony. After dinner, they each went back to their respective places.
That night, Qiang Huai lay in bed tossing and turning. She opened QQ on her phone — ever since she’d started checking it daily years ago, she’d kept the habit.
As soon as she opened the app, she saw a red dot indicating activity in her QQ Space. Curious, she clicked in and saw the view count had gone up.
Checking the visitor log, she was shocked — it was Gu Pingwan’s account!
Heart racing, Qiang Huai nervously tapped open her space logs. Her hands trembled a bit, her mind spinning. In the log visitor section, one name had appeared — Gu Pingwan.
She scrolled through every single post and discovered that nearly every one had been viewed by Gu Pingwan.
Then she suddenly remembered — all those trip suggestions, the street food near the school gate, and her wish to see the flag-raising… they were all things she’d written in her old posts.
A strong emotion surged in her chest. Gripping her phone tightly, Qiang Huai felt both nervous and confused.
Did Gu Pingwan deliberately do this? But… she shouldn’t have known those posts were only visible to her.
Qiang Huai took a few deep breaths and opened Gu Pingwan’s WeChat profile, wanting to send her a message — but she didn’t know what to say.
What if she was just imagining things? What if she scared Gu Pingwan away again?
Forget it. Better to take things slowly.
She exited WeChat and switched to her alt Weibo account — one with only a few followers, which she usually used to keep up with gossip and secretly like posts praising her own beauty.
From that account, she posted a new Weibo update:
“Only today did I realize that the person I like has been quietly fulfilling all the wishes I wrote down back in high school.”
After posting, she casually opened the trending page — only to see she was trending again.
#QiangHuaiReturnsToHotelWithTwoFemaleFriends#
She clicked it. Before she could even make out the pictures, Sister Qin called.
“Who were you with at the hotel entrance tonight?”
“Zheng Yu, a new artist. Oh, and also Gu Pingwan,” Qiang Huai replied.
“The entire internet is saying you’re sleeping with your artists now,” Qin-jie said bluntly.
Qiang Huai immediately became alert. “Has Gu Pingwan’s identity been exposed?”
“Not yet — her face wasn’t captured clearly.”