She Said: A Passionate Kiss [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 32

Qiang Huai froze, still holding her chopsticks. Something about this felt strange.

 

She couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong.

 

After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Let’s talk about it later.”

 

Gu Pingwan burst into laughter. She picked up a piece of lobster and placed it on Qiang Huai’s plate. Seeing Qiang Huai’s flushed face, she had the urge to pinch her cheeks.

 

“Alright then.”

 

“What time is your flight?” Qiang Huai touched her own ear, not expecting to ever be this flustered because of Gu Pingwan.

 

“A little after eight,” Gu Pingwan replied, glancing at the time. There were still a few hours left.

 

After finishing her meal, Qiang Huai set down her chopsticks. “Then I’ll take you to the airport later.”

 

“No need, really. I’ll just grab a ride.” Gu Pingwan quickly declined, afraid she’d delay Qiang Huai’s work.

 

“It’s no trouble.”

 

Once Gu Pingwan finished eating, the two chatted in the office for a while before heading downstairs.

 

In the parking lot, they ran into Zheng Yu, who had just left the company.

 

Seeing Qiang Huai, Zheng Yu lit up. She looked like a completely different person compared to the tearful girl from earlier.

 

“Ms. Qiang Huai, wait!” Zheng Yu called out as Qiang Huai opened the car door. She jogged over in small steps, her heels clicking against the ground.

 

Gu Pingwan had already gotten in the car. It seemed Zheng Yu hadn’t noticed someone was inside.

 

Qiang Huai paused. “What is it?”

 

Zheng Yu reached out to grab Qiang Huai’s hand, but Qiang Huai avoided her.

 

“Ms. Qiang Huai, actually, I came to your company for another reason too.” Zheng Yu didn’t seem embarrassed and quickly retracted her hand.

 

Qiang Huai looked puzzled.

 

“Ms. Qiang Huai, I like you. I’ve liked you for many years,” Zheng Yu said, quickly adding, “Not in a fan kind of way—romantically.”

 

“I know you like women too,” she added.

 

Qiang Huai frowned. “Thank you for your feelings, but I already like someone. And even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t like you.”

 

“What’s there to be afraid of? You haven’t gone public anyway. One more person won’t hurt,” Zheng Yu said, tugging at Qiang Huai’s sleeve.

 

“Someone as beautiful as you shouldn’t be monopolized by just one person.”

 

“You should probably stop saying things like that,” Qiang Huai replied coldly, pulling her hand away.

 

Zheng Yu looked like she wanted to say more, but Lin Tang interrupted as she came over with a box in her arms. “Wow, what a coincidence! I’ve run into Ms. Qiang Huai twice today.”

 

She lightly tapped Zheng Yu’s heel with the tip of her shoe.

 

“What’s this? Ms. Zheng Yu, just joined the company and already trying to cozy up to the boss?” Lin Tang said with thinly veiled disdain.

 

Zheng Yu was clearly annoyed. “What’s it got to do with you?”

 

“I heard everything, you know. Ugh, should’ve recorded it,” Lin Tang pulled a face.

 

Qiang Huai didn’t want to keep dragging things out. She had already made herself very clear.

 

Just then, Gu Pingwan opened the car door and stepped out, resting her hand on the frame. “Ms. Qiang Huai, are we leaving or not?”

 

Zheng Yu looked shocked—there was someone else in the car this whole time?

 

“Let’s go,” Qiang Huai said, smiling at Gu Pingwan.

 

After they left, Zheng Yu punched Lin Tang’s arm. The box in Lin Tang’s arms almost fell to the ground.

 

“Are you crazy?” Lin Tang snapped.

 

“You’re the crazy one!” Zheng Yu shouted back.

 

“Wow. You get rejected and now you’re throwing a tantrum at me? Real classy,” Lin Tang said, opening her trunk. “Not gonna waste time on someone who doesn’t even have gigs. I’m out.”

 

The car ride was mostly quiet.

 

Gu Pingwan turned her face toward Qiang Huai and said with a teasing tone, “Ms. Qiang Huai is so pretty, of course she can’t be monopolized~”

 

Qiang Huai narrowed her eyes and glanced sideways at her. “When did Chief Engineer Gu get so snarky?”

 

“Was I? I was just stating facts.” Gu Pingwan was clearly in a good mood. She went on, “Do I know the person you like?”

 

“You do.” Qiang Huai kept her eyes on the road, wondering how to explain.

 

Gu Pingwan started counting on her fingers: “Qin Jie, Xiao Yu, Qun Qun… Who else?”

 

“It’s not me, right?” she added.

 

At a red light, Qiang Huai looked at her with a meaningful gaze.

 

“Do you want it to be?”

 

Gu Pingwan quickly turned to look out the window. “Of course not.”

 

“I’m not dating right now. I want to focus on work and making money.” Her voice was soft as she said this.

 

Qiang Huai drove through the green light without responding.

 

“Besides, there’s nothing special about me worth liking,” Gu Pingwan muttered when Qiang Huai remained silent.

 

She actually understood what was going through Qiang Huai’s mind. From the way she cared in high school to now, years later—Qiang Huai had always treated her the same. If anyone embodied the phrase “as close as old friends from first sight,” it was her.

 

Gu Pingwan was scared. She didn’t know what the future would hold or if she could make any promises. Her work kept her so busy that she barely had time for regular meals.

 

And then there was the gap—ten years apart in age, from different social classes. All those feelings of admiration and affection were buried deep in an unreachable chasm.

 

She had been envious of Zheng Yu’s boldness in confessing her feelings just now.

 

Gu Pingwan wasn’t even sure if she truly liked Qiang Huai—maybe she just relied on her too much as a friend.

 

But she couldn’t deny that her heart fluttered for her. Qiang Huai had done so much for her—it felt surreal to be treated that well by someone.

 

She was afraid this stroke of luck might be nothing more than a dream.

 

And she was terrified of losing such a dear friend.

 

Qiang Huai drove straight to the airport, parked the car, and didn’t unlock the doors. “Work hard. See you next time.”

 

Sensing Qiang Huai’s suppressed emotions, Gu Pingwan gave a small nod.

 

“Gu Pingwan, you’re excellent. You’re someone worth liking.” Qiang Huai had thought a lot on the way here. She knew what Gu Pingwan was afraid of—she understood her concerns.

 

They had only just reconnected. Even if there had once been a spark back in high school, you couldn’t make such serious decisions so quickly.

 

They were both adults now. There were responsibilities to handle. Focusing only on love would be too wasteful.

 

“I… I’ll go now. Take care.” Gu Pingwan unfastened her seatbelt. After getting out, she didn’t rush to leave—she waited until Qiang Huai drove off before turning around.

 

Watching her get smaller in the rearview mirror, Qiang Huai regretted speaking her mind too soon. Why had she opened her mouth at a time like this?

 

…

 

Many days passed.

 

Their chat history ended with the message Gu Pingwan had sent: “Landed safely.” They both knew they needed space to cool down.

 

Qiang Huai’s suspense film Kill Yesterday began its promotional roadshow. Even before its release, pre-orders had already exceeded five million—everyone was going to see it because of her.

 

Meanwhile, Gu Pingwan’s work remained dry and repetitive. Her team was studying astronaut physiological matching with simulation systems—a project Professor Ji had long been working on. Due to the lack of domestic technical support, foreign experts had been invited to collaborate.

 

After leaving the lab, she opened the storage locker and took out her phone.

 

She’d received a message from Pei Yang. He said he had submitted her previous project “Search” for an international award and was planning to enter the global market.

 

Gu Pingwan replied with an “OK,” and Pei Yang immediately called her.

 

“Chief Engineer Gu, are you free now?” Pei Yang sounded delighted she had picked up.

 

“Not busy. Go ahead.”

 

Pei Yang explained the award entry process. “This is a great chance to expand into the international market. A lot of foreign experts are trying to develop similar apps, but none of them know the core technology.”

 

“Thanks, President Pei.” Gu Pingwan knew Pei Yang wanted to boost market access and also help elevate her profile.

 

She didn’t really care about awards, but then it occurred to her—if she could win one, would she finally be good enough to stand beside Qiang Huai?

 

“It’s no trouble at all. I’ll need a bit of technical documentation from you for the submission,” Pei Yang said before ending the call with some pleasantries.

 

Leaning against the locker door, Gu Pingwan stared at her phone. Qiang Huai still hadn’t replied.

 

She opened Qiang Huai’s Weibo. It looked like she’d been busy with nonstop media appearances.

 

At some point, she had developed the habit of checking up on Qiang Huai’s posts, which startled her once she realized it.

 

Later, she went to the cafeteria. After getting her food, she sat alone in a corner.

 

Behind her sat two young female colleagues chatting after complaining about work.

 

“I want to see Qiang Huai’s movie this weekend, but I don’t know if we’ll have to work overtime,” one sighed.

 

“Me too! Isn’t she coming to Beijing for a promotional event? I need to figure out how to get tickets,” the other said.

 

Hearing this, Gu Pingwan opened her phone and looked up Kill Yesterday. There really was a roadshow stop in Beijing this weekend.

 

She wasn’t familiar with this kind of thing and had to search online to understand that a roadshow was a film promotion tour in different cities.

 

She decided she wanted to get a ticket and support Qiang Huai.

 

After struggling with it for a while, she thought of her cousin Hua Hua—who definitely looked like a seasoned fangirl.

 

Hua Hua would know how to get the tickets. She sent her a message.

 

In the middle of class, Hua Hua’s phone buzzed under her desk. She jumped and saw it was from Gu Pingwan.

 

“‘Hua Hua, can you help me get tickets for Qiang Huai’s roadshow in Beijing?’”

 

Hua Hua frowned and replied bluntly:

 

“‘No way! Why didn’t you tell me about you and Qiang Huai going to Jin City High for the senior rally?!’”

 

Gu Pingwan nearly bit her tongue from shock as she read the message.

 

Another one came:

 

“‘What, you’re not just asking her directly? Aren’t you two classmates?’”

 

Gu Pingwan typed:

 

“‘Exactly because we’re classmates—I want to support her movie like a real fan.’”

 

Hua Hua glanced up at the teacher and texted:

 

“‘If you see her, get her to sign something for me.’”

 

“‘I’ll try to get tickets, no promises.’”

 

Gu Pingwan transferred some money over—thinking about how she’d forgotten to give Hua Hua New Year’s money earlier—then added an extra thousand.

 

Pei Yang had been paying out her app earnings on time, and her bank account had grown quite a bit.

 

Hua Hua was stunned and immediately accepted the payment.

 

“‘If I overpay, I’ll refund you. I’ll get those tickets!’”