After The Forced Marriage, I Ended Up With The Top Celebrity - Chapter 26

Three hours later, Luo Nianshu sat back down on Qiao Jinyan’s bed.

Qiao Jinyan stood in front of her, wringing the wet hair with a towel.

“Give up, Luo Nianshu. You can’t escape.”

Luo Nianshu looked up at her: “You said you wouldn’t forgive me. So what’s this now?”

“This isn’t forgiveness, it’s punishment,” Qiao Jinyan replied firmly.

Qiao Jinyan’s phone rang. She picked it up, and Molly’s angry voice came through loud enough for Luo Nianshu to hear: “Yan Yan, what are you doing? How can you post that kind of Weibo without company permission? Wait, I’m getting on a plane to Canada right now to find you!”

Qiao Jinyan pressed a finger and hung up, then started tapping on her phone screen.

A bad feeling crept over Luo Nianshu. She couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”

“Blocking Molly.”

Luo Nianshu hurriedly got up and snatched the phone from Qiao Jinyan, hiding it behind her back. She unlocked Qiao Jinyan’s phone to remove Molly from the blacklist but froze when she saw the lock screen.

It was a photo of the two of them kissing the very one from when she was a stand-in and they kissed. She hadn’t expected Qiao Jinyan to have kept it all this time.

“I’m not causing trouble,” Qiao Jinyan said without trying to grab her phone back, instead taking Luo Nianshu’s phone to unlock it.

Lock screen password…

Qiao Jinyan thought for a moment and entered her own birthday.

The phone unlocked.

Qiao Jinyan smiled: “Still saying you don’t like me.”

“Forgot to change it, forgot to change it,” Luo Nianshu said hurriedly, trying to snatch her phone back. Qiao Jinyan deftly dodged, then used Luo Nianshu’s phone to dial her own number.

The phone rang, and Qiao Jinyan placed Luo Nianshu’s phone in her palm, then hung up her own phone and saved Luo Nianshu’s number in contacts with the note “Runaway Big Pig Trotters.”

“You!” Luo Nianshu was so angry she couldn’t speak.

Qiao Jinyan smugly shook the phone in her hand. “I got your number.”

“Qiao Jinyan, you’re crossing the line!” Luo Nianshu gritted her teeth. “How can you mess with other people’s stuff like that? And keep dragging me home? I don’t want to be with you, yet you force me—really…”

She stopped mid-sentence, realizing Qiao Jinyan was staring out the window, not listening at all.

Suppressing her anger, Luo Nianshu asked, “Are you even listening to me?”

Qiao Jinyan turned and blinked at her: “Yes.”

“Then repeat what I just said.”

“You said you like me.”

Luo Nianshu: “?”

“You also said I’m good-looking.”

Luo Nianshu: “???”

She was on the verge of a meltdown.

Even after two years, Qiao Jinyan had her completely wrapped around her finger.

Luo Nianshu fixed her fiery eyes on Qiao Jinyan: “Why are you always so willful and spoiled?”

Qiao Jinyan’s smile faded.

“Do you know this makes things very difficult for me?”

Qiao Jinyan was silent.

Luo Nianshu flipped onto the bed, pulled the blanket over her head, and ignored Qiao Jinyan.

After last night and today, she was exhausted. Whatever Qiao Jinyan did, she wouldn’t care anymore.

The blanket smelled faintly of Qiao Jinyan, and Luo Nianshu sniffed it, feeling her anger dissolve and a strange sense of peace wash over her.

Unconsciously, she fell asleep.

This was the most peaceful sleep she’d had in two years.

“Nianshu, wake up.”

After some time, Luo Nianshu felt someone pushing her. Half-asleep, she rubbed her eyes and saw Qiao Jinyan standing before her wearing an apron.

Wait!

Wearing an apron?

Suddenly awake, Luo Nianshu sat up and gave Qiao Jinyan a strange look.

Why was she wearing an apron?

Qiao Jinyan looked down at the apron on herself and seemed a little embarrassed: “Help me light the stove, Nianshu.”

“Why light the stove?”

Luo Nianshu was even more puzzled.

“To cook noodles for you.”

Luo Nianshu froze.

Qiao Jinyan saw she wasn’t responding and swallowed nervously before explaining: “I didn’t want to disturb your sleep, but after that fire… I’m scared to touch fire.”

Luo Nianshu was silent for two seconds, then got up. Qiao Jinyan quickly followed her.

In the kitchen, shiitake mushrooms and chicken pieces had been washed and cut, neatly arranged on the cutting board. The pieces were unevenly sized, showing the cook’s inexperience.

But… it was made with care.

Luo Nianshu rolled up her sleeves, lit the gas stove, washed her hands, and picked up the knife, trimming the uneven pieces neatly.

“Actors should act well. Cooking isn’t your thing,” she said after a pause, “I’ll do it.”

Qiao Jinyan stood beside her like a child who’d done something wrong, watching her skillfully chop mushrooms.

She whispered softly, “I used to always ask you to do things for me, but today I wanted to try making you a bowl of noodles, only to realize even cutting vegetables is hard.”

Qiao Jinyan lowered her eyes and continued: “I spent so long trying to tie this apron, but Nianshu had to do all this for me. It must’ve been tiring when we were together.”

Luo Nianshu’s heart tightened, biting her lip: “Not tiring.”

Qiao Jinyan was surprised, then smiled.

She stood behind Luo Nianshu, her hands gently slipping around her waist. Seeing no resistance, she hugged Luo Nianshu tighter and rested her chin on her neck.

“I was wrong before. I was so willful. I’ll be more considerate from now on.”

“No need. Just be yourself.”

Luo Nianshu didn’t stop chopping, lowering her head so her hair hid her expression.

“But if I’m myself, you don’t like it,” Qiao Jinyan probed.

Luo Nianshu didn’t reply.

Qiao Jinyan pressed closer: “Do you like me, Nianshu?”

Luo Nianshu remained silent, chopping faster and louder.

Seeing no answer, Qiao Jinyan hid her disappointment but tried to say more—until the boiling water interrupted.

Luo Nianshu turned to lift the pot lid. Qiao Jinyan held her, unwilling to let go.

Luo Nianshu stopped and looked down at the arms around her waist.

“Let go,” she said calmly.

Qiao Jinyan pressed her lips, hesitated, then reluctantly let go and leaned against the counter.

Luo Nianshu glanced at her disappointed face, then turned back to lift the lid and put noodles into the boiling water.

“Hot water will splash on you.”

She didn’t know why she was explaining.

Pushing Qiao Jinyan away was the best choice, wasn’t it?

Qiao Jinyan looked up, realizing what Luo Nianshu meant. She instantly perked up, jumped down from the counter, and clung to Luo Nianshu, chattering away.

“You know? When you ran away today, I really wanted to take you to the police station.”

Luo Nianshu raised an eyebrow: “Why? To return the 30 million?”

“No.”

Qiao Jinyan smiled: “I wanted to ask the police for handcuffs, so we could each cuff one hand—then you couldn’t run.”

“…You’re twisted.”

Qiao Jinyan’s mind was always like that.

She didn’t get mad, just smiled and added: “Or take you to the civil affairs bureau.”

Luo Nianshu fell silent again.

Seeing that, Qiao Jinyan blushed and continued: “Our peers my age have started showing off marriage certificates on Weibo.”

Luo Nianshu didn’t react, stirring the noodles as if she was creating a masterpiece, ignoring everything else.

Qiao Jinyan got a little angry: Was a bowl of noodles more important than her words?

After hesitating, she nervously said, “I… I want to show off too.”

No response. She cracked an egg into the pot.

“I want to show off my marriage certificate too, Nianshu.”

“Meal’s ready.”

Luo Nianshu said suddenly, quietly pouring noodles into a bowl as if Qiao Jinyan hadn’t spoken.

Qiao Jinyan’s eyes reddened immediately. She quickly swallowed the tears, forcing out a smile: “That was fast. I wanted to talk more.”

“What’s this?” Luo Nianshu’s tone turned serious as she picked up a half-used cigarette pack.

Qiao Jinyan smoked?

Luo Nianshu frowned she had never seen Qiao Jinyan smoke.

Qiao Jinyan dared not speak: would she hate her for smoking?

“I’ve smoked more these two years,” Qiao Jinyan said, turning away.

Luo Nianshu held the bowl in one hand and the cigarette pack in the other, then stepped on the trash can pedal, tossing the cigarettes inside.

“No more smoking.”

Qiao Jinyan tilted her head: “If you don’t leave, I won’t smoke.”

“If you don’t smoke, I won’t leave.”

Qiao Jinyan squinted and clung to that sentence: “You said that.”

Luo Nianshu nodded: “I did.”

Qiao Jinyan fought the urge to smile and said seriously: “Only my girlfriend can tell me not to smoke.”

She waited for Luo Nianshu to respond.

Luo Nianshu looked at her too.

Seconds passed. Qiao Jinyan grew anxious.

Say it.

Say the words and I’ll quit.

But Luo Nianshu said nothing. She put the bowl on the table and stirred the noodles: “Eat quickly, they’re getting cold.”

Qiao Jinyan stood there, unmoving, holding back the pain in her chest, then turned and went inside, making noise.

Luo Nianshu frowned, about to follow, but Qiao Jinyan came out holding a full armful of cigarette packs.

“All the cigarettes are here,” she said. “You can check my room if you don’t believe me.”

She stepped on the trash can pedal and threw all the packs in.

Then she sat at the table and said clearly, “You said if I don’t smoke, you won’t leave.”

Luo Nianshu stared at her for a while, then pressed her lips to hold back a smile: “Okay, not leaving.”

She handed Qiao Jinyan chopsticks, and Qiao Jinyan grabbed them, eating quickly and forgetting all about looking ladylike.

With the first bite, Qiao Jinyan’s eyes reddened. She sniffed.

Two years.

She had searched desperately, never finding noodles with this flavor again.

Today, she finally found them.

“Qiao Jinyan.” Luo Nianshu leaned back in her chair, smiling softly.

“What?”

Qiao Jinyan replied muffled, still chewing.

“I like salad. You can make that for me from now on.” Salad doesn’t need cooking.

Qiao Jinyan frowned: Salad? Didn’t Luo Nianshu always like meat? Had she become a vegetarian these two years?

No matter. As long as Luo Nianshu liked it, she’d learn.

As long as she… stayed.

Qiao Jinyan gave a soft “Mm” and took Luo Nianshu’s hand with her free hand.

Luo Nianshu didn’t pull away, smiling at her, then turned her palm over and held Qiao Jinyan’s hand firmly in hers.