Chapter 26: Taken Advantage Of

In the dressing room, Ji Yu patted moisturizer onto his face before suddenly leaning close to the mirror to examine his skin.

"Sister Qing, look, do you think I'm having an allergic reaction? Why is it so red?"

Jiang Qingqing looked up and swept a glance over him, saying, "Where? I don't see anything."

"Right here." Ji Yu suddenly turned his head and brought his face right up to hers—a little closer and their lips would have touched.

Jiang Qingqing looked at the face that had suddenly encroached upon her space; she could even feel his breath and his warmth. Ji Yu stared into her eyes, causing an inexplicable panic to stir within her.

"I don't... I don't see anything," Jiang Qingqing said instinctively.

Ji Yu leaned in even closer. "Right here. It even hurts a little."

As he spoke, he deliberately grabbed Jiang Qingqing’s hand and placed it against his cheek. "Right here. Does it feel a bit hot? Is it red?"

Jiang Qingqing felt the temperature of his cheek against her fingertips and felt her own face flush. She couldn't help but rub his cheek with her finger, whispering, "Yes... it is a bit hot."

"Oh no, it’s a real allergic reaction. Sister Qing, you have to take responsibility," Ji Yu said, looking up at her with a pitiful expression.

Jiang Qingqing bit her lip and pulled her hand away, humming softly, "Who told you to use so much?"

She hesitated for a moment before poking his cheek with her finger. After a careful look, she said, "It’s your first time using it; your skin is just irritated. It’s not an allergy."

"That’s a relief, you scared me to death." Ji Yu stood up and patted his face.

"Coward." Jiang Qingqing gave a light cough and said, "Come here, let me look again."

Ji Yu bent down and leaned in toward her, whispering, "Can you see clearly from this close?"

Jiang Qingqing felt as though their noses were about to touch; one more inch and they would be kissing.

Ji Yu muttered, "Check if it's still red. It still feels a bit painful."

"Let me see."

Jiang Qingqing collected herself, raised her hand to touch his face, and said, "It should be fine. It’s still a little red, but I’ll put some aloe vera gel on it for you, and it will be better."

She scrambled to find the aloe vera gel, squeezed a bit onto her fingertip, and applied it to Ji Yu’s face.

Ji Yu enjoyed the service, smiling as he said, "Sister, it's so smooth, and the cool, icy sensation feels so comfortable."

Jiang Qingqing’s face turned red. "Behave yourself and don't move."

"I'm not moving."

*My heart is the one moving, if that counts!*

Jiang Qingqing withdrew her hand, looked at Ji Yu, who was blinking his eyes at her, and reached out to flick his forehead.

The corners of Ji Yu’s mouth slowly curled up. He stood up and said, "Is it okay now? Sister Qing, I have things to do, so I’m heading home."

"Wait!" Jiang Qingqing handed him the aloe vera gel. "Remember to apply more tonight."

"Okay, thank you!" Ji Yu took the gel, waved his hand, and ran off.

Jiang Qingqing waved back instinctively, only realizing what she had done once he was out of sight. *What was I supposed to do today? Wasn't I supposed to give him a hard time? How did we end up almost kissing?*

And I even gave him my aloe vera gel? Have I lost my mind?

Jiang Qingqing couldn't fathom how things had developed this way. Still, his eyes were truly beautiful, and his face was so soft. She looked down at her fingertips and poked her own cheek. Her own skin was quite smooth, too.

Meanwhile, Ji Yu was humming a tune as he went to find Old Cai.

After hearing Ji Yu’s suggestion, Old Cai thought for a moment and said, "Fine, I’ll go talk to her."

Ji Yu then feigned hesitation. "But I noticed Brother Peng has been seeking her out all day; he might be trying to pursue her. I’m worried..."

Before Ji Yu could finish, Old Cai frowned and interrupted, "What is he trying to pull? Stirring up trouble at a time like this!"

Ji Yu mentally cheered—the complaint was a success!

Old Cai looked at Ji Yu and said with a smile, "I understand your intentions, but you must keep things with Li Xiaoran under wraps, or it will become much more troublesome."

"Understood! Teacher Li is very obedient! This is all for the sake of work," Ji Yu promised solemnly.

"Good. Once this blows over, it’ll be fine. Just make sure you perform well."

"No problem!"

Having achieved his goal, Ji Yu left happily. He didn't actually want to get too close to Jiang Qingqing; he didn't want to wrong Teacher Li. But since he was a newcomer, he had to fight for exposure—it was unavoidable. Teacher Li would surely understand.

Ji Yu hadn't expected his little seduction attempt to work so well. It was just a bit unfair to Teacher Li! *Being touched on the face by another woman—I really am a scoundrel!*

When Ji Yu got home, he cooked some frozen dumplings and called Teacher Li. Li Xiaoran, who was far away at Hengdian, was in the middle of filming. As a guest performer, she had to rush through her scenes because the production couldn't afford long-term travel expenses.

With the call failing to go through, Ji Yu ate his bland dumplings, suddenly feeling a strong urge to tease his "sister-in-law." Long-distance relationships were too painful. Ji Yu felt lonely and bored, but there was nothing he could do. Teacher Li was also just a minor player and had to work hard, taking even the smallest guest roles.

*Once both she and I become big stars, everything will be fine.*

As Ji Yu turned over to sleep, he remembered he hadn't applied the aloe vera gel. As he applied it in the mirror, he thought of Jiang Qingqing. When one is lonely, their mind is full of women—men are truly pathetic.

The next morning, as soon as Ji Yu arrived at the set's dressing room, Jiang Qingqing followed him in.

She pretended nothing was amiss and asked, "How is your face? If it's not better, don't bother with makeup."

"It's fine, it's already healed." Ji Yu smiled at her and asked in a low voice, "Old Cai said to keep the hype going. Has he talked to you about it?"

"He has. I'll cooperate. Let's have dinner together tonight."

"Alright, sorry for the trouble, Sister Qing."

"It's nothing, it's all for work."

Jiang Qingqing had initially been resistant to the fabricated romance, but she didn't feel that way anymore. It was for work, after all—she could play along a little. Besides, Ji Yu wasn't that annoying. It was certainly better than being linked to Li Yapeng, which always ended with her taking the fall for something.

When they were filming that day, Jiang Qingqing’s attitude toward him was much better. When they wrapped up in the afternoon, the two left the set together for their "date." The paparazzi had already been tipped off in advance.

Li Yapeng knew this was Old Cai’s arrangement and could only look on with envy. *They actually got together!* Li Yapeng suddenly looked toward Sun Li—perhaps he should ask her out for a meal. Her relationship with Huang Lei probably wasn't that great anyway.

Inside Jiang Qingqing’s car, Ji Yu said, "Sister Qing, do you want to see a movie after dinner?"

"We can't go to a cinema; there are too many people." Jiang Qingqing neither agreed nor refused.

Ji Yu thought for a moment and said, "Then we won't go to a cinema. We'll go somewhere else."

"Go... go where?" Jiang Qingqing asked hesitantly. *We can't go to your place, or the hype will turn into a confirmed scandal!*

"We'll go to a video hall! There are still plenty near Fudan University, and a lot of college students go there. I’ll book the whole place!" Ji Yu said grandly.

Jiang Qingqing let out a sigh of relief, though a small part of her felt disappointed. "What movie should we watch?"

Ji Yu thought for a while and said, "How about 'In the Mood for Love'?"

Jiang Qingqing nodded. "Okay. It hasn't been released in the mainland, so we'll have to watch a disc."

Ji Yu smiled. "I heard it's about an affair. I wonder if it's any good."

"An... affair... maybe we should skip it," Jiang Qingqing said, sounding sensitive.

"It's not like *we* are having an affair; what are you nervous about?"

"Who's nervous! Let's watch it!"