Chapter 31: Night Whispers

With two men crashing at the apartment, Qin Li had no choice but to share a room with Qu Dani, leaving her usual sofa bed in the living room for the guests.

Qu Dani was not the ideal roommate—her sleep involved sprawling limbs and a symphony of snores. At some point during the night, she even rolled over and used Qin Li as a human body pillow.

Woken up and thoroughly annoyed, Qin Li disentangled herself, used the bathroom, and tried to get back to sleep. But no matter how much she tossed and turned, rest eluded her.

A faint light from the living room seeped through the door. Curious, she got up to investigate. One of the men was missing from the makeshift bed on the floor.

She crept toward the glass doors leading to the balcony. There, under the vast starry sky, stood Yan Sen. He was leaning against the railing, a cigarette glowing between his fingers. The contrast of his quiet strength against the backdrop of the night made him look rugged, almost magnetic.

Qin Li lingered inside, watching him for a moment, debating whether to go back to bed. But Yan Sen noticed her presence and tapped the glass.

He gestured for her to join him.

After a brief hesitation, Qin Li stepped outside.

"It's cold," Yan Sen said tersely. "Bring a blanket."

His economy of words made her smile. She retreated inside and returned with a blanket.

When she handed it to him, her fingers brushed against his. A jolt, like a tiny electric spark, shot through her. She instinctively pulled her hand back, but Yan Sen held on, his grip firm and warm.

"Sit," he said.

Pinned by his hold, Qin Li had little choice but to sit beside him.

The quiet of the night stretched between them. A few lights glimmered in the distance, twinkling like earthbound stars.

In the silence, Qin Li fumbled for a conversation starter. "The weather's nice tonight."

"Hmm," Yan Sen murmured as he extinguished his cigarette. Then, turning to face her, he asked, "What do you think of me?"

Caught off guard by his directness, Qin Li stumbled over her words. "Uh… you're a good person, I guess. You have a… strong personality. And, uh, you're… um… very masculine…"

Yan Sen cut her off, his tone unyielding. "Do you like me? Could we work as a couple?"

His bluntness made her squirm. Her cheeks burned, though the darkness shielded her from full exposure.

"This isn't easy to answer," she mumbled, staring resolutely at the skyline, acutely aware of his intense gaze.

"Be honest," he pressed.

His straightforwardness made her anxious. She wasn't used to this kind of candor—where words weren't veiled in subtleties or left open to interpretation.

"It's complicated," she said, growing flustered. "Why can't you just… ease into it?"

"Why complicated?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. To him, emotions were binary—either yes or no, black or white.

Feeling cornered, Qin Li snapped, "I don't know! Stop asking me!"

Yan Sen sat back slightly, his expression unreadable. "Got it," he said.

"What do you mean, 'got it'?" she asked, turning to look at him. But his gaze had shifted away from her, lost in the distant lights.

Frustrated, she clenched her fists and blurted out, "What about you? Do you like me?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation.

Her heart skipped a beat, but she tried to play it cool. "Why?"

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Your cooking."

Her face fell. Of course, it's about food.

"Anything else?" she prodded.

He paused, then offered a single word: "Chest."

"Chest?"

"Big," he added simply.

It took her a second to process, and when she did, her jaw nearly dropped. She had been hoping for something romantic—maybe about her personality or her wit—but no, it had to be this.

Forcing a laugh, she muttered, "Men are so predictable."

Silence lingered before she spoke again, quieter this time. "We don't really know each other. Isn't it too soon to talk about liking someone?"

Yan Sen shrugged. "Ask whatever you want to know. I'll answer."

Her mind briefly flashed to that dream, and her face turned crimson. "It's not an interview," she said hastily.

Yan Sen leaned back, his voice calm. "I was married once. To my childhood sweetheart, Jane. It was the kind of love that grows over time—steady and deep. But even that wasn't enough. I don't dismiss love at first sight. Sometimes you just know. The rest? You figure it out as you go."

"And if it doesn't work out?" she asked.

"I trust my instincts."

Qin Li scoffed internally. Yeah, great instincts. That's how you ended up with Jane.

Yan Sen's gaze returned to her. "Your turn."

She hesitated, then sighed. "I was married too. No kids. My ex-husband left me for another woman because I couldn't have children. He took my money and married her. Now they're expecting a baby, all happy and perfect."

Her voice was laced with bitterness, and even as she recounted the story, the wounds felt fresh.

Yan Sen regarded her quietly. "You haven't moved on."

"Have you?" she countered.

"No," he admitted. "I don't love her anymore, but there's a connection. She's like… family."

Qin Li snorted. "You Westerners are something else. You can stay friends after a breakup. Me? It's all or nothing."

Yan Sen suddenly reached for her wrist, his thumb brushing over an old scar. It was faint now, but still visible—a painful reminder of her past.

Qin Li instinctively pulled back, her voice taut. "Don't look at that."

The scar wasn't just a mark; it was her badge of failure, a lingering echo of everything she wished she could forget.

"Does it still hurt?" Yan Sen asked, his voice low and steady.

Qin Li shook her head. "Not anymore. But I regret it."

Yan Sen nodded slightly. "Then cherish the life you have ahead of you."

"I will," Qin Li said firmly. "And I'll live better than them—freer and happier."

Yan Sen countered with a calm certainty. "Time will change things. One day, their actions—good or bad—will become nothing more than distant memories. You won't care anymore."

Qin Li didn't argue. Instead, she hesitated before asking, "I'm a woman who can't have children. Now that you know, would you still consider dating me?"

Without hesitation, Yan Sen replied, "I would."

"You wouldn't mind?"

He shrugged. "A little disappointed, perhaps. But if we don't have children, we can adopt—if you agree to it."

Qin Li blinked in disbelief. "You really wouldn't care about not having your own bloodline to carry on your family name?"

Yan Sen's expression was as indifferent as ever. "There's no throne to inherit."

"But you have a farm," Qin Li pointed out.

"And I have Thomas," he added with a hint of a smirk.

Qin Li raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You think he could run the farm?"

Yan Sen shook his head, deadpan. "No."

"..." Qin Li was momentarily speechless.

Yan Sen continued, his tone unchanging. "Farming and raising livestock are hobbies for me. When I'm old, I'll sell everything and move to a retirement home. Whether I have kids or not makes no difference."

His words—whether spoken from his heart or just casual musings—lit a small spark of hope in Qin Li. Perhaps not all men were obsessed with the idea of having biological children.

Yan Sen broke her train of thought. "Can you picture a life with me in the countryside?"

His question was straightforward, and Qin Li chose to answer just as openly. "I can imagine it. But it'll take time for me to adjust. I'm from a big city, after all."

"That's fair," Yan Sen agreed. "We still have time. Let's see how things unfold."

"You know," Qin Li teased, "I thought you didn't like talking. But tonight, you've said quite a lot."

Yan Sen's lips quirked into the faintest hint of a smile. "It's not that I don't like talking. I just usually don't want to."

"Why not?"

"To look cool," he admitted without shame.

Qin Li nearly choked on air. "You could at least try to sugarcoat it."

"Honesty is a virtue," Yan Sen said, his expression dead serious.

"..." Qin Li had no words.

The conversation drifted into a lighter, more comfortable rhythm until the sound of shuffling came from inside.

Qu Dani stepped out onto the balcony, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Why are you two still up? Night owls, huh?"

Qin Li stood, brushing off her clothes. "I'm heading to bed."

"Perfect timing!" Qu Dani declared, plopping herself into the chair Qin Li vacated.

Yan Sen watched Qin Li's retreating figure for a moment, then rose to his feet as well. "I'm going to bed too."

And with that, he left, leaving Qu Dani staring after him in frustration.

"What am I, a plague? You two just abandon ship the moment I show up!"

The next morning, Qin Li was rudely awakened by a string of relentless calls from the director.

"Why didn't you inform the crew before running off to Munich? Do you think your contract is just a piece of paper?" the director fumed.

Qin Li stammered out an apology. "I'm so sorry. We only planned to grab groceries—things got delayed unexpectedly."

"Groceries? In Munich?" the director shot back, incredulous. "Why not just say you took a quick trip back to China while you're at it?"

Left with no defense, Qin Li could only apologize repeatedly until the director grumbled one last angry command: "Get back here now!"

The call ended abruptly, leaving her wide awake.

Qu Dani, who had stirred during the commotion, groggily sat up. "It's Sunday. Shops are closed. What are we even filming for today? Is he trying to stage a rebellion?"

Qin Li sighed. "Apparently, the contract says we have to stay under his watchful eye at all times."

Qu Dani frowned. "What part of the contract? I don't remember seeing that."

"Contracts are written in legal jargon. It's practically a foreign language. We barely understood a word of it," Qin Li admitted.

Qu Dani sighed, her voice laced with regret. "We should've hired a lawyer before signing anything. Now we're at their mercy."

The realization hit both of them at the same time.

"Patrick!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Right! I ran into him at the bar last night," Qin Li recalled.

"You did?" Qu Dani looked confused.

"You were drunk," Qin Li reminded her. "You don't even remember how we got home."

Qu Dani laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, my alcohol tolerance is garbage."

"Then maybe you should drink less," Qin Li chided.

Deflecting the criticism, Qu Dani reached for her phone. "Let's see if Patrick can help us with this contract nonsense."

A deep, rich voice answered on the other end of the line after a few rings, but Qu Dani wasted no time on pleasantries. "Hey, Patrick. It's Dani. I need a favor. Are you free to take on a case? Don't worry—we're broke, so no pressure. My friend signed a sketchy contract with a TV crew, and we need your legal advice. … Yeah, that's her. So, what do you say?"

Qu Dani's face lit up as the call continued. She ended the conversation with an enthusiastic "Great! Thanks!"

Hanging up, she turned to Qin Li, clapping her on the shoulder. "We've got ourselves a lawyer! Patrick's in. And by the way, he told me to say hello."