Shrine - Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Ruan Ruan's eyes narrowed slightly, and she let out a small laugh.
Shi Ran also tucked at the corners of her lips.
Ruan Ruan leaned forward, propping her chin on the back of her hand. "I don't know why I said that the other day, but best friends aren't like this." She and Wu Mei were best friends. They cooked, ate, chatted, and gossiped together. They could even sleep in each other's arms without a single ulterior thought.
She had truly experienced friendship, and it was completely different from how she felt with Shi Ran. Shi Ran had to know it, too.
Sure enough, Shi Ran said in a low voice, "I know." It was just...
"It's just that, like me, you're hesitating on how to define the relationship between us," Ruan Ruan added softly.
Not quite familiar, yet incomparably intimate. It wasn't until today that they could relax and talk heart-to-heart, as if they were just getting to know each other.
Shi Ran had said it was her first time, and it was Ruan Ruan's as well. She was very clear that she liked Shi Ran a little, but not a lot—to the extent that if she had to choose between Shi Ran and Shrine, she would choose Shrine without hesitation. She didn't know if Shi Ran liked her, but from their interactions, she at least wasn't disliked. The most fitting term for them was "bed partner," but it wasn't something easy to say out loud, and it sounded far too heartless.
"Well, I think..." Ruan Ruan blinked slowly and obediently, her gaze lowered toward Shi Ran. "Regardless of any additional factors, it doesn't stop us from being friends, right?"
Once they were out of bed and dressed, they could also interact sincerely, just like when she had been behind the camera for Shi Ran earlier.
Ruan Ruan moved the hand propping up her chin to cup her cheek. Strands of her fine hair fell forward, and her voice was even softer than the silk of her hair. "Would you want to be friends with me?"
Shi Ran lowered her gaze to look at her, raised an eyebrow, and gave a minuscule nod.
The boulder in her heart shifted slightly. Ruan Ruan smiled sweetly, the small beauty mark beneath her eye crinkling a little. She felt more grounded. At least after tonight, she no longer felt as distant from Shi Ran as she had during the day, when she had no standing to ask about her life.
She reached out with her index finger, scratched the tip of her nose, and asked with a blink, "Are you and Zhang Nuoran close?"
Zhang Nuoran was the one in the paparazzi shots today, buying coffee with Shi Ran and returning to the hotel.
"Not really. We've worked together before," Shi Ran said.
She paused, thought for a moment, and smiled for a couple of seconds. "I got photographed."
"Yup," Ruan Ruan said in a drawn-out tone. "You got photographed~ bringing an actress back to the hotel."
"Me, bring her?" Shi Ran raised an eyebrow. "She lives here."
She pointed a finger downward. "12th floor. She hitched a ride in my car."
Ruan Ruan's chest shook with laughter. She reached out and took hold of Shi Ran's index finger, whispering, "Don't do that." It looked inauspicious, as if she were saying the person lived underground.
Shi Ran also tilted her head and smiled, letting her hold her finger for a few seconds before pulling away. Her smile vanished as she coolly leaned over to pick up her cup and take a sip of water.
She had never been friends with someone like this before. So this was what Ruan Ruan was like when she relaxed. Quite sweet.
No wonder everyone on set liked her.
And at that moment, Ruan Ruan, cupping her cheeks and blinking her eyes at Shi Ran, once again found Shi Ran adorable.
Ruan Ruan sighed inwardly for no reason. Before she had time to delve into this feeling, she heard Shi Ran speak again. "You still haven't answered my earlier question."
Earlier? Oh, the one about whether there was anything she wanted. Ruan Ruan pondered for a moment. "Xiao Hei, Xiao Bai, and Xiao Cheng need new homes, but I haven't found any reliable people to adopt them."
In Shucheng, it's mostly minor actors who drift around all year. They leave early and come back late, their living situations aren't stable, and because the future is uncertain, many end up changing careers and leaving. They aren't very suitable for taking care of kittens.
"You want to..." Shi Ran had a good idea of what she was getting at.
"I figure the people you know are wealthier. If your friends want to adopt them, the kittens can become second-generation rich."
She had guessed, but she hadn't expected Ruan Ruan to be so blunt. Wealthier? Second-generation rich?
Shi Ran's smiling frequency was a bit high today. She pressed her lips together and asked Ruan Ruan to send her photos of the kittens.
Ruan Ruan carefully selected a few photos and sent them to Shi Ran's WeChat. She leaned over to watch as Shi Ran saved them, tapped on her Moments, arranged them into a nine-photo grid, and typed the caption: Looking for adopters.
Post.
Ruan Ruan's warm breath brushed against her cheek. She hesitated, moistened her lips, and asked softly, "Is that all you're going to write?"
"Mhm." Shi Ran turned her head to look at her, her gaze shifting from the delicate tip of Ruan Ruan's nose to her moistened lips. "What should I write?"
It was a soft sound, as if she had caught Ruan Ruan's breath in her mouth.
Ruan Ruan leaned in a little closer, her eyes fixed on the phone screen. She pointed a finger. "They were born on the 10th of last month, so they're one month and twenty-eight days old today. They're about to get their first vaccination. This is for reservations; they can be picked up after all three shots are done."
"Xiao Hei is female, Xiao Cheng is also female, and Xiao Bai is male."
"Their mother is an orange tabby. The father is unknown."
"It's the Black Cat Detective," Shi Ran said lazily.
Ruan Ruan smiled and shot her a glance. So she can make jokes?
Shi Ran didn't interrupt again. She switched WeChat to her chat with Ruan Ruan, held the phone up to Ruan Ruan's mouth, and pressed the voice message button. "Say it again."
Huh? Ruan Ruan blinked. Shi Ran's expression was clear: she didn't want to type, and she couldn't remember it all.
The little cat officer understood immediately. She reached out to steady Shi Ran's phone slightly and repeated the information in a clear tone.
Done. Shi Ran took back her phone and focused on the task.
Ruan Ruan waited quietly to the side. After a few breaths, she seized an opening to ask, "Do you have anything scheduled tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"When? Morning or afternoon?"
"Afternoon."
"Then tomorrow at noon, can I make you lunch before I leave? You said the tangfan I made last time was delicious. I know how to make other things too."
"Why do you want to cook for me?" Shi Ran finished editing and pasted the text into the comments section of her Moments post.
"I want to thank you on behalf of the kittens." They were probably going to become second-generation rich very soon. Ruan Ruan had just glanced over and seen a lot of likes and comments.
Shi Ran let out a short laugh and gave a faint nod. "Okay."
"Then I'm going to take a shower," Ruan Ruan said softly.
"Okay. You can go to sleep first. I'm going to look over the script."
"Mhm." Ruan Ruan stood up, grabbing the kettle from the coffee table on her way. She filled it with water and set it to boil for her before saying softly, "Good night."
"Thanks. Good night," Shi Ran said.
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