Married in a Daze - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

After Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun took their seats, a waiter came in to clear away the remnants of the meal and served a variety of desserts, drinks, tea, and alcohol. Their arrival disrupted the game that had been in full swing among the group gathered around the table. For the moment, everyone's gaze was still fixed on Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun.

Song He cleared his throat and spoke up. "Everyone, carry on, carry on."

His words seemed to snap everyone out of their trance, and the private room bustled to life again.

It was already a hot day, and the afternoon shoot was scheduled to start late. Furthermore, everyone here was young and not in the habit of taking afternoon naps, which was why they had been so rowdy and eager to play games. Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun had entered just as a round had ended. Now, with their presence, the atmosphere became noticeably less unrestrained.

The girl sitting next to Lu Ruyun asked in a low voice, "Teacher Lu, what kind of games do you usually like to play?"

Lu Ruyun was slightly taken aback. Qin Zhenzhen, observing her expression, interjected, "Lu—Ruyun, she usually doesn't really enjoy playing games. Please don't feel you have to accommodate us; just continue playing."

No sooner had she finished speaking than someone immediately objected. "That won't do. You and Teacher Lu are the guests of honor today; you must play."

"Yeah, Zhenzhen, you're newlyweds. You should definitely join in."

"Zhenzhen, are you worried Teacher Lu might lose?"

Qin Zhenzhen was engulfed by this teasing. Helpless, she turned to look at Lu Ruyun. Before she could even speak, Song He interjected, "Alright, alright. How about we play something simple then?"

"The 'Touch Seven' game. How about it?"

After he spoke, he turned to them. "Zhenzhen, Teacher Lu, what do you think?"

Qin Zhenzhen looked at Lu Ruyun. "Is that okay?"

Lu Ruyun gave a slight nod. "Alright."

The whole table, which had been waiting for their response, collectively breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly prepared to start the new game.

The 'Touch Seven' game meant that whenever you encountered any multiple of seven—like 14, 21, 28—or any number containing a seven, like 17, you had to tap the table twice. If you were too slow to react or accidentally said a number with a seven or a multiple of seven, you were considered to have lost.

There were two penalties for losing: one was to drink a glass of alcohol, and the other was to choose to answer a question. If you lost, the count would restart from a number within ten.

This was a common drinking game, but Qin Zhenzhen estimated that someone as seemingly uninteresting as Lu Ruyun had probably never played it. She explained the rules in detail, leaning in close. Under Lu Ruyun's nose was the faint, fresh scent from Qin Zhenzhen's body. As Qin Zhenzhen explained, her eyes sparkled, her lips parted slightly, and her breath carried a gentle fragrance.

Lu Ruyun glanced sideways unintentionally at Qin Zhenzhen's fair, slightly flushed profile, then silently lowered her gaze.

"Do you understand?" Qin Zhenzhen spoke right beside Lu Ruyun's ear, her breath brushing against the skin below Lu Ruyun's earlobe.

Lu Ruyun's expression remained normal, though the tips of her ears turned slightly red. She replied calmly, "I understand."

Qin Zhenzhen praised, "Understood after hearing it once? Impressive."

A faint smile touched Lu Ruyun's lips. "I've played before."

Qin Zhenzhen: "..."

After their brief exchange, the table quieted down somewhat. Director Hu and the others were at a table behind the screen partition. Having finished eating, they were now resting on the sofas. Teacher Sun had come out to join the game with the younger group after Lu Ruyun finished her meal.

Including Teacher Sun, there were nine people at the table. The counting started with Qin Zhenzhen. Her thin lips parted, and her clear voice rang out distinctly in the private room. "One."

"Two, three..."

They continued in turn. On the first round, everyone was highly focused, and no one made a mistake. When they hit multiples of seven, they all tapped the table twice. Teacher Sun wasn't quite as quick. After sixty-nine, she habitually said, "Seventy!"

The group erupted in laughter and placed a glass of wine in front of her. The alcohol content wasn't high. Teacher Sun looked at the glass and shook her head. "Just ask me a question instead."

At her words, everyone at the table fell silent, seemingly contemplating what to ask. Several people started chattering. Out of respect, the question couldn't be too outrageous, but it also couldn't be too boring.

Song He turned to Qin Zhenzhen. "Zhenzhen, what do you think we should ask Teacher Sun?"

Qin Zhenzhen looked at Teacher Sun's smiling face and shook her head. "You all decide."

Hearing their quiet exchange, Lu Ruyun lowered her head and took a sip of tea. The girl sitting opposite her suddenly suggested, "How about letting Teacher Lu ask?"

"Teacher Lu was invited by Teacher Sun. For the first question, let Teacher Lu ask."

"Sure, sure."

"Good idea."

As soon as she spoke, the others chimed in agreement. Qin Zhenzhen glanced at Lu Ruyun and saw a rare moment of dazed hesitation on her usually composed face. It's because of me that she's here, so looking out for her is the right thing to do, Qin Zhenzhen mentally justified to herself. She quietly leaned closer to Lu Ruyun's ear and whispered, "It's fine. Just ask anything casually."

Lu Ruyun gave a light "mm" of acknowledgment. Several people, including Teacher Sun, now had their eyes on her, many filled with anticipation.

In this game, asking questions was the favorite part—similar to truth or dare.

People were always exceptionally curious about others' private matters.

Lu Ruyun lifted her gaze to look at Teacher Sun. Under the group's eager stares, she opened her mouth and asked, "Teacher Sun, what is your favorite dish?"

The whole group exhaled in unison, exclaiming, "Mercy! Mercy!"

"Teacher Lu is openly going easy on her!"

"Doesn't count!"

Of course, their playful protests didn't carry any weight. After Teacher Sun answered the question, they moved on. Having warmed up with the first round, the second round was considerably tenser. The loser of the second round was a crew member. He chose to drink. The third loser was Hu Jing. He didn't choose to drink but opted to answer a question.

He wasn't like Teacher Sun, a respected elder, so the questions naturally had to be proper. He was just a young guy, about the same age as everyone else, so there were no reservations in the questioning. Song He, sitting beside him, said, "Then let's ask a question the media loves: Is there someone you like?"

The remaining few people listening to his question snickered quietly. Hu Jing's face, not particularly fair to begin with, flushed with shyness, looking somewhat embarrassed to answer. Qin Zhenzhen noticed he wasn't very talkative. Earlier, when they had all gathered under the parasols, only he and his assistant had sat under a separate one, not mingling with the others.

Hu Jing remained silent. Qin Zhenzhen tugged on Song He's sleeve. "Alright, don't put him on the spot. Ask something else."

Song He chuckled. "Okay, since Zhenzhen says so, we'll change the question."

The others didn't voice any objections.

Apart from Teacher Sun and Lu Ruyun, Qin Zhenzhen had the highest status among those seated here. Moreover, Lu Ruyun was her spouse, and Teacher Sun was Lu Ruyun's friend. By any measure, they had to give her this face.

So, they casually tossed a simple question at Hu Jing. After answering, Hu Jing couldn't help but glance at Qin Zhenzhen. Seeing Qin Zhenzhen looking his way, he hurriedly gave a slight nod of gratitude.

Qin Zhenzhen smiled and shifted her gaze away.

The game continued. It was close to two o'clock. Lu Ruyun glanced at her wristwatch. Qin Zhenzhen, noticing her movement, whispered, "What is it? Do we need to leave?"

Lu Ruyun gave an "mm" of affirmation but hadn't yet spoken when they heard Song He's voice: "Forty-five!"

Qin Zhenzhen instinctively responded, "Forty-six!"

She had been talking to Lu Ruyun, leaning in close. After reflexively saying the number, she looked up at Lu Ruyun. Her bright eyes, like pools of water, reflected a tiny image of Lu Ruyun. Meeting those luminous eyes, Lu Ruyun was momentarily lost for a few seconds before saying, "Forty-seven."

"Teacher Lu fell for it!"

"It's Teacher Lu!"

"Let me think of a question!"

Seeing it was Lu Ruyun who had been caught, everyone perked up. The previously somewhat sluggish atmosphere vanished instantly. Throughout this game, they had been hoping to see either Lu Ruyun or Qin Zhenzhen get caught. It was just that the two of them were too sharp and hadn't been caught even once. They had thought there was no chance left, but who knew Teacher Lu would be distracted by a pretty face and step right into the trap?

Qin Zhenzhen felt a bit guilty. If she hadn't been pulling Lu Ruyun into conversation just now, perhaps Lu Ruyun wouldn't have made the mistake. She whispered, "How about... I'll drink for you?"

As she spoke, she reached for a wine glass. Lu Ruyun immediately grasped her slender wrist. They both had to film in the afternoon; alcohol was absolutely out of the question. Seeing Qin Zhenzhen's apologetic look, Lu Ruyun smiled softly. "It's fine."

Everyone was chattering away, and no one noticed their interaction. Teacher Sun, sitting not far away, laughed. "Since it's Ruyun who got caught, how about this: I'll ask the question. Does anyone object?"

"Do we... object?"

The girl sitting next to Hu Jing hadn't finished speaking when she felt everyone's eyes on her. She softened her tone, swallowed, and added, "I don't object. It's fair."

The others all knew Teacher Sun was trying to go easy on Lu Ruyun, but they didn't dare voice any dissent. They could only echo, "No objections."

"Sure. Teacher Lu asked the first question for Teacher Sun, so I accept it."

Seeing that no one objected, Qin Zhenzhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced in Teacher Sun's direction, only to see Teacher Sun smiling with narrowed eyes. "Then let me think... Ruyun, what was the happiest moment of your childhood?"

The group collectively made a sound of disappointment. They had thought Teacher Sun was going easy on her, but it turned out she was opening the floodgates!

The happiest moment of childhood?

Wasn't that a freebie?

You could just make something up casually.

Losing interest, everyone sat back in their seats, waiting for Lu Ruyun's casual answer. Qin Zhenzhen, however, noticed a subtle change in Lu Ruyun's expression. Her face grew serious, her gaze turned slightly cold, her lips pressed together, she sat ramrod straight, and her fingers rubbed the rim of her cup. She hesitated for quite a while before finally saying, "There isn't one."

Her two words left everyone stunned. They all looked at Lu Ruyun in disbelief.

There isn't one???

The girl sitting opposite Lu Ruyun asked softly, "Teacher Lu, 'there isn't one' means..."

Qin Zhenzhen laughed and explained, "Of course there isn't just one! Every single day of Ruyun's childhood was the happiest."

Hearing her cover-up, everyone relaxed and laughed along. Thinking about it again, it made sense. They'd heard Lu Ruyun came from a privileged background; she must have been treated like a princess from a young age. How could she not be happy?

Only Qin Zhenzhen kept a sidelong glance on Lu Ruyun.

'What was the happiest moment of your childhood?'

'There isn't one.'

Did she mean there was no single happiest moment?

Or—that there was no childhood?

These two thoughts surfaced in Qin Zhenzhen's mind. Her peripheral vision remained fixed on Lu Ruyun. She saw that Lu Ruyun's expression had already returned to its usual composure, but her eyelids were slightly lowered, and a shadow of gloom lingered in her eyes.

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