Married in a Daze - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Qin Zhenzhen hadn't seen Lu Ruyun for four days.
Although their crews were filming side by side, Lu Ruyun had been shooting exterior scenes these past few days and wasn't in the film and television city. So, Zhenzhen hadn't seen her. She didn't think much of it, but the teasing from the crew had become more frequent.
Whenever she sat by herself, they'd say she must be thinking of Teacher Lu again. When she scrolled through her phone for news while eating, they'd say she was having a private chat with Teacher Lu and shouldn't be disturbed.
In short, she couldn't see Lu Ruyun.
But her world was still filled with that name.
There were even a few girls who, after getting her autograph in their little notebooks, asked if she could take them back to get Teacher Lu's signature in the evening.
Of course not!
She didn't even live with Lu Ruyun. What signature was she supposed to get?
Naturally, she could only grumble about these thoughts internally. Facing her little fans, she still smiled gently. "I'm sorry, Ruyun has been shooting exteriors these past few days and is very tired. Wait until she returns to the film city to get her autograph."
The little fans all left, each looking as heartbroken as if they'd just gone through a breakup.
After they left, Ji Lu brought over some drinks. "Zhenzhen, Director Hu has had several NGs over there. He probably won't finish before noon. We still have some time. Want me to accompany you out for a meal?"
For the past few days, Qin Zhenzhen had been rushing through scenes and just ate boxed lunches with the crew. Today was a rare break. Ji Lu, worried she was tired of boxed lunches, thought of going out with her for a change of taste.
Qin Zhenzhen sat in her chair, a cooling fan blowing pleasantly on her. She took a satisfied sip of ice water, looked at the blazing sun outside, and shook her head. "Not going out."
How comfortable it was just lying here.
Besides, she had a scene coming up. Who knew when the people currently messing up might finally get it right? Better not to run out.
Seeing this, Ji Lu had no choice but to say, "Alright then. I'll go make arrangements."
With that, she left. After she was gone, Qin Zhenzhen picked up her phone and browsed Weibo for a while. Compared to the storm of news about her and Lu Ruyun online before, the current buzz was just trivial.
Today, there'd be some insignificant rumor saying she and Lu Ruyun had a Marriage of Convenience. Tomorrow, a couple more lines would appear, suggesting they had hidden circumstances, that there was some behind-the-scenes transaction between them.
Such speculation was completely baseless, but netizens loved these kinds of conjectures to satisfy their own curiosity. When it came to probing into privacy, each of them could transform into Sherlock Holmes, one script after another emerging. Qin Zhenzhen read them with her jaw dropped.
It was better than the TV dramas she acted in.
The content was thrilling, full of twists and turns, presented convincingly and with apparent logic, making it hard not to be persuaded. It was a real shame these people weren't screenwriters.
Qin Zhenzhen put her phone down, caught between tears and laughter. Just as she was about to close her eyes for a moment, someone nearby called out, "Zhenzhen."
She turned to look. It was Sun Qin.
Sun Qin was still in costume. Having stood under the scorching sun for a long time, her face was slightly flushed, her forehead beaded with fine sweat. She sat down beside Qin Zhenzhen. "Hiding here resting, huh? Didn't go out to eat?"
Qin Zhenzhen sat up straighter. "Teacher Sun, are you finished?"
Sun Qin nodded.
The scene being shot today was the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. All the imperial concubines were gathered to celebrate. With so many people, mistakes were unavoidable. They had already NG'd several times in a row. Director Hu's expression was growing darker, making everyone nervous. The more careful they tried to be, the more likely they were to mess up. Finally, Director Hu decided to let everyone go eat and shoot again in the afternoon.
Because of the NGs, actors not involved in this scene had mostly gone out for lunch. So, Qin Zhenzhen was left behind. Sun Qin spotted her at a glance.
Qin Zhenzhen smiled. "What about your lunch, Teacher Sun? Going out?"
Sun Qin waved a hand. "It's too hot, can't be bothered. What about you? Didn't go out to lunch with Ruyun?"
Qin Zhenzhen heard that familiar name again. She put on her trademark smile. "Ruyun isn't back yet."
Sun Qin tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Didn't Ruyun come back this morning?"
Qin Zhenzhen was startled. "She did?"
Sun Qin smiled. "Yes, I just saw her over there. She probably just got back and hasn't had time to tell you."
Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head, feigning shyness. A breeze lifted her long hair, revealing her delicate profile. Sun Qin was still looking at her. Seeing no one nearby, she spoke up. "Zhenzhen, actually, after that meal last time, I've been meaning to ask you to apologize to Ruyun on my behalf."
Qin Zhenzhen tucked her hair behind her ear. "Apologize?"
Sun Qin nodded. "I know I asked the wrong question at the dinner table last time."
Qin Zhenzhen quickly recalled the dinner conversation and smiled. "It's nothing. Ruyun is just a bit boring, very proper and serious. Actually..."
Sun Qin interrupted her. "Actually, you don't need to hide it from me. I know Ruyun's family situation isn't good, and I still asked that question. It was my mistake."
Qin Zhenzhen said, "You didn't know. Your intention was still to help her out. I could tell you really like Ruyun."
Hearing this, Sun Qin smiled slightly, her eyes narrowing. "That's right. I do like Ruyun quite a bit. I remember when we first started filming, the director told me a very spirited girl had joined the cast. I was wondering which newcomer it was. Never thought it'd be Ruyun."
"I've seen Ruyun's acting. She really does have spirit and talent. If it weren't for..."
She sighed here. Qin Zhenzhen immediately thought of what she'd said about Lu Ruyun's family and spoke up. "Is it because of Ms. Lu?"
Sun Qin looked up at her. "You know about that too, huh."
"Forget it, let's not talk about it. After that day, I kept thinking back and forth and still felt that question was inappropriate. I wanted to apologize to Ruyun but was afraid of making her sad. You're the closest person to Ruyun, so I'm troubling you."
Qin Zhenzhen smiled. "No trouble at all."
It's just that Lu Ruyun and I aren't close either.
We're farther apart than the two of you.
After saying this, Sun Qin chatted intermittently with Qin Zhenzhen. Their conversation was casual and scattered. Within a few minutes, Song He also came over, with two people following behind her.
Qin Zhenzhen glanced up casually, then looked back in disbelief.
The two people behind Song He were Lu Ruyun and He Shuangshuang.
Before she could figure out how they'd gotten here, Sun Qin stood up. "You...?"
Song He smiled brightly. "I just ran into Teacher Lu on the way and invited her over."
Lu Ruyun took a step forward, standing gracefully before Sun Qin. "Teacher Sun."
Sun Qin gave an acknowledging hum, glancing at Qin Zhenzhen from the corner of her eye. "Well, you chat. We'll go change out of our costumes."
Song He seemed a bit slow on the uptake. "Oh... okay."
Qin Zhenzhen watched the two of them leave, feeling a sudden wave of helplessness. It wasn't really about changing costumes; they were avoiding the situation.
With those two gone, their little area instantly became quieter. Many gazes from nearby were glued to them. Qin Zhenzhen scooted further inside the shaded area. "Come in."
The space under the umbrella was quite large, cluttered with various equipment pieces about half a person's height. When sitting, you couldn't be seen from outside. Next to Qin Zhenzhen, the cooling fan was whirring away. After sitting down, she noticed fine beads of sweat on Lu Ruyun's otherwise calm face. She shifted slightly to the side, aiming the fan more towards Lu Ruyun.
He Shuangshuang was standing beside Lu Ruyun, wanting to sit down but feeling awkward, yet standing made her even more uncomfortable.
She and Qin Zhenzhen hadn't been adversaries from the start. It was just that after a few incidents, and her falling for the bait a couple of times, they developed this mutual dislike.
She wasn't like Lu Ruyun, who had that kind of temperament that couldn't really clash with anyone. Her own personality leaned towards the fiery side. When she and Qin Zhenzhen had their mutual dislike, they'd exchange all sorts of dirty looks. She had thought that once Time in Full Bloom was over, they would finally go their separate ways.
Who could have imagined.
She actually ended up married to Ruyun.
It was truly a bizarre, twisted fate.
Seeing He Shuangshuang's restless, uncomfortable demeanor, Qin Zhenzhen opened her mouth. "There are no nails on the stool. Sit down, it's safe."
Annoyed, He Shuangshuang plopped down on the stool, her pretty face flushing red, refusing to even look at Qin Zhenzhen. Lu Ruyun, seeing this, leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words. He Shuangshuang looked up in surprise. "What?"
Lu Ruyun gave her a slight nod. "Go on."
He Shuangshuang looked at her, then at Qin Zhenzhen, let out a "hmph," and walked out from under the umbrella.
Qin Zhenzhen watched her departing back and asked Lu Ruyun, "What's she going to do?"
Lu Ruyun lowered her gaze. "Buy a few things."
Qin Zhenzhen didn't reply. A few seconds of silence passed. Under the umbrella, the two of them sat facing each other, a hint of awkward atmosphere lingering around them. Qin Zhenzhen felt even her breathing had become uncomfortable. She shifted her posture. Lu Ruyun spoke up. "We're going on the show tomorrow. Are you prepared?"
Qin Zhenzhen gave a superficial smile. "Sister Meng has already arranged everything."
Lu Ruyun gazed at her profile. In the distance, Ji Lu was walking over carrying several food boxes, calling out from afar, "Zhenzhen!"
Qin Zhenzhen looked up. Seeing the food boxes in Ji Lu's hands, the corner of her mouth twitched. She looked at Ji Lu with her eyes: What's the meaning of this?
Ji Lu glanced at Lu Ruyun out of the corner of her eye. Qin Zhenzhen grimaced: She's not eating here!
Ji Lu had no choice. She shrugged helplessly, her mouth twitching towards another direction. Qin Zhenzhen looked over. There stood Sun Qin, Song He, and a crowd of people, watching the fun, not caring if it got messy. When they saw her looking, they quickly smiled and waved, gesturing for them to eat.
Qin Zhenzhen forced a smile in return. As soon as she sat back down, the smile gradually vanished.
Lu Ruyun took in her expression completely. Under the umbrella, none of the three spoke. Ji Lu couldn't hold back and said, "Zhenzhen, Te—Teacher Lu, let's eat."
Calling her "Teacher Lu" felt particularly awkward. She hadn't quite woken up from the world where she and Lu Ruyun had conflicts. Everything about Lu Ruyun still seemed strange to her.
Lu Ruyun was quite at ease. She took the food box from Ji Lu's hand and placed it on the small folding table. She broke apart the disposable chopsticks and handed them to Qin Zhenzhen. The latter stared at her hand for a moment, then lowered her head. "Thank you."
Qin Zhenzhen didn't take the chopsticks Lu Ruyun offered. Instead, she reached for another pair herself.
Lu Ruyun's hand remained extended in mid-air. Ji Lu glanced at the two of them, cleared her throat softly, and took the chopsticks from Lu Ruyun's hand. "Thank you, Teacher Lu."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw both Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun looking at her with astonished expressions. Ji Lu blinked innocently twice, opening and closing her mouth. "Should I... go eat somewhere else?"
Qin Zhenzhen: "No need."
Lu Ruyun: "Alright."
They spoke simultaneously. Qin Zhenzhen's slightly crisp voice was covered by Lu Ruyun's low tone. Ji Lu only heard the "alright." She looked up at Qin Zhenzhen but couldn't decipher the meaning in her eyes. Clutching her food box, she scurried away.
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