Married in a Daze - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
An hour later, Meng Xin did not wait for Qin Zhenzhen at the dinner at Liming. Instead, she received a notification call from her.
"Qin Zhenzhen! Do you have any idea what you're saying?!"
The voice on the other end of the line cracked with agitation. Clutching the divination paper, Qin Zhenzhen repeated her words: "Sister Meng, I want to get married."
Meng Xin was so shocked she felt short of breath. "Married? To whom? Don't tell me it's that pretty-boy actor from your last TV show?!"
Qin Zhenzhen sat curled up on her apartment sofa. One hand held the phone to her ear, the other unconsciously hugged her knees. Her voice was faint. "To Lu Ruyun."
It was noisy around Meng Xin, and her voice was quite loud. "Who?"
Qin Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and threw the words out one by one. "It's Lu Ruyun!"
Meng Xin's body stiffened. She blinked twice, her expression one of utter astonishment. "Lu Ruyun?"
"Zhenzhen, have you lost your mind?"
Qin Zhenzhen: ...
She knew Meng Xin would react like this. But she couldn't explain the Tianyuan Temple incident to Meng Xin either. Qin Zhenzhen could only reply briefly, "I haven't been drinking, and I'm not crazy, Sister Meng. I've thought this through carefully before deciding."
"The hell you have!"
Hearing her coherent reply only made Meng Xin angrier. "Zhenzhen, do you know what getting married means? It means you'll lose a huge portion of your resources!"
"Tell me the truth, are you doing this because of the recent smear campaign online about you and Lu Ruyun?"
A little irritably, Qin Zhenzhen rested her head on her knees. "No."
Meng Xin argued vehemently, "Still acting tough? If not, then tell me, when did you two get together?"
Qin Zhenzhen pouted. "Just now."
Meng Xin: ...
Half an hour later, Meng Xin, having left the dinner, appeared at Qin Zhenzhen's apartment.
The apartment was bought last year after Qin Zhenzhen starred in a massively popular TV series. It wasn't huge, but the location was excellent, the environment pleasant, and the lighting ample. From her floor-to-ceiling windows, she could take in the entire cityscape of City A. When Meng Xin arrived, she saw Qin Zhenzhen leaning her head against the glass wall, arms wrapped around herself, her bright eyes gazing out pensively.
Qin Zhenzhen had just taken a shower. She wore a thin silk nightgown, her waist-length hair casually draped over her shoulders. The ends were still dripping water, dampening her nightgown and revealing her lovely, delicate figure. The warm yellow lamplight cast upon her added a touch of hazy beauty.
Meng Xin glanced at her, then averted her gaze. Passing the sofa, she casually picked up a shawl and walked over to Qin Zhenzhen, draping it over her shoulders.
Qin Zhenzhen turned her head and looked up, her thin lips parting. "Sister Meng, you're here."
Meng Xin hummed in acknowledgement, looking at her.
Qin Zhenzhen's lovely face, free of makeup, was fair with a hint of pink, her skin delicate. Her features were so exquisitely defined they seemed carved by a master's hand. This face was also the fundamental reason Meng Xin had signed her in the first place.
In this industry, there are plenty of people with good acting skills.
Finding a beauty is also possible.
But finding someone with both good acting skills and natural beauty? That was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Fortunately, she had found that needle.
But now...
Meng Xin collected her thoughts and asked, "What's this about getting married you mentioned on the phone?"
Qin Zhenzhen tightened the ends of the shawl, walked from the window to the sofa, and sat down, her demeanor natural. "Sister Meng, I know right now you must think I've gone crazy. But I have to get married."
Meng Xin frowned. "Have to? You still need a reason!"
Having known her for three years, she knew Qin Zhenzhen wasn't a capricious person.
On the contrary, this was the first time she had made a decision on her own like this.
Qin Zhenzhen pressed her lips together. "It's a long story."
Meng Xin: "Then make it short."
Qin Zhenzhen lowered her gaze. Make it short...
She herself didn't know how to explain it.
If those bizarre things hadn't happened to her personally, she probably wouldn't believe them even if beaten to death.
But as it happened, they had happened.
She couldn't ignore them.
And she certainly couldn't gamble with her own life.
Fortunately, on this understanding, she and Lu Ruyun had reached an agreement.
Seeing her silence, Meng Xin let out a frustrated laugh. "Fine. Even if you want to get married, does Lu Ruyun know? What did she say?"
Qin Zhenzhen looked up. "Her? Of course she agreed."
Meng Xin stared at her in surprise, her tone rising. "Agreed?"
Lu Ruyun would actually join Zhenzhen in this madness?
Not to mention their acquaintance wasn't that deep to begin with.
Just the fact that the 'hitting' incident was still unresolved, even now. A single statement from Lu Ruyun could have cleared Zhenzhen's name, yet she did nothing. Wasn't that clearly sending the message that she disliked Zhenzhen?
So why the sudden change of heart now?
Meng Xin's eyes swept over Qin Zhenzhen, a puzzled frown on her face.
Qin Zhenzhen couldn't hold back. "Sister Meng, what are you looking at?"
Meng Xin placed a hand on Qin Zhenzhen's shoulder, her tone earnest. "Zhenzhen, tell me the truth. Did you—seduce Lu Ruyun?"
Qin Zhenzhen looked utterly bewildered. "Huh??"
It had been three days. The 'hitting' scandal on Weibo hadn't died down; instead, more and more people were paying attention. New gossip emerged daily, yet her and Lu Ruyun's names stubbornly occupied the top three spots on the search rankings, refusing to drop.
Even Meng Xin said it was what the hell—they could pay to have it taken down, but it would bounce right back up in no time.
If that movie back then had even half this level of heat, they wouldn't have had to worry about being scolded into an early closure.
Qin Zhenzhen lay in bed. The morning sun peeked through the gap in the curtains, landing on her pillow, forcing her to roll over. She continued hugging her phone, scrolling through Weibo.
—Is Qin Zhenzhen still playing dead?
—Playing what dead? Keep your language clean! Lu Ruyun hasn't even said anything, yet you all act like you have divine insight!
—Exactly, neither of the parties involved has stepped forward, yet you're the ones cursing the loudest.
—Cursing? Who's cursing?
—Don't bother with Qin Zhenzhen's fans. Fans reflect their idol. If someone else had hit Qin Zhenzhen, just look at how filthy their mouths would be!
—I say don't bother with Lu Ruyun's fans either. A fading star trying to ride the coattails of a popular artist.
—Ride on coattails my ass!
Qin Zhenzhen rolled her eyes as she read. Just as she was about to change positions, she saw a text message notification on her phone. She tapped it open. It was from an unfamiliar number.
—What time are you coming?
Qin Zhenzhen didn't react for a moment. After a while, she typed a reply: Lu Ruyun?
It wasn't strange she didn't know Lu Ruyun's number. Although they had exchanged brief pleasantries during their initial meeting, after the subsequent bizarre incidents, they had long since deleted each other as contacts, unwilling to even spare a glance for the other.
So not knowing wasn't strange.
Less than two minutes after sending the message, a call came in, from the same unfamiliar number.
Qin Zhenzhen answered. "Hello."
She had just woken up, her voice slightly hoarse and lazy. Lu Ruyun was silent for a few seconds before speaking. "What time are you coming?"
Qin Zhenzhen glanced at the time. It was just past eight. She fiddled with the corner of the blanket. "Nine. Let's meet directly at the Civil Affairs Bureau entrance."
Lu Ruyun's light, clear voice came through the line, calm and measured. "Alright."
A perfectly standard inquiry, a perfectly standard conclusion, completely in line with Lu Ruyun's 'old cadre' persona. After hanging up, Qin Zhenzhen silently thought two words: Boring!
Yes, in her mind, Lu Ruyun was just that boring a person.
And now, she was going to marry this person.
Qin Zhenzhen lay face down on the bed, her mind blank. Not a few minutes later, someone knocked on her apartment door. Ji Lu stood at the entrance holding several types of breakfast. When Qin Zhenzhen opened the door, she beamed brightly. "Morning, Zhenzhen."
Seeing her wide grin, Qin Zhenzhen felt a bit of that joy rub off on her and nodded. "Morning."
Ji Lu held up the breakfast. "Buns, milk, soy milk, fried dough sticks. You..."
Qin Zhenzhen cut her off. "Leave them. We'll eat out later."
Ji Lu's hand was still half-raised, her face showing surprise. Before she could speak, Qin Zhenzhen's voice came from the bathroom. "Consider it a celebration of my marriage."
Thump!
The breakfast in Ji Lu's hands fell to the floor, followed by her utterly undignified shriek. "Marriage?!"
"Zhenzhen, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well? Or are you in some kind of trouble? Or maybe..."
Qin Zhenzhen pressed her fingers to her temple and let two words drift out lightly. "Shut up."
Ji Lu instantly covered her mouth with both hands, but her big, bright eyes remained fixed on Qin Zhenzhen. She was holding her breath, her face flushed red.
Ever since getting in the car, Qin Zhenzhen had endured Ji Lu's non-stop chatter all the way. Her slightly aching head now throbbed even more. After telling Ji Lu to shut up, she leaned back in the seat, closed her eyes, and said, "Wake me when we get there."
Ji Lu tilted her head to look at her, noticing the faint dark circles under her eyes. She swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and nodded. "Okay."
The Civil Affairs Bureau was in the city center, with frequent traffic lights—stopping every two minutes. Even with her eyes closed, Qin Zhenzhen couldn't rest peacefully. Her delicate brows were furrowed, her complexion slightly pale.
After all, she was going to get married. How could she be truly calm? Moreover, the other party was Lu Ruyun, someone she had previously been at odds with.
It would be a lie to say she had no reservations.
But letting her relive last night's car crash incident? That, she was even less willing to do.
The grey van passed street after street. When they were two traffic lights away from the city center, Ji Lu woke Qin Zhenzhen. Actually, she hadn't been asleep. The moment she heard her name, her eyes opened, bright and clear.
Ji Lu looked at her, wanting to speak but hesitating. Qin Zhenzhen glanced at her expression and parted her lips. "Don't worry. I'm not sick, I'm not in trouble, and I'm not possessed either. Getting married is my own choice."
Hearing this, Ji Lu's worried expression deepened. Seeing the Civil Affairs Bureau just ahead, she braced herself and said, "But Zhenzhen, will Lu Ruyun really marry you?"
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Of course."
Ji Lu wore a look of someone severely constipated. "But... doesn't she have a boyfriend?"
Qin Zhenzhen froze.
Crap!
She had actually forgotten about that!
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