Married in a Daze - Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Qin Zhenzhen hung up the phone, rubbing her slightly aching head. Her temples were throbbing. After taking several deep breaths in bed, she finally stepped into her slippers and got up.
She hadn't taken two steps before she jumped back onto the bed and flopped down!
A miserable groan immediately echoed through the room!
Ji Lu arrived at the apartment just after ten. She was carrying breakfast in her hand. Since Qin Zhenzhen's apartment was a perennial non-cooking zone, she was definitely still without breakfast.
Sure enough, when she knocked and the door opened, she found Qin Zhenzhen standing there in her pajamas with disheveled long hair. Ji Lu stepped inside and asked, "Not awake yet?"
Qin Zhenzhen replied without much energy, "I'm awake."
She had been scared awake by her mom.
That morning phone call was her mother's final ultimatum: she had to go home tonight, and not just her—she had to take Lu Ruyun with her.
Qin Zhenzhen collapsed onto the sofa, a picture of utter despair.
Ji Lu sat down beside her, unpacking the breakfast on the coffee table. She tilted her head and asked, "Hungry? Eat something first?"
Qin Zhenzhen frowned. After several seconds, she replied, "Later."
After saying that, she got up and went to the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of running water came from inside.
Ji Lu waited outside for quite a while before Qin Zhenzhen emerged after her shower, freshly washed. She had put on a blue pure cotton pajama set and wrapped her long hair in a dry towel. Her entire face was flushed pink from the steam, and her complexion looked much better than before.
Qin Zhenzhen walked a couple of steps, pulled off the dry towel, and let her jet-black hair cascade down. She draped the towel over the back of the sofa, sat down, and asked casually, "Have you eaten?"
This wasn't the first time Ji Lu had seen her come out of the bathroom, or even the first time she'd seen her just after a shower, but she still hadn't built up an immunity. Every single time, she was struck by her beauty.
Not hearing an answer, Qin Zhenzhen looked up and saw Ji Lu staring at her with wide eyes. Puzzled, she touched her face and asked, "What is it?"
Ji Lu abruptly lowered her head and coughed lightly. "Nothing. You eat first. I need to call Sister Meng back."
Qin Zhenzhen hummed in acknowledgment and opened the takeout container. The apartment was instantly filled with the aroma of food. Ji Lu walked to the side with her phone and said into it, "Sister Meng..."
Outside the window, the sun was blazing, but the air conditioning in the apartment was strong enough that it didn't feel stuffy. However, Qin Zhenzhen didn't have much of an appetite.
She hastily ate a few bites before putting down her chopsticks and picking up her phone.
After a night, the debunking on Weibo had spread across the entire internet. Her latest Weibo post was especially flooded with praise. The nitpicking comments that were usually common were now surprisingly hard to find even one.
Once a person's mind latches onto a certain suggestion, they can't help but start thinking in that direction.
For instance, right now, she clearly knew the current praise was due to her appropriate handling of the situation. Yet, the thought stubbornly lodged in her mind was—it's because I'm married.
The calamity had passed, so everything was starting to develop in a positive direction.
Except for her family...
Qin Zhenzhen sighed at her phone, exited Weibo, and found Lu Ruyun's number. She quickly typed out a text with one hand, was about to send it, then deleted the whole thing in a fit of pique.
She went back and forth like this several times before finally, annoyed, she threw her phone onto the sofa.
After finishing her call, Ji Lu saw Qin Zhenzhen's agitated state. She walked over and, noticing the barely touched breakfast, asked, "What's wrong?"
Qin Zhenzhen's gaze shifted from the phone to her. "Nothing."
Ji Lu sat beside her. "Worried about what's happening online?"
Qin Zhenzhen shook her head and frowned. "What do you think of Lu Ruyun's acting skills?"
Ji Lu hesitated for a few seconds. "Passable, I guess."
More than just passable—it was practically phenomenal. To be fair, even though she didn't like Lu Ruyun, her acting skills could easily crush over half of the entertainment industry. But she wasn't sure what Qin Zhenzhen's intention was in asking, so she was afraid saying something too positive might upset her.
Upon hearing her answer, Qin Zhenzhen's brow furrowed even tighter. Passable, I guess.
Was that good or not?
Her pretty face was full of conflict. Just as Ji Lu couldn't resist asking again, she spoke up. "Then, what do you think... if I asked her to come home for dinner, would she agree?"
Ji Lu blinked in astonishment, her voice rising an octave. "What?!"
The waiting room held several people. Some looked over their scripts with composed expressions, while others watched the doorway with nervous faces. Two young women kept glancing at their watches, fingers clutching their scripts.
As time ticked by, one girl in a white dress whispered to the person beside her, "Lele, is that Zhu Yao over there?"
Sheng Le looked towards the impeccably made-up woman sitting at the far right and nodded. "Yeah, it's her."
Qi An muttered quietly, "Why is she here? I heard her next project might be Cold Palace. Coming here to audition for a supporting role is downgrading herself, isn't it?"
Sheng Le leaned close to Qi An's ear. "Haven't you heard? The female lead for this drama is eighty percent likely to be Teacher Lu."
Qi An covered her mouth in surprise, her expression shocked. "Te-Teacher Lu?"
"Really?"
Sheng Le looked at her. "I also just heard rumors. But seeing Zhu Yao here makes it eighty percent true. Otherwise, she wouldn't come to compete with us for a supporting role."
Qi An nodded thoughtfully. If it was Teacher Lu, then seeing Zhu Yao here wasn't surprising at all.
Zhu Yao was her die-hard fan. She'd said in several interviews that she entered the entertainment industry precisely for the chance to act opposite her.
When she auditioned for the female lead in Time in Full Bloom, it caused quite a stir. Later, when the role went to Qin Zhenzhen, her fans had a huge, messy fight with Qin Zhenzhen's fans. It only died down after Zhu Yao herself posted on Weibo trying to smooth things over.
After pondering for a while, Qi An suddenly said, "I still don't believe Teacher Lu would come."
Sheng Le made a questioning sound.
Qi An explained, "Isn't this drama funded by Duan Qiuhan? Teacher Lu and he..."
Sheng Le instantly understood, realizing she was referring to yesterday's announcement of Lu Ruyun and Qin Zhenzhen's marriage. She shrugged. "Hard to say."
After all, relationships in the industry were always complicated. At first, they also thought Teacher Lu and Duan Qiuhan were a couple. But on second thought, Teacher Lu had never publicly confirmed her relationship with Duan Qiuhan on Weibo. Even media reports always labeled them as rumored boyfriend and girlfriend. Maybe it was all just outsiders' speculation, not solid evidence. Perhaps—they were never that kind of relationship at all.
So, it really was hard to say.
The waiting room fell quiet again. A few minutes later, a staff member entered from the doorway. With a smile, she announced, "Everyone, please follow me to change costumes and get makeup done."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Yao stood up. Her previously calm expression tightened slightly, revealing a hint of eagerness. She strode out of the waiting room in her high heels. Qi An tugged on Sheng Le's sleeve. "Let's go."
On the stage, Duan Qiuhan stood beside Lu Ruyun, a gentle smile on his handsome face. He occasionally reached out to help adjust her costume, nodding in agreement from time to time.
Lu Ruyun was in costume, her expression gentle and soft.
Zhu Yao, who had just stepped out of the makeup room, looked up at the stage. Seeing Lu Ruyun looking down with a faint smile, she found herself unable to move. The chattering voices behind her were incessant.
"It's Teacher Lu! It really is Teacher Lu!"
"Keep your voice down."
"The one next to Teacher Lu is Duan Qiuhan, right? They really do look good together."
"What good does looking good together do? Teacher Lu still married Qin Zhenzhen. Who knows what Teacher Lu was thinking."
Hearing this, Zhu Yao clenched her fists.
She had married Qin Zhenzhen.
Because of Time in Full Bloom.
If she had gotten that role back then, she wouldn't have acted opposite Qin Zhenzhen, and she wouldn't have married Qin Zhenzhen.
Maybe, the person standing beside her now would have been her!
Zhu Yao couldn't stop such thoughts from sprouting. She had already lost one chance; she absolutely wouldn't lose this one too.
That's why she had insisted on coming to this audition, despite her manager's objections.
"Zhu Yao?"
"Zhu Yao? It's your turn."
Someone gave Zhu Yao a gentle push. She snapped back to reality and saw everyone's eyes were on her. She lowered her head and walked onto the stage.
One step, two steps. Just a little closer, and she could see her clearly.
Zhu Yao's palms were sweating, her heart pounding wildly. She wanted to open her mouth to greet her, but the words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
"Are you ready to begin?"
The gentle, pleasant voice sounded in her ears, just like before. Zhu Yao looked up, her eyes shimmering with moisture, the rims slightly red. She clutched the edges of her costume, her lips quivering. "I..."
Lu Ruyun looked down at her and gave a soft laugh. "Don't be nervous."
Zhu Yao closed her eyes for a moment. "Sorry."
Lu Ruyun didn't reply, just patted her shoulder. Zhu Yao felt the warmth of her palm seep through the thin costume onto her skin—a tingling, numbing sensation. The tips of her ears flushed red.
Qi An, who had been watching the stage, turned to Sheng Le and said, "I thought I was nervous enough just seeing Teacher Lu, but Zhu Yao is even worse than me."
Sheng Le whispered back, "Of course. For us, it's admiration for Teacher Lu. She's different from us."
Qi An nodded in understanding and turned her gaze back to the two on stage.
Zhu Yao took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, looked up at Lu Ruyun, and said, "Teacher Lu, we can begin."
Hearing her, Lu Ruyun looked towards Duan Qiuhan and gave a slight nod. Duan Qiuhan announced, "Begin."
Like a Dream was a wuxia drama. It told the story of a generation's martial arts alliance leader who obtained the Moon Decree only to have his entire clan massacred. The female lead escaped the slaughter because she was mischievous and had snuck out over the wall that night to have fun elsewhere. From then on, she concealed her identity and investigated the massacre, encountering the righteous male lead and the assassin female supporting character along the way, unraveling a series of major plots.
The scene they were shooting today was where the female lead had already discovered the female supporting character was one of the assassins who slaughtered her family that night. The two were now in a confrontation.
"So, you knew all along?"
The voice was no longer gentle; it carried an immeasurable chill. The slow glance directed at her was like poison, eyes filled with overwhelming hatred. Lu Ruyun clenched her fists, her body trembling slightly with rage.
Zhu Yao stood in place, her eyes full of shock and fear. She hadn't yet processed that the person before her was the one she was supposed to hunt down. Scenes from the past flashed before her eyes—the cautious probing when they first met, the heartfelt, deep connection after they got to know each other. How warm the past had been, how cruel the present was.
No, impossible.
Zhu Yao shook her head, her face pale as death. The face of the alliance leader before his death superimposed endlessly with the person before her, causing her to involuntarily retreat several steps.
Lu Ruyun strode forward with her long sword. Her hate-filled face was twisted. Tipping her head back, a sorrowful, anguished sound erupted from her throat. "Do I seem laughable to you?"
"Ha, hahahaha!"
"How laughable! I actually became bosom friends with the murderer who destroyed my clan! Laughable! Utterly laughable!"
Seeing her in such pain, Zhu Yao couldn't help but reach out a hand. "No..."
Lu Ruyun gritted her teeth, cutting her off sharply. "Shut up!"
Zhu Yao's lips trembled. She didn't want to see her in such agony—not even in a performance! It hurt her heart! It hurt so much! Zhu Yao's face was as pale as paper, cold sweat trickling down her temples, her body trembling lightly.
Her own intense pain ironically made her performance fit the female supporting character's emotional state even better.
Duan Qiuhan watched her performance and nodded in approval to the person beside him.
This scene needed to convey the female supporting character's shock upon learning the truth, her nostalgia for the past, and her feelings for the female lead. As an assassin, she should be emotionless, yet she broke her own rules for the female lead. So, her feelings for the female lead weren't just a camaraderie of mutual appreciation; there were more complex emotions at play.
On stage, Lu Ruyun pointed her sword directly at Zhu Yao, the tip pressing against her neck. With a flick of her wrist, Zhu Yao's tied-up long hair came loose, a few strands drifting in the air.
A voice, cold enough to chill the bones, slowly sounded, carrying a hatred that could not be vented.
"The next time we meet."
"It will be your death, or mine."
Upon hearing these words, Zhu Yao looked up, meeting Lu Ruyun's eyes filled with towering hatred. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the stage!
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