Married in a Daze - Chapter 52
Chapter 52
As soon as Director Zheng Shaoyuan's Weibo post went live, it immediately attracted onlookers. As everyone knew, the "marriage of convenience" incident involving a certain celebrity he mentioned referred to the recent situation with Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun. As for the subsequent, half-true-half-false revelation, although the target wasn't explicitly named, netizens quickly guessed who he was trying to insinuate—it was Qin Zhenzhen.
Combined with previous online discussions about Qin Zhenzhen offending a certain director and subsequently having her resources cut, the outline of this matter gradually became clear.
The netizens had a sudden epiphany. So that's how she offended him.
She tried to sell herself, but the other party simply wasn't buying.
This matter quickly spread online, with all kinds of comments. The more literary way of putting it was that Qin Zhenzhen wanted to dedicate herself for the sake of art. The cruder way of putting it was that she wanted to climb into the director's bed for resources.
Fortunately, this director was relatively upright. He kicked her off, and even kindly advised her to take the right path.
Netizens watching the commotion all said she tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice. According to Director Zheng's character, if she had just gotten on stage and showcased her acting skills, she might have even been selected. This viewpoint immediately sparked a wave of mockery once it emerged.
—What 'selected'? Are you all insane? Would Director Zheng's film choose her? At the very least, it would be a skilled actress like Wei An.
—Agreed, agreed, agreed. You guys were just saying Wei An would replace Qin Zhenzhen a while ago. Sorry, but don't insult my Wei An.
—You never truly know a person. But I think Director Zheng didn't explicitly say who it was. Isn't it inappropriate to speculate like this? Qin Zhenzhen always seemed quite proper to me.
—Upstairs, you probably don't know what 'proper' means. Comes out with one TV drama and immediately drags the male lead and supporting male actors into dating rumors, a whole bunch of articles about outshining others, and you tell me she's proper? You probably don't know how she became a traffic star.
—How else? By getting ahead by sleeping around!
These unsightly remarks spread across the internet in less than two hours, adding several new topics to people's after-dinner conversations. With nothing better to do, they started contributing to the traffic. By early evening, the likes on Director Zheng's Weibo post had already surpassed one million.
While stepping on Qin Zhenzhen, they didn't forget to praise the upright Director Zheng, lauding him as a clear stream in the directorial world, a talent scout for actors with real skill, daring to act and speak out.
While the online world was busy, the offline world wasn't lagging behind. Major media outlets began preparing press releases. Whether Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun's marriage was one of convenience or not was debatable, but her attempt to sleep with a director for roles was considered half-confirmed. Some media outlets even wanted to schedule an interview with Zheng Shaoyuan.
By this time, Qin Zhenzhen was already sitting on the sofa in Lu Ruyun's home. It was November, just past six in the evening, and the sky was already darkening at the horizon. He Shuangshuang was busy at the computer, having made countless phone calls. Her mobile phone kept ringing incessantly. This was the first time Qin Zhenzhen had seen her work so diligently, and she found it very unfamiliar. She suddenly remembered their conversation last time.
"I'm not a qualified assistant or manager. I'm barely a qualified friend."
"If Ruyun had ever encountered a slightly capable manager, she absolutely wouldn't be in her current situation."
"But you know her circumstances. Not only can she not tolerate other people around her, she's also very picky about choosing scripts..."
Qin Zhenzhen lowered her eyelids. He Shuangshuang finished a stage of work, walked over to pour a glass of water, and reported the situation: "The online discussion about you and Miss Qin's marriage of convenience has been temporarily suppressed."
As for how it was suppressed...
Of course, it was because of Zheng Shaoyuan's revelation.
The information in that revelation was too obvious, too suggestive. With a little thought, anyone could tell he was talking about Qin Zhenzhen. So, these two matters rose and fell in turn. The marriage of convenience talk was suppressed, but the content of his revelation was also hotly discussed.
The netizens currently condemning Qin Zhenzhen online were even more numerous now.
Lu Ruyun didn't say anything upon hearing this, her expression unchanged. Only her lips pressed into a thin line, clearly not happy. She tilted her head to look at He Shuangshuang. "Still haven't found the person who posted it?"
He Shuangshuang shook her head. After an afternoon of effort with Meng Xin, they hadn't found them. Lu Ruyun stood up, walked to the computer, and pulled up the previous revealing post to look at again.
Seeing the familiar photos, she paused slightly. "From this angle, where was the photographer standing?"
He Shuangshuang leaned in. Even Qin Zhenzhen stood up from the sofa. Watching the two of them ponder, she couldn't figure out the angle. But when she flipped to her own photos, several were taken in the corridor. Pointing at her photos, she said, "This one was probably taken from around a corner."
"What's the point of asking this?"
Lu Ruyun didn't respond, staring at the photos. Qin Zhenzhen turned her head to look at her, a flash of insight crossing her mind. "Are you trying to..."
"If we delay any longer, public opinion will only become more unfavorable. Since we can't find the person who posted it, we'll start from somewhere else."
After saying this, Lu Ruyun looked at He Shuangshuang.
He Shuangshuang nodded, somewhat understanding Lu Ruyun's meaning.
Generally, to catch bandits, first catch the king. But their king was too hard to find. It might not be possible to find them in a short time. So they could only take a step back, find the foot soldiers first, then find the king.
She quickly picked up the phone to make calls. Qin Zhenzhen returned to the sofa, seeing the direction on Weibo becoming increasingly abnormal. It seemed someone was guiding the ordinary netizens, encouraging them to actively participate.
Her fans were also being scolded until they couldn't straighten their backs. Qin Zhenzhen's face darkened several shades seeing the screen full of foul language.
He Shuangshuang hung up the phone and walked over to Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun. "I'm going to get the video footage."
After saying this, she paused. "Right now, I'm just worried the video might have already been snatched by someone else."
After all, the mastermind behind this was so thorough. It was entirely possible the video had been taken.
Qin Zhenzhen quickly shook her head. "They won't. Coming to get the video would expose them."
He Shuangshuang picked up her bag. "That's true. Then I'll go first."
"You two..."
Before leaving, she looked at Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun with concern. Qin Zhenzhen nodded slightly. "Don't worry, we're fine."
Lu Ruyun quickly glanced up at her, then calmly averted her gaze, silently agreeing with her words. He Shuangshuang quickly walked to the door. Behind her, Qin Zhenzhen suddenly said, "Never thought the first thing we'd collaborate on would be this."
Her words made He Shuangshuang, who was walking forward, pause. She turned around, a touch of emotion in her eyes. This was probably what people often said—plans can't keep up with changes.
"Let it be. I'm going now."
Qin Zhenzhen stood behind her. "Thanks."
He Shuangshuang looked up at her, her expression complicated as she turned her gaze away, muttering, "It's not for you."
Qin Zhenzhen smiled lightly. "Good thing it's not for me, otherwise I'd have to think about how to refuse you."
He Shuangshuang: ...
With He Shuangshuang gone, there were no more endless phone calls, no more clacking of computer keys. The entire living room seemed very quiet. Lu Ruyun, unusually, was holding her phone, her thumb resting on the screen. She had just been discharged from the hospital and had experienced such a terrible day. Her complexion wasn't very good. Qin Zhenzhen sat down beside her and said, "You should go rest first. I'll wait for their news."
Lu Ruyun looked up at her. "No need. I'm not tired yet."
Seeing this, Qin Zhenzhen nodded slightly and leaned against Lu Ruyun's shoulder. Feeling Lu Ruyun's body stiffen suddenly, she slowly explained, "Sorry, I'm very tired. Let me lean on you."
Lu Ruyun glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, seeing her face full of fatigue, her long hair sticking to her cheeks. Whether it was the stark contrast between black and white or her pale complexion, she didn't look good.
She shouldn't be feeling good.
Online, besides the marriage of convenience talk, there was now Zheng Shaoyuan's revelation. She had just signed on to Director Yu's new film. Whether she could weather this storm safely and smoothly enter the filming crew were all unknowns.
She had every reason to be in a bad mood.
Thinking this, Lu Ruyun relaxed her body. To make her more comfortable, she even deliberately shifted a bit closer. Her expression was as usual, but when Qin Zhenzhen's faint, almost imperceptible breaths brushed against her neck, a blush still crept up near her earlobes.
The two leaned against each other in the living room. After an unknown amount of time, Qin Zhenzhen spoke. "Why did you lie to me?"
Lu Ruyun's expression tightened, her thumb gripping the phone painfully. "What?"
Qin Zhenzhen's voice was very light, very faint. She seemed exhausted, even speaking required effort. "Why did you lie and say choosing the script for 'Time' was a random choice?"
"You clearly have so many things you can't do."
It was only after hearing He Shuangshuang's explanation that she understood. It turned out everyone thought Lu Ruyun didn't know how to pick scripts. Since her debut, aside from the classic role of the Hundred Blossom Immortal, all her other films and TV dramas were mediocre, inconspicuous, not worthy of the stage.
Let alone winning awards.
She, like everyone else, had suspected it was He Shuangshuang's poor judgment in picking scripts. The truth was, there were many types of roles she simply couldn't play.
There was a demon living in her heart. Every time she retreated, the demon advanced, until she had nowhere left to retreat.
"Did Shuangshuang tell you everything?" Lu Ruyun still kept her head down, looking at her phone, her face showing neither joy nor anger, as if discussing something utterly ordinary. Only she herself knew how nervous she was right now, her heart pounding wildly, the pain making her eyes feel swollen, her vision blurry.
Qin Zhenzhen shook her head. "Not completely. Vice Dean Ding told me."
Vice Dean Ding thought she and Lu Ruyun were a loving couple, family living together with open hearts, so he told her about the condition and asked her to pay more attention.
Lu Ruyun closed her eyes, pressing her fingers against her temples. Her hospitalization had been rushed, and she had forgotten to instruct Doctor Ding. She never expected Qin Zhenzhen would learn about her condition under such circumstances. Lu Ruyun's heart hung in suspense. She pursed her lips. "So that night you stayed with me in the hospital, was it out of pity?"
Qin Zhenzhen sat up in surprise. The weight and warmth suddenly left Lu Ruyun's shoulder. Lu Ruyun unconsciously glanced at her shoulder, shifting her body unnaturally.
"Pity? Why would I pity you?"
"Teacher Lu, in my eyes, you are a normal person with a psychological condition. I'd rather pity myself than pity you."
At this moment, Lu Ruyun felt like a prisoner standing on a stage awaiting a verdict, only to be told before the announcement that she was free. She clenched her hand, steadying her wildly beating heart. The redness around her eyes began to fade, her gaze gradually clearing.
You are a normal person with a psychological condition.
Not a lunatic. Not a freak.
Lu Ruyun's fingers fiddled with the phone case's film, remaining silent for a moment. Their brief exchange gave her an illusion, as if their relationship had never grown distant, as if time had quietly returned to the days of filming the variety show, as if she had told Qin Zhenzhen about her condition that day.
And Qin Zhenzhen had said, it's okay.
But they were ultimately in the present, not back in those times.
The wound she had just reopened not long ago had only just scabbed over. She didn't have the courage to break it open a second time. Lu Ruyun lowered her head, seeing her fingertips turn pale. Qin Zhenzhen's voice continued to ring in her ears.
"Teacher Lu, the point of me saying all this is that we are about to enter a period where we inevitably have to live together. I hope you won't take advantage of having a psychological condition to exploit me."
"You know, everyone has their flaws. I have them too."
"What do you have?" Lu Ruyun looked up at Qin Zhenzhen. There was still a faint, not completely faded redness around her eyes, as if wearing rouge, adding a touch of charm to her dignified face. Qin Zhenzhen saw her own reflection in Lu Ruyun's eyes and opened her mouth. "I have terminal laziness."
Lu Ruyun: ...
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