Married in a Daze - Chapter 58
Chapter 58
When Qin Zhenzhen returned to the apartment, her name and Yu Changlin's were already plastered all over major online forums and Weibo. Yu Changlin's domineering retort had left the reporter speechless and had also garnered a lot of likes from netizens.
—It was fake news from the start. Someone as popular as Director Yu needs to use someone else for hype? And of all people, Tang Ya, whom he personally groomed? If he really wanted to create hype, he wouldn't have waited until now.
—Taking our Tang Ya away from this! She and Director Yu are just long-time friends. Maybe they were just meeting as friends; it wasn't an audition at all. Also, best wishes for Director Yu's Mountain Girl to be a huge hit! Qin Zhenzhen and Teacher Chen Feng, give it your all!
—There haven't been many good domestic films these past two years. I thought if Tang Ya collaborated with Director Yu, we'd finally have something watchable. Never expected the lead would be Qin Zhenzhen. Oh well, not watching it.
—Fine, don't watch then. I'd rather give my movie ticket to Qin Zhenzhen than to garbage like Zheng Shaoyuan and Wei An!
—Actually, I think Qin Zhenzhen isn't bad. Acting skills can be honed gradually. I thought the stills from Cold Palace looked good; she has the imposing aura of Consort Yuan. I hope this movie turns out well too.
Compared to being utterly trashed when she was confirmed as the female lead for Cold Palace, the feedback now was largely positive. Of course, a significant portion of the credit went to Zheng Shaoyuan's contributions. Her fans were very happy. Some were busy slapping the faces of the anti-fans who said she couldn't act in movies, while others were busy promoting her new film.
Although more netizens said they were just waiting to see the results of this movie, the fact was that Qin Zhenzhen's popularity was rising. Ever since she directly clashed with Zheng Shaoyuan yesterday, her number of followers had been developing at a near-vertical growth rate.
The increase completely overshadowed the period during Star Showdown.
Sitting in the car, Qin Zhenzhen glanced outside. Seeing they were almost at the apartment, she put away her phone. Ji Lu immediately asked from beside her, "Zhenzhen, did you cancel your afternoon activity?"
There had originally been a schedule.
Qin Zhenzhen shifted slightly: "Mm. I have something this afternoon. You and Xiao Wu can head back together in a bit, no need to wait for me."
Though she had her doubts, Ji Lu still nodded. "Okay."
The two parted ways at the apartment entrance. Qin Zhenzhen opened the door to see Lu Ruyun sitting on the sofa, a book in her hands. Her slender fingers rested on the somewhat aged cover, making them stand out.
Standing at the doorway, bathed in the warm sunlight from the window, looking at Lu Ruyun on the sofa, Qin Zhenzhen inexplicably felt that this was nice.
Opening the door and seeing her first thing was good for her mood.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Lu Ruyun turned her head. Her gaze met Qin Zhenzhen's, and she said indifferently, "Finished?"
Qin Zhenzhen snapped out of her daze. "Mm, finished."
She was still wearing the long gown and shawl. The gown clung to her body, accentuating a waist so slender it seemed one could hold it in one hand, her figure delicate. A flicker of appreciation passed through Lu Ruyun's eyes before she slowly lowered them. "Have you eaten?"
Qin Zhenzhen kicked off her high heels and slipped into slippers. Having just moved in, she was wearing Lu Ruyun's slippers, in a rather dated color that clashed sharply with the gown she wore.
"Not yet." Qin Zhenzhen replied nonchalantly, her hands busy at her head. Soon, she pulled out hairpins and elastic bands. Seeing Lu Ruyun look over, she said with a natural expression, "Have you eaten?"
"If not, let's go out and eat together later. I'm starving."
Her pitiful tone made Lu Ruyun swallow the words "I have eaten" that were at the tip of her tongue. Remaining silent, Qin Zhenzhen took it as confirmation that she hadn't eaten. She squinted her eyes, a smile on her face, and retreated into the study.
After half an hour of fussing, she emerged from the study again. Heavy makeup was replaced with light makeup, the gown swapped for casual sportswear, and her long hair tied into a ponytail swinging behind her. Her pretty face wore a slight smile, her whole person radiating youthful energy, as if she had just graduated from university, exuding vitality everywhere.
Lu Ruyun subconsciously glanced down at her own formal attire, fingers tightening on the book.
After leaving the room, Qin Zhenzhen was also carrying a bag. She walked briskly to Lu Ruyun's side and handed her the bag. "Teacher Lu, mind changing clothes?"
Lu Ruyun looked at her in surprise, then at the bag being offered. She pressed her lips together and took it, opening it to see sportswear identical to what Qin Zhenzhen was wearing.
Seeing she hadn't moved, Qin Zhenzhen began to explain. "Sister Meng prepared these. We—"
"Wait for me a moment." Lu Ruyun interrupted her, taking the bag and heading into the bathroom. Qin Zhenzhen's entire prepared speech was rendered useless before it could be deployed. She scratched her head, suddenly feeling that Lu Ruyun was becoming very cooperative.
By the time the two left the apartment, it was already close to 1 PM. Lu Ruyun drove. Qin Zhenzhen sat in the passenger seat and looked at the intersection ahead. "Turn left up ahead."
"Let's eat first." She looked out the window at a small restaurant not far away. "That one."
Lu Ruyun drove the car to a nearby parking spot and followed Qin Zhenzhen out. It wasn't peak mealtime, so the shop wasn't crowded. Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun still put on masks and hats. Fortunately, the weather was cold, and no one paid them any attention.
The two chose the innermost seat. Qin Zhenzhen ordered two bowls of rice noodles and some side dishes. The waitress was a young woman in her twenties with a crisp voice. "Alright, please wait a moment."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. The waitress soon left.
Lu Ruyun looked around. This was the second time, after the hotpot restaurant, that Qin Zhenzhen had brought her to a noodle shop. The interior decoration was simple: white-washed walls covered with signs for various signature dishes, light gray tiles on the floor. Overall, it looked very clean.
Most of the people eating noodles inside were teenagers around sixteen or seventeen, with some office workers eating while looking at their phones, occasionally chatting and laughing with the person opposite them.
Qin Zhenzhen waited until the waitress brought the noodles before saying to Lu Ruyun, "Let's eat."
"This is a shop I frequented when I was in school. The flavor is great. Teacher Lu, try it?"
As she spoke, she handed Lu Ruyun a pair of chopsticks and a small spoon. Lu Ruyun glanced at her, took the spoon, stirred the soup noodles twice, removed her mask, and took a small sip. The seasoning was strong, masking the original freshness of the broth. It wasn't particularly delicious.
But under Qin Zhenzhen's expectant gaze, she still gave a slight nod. "It's alright."
Qin Zhenzhen smiled brightly. "Right? The taste is pretty good."
Lu Ruyun picked up some noodles with her chopsticks. Before she could eat them, she heard Qin Zhenzhen say, "Just like that, don't move."
She looked up to see Qin Zhenzhen pointing her phone at her. Qin Zhenzhen fiddled with it for a few seconds, then stood up and sat on the chair next to her. Lu Ruyun frowned slightly but before she could speak, she felt a weight on her shoulder. Glancing sideways, she saw Qin Zhenzhen's head leaning on her shoulder and heard her somewhat cheerful voice. "Smile."
Lu Ruyun subconsciously lifted the corners of her lips.
Five minutes later, Qin Zhenzhen edited her Weibo post and sent it out.
@TrulyZhen: I'm especially happy today. Not just because I'll soon be collaborating with Teacher Yu Changlin, or because my followers just broke 60 million. The most important thing is, my wife experienced a bit of puppy love with me. Bonus pics here [photo] [photo].
In the two photos, Qin Zhenzhen was smiling happily and making a hand gesture. Lu Ruyun also had a slight smile, clearly in a good mood.
Both were wearing sportswear, with ponytails and light makeup, looking like girls who had just entered university, faces full of collagen and bodies brimming with youthful vitality.
Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun's fans instantly exploded.
—My god! They look more like high school students than I do!
—Nonsense, clearly junior high! Look at that dewy skin, I'm drooling with envy!
—Aahhhhh Zhenzhen Zhenzhen! Wishing you a pleasant collaboration with Director Yu, and everlasting happiness with Cloud Fairy! Can we have such bonuses every day?
—Zhenzhen, be this happy every day! Don't let certain garbage affect your mood. Love you, love Cloud Fairy! Mwah mwah mwah! You'll get better and better! Zhen-fans will always be with you.
After posting the Weibo, Qin Zhenzhen was flooded with declarations of love. She glanced at them several times before putting down her phone to start on her now-cooled noodles. Lu Ruyun sat across from her, lowering her eyes to ask, "What did Doctor Ding tell you?"
"Huh?" Qin Zhenzhen was stunned by the sudden question, her finger still swiping on the screen.
"Evening walks, hotpot, noodles, shopping, going out." She wasn't a fool, unable to see Qin Zhenzhen's intentions. "What else?"
Qin Zhenzhen tried to dodge. "What's the problem with these things? Or don't you like them? If you don't, I won't ask you along in the future."
Lu Ruyun looked at her steadily, her gaze intense. Qin Zhenzhen felt a bit of a scalp tingle. "Alright. He didn't say much, just talked to me about your condition."
"And then?" Lu Ruyun lowered her head and took a sip of soup.
Qin Zhenzhen put down her chopsticks, adopting a serious expression as she looked at Lu Ruyun. "Doctor Ding said your psychological defenses are too heavy. You need to go out more often, interact with people more, not stay cooped up at home. Then your condition will improve."
Lu Ruyun fell silent, lowering her gaze. Actually, she had felt something was off when Qin Zhenzhen asked her out for hotpot last night, but she hadn't thought much of it at the time. Last night, using a clumsy excuse to ask her out again, she realized she hadn't misunderstood.
"Teacher Lu..."
Lu Ruyun looked up, her expression cool. "Zhenzhen, I know you mean well. But these things have nothing to do with you. There's no need to go to the trouble."
"The marriage-of-convenience rumor will likely be dispelled before long. It's better if we don't get too deeply entangled."
"These past few years, I've been fine."
Hearing her cold tone, Qin Zhenzhen showed no sign of displeasure. She just looked up at her. "Fine how? Can't go on shows, can't film dramas, hiding in a cage every day. Is this what you consider fine?"
Lu Ruyun clearly grew unhappy. "So what? What does any of that have to do with you? Why waste your time helping me?"
Qin Zhenzhen's bright eyes were clear, completely unaffected by the chill Lu Ruyun was emitting. Her expression remained normal. "Then Teacher Lu, why did Teacher Lu help me position myself, help me put on a new label?"
"I—"
Lu Ruyun's red lips parted, but her voice seemed caught in her throat, unable to emerge. Qin Zhenzhen continued, "Whatever Teacher Lu's reason is, that's my reason too."
Her expression was frank and righteous, full of integrity. It took Lu Ruyun quite a while to find her voice again. "I just couldn't bear to see a promising talent like you go to waste. If I've caused you to misunderstand, I'm sorry. I take back what I said before."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded slightly, masking a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. Her tone was light. "I haven't misunderstood. Just as Teacher Lu said, you couldn't bear to see a promising talent like me go to waste. I similarly don't want to see a star like you fall. So our cooperation is the best for both of us, isn't it?"
Lu Ruyun met her clear gaze and suddenly thought of the divination result from Tianyuan Temple.
A calamity lies in your fate; misfortune clings to your body. To break this calamity, a two-year marriage of convenience.
Perhaps they had both been wrong back then. They weren't each other's calamity, but rather, they had come to help each other through difficult times.
Lu Ruyun lowered her eyes for a long moment before speaking in a hoarse voice. "I'll trouble you then."
Qin Zhenzhen instantly let out a sigh of relief, her face blooming like a flower. "No trouble at all. Just, please be more straightforward next time, Teacher Lu. The resource from Director Yu—did you ask Song He to give it to me?"
Lu Ruyun paused. "How did you know?"
Qin Zhenzhen blinked. "I was bluffing." After all, she had already been suspicious before. Combined with Director Yu's words, it was easy to form a guess. She just hadn't expected it to be true.
Lu Ruyun: ...
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