Shrine - Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Ruan Ruan tied her hair up, pulling it so tight her scalp stung. She glanced again at the photo of her mother setting up the stall. She was dark and thin, her hair greasy—how could it not be, spending all her years next to the fresh food stalls in the wet market? Her mother used to have small curls and dyed her hair yellow, but not anymore. The dry ends of her hair, however, had taken on a yellow hue of their own.
No matter who it was, seeing such a weather-beaten face would stir a feeling of pity.
Ruan Ruan zoomed in on the photo, then zoomed out. She remembered her mother messaging her, apologizing for not looking after Xiao Hei properly. She opened the chat box and watched the cursor blink and blink, but she never typed a single word.
The online buzz wasn't massive, because Ruan Ruan wasn't that famous. But the hunt for a celebrity never lessens in its aggression, regardless of the scale.
It was unclear whether it was her super-topic fans, CP fans, or her team, but someone tried to speak up for her.
"Isn't this kind of twisting the concept? She wasn't buying something, she was donating, right? That's a good deed, isn't it? This is worth criticizing? facepalm.jpg"
But it was quickly shot down.
"Do you really not have a clue about the performative aspect of donations at these kinds of banquets? If she were truly charitable, why wasn't her name on previous donation lists?"
"Her mom looks like she needs a donation too hhhhhh."
"Do you believe someone who can stand by and watch their own mom run a street stall would generously donate so much to strangers?"
"emmmm the way you put it makes it sound even more like a performance ( ω )"
During a previous hot-search battle, some fans of other celebrities, who had been offended by the sharp tongue of one of Ruan Ruan's station sisters, decided to kick her while she was down. They spliced together a photo of Ruan Ruan looking glamorous and posing with the auction item on stage, and a photo of her mother kneeling to set up her stall.
One was at the height of her fame, the other was covered in dust and grime. One was at the pinnacle of wealth, the other at the very bottom of the human world.
At first glance, it had the shocking impact of the line from the poem: "Behind vermilion gates, wine and meat spoil, while on the road lie the bones of those frozen to death."
A fashion blogger's post about Ruan Ruan's makeup and styling, which was trying to ride the wave of popularity, was also overrun. The blogger noted that Ruan Ruan's gown was from AR's current season handmade custom collection. Although it wasn't haute couture, it was still incredibly expensive—the dress alone cost half as much as the "sky-high priced glasses."
Because it involved family, the team couldn't follow their usual damage control procedures. They were mostly observing, waiting to see Ruan Ruan's attitude. And Ruan Ruan had a faint feeling that Dianxing, which had been so formidable in the past, was somewhat hamstrung in handling this matter.
Everyone on the team was being tight-lipped and didn't discuss it much with her.
Ruan Ruan's first instinct was to call Shi Ran. She felt she wasn't in a good state; her temples were throbbing strangely. She didn't need to tell Shi Ran anything specific, just chatting would be good enough.
But after sniffling, she didn't dare to make the call.
She suddenly realized that she couldn't treat Shi Ran as a painkiller. In the past, Shi Ran had given her so much convenience and guidance. She had enjoyed it, but she had also been uneasy, otherwise she wouldn't have insisted on making her own career decisions. She was afraid of this very day, the day she would see Shi Ran as the last straw to save herself.
She also suddenly remembered Shi Ran's words: "remember the happy moments for a little longer." Perhaps Shi Ran had known all along that there would be consequences. Before, she would have given Ruan Ruan a hint or two, or even laid out a plan for her, just like at that private brand banquet, where she had calmly unveiled the solution. But ever since they confirmed their relationship, Shi Ran had gradually relinquished her dominant role in Ruan Ruan's career. She was no longer fixated on making Ruan Ruan do the "right" thing; she was learning to accept Ruan Ruan doing things that made her "happy."
Ruan Ruan had always known that public opinion was something every public figure had to face. The people who praised her back then hadn't known her, and the people slandering her now didn't need to know her either.
She had thought about and witnessed many flood-like assaults of public opinion, but she had never expected the monstrous waves to come from her family.
From the part of her life she was unwilling to mention, unwilling to discuss.
The past wasn't painful, and her family hadn't done anything to deeply hurt her—in fact, they could be considered to have been kind to her. Therefore, the past wasn't like a festering sore that needed to be excruciatingly gouged out. It was just like that drop of liquid on the toilet bowl.
Some might think it's no big deal, but for someone who sees it day after day, there finally comes a day when they just want to replace the whole toilet.
How could she explain to others that she wanted to replace a toilet because of a single drop of liquid? How many people could possibly understand?
She didn't need others to understand.
Trolls looking for entertainment appeared on Weibo, commenting under her promotional post for a brand event: "Is the street vendor your mom? doge.jpg"
No, I don't even know where my mother is.
"Heard your mom's a street vendor. [Image]"
I haven't heard any news of my mother since I was very young.
"Miss Glasses, can you donate to me? All I want is a KFC Thursday Crazy Bucket. crying.jpg"
Ruan Ruan sat by the coffee table, picked up the remote control, and clutched it in a daze. She unconsciously twisted it left, then right. The buttons pressed into the gaps between her fingers, the top of the remote sharp and distinct.
She forced herself to swallow a few times down her dry throat, then sniffled hard twice and picked up a new script to read.
As always, she read it while murmuring the words in a low voice, occasionally scratching her brow.
"Ruan Ruan, can you not read out loud while you study? I can't concentrate on my test paper."
"Sorry, sorry, I'll go outside the dorm."
She had developed this habit when she was very young.
Back then, she would read while holding and soothing her younger brother. He would play with toys on her lap, and even if he wasn't very loud, there was a constant thumping. So she would read the words aloud to force herself to concentrate. That way, if she occasionally had to bend down to pick up a toy, she could still recall the last sentence she had read.
Ruan Ruan focused on reading the script, taking a pen from the coffee table drawer to make notes.
The previous season's script ended with Shen Bai and Qiao Qiao discovering a series of strange occurrences on the film set, pinpointing that there was a problem with the set's shrine. In the process of investigating, they were bewitched by the shrine and ended up having a relationship.
This season, this season...
This season would explain the principle behind how the shrine bewitches people.
Ruan Ruan put the pen down. It felt as if she had read an entire section, and yet, as if she had read nothing at all.
A little later, she received a call from Shi Ran. She had just gotten home and seemed to have had a little to drink.
"How is she?" Her voice had a subtle slur.
"Who?"
"How is Xiao Hei?"
"Eating a lot," Ruan Ruan said, turning her head to look.
"How is Xiao Bai?"
"Eating a lot."
"How is Xiao..."
"Xiao Ju and the others, they're all eating a lot."
On the other end, Shi Ran's breath hitched, and then she laughed. Finally, she asked, "How is Ruan Ruan?"
"Eating..." Ruan Ruan paused. "Okay."
Shi Ran was silent for a moment, as if she were leaning against a bar. She said in a low voice, "Do you need comfort?"
A single tear fell swiftly from Ruan Ruan's right eye. But strangely, she felt no other sensation in her heart or body. Even her voice was calm.
She called her name softly, her voice steady, "Shi Ran."
"Hm?"
"Is there anything you particularly want to get away from?"
"Yes," Shi Ran said from the other end of the line. "Like today. I really want to skip it."
"And then?"
"And then, I chose to call the person I like. I only need to remember these ten minutes," she said, her voice calm and light.
"You can't skip it." Shi Ran's voice seemed to crystallize in the night dew.
"Then I..." Ruan Ruan bit her lip. "What should I do?"
Shi Ran listened to the faint electric hum of the wine cabinet on her end, thought for a moment, and then spoke. "You probably won't be able to sleep tonight. Use that time to think of me."
"Because with me, there is always fairness."
"I will think of you fairly."
Shi Ran said.
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