Shrine - Chapter 92
Chapter 92
The dressing room, at night.
Another bulb on the old vanity mirror went out. The girl with red lips and white teeth in the mirror stopped scrolling through her phone and glanced back, realizing the dressing room was now empty.
The chairs and stools were all silent. A few moths fluttered around the long, incandescent light fixture in the center of the room.
Qiao Qiao turned her head back and casually tossed the napkin in her hand into the trash can.
Faint, bustling noises came from outside—the unmistakable sound of people rushing to the set. In this production, no one but Shen Bai commanded such a presence. Shen Bai had made a comeback.
She now had people eagerly holding umbrellas for her, an exclusive dressing room, and a personal nutritionist. The only thing missing was Qiao Qiao by her side.
She had completely forgotten everything that had happened since reuniting with Qiao Qiao, and was very polite whenever they ran into each other on set.
Qiao Qiao gave a dejected smile, shoveled a few bites of her nearly cold boxed meal, and prepared to head to the shoot.
Stir-fried wood ear mushrooms entered her mouth.
"Why? Why are you the only one paying the price? She gets to have a meteoric rise, while you have to suffer with your memories."
Qiao Qiao blinked, shaking her dizzy head.
Shredded pork in garlic sauce entered her mouth.
"Is this fair? She doesn't even know what you sacrificed for her, or that her opportunity was one you gave up."
Qiao Qiao stopped her chopsticks, her hand beginning to tremble.
Braised beef brisket with potatoes entered her mouth.
"There's still a chance, Qiao Qiao. Have you forgotten how she dumped you? Don't hold onto any more illusions about someone so heartless."
Qiao Qiao's head snapped up. She stared into the mirror as a long-broken lightbulb next to it flickered on.
The 【shrine】 had appeared again, this time inside the lightbulb.
"Okay, cut." The sound of the camera dolly ceased, and the tense atmosphere relaxed. The crew members focused on checking their equipment. Ruan Ruan stood up, stretched her limbs, and spoke to the assistant director on set while doing some chest-stretching exercises.
"Do I have any more scenes?" She tilted her head to look at the call sheet in the director's hand.
"Nope, we're wrapping up with Shen Bai next."
"Do you need me to help run lines?" she asked, looking at Zhong Yi.
"I wouldn't dare," Zhong Yi joked. "Teacher Ruan is a very busy woman."
"I'll kick you," Ruan Ruan said softly.
"Director, Teacher Ruan is adding her own scenes—domestic violence!" Zhong Yi complained, shaking out her sore wrist and tilting her head.
The entire set erupted in laughter. Ruan Ruan pressed her lips together, shook her head with a sigh, and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. "I'm leaving."
After saying goodbye to her colleagues, she got into the car with a light step. As usual, she greeted the fans who were waiting. This time, she didn't rush off, but stood by the car to sign autographs for them.
"Where did you all come from? Are you staying nearby?" she asked gently, signing as she looked down.
The young girls answered while staring intently at her face, which was so lovely it seemed cut from the moon itself. People say success makes one glow, and it seemed to be true. Ruan Ruan's features hadn't changed much, but her expression was far more relaxed—poised, open, and gentle as water.
"Ruan Ruan, did you know Shrine has a release date?" a young fan said.
"Yeah, yeah, next month."
"How could Ruan Ruan not know~"
The surrounding fans laughed, and Ruan Ruan smiled too, pressing her lips together. She handed over a signed photo and continued with the next one.
"Ruan Ruan, I heard the platform moved up the release date. Is it really good?"
"I read the original novel. It's so well-written."
"Season two is still filming, but season one is already coming out. Does that mean we'll have to wait afterward?"
Ruan Ruan had a good temper, so they grew bold enough to chat. Ruan Ruan glanced at them, then looked down with a smile and whispered, "Are you asking for a press conference?"
This was what it was like to be liked. No matter what she said, they would laugh happily.
Seeing that she had signed most of them, her assistant gently intervened. Ruan Ruan took the opportunity to say goodbye, draped a shawl over her shoulders, and got into the car.
She gazed out at Shucheng as the city lights began to glow, as bustling as ever. People were getting off work. Some were scrolling through their phones on bicycles while waiting at red lights, some were waiting by a stall for stir-fried cold noodles, and some were pulling at each other on the street, looking like they were breaking up. The crosswalk light had twenty seconds left. Ruan Ruan looked at a small convenience store nearby and said softly to her assistant, "Feng Feng, I want to get out and buy a bottle of ramune."
"Huh? We can just order delivery straight to the house. The store might not even have it, and you could get photographed," the assistant said.
Ruan Ruan pressed her lips together. She still wanted to go and ask herself.
She suddenly remembered seeing Shi Ran get secretly photographed buying coffee and talking with Zhang Nuoran on the side of the road. It felt like a lifetime ago. She wanted to be like Shi Ran, to get out of the car and buy a drink, to try and guess what Shi Ran had been thinking at that moment.
It would be even better if she was photographed. Then Shi Ran would know who the ramune was for.
She arrived home carrying the ramune, but Shi Ran wasn't back yet. Ruan Ruan put her things down, affectionately tormented the kittens for a bit, then washed her hands and opened the fridge to see what she could cook. She would draw up a menu for Shi Ran to choose from.
After all, this was Shi Ran's reserved time slot.
She sent a message, but there was no reply yet. Ruan Ruan sat in the living room, scrolling through her contacts, when she suddenly remembered what the fans had said: the first season of Shrine was about to be released.
In that case, there were some things she felt she should handle as soon as possible.
Without any more hesitation, she dialed Zhou Jiafen's number.
"Mom, is Dad there? Is Xiao Ruan there?" She skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
Zhou Jiafen was washing dishes; the sounds of the drain and her drying her hands came through the phone. "Yes, yes, they're here." She raised her voice to call the father and son over, put the phone on speaker, and the three of them sat by the coffee table, gathered around the small device.
"Mom, my drama is about to air. I'll have to do promotions afterward, so I'll be very busy. I probably won't be able to visit you for a while. You have to take care of yourself. If you have any heart trouble, call me. If I don't pick up, call Feng Feng. I'll send you her number in a bit."
"Okay, okay," Zhou Jiafen replied hurriedly. She turned to her husband and son with a smile, excited that she was going to be on television.
"Mom, Dad, you're getting older. Running a street stall isn't suitable for you anymore. If you still want to work, I'll have Feng Feng rent a storefront for you. It won't be so tiring that way."
"Oh, my. You've only just started making money. You really... sigh." Zhou Jiafen was both surprised and embarrassed, wringing her hands awkwardly.
"Xiao Ruan is grown up now, and the house is getting crowded. Mom, you mentioned wanting to move before. I recently asked a friend to look into it, and that residential complex you were looking at is indeed nice. I think you shouldn't get a two-bedroom, but a three-bedroom."
"Huh?" A sound of disbelief came from the other end of the line. The air seemed to pause for two or three seconds.
"But Mom, Dad, this house is a retirement home for you, not for Xiao Ruan," Ruan Ruan said, appealing to both emotion and reason. "Xiao Ruan hasn't graduated yet; he's still at an age where he should be out making his own way. If the whole family pools its resources to buy him a house now, people will say he's mooching off his parents. Young people nowadays advocate for independence. If a man isn't capable on his own, it's hard for him to find a partner. Besides, back home, it's always the son who provides for the parents in their old age. After all, Uncle and the others always say that Xiao Ruan is the one to carry on our family line. If an adopted daughter pays for her parents' retirement home entirely, I'm worried people will gossip."
Zhou Jiafen started to say something, but Ruan Ruan cut her off.
"Here's what I'm thinking: the house will be in Mom's name. I'll pay the down payment, and Xiao Ruan will be responsible for the monthly mortgage payments. That way, it'll be like Xiao Ruan and I are providing for your retirement together."
"Mom, don't worry. Once the loan is paid off, you can transfer the ownership to Xiao Ruan. After some renovations, he can use it as his marital home."
Silence fell on the other end of the line again. The three of them were all calculating. How much would the monthly mortgage be? What if Ruan Dongliang couldn't afford it and they defaulted?
"If Xiao Ruan can't manage it for now, and it's too much pressure on you, Mom and Dad, I can help pay a little. He can just pay me back later when he's earning money. Don't worry, I'm here."
Ruan Ruan offered a timely reassurance.
The three of them clearly breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Jiafen looked at her husband and son, then smiled and wiped her hands on her stomach. "Well then, oh my, this is a lot of trouble for you."
"It's no trouble. Then it's settled. Mom, you should go look at houses when you have time."
"Okay, okay," Zhou Jiafen agreed repeatedly.
"Um... there's one more thing. I didn't want to tell you, but it's rather serious. I heard from my company that someone has been spreading rumors online, saying that my uncle has been badmouthing me and my birth mother. This has caused a huge loss for the company. My boss was furious and almost terminated my contract. My manager pleaded for me, so I kept my job, but they said... they're going to sue my uncle."
"Th-th-this..." Ruan's father finally spoke up, no longer a silent presence. "A lawsuit?"
"Yes. Because my work was suspended for a while, if they sue for damages, it could be a seven or eight-figure sum. I'll try to persuade my boss again on my end, but you have to tell my uncle and his family to stop spreading nonsense. Oh, right. While they were collecting evidence, they found a rumor that I was being kept by someone. The source claimed that Xiao Ruan was the one who said it. I told them that's impossible, that Xiao Ruan must have said I was 'adopted,' and they misheard him."
"Xiao Ruan, isn't that right?"
Ruan Dongliang was scared stiff, stammering incoherently. Beside him, Zhou Jiafen was still trying to calculate how much money six or seven figures was.
"Anyway, this matter is quite tricky, but don't worry. I'll do my best to resolve it on my end. And then we'll buy the house, okay?"
Ruan Ruan spoke in a soft, gentle voice, reminding her adoptive parents to take care of themselves before hanging up amidst their helpless tones.
She tilted her head back. Back in her familiar room, it felt as if she had surfaced from the water.
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