CSGM - Chapter 121
Chapter 121: A Little More Sincerity
Public figures, celebrities, idols-these titles placed constraints on an artist's behavior.
Not to mention, Ren Zhi's title was preceded by the words "top-tier."
Heaven knew what it would mean to her thousands of fans if she announced she was in a relationship.
What's more, Ren Zhi herself was a workaholic. For years on end, this job as a celebrity had been her number one priority.
The Four Little Flowers, who had worked with Ren Zhi for a long time, knew all too well how deep her ambition ran.
When Xiao He heard Ren Zhi's question, although she didn't know the answer, her heart leaned toward one thought:
It was probably a lost cause.
She glanced at Chu Xi, who was lying on the bed, drenched in sweat. For some reason, she felt a small pang of pity for her.
"So, Sister, are you still going to the set this afternoon?" Xiao He asked.
"It depends on the director's revised schedule. He'll let me know in a bit," Ren Zhi said, her tone making it clear that work still came first.
"Oh, okay..." Xiao He nodded lightly, glancing at Chu Xi again.
After learning that Chu Xi had suddenly come down with a fever, the director had temporarily rescheduled her scenes, giving her the day off to rest.
However, as the first-billing protagonist with more important scenes, Ren Zhi had no such flexibility. All the supporting actors she needed for her scenes were already there, so her schedule couldn't be changed.
She had to be on set by three in the afternoon at the latest.
After Ren Zhi changed out of the dress she wore for her morning advertisement shoot, she went to the kitchen to cook and make soup. Knowing her afternoon schedule, Xiao He sent an awkward, face-palming emoji to the Four Little Flowers' private group chat.
Thanks to the tacit understanding from working together for so long and their knowledge of Ren Zhi, the other three instantly understood what Xiao He meant.
Xiao Mei: 【[/facepalm]】
Xiao Tao: 【[/facepalm]】
Xiao Ju: 【[/facepalm]】
They were like family. If you know, you know.
Xiao Ju, in particular, who had already witnessed Ren Zhi kicking Chu Xi out of the dressing room, had an even clearer understanding of the situation.
As noon approached, Chu Xi, who had been sleeping fitfully all morning, gradually woke up.
"Sister Xi, Sister Xi, have some water." Xiao He, who had been waiting by her side, quickly handed her a glass of warm water.
As she sat up, Chu Xi felt that her clothes were damp. She was dizzy, nauseous, and her body was hot. She touched her forehead-it wasn't good.
How could she get a fever at a time like this? So foolish.
She drank the water, thanked Xiao He, and asked, "Where's your sister?"
Xiao He replied, "In the kitchen, cooking for you."
After she answered, she noticed Chu Xi's eyes light up, as if she were pleasantly surprised, thinking-
There's such a good thing?
It made Xiao He scratch her head in embarrassment, not knowing how to tell her: But it seems Sister has prioritized work over you...
Chu Xi got out of bed, intending to go to the kitchen. As she walked past the side of the bed, she saw the bouquet of roses in the corner.
The puppy was still inside, and the ring hadn't been moved.
She touched the back of her head and asked Xiao He, "She rejected me again, didn't she?"
Xiao He froze. "Uh..."
"Sigh." Chu Xi let out a sigh in the bedroom.
What terrible timing to faint. If she had just held on a little longer, she might have heard Ren Zhi agree.
Thinking back a bit further, it seemed the problem wasn't that she had fainted in the first place.
It was...
She suddenly turned her head and shot a cold glance at Xiao He.
"What were you all doing here so early in the morning?"
Xiao He looked a little sheepish, realizing that her timing had indeed been terrible.
"We brought the makeup and styling team over for Sister Zhi. She had a photoshoot for an endorsement this morning."
Chu Xi closed her eyes in frustration and pressed her temples.
Forget it. The strong never complain about their circumstances. She gritted her teeth.
"It was just bad luck," she said before heading out to the kitchen.
Alone in the bedroom, Xiao He nodded to herself.
It seemed so. What unfortunate timing to run into Sister when she was in such a career-focused mode.
Ren Zhi was in the kitchen simmering soup. Hearing footsteps, she turned to see Chu Xi.
"You're awake?" Ren Zhi came closer to feel her forehead. She still had a fever. "The director has already rescheduled your afternoon scenes. You don't have to go to the set today. Just stay home and rest."
"Are you going?" Chu Xi asked.
Ren Zhi nodded. "I leave at 2:40."
Chu Xi raised a hand to her own forehead and muttered, "I don't really need my shift changed. I'm almost better. You should ask the director to change it back..."
Ren Zhi said, "It's already been changed. You think it's like doing sit-ups?"
Chu Xi sighed. "Sigh..."
Ren Zhi looked at her eyes, which weren't as red as they had been that morning. Thinking about it, she couldn't help but scold her.
"Your eyes were red from the fever this morning. Don't you care about your own body at all? Are you feeling any better now?"
Chu Xi asked, "Do you want me to tell the truth?"
Then she continued on her own, "I was so excited to see you this morning that I was probably too worked up to notice I was feeling unwell. But I don't feel great now. It seems I missed hearing you say yes, and now you're leaving. The adrenaline is gone, so I feel completely drained."
A lump formed in Ren Zhi's throat.
When talking with Chu Xi, her directness was a killer move.
After a long pause, Ren Zhi said in a low voice:
"Stop confessing..."
"Oh no, I'm so dizzy," Chu Xi's voice suddenly cut her off.
Ren Zhi's eyes shot up to see Chu Xi swaying, her steps unsteady. The dizzy spell brought a flicker of worry to her eyes.
She quickly stepped forward to support her. Chu Xi took the opportunity to fall against her shoulder, wrapping her arms around her waist.
The moment Chu Xi's body pressed against hers, Ren Zhi instantly realized.
She's acting.
She was an actress herself, how did she not see it!
Ren Zhi struggled a little, but Chu Xi only held her tighter.
Chu Xi's voice was impatient.
But it wasn't an offensive demand or an urge, but rather a passionate, eager inquiry.
"Ren Zhi, if you like me too, hurry up and end your secret crush. I've fallen for you too. I won't change. Did you hear me say I'm a lesbian? I. Am. A. Lesbian."
As if afraid Ren Zhi hadn't understood, she leaned in close to her ear and enunciated each of the last few words heavily.
After speaking, Chu Xi let out a "hehe" laugh.
It didn't matter if she had to eat her own words. For the first time, she felt proud to refute her previous claim of being straight.
"......"
Ren Zhi was silent for a long, long time. "Let go. I have something to say to you."
Her tone was serious. Chu Xi heard it and immediately released her.
"Oh." She pulled her hands back and stood properly, her clear, bright eyes fixed on Ren Zhi.
Ren Zhi looked at her, closed her eyes, and sighed.
A second ago, she had a speech prepared in her mind:
"I told you to stop confessing. I can't be in a relationship. I only see you as a friend."
But in the second that followed, she found she couldn't get the words out. They felt stuck in her throat.
If the walls of rejection she had built were false-if they were rain, mist, and stormy waves-
Then Chu Xi was fire, light, and the blazing sun. Nothing could stop her from charging forward, passionately and fearlessly breaking through.
Sometimes, Ren Zhi felt on the verge of being defeated by her powerful spirit.
She had just rejected her the day before, so how could this person be so enthusiastic and clingy again the very next day?
And she even said she had been eagerly looking forward to seeing her, that she was worked up.
See? She was looking expectant again right now.
Ren Zhi hardly dared to lift her head and meet Chu Xi's gaze.
Chu Xi's voice drifted by her ear, well-behaved and laced with hope.
"Have you made up your mind? I'm waiting."
Ren Zhi's mouth opened and closed. In that instant, her heart wavered violently, like a building in an earthquake, beginning to crumble from top to bottom in a flash.
A gentle, soft breath caressed her face, coaxing her words to be a little more sincere to the devout puppy.
This time, she let herself off the hook and stopped deceiving Chu Xi.
She opened her eyes and looked at Chu Xi.
"Let me think about it for a while. I need time."
Saying this was so much easier than her prepared speech. Ren Zhi herself felt a wave of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart.
A smile instantly spread across Chu Xi's lips, and her bright eyes filled with the sunlight streaming in from the window.
"Hehe, you're not just agreeing because you feel sorry for me because I have a fever, are you?"
Was it because her confession this morning was so well-prepared?
Ren Zhi turned back around, facing the pot with her back to Chu Xi. She stirred the contents with a ladle and clarified:
"I haven't agreed yet."
She only said she would consider it. Did she even know what "consider" meant?
In the choice between "yes" or "no," it was the "or."
Chu Xi smiled. "I know you like me."
Ren Zhi: "......"
Was this what it felt like to talk to a brick wall?
"I might not say yes. Don't... get your hopes up, okay?"
"It's okay, I'll wait for you," Chu Xi replied smoothly.
She stepped forward, getting close to Ren Zhi, her hands once again trying to wrap around her waist as she said, "Just a hug."
But Ren Zhi mercilessly slapped her hands away. Chu Xi winced in pain. "Hiss...!"
She patted her left hand, annoyed. "Can't I hug you?"
"No."
This time, Ren Zhi turned to face her and said seriously:
"Chu Xi, I hope you'll think carefully about your career. That includes me. I need to as well. You're putting me... in a very difficult position. My career plan never included romance. I may not end up with you. If you insist, you have to let me think it through before I give you an answer."
"For now, don't touch me. Go back and rest."
Ren Zhi's response was now tinged with a bit of irritability and turmoil.
The workaholic and the little Cupid in her mind were clearly at war, a battle raging in her head.
Sigh... Chu Xi sighed internally. Ren Zhi was perfect in every way, flawless, except for being a workaholic.
Even romance had to take a backseat to work? She was truly a lost cause.
"Alright, I'm going back to my room."
But even this hopelessly lost cause of a Ren Zhi was uniquely beautiful in her eyes. She was beautiful when she was cold, still beautiful when she was angry, and even when she was drunk and kicked her out of bed, no one was more beautiful than Ren Zhi at that moment.
Chu Xi touched her chest. Her mind was hazy, logic had flown far away, and emotion was fermenting rapidly in the foggy soil.
She was deeply aware that this wasn't just because Ren Zhi was beautiful.
Rather, her heart felt like it was finally finding its home.
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