Married in a Daze - Chapter 66
Chapter 66
Qin Zhenzhen had insomnia. Usually, when the two of them finished rehearsing their lines, it was only around ten o'clock, because Lu Ruyun's biological clock dictated going to bed at ten. But today, because Qin Zhenzhen had been somewhat distracted, the rehearsal dragged on until nearly eleven before it finally ended. It was just that while the rehearsal was over, the rippling images in her mind wouldn't stop.
After Qin Zhenzhen kept bursting into laughter and ruining the scene, Lu Ruyun had taken the initiative to play Qin Zhenzhen's role. As Qin Zhenzhen had walked step by step toward her, she had really, really wanted to kiss her fiercely.
Fortunately, reason still prevailed.
Before Lu Ruyun took the initiative to mention her own condition, Qin Zhenzhen didn't dare make any reckless moves.
Having not slept all night, listening to the sounds from upstairs gradually grow quieter, Qin Zhenzhen noticed that over the past week, the noises from upstairs had become increasingly faint. Sometimes there was hardly any movement at all. Lu Ruyun's complexion also seemed much better than before.
She had tossed and turned in bed all night. Lu Ruyun had also stared at the ceiling for half the night. She hadn't realized it during the rehearsal, but after it ended, she became acutely aware of how close she and Qin Zhenzhen had been. Their breaths had mingled. As soon as she closed her eyes, she could clearly recall Qin Zhenzhen's exquisite profile, her posture of light sleep, and the sound of her breathing beside her ear.
She turned over in bed. This feeling of insomnia—she was all too familiar with it.
As December approached, before the sky had even begun to lighten, Qin Zhenzhen received a call from Ji Lu. She had just dozed off for a short while and was still very sleepy. Ji Lu's voice came through as if from within clouds and mist: "Zhenzhen, are you up?"
Qin Zhenzhen mumbled a couple of words and hung up. Ji Lu stared at her now-silent phone, momentarily unsure whether she should knock on the door. Ever since Qin Zhenzhen had moved in to live with Teacher Lu, Ji Lu had wisely refrained from entering the apartment. She just waited at the doorstep every day. Teacher Lu hadn't had any filming scheduled these past few days and had been staying in the apartment. Consequently, even Zhenzhen had stopped eating food from outside.
Ji Lu watched the seconds tick by and finally sighed, deciding to go knock on the door.
Lu Ruyun had just come downstairs when she heard the knocking. Her biological clock was precise; no matter how late she slept, she would wake up on time in the morning. Besides, it was just insomnia. She was long used to it.
She walked to the door and opened it. A gust of cold wind blew in. She coughed lightly twice and saw Ji Lu, who was huffing warm air into her hands outside the door. She frowned slightly. "Come in."
Ji Lu glanced at Lu Ruyun's unreadable expression, saw she was wearing pajamas, her long hair somewhat disheveled, and guessed she had just gotten up. For some reason, Ji Lu felt a twinge of guilt. "Teacher Lu, did I disturb you?"
Lu Ruyun looked at her sidelong. Ji Lu was a fairly diligent assistant. Wherever Qin Zhenzhen was, you could always see her bustling about. Previously, when He Shuangshuang and Zhenzhen had had a conflict, Ji Lu had also protectively stood by Zhenzhen's side like a mother hen guarding her chick. Thinking of this, Lu Ruyun's expression softened slightly. "No, you didn't. Have a seat."
Hearing her speak so amiably, Ji Lu didn't know why, but she felt even more guilty. When she had argued with He Shuangshuang back then, she hadn't held back from saying unflattering things about Lu Ruyun. She had even followed along with anti-fans online to criticize her. To this day, that alternate account still lay dormant within her Weibo, not daring to let anyone know.
Seeing Lu Ruyun's gaze still fixed on her, Ji Lu lowered her head, biting her lip, and asked in a small voice, "Teacher Lu, is Zhenzhen awake? We have to leave for the set in an hour."
Lu Ruyun, who had been walking toward the bathroom, paused. She looked in the direction of the study. After lowering her gaze for a few seconds, she said to Ji Lu, "I'll go wake her."
Ji Lu nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Teacher Lu."
It wasn't until Lu Ruyun entered the room that Ji Lu finally let out a long exhale.
Was it because she had said too many bad things about Lu Ruyun before? Now, facing the real person, why did she feel so creeped out?
Ji Lu's gaze drifted again toward the just-closed study door. Inside, Lu Ruyun turned on the light. Qin Zhenzhen was still hugging the quilt, sleeping soundly. The room's heater was on full blast. She was sleeping on her side, half of the thin quilt tucked between her legs and pressed under her body, leaving half of her torso exposed.
"Zhenzhen?" Lu Ruyun approached, taking two steps, and sat on the edge of the bed as she called out. Hearing the voice, Qin Zhenzhen buried her head under the pillow, her entire face pressed into it. With this movement, her pajama top pulled aside a large section.
Unlike during last night's rehearsal, the pajamas she slept in were very loose. At this moment, due to her restless movements, a large area of her fragrant shoulder was exposed. Lu Ruyun only glanced once before quickly averting her gaze, sitting up ramrod straight.
Because Qin Zhenzhen—wasn't wearing anything underneath her pajamas.
She sat with her back to Qin Zhenzhen, posture correct, and called her name several times. Qin Zhenzhen paid no attention. She simply reached out to shake her. Her fingertips trembled slightly when they touched the thin, silky fabric of the pajamas, but she pushed on anyway.
"Zhenzhen."
Qin Zhenzhen mumbled something, seemingly annoyed, and swatted her hand away. Lu Ruyun sighed, turned around, and removed the pillow Qin Zhenzhen had been pressing against half her face. "Qin Zhenzhen, time to get up."
She was completely unaware that she was using the tone one uses to coax a child, not harsh in the slightest, even carrying a hint of indulgence.
With the pillow taken away, Qin Zhenzhen waved her hand vaguely. Lu Ruyun instinctively extended her own arm toward Qin Zhenzhen's hand. Qin Zhenzhen contentedly hugged her arm, resting it against her cheek and nuzzling it. The texture was delicate, smooth. Qin Zhenzhen sighed with satisfaction. Lu Ruyun's heart melted into a complete mess.
"Knock knock." The bedroom door was rapped. Lu Ruyun snapped back to reality. She reined in the smile that had appeared on her face, stood up, and pulled the covers off Qin Zhenzhen.
"Ah-choo!" Sitting in the car, Qin Zhenzhen sneezed again. She rubbed her nose, recalling the scene of being dragged out of bed this morning, and still felt a headache coming on.
"How long was Teacher Lu in the room for?" Qin Zhenzhen asked, rubbing the tip of her nose. Ji Lu thought for a moment. "She was in there for quite a while."
Qin Zhenzhen let out a sigh of utter despair.
It was over. Lu Ruyun had seen her ugly sleeping posture and had been unable to wake her no matter how many times she called. Right now, Lu Ruyun was probably thinking all sorts of things about her. She must be angry, right? If she weren't angry, why would she have yanked the covers off her?
"Ah-choo!" Before she could finish her thought, she sneezed again. Ji Lu, seeing her sneeze several times since morning, couldn't help but worry. "What's wrong? Do you have a cold?"
Qin Zhenzhen cleared her throat. She had filmed several scenes yesterday, all in thin clothing. It was unavoidable that she'd caught a chill. She said to Ji Lu, "Later, make me some hot tea."
Ji Lu nodded and handed her the breakfast from the side. "Want to eat something?"
Qin Zhenzhen shook her head. She really didn't have any appetite right now.
By the time she arrived at the set, filming had already started. This scene featured Chen Feng and his ex-wife, Zhang Qian. They were about the same age, had similar temperaments, and actually looked quite well-matched standing together, perfectly suitable for playing a married couple.
Qin Zhenzhen stood outside the marked area and watched for a few minutes before a stylist came over to take her to change clothes and have her makeup done. Ji Lu went to prepare the hot tea. When she brought the tea into the makeup room, she saw Qin Zhenzhen hunched over her phone, looking at it.
This past week, she had hardly touched her phone. Meng Xin was managing her Weibo account, and her phone was almost always with Ji Lu. So Ji Lu couldn't help but take a few extra glances when she unexpectedly saw Qin Zhenzhen glued to her phone.
"Zhenzhen, tea."
Ji Lu handed the tea to Qin Zhenzhen. Qin Zhenzhen placed the phone on her lap, picked up the cup, and took a couple of sips. Instantly, a wave of warmth spread through her body. Having drunk the hot tea, her courage grew. She had been agonizing over whether or not to send a message to Lu Ruyun. Now, she didn't think twice before sending one.
—Teacher Lu, I have a cold.
Lu Ruyun had just finished tidying the apartment when she heard the message notification. She thought it was a message from Shuangshuang and picked it up to look.
It was a message from Qin Zhenzhen. After sending it, she had also included a pitiful-looking sticker.
Lu Ruyun stared at the phone. A cold?
Had she caught a chill because Lu Ruyun pulled the covers off her this morning?
A trace of regret surfaced in her eyes. She sent a reply to Qin Zhenzhen: Are you okay?
After sending it, she felt these three words were too cold and detached. Looking at the cute sticker Qin Zhenzhen had sent in the chat box, she tapped on the sticker icon. She rarely used her phone, even less frequently sent messages. At the moment, her WeChat only had the system's default stickers. She browsed for a long time but couldn't find a suitable one. In the end, she simply sent the first one that appeared.
Qin Zhenzhen was drinking her hot tea when she heard the notification. She picked up her phone to look. The hot tea she hadn't yet swallowed nearly sprayed out. What did Lu Ruyun mean by this?
She had a cold, and Lu Ruyun was happy about it?
Qin Zhenzhen pouted, tossed the phone to Ji Lu, and lifted her head for the makeup artist to continue.
After Chen Feng and Zhang Qian finished their scene and returned to the makeup room, they chatted as they walked. "Is it next week?"
"Yes, I discussed it with Director Yu. It'll be next week."
"That works. I'll go ask Zhenzhen."
After saying this, Zhang Qian walked over and sat down beside Qin Zhenzhen. Seeing her still getting her makeup done, she smiled. "You're here."
Qin Zhenzhen opened her eyes. "Sister Qian."
Zhang Qian nodded. "Director Yu just told Teacher Chen and me that we'll be filming on location next week. Check your schedule and see if there are any conflicts."
Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment. She had pushed back all her recent appearances. The advertisement shoot was scheduled for next month, so the timing didn't overlap. After hesitating for a few seconds, she replied, "No problem on my end. What about the location? Still the one decided before?"
Zhang Qian hummed in affirmation. "Still that place. Director Yu has arranged everything else."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. Zhang Qian sat on the stool next to her to touch up her makeup. Worried about Qin Zhenzhen's cold, Ji Lu had proactively prepared a cup of cold medicine and watched her drink it. Just as she finished, a crew member came over to tell them to get ready.
Ever since Qin Zhenzhen sent her that message, Lu Ruyun had felt restless. She paced around the living room a couple of times. When she reached the study door, she stopped, unconsciously walking into the study.
The room was exactly as Qin Zhenzhen had left it, somewhat messy. The thin quilt was thrown back on the bed, pillows on either side. Two pajama tops hung on the clothes rack by the floor-to-ceiling window. The room still held a faint, lingering scent, identical to the one on Qin Zhenzhen.
Lu Ruyun sat on the bed, her gaze falling on the bay window. The curtains weren't drawn. Throw pillows still lay on the blanket. A figure vaguely appeared before her eyes: a lovely figure sleeping half-curled on the bay window, warm yellow light falling upon her, adding several layers of halo. Her sleeping face was tranquil, her posture peaceful. Lu Ruyun stood up and walked to the window, sitting on the bay window seat, leaning back against the cushion, and closed her eyes.
For a long time, the entire apartment was silent. The quieter it was, the more Lu Ruyun could feel her own heartbeat, so fast her palms grew damp. She clenched her hands. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts.
Lu Ruyun walked out of the study and opened the door to see He Shuangshuang standing outside.
"Why aren't you answering your phone? I called several times," He Shuangshuang asked, holding up her phone. Lu Ruyun's expression was calm. "Didn't hear it."
He Shuangshuang: ...
She sniffed. The weather outside was so cold she wanted to curse. Lu Ruyun stepped aside to let her in. He Shuangshuang followed, holding several sheets of paper. Lu Ruyun glanced at them. "What are those?"
He Shuangshuang walked over to the sofa and placed the items on the coffee table. "Invitations. And a schedule."
Lu Ruyun walked over, picked up the papers, glanced at them, and put them down. The scene from the study earlier kept involuntarily surfacing in her mind, making it impossible for her to concentrate. Lu Ruyun sighed. Seeing her about to head upstairs, He Shuangshuang hurriedly asked, "Where are you going?"
"To change," Lu Ruyun replied, her expression still neutral. Before He Shuangshuang could ask the next question, she explained, "To visit the set."
Visit... visit the set??
He Shuangshuang stared at the retreating figure heading upstairs, blinking her eyes, completely bewildered.
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