Married in a Daze - Chapter 72
Chapter 72
After Lu Ruyun returned to the apartment, she received a notification for the second round of auditions. He Shuangshuang glanced at the list of selected names, her brows knitting together when she saw a familiar one, her eyes clearly filled with distaste.
"What's wrong?" Seeing her staring at her phone, Lu Ruyun spoke up: "The notice is out?"
He Shuangshuang looked up, the disgust in her eyes not yet withdrawn: "Yes, but among your competition this time is someone you don't like."
Lu Ruyun sat on the sofa. Someone she didn't like?
With her personality, she rarely had contact with people in the circle. If she had to name someone she disliked... Lu Ruyun lowered her gaze: "Is it Zhu Yao?"
He Shuangshuang curled her lip scornfully: "Yes. Auditioning for the female lead."
She must have auditioned after them, so they didn't run into her. Zhu Yao hadn't been doing well lately; due to her frequent appearances on hot searches, her popularity with the general public was extremely poor. Although her fans were still desperately trying to whitewash her image, they couldn't withstand the growing number of people who disliked her. Some even said seeing her name was irritating. Her Weibo comments were a minor fight every three days, a major brawl every five. When she was at the peak of her popularity, she had spoken without restraint, which gave those with ulterior motives plenty of material to work with. So today it would be fans of this star causing trouble, tomorrow a different batch, a vicious cycle. It would be strange if her public image wasn't in ruins.
And in the last couple of days, thanks to Jian Mu and Qin Zhenzhen, the online heat on Zhu Yao had subsided a bit. Netizens' attention was focused on the upcoming collaboration between Jian Mu and Qin Zhenzhen, with few people paying attention to Zhu Yao anymore.
Zhu Yao probably wanted to take advantage of this lull in public opinion to stage a 'comeback,' which is why she came to audition. He Shuangshuang held her tablet, frowning: "Should we give her another..."
"No need." Lu Ruyun gently interrupted her: "Me successfully landing the role will be the best punishment for her."
He Shuangshuang thought for a few minutes, then nodded. Zhu Yao hadn't had any real resources lately; you could even say she was in a semi-retired state. Ever since she left Duan Qiuhan's crew, she hadn't had any scheduled work. First, she claimed she needed to rest, then she was exposed with scandalous information. Adding it all up, it had been about two months now.
Before, she had refused resources under the pretense of recuperating. Now, she couldn't even obtain resources. Getting this audition opportunity for Drunken Dreams of Jianghu must have taken immense effort. So if Ruyun could secure the female lead role, it would indeed be a huge blow to her.
After reaching this understanding, He Shuangshuang confirmed the time with Lu Ruyun and tentatively asked if she was willing to accept advertising work. In all her years since debut, Lu Ruyun had really only done a couple of ads. Her daily life oscillated between the set and the apartment. She didn't do variety shows, didn't shoot ads, didn't rush to attend events—just one TV drama or movie every year or two to maintain some visibility. Luckily, her acting was good, her public image was decent, and she had two or three classic TV dramas to her name. Every new TV drama or movie received good reviews, which was why she hadn't been completely sidelined.
Although she hadn't been sidelined, her position in the industry was neither here nor there, somewhat awkward. Because of her long career, juniors in the circle would call her Teacher Lu to her face but mock her for putting on airs behind her back.
After hearing He Shuangshuang's question, Lu Ruyun sat on the sofa for a long time before finally standing up: "We'll talk about it later."
He Shuangshuang looked at her retreating back as she went upstairs and sighed.
This 'we'll talk about it later' most likely meant it wasn't going to happen.
Lu Ruyun returned to her room and changed into casual clothes. Seeing the towel still hanging by the bed, she casually picked it up. A soft plop sounded in her ear—the sound of a medicine bottle hitting the floor.
She looked down. A white medicine bottle rolled to her feet, bumped against her slipper, and stopped. She bent down to pick it up.
This medicine... she hadn't taken it for several days.
Ever since Qin Zhenzhen moved in, she thought she would struggle to adjust. Unexpectedly, she adapted even better than she imagined. Even—even felt somewhat at ease.
Knowing Qin Zhenzhen was downstairs inexplicably gave her a sense of security.
How laughable.
She was almost thirty years old, yet she had to rely on someone else to feel safe.
Lu Ruyun gripped the medicine bottle and sat on the bed. The buzzing of her phone interrupted her train of thought. She picked it up and looked. The person sending the message was Qin Zhenzhen.
Was this considered being on the same wavelength?
Lu Ruyun gave a light laugh, feeling her thoughts were becoming more and more childish.
On the other end, Qin Zhenzhen, seeing Lu Ruyun hadn't replied, thought for a moment and sent another message: Teacher Lu?
Lu Ruyun looked down. Qin Zhenzhen had sent two WeChat messages.
—Did you pass the audition?
—Teacher Lu?
Lu Ruyun pressed her fingertip against the screen, the other hand still holding the medicine bottle, and replied: Passed the first round.
Qin Zhenzhen sent back a big laughing emoji. Looking at it, Lu Ruyun couldn't help but smile too. From the faint reflection on her phone screen, she saw her own expression and hurriedly restrained her smile.
The phone was still buzzing. Qin Zhenzhen sent another message: Then why were you unhappy just now?
Lu Ruyun's eyes darkened: The weather is cold, the wind is strong. I'm unhappy.
Qin Zhenzhen: ...
After sending the ellipsis, she quickly added: I don't care! I want to celebrate tonight. I'll trouble Teacher Lu to do the honors!
Looking at her reply and the little bunny avatar in her chat, the corners of Lu Ruyun's lips curled up. She paused, then replied: Okay.
After sending it, she turned her head to look at the medicine bottle in her hand. Qin Zhenzhen's lovely face and slightly parted red lips appeared before her eyes.
"You can't bear to see a promising talent like me be buried, and I similarly don't wish to see a star like you fall. So our cooperation is the best for each other, isn't it?"
Yes.
She should also seize the opportunity to move forward.
Lu Ruyun pressed her lips together, placed the medicine bottle in the bedside table drawer, her expression calm, but the darkness in her eyes fading, gradually becoming clear.
He Shuangshuang was still sitting on the sofa downstairs. Seeing Lu Ruyun come down, she said, "I'm heading back. Oh, by the way, Yaoyao knows you went for the audition and wants to celebrate with you. She invited you to dinner tonight. Should I book a place?"
Lu Ruyun raised her eyes to look at her: "Yaoyao can wait. Let's talk about it after the audition is over."
He Shuangshuang nodded: "Alright then. You rest, I'll go first."
She stood up as she spoke. Lu Ruyun looked at her retreating back and called out: "Shuangshuang."
He Shuangshuang turned, frowning in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Lu Ruyun walked forward a couple of steps and sat on the sofa. Her long hair was tied back, revealing her clean, makeup-free face. She hesitated for a few seconds before saying: "The advertising work you mentioned earlier, how many offers are there?"
He Shuangshuang blinked: "You... you... you want to accept?"
Lu Ruyun gave a slight nod: "Send me all the offers."
"All of them?" What she received wasn't just advertising offers, but all sorts of programs and galas too.
Lu Ruyun looked up, her voice light but her tone leaving no room for argument: "All of them."
He Shuangshuang looked at the Lu Ruyun before her, who seemed like a different person. For a moment, her expression was complicated. She and Yaoyao had tried for so many years without getting Lu Ruyun to open up even a little, to take a single step forward. But how long had Qin Zhenzhen and Ruyun known each other?
Less than a year, and she had undergone such a huge change.
Could liking someone really hold such powerful magic?
Lu Ruyun saw He Shuangshuang not speaking, just looking at her with that complex gaze, and pressed her lips together: "What is it?"
He Shuangshuang replied frankly: "Of course I'm both happy and annoyed."
Lu Ruyun: "Hmm?"
He Shuangshuang sighed: "Happy that you finally know to move forward. Annoyed that all our efforts over so many years can't compare to one Qin Zhenzhen."
Though her tone was complaining, her expression was genuinely happy for her. After saying this, He Shuangshuang broke into a smile, walked forward a few steps, and hugged Lu Ruyun.
Lu Ruyun remained seated on the sofa, bearing He Shuangshuang's excited embrace. She patted He Shuangshuang's shoulder: "I'm sorry. These past few years, you and Yaoyao have worked hard."
He Shuangshuang patted her back a few times: "If you know we've worked hard, then treat us to a few more meals!"
As she spoke, her voice held a slight choke.
Actually, it hadn't been hard.
Lu Ruyun was probably the least troublesome celebrity for a manager. No scandals, no marketing stunts, filming one project for three months then resting for over a year. Promotions were all handled by the production partners. Two years ago, after terminating her contract with the company, she established her own studio. But to this day, the studio still only had the two of them.
She could be considered the most leisurely manager around, but she wasn't happy about it. She worried for Lu Ruyun. At this pace, she might never break into the top tier even by old age. Maybe in a few years, when she wasn't as young anymore, she wouldn't even get TV drama roles.
In recent years, the number of people mocking Ruyun had grown. Though there weren't many signs online, every time she was on set, in the restrooms or break rooms, she would inevitably overhear gossip about her.
Comments like 'that's about it,' 'never won an award,' 'mediocre acting,' 'can't break into the top tier,' 'people who debuted after her have become legends, but she's still stuck in this mediocre position,' 'calling her 'teacher' and she actually thinks she's a senior.'
He Shuangshuang had heard this kind of talk countless times. Lu Ruyun must have heard it too, but she never seemed to care, just buried herself in her work. Instead, He Shuangshuang was the one affected by this atmosphere, growing more and more irritable.
Now that Lu Ruyun was willing to move forward, He Shuangshuang was happier than if she'd won the lottery. She couldn't help but hug her tightly, giving her back a few solid pats.
Lu Ruyun, held in a death grip, coughed lightly: "Shuangshuang."
Hearing the slightly lowered voice, He Shuangshuang let go. Meeting Lu Ruyun's watery, bright eyes, she smiled, her own eyes slightly red. Lu Ruyun looked back at her, lips curving into a faint smile.
Lu Ruyun pulled a tissue from the coffee table and handed it to her.
He Shuangshuang took it, wiped her face carelessly, and said to Lu Ruyun: "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"
Lu Ruyun shook her head: "What?"
He Shuangshuang sat beside her, gesturing animatedly: "I'm fantasizing about you shining brilliantly, achieving fame and success, standing at the very top, looking down on everyone!"
Her exaggerated conjecture made Lu Ruyun chuckle and shake her head. She stood up and walked towards the kitchen. He Shuangshuang followed her, asking: "What are you doing? How about we go out for dinner tonight? Invite Yaoyao. If she finds out you..."
"Shuangshuang." Lu Ruyun cut her off. He Shuangshuang's voice stopped abruptly. She looked up: "Hmm?"
Lu Ruyun thought for a moment: "Go help me buy some groceries."
He Shuangshuang's eyes instantly lit up, excited: "Are you going to make a feast for me?"
Lu Ruyun stared at her, seeming not to understand her sudden excitement. She pressed her lips together: "Zhenzhen wants to celebrate my passing the audition tonight. I'm worried we don't have enough ingredients, so I want you to go to the market for me."
He Shuangshuang: ...
Weren't you just saying no celebration was needed? Can a person be this hypocritical??
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