Married in a Daze - Chapter 90
Chapter 90
It was past nine when Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun returned to the apartment. Lu Ruyun's expression had gradually returned to normal. When they got out of the car, she even unfastened Qin Zhenzhen's seatbelt for her, and the two of them walked back to the apartment together.
The cold wind howled outside. They curled up on the sofa, neither of them moving. Cold Palace was still playing the fourth episode. Qin Zhenzhen nudged Lu Ruyun with her foot and said softly, "Teacher Lu, could you get the script for me?"
She hadn't been to the film set for several days, so she wanted to review it in advance. Lu Ruyun reached over to the coffee table, picked up the script, and handed it to her, casually adding, "Do you want to take a shower first?"
Qin Zhenzhen shook her head. "You go ahead. I'll join you after I finish looking over the script."
Lu Ruyun got up and headed to the bathroom.
Mountain Girl only had about a week left before wrapping up filming. However, there hadn't been much news about it online recently; most of the buzz was still about her involvement in Cold Palace.
Thinking of this, Qin Zhenzhen glanced at the TV ratings summary from last night. She saw that Cold Palace was stuck in an awkward middle ground. Despite all the promotion she had done earlier, and even though the hype hadn't died down during this period—with the MV's lingering influence still adding fuel—the ratings for Cold Palace still weren't particularly impressive, not even breaking into the top three.
Feeling somewhat disheartened, she put her phone aside and lowered her head to study the script seriously.
When Lu Ruyun came out, Qin Zhenzhen spoke without looking up. "Do you want to rest? If not, let's run through some scenes. I'm worried that after being away for so many days, I might not perform well tomorrow, and Director Yu might get angry."
"Alright."
Lu Ruyun dried her damp hair as she walked over and sat down beside her. Qin Zhenzhen smelled the familiar scent of shower gel and smiled. "You smell so good."
"Don't get distracted." Lu Ruyun took the script from her, her expression serious once she sat down. Qin Zhenzhen also put away her playful demeanor. They rehearsed for half an hour. Aside from Qin Zhenzhen occasionally laughing when she looked at Lu Ruyun, it was passable.
However, Lu Ruyun wasn't satisfied with her performance tonight and kept her rehearsing until nearly past ten. They had woken up late in the day, so they weren't sleepy yet. Time passed imperceptibly; the TV had long been turned off, and only Lu Ruyun's voice filled the living room.
In Mountain Girl, Qin Zhenzhen didn't have many lines. After descending the mountain, she remained silent for the majority of the plot, only able to produce sounds later in the story.
So, this movie was essentially her pantomime. She had to use her expressions and movements to convey her emotions and feelings.
Lu Ruyun watched her intently, shook her head seriously, and said, "Not right. Your emotions here need to be a bit more restrained."
Qin Zhenzhen changed her expression. Lu Ruyun looked and shook her head again. Qin Zhenzhen slumped her shoulders. "This is so tiring."
Lu Ruyun put down the script and rubbed her shoulders. "How about we stop here for today? These aren't the scenes for the day after tomorrow anyway, no rush."
Qin Zhenzhen glanced at her expression and pursed her lips. "But you won't be home tomorrow either. Who will I rehearse with then?"
Lu Ruyun was slightly taken aback. "Not at home?"
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Yeah. Aren't you going to Miss Zhang's place tomorrow? What if you can't come back at night?"
Lu Ruyun lowered her eyelids. "Zhenzhen, do you not like Yaoyao?"
"Huh?" Qin Zhenzhen was stunned for a few seconds, blinking. "You know?"
Lu Ruyun clasped her hands together. "You call her 'Miss Zhang'."
She couldn't claim to understand Qin Zhenzhen one hundred percent, but they had known each other for a while now and she had picked up on some of her habits. Although Zhenzhen said she didn't like He Shuangshuang, their usual bickering and interactions showed she didn't really mind; sometimes she even cared about Shuangshuang's affairs.
But Yaoyao was different.
From their first meeting, she had always called her 'Miss Zhang'.
Qin Zhenzhen shrugged. "So what? Are you angry that I don't like her?"
Seeing her sulky expression, Lu Ruyun suppressed a smile, moved closer, wrapped her arms around her waist, rested her head on Zhenzhen's shoulder, and said softly, "Why would I be angry? I just want to know why you don't like her."
"Why?" Qin Zhenzhen turned to look at her, biting her lip. "You really want me to say it? You're sure you won't get angry?"
Lu Ruyun chuckled lightly. "Zhenzhen, I'm not that petty."
Qin Zhenzhen snorted. "Are you implying that I'm petty? Teacher Lu, you've gone too far."
Lu Ruyun: ...
After a few rounds of bickering, Qin Zhenzhen finally composed her expression and said, "Actually, it's nothing much. It's just that I think she, she..."
Qin Zhenzhen found it hard to articulate. Did she think Zhang Yiyao liked Lu Ruyun?
But she clearly had her own boyfriend; liking Ruyun was completely impossible.
Besides, the two of them had known each other for over ten years. If there were those kinds of feelings, Ruyun would have sensed it long ago. Thinking of this, Qin Zhenzhen sighed. "Forget it, it's nothing. I'm going to take a shower."
Lu Ruyun looked at her sideways and said gently, "Zhenzhen."
Qin Zhenzhen cut her off. "Alright, alright, don't ask anything. Just assume I'm jealous that she's good-looking."
Lu Ruyun: ...
It wasn't until Qin Zhenzhen entered the bathroom that Lu Ruyun gathered everything on the coffee table. Listening to the sound of running water, her thoughts drifted.
"Ruyun, do you still think about the past?"
"I went to see your mother."
"She said she misses you very much."
Lu Ruyun pressed her temples. These three sentences echoed in her mind over and over. It took her a while to snap out of it. Qin Zhenzhen's shower took a long time. She sat on the sofa waiting for her to come out. After a good while, she finally picked up her phone from the coffee table and called He Shuangshuang.
He Shuangshuang must have gone home; it was very noisy around her, all sorts of sounds. That was typical of her household.
Lu Ruyun heard her roar, "Everyone shut up!"
The other end of the line fell silent. Lu Ruyun pressed her lips together and asked, "You're home?"
He Shuangshuang chuckled lightly. "Yeah, there's something going on. What's up?"
Lu Ruyun pinched her phone with her fingertips. "Do you remember that video incident I asked you to investigate before?"
"Video?" He Shuangshuang, caught off guard by the word, thought for a moment. "You mean the one about Qin Zhenzhen or something else?"
Lu Ruyun confirmed. "Yes, that one."
He Shuangshuang sighed. "Wasn't that matter already handled? Why are you suddenly thinking about it?"
Lu Ruyun stood up and walked to the window, lowering her eyelids. "Do you remember Zhu Yao?"
"How could I forget!" He Shuangshuang gritted her teeth at the mention of Zhu Yao. That woman kept redefining the lower limits of shamelessness. Just thinking about her made He Shuangshuang feel disdainful.
Lu Ruyun's expression darkened slightly. "I asked her who leaked the information about Zhenzhen and me having a marriage of convenience. She said it was someone close to me."
He Shuangshuang was stunned, her voice rising. "Impossible!"
"Ruyun, you can't suspect me."
Hearing her words and imagining her bristling, Lu Ruyun softened her tone. "I'm not suspecting you."
"If I suspected you, I wouldn't be asking you."
He Shuangshuang clicked her tongue. "That's true. So, do you have anyone else in mind?"
Lu Ruyun remained silent for a while. Ever since Zhu Yao told her this news, she had started investigating, but found nothing. The people around her, besides Shuangshuang, were Yaoyao. Even Qiuhan didn't know about this matter.
But she didn't want to suspect either of them. Last time with the video incident, she had mistakenly suspected He Shuangshuang and felt guilty for a long time. She didn't want to repeat that mistake. Perhaps there was no such person at all. Perhaps Zhu Yao just stumbled upon it by coincidence.
So she hadn't told anyone—not even Zhenzhen.
But it was all too coincidental.
Putting all these incidents together, it was far too coincidental.
Seeing her silence, He Shuangshuang whispered, "How about... ask Qiuhan to look into it?"
Lu Ruyun rejected her suggestion. "Don't let Qiuhan know about this. Just send me all the information about the person who leaked the video."
He Shuangshuang agreed. "Okay."
Lu Ruyun thought for a moment and added, "Don't tell Yaoyao either."
He Shuangshuang's heart skipped a beat. She didn't make a sound.
Just as Lu Ruyun hung up the phone, Qin Zhenzhen came out of the bathroom. She had removed her makeup, her fair skin tinged with a rosy hue. Her long hair was damp and loose behind her, a dry towel casually draped over her shoulders.
She walked quickly to the window and asked curiously, "What are you standing here for?"
Lu Ruyun shook her head and put away her phone. "Nothing."
Having said that, she walked into the bathroom and came out with a hairdryer in hand. Qin Zhenzhen sat on the chaise lounge. Warm air and a buzzing sound came from above her head. She looked down at her fingers. "Ruyun, I've been thinking just now. I feel like I've been too selfish. I really don't like Miss Zhang, but don't let that burden you."
With the hairdryer still running, her voice wasn't very clear. Lu Ruyun turned off the hairdryer and asked, "What?"
Qin Zhenzhen repeated herself. Lu Ruyun lowered her head. "I'm not burdened."
"That's good." Qin Zhenzhen counted on her fingers. "I thought about it for a long time while showering. Maybe I should also try to get along with Miss Zhang. Otherwise... how about I go with you to see her tomorrow after I finish filming?"
Lu Ruyun lowered her gaze, seeing right through Qin Zhenzhen's little scheme. She pressed her lips together, smiling. "But won't that be inconvenient for you?"
Qin Zhenzhen immediately looked up. "How could it be! You don't know, I finish filming super early! I... mm..."
Before she could finish, Lu Ruyun lowered her head and kissed her chattering lips, lingering and tender. Qin Zhenzhen's unfinished words caught in her throat. The familiar scent filled her nose, a soft touch on her lips, and the person she loved before her eyes.
Unconsciously, Qin Zhenzhen reached out and wrapped her arms around Lu Ruyun's neck, pulling her head down.
The hairdryer in Lu Ruyun's hand fell to the floor with a thud. Neither of them paid it any mind. Qin Zhenzhen's hand had already moved from her cheek into her jet-black hair. Her palm was slightly damp—whether from Lu Ruyun's still-damp hair or her own sweaty palm, she couldn't tell.
They lingered for a moment before slowly parting.
Lu Ruyun continued drying Qin Zhenzhen's hair. Qin Zhenzhen bit her lip, feeling a slight swelling and a faint sting. She looked down at her hand and chuckled.
Even after Lu Ruyun turned off the hairdryer, she could still hear her laughing.
"What are you laughing at?"
Qin Zhenzhen looked up at her. "Laughing at the fact that I'm glad I ate a few extra pieces of meat earlier."
Lu Ruyun couldn't quite follow her train of thought for a moment and was momentarily confused. "What?"
Qin Zhenzhen stood up, pulling Lu Ruyun's hand. "So now I'm full of energy. Teacher Lu, let's go to the study."
Lu Ruyun: ...
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