Married in a Daze - Chapter 126
Chapter 126
Qin Zhenzhen was picked up by Ji Lu very early the next day. Lu Ruyun, on the other hand, stayed behind and had breakfast with Yin Lanfang and Qin Ye. Listening to the elderly couple's chatter, her heart was filled with an inexplicable sense of contentment and indescribable comfort.
When leaving the Qin family home, Yin Lanfang made her take a lot of prepared dishes back. Lu Ruyun obediently accepted them. The more Yin Lanfang looked at her well-behaved appearance, the more delighted she became. If not for Qin Ye holding her back, she might have emptied the entire refrigerator.
After leaving the Qin family, Lu Ruyun drove directly to the airport to pick up He Shuangshuang.
He Shuangshuang and Meng Xin had returned together. Just after getting off the plane, she received a message from Lu Ruyun saying the car was outside. She said to Meng Xin, "Sister Meng, want to ride together?"
Meng Xin shook her head. "No need, my assistant is outside. See you later."
He Shuangshuang nodded. "See you."
The two parted ways at the exit. He Shuangshuang carried her luggage to Lu Ruyun's car. When she opened the trunk, she paused for a moment and laughed. "What's all this? Stocking up for winter?"
Lu Ruyun chuckled lightly at the question. "No. I went to Zhenzhen's home last night. Her parents prepared these."
He Shuangshuang clicked her tongue at the noticeably softer tone in Lu Ruyun's voice whenever she mentioned Qin Zhenzhen. She averted her eyes. The suitcase ended up on the back seat. He Shuangshuang sat in the passenger seat, turned her head, and asked, "Did you go see Qiuhan these past two days?"
Lu Ruyun's hand on the steering wheel paused slightly. Thinking of the hospital incident, she nodded. "Yes, I did."
He Shuangshuang pulled her gaze back from the window and looked at her. "What did Qiuhan say?"
Lu Ruyun remained silent for several minutes, offering no answer. He Shuangshuang sighed. "Still the same as before?"
"Not exactly." After opening her red lips to speak, she thought for a moment. "Let's wait and see."
Hearing this, He Shuangshuang didn't know what else to say and simply turned her head to look out the window again. Lu Ruyun asked her, "Going home?"
"No," she said in a low voice. "Take me back to my apartment."
She had bought the apartment a few years ago. Over recent years, her conflicts with her family had grown increasingly severe, almost reaching the point of arguments every time they met. Lu Ruyun rarely inquired about her family matters. Upon hearing He Shuangshuang's words now, she simply nodded. "Okay."
After dropping He Shuangshuang off at her apartment, Lu Ruyun also entered the unit. He Shuangshuang went inside to change into casual clothes and came out holding a contract, which she handed to Lu Ruyun.
Lu Ruyun had already been briefed on the terms before signing, so she only skimmed through it briefly, her gaze settling on the date.
"One week from now?"
He Shuangshuang took a sip of water and nodded. "Mhm. Sister Meng and I aligned the schedule. In a week, Zhenzhen's promotional activities will be mostly wrapped up. You'll have just entered the new crew but should be able to spare a day. The magazine side also hopes you can shoot at the end of the month for the March cover."
Lu Ruyun gave an acknowledging hum. "Alright."
She put the contract away and discussed a couple of studio matters with He Shuangshuang. As they chatted casually, He Shuangshuang made a puzzled sound and handed her phone to Lu Ruyun.
Lu Ruyun glanced at her, then at the phone. The screen displayed a news headline.
@Daijing Entertainment: Exclusive scoop! The inside story on Director Duan Qiuhan being cheated on. Is he the victim or the perpetrator? Stay tuned for our exclusive interview tonight at 8 PM.
Daijing Entertainment's standing within the industry had always been high, their reports well-founded and substantiated. During the incident between Qin Zhenzhen and Zheng Shaoyuan, when numerous media outlets had become Zheng Shaoyuan's executioners, it was Daijing Entertainment that lifted the veil of darkness, exposing Zheng Shaoyuan's true colors with the sensational headline "Zheng Shaoyuan and Wei An Spend Night with Unidentified Man," shocking both the industry and the public.
Now, six months later, they were speaking out again, naming names and hitting the nail on the head.
The news of Duan Qiuhan cheating had been known to the entire internet for some time, with countless outraged netizens hurling fierce accusations. All sorts of vile insults and slander poured forth from their keyboards. Duan Qiuhan's lack of response and the one-sided public opinion had allowed the incident to ferment to an uncontrollable degree.
Now, Daijing Entertainment's single piece of news was like a drop of water mistakenly falling into hot oil, instantly causing it to splatter everywhere.
Under this news post, many netizens had already started commenting.
—Why 'being cheated on'? Is there some inside story?
—Seeing this news, I suddenly remembered the Qin Zhenzhen and Zheng Shaoyuan drama from the first half of the year. Did you follow it?
—Now that you mention it, there are some similarities. If I remember correctly, back then the whole internet was bashing Qin Zhenzhen, calling her promiscuous, shameless, and saying she slept her way to resources. Then they got slapped in the face by the video. I wonder if Zheng Shaoyuan's face hurts now?
—So what does this have to do with Qin Zhenzhen? Trying to ride on her fame? Did they pay endorsement fees for dragging our Zhenzhen into this?
—Are you stupid, person above? Isn't this a case of different paths leading to the same outcome? Duan Qiuhan didn't make a sound even when the whole internet was bashing him before. Combined with thinking about his past character, it just screams 'inside story', okay?
—I'm Duan-bao's fan, so maybe my words are a bit biased, but I really can't hold it in anymore. I just want to ask all of you, why do you believe Duan-bao cheated based on a few photos??? Why are you so trusting of this so-called Miss Zhang?
Weibo was in an uproar. He Shuangshuang looked through several pages of comments before turning to Lu Ruyun, biting her lip. "Ruyun..."
Lu Ruyun looked at her sideways. "Hmm?"
He Shuangshuang tapped her fingers on the phone. "What does Qiuhan want to do?"
Lu Ruyun remained silent for a few seconds. It seemed the events of yesterday afternoon had indeed prompted Qiuhan to take action. She just hadn't expected him to choose this way of stepping forward.
Upon closer thought, she could understand his decision.
The words he heard in the hospital room yesterday must have completely wounded him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a resolute move, standing in opposition to Yaoyao.
He had contacted Daijing Entertainment first, breaking this news to attract everyone's attention. As everyone knew, the last time Daijing Entertainment garnered widespread attention was due to the Zheng Shaoyuan incident.
And back then, the situation between Zhenzhen and Zheng Shaoyuan also involved one being falsely accused and the other wantonly slandering.
If another entertainment weekly had reported this, the comments below would likely already be filled with endless abuse. But Daijing Entertainment was different. Not only was their standing in the industry high, but there was also the matter of the Qin Zhenzhen and Zheng Shaoyuan incident. This forced many netizens who might otherwise jump on the bandwagon to weigh their words carefully, worried it might turn into another repeat of the Zheng Shaoyuan and Zhenzhen incident, leading to another severe public slap in the face.
He was using the precedent of Zhenzhen and Zheng Shaoyuan, leveraging the netizens' wariness of Daijing Entertainment, to step forward boldly and give an exclusive interview.
This move had a calming effect on the previously agitated and indignant netizens.
Public opinion was no longer completely one-sided. Of course, no one would completely switch sides based solely on Daijing Entertainment's news, but it did plant seeds of doubt. Combined with the memory of the Zheng Shaoyuan incident, the comments being posted became much more measured.
Seeing Lu Ruyun remained motionless, He Shuangshuang nudged her arm. "Ruyun, what exactly does Qiuhan want to do?"
Lu Ruyun turned to look at her. Considering what Zhang Yiyao had done, how heartbroken would Shuangshuang be if she knew? But some things ultimately had to be faced. If she didn't tell her now, she would find out anyway once Qiuhan's exclusive interview was released.
With this thought, she parted her red lips. "Shuangshuang."
He Shuangshuang's heart skipped a beat. Hearing her low voice, a sudden sense of foreboding washed over her. She swallowed. "Hmm?"
Lu Ruyun's expression was calm, but there was a dim light in her eyes, and her voice dropped even lower. "What happened to Qiuhan... was done by Yaoyao."
Crash! The cup He Shuangshuang was holding suddenly fell to the floor. The glass cup hit the ceramic tiles, producing a crisp shattering sound. He Shuangshuang's mind went blank for several seconds. "What did you say?" she asked, unable to believe it.
Her expression was utterly stunned, completely unconcealed. Lu Ruyun looked at her and took her hand. "Shuangshuang."
He Shuangshuang fell back onto the sofa, her face pale, lips slightly parted. "Why? Why would she do this?"
She could understand her stealing and leaking the video before—it was because she didn't want to see Ruyun wronged.
Even using her name to leak it, she could understand—because she was afraid of Ruyun's blame.
But she never, ever imagined she would also orchestrate this cheating scandal. And the person she hurt was Duan Qiuhan, who had always cherished her and held her in the palm of his hand. How could she bear to do it!
He Shuangshuang's body was tense, her face pale, hands clenched. Seeing this, Lu Ruyun patted her back. "Shuangshuang, I'm sorry. I originally didn't want to tell you about this."
But with Duan Qiuhan choosing this method, even if she didn't say it now, He Shuangshuang would find out by watching the interview tonight.
And Qiuhan's decision to do this stemmed from having no retreat left. Zhang Yiyao had been too ruthless, cutting off all his escape routes. Other statements would be ineffectual, completely unable to clear his name. Only by confronting it head-on like this could he prove his innocence.
The feelings in He Shuangshuang's heart were too complex, indescribable. Scenes from their past interactions flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern. She remembered every instance of her gentleness. And now, the warmer those memories were, the sharper the knife twisting in her heart felt, the pain making even breathing hurt.
Lu Ruyun sat beside her, waiting for her to slowly return to normal.
Time passed gently. Lu Ruyun's phone rang. She glanced at He Shuangshuang, but before she could speak, He Shuangshuang said, "Go answer it."
Lu Ruyun looked at her, then got up to take the call.
It was Qin Zhenzhen, telling her she had already landed. Her crisp, clear voice came through the phone, and when she coquettishly called out "Teacher Lu," Lu Ruyun felt the gloom in her heart instantly disperse. Sunlight streamed in through the window, warming Lu Ruyun's body. Her voice softened. "Hmm?"
Qin Zhenzhen sighed. "I might not be able to come back this week. Sister Meng wants me to fly directly to the Perfect Star Magazine location. What about you?"
Lu Ruyun thought for a moment. "I'm entering the crew the day after tomorrow. Then let's just meet at the SP location."
Qin Zhenzhen agreed. "Alright."
Lu Ruyun hung up the phone and turned to see He Shuangshuang had already stood up. She was cleaning up the shattered glass on the floor. Lu Ruyun glanced at her and spoke up. "Let me do it."
He Shuangshuang didn't pause in her cleaning. Head bowed, she said, "It's fine. I need to clean this up myself."
Her words carried a deeper meaning. Lu Ruyun stopped in her tracks, lowering her gaze and sitting on the edge of the sofa. She watched He Shuangshuang finish gathering the broken pieces and stand up. "I'm going to throw out the trash."
Lu Ruyun nodded, watching her leave. The garbage bag in He Shuangshuang's hand felt heavy. Her expression was cold. After disposing of the trash, she stood by the bin, took out her phone, and added Zhang Yiyao—whom she had contacted not long ago—to her blacklist.
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