Married in a Daze - Chapter 133
Chapter 133
Lu Ruyun had been busy the past couple of days, returning to the apartment later and later. Sometimes, there were faint dark circles under her eyes. Qin Zhenzhen felt sorry for her having to travel back and forth and suggested she stay at a hotel near the film and television city. The production crew had booked hotels nearby, but Lu Ruyun had never gone to rest at them. Qin Zhenzhen had urged her a few times but then remembered back when they were filming Time in Full Bloom. Once, past three in the morning, everyone including herself had gone to rest at a nearby hotel, but Lu Ruyun alone had insisted on returning.
Thinking of this, Qin Zhenzhen dropped the subject.
Lu Ruyun clearly still had some resistance to staying in hotels. It was better before when she had medication, but now she had stopped taking it. If something really happened while Qin Zhenzhen wasn't by her side, she couldn't bear the thought.
Qin Zhenzhen thought, rather than seeing her suffer a little, she would never want to see her in pain again.
However, every time she saw Lu Ruyun tired, Qin Zhenzhen would always make soup and cook for her. She had even secretly learned massage techniques, giving Lu Ruyun a little surprise every day.
Just past six in the morning on Monday, after only a few short days, Qin Zhenzhen had already developed a biological clock, waking up on time. She prepared to get up and make breakfast for Lu Ruyun. As soon as she moved, her hand was pulled back. Qin Zhenzhen looked down to see Lu Ruyun's face buried under the pillow, her voice slightly muffled: "Sleep a little longer."
Qin Zhenzhen propped herself up on one elbow on the pillow, brushing Lu Ruyun's long hair aside: "If you sleep more, you'll miss breakfast."
"It's fine." Lu Ruyun slowly opened her eyes, meeting Qin Zhenzhen's bright gaze. She smiled: "I don't need to go to the set this morning."
Qin Zhenzhen was momentarily stunned: "No scenes this morning?"
Lu Ruyun nodded, her arm circling Qin Zhenzhen's waist: "Mhm."
Qin Zhenzhen immediately relaxed her body. The two only wore thin nightgowns. After sleeping through the night, the gowns were already half-hanging off their bodies. When Lu Ruyun embraced her waist, she effortlessly touched her skin.
A tingling, numbing sensation, combined with their still-languid, just-awakened bodies, created an indescribable comfort. For the past few days, Qin Zhenzhen, afraid of tiring Lu Ruyun, had simply held her while sleeping, not daring to tease her. But now that she had no scenes in the morning and had slept so soundly last night, Qin Zhenzhen immediately grew restless.
Qin Zhenzhen's hand moved to embrace Lu Ruyun's body, slipping under her nightgown from the hem. Her warm fingertips sent electric currents shooting into Lu Ruyun's body. Lu Ruyun's slightly closed eyes, flushed cheeks, were met as she instead grasped Qin Zhenzhen's hand, guiding her own fingertip to touch herself.
This feeling was too stimulating. Qin Zhenzhen, who still had a bit of drowsiness, instantly became fully awake, softly calling out: "Ruyun."
Lu Ruyun responded with an "Mhm," moving closer, burying her head in Qin Zhenzhen's neck. The faint, bone-deep fragrance made her want to inhale it again and again.
Outside the window, the sky began to lighten. Through the thick curtains, only faint outlines were visible. The nightgowns slipped from the bedside, accompanied by suppressed gasps that escaped Qin Zhenzhen's lips, swallowed by the ripples filling the room, leaving only endless entanglement.
While these two were busy, the team at SP was also working overtime and around the clock. Nearing the finish line, even though all the work was done, everyone was still busy, checking and confirming over and over, afraid of any errors. Even the editor-in-chief hadn't gone home to rest, pulling an all-nighter in the office.
"OK?"
"OK on my end."
"No problems here either."
"OK."
After yet another confirmation, the team leader breathed a sigh of relief and sat at her desk. An employee glanced toward the editor-in-chief's office and walked over to the team leader's station: "Want coffee?"
"Thanks." The team leader nodded. The girl in red took her cup and poured a coffee. In the break room, she ran into another colleague also working overtime. The two exchanged a smile.
"Overtime again?" The girl in red nodded: "No choice. If the boss hasn't left, how dare we leave?"
The girl standing opposite her, in her twenties, patted her shoulder: "You're working hard. You can rest after today's done."
The girl in red agreed: "You too."
She poured two cups of coffee: "I'll head out first."
"Okay."
The girl carrying coffee returned to the office. As she handed the coffee to the team leader, she heard discussion in the office.
"Is three hundred thousand copies too few? Honestly, even though I'm not their fan, I want to buy it after seeing it. Qin Zhenzhen's face value is just too perfect for me."
"Then you'll really regret it. I've seen her in person. She's even better looking than in photos."
"Brother Ji, is that true?"
Brother Ji was a photographer. Hearing this, he looked up and thought for a moment: "Hmm, she really is more beautiful in person."
The office erupted in exaggerated groans. The girl carrying the coffee walked over to the groaning man and kicked his chair: "Alright, no matter how good-looking, she has nothing to do with you."
"Hey, Assistant Li, you were there that day too. Did you see Qin Zhenzhen?"
Assistant Li was the girl in red. She was the team leader's assistant, so everyone called her Assistant Li.
"I saw her," Assistant Li said thoughtfully. "I also saw Cloud Fairy."
Fulfilling a childhood fantasy, finally seeing her idol in person, Assistant Li's face broke into a wider smile: "She's truly stunning. You missed out big time."
"What's so great about it? If the data for this issue isn't good, let's see if you can still laugh." The speaker was a member from the neighboring design team, led by Sister Wei.
Her words instantly made several people exchange glances. Everyone knew that from the very beginning, Sister Wei had been unhappy about having Qin Zhenzhen come to SP for the cover shoot. Before the shoot, she refused to design the outfits. During the shoot, she remained cold-faced and silent.
Those familiar with her knew she was angry.
She was an old employee at SP. Compared to everyone else who favored young actors, she leaned more toward the magazine's developmental prospects. Choosing Qin Zhenzhen this time was a moderate risk. Therefore, everyone understood why she was angry and had been avoiding her these past few days.
No one expected her team member to pour cold water at the critical moment.
Assistant Li originally wanted to speak up for Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun, but the man beside her pulled her hand back, shaking his head. Assistant Li silently swallowed her words and said nothing.
The girl who had spoken earlier walked past them holding a tea cup, snickering: "Keep celebrating. There's still ten minutes left. Maybe you won't feel like celebrating anymore then."
"Or maybe you still can celebrate, considering you'll be idle for the whole month ahead. You're really carefree. If I were you, I wouldn't know how to cry." She walked past the group with arrogant clicks of her high heels.
Everyone suppressed their anger. Out of respect for her being close to Sister Wei, they remained silent, their faces flushed.
Ten minutes remained until eight o'clock. The team leader took a sip of coffee, her gaze fixed on the official website's purchase page.
Their magazine had its own official website, firstly for client communication, and secondly for easier data statistics. The official website would get lively at the end of each month, but this time, 'lively' was an understatement.
Qin Zhenzhen's massive fan base, Lu Ruyun's fans, their CP fans, plus those attracted by the cover, the interview, and some old clients, were all crowded under the official website. The site had been boiling over for two days.
Time inched closer to eight o'clock. The people in the office unconsciously quieted down, their eyes all fixed on the official website. Even Assistant Li was watching the backend data. The coffee sat in front of her, but she was in no mood to drink it. After the scolding from the neighboring team member, her mood was also incredibly tense.
Everyone wanted the magazine to do better, but no one could guarantee what effect this change would bring. So, amid anticipation, there was also unease and anxiety.
The people sitting in the office felt as if a spring had been wound tight in their minds. Time slowly ticked by. At fifty-nine minutes past the hour, the office computer chimed for eight o'clock sharp.
Accompanied by the chime, no one's eyes were willing to leave their computer screens. The team leader watched the transaction count multiply before her eyes. Before she could even blink, she saw the words "Sold Out."
No one in the office spoke for a long time. Finally, someone couldn't help but whisper: "S-sold out?"
Following her voice came an even more incredulous one: "H-how many seconds?"
Everyone's gaze fell on Assistant Li, knowing she had the data. Assistant Li swallowed and announced a number: "Nine seconds."
"Holy shit!"
Someone let out a strange cry. The entire office instantly exploded as if ignited. Assistant Li, watching the backend data still jumping—usually after selling out, there was a pre-order option they used for supplementary printing, a sort of advance purchase item—now with a mixture of joy and a grimace, said: "Stop laughing. We might not have any days off this whole month."
Everyone crowded around her computer, seeing the pre-order number climbing upwards.
One hundred thousand.
Two hundred thousand.
Three hundred thousand.
Four hundred thousand.
Five hundred thousand.
The magazine had been established for nearly seventy years. Apart from the issue featuring a Heavenly King which set a single-month record of over six hundred thousand copies, no one had surpassed that record.
But Qin Zhenzhen, in less than ten short minutes, had broken that record.
In the end, the pre-order number settled at eight hundred thousand.
The team leader's hand shook with excitement. Before she could speak, someone behind her shouted: "Team Leader!"
His call made everyone look over. His face was not good as he said: "The official website crashed."
The sudden surge in traffic had paralyzed the official website. Everyone exchanged glances once more. The team leader quickly stood up and headed for the editor-in-chief's office.
Qin Zhenzhen refreshed several times but couldn't get in. She annoyedly wanted to throw her phone. Lu Ruyun, seeing her actions, chuckled lightly: "What's wrong?"
"I can't get into SP's official website."
She thought for a moment: "Is my phone broken? Let me use yours."
Lu Ruyun handed over her phone, but no matter how Qin Zhenzhen tapped, she still couldn't get in. Her shoulders slumped: "Is our internet broken?"
Her aggrieved tone made Lu Ruyun laugh. Originally, the two had been cuddling in bed for a while. By the time Qin Zhenzhen's alarm went off and she picked up her phone, the official website was already inaccessible.
Lu Ruyun finished making breakfast and walked over to the sofa, taking her phone back. Just as she was about to ask He Shuangshuang to contact SP, she heard Qin Zhenzhen's puzzled voice.
She looked down and saw the Weibo page Qin Zhenzhen had opened.
—SP's official website experiences its first-ever crash. Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun's 'wedding photos' sold out three hundred thousand copies in nine seconds.
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