Married in a Daze - Chapter 151
Chapter 151
After Ji Lu hung up on her twice, He Shuangshuang finally got through again and, in the process, managed to find her underwear. However, the scene of her walking out of the bedroom wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes.
The entire family was sitting on the sofa, all looking right at her.
He Shuangshuang gulped. Her legs, planted in the doorway, trembled slightly. She didn't know if it was due to drinking too much the night before, but her head was currently spinning.
Luckily, the Ji family members just scrutinized her for a good while without asking anything. Ji's mother scooped a bowl of congee for her and told her to go eat breakfast at the dining table. He Shuangshuang even forgot she hadn't washed up yet, walking over directly. She awkwardly thanked Ji's mother, "Thank you, Auntie."
Ji's mother looked at her and nodded with a smile. "Hurry up and eat."
He Shuangshuang lowered her head, scooped some congee with her spoon, and had just put it in her mouth when she heard Ji's mother ask, "Shuangshuang."
She had visited the Ji household before, so the family always called her Shuangshuang. It hadn't felt like anything special before, but now it made her scalp prickle. She mumbled in response, "Yes, Auntie?"
Ji's mother continued, still smiling amiably. "Actually, Auntie doesn't have anything major. Just wanted to ask, when did you and our Lulu get together?"
He Shuangshuang, with congee in her mouth, nearly choked. Before she could say anything, Ji Lu's sister-in-law walked over. "Shuangshuang, this really isn't right of you. You should have told us during the New Year."
"Actually, I felt something was off back then. When has Lulu ever brought someone home before? I said they were together, but Mom wouldn't believe it."
After saying this with a beaming smile, Ji Lu's sister-in-law went back to playing with her child. Soon, sounds of laughter drifted over. He Shuangshuang felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, her face burning red.
"Auntie, actually..."
He Shuangshuang looked up, seeing Ji's mother smiling kindly at her, her very brows radiating happiness. Recalling how Ji's mother had been bustling in and out of the room all morning, full of energy and excitement like she was marrying off a daughter, He Shuangshuang swallowed her unfinished words. Ji's mother smiled and asked, "Actually what?"
He Shuangshuang met her eyes, opened her mouth, and said, "Actually, we just got together recently. We haven't had the chance to tell you yet."
Ji's mother laughed. "I knew it! Lulu was definitely lying to me this morning."
He Shuangshuang looked up. "What did she lie to you about?"
Ji's mother: "She lied and said you two weren't together."
He Shuangshuang: ...
After leaving the Ji household, He Shuangshuang returned to her apartment, took a long bath, changed clothes, and then headed for the film set. It was just past mealtime, and everyone on set was eating lunch. When He Shuangshuang entered the rest area, she saw Lu Ruyun and Ji Lu eating separately, neither speaking.
"Ruyun." He Shuangshuang walked in and stood before Lu Ruyun, explaining, "I drank too much last night..."
Lu Ruyun looked up, a slight smile on her lips, and interrupted, "I know. Ji Lu already told me."
He Shuangshuang then turned to Ji Lu, cleared her throat, and said somewhat sheepishly, "Last night, thank you."
Ji Lu waved a hand. "No need."
Seeing He Shuangshuang had arrived, she packed up her finished lunchbox and said to Lu Ruyun, "Teacher Lu, I'll take my leave then."
Lu Ruyun gave a slight nod. "Alright."
After bidding Lu Ruyun goodbye, Ji Lu prepared to leave. He Shuangshuang, seeing her back, suddenly called out, "Ji Lu!"
Noticing Lu Ruyun also looking over, He Shuangshuang hurriedly positioned herself behind Ji Lu and said with a smile, "Let me walk you out."
Ji Lu frowned. "That's not necessary."
He Shuangshuang gritted her teeth and insisted, "Yes, it is."
Ji Lu glanced at her expression, then at Lu Ruyun, and reluctantly agreed, "Fine. Teacher Lu, I'm off then."
Lu Ruyun gave a soft "Mm," watching the two figures leave the room. The door clicked shut. When she lowered her head again, a hint of amusement flickered in her eyes, as if she found the situation quite entertaining.
Her phone buzzed insistently. She pulled it out with her other hand and saw a message from Qin Zhenzhen.
—Finished filming yet?
Lu Ruyun replied: Finished. Eating lunch now.
Qin Zhenzhen called almost immediately. Her voice carried a breeze, as if she was standing outside.
"Yeah, I'm outside. Sister Hu Ling just brought me to look at a few locations. They all seem pretty good."
Hu Ling was Meng Xin's bar-owner classmate. Her parents ran a wedding planning business and knew every scenic spot in City A like the back of their hand. When they first received the inquiry, they were incredulous. Nowadays, which celebrity couple didn't hold their weddings abroad, on some island, hiring internationally renowned wedding planners for the whole process? They never expected Qin Zhenzhen would actually hold the wedding in City A and hire them!
While they were well-regarded in City A, they were far from heavyweight on an international scale. So after taking on this job, they were terrified of messing up. Fortunately, Hu Ling had been mediating, bringing everyone together for a couple of meals. Qin Zhenzhen's down-to-earth nature put them at ease.
This time, they were responsible for the venue and décor. As for security, Qin Zhenzhen had already contacted a professional firm, so that wasn't their concern.
Of course, they had no objections to this arrangement. It was settled on the spot. These past two days, they had been going to choose the venue.
After seeing Lu Ruyun off in the morning, Qin Zhenzhen received a call from Hu Ling and hurried over. She had already looked at three locations. Only now, during the lunch break, did she have time to call Lu Ruyun.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ruyun's light chuckle traveled through the phone. "Zhenzhen, you've worked hard."
Qin Zhenzhen, whose legs were already tired from running around all morning, immediately started cooing upon hearing Lu Ruyun's voice. When He Shuangshuang entered the rest area, Lu Ruyun's pretty face was slightly flushed, her bright eyes sparkling, her voice soft and tender. He Shuangshuang couldn't help but give a light cough.
Lu Ruyun immediately shot her a look. He Shuangshuang touched the tip of her nose and whispered, "What's wrong?"
Lu Ruyun waved a hand at her, mouthing the words, "Out."
He Shuangshuang gave her a knowing, suggestive wink and walked out with an understanding expression.
On the other end of the call, Qin Zhenzhen asked, "What's the matter?"
Lu Ruyun soothed her. "Nothing. Where were we?"
Immediately, sweet, syrupy words flowed from the phone again. Lu Ruyun listened, her mind gradually drifting into a pleasant haze.
By the time she hung up, it was almost time for the afternoon filming session. There was another scene scheduled for a little after noon, followed by rushing to Duan Qiuhan's event. Her schedule was packed.
Due to the previous incident, a lot of work had piled up. When she arrived in the neighboring city in the afternoon, there was an interview scheduled. It was for the leads and a few key supporting actors of Like a Dream, for promotional purposes. However, she had been tied up in City A handling Qin Zhenzhen's matters, so it was delayed. Everyone else had already been interviewed; only she remained.
So, the moment she arrived in the neighboring city, they tried to pull her in for the interview.
Only after finishing the interview was she dragged onto the stage by Duan Qiuhan for promotional activities.
Lu Ruyun was swamped, changing outfits one after another. The entire backstage was a hive of activity. He Shuangshuang's figure was submerged within it, quickly lost in the crowd.
"Assistant He! Over here!"
"Go check if everything's ready!"
"How many minutes left?"
"It's starting soon!"
In the bustling backstage, Lu Ruyun sat before a mirror. Through the reflection, she watched the busy crowd, her bright eyes lowered slightly.
A few minutes later, another round of promotion began.
Like a Dream was the show that followed Cold Palace, but its ratings weren't as impressive as Cold Palace's. Since airing, its average hovered around 1.5. However, considering Like a Dream's target audience, its promotion, and factors like actors, director, and limited investment, such a performance was actually quite decent. Lu Ruyun's stills from the show continued to be praised, with fans going crazy over them daily. There were even quite a few fans of her and Qin Zhenzhen's CP who edited her scenes from Like a Dream with Qin Zhenzhen's from Cold Palace into a separate series titled When the Assassin Falls for the Cold Consort.
Although Lu Ruyun didn't play an assassin in Like a Dream but a wandering martial artist, coupled with godly editing skills, it ended up feeling surprisingly seamless. Every day, as Like a Dream updated with two episodes, that fan-made series would follow with two new clips. The edited confrontations between Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun left viewers exhilarated, especially during Qin Zhenzhen's later, darker turn where she exuded overwhelming presence. Lu Ruyun's character, always lurking in the shadows, willingly became her pawn. Both actresses were stunningly beautiful and looked incredibly compatible. Every time they shared the screen in these edits, fans screamed with excitement. Many openly said watching these edits was more satisfying and fluid than watching the actual TV dramas, wishing desperately that Lu Ruyun and Qin Zhenzhen would just film a series based on the edits.
After this edited series went viral, spreading across various high-traffic platforms, it undeniably brought excellent promotional effects to Like a Dream.
The couple's CP fanbase skyrocketed overnight along with the popularity of the edits.
Lu Ruyun was aware of these videos. So, when the host during the promotion asked if there was any chance she and Qin Zhenzhen would co-star in a period drama, she thought for a few seconds and smiled, "If the opportunity arises, we'd certainly be willing."
Cheers erupted from below the stage. Fans holding signs for "Cloud Fairy" shouted so loudly it was deafening. The host had to laugh and wave her hands, moving past the topic.
It was already past nine by the time she came down from the promotional stage. Lu Ruyun returned to the dressing room to change and remove her makeup. Backstage wasn't very crowded, as most people had gone to help out front. Duan Qiuhan stood by the doorway, pacing back and forth, before finally stepping into the dressing room.
From the mirror, Lu Ruyun saw his expression wasn't great. She turned her head and called out, "Qiuhan?"
Duan Qiuhan, head hanging, walked over to stand behind her. Lu Ruyun glanced sideways at him. Since he had picked himself up again, she hadn't seen him look so dejected.
"What's wrong?"
Duan Qiuhan looked at her but didn't speak. Only after the stylist finished removing Lu Ruyun's makeup did he sit down on the stool beside her. Lu Ruyun turned around, adjusting her clothes, and asked, "What's the matter? Why aren't you saying anything?"
People were gradually trickling back into the backstage. Duan Qiuhan pointed outside. "Shall we go out and talk?"
Lu Ruyun nodded. "Alright."
She stood up as she spoke, and He Shuangshuang followed the two of them out the door.
Under the streetlights, the shadows of the three stretched long. Lu Ruyun's clear, gentle voice cut through the ink-black night. "They pulled their investment?"
"When did this happen?"
Duan Qiuhan sighed. "About an hour ago. I just wanted to let you know. Regarding the script I asked you to look over and help me consider actors for... let's not bother with that for now."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ruyun's expression didn't show much surprise. An investor withdrawing at the last minute was far too common; she didn't find it particularly strange.
It's just that finding a new investor now would be extremely tight on time. Originally, Duan Qiuhan had planned to start filming his movie right after Cold Palace ended. Now, it would have to be delayed.
Duan Qiuhan gave a soft "Mm," tacitly agreeing with Lu Ruyun's unspoken thoughts.
Seeing him so downcast, Lu Ruyun patted his shoulder. "It's alright. Keep trying. There will be other opportunities. I read the script; it's very good."
Duan Qiuhan let out a long breath. He had just been momentarily stunned upon hearing the news. Now, after talking to Lu Ruyun, he felt less anxious. He nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's getting late. If you're not staying here tonight, you should head back early."
Lu Ruyun pursed her lips, hesitating as if she wanted to say something more. In the end, she only uttered one word. "Okay."
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