Married in a Daze - Chapter 153
Chapter 153
Duan Qiuhan said he had made arrangements to discuss matters with the screenwriter in detail tonight. He hadn't expected the screenwriter to still be abroad and unable to return for the time being. Lu Ruyun listened to Duan Qiuhan's words and just lowered her gaze with a nod, saying she understood.
The promotion for Like a Dream had already entered its peak period. Sometimes she had to dash between two locations in a single day. Fortunately, the filming at the drama set was progressing very smoothly and didn't take up too much of her time. The only inconvenience was going home.
Sometimes she wouldn't return to the apartment until three or four in the morning, and had to get up again at six the next day. Although He Shuangshuang didn't say anything, Lu Ruyun could see she clearly couldn't keep it up much longer.
So, after a quick discussion with Qin Zhenzhen, she decided to simply follow the promotional schedule, or stay near the drama set. Qin Zhenzhen was a little worried, looking at her with the eyes of a mother watching her daughter leave to be married. That maternal look made Lu Ruyun laugh. "Alright, the promotional tour ends in another week. I'm just afraid Shuangshuang can't handle it."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "I know."
These past few days, she'd watched Lu Ruyun go from a slender figure to practically skin and bones, with hardly any flesh left.
She thought for a few seconds. "Fine, I'll pack your things for you."
Lu Ruyun smiled softly and took the suitcase from her hands. "I'll do it myself. You rest for a bit."
Hearing this, Qin Zhenzhen could only sit on the edge of the bed. Lu Ruyun had been busy this whole time, and she hadn't had time to rest either. Securing the wedding venue, discussing wedding dress designs with the designer, and her mother dragging her around to buy so-called "dowry" items... She'd been spinning like a top too. Earlier, when they'd decided to invest in Duan Qiuhan's movie, Qin Zhenzhen had considered selling her own apartment. Lu Ruyun, of course, firmly disagreed.
Actually, the savings she'd accumulated over the years were quite substantial. Adding what Qin Zhenzhen could contribute, making a movie was completely feasible. Moreover, this movie wasn't some sci-fi blockbuster requiring massive investment. So, she opposed Qin Zhenzhen selling the apartment.
Qin Zhenzhen thought about it and agreed. If she ever argued with Lu Ruyun in the future, she couldn't just run back to her parents' place, could she? It would be best to have her own nest to retreat to.
Upon hearing her remark about having somewhere else to go after a fight, Lu Ruyun momentarily wondered if her insistence had been right or wrong.
The room fell quiet for a moment. Qin Zhenzhen leaned against the headboard, her gaze fixed steadily on the busy Lu Ruyun.
Lu Ruyun sensed her gaze and looked over. Their eyes met. Lu Ruyun smiled. "What is it?"
Qin Zhenzhen pouted. "Nothing. Just... I'll miss you when you leave."
Hearing this, Lu Ruyun lowered her eyes, placed the clothes in the suitcase, turned and sat beside Qin Zhenzhen. "Zhenzhen, I might still come back."
After all, she didn't know if she could stay out there on her own—without medication.
Qin Zhenzhen understood her meaning and didn't want her dwelling on this issue. Seeing the slight dimness in her eyes, she leaned in proactively. "It's fine if you don't come back. I'll go find you when I'm free."
Lu Ruyun agreed. "Okay."
Her lips had just parted when Qin Zhenzhen caught them, her hands cupping Lu Ruyun's face as she kissed her fiercely. Lu Ruyun received the anxiety that seemed even greater than her own and responded with comforting acquiescence.
A few minutes later, both lay beneath the blanket, utterly unclothed. Qin Zhenzhen nibbled her shoulder and asked, "When is Shuangshuang coming?"
Lu Ruyun gasped. "H-half, half an hour."
"That's enough."
As it turned out, half an hour was far from enough. He Shuangshuang waited downstairs for over an hour before Qin Zhenzhen finally saw Lu Ruyun off. Recalling Qin Zhenzhen's roar over the phone half an hour ago, telling her to wait a bit longer, the ferocious tone had left her too intimidated to make a second call. Now, as Lu Ruyun came out with Qin Zhenzhen in tow, Shuangshuang cowardly stayed huddled in the car.
Lu Ruyun put her suitcase in the trunk and got into the passenger seat. Qin Zhenzhen stood outside, simply waving. He Shuangshuang managed a weak smile and waved back. Only after Qin Zhenzhen turned and went back into the apartment did He Shuangshuang ask quietly, "Ruyun?"
Lu Ruyun's expression was as usual—light makeup, hair cascading over her shoulders, her voice soft and indistinct.
He Shuangshuang cleared her throat. "Uh... did you two just have a fight?"
Lu Ruyun's bright eyes widened slightly before she laughed, her voice gentle. "No."
He Shuangshuang frowned, biting her lip. "Then why was Qin Zhenzhen so angry? I thought you'd quarreled." She added another question. "What were you two doing just now?"
Lu Ruyun lowered her gaze to the tablet in her hands, her fingers lightly tracing the screen, her red lips parting. "Fighting."
He Shuangshuang: "..."
It was already past eight when they arrived at the drama set. Getting out of the car, Lu Ruyun saw several girls huddled together, whispering. She glanced at He Shuangshuang, who shook her head and shrugged, indicating she didn't know what was happening either.
Lu Ruyun didn't dwell on it and walked straight inside. A crew member quickly led her to change clothes and have her makeup done. Soon after, several girls entered the makeup room to fetch things. They chatted as they walked.
"Really?"
"Fake? A video has already surfaced."
"Xiao Hong went to look. You can ask her."
"I'll ask later what's going on."
"Wait for me, I'm coming too."
The girls chatted, grabbed their things, and scurried off. Normally, they would remember to greet Lu Ruyun, but today they didn't even notice someone was sitting there. However, when Dong Xiang entered the makeup room, she obediently called out, "Teacher Lu."
Lu Ruyun's eyes were half-closed. She responded with a soft hum, then heard He Shuangshuang ask Dong Xiang, "What happened in the crew just now? Why is it so chaotic?"
Dong Xiang had arrived earlier, and everyone liked to drag her into things, so she actually knew a bit about what had happened. She said to He Shuangshuang, "Sister Shuangshuang, do you know Teacher Tang Ya?"
He Shuangshuang nodded. "Of course I know her."
Dong Xiang pointed in another direction. "She's filming over there in another crew."
The incident didn't start with Tang Ya, but with one of her assistants. A crew member was delivering coffee to Tang Ya and accidentally bumped into Tang Ya's assistant. The assistant immediately pushed her. The coffee spilled all over the crew member's hands and clothes—scalding hot coffee. The crew member was pushed to the ground in a pathetic state, crying out in pain from the burns. This immediately drew others' attention. They helped the injured crew member up and began arguing with Tang Ya's assistant.
In the end, it escalated, alarming the director. When the director came out to talk to Tang Ya, they also had some unpleasant exchanges.
This actually wasn't a big deal, but once they argued, the situation became serious.
Furthermore, the crew member who had been pushed down by Tang Ya's assistant was somewhat related to the director.
So, the flames of conflict ignited.
Lu Ruyun actually knew a little about Tang Ya's assistant—Qin Zhenzhen had told her. They'd met before, during the audition for Mountain Girl, and it hadn't been pleasant either.
But she wasn't one for gossip. After learning the cause and effect, she simply lowered her gaze, closed her eyes, and let the makeup artist draw her brows and apply powder.
For most of the day, many people in the crew were discussing the incident, but Lu Ruyun just buried herself in filming, turning a deaf ear to outside affairs and immersing herself wholly in the script.
Even the few people around her felt too embarrassed to gossip.
After lunch, Lu Ruyun left the crew with He Shuangshuang. She was heading to Duan Qiuhan's place in the afternoon. On the road, He Shuangshuang confirmed again, "Ruyun, you're sure you're not coming back tonight?"
Lu Ruyun looked up at her. There were faint dark circles under her eyes. He Shuangshuang wasn't faring much better; several days of staying up late had left her complexion rather poor. Lu Ruyun nodded, adopting a rare joking tone. "If we come back again, I'm afraid you'll turn the car into a ghost car."
He Shuangshuang burst out laughing. "Is it that exaggerated?"
She then asked, "Has Sister Meng finalized the contract with Qiuhan over there?"
Lu Ruyun hummed in affirmation. "It's finalized. We can start preparations once the promotional tour ends."
"That fast?" He Shuangshuang frowned. "But you haven't finished Drunken Dreams of Jianghu yet."
Lu Ruyun rubbed her eyelids. "It's fine. Let Qiuhan start preparations first. Drunken Dreams of Jianghu should wrap up around the end of the month. Next month, Zhenzhen has to go abroad for promotions—at least half a month. We can start filming once she's back."
He Shuangshuang calculated the time. "Start filming mid-May?"
Lu Ruyun nodded. "Roughly."
He Shuangshuang sucked in a breath. "What about your wedding?"
"You have to at least make time for the wedding ceremony."
Lu Ruyun thought for a moment. "Zhenzhen and I discussed setting the wedding date for July."
"July?" He Shuangshuang was puzzled at first, then understood. Last July was precisely the month Lu Ruyun and Qin Zhenzhen had obtained their marriage certificate.
It would perfectly make up for the regret of last time.
He Shuangshuang laughed. "You two really know how to pick the timing."
Lu Ruyun merely lowered her head with a slight smile, offering no reply.
When they arrived at the promotional venue, Duan Qiuhan had just arrived too. They got out of separate cars. Duan Qiuhan walked straight over, took Lu Ruyun's suitcase from her and handed it to his assistant. As they walked, he said, "The screenwriter returned to the country this morning. I've invited her to dinner tonight. Do you want to come along?"
Lu Ruyun glanced at him and nodded. "I'll come."
Duan Qiuhan hummed in agreement. "Alright. I'll send you the restaurant address later. I might be delayed a bit after this ends for an interview, so you can go first."
Lu Ruyun agreed. "Okay."
They chatted as they walked backstage. Not long after, Lu Ruyun received the restaurant address. After reading it, she put her phone in her bag. Opening the bag, she saw several documents inside.
The top line read:
Name: Yin Ye. Position: Screenwriter. Pen Name: Youthful Blossoms.
After the promotional event ended, Lu Ruyun went to the restaurant first. She arrived a quarter of an hour earlier than the agreed time. The private room was empty. He Shuangshuang asked curiously, "Ruyun, do you have something to discuss with the screenwriter?"
Lu Ruyun nodded. "There's something I want to ask. Wait here for a bit. I'm going to the restroom."
He Shuangshuang hummed affirmatively.
While in the restroom, Lu Ruyun coincidentally received a call from Qin Zhenzhen. After washing her hands, she stood in a quiet spot to take the call, chatting for quite a while without realizing it. Finally, Lu Ruyun glanced at her wristwatch and told Qin Zhenzhen she'd call her back in the evening.
After hanging up, she returned to the private room. Besides He Shuangshuang, another person was already seated inside. Lu Ruyun stared at her back, her footsteps hesitating for a moment, not daring to approach.
He Shuangshuang looked up. "Ruyun!"
"The screenwriter is here."
Only then did Lu Ruyun collect her expression and return to normal. When Yin Ye turned around, she saw Lu Ruyun walking towards her. She stood up to greet her. "Miss Lu, hello."
"Hello." Lu Ruyun also extended her hand to shake Yin Ye's.
According to her resume, Yin Ye was in her forties, but she looked quite young in person—perhaps due to good skincare—appearing to be just over thirty. Her skin was fair, she wore a light blue dress, her long hair cascaded down her back, and her every gesture exuded confidence.
Looking at her, Lu Ruyun felt a momentary overlap with someone in her memory, but they quickly separated again, blurring into a mess.
After all, it had been nearly twenty years since she'd seen that person.
The private room fell silent for a moment. He Shuangshuang tactfully stood up. "I'll go see if Director Duan has arrived."
Lu Ruyun nodded. "Go ahead."
After He Shuangshuang left the room and closed the door, Yin Ye stood up, poured tea for Lu Ruyun, and smiled. "Director Duan said you had something to ask me. What is it?"
Seeing her neither servile nor overbearing attitude and her poised, graceful demeanor, Lu Ruyun picked up her cup and took a sip of tea. Many questions that had piled up in her chest turned over and over in her mind. Finally, she parted her lips and asked, "I just wanted to ask, Miss Yin, if your pen name has any particular origin?"
Yin Ye's expression shifted slightly. Her hand holding the teapot trembled a little, spilling some tea. She casually wiped away the droplets, her smile still intact. "What origin could it have? I just thought of it randomly."
She had answered this question from fans countless times, but never with this peculiar feeling she had facing Lu Ruyun.
Lu Ruyun's gaze seemed to see right through her.
After speaking, Yin Ye looked up, smiling at Lu Ruyun as usual. "Have some tea."
Lu Ruyun nodded lightly. Just as Yin Ye brought her cup to her lips, Lu Ruyun said softly, "When I was very young, I saw a line in my aunt's diary."
"She said someone once wrote a poem for her."
"You are the flower of my youth, the home of my dreams, and even more my..."
Yin Ye put down her cup, interrupting Lu Ruyun's voice. "Enough."
Lu Ruyun still stared fixedly at her, parting her lips to call out, "Auntie Yin, long time no see."
Comments
Post a Comment