Married in a Daze - Chapter 156
Chapter 156
The Tang Ya incident ultimately concluded with the assistant resigning and issuing a public apology. Qin Zhenzhen didn't pay too much attention to it. After Meng Xin posted on Weibo, she had already put it out of her mind. Over the course of nearly half a month, she and Lu Ruyun had finalized their wedding gown designs, and Wei Jie had already started taking their measurements for custom tailoring.
As for the wedding venue, they chose a small island near the neighboring city, usually used for vacations. Lu Ruyun directly booked it for three months to serve as the wedding location.
Qin Zhenzhen contemplated how a month had vanished without accomplishing much.
Their vacation ended, Lu Ruyun's promotional activities were nearing completion, and Drunken Dreams of Jianghu was also almost finished filming. However, Lu Ruyun couldn't afford to relax. Studio matters, wedding preparations, and the screenplay for the upcoming movie she was investing in, The Real Culprit, still hadn't been finalized. So, she became extremely busy. Qin Zhenzhen wasn't any less occupied. After a month of leave, Meng Xin had already scheduled promotional events, and the overseas promotion tour was about to begin. The time they could spend together grew less and less; most of their meetings were through video calls.
Seeing Qin Zhenzhen's somewhat disgruntled expression on the screen, Lu Ruyun smiled. "It's alright, it will be over soon. Just bear with it a little longer."
Qin Zhenzhen glanced sideways. Everyone else was eating, drinking, and having fun, while she was the only one clinging to her phone complaining, which really wasn't appropriate. After hearing Lu Ruyun's words, she nodded. "Okay. Then I'll go play with Teacher Sun and the others for a bit."
Lu Ruyun nodded. "Alright."
After hanging up, Lu Ruyun placed her phone on the coffee table. The intense workload had kept her in a state of tension lately. Unlike her previous, more relaxed work style, she was now practically pushing herself as if she were three people. Fortunately, Meng Xin was helping at the studio, so she didn't collapse from exhaustion.
Her schedule was on the coffee table.
The Like a Dream promotions were finished. Duan Qiuhan was also actively preparing the movie matters, waiting for her to finish Drunken Dreams of Jianghu and then head straight into the film crew.
There wasn't even a moment to catch her breath.
She always thought she couldn't handle this kind of life, but she never expected to adapt even better than she imagined, and to find it fulfilling.
No longer shrouded by certain shadows, she could even read Yin Ye's screenplay with a composed expression and offer opinions and suggestions.
She even found it hard to believe herself.
Lu Ruyun made notes on the schedule. Dong Xiang and Mei Ling's filming for the drama had wrapped. Meng Xin wanted them to participate in a reality show to gain some fans. Their personalities were introverted and extroverted respectively, and they could also promote a fan-pairing. Lu Ruyun didn't express any particular view on promoting CPs, but she agreed to let them join the reality show.
The show's host was an old acquaintance of Meng Xin's. Arrangements were already made, and the two young ladies entered directly.
Seeing their schedules were settled, Lu Ruyun considered the other two artists: one had just entered a drama crew, and the other was being dragged by Meng Xin to auditions everywhere. Before she could finish reviewing the schedule, her phone rang abruptly. Thinking it was Qin Zhenzhen, a smile touched her eyes as she picked it up.
He Shuangshuang felt goosebumps at Lu Ruyun's soft, tender "hello" and cleared her throat. "Ruyun, it's me."
Lu Ruyun restrained her emotions and responded with a neutral "Mm."
He Shuangshuang rolled her eyes irritably, muttered something under her breath, and said, "Teacher Yin sent the screenplay to the studio. When do you have time to come pick it up, or should I bring it over to you tonight?"
Lu Ruyun checked the time; it was just past four. "I'll come over later. Where's Sister Meng?"
He Shuangshuang shrugged. "She took Xiao Si to an audition."
Xiao Si was the last artist to join the studio. Because he was the fourth to enter, He Shuangshuang and the others always called him by the nickname Xiao Si.
After saying this, He Shuangshuang pursed her lips. "Ruyun, don't you think Xiao Si is a bit... too picky about scripts?"
Logically, he's quite handsome, has resources, and his acting is decent—at least, the directors he auditioned for were willing to cast him. Yet, he himself was too selective about scripts and couldn't seem to find a suitable one.
Once or twice was fine, but as time went on, everyone felt he was a bit pretentious, with eyes higher than his ability.
He Shuangshuang also felt this way, which was why she couldn't help asking Lu Ruyun.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ruyun lowered her gaze and said to He Shuangshuang, "It's fine. Let him choose for now. The more he selects, the clearer his path will become."
Seeing her take this stance, He Shuangshuang shrugged. "Alright."
They chatted a bit more before hanging up. Lu Ruyun tidied the things on the coffee table, stood up, grabbed her bag, and prepared to go out.
Just as she reached the garage, her phone beeped with a text message.
Ms. Lu: Ruyun, where are you?
It had been a while since Lu Ruyun contacted Lu Sheng. Partly because she was busy, and partly because of Yin Ye. She didn't know whether she should confess to Lu Sheng, so she had delayed contacting her.
Now, seeing Lu Sheng's message, her brow relaxed slightly. She replied: In City A.
Ms. Lu: At home?
Lu Ruyun glanced at the garage: Basically.
After sending that, she sent another: What's up?
Ms. Lu: Nothing.
Lu Ruyun put her phone in her bag, got in the car, and drove straight to the studio. At the studio, Mei Ling and Dong Xiang were watching the reality show program. Seeing Lu Ruyun arrive, they hurriedly greeted her. He Shuangshuang was in the office, yawning as she approached. "The screenplay is here."
She handed the script to Lu Ruyun, who took it and frowned at her sleep-deprived appearance. "If you're tired, why didn't you go back and rest?"
He Shuangshuang stretched. "I'll head back after work."
Lu Ruyun patted her shoulder. "Take care of yourself."
He Shuangshuang clicked her tongue. "You should worry more about yourself. Look how busy you've been lately."
Lu Ruyun smiled without responding. Seeing she wasn't leaving, He Shuangshuang couldn't help asking further, "The venue is finalized?"
"It's finalized."
He Shuangshuang sighed with emotion. "That's wonderful."
A faint smile played on Lu Ruyun's lips.
Meng Xin returned before Lu Ruyun left. Dong Xiang and Mei Ling had left first, leaving only three people in the studio. Meng Xin took a drink of water and said, "I'm exhausted! I've never managed an artist so disobedient!"
He Shuangshuang quickly patted her back and massaged her shoulders, soothing her. "It's okay, Sister Meng! There's no artist our Sister Meng can't handle!"
Meng Xin shot her an annoyed look. "Don't feed me that flattery. I really don't know what this Xiao Si is thinking. Action scenes—he says he can't do them. Xianxia dramas—he says he doesn't have the right aura. Idol dramas—he says he can't act in them. Then what's the point of being an artist? He might as well go home."
He Shuangshuang glanced at Meng Xin's puffed-up, angry face and looked at Lu Ruyun. "See? I wasn't wrong."
Lu Ruyun, sitting on the sofa, listened to their complaints before speaking. "Sister Meng, regarding Xiao Si, I'll talk to him in a couple of days. For now, don't schedule anything for him."
Meng Xin turned to look at Lu Ruyun. "Are you sure, Ruyun?"
Lu Ruyun nodded. "Mm."
Meng Xin breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright then."
Moving past the topic of Xiao Si, Meng Xin discussed the schedules of the other three artists. The office lights stayed on until past eight before finally going out. After the meeting concluded, He Shuangshuang suggested having dinner together. Since Qin Zhenzhen wasn't around, and Lu Ruyun would be alone at home, and both she and Meng Xin were also on their own, they might as well get together for dinner.
Before Lu Ruyun could respond, her phone rang, interrupting her. Glancing at the screen, it was actually Ms. Lu.
Her aunt had been contacting her quite frequently today.
Lu Sheng stood outside the door, having rung the bell for a long time without any response. She looked at her phone at Lu Ruyun's "basically" and fell silent. So this "basically at home" meant she wasn't home.
At a loss, she waited a few more minutes before calling Lu Ruyun.
Lu Ruyun had just stepped out of the studio, with Meng Xin and He Shuangshuang on either side of her. When her phone rang, the two very consciously took half a step back, smiles appearing in their eyes in unison.
They both thought it was Qin Zhenzhen calling.
"I bet it's definitely Zhenzhen."
"What's there to bet? A hundred percent."
Their whispers carried on the wind to Lu Ruyun's ears. She lowered her head to answer, her voice normal. "Auntie."
He Shuangshuang and Meng Xin exchanged a glance for a few seconds, cleared their throats, and looked away respectively.
Dinner was at a hotel near Lu Ruyun's apartment. This wasn't He Shuangshuang's first time meeting Lu Sheng, but it was Meng Xin's first. When Lu Ruyun introduced them, Meng Xin blinked in slight bewilderment and smiled. "Ruyun, your aunt... is very young."
Indeed, she was young. Lu Sheng, who spent years in an office, had fair skin. She was good at skincare and dressed in a youthful style, so she looked much younger than her actual age.
Meng Xin, looking at Lu Sheng who was older than her but appeared around her own age, felt a twinge of envy.
Lu Sheng extended her hand to Meng Xin. "Hello, Miss Meng."
Meng Xin opened her mouth. "Please, just call me Meng Xin."
Lu Sheng smiled and nodded. "Alright. Then don't stand on ceremony either. You can call me Auntie like Ruyun does."
Meng Xin agreed. "Okay."
After the four were seated, Lu Ruyun ordered the dishes. Seeing Meng Xin and Lu Sheng chatting, He Shuangshuang whispered, "Why did your aunt come?"
Lu Ruyun wasn't entirely sure either, but thinking about the "surprise" Lu Sheng mentioned earlier, it was likely she had arrived ahead of schedule.
She shook her head at He Shuangshuang, indicating she didn't know.
After dinner, Meng Xin and He Shuangshuang left. Lu Sheng and Lu Ruyun walked together. Having had a couple of small drinks, and surrounded by the scent of flowers everywhere, Lu Sheng was in a good mood. She smiled and said, "Is it a pleasant surprise?"
Lu Ruyun nodded. "Why so early? The wedding is still two months away."
Lu Sheng hummed in acknowledgment. "I know. So I applied for a three-month business trip. I'll return after your wedding ends."
Understanding dawned on Lu Ruyun's face.
Looking at her profile, Lu Sheng contentedly linked arms with her. "That person just now, is she your friend?"
Knowing she meant Meng Xin, Lu Ruyun replied softly, "She used to be Zhenzhen's manager. Now she's at my studio."
Lu Sheng nodded. "She seems nice. Ruyun, you have more and more friends."
"That's wonderful."
Hearing "that's wonderful" twice in one evening, Lu Ruyun couldn't help but feel a sense of ease.
Seeing this, Lu Sheng patted her arm. "Alright, it's getting late. I'll head back to the hotel first. Do you have plans tomorrow? Should I come find you tomorrow?"
Lu Ruyun frowned slightly upon hearing she was leaving. "To the hotel?"
Seeing her surprised expression, Lu Sheng chuckled. "What's wrong?"
Lu Ruyun paused. "Come to my apartment."
Now it was Lu Sheng's turn to be surprised.
She had visited Lu Ruyun before but had never heard her actively invite her to stay in her home. Lu Sheng knew that apartment was her final armor, a place she never allowed anyone to enter. She never imagined the day would come when she would take off that armor.
"Is that... alright?" Lu Sheng asked after a long moment of surprise, her voice slightly small.
Lu Ruyun smiled broadly. "Of course it is."
With that, she took Lu Sheng's hand and walked straight towards the apartment. Although Lu Sheng took good care of herself, time had still left its mark. These hands were no longer as soft and delicate as before.
Lu Ruyun held Lu Sheng's hand as they walked back slowly, chatting idly about work and relationships. Lu Sheng had never found Lu Ruyun so talkative before; it was as if she had become a different person.
Back at the apartment, Lu Sheng had her assistant deliver her suitcase. Lu Ruyun went to prepare toiletries for her and went upstairs to tidy up the bedroom. Seeing Lu Ruyun come downstairs holding a comforter, Lu Sheng smiled. "Ruyun, don't trouble yourself. I'll just sleep in the study."
Although she had never stayed here, she had visited a few times and naturally knew where the study was. She now wheeled her suitcase towards it.
Lu Ruyun followed closely behind, shaking her head. "Auntie, I'll sleep in the study."
Lu Sheng chuckled and continued towards the study. "That won't do. Yours and Zhenzhen's bedroom—"
As she spoke, she pushed open the study door. Seeing the things scattered on the floor, she blinked, her voice catching in her throat. After a few seconds of hesitation, she asked, "Which way is the bedroom?"
Lu Ruyun: "..."
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