Married in a Daze - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The program's hot search hung on Weibo for half a day. When Qin Zhenzhen started work in the afternoon, many people still teased her about it. Even Sun Qin asked with a knowing smile, "Bed scene?"

Qin Zhenzhen could only shake her head with a wry smile, not bothering to explain.

Besides her scenes this afternoon, there were also two scenes for Hu Jing. After those, his part would be wrapped. Tomorrow, Qin Zhenzhen's scenes would increase, marking the beginning of her character's transformation. Director Hu told her not to overthink things when she wasn't filming and to start contemplating Yuan Yu's state of mind instead.

Qin Zhenzhen was thus granted a special reprieve, retreating to the dressing room whenever she wasn't needed on set. She was quite happy to stay inside; it was much more comfortable there than being teased by everyone.

She had a thick stack of scripts in her hand, but she couldn't focus. The scenes from the program preview she had just seen kept floating before her eyes. Staring at the script for a while, she finally gave up and opened her phone, carefully watching the three-minute program preview twice.

The moment she closed her phone, Lu Ruyun's voice echoed in her ears.

Qin Zhenzhen, you won.

You won.

"Zhenzhen."

The dressing room door opened, and Ji Lu walked in. "Hu Jing's wrap party is tonight. They're asking if you're going."

Just as she finished speaking, there was a knock on the dressing room door. Qin Zhenzhen met Ji Lu's gaze, both of them pausing momentarily. "Come in," Qin Zhenzhen said.

The door opened to reveal Hu Jing standing there. "Zhenzhen, are you free tonight?"

Qin Zhenzhen squeezed the script in her hand, thinking of Meng Xin's words, and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not free tonight. I have a dinner appointment."

A flicker of disappointment dimmed the light in Hu Jing's starry eyes. "It's fine, I was just asking. If you're not free, we can meet up next time."

Qin Zhenzhen smiled noncommittally, watching him back out of the dressing room. The door closed again. Ji Lu sat down beside her. "Zhenzhen, is the dinner tonight with Director Zheng?"

"Mm."

Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head, her eyelashes dropping as she stared at the script in her hand, giving a soft hum of affirmation.

Silence filled the dressing room until Ji Lu's phone rang. She picked it up, glanced at it, and turned to Qin Zhenzhen. "It's Sister Meng."

Qin Zhenzhen waved a hand. "Go outside to take it."

Ji Lu nodded. "Okay."

It was probably about confirming her schedule for the evening. Their last conversation hadn't been exactly pleasant. Meng Xin was likely calling Ji Lu to avoid upsetting her again. Qin Zhenzhen withdrew her gaze and leaned back in the chair.

Not a few minutes later, the door burst open and Ji Lu hurried in. "Zhenzhen, Sister Meng says six o'clock, at Jinxiu Mansion."

Qin Zhenzhen nodded absently to show she understood.

The three scenes in the afternoon went smoothly, and Qin Zhenzhen wrapped up before five. After changing, Ji Lu checked the time. "Sister Meng wants me to take you to Sister Zhao's place first."

Sister Zhao was Qin Zhenzhen's stylist, usually only visited for events or galas. Meng Xin wanting her to go today showed just how important she considered tonight's dinner.

After changing clothes, Qin Zhenzhen followed Ji Lu. "Let's go."

They chatted as they walked outside. Before getting in the car, Ji Lu whispered, "Isn't that Teacher Lu?"

Qin Zhenzhen turned to look. Sure enough, Lu Ruyun was standing by another car, talking to Duan Qiuhan, occasionally nodding. Beside her, Zhu Yao was looking at her with a gaze that seemed like it wanted to glue itself to her. The moment Qin Zhenzhen looked over, Lu Ruyun also glanced her way. Their eyes met briefly in the air. "Ruyun?" Duan Qiuhan prompted softly.

Lu Ruyun didn't answer, her eyes fixed on the not-so-distant figure, bright and dark. Duan Qiuhan followed her gaze and chuckled. "Alright, you two can stare at each other all you want when you get home. Did you remember what I just said?"

Lu Ruyun collected herself. "Yes."

With that, she got into the car first, ignoring the gaze from the distance. Seeing her get in, Zhu Yao quickly said, "Teacher Lu, my car—"

Lu Ruyun turned her eyes on her. Her expression was somber, her gaze faintly chilling. Just that light glance was enough to make Zhu Yao's remaining words stick in her throat, unable to utter a single syllable.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going first."

Lu Ruyun's tone was cool. She didn't look at Duan Qiuhan or Zhu Yao. After she spoke, He Shuangshuang also got in the car and closed the door.

The black sedan slowly started up and drove forward, passing the gray van parked beside it.

Sitting in her vehicle, Qin Zhenzhen watched as Lu Ruyun's car turned left at a traffic light and went its separate way. She withdrew her gaze and closed her eyes to rest.

"Zhenzhen."

Ji Lu beside her nudged her arm. Qin Zhenzhen turned her head. "What is it?"

Evening clouds were blooming across the sky, a fiery red, their light filtering into the car. Ji Lu looked at Qin Zhenzhen with some confusion. "What exactly happened between you and Teacher Lu?"

Something felt off. Before, when Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun had their conflict, mentioning that name would earn a cold sneer, and she'd even been forbidden from saying it. Later, after they got married, their relationship seemed to ease up a lot—at least, that's what she thought.

But the atmosphere just now, when they looked at each other, couldn't exactly be described as 'eased.'

It was just... weird.

Hearing Ji Lu's question, Qin Zhenzhen furrowed her brows. "Nothing happened."

After saying that, she turned her head to the side and closed her eyes again.

Ji Lu wisely didn't press further, instead looking down at her tablet.

Half an hour later, they arrived at Sister Zhao's studio. Sister Zhao was already prepared, leading them to the innermost room. The room held three or four racks of clothes—gowns, ordinary outfits. As she ushered Qin Zhenzhen in, Sister Zhao said, "Zhenzhen, what's going on with your complexion?"

It's said that makeup artists are clever and observant. At first glance, she could tell something was unusual about Qin Zhenzhen. Qin Zhenzhen shook her head with a smile. "It's nothing, Sister Zhao. Just finished a shoot, rushed through a few scenes. A bit tired, that's all."

Sister Zhao patted her shoulder. "You, working so hard... your complexion makes my heart ache! Such a flower-like face, how can you bear to let it wither!"

Qin Zhenzhen was amused by Sister Zhao's metaphor. When she smiled, the whole room seemed to brighten. Sister Zhao turned around. "That's more like it! Smile, and you'll shed ten years."

She quickly selected a white off-shoulder dress for Qin Zhenzhen. The hem reached the knees, with a red ribbon tied at the waist, making her waist seem almost too slender to hold. White was a difficult color to pull off, but Qin Zhenzhen's skin was even fairer than the dress. Paired with this gown, her beauty was just perfect.

The off-shoulder design revealed one smooth, fragrant shoulder. The asymmetrical neckline draped with one side resting on her upper arm below the shoulder, the other side on her shoulder, exposing her long, fair neck and delicate collarbones.

Just wearing the dress without any makeup was already stunning enough to make Sister Zhao momentarily lose her focus.

"Zhenzhen, every time I put an outfit together for you, I feel a special sense of achievement."

Qin Zhenzhen looked down, lips curving up. "Sister Zhao, you're joking again."

Sister Zhao circled her three or four times. "Never joking. You don't know, but any piece of clothing looks perfectly matched on you. It makes me both happy and unhappy."

Happy because she looked beautiful in anything.

But unhappy for the same reason: she looked beautiful in anything. Her looks and aura overshadowed the inherent charm of the clothes themselves, making one admire the beauty rather than the garment. However, in all her years in the industry, she'd only met one Qin Zhenzhen like this.

She laughed. "No wonder your fans call you a fairy. I think it's true."

After a few more words of banter, Qin Zhenzhen sat down. Sister Zhao quickly began applying her makeup. Ji Lu checked the time. "Hurry, Sister Zhao. Only forty minutes left."

Sister Zhao shot her a sideways glance. "What's the rush? Perfecting a beauty's makeup requires meticulous carving and polishing."

Ji Lu, put in her place, pouted and said nothing more.

By the time the makeup was done, another twenty minutes had passed. Sister Zhao hugged her reluctantly before letting her go. Once in the car, Ji Lu instructed Xiao Wu, "Hurry up, we're going to be late."

Xiao Wu stepped on the gas, and the car sped off.

Jinxiu Mansion was located in the city center, the tallest building in City A with thirty-two floors in total. The bottom ten floors were for dining, available with a reservation. The next five floors were for entertainment and leisure. Floors sixteen to twenty-two were VIP rooms. Beyond that, they were exclusively for receiving celebrities, politicians, and businesspeople. The top two floors were guest rooms.

Sitting in the car, Qin Zhenzhen listened to Ji Lu's exclamations. "A guest room for one night costs six figures?!"

"Is the floor paved with gold?"

She muttered quietly, looking down at the introduction on her tablet. Qin Zhenzhen turned to her. "Which floor are we going to?"

Ji Lu checked her phone, which had a message from Meng Xin. "19th floor, room 1910. Sister Meng will meet us at the entrance."

Qin Zhenzhen nodded.

The two arrived at the mansion a few minutes late. Ji Lu led Qin Zhenzhen to a dedicated elevator that went directly to the nineteenth floor. Meng Xin was indeed waiting at the entrance, frequently checking her wristwatch. "Zhenzhen, if you hadn't shown up soon, I would have thought you stood me up."

Qin Zhenzhen gave a light smile. "How could I?"

Even if she really didn't want to take the role, she couldn't possibly slight Meng Xin like that. The dinner had already been arranged; whether she was happy about it or not, she had to come.

Meng Xin breathed a sigh of relief and stood beside her. "Director Zheng is already here. Be a bit gentler when we go in, okay, Zhenzhen? We're the ones seeking a favor here."

She patted Qin Zhenzhen's arm. Qin Zhenzhen smiled. "Sister Meng, I'm not a newcomer just debuting. I still know the basics."

Meng Xin: "Good. Let's go."

The three chatted as they walked inside. Not long after they turned a corner, the elevator doors behind them opened again. Zhu Yao stepped out in her high heels, standing at the entrance with her assistant as she spoke into her phone. "Director Duan, what's the room number?"

"1912?"

"Okay, got it."

After hanging up, she walked in on her high heels. Her assistant followed behind, speaking quietly. "Yaoyao, I still think we shouldn't have come."

Zhu Yao turned to look at her. "Why shouldn't we?"

The assistant cautiously glanced at her expression, thought for a moment, then tugged at her sleeve. "It's Director Duan's girlfriend's birthday in the first place. We're not that familiar. Won't it be awkward if we come?"

"And also..."

Zhu Yao looked at her. "There is no 'also.'"

Today was the birthday of Duan Qiuhan's girlfriend, Zhang Yiyao. Originally, she could have skipped it. But she had checked—Qin Zhenzhen wasn't coming tonight. That meant Lu Ruyun would be here alone. How could she pass up this opportunity?

Zhu Yao shot her a look. "Alright, don't say anymore. I know what I'm doing."

The assistant looked at her helplessly, gritting her teeth. "Yaoyao, you can't keep doing this! Do you know how angry the company is because you went to that film set on your own? And Brother Cheng too! He hasn't contacted us for days! Haven't you noticed your resources are decreasing? Don't give up your future for Teacher Lu!"

"Future?"

Zhu Yao turned to look at her. "Teacher Lu is my future."

The assistant, frustrated beyond words, said, "Even if Teacher Lu is your future, you have to consider if it's worth it! Teacher Lu is already married to Qin Zhenzhen. Why can't you just let go? Or are you planning..."

"Planning what? To be the other woman? To break up someone else's relationship?"

"I know what I'm doing. Don't presume to tell me!"

Zhu Yao coldly cut off her assistant's words and stepped into the private room. Not long after the two entered, a figure emerged from around the corner. Watching Zhu Yao enter the room, she lifted the corner of her lips, her gaze falling on the private room next to 1912.

The adjacent room was 1910.

Get instant access to all chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next