Married in a Daze - Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Qin Zhenzhen had a long dream. In it, she saw Lu Ruyun. She followed behind Lu Ruyun, apologizing, but Lu Ruyun ignored her, turned, and walked away. Furious, she shouted her name, telling her to stop. Lu Ruyun stopped, turned back, and immediately started hitting her!
Stunned, Qin Zhenzhen cursed her out, calling her a lunatic. Not wanting to be outdone, she fought back! The two fought and somehow ended up in the bedroom. It was unclear who stopped first, but they ended up lying dazedly on the bed.
She started apologizing.
Over and over again.
Lu Ruyun turned over, hugged her, then picked her up and threw her into an outdoor pool!
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Qin Zhenzhen coughed violently, her hands struggling to get up, slipping on the smooth edge of the bathtub as she nearly fell back in.
Hearing the coughing, Lu Ruyun turned. Qin Zhenzhen, who had just been leaning against the tub, had slipped under the water again. Lu Ruyun quickly reached out to pull her up. Just as her hands lifted Qin Zhenzhen from under her arms, Qin Zhenzhen slowly opened her eyes.
She blinked. The alcohol numbed her brain; for a moment, she couldn't figure out where she was.
"Are you okay?"
Lu Ruyun asked softly. Qin Zhenzhen snapped out of her daze, stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then blurted out, "Ah... Mmmph..."
Her mouth was swiftly covered. Lu Ruyun's clear, light voice sounded by her ear. "If you keep shouting, I'll let go."
Qin Zhenzhen looked down. Lu Ruyun's other hand was still supporting her back. She immediately struggled to break free, limbs flailing, and the back of her head smacked solidly against the edge of the bathtub. The pain made her grimace, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.
That impact.
Thoroughly sobered her up.
Seeing clarity gradually return to Qin Zhenzhen's expression, Lu Ruyun let go and said, "Now that you're awake, rinse off. Your clothes are upstairs. Change by yourself."
With that, she stood up and left the bathroom. Qin Zhenzhen looked down. Her dress had been taken off, but her underwear was still on. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her flushed cheeks making it hard to tell if it was from the alcohol or embarrassment.
Qin Zhenzhen quickly rinsed off the soap suds. Lu Ruyun had prepared a bathrobe. The underwear inside—whether it was Lu Ruyun's or not—was a size too big, not fitting well. Qin Zhenzhen pinched the underwear fabric. Better than nothing.
Her mind was a mess, still trying to remember how she got here, when the bathroom door was knocked. Lu Ruyun asked, "Are you done?"
Qin Zhenzhen composed herself. "Yes, done."
Dressed in clothes not her own, walking in a home not her own, she opened the door, awkward, not knowing what expression to wear. Fortunately, Lu Ruyun seemed uninterested in further entanglement, merely glancing at her indifferently. "There's no guest room. You can choose to sleep on the sofa or in the study."
Qin Zhenzhen glanced around the apartment with her peripheral vision. Such a big apartment, no guest room??
Couldn't even come up with a better excuse if she didn't want her here. She scratched her damp hair. "No need, I'll call Ji Lu to come pick me up."
Lu Ruyun raised her wrist to check her watch. "It's three in the morning. Are you sure?"
"It's... it's that late? Then how did I get here?"
Lu Ruyun glanced at the pitch-black sky outside and said, "Ji Lu brought you."
Ji Lu brought you.
Hearing that answer, Qin Zhenzhen gave a light cough, her face reddening further. "Sorry for disturbing you."
Lu Ruyun looked at her expressionlessly. Qin Zhenzhen wore a white bathrobe, her long, wet hair cascading down her back. All her makeup was off, her delicate skin glowing palely under the light.
"You're welcome."
She turned and went upstairs, came back down with a thin blanket in hand, threw it on the sofa, and her lips parted slightly. "Goodnight."
Qin Zhenzhen watched her actions, hands wringing together, lips moving silently. She vaguely remembered, while drunk, pestering Ji Lu to bring her here—to apologize.
Had she apologized?
Qin Zhenzhen's palms grew sweaty. Seeing Lu Ruyun about to leave after putting down the blanket, she blurted out, "Did I say anything... any drunken nonsense to you?"
Lu Ruyun paused, turned, her expression unchanged. "Yes."
Qin Zhenzhen's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, her face showing tension.
She must have said it.
She probably apologized.
Qin Zhenzhen's gaze fixed on Lu Ruyun. Lu Ruyun turned to continue upstairs, her light voice dropping a sentence. "You called me a lunatic."
Qin Zhenzhen stood by the sofa, dumbstruck.
Only after the door upstairs closed did she slap her mouth twice. Stupid mouth! Spouting nonsense!
All the things she shouldn't have said, she said!
The one thing she should have said, she didn't say a word of!
Qin Zhenzhen sat on the sofa. The noises upstairs vanished within minutes. Lu Ruyun was probably asleep. Could she not sleep? It was past midnight. She'd likely be asleep normally by now.
She'd only stayed up to take care of a drunk like her.
But did she really not apologize?
Why did she feel like she'd said a lot to Lu Ruyun?
Was it in her dream?
Qin Zhenzhen sighed and groaned on the sofa for quite a while before finally wrapping herself in the blanket and closing her eyes.
The next day's sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the person sleeping on the sofa. Feeling the glare, Qin Zhenzhen turned over, pulling the blanket over her head, ready to go back to sleep when she heard footsteps on the stairs.
She opened her eyes, peeking over the edge of the sofa. Lu Ruyun was descending the stairs. She wore a thin silk nightgown. Even after a night's sleep, her long hair wasn't disheveled, still smooth and cascading down her back. Her features were elegant, her posture graceful.
Instinctively, Qin Zhenzhen pulled the thin blanket from between her legs and slowly covered herself with it.
By the time Lu Ruyun came out of the bathroom, Qin Zhenzhen was already awake. Their eyes met. Lu Ruyun said, "Go freshen up. New toiletries are on the cabinet. The clothes are mine..."
Qin Zhenzhen interrupted her. "Thank you. Ji Lu will be here soon; I told her to bring clothes."
Lu Ruyun nodded and walked towards the kitchen.
Qin Zhenzhen sat on the sofa for a while longer before finally entering the bathroom. After a quick wash, she sat on the toilet.
Apologize?
She should. Not just for before, but also for last night.
After apologizing, how should she treat her?
Qin Zhenzhen felt the hangover wasn't giving her a headache, but thinking about these things now was making her temples throb.
She thought of their time at the base. A thought flashed through her mind.
Maybe—try being together?
Didn't Lu Ruyun say she felt some affection for her?
Anyway—anyway, she liked her a bit too.
Thinking this, Qin Zhenzhen suddenly chuckled. She quickly covered her mouth and stood up. In the mirror, she saw her brows lifted with joy, her eyes bright and lively, her cheeks flushed—clearly a shy expression.
She splashed plenty of cold water on her face before the heat subsided. Half an hour later, she emerged from the bathroom. Lu Ruyun had already prepared breakfast and beckoned her. "Come eat."
Qin Zhenzhen hummed in acknowledgment, walked over, and sat opposite her. Hesitantly, she whispered, "I'm sorry."
The voice was too soft; Lu Ruyun didn't hear. Seeing Lu Ruyun's unchanged expression, Qin Zhenzhen pursed her lips and raised her volume. "I'm sorry. Last night, I actually just wanted to come and apologize. I..."
"I don't accept it."
Lu Ruyun interrupted her softly. Qin Zhenzhen froze. "Don't accept it?"
Of course she didn't have to accept. Who said an apology must be accepted?
Moreover, she had misunderstood and said such harsh things before.
Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head, thinking of ways to make amends. Lu Ruyun leisurely ate her bread, drank half a glass of milk, and spoke again. "I don't accept it because you don't need to apologize."
"Although the video incident wasn't my doing, it was indeed related to us. You don't need to apologize."
"As for at the base... I admit I never considered revenge against you, but my approach had its own purpose. I selfishly wanted to use you to get rid of Zhu Yao."
"Zhenzhen, after you finished yelling at me that day, I actually felt relieved. Luckily, you always treated it as a game, and weren't hurt by my selfishness."
After hearing Lu Ruyun's words, Qin Zhenzhen opened her mouth, words stuck in her throat. It took a long moment before she spoke. "But that day in the garage..."
"I was just angry that day because you misunderstood me as trying to get revenge on you."
"But thinking about it later, what's the difference between my actions and revenge? So, Zhenzhen, I'm sorry."
She raised her glass towards Qin Zhenzhen.
Qin Zhenzhen's hand holding the glass trembled slightly, tightened, her fingertips turning white. A strained smile appeared on her face. "It's fine. Anyway, I never took it seriously either."
After saying this, she raised her glass, looking at Lu Ruyun. Her bright eyes were clear and transparent, glistening with moisture. "So, does this mean we're even?"
Lu Ruyun's jaw tightened. The words rolled on her tongue before being swallowed. Her red lips parted lightly. "We're even."
With that, she lifted her head and finished the remaining half glass of milk. Qin Zhenzhen also drank hers. Just as she set down the glass, the doorbell rang. Lu Ruyun opened the door, and Ji Lu came in carrying two shopping bags.
After leaving Lu Ruyun's apartment, Ji Lu carefully glanced at Qin Zhenzhen's expression. It wasn't until they were nearly at the film and television city that she dared to ask quietly, "Zhenzhen, are you mad at me because I left you at Teacher Lu's place yesterday?"
"No."
Qin Zhenzhen replied lightly, just two short words.
Ji Lu frowned. "It wasn't that I didn't want to take you with me. You just flat-out refused to leave last night."
Qin Zhenzhen turned to look at her. "Thanks."
Ji Lu looked confused. "Huh?"
Qin Zhenzhen patted her shoulder and exhaled. "Thank you."
Ji Lu looked at her, bewildered, not daring to speak recklessly, and could only scratch her head.
The car soon arrived at the film and television city. Song He had already changed into his costume early and was practicing alone. When Qin Zhenzhen arrived, he was reciting lines to thin air. Seeing Qin Zhenzhen, he hurriedly said, "Zhenzhen, hurry and change. Let's run through this scene."
Qin Zhenzhen glanced at his script. It was her scene in the Cold Palace. "Okay."
She walked into the dressing room, closed her eyes, scattered all the chaotic thoughts in her mind, and threw herself completely into her acting.
Ji Lu noticed something different about Qin Zhenzhen after she came out of Teacher Lu's apartment, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. She just felt Qin Zhenzhen seemed less inclined to smile. It had been three or four days, and she hadn't seen her smile once.
Even during lunch breaks, she was nearby rehearsing, pondering the plot and script, sometimes even forgetting to eat.
Worried, Ji Lu looked at Qin Zhenzhen's noticeably thinner face, thinking she'd buy her something good to nourish her after today's shoot.
After finishing her scenes, Song He walked beside her. "Want to eat together later?"
She shook her head. "No need. I need to talk to Director Hu about something later."
She held the script, as if there were parts she didn't understand. Hearing this, Song He didn't press further and went to eat with other crew members.
Sun Qin's scenes had also wrapped up. She was the first person Qin Zhenzhen's character targeted after turning dark, receiving her "lunch box" early. Last night, she'd joked on Weibo that the "Qin Zhenzhen brand lunch box" was quite fragrant, causing a stir.
Qin Zhenzhen hadn't checked Weibo or been online for days. Her scenes had intensified recently, each day consumed by studying the script, with no time for anything else.
Well, Qin Zhenzhen subconsciously glanced at the crew not far away. Actually, she wanted to keep herself busy, too busy to think about other things.
"Zhenzhen, time to eat."
Ji Lu brought a lunch box over. Qin Zhenzhen saw Director Hu approaching from a distance. She asked Ji Lu to wait, grabbed her script, and went over.
"Director Hu!"
Qin Zhenzhen called out. Director Hu turned. "Zhenzhen? What's up?"
"Does this part of the scene seem a bit off?"
Qin Zhenzhen pointed to a section for Director Hu to see. Director Hu read it seriously, his brows furrowing. "I'll ask the screenwriter about this later. Why haven't you eaten yet?"
Qin Zhenzhen pursed her lips. "I'll eat right away."
Director Hu patted her shoulder. "Have you been overworking lately? You seem to have lost weight."
Qin Zhenzhen forced a smile. "No, I'm dieting."
Director Hu looked at her feigned cheerfulness and said gravely, "It's okay. Things will pass. Your acting is good; you'll get opportunities."
Qin Zhenzhen was momentarily confused by his sudden consolation but didn't say anything, just smiled. Director Hu patted her shoulder again before turning to leave.
Only after his figure disappeared from sight did Qin Zhenzhen pick up her phone to call Meng Xin.
"Sister Meng."
It was very quiet on Meng Xin's end. At this hour, during meal times, Qin Zhenzhen remembered that Meng Xin's schedule was always packed with dinner meetings. The current quietness felt somewhat excessive.
"What's wrong?" Meng Xin's voice was somewhat hoarse. Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment and asked, "Has Director Zheng made a statement?"
Meng Xin: "Who told you?"
She thought she'd kept the news tightly under wraps; how did it reach Qin Zhenzhen? She lowered her gaze to the floor. Qin Zhenzhen's faint voice came through. "So it's true?"
Meng Xin fell silent. After a long pause, she said, "I'll handle this matter. Don't worry for now. Focus on filming."
Qin Zhenzhen's throat felt bitter, her voice raspy. "Okay."
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