Married in a Daze - Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The day Qin Zhenzhen wrapped up her outdoor filming coincided with the release of Jian Mu's new single. Promotions flooded every corner—bus stops, shopping malls, supermarkets, the massive displays in the city center were all playing the new music video. Qin Zhenzhen could even see the video playing just before she boarded her plane.

Weibo and forums had long been overrun. Trending hashtags like 'Jian Mu New Song', 'Jian Mu Qin Zhenzhen' popped up endlessly. As soon as Qin Zhenzhen got off the plane, she was met by a horde of reporters camped inside the airport, raising their cameras and microphones at the sight of her.

"Miss Qin, we heard Jian Mu's next music video will feature you again. Is that true?"

"Miss Qin, what are your expectations for this music video?"

"Miss Qin..."

Qin Zhenzhen found herself surrounded, flashbulbs popping incessantly. Meng Xin had long anticipated this situation and was waiting inside the airport with a team of bodyguards. Spotting Qin Zhenzhen, she immediately whisked her away.

The reporters trailed them all the way to the car. Qin Zhenzhen frowned at the commotion outside. "What's all this about?"

Back when she collaborated with Jian Mu before, she hadn't seen the media this frenzied.

Meng Xin got in the car and sat beside her. "Who knows where the media got the news from, saying Jian Mu's next MV will feature you again. And well, the uproar began."

Qin Zhenzhen pressed her lips together. "What did Jian Mu's side say?"

Meng Xin spread her hands. "Still trying to get in touch."

Qin Zhenzhen held back a sigh and nodded.

The van drove all the way to the edge of a four-way intersection before Meng Xin asked, somewhat worried, "Be careful these next few days. Don't go out except for filming. If there's anything, call me or have Ji Lu handle it."

Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Got it."

Seeing her impatient expression, Meng Xin didn't keep her long. As the car door opened, she watched Qin Zhenzhen dash over to another sedan.

Lu Ruyun had said she would pick her up at the airport, but fearing it might cause an even bigger commotion, Qin Zhenzhen had simply asked her to wait here instead.

After stowing her luggage, Qin Zhenzhen opened the rear door and saw Lu Ruyun sitting inside. It had only been a week apart, but it felt like ages. Seeing Lu Ruyun, she couldn't help but smile softly. "Teacher Lu, I'm back."

Lu Ruyun's expression was bland, giving a slight nod. "Shuangshuang, let's drive."

Qin Zhenzhen glanced at her aloof demeanor. She doesn't seem too happy? Is it because of the Weibo news?

She bit the corner of her lip. I didn't sleep well last night, I was so excited. How can Lu Ruyun be so calm and detached? Qin Zhenzhen pouted, not saying a word.

The car drove all the way to the apartment entrance. He Shuangshuang helped Qin Zhenzhen carry her luggage inside. Lu Ruyun carried her small suitcase for her. The entire way, only He Shuangshuang and Lu Ruyun discussed work-related matters. Qin Zhenzhen remained silent, and Lu Ruyun didn't initiate conversation either.

After placing the luggage in Qin Zhenzhen's room, He Shuangshuang asked, "Will you still be coming over this afternoon?"

Lu Ruyun: "Yes. When will you be done?"

He Shuangshuang thought for a moment. "They said it should be finished this afternoon."

Lu Ruyun nodded, watching He Shuangshuang leave. Qin Zhenzhen pursed her lips and asked, "What was that about?"

"Nothing. Just renovating a bathroom."

Qin Zhenzhen's head drooped. "Oh." She dragged her suitcase into the room, feeling more and more aggrieved the more she thought about it. Judging by Lu Ruyun's behavior, it seemed like she was the only one who was excited, while Lu Ruyun hadn't missed her at all?

Qin Zhenzhen was stewing in frustration. Lu Ruyun followed behind her. She noticed Lu Ruyun putting down her things and turned around. "Lu—"

Before the sound could fully leave her mouth, it was swallowed. Lu Ruyun cupped Qin Zhenzhen's face, standing beside her, one arm wrapping tightly around her waist. Qin Zhenzhen was only stunned for a couple of seconds before quickly snapping back to her senses, hugging Lu Ruyun back and deepening the kiss.

The room was instantly filled with an ambiguous atmosphere. Qin Zhenzhen was held by the waist, the embrace growing tighter and tighter. She was forced to tilt her head back, receiving the sudden outburst of emotion from Lu Ruyun.

They kissed passionately. Qin Zhenzhen felt a bit unsteady on her feet, half-hanging onto Lu Ruyun. A sudden coolness touched her back. Qin Zhenzhen felt her spine press against the wall. The icy sensation did nothing to extinguish the fire burning within her; instead, it fanned the flames even higher.

Like a little beast, she kissed and nibbled freely. The soft lips, the slightly pointed chin, the fair, slender neck—everywhere was marked with her scent. Beneath Qin Zhenzhen's tongue was delicate skin, with clear texture and fragrance that seemed to seep into the bone.

The temperature in the room slowly rose. Several minutes later, the two finally pulled apart, panting. Lu Ruyun's hand still rested on her waist, pulling her into an embrace.

Qin Zhenzhen leaned on her shoulder, one hand idly tracing patterns on Lu Ruyun's slender back through the trench coat she wore. The touch wasn't particularly stimulating, but rather a bit ticklish. Lu Ruyun leaned close to her ear and laughed softly. "Stop moving your hand."

Qin Zhenzhen pretended not to hear. Not only did she not stop, she began drawing light and heavy circles. Lu Ruyun's heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat, an unbearable itch. She lowered her head and gently bit Qin Zhenzhen's earlobe.

"Tss..." Qin Zhenzhen winced in pain and let go of Lu Ruyun.

She glared at her, annoyed. "Are you part dog?"

Lu Ruyun smiled. "I belong to you."

Qin Zhenzhen flushed red at her words. The feelings of grievance from earlier flew beyond the clouds, replaced by sheer happiness filling her heart and eyes, the corners of her mouth unable to suppress their upward curve.

They fooled around for a while before returning to the living room. Qin Zhenzhen still had scenes to film in the afternoon. Originally, she had planned to go out for lunch with Lu Ruyun, but the Jian Mu incident had changed her plans. Thinking of this, she looked at Lu Ruyun with some confusion. "Do you think the news might have been leaked by Jian Mu's side?"

Lu Ruyun looked at her. Her lips from the earlier kiss were slightly swollen, her eyes shimmering like autumn waves, her whole lovely face flushed crimson like ripe fruit, waiting to be plucked.

"Ruyun?" Seeing Lu Ruyun not answering, just staring at her intently, Qin Zhenzhen nudged her calf with her foot. Lu Ruyun snapped back to attention. "What?"

Qin Zhenzhen repeated the question. "Do you think it was Jian Mu's side who leaked the news?"

Lu Ruyun's expression turned much more serious this time. She deliberately moved a little away from Qin Zhenzhen, thought for a few seconds, and said, "Probably not. His main focus right now is the new song, not promotion."

Hearing Lu Ruyun's words, Qin Zhenzhen paused for a moment. "That's true too."

The most important thing right now was the new song. If the focus shifted to promotion, it would be putting the cart before the horse. Seeing Qin Zhenzhen's somewhat troubled look, Lu Ruyun chuckled. "It's okay. Regardless of how this news came out, it doesn't harm you."

"And they'll quickly find a way to clarify things."

After all, because of this rumor, everyone's attention was now fixed on Qin Zhenzhen, overshadowing the newly released song. Jian Mu's team couldn't be foolish enough to let the situation continue to escalate. Timely clarification was necessary.

Sure enough, just as Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun were having lunch at noon, voices came from the TV.

"We heard Mr. Jian will invite Miss Qin Zhenzhen to be the female lead in his next music video. Is that correct?"

On TV, Jian Mu smiled upon hearing this. "Miss Qin is an excellent actress. I benefited greatly from collaborating with her this time. However, my next project doesn't even have a direction yet, so how can we talk about filming an MV?"

He effortlessly sidestepped the question. The implication was that the next project was non-existent, and the online rumors were baseless as well. The quick-witted host promptly steered the conversation back, and the two began discussing the new song.

After Jian Mu's new song was released, it quickly shot up the charts. The MV's view count also skyrocketed in real-time. This was also Jian Mu's first time starring as the male lead in an MV, so his fans exploded the topic.

By the time Qin Zhenzhen entered the crew set in the afternoon and checked Weibo, the trending direction had already changed.

No one was talking about the next MV. Everyone's attention had been pulled back to the new song. Even Qin Zhenzhen's fans were screaming excitedly.

—Oh my god! I think the chemistry between Goddess Zhen and Jian Mu is amazing!

—You have no idea, I've watched the breakup scene between Zhenzhen and Jian Mu N times.

—I've been replaying it over and over too. Their visuals are unmatched. Jian Mu, hurry up and tell us, did you decide to play the male lead because you fell for our goddess's looks?

—Hey, hey, hey, don't invite hate! Although if I were Jian Mu, I wouldn't just film a kiss scene, I'd film a bed scene too!

—Give up! The goddess already belongs to Cloud Fairy!

Qin Zhenzhen couldn't help but laugh at the various comments. When she arrived on set, she even heard Chen Feng and Zhang Qian talking about the new song too.

"It sounds great, Zhenzhen! It's just the ending is too sad."

"Sister Qian, you don't understand. Sadness is what makes a 'white moonlight'. Otherwise, it'd just be 'grains of white rice'." The crew member's remark made everyone laugh. Qin Zhenzhen joined in the banter for a bit. Not long after, Director Yu arrived, and everyone scattered.

After Jian Mu's new song came out, Meng Xin's phone was ringing off the hook. Invitations for shows, programs, interviews poured in, and several popular singers also expressed interest in inviting Qin Zhenzhen. Meng Xin was becoming numb from answering calls.

"I'm sorry, Teacher He. Zhenzhen's schedule is currently fully booked. No, no, next time I'll definitely treat you to tea."

"Miss Lan, no, Zhenzhen has been filming a movie lately, she really doesn't have time. When she's free, I'll have her apologize and treat you to a meal."

"Yes, yes, deal."

Meng Xin hung up the phone and looked at the list in her hand. It was packed with invitations from top to bottom. Two were unavoidable commitments made long ago: one was an ad for a light luxury brand, the other was the promotion for Cold Palace.

The light luxury brand ad was one she and Qin Zhenzhen had decided on during a previous selection between two options. Back then, they were both interested in taking on the brand's endorsement, but the brand side said they needed to consider. Now, they wanted to invite Zhenzhen and had doubled the compensation. Meng Xin simply said she needed to consider and didn't agree immediately.

The new song's popularity was within her expectations. However, Qin Zhenzhen's subsequent surge in popularity was beyond her expectations. Meng Xin organized the list and sent it to Qin Zhenzhen, wanting to arrange dinner with her that evening to discuss things in detail.

Qin Zhenzhen had just finished filming and received Meng Xin's message while removing her makeup. She turned to Ji Lu. "Any other arrangements later?"

Ji Lu shook her head. "None."

Qin Zhenzhen was about to reply to Meng Xin, then thought for a moment and called Lu Ruyun first.

The setting sun slanted into the room through the window. Lu Ruyun held the script. "Tonight?"

"Mn, tonight. Are you busy?"

Lu Ruyun pressed her lips together. "No. Where to meet?"

Qin Zhenzhen: "Haven't decided yet." She couldn't really go out conveniently these next few days. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If you don't mind, I was thinking of having Sister Meng come to the apartment for dinner."

Lu Ruyun lifted her eyelids upon hearing the suggestion. "Come here?"

Qin Zhenzhen exhaled. "Forget it. Let's just go to the hotpot place outside the apartment complex. Sister Meng and I..."

"Come to the apartment," Lu Ruyun interrupted her. "Zhenzhen, I'm fine."

Qin Zhenzhen, hearing the slightly amused tone, agreed softly. They chatted for a bit more before Lu Ruyun hung up. He Shuangshuang knocked on the study door. "Ruyun."

Lu Ruyun put down the script and walked out. Seeing several workers filing out behind He Shuangshuang, she looked composed. "Done?"

He Shuangshuang nodded. "Done. The things I bought are all inside too."

Lu Ruyun had no doubts and nodded. "Come out with me in a bit."

He Shuangshuang looked up. "What's up?"

Lu Ruyun smiled. "To buy groceries."

Before Qin Zhenzhen came back, she never even thought of moving a muscle, just letting me buy whatever groceries randomly. Now that she's back, she's eagerly going to buy groceries herself.

Can people be like this?

She was about to lecture Lu Ruyun for a bit when she suddenly thought of something and looked understanding. She lowered her voice. "Ruyun, do you want to... supplement your body first? Let me tell you, dietary supplements aren't that useful. The key is exercise, more physical activity is the way to..."

Lu Ruyun was stunned for a second before catching on, her cheeks flushing slightly as she cut her off. "Shut up!"

He Shuangshuang: ...

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