Married in a Daze - Chapter 100

Chapter 100

After the promotional event, a new ship was born—the perfectly in-sync Qin Zhenzhen and Hu Jing. Their impeccable coordination when answering that question was laugh-out-loud funny, and they were still being teased about it by Sun Qin and the others after they stepped down from the stage.

"Not bad, Hu Jing. Quick thinking."

"With you two shouting like that, what will become of our Cold Palace image?!"

"We're a revenge drama!"

Amidst all the laughter and banter, Hu Jing simply glanced at Qin Zhenzhen, and they shared a knowing smile. When Lu Ruyun emerged from the break room and saw their interaction, she lowered her eyelids.

Qin Zhenzhen went to the dressing room to change. Several young actress girls pushed and shoved each other playfully, until finally one bold one stepped forward with a smile. "Teacher Lu, can I take a photo with you?"

Lu Ruyun turned to look at her. The girl smiled, dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth—she looked very familiar.

Lu Ruyun nodded. "Okay."

After taking photos with each of them, Qin Zhenzhen came out, too, with Ji Lu following behind, muttering something. Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Got it. Quit nagging."

Ji Lu pursed her lips.

When Qin Zhenzhen entered the makeup room, Sun Qin was already removing her makeup. Qin Zhenzhen tilted her head and asked, "Want to have lunch together later? Director Hu is treating."

Director Hu had only appeared on stage for a short while before leaving, and Qin Zhenzhen still hadn't had a chance to speak with him. She thought for a moment and glanced at Lu Ruyun. "No, it's fine. We have time these next few days anyway. We can do it another time."

Sun Qin nodded. Indeed, there was no rush. They would all be running around doing promotions for Cold Palace for a while, so getting together for a meal would be easy. Thinking this, she happily let them go. "Then you two head back early."

Qin Zhenzhen smiled and nodded.

Lu Ruyun stood behind her. After Qin Zhenzhen finished removing her makeup and bid farewell to everyone, they left.

In the car, Qin Zhenzhen saw Lu Ruyun standing outside, taking a call. She didn't say a word, simply got into the car. Within a few minutes, Lu Ruyun also got in.

Qin Zhenzhen shook her phone. "What do you want to eat later?"

Lu Ruyun thought for a moment. "Didn't you say you wanted lobster before? Let's go."

As she spoke, she told Xiao Wu an address. Qin Zhenzhen tugged at the corner of her mouth. "How did you know it was that place?"

Lu Ruyun took out her phone. "There's only one that just opened."

Qin Zhenzhen realized she'd asked a silly question and nodded. Her gaze drifted to the car window. The New Year was just over ten days away. City A had always been a fast-paced city, with not a very strong festive atmosphere. Even so, one could see decorations and lights adorning the trees, a joyful sight, everything filled with red and a sense of celebration.

Lu Ruyun sat beside her. Qin Zhenzhen looked out the window and said, "It's almost New Year's. Teacher Lu, did you ever go home for New Year's before?"

As she spoke, she leaned against Lu Ruyun. It occurred to her that she had never really heard Lu Ruyun talk about her family, or even mention her parents. Qin Zhenzhen herself had only had a vague understanding before and never probed deeply.

Lu Ruyun thought for a moment and shook her head. "No."

Ever since she bought that apartment, she hadn't left for New Year's. She always spent it in the apartment. In past years, He Shuangshuang, Zhang Yiyao, and Duan Qiuhan would come to her apartment to have New Year's Eve dinner with her. After the meal, they'd all go their separate ways. For her, the New Year—aside from the TV screen full of blessings, the added noise in the streets, and a line or two from friends who usually didn't contact her—was no different from any other time.

Hearing this, Qin Zhenzhen looked up at her. "Then how do you spend it?"

Lu Ruyun smiled lightly, her lips pressed together. "Spend it alone."

Qin Zhenzhen's heart instantly softened. She pouted and hugged Lu Ruyun. "In the future, I'll spend it with you."

Lu Ruyun nodded, her voice gentle. "Okay."

During lunch, the promotional video was already out, along with the newly christened "in-sync CP." Tapping into the drama's explosive turning point of the general's death, the Cold Palace promotional event easily shot to the top of the trending searches.

This was actually the first time Cold Palace had hit the trending charts since its release. Besides this, the official Weibo account also began feverishly stirring up heat, finding topics, and mobilizing various water armies.

The few released stills were all of Qin Zhenzhen's post-"dark turn" character, with her exquisite, noble, and icy beauty a world apart from her previous silly, sweet image on screen.

The Weibo post also announced, "Eight o'clock tonight. Don't be late."

With the heat from the promotional event, the official account was instantly flooded.

—Holy crap, Zhenzhen is awesome and domineering! Can't wait for eight o'clock!

—Looking at it this way, she's kinda handsome.

—Oh my god?? When did this drama come out? Am I that out of the loop?

—It's been out for several days now. Can't you see it on TV?

—Who even watches TV anymore? No, I mean, there was zero buzz about this. If it weren't for the promotional event today, I wouldn't even know.

—That's true. Other dramas promote long before release. If I weren't already following the official Weibo for Cold Palace, I really wouldn't know. What is the production team thinking? Why the secrecy?

Qin Zhenzhen saw the notification from the official Weibo account while sitting at the dining table with Lu Ruyun. The dishes hadn't arrived yet. She was holding her phone, scrolling through Weibo. Seeing the official account's tagged post, she forwarded it as well. Looking at her fans below the post howling and going crazy, she couldn't help but laugh.

Lu Ruyun leaned over, seeing her smile. "Looking at what?"

Qin Zhenzhen scooted over a bit, letting Lu Ruyun lean against her. "Nothing. Just Weibo."

She then turned to look at Lu Ruyun. "What do you think the production team is thinking? They're only starting online promotion now." Her face was full of confusion.

Lu Ruyun smiled, seeing her perplexed expression. "Do you remember a TV series from a few years ago called Five United Cities?"

Qin Zhenzhen replied without thinking. "Of course I remember."

That series aired just as she was about to step into the entertainment industry. She had just graduated then, and on a friend's recommendation, watched a bit. The beginning plot was rather ordinary. Later, she was dragged around by Meng Xin to all sorts of social engagements and resource-hunting, so she didn't continue watching.

By the time she started filming her first idol drama, that series had already become a household name, sweeping through the industry and beyond like a whirlwind. She could hear people discussing it even when eating at a small restaurant.

On set, it was even more so. Qin Zhenzhen actually ended up binge-watching the entire series while on set.

You had to admit, the later parts were packed with explosive moments, leaving viewers wanting more.

That TV series was dubbed a "divine drama," not just because of its plot, but also because of its miraculous ratings. When it first aired, its ratings didn't even break 0.5, yet it managed to turn things around by the eighth episode! Its final ratings broke records. That year, it won the Annual Best TV Drama award with a single episode breaking 4 and an average rating of 3.5.

So when Lu Ruyun mentioned it, Qin Zhenzhen immediately understood. "You mean they want to emulate that?"

Lu Ruyun nodded slightly. The door was knocked open as a server brought in a plate of lobster. After the server left, Lu Ruyun continued, "Actually, I wasn't sure at first."

But after seeing the production team's actions today, she knew her guess was correct.

To be strict, the first few episodes of Cold Palace indeed lacked tension, and the plot wasn't particularly outstanding. But without the setup of the first few episodes, there wouldn't be the strong contrasting effect later. The production team's thinking was likely: rather than wasting time promoting the first few episodes, make a clean cut and start promoting from the dramatic turning point. The trending search effect today, combined with the promotional event and tonight's episode airing up to Zhenzhen's dark turn, would likely boost the ratings far beyond what they were before.

Once the ratings rose, the production team could then start frequent promotions, running various marketing and water army campaigns. Given Qin Zhenzhen's decent popularity with audiences due to her MV and commercials, once fully promoted, they could then determine whether this drama would flop or become a hit.

As for emulating Five United Cities, based on the current trajectory, it certainly seemed similar.

But whether it could surpass Five United Cities was hard to say.

Listening to Lu Ruyun's analysis, Qin Zhenzhen's eyes sparkled, her face full of admiration. She especially loved listening to Lu Ruyun analyze the trajectory of a TV series, loved seeing her seriously study scripts, and even when rehearsing scenes together, she was stern and humorless—this side of her was simply irresistible to Qin Zhenzhen.

Lu Ruyun talked while peeling lobster for Qin Zhenzhen. By the time her analysis was over, a small mountain of lobster meat had piled up in front of Qin Zhenzhen.

"So you don't need to worry. Your battle has only just begun. The outcome isn't decided yet."

Hearing her words, Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head with a smile, biting into a piece of lobster meat. "Then Teacher Lu, do you hope I win?"

Lu Ruyun placed another piece of meat in her bowl. "Of course I hope so."

The two had a pleasant lunch. By the time they returned to the apartment, it was already past one. Lu Ruyun went to the bathroom to wash up. Qin Zhenzhen was sitting on the sofa watching TV when the phone on the coffee table began vibrating incessantly. Qin Zhenzhen tilted her head and called out towards the bathroom. "Ruyun, your phone!"

Lu Ruyun's voice drifted over. "Help me answer it."

Qin Zhenzhen nodded, seeing "Ms. Lu" on the screen. Her eyes shifted. Her mother? What should I call her?

Holding the phone, she pondered for a few seconds. Seeing it was still ringing, she steeled her heart and answered.

"Hello."

The person on the other end paused, moving the phone away a bit to look at the screen, confirming it was indeed Ruyun's number, before speaking. "Is this Ruyun?"

Qin Zhenzhen swallowed. "Ruyun is in the bathroom. Do you have something you need? You can tell me, and I'll pass it on, or I can have her call you back later."

Hearing the extremely polite voice on the phone, Lu Sheng's elegant brows furrowed slightly. She tentatively asked, "Are you... Qin Zhenzhen?"

Qin Zhenzhen hadn't expected the caller to know her. Then she bit her lip. Of course it's normal for them to know me; I'm married to their daughter. Thinking this, she replied respectfully, "Yes, that's me. Do you have something you need?"

Lu Sheng cleared her throat lightly. "No, nothing. Have her call me back later."

Qin Zhenzhen felt a wave of relief and said without thinking, "Okay, Mom."

As soon as she said it, she bit her tongue, full of regret. Not waiting for a response from the other end, she hung up.

Lu Sheng was caught off guard and coughed several times in succession.

When Lu Ruyun came out of the bathroom, she saw Qin Zhenzhen's face slightly flushed as she took deep breaths. She walked over and asked, "Who called just now?"

Qin Zhenzhen turned around at the sound of her voice. Lu Ruyun had removed her makeup, her fair face still dotted with water droplets that glistened in the light. Lu Ruyun waved a hand in front of her. "Zhenzhen?"

"Oh." Qin Zhenzhen came back to her senses and handed the phone to Lu Ruyun. "Your mom. She wants you to call back."

Lu Ruyun's expression froze, her face changing slightly. She took the phone, glanced at the call log entry for "Ms. Lu," then looked sideways at Qin Zhenzhen, her voice soft. "Zhenzhen."

Qin Zhenzhen looked at her, confused. "Hmm?"

Lu Ruyun explained. "This is my aunt."

Qin Zhenzhen blinked. ...

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