Married in a Daze - Chapter 107
Chapter 107
The next day, Qin Zhenzhen rubbed her eyes as she woke up, sitting up in bed. She vaguely remembered someone calling her in the middle of the night, but she had pushed them away irritably a few times, ignored them, and didn't know if it was just a dream.
"Ruyun."
Qin Zhenzhen called out habitually, then turned to look at the spot beside her. It was empty, no one there. She frowned, about to grab her phone to check the time, when she noticed a white note on the bedside table. She blinked, picked it up, and recognized the handwriting.
It was Lu Ruyun's.
—Zhenzhen, Yaoyao had a bit of trouble, she's in the hospital. I'm heading over. Wait for my news.
It took Qin Zhenzhen a moment to process. After thinking for a while, she realized her experience last night wasn't a dream. Lu Ruyun had really tried to wake her.
At this thought, she hurriedly dialed Lu Ruyun's number. Just as she unlocked her phone, she saw a news notification from Weibo.
@Daijing Entertainment: Exclusive scoop: The real reason for Duan Qiuhan's breakup with his girlfriend is that he cheated with a crew member from the same production [Photos attached].
Qin Zhenzhen clicked on it. There were several photos: Duan Qiuhan eating with a girl, the two of them laughing and talking together, and the two of them returning to a hotel together.
The photo of them returning to the hotel was especially highlighted.
Under this exposé, netizens were going crazy.
—I knew it! No wonder Miss Zhang and Duan Qiuhan broke up recently. You guys were even suspecting Cloud Fairy interfered in their relationship. Slap in the face, huh? They really did break up! Cloud Fairy was just comforting her heartbroken friend.
—Hmm, don't drag my Cloud Fairy into this, okay? I heard Cloud Fairy and Miss Zhang have been close friends for over a decade. Her wife now is Zhenzhen. They just celebrated New Year's together, very happy, OK?
—Yeah, if you want to call out the scumbags, just call out the scumbags. Don't try to muddy the waters. My Zhenzhen and Cloud Fairy are doing just fine. Besides, last time, wasn't it just Cloud Fairy who visited Miss Zhang? Zhenzhen went too. According to your logic, are all three of them somehow involved then?
—Are these hired commenters deliberately trying to create confusion? Where did Duan Qiuhan buy his water army? Pretty qualified, huh. Next step is to frame the girl for cheating first, right?
—If Cloud Fairy and Zhenzhen didn't constantly show off their affection, maybe he really could have found an opening. Duan Qiuhan's move is clever. I was wondering why, when Cloud Fairy was clearly just accompanying a friend recently, so many people were accusing her of cheating. How much are you paid per comment? Take me along to earn some money too.
Even before opening Weibo, Qin Zhenzhen had anticipated a storm of controversy and that she and Lu Ruyun would be implicated. After all, their names had been tied to Zhang Yiyao and Duan Qiuhan recently. Now that Duan Qiuhan was in trouble, naturally they would be dragged in.
She wasn't surprised by the online comments, but seeing this exposé and these photos still felt somewhat unreal to her.
Was Duan Qiuhan really that kind of person?
Qin Zhenzhen clutched her phone, momentarily at a loss for words.
She just sent a message to Lu Ruyun: How is everything at the hospital?
The message was sent, but there was no reply for a long time. Qin Zhenzhen placed the phone back on the bedside table, feeling a bit agitated. When Yin Lanfang came knocking on the door to call them out for breakfast, she was still smiling. "Zhenzhen, get up quickly. Look at the time. Relatives are coming over to eat later. Oh, and call Ruyun, don't stay in bed."
Qin Zhenzhen looked at the empty bed and sighed, responding, "Okay."
When it was time to leave the room, Yin Lanfang saw her alone. She and Qin Ye exchanged a look. "Where's Ruyun?"
Qin Zhenzhen forced a slight smile. "Ruyun's friend ran into some trouble. She went over this morning."
Hearing this, Yin Lanfang put down her bowl and chopsticks. "Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
Qin Zhenzhen was now somewhat grateful her parents weren't on Weibo. If they knew about the rumors online, they'd definitely be upset. She smiled reassuringly. "It's nothing serious. Just a friend had a minor accident, went to the hospital. She doesn't have many friends in City A, so she called Ruyun. Mom, I won't be staying home later either."
Relatives were coming over later. If they saw her alone at home, there would inevitably be gossip. The older generation might not jump to conclusions, but the younger ones who go online would know exactly what was happening as soon as they checked Weibo. Now that Ruyun wasn't by her side, it was better for her to leave as well. That way, others wouldn't know she and Ruyun weren't together.
Yin Lanfang looked displeased at her words. "Why do you have to leave too? Didn't we agree you'd stay until the third day of the new year?"
Hearing this, Qin Zhenzhen felt a pang of guilt and repeatedly promised, "Mom, once I finish filming this drama, I'll come back and stay with you properly, okay?"
Qin Ye waved his hand, seeing her appeasing expression. "Alright, alright. Isn't spending New Year's with us enough? Don't the kids have their own things to do? Let them go handle their business."
Qin Zhenzhen smiled gratefully at Qin Ye. "Thanks, Dad!"
After breakfast, Qin Zhenzhen went back to her room to pack. She called Ji Lu, asking her to pick her up from her hometown. Lu Ruyun must have taken the car last night. Taking a taxi now wouldn't be a good idea.
Half an hour later, Ji Lu arrived in a rush downstairs at Qin Zhenzhen's family home.
Qin Zhenzhen went downstairs fully armed. Yin Lanfang was still unhappy, sitting on the sofa, not offering any warm inquiries. Qin Ye, on the other hand, went up and down helping her. "Remember to eat."
"Call your mom when you have time. She's just sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. She cares about you deep down."
"Next time you come back, bring Ruyun too."
Listening to his endless chatter, a sudden wave of grievance washed over Qin Zhenzhen. Before getting in the car, she turned and hugged Qin Ye, her voice choked. "I know, Dad."
Qin Ye patted her back. "Go on, get busy."
Upstairs, Yin Lanfang stood by the window, watching the two below part ways. Qin Zhenzhen looked up and saw Yin Lanfang. She waved. Yin Lanfang sighed and waved back at her.
After getting in the car, Qin Zhenzhen said to Ji Lu, "Let's go."
Ji Lu signaled Xiao Wu to drive, then asked softly, "Zhenzhen, where are we going?"
Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment. "Back to my apartment."
Ji Lu was slightly taken aback but nodded, telling Xiao Wu to head to Qin Zhenzhen's apartment.
She hadn't lived in her apartment for two or three months. Before the New Year, Ji Lu had someone come for a thorough cleaning. The place was spotless. Qin Zhenzhen went in and flopped onto the sofa. Ji Lu could tell she wasn't happy and sat beside her, asking, "Zhenzhen, what's wrong?"
"Where's Teacher Lu?"
Qin Zhenzhen turned her head. "Ruyun had something to take care of."
Ji Lu held back the question she wanted to ask.
She had naturally seen the news about Duan Qiuhan on Weibo. Duan Qiuhan cheating with a crew member, combined with the recent rumors about Teacher Lu and Miss Zhang, and now her absence... Ji Lu could more or less guess why Qin Zhenzhen was unhappy, but she didn't dare ask, afraid of making her even angrier.
Seeing Ji Lu sitting stiffly on the sofa, Qin Zhenzhen waved her hand. "You and Xiao Wu go back."
Ji Lu frowned. "No way. You don't have any food here. I'll order lunch for you in a bit, or should I go buy some groceries?"
However, supermarkets wouldn't open until the afternoon of the first day of the new year, and the same went for the wet market. There was definitely no way to buy ingredients now. Qin Zhenzhen naturally knew this too. She said to Ji Lu, "No need to buy groceries. I wouldn't know how to cook them anyway. I'll order takeout myself."
Previously, all three meals were arranged by Ji Lu. Hearing Qin Zhenzhen say this, Ji Lu quickly said, "Let me order. Some places aren't open. You wouldn't know. I'm more familiar."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded, tacitly accepting her suggestion.
The room fell quiet for a few minutes before Qin Zhenzhen shooed her away again. "You go back first."
Ji Lu held her phone. "What about lunch?"
"I'll get it myself."
Seeing her stubborn expression, Ji Lu nodded. "Alright."
She picked up her bag and left the apartment. The living room fell into silence, not a sound for a long while. Qin Zhenzhen got up from the sofa and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down. The entire landscape of City A was laid out before her. Her expression was neutral, unreadable.
The phone on the coffee table buzzed. Qin Zhenzhen turned, walked to the sofa, picked it up, and looked. It was a message from Lu Ruyun.
—Yaoyao just stabilized. I probably can't make it over today. Spend some time with Mom and Dad.
Qin Zhenzhen tapped on the screen: Okay, you take care of things there first.
When Lu Ruyun received Qin Zhenzhen's message, she pressed her lips together. Duan Qiuhan sat on the bench beside her, his voice low. "Ruyun, Zhao Ke is just my assistant. I really didn't do anything to betray Yaoyao."
"I don't know why things turned out like this either."
He sighed deeply.
He had been broken up with out of the blue while filming on location. The signal at the remote filming site was poor, so he had been largely cut off from outside news. It wasn't until he returned that he found out he had already been dumped.
Of course, he wasn't willing to accept it, thinking Yaoyao had misunderstood something. He rushed over to explain. After a couple of days together, he thought he saw signs of Yaoyao softening. No one expected someone to send her a message full of photos of him and Zhao Ke.
Her condition had been very unstable these past few days. Vice Dean Ding had also said she couldn't handle any stimulation. So, when she saw those photos, she immediately did something foolish. Her condition had been critical when she was brought to the hospital.
Worried that Yaoyao might really come to harm, he had contacted Lu Ruyun.
Lu Ruyun patted his shoulder. "Let's wait until Yaoyao wakes up. You should handle the Weibo situation first, so Yaoyao won't see it and spiral again if she wakes up."
Duan Qiuhan nodded. "I've already asked someone to handle the Weibo side."
Zhang Yiyao woke up in the afternoon. The moment she opened her eyes, Duan Qiuhan hurriedly called out, "Yaoyao."
His tall, 180cm frame instantly had red-rimmed eyes, his voice hoarse, his gaze filled with lingering fear. Zhang Yiyao, however, didn't even glance at him, turning her head to the other side where Lu Ruyun stood.
Lu Ruyun crouched down. "Feeling better?"
Hearing her gentle voice, Zhang Yiyao moved her head slightly. "Why am I here?"
Lu Ruyun pressed her lips together. "Qiuhan brought you here."
As she spoke, she glanced toward Duan Qiuhan on the other side. Zhang Yiyao closed her eyes. "Ruyun, I don't want to hear that name right now."
She had just woken up, her body still very weak, her speech feeble. But this soft sentence was like a knife, stabbing into Duan Qiuhan's heart. He winced, his handsome face tightening in pain.
"Yaoyao."
"Get out."
Lu Ruyun looked helplessly at Duan Qiuhan. "Go out for now."
Duan Qiuhan's body stiffened, his fists clenched. He said to Lu Ruyun, "Then I'll be right outside the door. Call me if you need anything."
Lu Ruyun nodded. "Okay."
As Duan Qiuhan reached the door, Lu Ruyun followed him out. She said to Duan Qiuhan, "I forgot to ask earlier. Did you find out who sent Yaoyao that message?"
Duan Qiuhan was momentarily stunned. His heart and mind were completely filled with Zhang Yiyao; he had long lost his usual judgment. How could he have possibly looked into who sent the message? Seeing his expression, Lu Ruyun nodded, her pretty face serious. "I'll look into it."
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