Married in a Daze - Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Qin Zhenzhen had to fly to City K early on the third day of the Lunar New Year. She hadn't planned to wake Lu Ruyun, but when she shifted slightly, Lu Ruyun stirred awake anyway. Her voice was still hoarse from sleep. "Leaving now?"

"Mm." Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment, feeling reluctant. She turned and planted a kiss on Lu Ruyun's lips. "Be good and wait for me at home."

The kiss roused Lu Ruyun further, and she sat up. "I'll make you breakfast."

"No need." Qin Zhenzhen pressed down on her shoulder. "I had Ji Lu prepare something for me. Sleep a bit longer."

She looked at Lu Ruyun. They still hadn't talked about the matter with Zhang Yiyao, not even once. Even last night, when emotions were high and Lu Ruyun seemed about to broach the subject, Qin Zhenzhen had stopped her with a kiss. Some things, even unspoken, Qin Zhenzhen could guess. Moreover, she had already handled it. She believed in Lu Ruyun.

Lu Ruyun watched as Qin Zhenzhen got up, changed clothes, went to the bathroom, and came back out. Finally, Qin Zhenzhen leaned over the bed, tapping Lu Ruyun's forehead. "Teacher Lu, will you be terribly bored without me around?"

Her tone was playful, yet Lu Ruyun thought seriously for a few seconds.

For so many years, it had always been just her in this apartment. She never knew what boredom felt like; it always felt comfortable. But now, the mere thought of this house without Qin Zhenzhen in it made her heart feel hollow.

"I won't be bored."

She said, sitting up, "I'll just miss you."

Looking at Lu Ruyun's honey-sweet lips, Qin Zhenzhen chuckled softly. She was just about to lean in for another taste when the doorbell interrupted them. Qin Zhenzhen pouted. "I'm off."

Lu Ruyun stood up. "I'll see you out."

As she spoke, she picked up her robe from the blanket, covering her exquisite figure. Qin Zhenzhen glanced over and swallowed. "Actually, don't bother seeing me out."

"If you do, I really won't want to leave."

Lu Ruyun pressed her lips together in a smile. They parted at the door. Once in the car, Qin Zhenzhen, in high spirits, sent Lu Ruyun a message: I'll call you when I arrive.

A reply came two minutes later.

—Okay.

After replying, Lu Ruyun saw there were other messages on her phone. He Shuangshuang had sent one.

—Ruyun, Yaoyao called me. She says she knows she was wrong.

Scrolling down, she saw several messages from Zhang Yiyao.

—I'm sorry, Ruyun. I just didn't want to see you get hurt. I didn't mean to do that.

—About the Zhu Yao thing, I didn't mean to say it either. It was my birthday, I drank too much. She kept crying and crying in front of me, and I accidentally let it slip.

—Ruyun, please don't ignore me, okay? We've been through so many years together. Are we really going to split up over things that are already in the past? How can you bear it?

Lu Ruyun looked at the litany of accusations on the screen. Her thumb scrolled up, seeing the many past chats between her and Zhang Yiyao. They didn't see each other often, but they always stayed in touch. Sometimes, when Zhang Yiyao ate something delicious or found something fun, she'd send photos and messages, saying they should go together with Shuangshuang next time they were free.

Though, to this day, that "next time" had never materialized.

Lu Ruyun sat on the edge of the bed, reading the messages, recalling the scenes from their shared past flashing before her eyes like a revolving lantern. She pressed her lips into a thin line and typed a reply to Zhang Yiyao: Focus on recovering. Once you're discharged, you should try making some new friends. Yaoyao, maybe Vice Dean Ding was right. Perhaps we shouldn't have become friends in the first place. Our very existence only reminds each other that the past was a painful thing. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe we could have moved on long ago. Yaoyao, you should also try finding new friends, a new state of mind. Without me and Shuangshuang, you can make a fresh start.

After sending the message, she looked at Zhang Yiyao's name, then finally pressed delete.

It felt like she wasn't just deleting Zhang Yiyao, but that entire period of the past.

She needed a fresh start too.

Lu Ruyun stood up from the bed and drew open the curtains. It was still early; the sky hadn't brightened yet. Leaning against the window, listening to the howling cold wind outside, her heart was exceptionally calm.

A smiling face appeared in her mind's eye—someone who loved to blink coquettishly, as cute as a kitten. Her finger traced a shape in the air, and the corners of her lips lifted.

The object of her thoughts, Qin Zhenzhen, sneezed. Ji Lu hurriedly offered a blanket. "What's wrong, Zhenzhen? Are you catching a cold?"

Qin Zhenzhen turned to look at her. "Jinx! It's the New Year, say something auspicious!"

Ji Lu smacked her own lips twice. "Pah, pah, pah! Definitely no cold!"

Qin Zhenzhen took the blanket and wrapped it around herself, sipping the slightly hot soy milk. She typically had no appetite in the morning and used to skip breakfast. It was only after being with Lu Ruyun that she developed the habit. Now, nibbling on a steamed bun, she alternated between sneezes and sips of soy milk.

When it was time to get out of the car, a gust of wind hit her, making her shiver with cold. She really did feel like a cold was coming on.

This jinx, Ji Lu!

They were meeting at the airport. Song He and Sun Qin already had events in City K, so the gathering point only included her, Hu Jing, and a few supporting actors. Director Hu was there too. Soon after Qin Zhenzhen arrived, they boarded the plane.

Hu Jing sat beside her, noticing she didn't look too energetic. "Zhenzhen, didn't you sleep well last night?"

Qin Zhenzhen shook her head. "No, I think I might be getting sick." She sneezed again as she spoke.

Hu Jing quickly took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. Qin Zhenzhen accepted it with a light laugh. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Hu Jing replied, then asked, "Want to sleep for a bit?"

Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment. "Sure."

She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest. Hu Jing got a blanket and covered her with it. In the row behind them sat a few girls playing supporting roles, chatting in hushed tones.

"Did you watch Cold Palace last night?"

"No, I was called out for dinner last night and only got home at one."

"I watched it. I even checked Weibo. The show's official account exploded last night, didn't you know?"

"I was only paying attention to the gossip."

"Gossip? What gossip?"

"What else? The gossip about A-City's 'philandering king' Director Duan. It's really hot right now."

The murmuring voices kept drifting into Qin Zhenzhen's ears. Feeling irritated, she shifted her sleeping position. Thinking she wouldn't be able to sleep, she was surprised to drift off quickly after closing her eyes.

She was woken by Hu Jing. Qin Zhenzhen opened her eyes blearily to find herself leaning on Hu Jing's shoulder. She quickly straightened up. "Sorry, I fell asleep."

Hu Jing smiled. "It's fine. Let's get off."

He stood up and offered a hand. "Need a hand up?"

Qin Zhenzhen looked at his hand and gave it a light slap. "I'm not a porcelain doll, no need."

Hu Jing withdrew his hand, scratching his head. The two of them walked out of the cabin together. Ji Lu was waiting outside and quickly fell into step behind Qin Zhenzhen once she saw her. Outside the airport, they headed directly to the event venue. Director Hu had arranged cars. Qin Zhenzhen had been under the blanket on the plane, and now the wind made her feel cold. She frowned slightly, then felt weight on her shoulders. Turning her head, she saw Hu Jing standing straight behind her. "Get in the car quickly. It wouldn't be good if you really caught a cold."

Qin Zhenzhen glanced at the people around them, didn't say anything, and just nodded.

At the event venue, Qin Zhenzhen saw Song He and Sun Qin sitting in the backstage area snacking. They were already in costume but not yet made up. Song He spotted Qin Zhenzhen and immediately beckoned. "Here she comes, here comes the one handing out candy!"

Sun Qin hit him on the back. "All you know how to do is tease."

Song He grinned. "It's the truth! Who doesn't know that Zhenzhen and Ruyun were showering everyone with candy over the New Year?"

Qin Zhenzhen knew he was talking about the New Year's Eve night when she and Ruyun trended on the hot searches. Smiling, she picked up two pieces of candy from the table, unwrapped them, and offered them to Song He. "Here, see if this can shut you up."

Song He declined. "I don't want expired candy."

Everyone laughed and joked around. Sun Qin looked at Qin Zhenzhen. "Ruyun didn't come?"

Qin Zhenzhen made an affirmative sound. "Ruyun has some matters to attend to."

She would be going abroad with Qin Zhenzhen soon, so she needed to arrange her studio's affairs in advance.

A staff member not far away signaled for them to get ready. Qin Zhenzhen had a couple more small snacks before being ushered away by Ji Lu to change and get her makeup done. The promotional event in City K had a much larger crowd than the one in City A. Whether it was because the TV drama's ratings had picked up in its later episodes, drawing more people, or because of the New Year holiday, even Sun Qin marveled that the crowd had nearly doubled.

While getting her makeup done, Qin Zhenzhen chatted idly with Sun Qin. Sun Qin didn't have any new projects recently, only performing at a local New Year's Gala, so she wasn't busy. Compared to Qin Zhenzhen flying all over the place, she was quite free.

"I really envy you all, being so young. Not like us old folks."

Sun Qin sighed. Qin Zhenzhen laughed. "Teacher Sun, where are you old? You don't look it at all."

"Little devil." Sun Qin tapped her forehead. Since they would be wearing period costumes on stage later, Qin Zhenzhen was dressed in an elegant, simple gown with very light makeup. A jade hairpin was slanted in her hair, its end dangling with tassels that swayed gently with her movements.

Sun Qin looked at Qin Zhenzhen's lovely face, as fair and tender as a freshly peeled egg, and smiled. "So lovely."

Qin Zhenzhen smiled back. Not two minutes later, a staff member came to call them to the stage. The content of the promotional event was more or less the same, and Qin Zhenzhen handled it with ease. The only struggle was resisting the urge to sneeze. Otherwise, it went well. Perhaps due to the festive atmosphere, the event felt even livelier than the ones before the New Year.

After the event, Ji Lu immediately handed her cold medicine. Qin Zhenzhen's nose was already stuffy, and her throat was itchy, making her want to cough constantly.

She uncomfortably pinched her throat, frowning slightly.

After the promotional event, there was a dinner hosted by Director Hu. She had missed several gatherings before and thought she could properly make amends in City K. Who knew she'd catch a cold? Truly unlucky timing.

Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment and decided to ask Director Hu for leave, skipping the dinner gathering. She would come back for the afternoon promotional event. Director Hu, seeing she genuinely looked unwell, asked with concern, "Should I have Song He take you back?"

"No, no need." Qin Zhenzhen waved her hand. "Ji Lu can take me back."

Director Hu didn't insist. "Alright, then go back to the hotel and rest. Contact me if you need anything."

Qin Zhenzhen smiled lightly. "Okay."

After parting with Director Hu, Qin Zhenzhen got into the car with Ji Lu. The hotel wasn't far from the event venue. Considering the just-finished event, Qin Zhenzhen disguised herself fully, afraid of causing a commotion at the hotel entrance. Unexpectedly, even before getting out of the car, she saw the hotel entrance tightly surrounded by a crowd.

Qin Zhenzhen frowned, exchanging a glance with Ji Lu. Many fans were holding up signs and chanting at the entrance.

"Jian Mu! Jian Mu!"

"Brother Jian!"

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