Married in a Daze - Chapter 120
Chapter 120
Lu Ruyun drank too much. In the end, it was Lu Sheng who called a car to take the two of them back to the hotel. After helping Lu Ruyun into the room, Lu Sheng still worriedly asked if she needed any help. Qin Zhenzhen shook her head: "No need, Aunt. I can take care of her."
Lu Sheng wanted to stay but then remembered the situation at the hotel. She pursed her lips, which bore some resemblance to Lu Ruyun's, and agreed: "Alright. You still have a shoot tomorrow, don't play too late."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded, then paused.
Play too late?
But by the time she wanted to ask, Lu Sheng had already reached the doorway, waving at her. "Zhenzhen, sorry to trouble you with Ruyun."
Qin Zhenzhen smiled. "It's no trouble at all."
After Lu Sheng left, Qin Zhenzhen looked at Lu Ruyun, who was sprawled on the sofa. They had drunk red wine, which had a strong delayed effect. When they first left the hotel restaurant, she had been relatively sober, but now she was completely passed out.
The smell of alcohol clung to her.
Qin Zhenzhen considered helping her to take a shower but worried she couldn't support her properly. Instead, she simply fetched a basin of water from the bathroom to remove Lu Ruyun's makeup and wipe her body down, then changed her into clean pajamas. Looking at the still-sleeping Lu Ruyun, Qin Zhenzhen sighed, already exhausted and sweaty from the effort.
She covered Lu Ruyun's body with a thin blanket, took all the clothes and the basin of water back into the bathroom. The hotel room had a bathtub; her body ached from the busywork, making it the perfect time for a soak.
Qin Zhenzhen ran the water and slipped into the tub with satisfaction. The warm water enveloped her body, and a look of contentment spread across her face.
Time passed quietly. Lu Ruyun, asleep on the sofa, stirred and called out, "Zhenzhen."
No one answered. With her eyes still closed, Lu Ruyun groped around beside her. She was already on the sofa; turning sideways, her hand reached towards the coffee table, nearly causing half her body to tumble off the couch.
The emptiness in her palm made her slowly open her eyes, gazing somewhat dazedly at her surroundings.
The scene before her was blurry, her mind foggy. She slowly sat up and called again, "Zhenzhen?"
Still no response. The flush on Lu Ruyun's cheeks gradually faded, leaving her somewhat pale. She didn't dare make another sound, simply sitting on the sofa hugging herself, burying her head between her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. She was like an ostrich, not daring to make a single noise.
When Qin Zhenzhen came out of the bathroom and didn't hear any movement, she assumed Lu Ruyun was still asleep. She walked to the dressing table, had just picked up the hairdryer, when she saw a curled-up figure on the sofa reflected in the mirror.
"Ruyun?"
Qin Zhenzhen called out softly, putting down the hairdryer. Hearing the voice, Lu Ruyun looked up blankly. The fear in her eyes was too late to conceal and was seen clearly by Qin Zhenzhen.
"Ruyun, what's wrong?" Qin Zhenzhen hurriedly walked to the sofa, sat down beside Lu Ruyun, and reached out to place her hand on Lu Ruyun's.
The touch was ice-cold. Qin Zhenzhen finally saw clearly that the rosy hue she had seen earlier on Lu Ruyun's face was gone, replaced by pallor. Lu Ruyun stared at her intently for several moments. Only after confirming it was Qin Zhenzhen did she suddenly pull her into a tight embrace, her voice faint. "Zhenzhen."
"Zhenzhen, where did you go? I couldn't find you."
Before Qin Zhenzhen could speak, Lu Ruyun continued, "I just heard a sound. Mom is coming back. Hurry, hide with me."
Her words were filled with pleading, her voice very low and soft, as if afraid of being overheard. After listening, Qin Zhenzhen felt as if her heart was being viciously squeezed and twisted, hurting so much that her own face turned pale, and even breathing became painful.
"Ruyun, no, no one is coming back. We don't need to hide."
Qin Zhenzhen's voice was choked with tears. Faced with the Lu Ruyun before her, her heart ached unbearably. She wished she could bear this fear for her. She held Lu Ruyun's body, patting her back over and over, imitating the way Lu Ruyun usually comforted her, and said softly, "Ruyun, it's okay. It's already okay now."
Under her soothing, Lu Ruyun's tense body gradually relaxed, and her breathing began to even out, though she still maintained her curled-up posture. Qin Zhenzhen gently pulled her arms down, making her hold onto herself. "It's okay."
She whispered in Lu Ruyun's ear, her voice seemingly magical as it enticed Lu Ruyun.
"Ruyun, let's go sleep on the bed, okay?" Qin Zhenzhen coaxed her while meeting Lu Ruyun's gaze. Her eyes were clear, long eyelashes fluttering slightly like butterflies, stirring ripples in the depths of Lu Ruyun's heart.
The images entrenched in her mind gradually dissipated. Lu Ruyun's body went slack, following Qin Zhenzhen's lead. "Okay."
Supported by Qin Zhenzhen, the two of them walked towards the bed.
The night was deep. Neither of the two people in the room was asleep. Qin Zhenzhen's damp, long hair spilled down her back, already somewhat dry. Lu Ruyun lay with her head on Qin Zhenzhen's lap, her expression much clearer now.
"Feeling better?" Qin Zhenzhen's hand stroked Lu Ruyun's long hair, her voice gentle.
Lu Ruyun hugged her waist, nuzzling against her abdomen, her voice very soft. "Sorry, Zhenzhen. Did I scare you?"
Qin Zhenzhen continued smoothing her hair, looking down. "No."
Of course she wasn't scared. This wasn't the first time she'd seen Lu Ruyun like this.
It was just that after they got together, she had recovered quite well.
Tonight's sudden relapse might have been because she drank too much, triggering the fear. Or perhaps seeing her aunt had stimulated memories of past events. That's why it happened.
Heart aching, Qin Zhenzhen took Lu Ruyun's hand and said softly, "Ruyun, don't think about anything anymore. Let's rest."
Lu Ruyun looked up; some color had returned to her pale face. Qin Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief, bent down, and planted a comforting kiss on her cheek. Lu Ruyun wrapped her arms around Qin Zhenzhen's neck, pulling her down towards herself.
The next day, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, Ji Lu came to ring the doorbell. Qin Zhenzhen rolled over and reluctantly sat up. Just as she was about to stretch, her hand was gently grasped. Qin Zhenzhen turned to look; Lu Ruyun was still asleep, unconsciously holding her wrist in her slumber. Looking at the peacefully sleeping Lu Ruyun, all the irritation from being woken up vanished. She leaned down, lightly pinched Lu Ruyun's nose, sighed, and got out of bed.
Ji Lu waited outside the door for quite a while before Qin Zhenzhen came out yawning. She looked at her and asked, "Zhenzhen, didn't sleep well last night?"
Qin Zhenzhen finished yawning and turned her head. Before she could speak, they heard another door open. Meng Xin came out too. Seeing Qin Zhenzhen and Ji Lu, she nodded. "Morning."
"Morning, Sister Meng."
The three exchanged greetings and went downstairs. Breakfast was at the hotel. Meng Xin sat at the table and said to Qin Zhenzhen, "I'm heading back to City A in a bit, Zhenzhen. You can go out with Teacher Lu after your shoot this afternoon. It's fine if you come back tomorrow morning."
Qin Zhenzhen bit into a piece of toast. "What about Director Hu?"
Meng Xin took a sip of milk. "I've already spoken to Director Hu. We'll talk about it after you return to City A."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Okay."
After breakfast, the three parted at the hotel entrance. Seeing that Qin Zhenzhen hadn't brought up the matter from yesterday afternoon, Meng Xin couldn't help but ask, "Zhenzhen, how did the discussion with Teacher Lu about the Perfect Star Magazine thing go?"
Qin Zhenzhen paused for a moment before remembering that they had gone out to dinner last night, and when they returned, Lu Ruyun had gotten drunk. She had completely forgotten about the SP matter. Thinking of this, she said to Meng Xin, "I'll discuss it with Ruyun again after I finish shooting. I'll get back to you this afternoon."
If nothing unexpected happened, Ruyun wouldn't be opposed to this collaboration either. But her emotions had been unstable last night, and Qin Zhenzhen didn't dare decide without consulting her. It was better to give Meng Xin a reply after discussing it together.
Meng Xin seemed to have anticipated she wouldn't have an answer so quickly and nodded. "Alright. Discuss it properly with Teacher Lu."
Qin Zhenzhen hummed in agreement and bid her farewell at the hotel entrance.
When she arrived at the shoot location, the advertising company's staff were already prepared. Qin Zhenzhen was led directly to change clothes. She sent a message to Lu Ruyun and then began shooting.
Lu Ruyun had been awake for a long time but hadn't moved. Her sleep quality had always been poor; sometimes she would lie awake the entire night. But even if she hadn't slept a wink, as soon as dawn broke the next day, she would get up immediately.
But this conditioned reflex had changed after meeting Qin Zhenzhen.
Now, not only did she not suffer from insomnia, she had also learned to lounge in bed. She didn't even know what time Qin Zhenzhen had left this morning.
A message notification interrupted her thoughts. Lu Ruyun tilted her head and saw the phone screen light up, displaying Qin Zhenzhen's name.
—Teacher Lu, remember to eat breakfast [smiley face].
Reading the message, Lu Ruyun could almost picture Qin Zhenzhen's smiling face after sending it. Her fingertip brushed the screen, her eyes filled with amusement.
After replying to Qin Zhenzhen, Lu Ruyun saw that Lu Sheng had also sent her two messages.
—Ruyun, are you two going back this afternoon?
—Ruyun, bring Zhenzhen to see me when you have time.
Lu Ruyun thought for a moment and replied: Mm.
Lu Sheng received her message, somewhat unsure if her reply was to the first message or the second. But she didn't send another text. Just as Zhenzhen had said, Ruyun had just returned; she needed to give her time to readjust.
After sending the message, Lu Ruyun logged onto Weibo. Duan Qiuhan still hadn't come out to respond. The rumors and gossip outside were spreading more and more wildly, with many netizens even calling for his blacklisting.
Many photos of Yaoyao in the hospital had already leaked. Lu Ruyun stared at the person in the photos, suddenly feeling a sense of unfamiliarity.
After a moment's thought, she called Duan Qiuhan, but no one answered after several tries. After two or three attempts, she called He Shuangshuang.
He Shuangshuang was sitting alone in the studio lounge. Her spirits hadn't been great these past few days. Ever since Lu Ruyun told her about Zhang Yiyao's situation, she had been at a loss. The moment the phone rang, she instinctively thought it was Zhang Yiyao calling her again.
It was impossible not to be angry.
Her feelings for Zhang Yiyao and Lu Ruyun were the same. Although she didn't see Zhang Yiyao often, she had always considered her a close friend from the bottom of her heart. When she and Lu Ruyun argued, it was Zhang Yiyao who always played the mediator. When she was in a bad mood, it was Zhang Yiyao who counseled her.
She thought their friendship, after so many years of accumulation, was already as strong as family.
But she never expected that the closer the person, the deeper the knife would cut.
If Zhang Yiyao had asked her to release that video back then, given their years of friendship, she might have actually done it. After all, Zhang Yiyao and Qin Zhenzhen held completely different weights in her heart.
But she never imagined that Zhang Yiyao would secretly release it, even using her name.
And that she wouldn't say a word even after she was misunderstood by Ruyun for so long.
He Shuangshuang knew she wasn't angry about Zhang Yiyao using her name to release the video. She was angry that Zhang Yiyao had never truly considered her a real friend.
But even so, she couldn't bring herself to block Zhang Yiyao's number.
The phone rang abruptly. After taking a deep breath and seeing the name on the screen, she answered. "Ruyun."
Lu Ruyun's voice was the same as usual. "Have you been to Qiuhan's place?"
He Shuangshuang hummed affirmatively. "I went, but he didn't open the door."
Lu Ruyun's red lips parted slightly. "Okay, I see."
Seeing she was about to hang up, He Shuangshuang quickly added, "By the way, Ruyun, have you heard the news? Like a Dream has been postponed."
Lu Ruyun paused, holding the phone. "Postponed?"
Then she understood. With the news about Duan Qiuhan blowing up like this, the postponement was likely due to the current rumors. Thinking of this drama's ill-fated journey, Lu Ruyun's eyes darkened. Filming had already been delayed before because of Zhu Yao. Originally scheduled for release after the New Year, it was now shelved again because of this matter.
This directorial debut of his was like his current predicament. Whether it could be released again depended on his own choices.
Lu Ruyun's lips pressed into a straight line, her voice low. "I understand."
He Shuangshuang, seeing she was about to hang up, asked, "When are you coming back? Are you... okay over there?"
Lu Ruyun knew she was worried about her condition. A slight curve touched the corner of her lips. "I'm fine, don't worry. We'll come back after Zhenzhen finishes shooting."
He Shuangshuang breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay."
Lu Ruyun hummed in agreement. Just as she was about to hang up, she heard He Shuangshuang say, "Ruyun, in the future... will we really never see Yaoyao again?"
Hearing her question, Lu Ruyun's hand, which was about to end the call, froze. After a moment's thought, she replied, "Shuangshuang, only people walking the same path have a chance to meet."
He Shuangshuang understood the implication in her words and lowered her gaze. "I see."
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