Married in a Daze - Chapter 135
Chapter 135
After the massive success of Qin Zhenzhen's magazine cover, other magazine publishers immediately sent out invitations. Meng Xin looked at the list; even if Qin Zhenzhen stopped filming shows right now, her schedule would be booked until the second half of the year. Of course, she didn't accept them all. Instead, she filtered through them, selected a few, and finally presented them to Qin Zhenzhen for discussion. Qin Zhenzhen then sought Lu Ruyun's opinion, and they finally settled on a magazine specializing in women's fashion design.
Meng Xin naturally had no objections. Originally, she also hoped to select just one or two; too much of a good thing is wonderful.
So, after Qin Zhenzhen made her choice, she found herself idle again.
Meng Xin did send her information on TV series and movies one after another. But after looking through them, Qin Zhenzhen realized most of this year's TV series were palace dramas, harem power struggles, which overlapped too much with her still-airing show, Cold Palace. She feared the netizens wouldn't buy it, and Lu Ruyun shared the same opinion.
The final box office for Cold Palace hadn't been released yet, but even up to now, the average viewership ratings were quite impressive. Her performance was even better than some veteran actors who became famous earlier. Moreover, TV series mainly attract fans, and she was already at the pinnacle of popularity. There was absolutely no need for her to film another series just to gain fans.
So, she suggested Qin Zhenzhen hold off on filming TV series for now and see if there were any movies she was interested in.
Qin Zhenzhen also looked through the movie information Meng Xin gave her.
Nothing really stood out. There were two comedies, but due to Tang Ya's collaboration with The Means to Survive, she wasn't considering comedies this year. Action movies—she was willing to give them a try—but the scripts sent over all had very prominent male leads, with the female lead feeling like a background prop. So, Lu Ruyun crossed those off. That left art films. For art films, her Mountain Girl was set to release in the second half of the year, which could genuinely bring a wave of attention. Unfortunately, so far, she hadn't come across any good scripts.
Anyway, she wasn't in a hurry. Rather than filming something she wasn't interested in, it was better to build up her energy and improve her acting skills.
So, during this period, whenever she had free time, she would run over to Lu Ruyun's filming set. The crew members all knew her by now, and when they saw her, they would tease her a little.
"Teacher Lu's wife is here!"
"Zhenzhen, keeping such a close eye, are you afraid Teacher Lu will sneak a bite elsewhere?"
"Teacher Lu, eat up quick! Your wife is on the warpath!"
The sound of everyone's playful laughter instantly filled the set. Qin Zhenzhen quite liked this kind of atmosphere. Every time she was teased, Lu Ruyun would always appear at just the right moment. She was usually serious and unsmiling, not as easygoing as Qin Zhenzhen, so when people saw her approach, they would automatically go back to whatever they were supposed to be doing, though their peripheral eyes still unconsciously drifted over.
Qin Zhenzhen was carrying three thermal lunchboxes. Two were for her and Lu Ruyun, and the other was for a girl from Lu Ruyun's studio named Dong Xiang. She was a quiet, well-behaved girl who played the role of the villain's maid in the series. Her appearances weren't that frequent, but she wasn't written off until the very end, so her screen time wasn't insignificant either.
Dong Xiang took the thermal lunchbox Qin Zhenzhen handed her, smiling shyly. "Thank you, Zhenzhen."
Qin Zhenzhen smiled. "No problem, just a little extra effort."
Originally, she was just making lunch to bring for Lu Ruyun anyway, so making a bit extra on the side was no trouble at all. But in the eyes of others, it was the height of envy. If it weren't for Teacher Lu being here, they wouldn't have much chance to see Qin Zhenzhen at all. And not only did Dong Xiang get to see her every day, she even got to eat her cooking!
This was simply too blissful. The crew members, seeing Dong Xiang emerge carrying the thermal lunchbox, immediately swarmed around her, putting on an act of sisterly affection.
Seeing this scene, Qin Zhenzhen frowned. "Did I cause trouble for her?"
Lu Ruyun glanced at her and smiled. "No. They'll give her her first lesson."
Qin Zhenzhen's frown deepened. "What first lesson?"
Lu Ruyun lowered her gaze, opening the thermal lunchbox. "What's real and what's fake."
Qin Zhenzhen was stunned for a few seconds, then realized what she meant and nodded in understanding. She sat down beside Lu Ruyun. They were having lunch in the break room. While eating, she changed the subject and turned to ask, "Still no news from Director Duan?"
"There is," Lu Ruyun took a sip of soup, her voice calm and steady. "His TV series just finished filming. He contacted me this morning; promotions start next Monday."
Qin Zhenzhen ate her meal and nodded. Cold Palace would have its finale this weekend, and Lu Ruyun's TV series would conveniently take over the time slot. The incident involving Duan Qiuhan last time caused quite a stir; to this day, online haters still use it to bash him. So, whether it would affect the ratings was really hard to say.
Her worried expression was too obvious; Lu Ruyun tilted her head and saw it. She smiled. "Eat quickly."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Okay."
The two exchanged smiles and quickly finished their lunch. In the afternoon, when Lu Ruyun went on set to film, Qin Zhenzhen stood to the side watching. Suddenly, her phone rang. Under everyone's gazes, she lowered her head and walked outside to answer the call.
It was Meng Xin, informing her that the endorsement brand wanted to launch their new collection ahead of schedule.
Originally, their plan was to launch in April. But they hadn't expected the collaboration between Qin Zhenzhen and SP to explode in popularity, leaving them genuinely shocked. Once they recovered, the higher-ups immediately issued a notice, deciding to move the entire April new collection launch up by a month.
After hearing Meng Xin's words, Qin Zhenzhen wasn't surprised at all. Lu Ruyun had told her last night that the endorsement side might launch early. The spring collection Qin Zhenzhen had filmed for previously meant launching a month early was still acceptable. She gave Meng Xin a couple of instructions and hung up.
When she turned and went back inside, Lu Ruyun had already finished one scene and was getting her makeup touched up. Qin Zhenzhen walked over and heard Lu Ruyun ask, "Where did you go?"
Qin Zhenzhen waved her phone. "Sister Meng called me. You were right last night; they want to launch early."
Hearing this, Lu Ruyun lowered her eyes with a slight smile, the corners of her lips lifting. The young girl touching up her makeup immediately laughed. "Teacher Lu, your relationship with Zhenzhen is really enviable."
Qin Zhenzhen, hearing this, stood beside Lu Ruyun, a smile on her face.
When it was time for Lu Ruyun to film the next scene, Qin Zhenzhen left the set early. Ji Lu came to pick her up. Qin Zhenzhen noticed that every time Ji Lu came to pick her up, she would look around, as if searching for someone. She patted Ji Lu's shoulder. "Looking for something?"
Ji Lu hunched her shoulders slightly, her voice a bit low. "Nothing."
Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment and asked, "Looking for He Shuangshuang?"
Ji Lu's face instantly flushed slightly red. She scratched her head and answered honestly, "She's not here?"
Qin Zhenzhen made an affirmative sound. "She's not."
Because Qin Zhenzhen came over to Lu Ruyun's set every day, there was no need for an assistant to accompany her, so she was assigned to another artist under the studio, Mei Ling.
Thinking of this, she said to Ji Lu, "Do you need something from her? You could call her."
Ji Lu quickly shook her head. "No need."
"Actually, it's nothing. Last time we stayed together, she left something at my place."
Qin Zhenzhen let out a soft "Mhm." "Need me to pass it along for you?"
Ji Lu hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no. I'll give it to her next time I see her."
Qin Zhenzhen smiled at Ji Lu, a glimmer of understanding in her eyes. Ji Lu lowered her head, eyes downcast. Last time, after she sent He Shuangshuang a message, there was no reply for half a day. She stared at the missed call on her phone for a long time before calling He Shuangshuang back.
Her tone was icy, saying she hadn't noticed her WeChat message. Ji Lu obviously didn't believe it. She had sent the message right after calling, and now she claimed she hadn't seen it? But given her attitude, Ji Lu didn't say anything and hung up.
These past couple of days, she thought coming to pick up Zhenzhen might lead to bumping into He Shuangshuang. Who would have guessed that girl wasn't even here?
Ji Lu let out a sigh. Qin Zhenzhen glanced at her and smiled, pursing her lips. The two didn't chat further. Xiao Wu's car rocked and swayed its way toward the apartment. The weather had warmed up considerably. Outside the car window, spring was in full bloom, flowers everywhere. Qin Zhenzhen looked out, her gaze calm. Compared to the tension before SP's release, this time, with the endorsement side announcing an early launch, she felt much more composed. Perhaps the SP experience had also tempered her state of mind.
However, while she was composed, the internet was bustling with excitement again.
After calling Qin Zhenzhen, Meng Xin and the endorsement side collectively released the news.
The magazine's explosive popularity had just subsided less than half a month ago. SP hadn't reopened pre-sale channels, so many fans missed out on the magazine, howling about needing to pre-order the next issue early. No one expected Qin Zhenzhen to announce her endorsed product at this moment.
And it was for the accessible luxury brand, Lanyi.
Lanyi's clothing target demographic was between sixteen and thirty-six years old—from campus to society, from youth to maturity. Its audience was very broad. It was a brand introduced from abroad into the domestic market. Many young people's first month's salary went towards contributing to Lanyi.
Because unlike some luxury brands where prices could reach tens of thousands, catering to high-end consumption, Lanyi's prices were moderate. Additionally, Lanyi hired quite renowned fashion designers, and the products they designed were no less impressive than high-end brands. This was one of the reasons many people loved Lanyi.
Back when Qin Zhenzhen was hesitating between several brands, she finally settled on Lanyi, also considering the audience issue.
Among her fans, young people made up eighty percent. Of course, she could choose high-end endorsements, luxurious brands, but a large portion of her fans couldn't afford them. So, Lanyi was a good choice.
After Lanyi's official Weibo posted the news, Qin Zhenzhen's fans were still seeking confirmation until Meng Xin also reposted the Weibo, confirming the collaboration. Only then did the fans rejoice.
They enthusiastically started building topic threads. Some netizens also joined in, joking that they had divined Qin Zhenzhen's fortune, predicting that after extreme adversity comes prosperity. This year, Qin Zhenzhen's career showed signs of a major breakthrough.
This comment was quickly pushed to the top of the hot comments. As soon as Qin Zhenzhen opened Weibo, she saw it. She pursed her lips into a smile.
If her career were to truly have a major breakthrough, the only possibility was Mountain Girl. After all, up to this point in the year, she hadn't found a single project she was satisfied with for collaboration.
She smiled, placed her phone aside, and went to the kitchen to make dinner. No one could have imagined that this casual, joking remark would be dug up again at the end of the year, stamped with four words.
Prophetic words come true!
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