Married in a Daze - Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Qin Zhenzhen found out that Lu Sheng was staying at the apartment on the second day. She video-called Lu Ruyun, but before she could even start acting coquettish, she spotted a figure moving through the living room in the background. Rubbing her eyes, she asked uncertainly, "Ruyun, is there someone behind you?"

Lu Ruyun turned her head, shifting her body to the side, and Lu Sheng's face immediately filled the screen. "Hi, Zhenzhen."

Qin Zhenzhen: "..."

Lu Sheng's appearances truly always caught her off guard.

Fortunately, she quickly steadied herself and smiled. "Hello, Auntie."

Lu Sheng nodded, her voice coming through the phone. "Ruyun said you won't be back for a few more days?"

Qin Zhenzhen hummed in agreement. This promotional tour was overseas; she had to wait until it was over before returning with the crew. Unlike when she was promoting domestically, she couldn't run back and forth between cities.

Seeing her obedient expression, Lu Sheng's lips curved up. "Then I'll be imposing here for a few days and wait for you to return."

Qin Zhenzhen hurriedly said, "It's no trouble at all, Auntie."

Lu Sheng chuckled softly, handed the phone back to Lu Ruyun, and turned to go upstairs.

Only after Lu Sheng was out of sight did Qin Zhenzhen lower her voice. "Why did Auntie come?"

Lu Ruyun pressed her lips together. "She's here on a business trip, and it just happens to be until after our wedding, so she'll return then."

Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Then don't work so hard these next few days. Spend more time with her."

A gentle smile appeared on Lu Ruyun's face, tenderness shimmering in her eyes. "I know."

Because of Lu Sheng's arrival, Lu Ruyun slowed her work pace. She went to the set during the day and had dinner with Lu Sheng in the evenings. Sometimes Meng Xin and He Shuangshuang would join them. Occasionally, Lu Sheng would wait at the studio for her to finish meetings before they went home together.

Time always slips away imperceptibly when you're not paying attention, so fast you hardly notice its passing.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Sheng had already been in City A for several days, and Lu Ruyun's Drunken Dreams of Jianghu was about to wrap filming.

Originally, Qin Zhenzhen was scheduled to return on the day of the wrap party, but Meng Xin had squeezed in an extra schedule for her at the last minute. She had to transfer flights mid-journey and fly elsewhere, so she didn't make it back.

The wrap party was quite grand. Drunken Dreams of Jianghu was a major IP and had invited quite a few well-known artists for cameo roles. They were all invited to the wrap party as well, so what should have been a simple meal turned into a red-carpet event.

Lu Ruyun stepped onto the red carpet, flashes of light constantly illuminating her. Her expression remained normal, a faint smile gracing her lips.

After entering the hotel, even more people came over to chat.

Lu Ruyun maintained her usual composed and detached demeanor, speaking to everyone politely and courteously. She never made anyone feel overly distant, but she also didn't allow a sense of excessive familiarity.

Dong Xiang, surrounded by a group of artists, being pulled this way and that, felt a pang of envy for Lu Ruyun's way of carrying herself in the world.

When the banquet began, Lu Ruyun was called over by the director for group photos, followed by an interview segment. The reporters were far more curious about Lu Ruyun's personal life than about the filming itself. One after another, they threw out questions: when was the wedding, the wedding venue, had Qin Zhenzhen really signed with her studio... The questions came thick and fast. In the end, Lu Ruyun had no choice but to end the interview by stating that private matters were inconvenient to answer.

After the interviews came the time for clinking glasses and socializing. Although Lu Ruyun didn't like drinking, she still toasted a few glasses. By the end of the banquet, her cheeks were slightly flushed.

He Shuangshuang came to pick her up and, noticing she'd had a few drinks, teased, "I'm going to tell on you to Zhenzhen!"

Lu Ruyun was amused by this, the corners of her eyes tinged with red, her bright eyes narrowing as she laughed.

They weren't the only ones in the car; Dong Xiang was there too.

Hearing their conversation, Dong Xiang asked softly, "Teacher Lu, is Zhenzhen coming back soon?"

Lu Ruyun thought for a few seconds and nodded, her voice gentle. "In two more days."

This trip had lasted half a month, the longest they had been apart. So long that she couldn't help but miss her, every moment, every second.

Lu Ruyun's gaze turned toward the window, an inexplicable emotion hidden in the depths of her eyes.

After dropping off Dong Xiang, He Shuangshuang drove Lu Ruyun straight back to the apartment. Lu Sheng was waiting at the entrance. Seeing He Shuangshuang helping Lu Ruyun out of the car, she hurried over.

"You've been drinking?"

Lu Ruyun rubbed her temples. "Just a few glasses. It's fine."

"Shuangshuang, you can head back now."

Seeing that Lu Ruyun had arrived safely, He Shuangshuang felt reassured. She turned and instructed Lu Ruyun to rest at home for two days before getting back in the car and leaving.

Lu Sheng supported Lu Ruyun as they went inside. In truth, Lu Ruyun wasn't drunk, but she really liked being supported by Lu Sheng. It gave her a warm feeling of leaning on family. She didn't push Lu Sheng away, simply accompanying her back into the apartment.

Once back, a lecture was unavoidable. Lu Sheng hadn't realized she could be so long-winded in a long time. Usually, staying home alone, there was no one to listen to her nagging. But now, with Lu Ruyun here, it was as if her true self was revealed; she felt the urge to comment on everything.

After a while, she shook her head, feeling she really was getting old.

Only Lu Sheng's muttering voice filled the living room. Lu Ruyun leaned against the side of the sofa. At first, she managed a few responses, but within seconds, her eyes closed, and she fell asleep.

Seeing her silent, Lu Sheng walked over and called out, "Ruyun?"

Looking down, she saw Lu Ruyun sleeping soundly. She smiled, her expression tinged with helplessness. "Ruyun, go rest in your room?"

Lu Ruyun let out a rare, childlike hum and turned her back, her posture resembling that of a kid. Lu Sheng's gaze immediately softened. She originally thought about carrying her back to the study, but then remembered what she had seen outside the study door previously. After weighing the options, she simply went upstairs, fetched a thin quilt from her own bed, and draped it over Lu Ruyun.

Fortunately, summer was approaching, and the weather was neither too cold nor too hot. Sleeping on the sofa like this wouldn't lead to a chill.

Just as she finished tending to Lu Ruyun, a phone ringtone sounded. She glanced at Lu Ruyun's bag; the sound was coming from inside. At this hour, it was probably only Zhenzhen.

A smile played on Lu Sheng's lips as she took the phone from the bag. Her gaze fell upon the screen, and upon seeing the two words "Auntie Yin", her expression shifted slightly. The fingertips holding the phone suddenly stiffened, unable to move.

The phone continued to ring. Lu Sheng stared at the name several times before finally answering the call.

"Hey, Ruyun, have you read the script yet? Qiuhan is still waiting for your reply."

"Also, about that part of the plot you mentioned changing earlier, I've studied it. I think it's better to leave it as is. If not, we could also ask Qiuhan..."

Intermittent speech came through the receiver. Lu Sheng stood rigidly beside the sofa, her fingers gripping the phone so tightly her nails turned white. She bit her lip, not making a sound.

That familiar voice, that way of speaking—everything conveyed one message to Lu Sheng.

The caller was Yin Ye.

Yin Ye spoke several sentences without hearing Lu Ruyun's voice and grew curious. "Ruyun?"

Lu Sheng's lips parted slightly, trying to make a sound, but after much effort, only a single syllable escaped. "Hmm."

The sound was too light, too faint. Yin Ye chuckled. "Ruyun, are you about to sleep?"

Lu Sheng steadied her emotions, let out a breath, and returned to her normal tone. "Ruyun is resting. This is Lu Sheng."

Silence fell instantly on the other end of the line. Time passed—it was unclear for how long. It seemed like mere seconds, yet it also felt like hours. Lu Sheng stood at the edge of the sofa, body rigid, clutching the phone.

A long while later, a voice finally came from the other end. "In that case, I won't disturb you any further. Goodbye."

Lu Sheng pursed her lips, saying nothing. The other end had already gone silent.

After hanging up, she looked at Lu Ruyun's sleeping form.

When did she get in touch with Yin Ye?

Why had she never mentioned it to her?

Lu Sheng's mind was in turmoil. She placed the phone on the coffee table and caught sight of some documents nearby, recalling what Yin Ye had just said.

The script she mentioned.

What script?

Lu Sheng had been staying at Lu Ruyun's place for nearly a week and had never privately touched any of her things. Even when tidying up documents, she was tactful enough not to look at the contents.

But tonight, she made an exception.

She entered Lu Ruyun's study and saw the so-called script. The study had been cleaned up, completely different from how it looked before. The moment she stepped in, she saw the materials spread out on the desk, along with an open script.

In the study, under the fluorescent light, she held the script. The more she read, the darker her expression became. Her fingers pinched the edges of the paper, crumpling and creasing the white sheets. Finally, she threw the script onto the desk with a thud!

Yin Ye was startled awake. She sat up abruptly, a moment of confusion upon opening her eyes. It took her several seconds to adapt before she relaxed. Sunlight was already streaming through the window, warming her body. She pushed back the covers, smoothed her long hair, and walked barefoot across the floor, slowly approaching the floor-to-ceiling window.

After making that call last night, she had tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She had finally managed to doze off near dawn, only to be jolted awake by a dream.

Thinking of the dream she just had, she pressed a hand to her forehead. It felt as if something had wormed its way inside, gnawing at her nerves, a throbbing pain.

Before she could fully settle her emotions, the phone rang abruptly again. She turned to look at the lit screen on the nightstand, lowered her gaze, and walked over. It was a call from her close friend.

"So? Settling back in okay?"

Hearing her friend's still lively voice, Yin Ye laughed. "It's fine. Without you here, it's actually quite comfortable."

Her friend immediately bristled. "Yin Ye! That's utterly ungrateful! You just abandoned me like that! What about our plans to go to Country A together!"

Yin Ye looked at her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window, her long hair draped over her chest. A faint smile appeared on her no-longer-young face. "Alright, alright. I need to work on a script in a bit. Let's talk later."

Her friend clicked her tongue in agreement. "Fine, fine. I won't disturb the creative inspiration of the great screenwriter Yin."

After hanging up, Yin Ye crossed her arms in front of her chest, gazing at the distant scenery. Emotions surged in her eyes, slowly returning to calm.

Just as she was coming back to herself and setting the phone down, the ringtone sounded again. She answered with a trace of annoyance. "What is it now, Miss High Maintenance? Two calls in one morning, can't you give it a rest?"

There was no triumphant laughter from her friend on the other end this time. Instead, there was silence—a silence that made Yin Ye's heart race uneasily. She moved the phone away from her ear and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen.

Almost as if possessed, she called out, "Lu Sheng?"

Lu Sheng's voice was no different from usual, calm and light. "It's me. Are you free to meet? There's something I'd like to ask you."

Yin Ye held the phone, the stuffy feeling she had just managed to dissipate gathering again in her chest. After a moment's thought, she said, "Where are you?"

Lu Sheng: "I'm in City A."

Yin Ye pressed her lips together. "See you soon."

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