After Being Scummed – Chapter 43

Yin Bai is the best in the world!

Because of He Zhiwen’s matter, Zuo Jingyou was harassed by the media at the entrance for quite a while. After finally getting rid of the group of reporters, Zuo Jingyou leaned on Yin Bai’s cane and walked to the guest seats next to Yin Bai.

Originally, their seats were not together, but Yin Bai mentioned it earlier and had Zuo Jingyou’s seat moved next to her.

Yin Bai turned her head, looking at Zuo Jingyou beside her, and asked with great concern, “How are you? Is your foot hurting?”

She thought for a moment while leaning on the cane and said, “You stood for so long, it’s probably getting worse. Maybe I should have Zhang Yu bring a wheelchair later. If you still plan to attend the banquet, you can use the wheelchair.”

Zuo Jingyou, seeing how serious she was, couldn’t help but laugh and looked at her with a somewhat helpless expression, “It’s just a sprain, not a big deal. If I really use a wheelchair, people will talk.”

Yin Bai furrowed her brows and said somewhat unhappily, “It’s just for the sake of convenience, who can say anything about it? It’s not like they’re using the wheelchair; what opinions do they have?”

Zuo Jingyou raised her eyes to look at Yin Bai, her eyes holding a touch of tenderness. “Being criticized for staging it, that’s all. It’s just a sprained ankle at the airport. If I use a wheelchair, people will say it’s making a fuss over nothing and it will offend the media who were blocking me at the airport.”

“Anyway, it’s not a big deal. It’s best to downplay small matters.”

In this industry, sometimes it’s like this. Even if you fall on stage or injure yourself on a movie set, you have to show strength and act as if nothing happened. Because not everyone can accept someone showing vulnerability in front of them; they’ll just think it’s being melodramatic.

But, everyone experiences pain sometimes. Even a minor toothache can make you extremely uncomfortable. So why is it that when it happens to someone else, we can’t empathize?

Perhaps this is what Mr. Lu Xun¹Lu Xun (1881-1936) was a leading figure in modern Chinese literature and a key influencer of the New Culture Movement in the early 20th century. Known for his critical and satirical writings, his works targeted societal issues and traditional values. His most famous pieces include “The True Story of Ah Q” and “A Madman’s Diary.” Lu Xun’s commitment to using literature for social and political change left a lasting impact on Chinese culture and intellectual thought. His legacy endures as a significant figure in Chinese literature.[/efn-note] meant, that the sorrows and hapiness of humanity don’t really connect.

Yin Bai pressed her lips tightly, furrowing her brows, and tapped her cane on the ground a few times with a displeased expression. She said, “Those reporters are really annoying, always exaggerating everything.”

“You clearly said that you have no connection with He Zhiwen, yet they keep asking all sorts of questions. Even though it was their fault that you got injured, in the end, they say you just sprained your ankle, which is considered overly dramatic.”

Yin Bai’s brows furrowed tightly, and her gray-blue eyes gleamed dimly in the darkness, like a cluster of black flames slowly rising. “These people simply don’t understand human language and don’t care about other people’s feelings. Their minds are filled with where they can find material to exploit and where they can find news. They don’t do real work; they just want to create sensational headlines every day.”

The black flames in Yin Bai’s eyes burned fiercely, and she vigorously tapped her cane in frustration, saying, “Just like before, I clearly told them not to take pictures of me, but they keep snapping away at me. Snap, snap, snap. What’s so interesting about a limping person like me! Do they really think that by taking my photos, they can publish a story about how Zuo Jingyou is traveling with a friend, but the friend happens to be a limp?”

“These people are just troublemakers, annoying pests, and lacking in morality!”

Honestly, they never speak well of good things but always focus on immoral matters to grab attention, which is truly annoying!

As Zuo Jingyou observed her teeth-gritting expression, her heart sank. She reached out and covered Yin Bai’s hand resting on the cane’s handle, looking at her with gentle eyes. “Yin Bai…”

The slightly cool hand was now enveloped in warmth, temporarily bringing back Yin Bai’s drifting rationality. Yin Bai stopped tapping her cane and turned to look at Zuo Jingyou, asking angrily, “What’s wrong? Do you think I’m wrong in what I said, or that I’m being too harsh?”

Zuo Jingyou sighed and held Yin Bai’s hand on the armrest between them, gazing into her eyes very seriously. “It’s not like that… I’m not ruling out the existence of such people, but among those who wanted to take your picture just now, there were definitely those who genuinely wanted to capture your beauty.”

Wait… Wasn’t she just criticizing the unscrupulous media and tabloid journalists? Why did it suddenly shift to her?

No, this was something she brought up herself.

Feeling the warmth from Zuo Jingyou’s hand, Yin Bai blinked and followed her lead, saying, “I’m just a limping person; what’s there to find beautiful?”

Zuo Jingyou held Yin Bai’s left hand with both of her own, slightly parted her lips, and looked at her, saying each word very clearly, “Beautiful.”

Yin Bai met her sincere gaze, and her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. She swallowed hard and stammered, “I’m a limping person, walking with uneven shoulders, taking one step at a time, in a clumsy posture. How can that be beautiful?”

She really didn’t understand why these people always had to take pictures of her while she was walking; her gait wasn’t really attractive!

Zuo Jingyou cradled Yin Bai’s hand in her palm and squeezed it tightly, saying, “Your beautiful because your face is beautiful, and every step you take when you walk is very confident. Your posture is especially, especially beautiful—it’s art; it’s the Venus in the eyes of an artist, the embodiment of beauty.”

Yin Bai gazed at Zuo Jingyou, who was full of sweet words, and her pupils contracted as her heart shook profoundly.

This person… how could this person spout such nonsense with her eyes wide open? It’s really… it’s really…

Yin Bai opened her mouth and took a while to react before looking at Zuo Jingyou in amazement and saying, “Friend, you’re using quite a heavy filter on me.”

She clearly used to be extremely self-conscious about her limping and how strange she looked when walking, but now, after Zuo Jingyou said that, she suddenly didn’t want to care as much!

There was even a sense of feeling like the most beautiful in the world!

Was praise really this powerful? She really wished Zuo Jingyou would say more.

Zuo Jingyou looked at her and smiled gently. “It’s not a filter; you are genuinely beautiful, Yin Bai. The part of you that’s imperfect is what the world uses to sculpt you into a work of art.”

Yin Bai’s anger dissipated in an instant. She held her cane with one hand and said with a slight twist, “I don’t need to be sculpted.” She just wanted to have a pair of normal legs that looked like everyone else’s.

And not… not like this.

If one could choose, who would willingly become a disabled person, become such a work of art?

Zuo Jingyou narrowed her eyes, gently touched Yin Bai’s hand, and comforted her like a child, saying, “I understand, I know. Of course, a perfect Yin Bai is also wonderful, but the current Yin Bai is precious too.”

“Don’t pay attention to what others think. You were always the best. I said, if someone takes offense because of this, it’s never your fault; it’s their foolishness and ignorance that makes them unworthy of appreciating you. You shouldn’t let negative emotions other than anger exist because of it.”

Zuo Jingyou lifted her gaze, held her hand, enveloped her in warmth, and said with great sincerity, “Yin Bai, when you walk, you are as firm as a mountain, stable and reliable. Your posture is more attractive than anyone in this room.”

Yin Bai admitted to being comforted.

Although she knew very well in her heart that a person with a limp using a cane couldn’t possibly walk more attractively than a normal person, she still couldn’t help but smile because of Zuo Jingyou’s words.

Her lips curled slightly as she pretended not to fully believe the other person and asked, “Really?”

“Really!” Zuo Jingyou nodded firmly, squeezing her hand to transmit warmth.

Yin Bai raised an eyebrow and pointed to a female star who was being surrounded by photographers, saying, “Look, that female celebrity walks gracefully, light and agile, like a little bird. I think she looks better than me.”

Zuo Jingyou chuckled, knowing that Yin Bai was being a little stubborn, and she looked at her with a smile, saying, “But you have long legs, fast strides, and when you walk, you can create a little breeze. You’re even more lively than her.”

Alright, not too bad.

Yin Bai pursed her lips, and there was a smug light in her eyes. She pointed her finger again, this time toward a female director who had just walked over, and said, “What about her? She walks steadily, composed, graceful, and elegant. Isn’t she much better than me?”

Zuo Jingyou followed Yin Bai’s pointing finger and, at that moment, saw Teacher Lu Qing leading Xiao Nian in front of the media’s cameras. It suddenly became clear.

She turned her head, raised her eyebrows, and gazed into Yin Bai’s eyes with immense tenderness, saying, “Not at all. Clearly, you’re one meter eighty tall, with big eyes, long eyelashes, delicate features, fair complexion, fair and beautiful, stunning and graceful.”

“Who can compare to you among the others?”

Yin Bai was overjoyed. She let go of her cane and raised her hand to touch her own cheek with a smiling face, saying, “I feel the same way. Teacher Zuo has a great eye.”

She always thought, when it came to her face, she wouldn’t lose to anyone!

The only thing she might lose to others in could be because she was a limping person.

Zuo Jingyou, seeing her finally happy, lightly tapped her fingertip on the back of her hand and smiled, “Of course, I’ve always had great taste.”

With that, Zuo Jingyou paused for a moment and said somewhat unhappily, “When it comes to finding a man, my taste isn’t quite there.”

Yin Bai found it amusing and patted Zuo Jingyou’s back to console her, saying, “It’s not your fault. It’s mainly that most men aren’t very discerning. Actually, compared to others, He Zhiwen is already much better. At the very least, he’s good-looking and talented!”

Zuo Jingyou nodded thoughtfully and said, “That makes sense…”

The two of them chatted while holding hands, and before long, familiar acquaintances came to greet them. Zuo Jingyou had to let go of Yin Bai’s hand and began to socialize with people she knew.

At seven o’clock in the evening, the awards ceremony officially began. After a long introduction by the host, they began presenting awards. When they were awarding the “Best Newcomer” award, it was presented by Lu Qing and Xiao Nian, the newlywed couple. As soon as they stepped on stage, they were teased by the host.

Everyone still remembered the proposal Lu Qing made to Xiao Nian in this awards hall a year ago. So when the host mentioned, “Last year it was a proposal, this year it’s a wedding; will there be a baby next year?” the guests in the audience burst into laughter.

Amidst the teasing laughter, Zuo Jingyou turned her head to look at Yin Bai, who was gazing attentively at the stage. In the dim lighting, Yin Bai’s emotions were inscrutable, but her profile, illuminated by the light, looked as beautiful as a goddess sculpture.

Zuo Jingyou’s heart stirred, and after some contemplation, she ultimately reached out and gently tapped Yin Bai’s shoulder, softly calling, “Yin Bai…”

Yin Bai immediately turned around, looking at her with curiosity. “What’s wrong?”

In the dimness, Zuo Jingyou gazed at Yin Bai’s bright eyes, her lips slightly pursed, and after a while, she said, “Please allow me, as a friend, to indulge in some gossip. Why do you like Xiao Nian?”

Yin Bai blinked at Zuo Jingyou, then turned her head to glance at Xiao Nian in the fiery red dress on the stage. She redirected her gaze to Zuo Jingyou and said very seriously, “Don’t you think Xiao Nian looks a lot like the rose from ‘The Little Prince’?”

Ah… she does resemble the rose quite a bit.

Zuo Jingyou looked at Xiao Nian on the stage, lifted her chin with her hand, and looked into Yin Bai’s eyes as she asked, “Just because of that?”

Yin Bai nodded, “Yes, it’s because of that. I… it was love at first sight.”

Love at first sight, huh… That could be a bit tricky.