After Being Scummed – Chapter 47

Am I not your little fox?

After the premiere ended, 《Madam》 officially started screening in theaters nationwide, and Zuo Jingyou’s work became even busier.

Almost every day, she had to face a variety of entertainment shows, interviews, and announcements, among other things… This intensive schedule left no room for her to take a break.

Time quickly passed, reaching mid-October. After attending an entertainment show on a certain occasion, Zuo Jingyou, with an exquisite makeup look, took off her high heels and slumped wearily in the back seat of her car, video calling Yin Bai.

In the narrow back seat of the car, under dim lighting, Zuo Jingyou rested her head against the car window and wearily said while massaging her temples, “Today’s recording took so long…”

Yin Bai, wrapped in a robe, sat by the bedside, looking at Zuo Jingyou’s exhausted appearance in the video call, feeling heartbroken.

The ambiguous and hazy lighting illuminated Zuo Jingyou’s originally petite and delicate face, accentuating her slender chin. Yin Bai pursed her lips and looked at Zuo Jingyou with a gaze full of concern, saying, “You’re working so hard; in the future, if you have to work this late, maybe you shouldn’t take on the job.”

In theory, Zuo Jingyou was already a highly regarded actress, but she felt that she was suffering more at this moment than she did when she first started, similar to how Xiao Nian felt.

Zuo Jingyou raised her hand, loosened the muscles in her neck, leaned against the car window, and looked into Yin Bai’s eyes in the video, which were filled with softness, saying, “Being a director and being an actor are different, and I also hope this movie does well, so working a bit harder is normal.”

Yin Bai looked at the exhaustion in her eyes, feeling heartbroken, and said somewhat unhappily, “Your performance is already great, and the box office has exceeded 700 million. I’ve made a lot of money from you!”

Speaking of which, Zuo Jingyou was quite lucky. Most of the movies released during the National Day holiday were family-friendly, commemorative, and popcorn films.

Originally, He Zhiwen filmed a Republican-era movie last year, planning to release it during this year’s National Day holiday. However, in the first half of the year, He Zhiwen got imprisoned due to a drug-related incident, and this movie had to be put on hold.

With no competition from similar films and the dedicated promotional efforts of Zuo Jingyou, who even agreed to couple pairing promotions with her agent, the hype around this movie was generated, attracting a significant audience. Moreover, the movie’s quality was good, and those who watched it felt it was worth their money. After watching it, they gave positive reviews and recommended it to others.

As a result, 《Madam》 may not have been particularly outstanding in terms of box office earnings among this year’s films, but it was quite respectable.

Especially with Zuo Jingyou’s meticulous cost control, they saved to the extreme, optimizing resource utilization. This meant that Yin Bai, as the biggest investor, was almost making a handsome profit.

Upon hearing the “big capitalist” Yin Bai talking about box office earnings, Zuo Jingyou smiled, and her eyes twinkled. She said, “Making money is making money, and every bit counts. Besides, if I make a little more, I can cover the costs of my next movie.”

Yin Bai’s eyes lit up when she heard Zuo Jingyou mention the “next movie.” She sat up straight, looking at Zuo Jingyou with sparkling eyes, and asked, “Do you mean you’ve already thought about what you want to film for your next movie?”

Zuo Jingyou nodded and bit her lip in thought, saying, “I have a rough idea, and the script is just a rough outline. I still need to gather some information…”

Yin Bai clapped her hands in delight and said enthusiastically, “That’s great! Having an idea is a good thing! If you want to make the movie, don’t worry about the funding. Come to me for investment, and I’ll offer you favorable terms. I’ll support you, and you’ll help me make money!”

Zuo Jingyou smiled, her eyes curving, and leaned her head against the car window, her voice carrying a rare hint of playfulness, “You’re such a generous investor. The script hasn’t even taken shape yet, how do you know that investing in me won’t lead to losses?”

Yin Bai replied with a chuckle, “I don’t know about others, but when it comes to investing in you, I’m sure it won’t lead to losses!”

Zuo Jingyou herself is the ultimate guarantee.

Zuo Jingyou was pleased by Yin Bai’s unwavering support. She raised her hand, tucking her loose hair behind her ear, and sighed, “Even with your investment, I won’t be ready to start the second movie so soon.”

“I owe many favors, and after this period, I need to repay those debts of goodwill.”

She would be busy with guest appearances in movies directed by others, among other things.

Yin Bai didn’t think it was a big deal and said with a cheerful smile, “It’s okay, you can gradually repay those when you find the time.”

“By the way, in November, will you be able to finish all your current work?”

Zuo Jingyou nodded and replied, “That’s correct. Besides attending the Peony Flower Awards ceremony at the end of November, I’ve pretty much rescheduled most of my commitments.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Bai’s eyes immediately lit up, and she excitedly said to Zuo Jingyou, “So, does that mean you’ll have about a month of free time? How about this, since you’ll have some free time, let’s go on a trip together!”

Zuo Jingyou was momentarily surprised and then saw the enthusiastic Yin Bai on her phone saying, “You haven’t had a break for almost half a year. During the summer vacation, I took Tong Tong out, and you only managed to take two days off! This time, how about a vacation in the southern hemisphere? We can go to the beach, swim, and bask in the sun!”

“Of course, if you don’t like summer, we can still go to Europe, head towards Iceland, and maybe even catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights!”

“Ah! Sounds good. You tell me your schedule, and I’ll have Xiang Qiu plan the trip!”

At that moment, Yin Bai was like a child planning an outing with a friend, filled with joy.

Zuo Jingyou looked at the smile on her face but eventually spoke, cruelly interrupting Yin Bai’s plans, “Yin Bai…”

Yin Bai looked at her with eager anticipation and said, “What’s wrong? Do you have other plans? You can tell me.”

Zuo Jingyou pursed her lips, sighed softly, and looked at the person who was making decisions on her own like a child, lost for words as she said, “Although I have some free time next month, I can’t go on a trip with you.”

Yin Bai was left stunned, staring at Zuo Jingyou, her eyes filled with confusion. She said, “Huh? Why not? Don’t you have no commitments? Why can’t you go with me?”

Upon hearing her rejection, Yin Bai’s eyes drooped, and she looked pitiful, like an abandoned puppy.

Zuo Jingyou watched her with this “abandoned puppy” expression, and a hint of guilt welled up in her heart.

What to do now? Just seeing her look so crestfallen made Zuo Jingyou hesitant. She even considered breaking her prior commitment and choosing to go on the trip with Yin Bai.

As the thought arose, Zuo Jingyou pushed it back down. She bit her lip and said with some difficulty, “You brought it up too late. I had already promised my senior sister to accompany her on a trip next month, so I rescheduled all my commitments…”

Senior sister? A trip? Next month?

She’ll be spending a whole month with that person?

Zuo Jingyou pushed aside her own plans for someone else’s sake?

Yin Bai’s mind was in disarray as she took a while to react and then asked Zuo Jingyou, “Your senior sister… Is that senior sister Xu Ruofeng? Are you going on a month-long trip with her?”

Zuo Jingyou nodded and explained to Yin Bai, “She told me a story earlier and wants to collaborate on a film with me, so next month, I’ll be going on a trip with her team for inspiration…”

Oh… collaboration, that’s alright then…

Yin Bai thought for a moment and then asked, “So when are you planning to depart?”

“I’m flying on the 2nd, what’s the matter?”

The 2nd? Doesn’t that mean her own plans are falling through?

Yin Bai processed this information for a while, and she sat by the bedside without much of a reaction. Zuo Jingyou watched her, still recovering from the shock, and said with some guilt, “Yin Bai, how about next time? Next time, I’ll make plans with you. How about we go on a trip together next time?”

“This time, I made plans with my senior sister; it’s work…” Zuo Jingyou explained, unable to back out.

Yin Bai took a while to react and then mustered a smile, saying, “It’s okay, no problem. We’ll make plans for another time.”

“You and your senior sister have a great time on your trip, and be sure to take lots of photos. When you have free time next time, I’ll make plans with you.”

It’s not a big deal, just a matter of being busy with work.

Yin Bai expressed her understanding, exchanged a few more words with Zuo Jingyou, and hung up the call only after Zuo Jingyou had returned to her hotel and was getting ready for bed.

After hanging up the phone, Yin Bai furiously threw herself onto the bed, clenched her fists, and yelled, “Aaaaahhhhh!”

“I made plans too late!! She’s actually going on a trip with someone else!! Going on a trip with someone else!!”

Yin Bai slid down the bed and rolled into the covers, grabbing the blanket tightly around her body, so frustrated that she bit the blanket ferociously. “Damn it, damn it! A month, a whole month! She’s going to play with someone else for a whole month!”

“If I had known she had this much free time, I should have arranged it earlier! Ah! A month! A month!”

“Tong Tong can only see her on weekends! Some so-called senior sister from somewhere is taking her away for a whole month!”

Yin Bai was infuriated, rolling back and forth on the bed with the blanket in her arms, muttering angrily throughout the night.

After finally venting her emotions, when Yin Bai fell asleep with the blanket wrapped around her, she dreamt of Zuo Jingyou traveling with Xu Ruofeng on glaciers, vast grasslands, and by the sea.

Everything in the dream was surreal, with constantly changing scenarios and settings, all in a chaotic blur.

When she woke up in the morning, the only thing Yin Bai could recall was the image of Xu Ruofeng and Zuo Jingyou leaning on a Jeep together, watching the sunset in the midst of a desolate desert.

Yin Bai sat on the bed, thinking of this dreamlike scene, and clenched the blanket on the bed, gritting her teeth.

So angry, so angry!

Isn’t she Zuo Jingyou’s little fox? Why would she cancel plans with her, such a unique friend, for someone else?

So angry, so angry!

She was so mad that her wisdom teeth were starting to throb!

Yin Bai, who was in a bad mood early in the morning, and with the added pain of her wisdom teeth, felt irritated with everything after getting up and getting ready.

During breakfast, Yin Bai was extremely impatient, picking and frowning, saying, “What’s wrong with Auntie Song? Why is there too much ginger in today’s chicken and pork congee?”

Zhang Yu, who was delivering her breakfast, was shocked and said, “Boss, please be reasonable. You were the one who complained that there wasn’t enough ginger yesterday, saying you wanted more ginger!”

Yin Bai, holding her cane, huffed, “I don’t feel like eating it today, is that not allowed?”

Alright, alright, it’s your call.

Zhang Yu thought this was just one of Yin Bai’s occasional whims, but little did she know that after breakfast, Yin Bai became even more demanding. She even criticized Zhang Yu’s outfit, saying that the black and white combination didn’t look festive and was inauspicious.

Zhang Yu was getting exasperated trying to reason with her, asking, “So, should I wear red and green to look festive?”

Realizing she was in the wrong, Yin Bai then extended her cane and pointed to a nearby vase, saying it didn’t look good and should be replaced.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu went to rearrange the vase for her. As a result, under Yin Bai’s picky direction, Zhang Yu and Xiang Qiu were kept busy rearranging the positions of every item in the house all morning.

After they had finally placed everything according to her preferences, Yin Bai came up with new feedback, saying, “I think this vase doesn’t look good here; it’s better to put it back.”

Zhang Yu was on the verge of frustration, thinking, “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

Zhang Yu had cooperated with her mischief all morning but reached the point of no return. With her hands on her hips, she looked at Yin Bai sitting on the sofa and said, “Boss, you’re just making trouble for no reason. Please, don’t add unnecessary work for us!”

Yin Bai had had enough of her own games, huffed lightly, turned her head, and remained silent.

Zhang Yu found her behavior quite unusual and sighed, walking over to her and bending down to look into her eyes, patiently asking, “Boss, did someone upset you? If you’re still feeling uncomfortable, how about we go on vacation?”

Zhang Yu had been with her for several years and knew what Yin Bai’s tantrums looked like. As long as you gave her some attention, it usually wasn’t a big problem.

Yin Bai also knew something was off with herself, she blinked, and in a sulky tone, she said, “I haven’t… No one has made me unhappy.”

“If no one has made you unhappy, then why are you bothering us?”

Zhang Yu sighed and looked at Yin Bai, asking very seriously, “Are you sure?”

Yin Bai shook her head, “I’m sure!”

Zhang Yu didn’t quite believe her and, after a moment of thought, asked tentatively, “Did you have a disagreement with Teacher Zuo?”

Yin Bai hesitated for a moment, and then, in a sulky tone, said, “I haven’t…”

She hadn’t had a disagreement! She was just… She was just… her friend… was about to abandon her!

Just thinking about it made her heart ache, her brain throb, and every part of her body, from her bones to her teeth, was in intense pain!

Yin Bai leaned on her cane, looked up at Zhang Yu, and finally, in resignation, said, “Zhang Yu, please make an appointment for me with the hospital. My tooth hurts.”