After Being Scummed – Chapter 42

She is the bright moon!

Yin Bai gave Zuo Jingyou a massage for a while, and feeling quite embarrassed, Zuo Jingyou asked her to stop.

After a while, the car arrived at the hotel that Yin Bai had previously booked. Yin Bai assisted Zuo Jingyou into the suite. Not long after, Yin Bai’s personal doctor also arrived at the hotel.

The doctor examined Zuo Jingyou’s ankle, confirming that there were no fractures or other issues, just a sprain. He provided some spray and advised Zuo Jingyou to apply ice.

Yin Bai had Zhang Yu bring some ice, and Zuo Jingyou took off her shoes, sitting on the couch in the living room. She wrapped the ice in a towel and gently applied it to her injured ankle.

Yin Bai, leaning on a cane, sat beside her, watching her bite her lip and endure the freezing sensation of the ice. She asked with a furrowed brow, “How is it? Is it too cold?”

Zuo Jingyou, holding an ice pack against her ankle, raised her gaze to look at her and shook her head, saying, “It’s not very cold.”

Seeing her denial, Yin Bai sighed, turned to Zhang Yu, and said, “Zhang Yu, get a blanket.”

Before Zuo Jingyou could refuse, the perceptive Zhang Yu turned around and quickly fetched a blanket, draping it over Zuo Jingyou.

Covered with the blanket, Zuo Jingyou, with one hand on her ankle and the other around her knee, looked at Yin Bai on the opposite side and softly asked, “Why did you come this morning? Didn’t we agree to meet at the venue?”

“And I also told you before that I would listen to you and return to Haicheng early. Why did you still come?”

Even though they’ve made it so clear, why is she still so worried about her?

Yin Bai, leaning on her cane, sighed deeply, “I told you, I’m worried about you. I woke up in the middle of the night, and when I checked Weibo, I saw it blowing up. I thought you would definitely be surrounded and intercepted by those wolves, so I came over very concerned.”

Zuo Jingyou’s lips curved slightly, and she spoke softly, “Do you need to bring so many people if you’re worried? Your preparations are even more extravagant than a wedding procession.”

Yin Bai looked at her earnestly and said, “I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure your safety. It’s like Alice trying to save the Mad Hatter, making preparations to disregard everything else. I want to make sure you’re safe. Isn’t this level of preparation normal?”

Zuo Jingyou stared at her for a while, and from her friend’s pure and untainted expression, she couldn’t detect any unusual emotions. She sighed inwardly. Her friend was just too pure, so pure that her current suspicions felt like tarnishing their friendship.

Zuo Jingyou composed herself and smiled at Yin Bai, “Well, thank you for coming to save me so recklessly.”

Yin Bai raised an eyebrow and proudly replied, “You’re welcome. Serving a friend is my honor.”

Zuo Jingyou chuckled, “So, didn’t you get a good night’s sleep last night? Are you tired?”

Yin Bai had been managing to ignore her fatigue until that point, but as soon as the subject came up, sleepiness overwhelmed her. She raised a hand to cover her mouth, lazily yawning, and her eyes welled up with tears, “Well, I’m a bit tired.”

Zuo Jingyou curved her lips and lightly laughed, “The ceremony doesn’t start until the evening. You should rest for a while now. I’ve got you covered, so don’t worry anymore.”

Yin Bai thought it made a lot of sense and nodded, saying, “Alright, I’ll go rest for now. I’ll wake up around 2PM, have lunch, and then have Zhang Yu notify your stylist and assistant to bring the formal dress here. If your foot still bothers you in the afternoon, don’t wear high heels. Change to another outfit, got it?”

Zuo Jingyou, with one hand around her knee, supporting her chin, quietly watched Yin Bai who wouldn’t stop talking. She said with a hint of helplessness, “I got it. Why are you so caring?”

She had been in the entertainment industry for a long time and it wasn’t her first day in the spotlight. She didn’t need such detailed instructions.

Yin Bai seemed to realize this too, and she halted her words, awkwardly fiddling with the handle of her cane, mumbling, “Ah… sorry, I just…”

It’s a bad habit from when she used to assist Xiao Nian.

Zuo Jingyou understood without delving further into why a big-shot like Yin Bai had developed a nagging habit in this matter. She smiled and reassured Yin Bai, “It’s alright, go to sleep, don’t worry about me.”

“Alright.” Yin Bai got up from the couch with her cane, took a step towards the door, and somewhat reluctantly said, “I’m really going to sleep now.”

Zuo Jingyou looked up, seemingly capturing a trace of reluctance in Yin Bai’s eyes. She curved her lips and said with great helplessness, “Go ahead, I’ll rest in a while too.”

Yin Bai, holding her cane, moved a couple of steps in the direction of the room, then turned around and said, “I’m really going to sleep!”

Zuo Jingyou raised her gaze and it seemed she caught a hint of lingering emotion in Yin Bai’s eyes. She smiled, very resigned, and said, “Go on, I’ll rest in a while too.”

“Oh.” Yin Bai turned around, leaning on her cane, and walked forward with a somewhat downcast expression.

Zuo Jingyou didn’t understand where her low-spirited mood was coming from, but she could vaguely sense the subtle changes in her emotions. At times, Yin Bai was just like a child, so easy to understand.

Zuo Jingyou sighed and, looking at Yin Bai’s back, called out, “Yin Bai…”

Yin Bai turned around, leaning on her cane, and looked at Zuo Jingyou. Zuo Jingyou, wrapped in a dark red blanket, sat on the couch, hugging her knees, and gazed up at her, softly saying, “I’m really happy that you came to pick me up.”

Yin Bai immediately smiled, pursing her lips. Her eyes shone as if they had gathered starlight, and she cheerfully replied, “You’re welcome, I’m glad you’re happy.”

Zuo Jingyou watched her smile and thought that indeed, in this aspect, she was very childlike. When you did a good deed, you wanted to be praised, acknowledged, and have the person you helped say, “I’m glad you could help me.”

In this regard, Yin Bai was truly adorable.

At 2:00 in the afternoon, Yin Bai got up on time. After having lunch together with Zuo Jingyou, they had their stylists quickly prepare them for the event and then set off for the venue.

Because Zuo Jingyou had sprained her foot and couldn’t wear high heels, she had to switch to almost flat sandals. The previous dress couldn’t be worn with the new shoes, so Zuo Jingyou selected a deep blue qipao from her backup outfits.

The finely tailored qipao accentuated her graceful figure, highlighting her curves more elegantly and sensually than her previous, more classical attire. Her shiny black hair was pulled up, revealing her long, fair neck and the white pearl earrings that adorned her earlobes, giving her a cool and noble appearance.

After getting her makeup and styling done, Zuo Jingyou stood up, supporting herself with the back of a chair and using her right foot to balance, and she leaned over to look at Yin Bai, who was sitting on the couch. She smiled and asked, “How do I look? Do I look good?”

The woman in the qipao leaned against the back of the couch, with a graceful and alluring figure, exuding charm and versatility. Yin Bai, sitting on the couch with her cane, looked up at her. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the cane in her hand and, after a moment’s pause, gave her evaluation, “You look very beautiful! Zuo Jingyou, you’re naturally suited to wearing a qipao.”

She was truly stunning, to the point that Yin Bai felt for a moment that she might need to adjust her usual aesthetic sense.

Zuo Jingyou smiled, her eyes containing a hint of mystery. She responded, “Is that so? That’s good.”

She chuckled and looked at Yin Bai’s cane, joking with her, “But I still find it a bit inconvenient to walk. My dear friend, do you have any spare canes?”

Yin Bai followed her gaze, looked at the cane in her hand, and then raised her head to look back at Zuo Jingyou with a smile. She said, “What do you want my cane for? Didn’t I say I’ll help you walk into the venue?”

What would she need a cane for when she had Yin Bai?

Zuo Jingyou blinked at her and playfully replied, “Dear friend, you should know that you can only assist me for a portion of the way. Once we’re inside the venue, there will be countless cameras pointed at me. If you stick with me the whole time, you’re sure to be in the pictures. When that happens, no matter how much you want to delete them, you won’t be able to remove your photos.”

Yin Bai was taken aback for a moment, realizing that Zuo Jingyou was a different kind of female celebrity from herself. She had been quite careless, thinking they could stick together all the way.

Well, if that’s the case, Yin Bai decided to be a bit more generous with her friend.

She tapped her cane on the ground and said to Zuo Jingyou, “I have a spare cane , so if you really need it, I’ll lend it to you.”

Zuo Jingyou raised her lips and lightly smiled, “Thank you.”

After getting everything settled, Zuo Jingyou and Yin Bai traveled to the venue together. As Yin Bai escorted Zuo Jingyou through the entrance, the reporters and photographers surrounding them went into a frenzy, snapping pictures of the two hand in hand.

Yin Bai found the camera flashes quite irritating and turned to a familiar photographer, expressing her annoyance, “Take fewer photos!”

The photographer chuckled and said, “Sure, sure, Director Yin, I know the rules. I won’t show your full face!”

In any case, Yin Bai generally didn’t appear too shabby at such large-scale events. Yin Bai snorted and continued walking while accompanying Zuo Jingyou. Zuo Jingyou turned her head, looking at Yin Bai’s frosty expression with pursed lips, her gaze soft.

Such occasions really put her in a tough spot.

While thinking this, a familiar journalist called her to stop, “Teacher Zuo, your qipao looks beautiful today. Let us take a few more shots!”

Zuo Jingyou smiled, turned to the reporter, and put on a professional smile on her face, responding very gracefully, “Of course, once we’re inside, feel free to take as many photos as you want.”

She didn’t linger as she used to and quickly passed through the entrance with Yin Bai. At the moment they entered the venue, numerous spotlights flooded toward Zuo Jingyou.

Just as they entered this dazzling sea of stars, Yin Bai let go of Zuo Jingyou’s hand, smiled, and said, “Alright, Teacher Zuo, I’ve brought you to the entrance of your ‘Galactic Avenue.’ From here on, you’ll have to walk the path yourself.”

Yin Bai reached behind her and received a spare cane from Zhang Yu, handing it over to Zuo Jingyou and lightly gave her a nudge on the waist, saying, “Go on, I’ll be waiting at my seat over there.”

Zuo Jingyou nodded and responded with a smile, “Okay.” She turned around, leaning on Yin Bai’s spare cane, and ventured into the radiant depths of the star-studded venue.

Yin Bai stood at the entrance of the venue, watching her as she walked away. After a while, she, too, with a cane, navigated through the countless bright flashes, proceeding alone toward her designated seat in the dimly lit area.

With the cane for support, Zuo Jingyou quickly reached the center of the many cameras. Under the dazzling flashes and in front of various familiar media lenses, she gracefully posed with an elegant smile, presenting her perfect self, just as she always did.

Elegant and flawless.

Just as all the camera flashes illuminated for her in the venue, Zuo Jingyou raised her gaze and looked in the direction Yin Bai had passed through. Through countless dazzling lights and the radiant Milky Way, Zuo Jingyou saw Yin Bai walking alone through the crowd, cold and composed. As usual, when Yin Bai passed by, all the people in the film industry around her stood up and greeted her with compliments.

Zuo Jingyou watched her figure, leaning on her cane, as she moved through the crowd. She couldn’t help but curve her lips, revealing an exceptionally gentle smile.

She is like the bright moon, Zuo Jingyou thought.

So even though she was traversing among many shining stars, she remained the most radiant, the most dazzling presence. Even in the midst of ambiguity, she illuminated the dim world, making it impossible for people to ignore.

And making it impossible for people to let go.

LP: Well, a certain someone let go of her subtly looking at Xiao Nian

Edit: cheongsam to qipao.