After Being Scummed – Chapter 45
by Little PandaI Really Need You!
After the Thorny Flower Award, Zuo Jingyou threw herself back into her busy work schedule. Unable to see Zuo Jingyou in person, the fixed 11 PM video call became one of Yin Bai’s two sources of happiness—oh, the other one was playing with her little companions.
Zuo Jingyou carved out a portion of her hectic life for Yin Bai, using it to cultivate the bond between them.
From the moment Zuo Jingyou set that time, Yin Bai became like the little fox in The Little Prince, waiting to be tamed by her friend. Every night, she would finish her shower and all her skincare routines by ten. At ten-thirty, she would open a book, reading as she waited for eleven o’clock to arrive.
Usually, when ten-thirty came, Yin Bai would start to feel restless. But as the time drew closer to eleven, this anxiety would be replaced by a feeling of bliss and joy.
Zuo Jingyou was a very punctual person. Since their agreement, no matter the occasion, she would always make that fixed video call to Yin Bai. There was only one time when she drank a bit too much at a social function, didn’t hear her phone’s alarm, and missed the call.
By the time she remembered and hurriedly asked her assistant for her phone, it was already eleven-thirty.
Zuo Jingyou quickly found an excuse and slipped away to the restroom to video call Yin Bai. The call was answered almost instantly. In a moment, Yin Bai’s beautiful face appeared on the screen, her brow furrowed with worry. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Why is your face so red? Did something happen to you?”
Although Yin Bai had lent Zhang Yu to Zuo Jingyou, she hadn’t been inquiring about Zuo Jingyou’s schedule through the assistant as she used to, in order to maintain a certain distance between them.
Zuo Jingyou leaned against the washstand, her cheeks slightly flushed. She looked up, a faint smile gracing her lips. Her gaze was hazy as she looked at Yin Bai on the screen and said, “I thought your first words would be to question why I missed our appointment tonight.”
Yin Bai’s lips immediately turned down in a pout. “Am I that unreasonable of a person?” she said, a little unhappy. “Seeing my friend looking so disheveled and in a tough spot, how could I possibly think about being angry?”
Zuo Jingyou detected the hidden message in her words; Yin Bai was indeed angry that she had missed their call.
Zuo Jingyou patted her own cheeks, forcing herself to stay alert. “I’m fine. I was just too worried you’d be angry because I missed our call. Then I wouldn’t know how to coax you.”
A small smile played on Zuo Jingyou’s lips as she said in a tone that was half-teasing, half-pouting, “Yin Bai, you’re so hard to please.”
Yin Bai stared at her flushed face and hazy, intoxicated eyes, her frown deepening. “Am I? You had a reason for missing our call, so of course I wouldn’t be angry.”
She pouted, looking at Zuo Jingyou’s inebriated state on the screen, and finally sighed. “Zuo Jingyou, you’ve had too much to drink. Have Zhang Yu take you home in a bit. It’s not always safe for you to be alone when you’ve been drinking.”
Zuo Jingyou nodded with a smile. “I was already planning to leave.” At this, Zuo Jingyou’s lips curled in an unhappy expression. “Agh, someone I met today was so annoying…”
Yin Bai was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Zuo Jingyou sighed, looking at Yin Bai helplessly. “She was pursuing me… Every other word was about how she didn’t mind that I have a child and that she has money…”
Zuo Jingyou lightly bit her lip, her gaze turning somber as she looked at Yin Bai. “I found it very annoying. I have no intention of remarrying.”
From Zuo Jingyou’s tone, Yin Bai could sense just how frustrated she was. She thought for a moment before saying, “That’s unavoidable. As long as you have to attend these social functions, you’re bound to run into these strange people.”
Zuo Jingyou tilted her head, her gaze deep as she watched Yin Bai, saying nothing more.
Yin Bai pursed her lips and hesitated for a long while before saying, “Actually, you don’t have to go to these functions yourself. Film distribution, securing investments, negotiating with cinema chains, promotions… you can hand all of that over to someone else.”
Zuo Jingyou’s lips parted slightly as she asked softly, “Like who?”
Yin Bai sat up straight, her eyes fixed on Zuo Jingyou. “Like me. I have an entire, mature pipeline for film promotion and distribution. As long as you’re willing, I can help you handle anything.”
Zuo Jingyou’s lips curved into a smile as she said gently, “But that would be too much trouble for you.” She knew perfectly well what a trouble-averse person Yin Bai was, which was why she was living a carefree life at home as a third-generation heiress.
Yin Bai’s lips pressed together tightly. After a moment, she said, “But sometimes, friends are supposed to trouble each other. Since I can help you in your career and am willing to be the sharp blade in your hand, why don’t you just happily accept?” If she accepted her help, she wouldn’t have to go out to these exhausting social functions so often.
Zuo Jingyou raised a hand to rub her throbbing temple and said helplessly, “Yin Bai, I’m very happy that you’re willing to help me, but I don’t know what I can give you in return.”
“What else could there be? A commercial return is enough.”
Zuo Jingyou sighed, looking at Yin Bai with utter helplessness. “But for a friendship as profound as yours, a mere commercial return isn’t enough. I would unconsciously feel that I owe you far, far too much… It would throw me off balance emotionally and ruin the dynamic between us. It would make our bond seem less pure.”
“Yin Bai, your help would make my life much easier. But even without your help, I can handle these things just fine on my own.”
Yin Bai pouted, her spirits sinking. “I get it. You don’t need me.”
Zuo Jingyou gave a helpless smile and softened her tone, coaxing her gently, “Of course not. I really need you. My work is exhausting, but every day, the thought that a friend is waiting to see me at eleven o’clock makes me incredibly happy.”
“Every night after ten, my work efficiency is at its peak, because I have to finish everything before eleven to see you.”
Leaning against the washstand, Zuo Jingyou looked at Yin Bai with gentle eyes. “For friends, being able to draw the warmth to keep moving forward from each other is already the greatest help.”
It wasn’t about money, nor was it about benefits. On an emotional level, she truly and deeply needed Yin Bai.
Yin Bai understood her meaning. She made a fist with one hand to cheer her on. “Alright, if that’s the case, my friend, then I’ll cheer you on every day!”
“We’ll meet every night at eleven, sharp. I’ll be sure to give you a full tank of motivation, okay?”
Zuo Jingyou nodded, her eyes curving as she smiled at Yin Bai. “Okay. Next time, I absolutely won’t be late.”
Zuo Jingyou was true to her word. She never missed their appointment again. Come rain or shine, whether she was at home or on the road, every night at eleven, Yin Bai would be sitting on her bed to receive a video call from Zuo Jingyou.
Sometimes, if Zuo Jingyou was ready, she would call from her bed, dressed in her pajamas. Other times, when she wasn’t, Zuo Jingyou would be leaning against the window in the back seat of a car, her makeup weary, holding her phone and gazing at her gently.
Most of the time, the calls only lasted a few minutes, because Yin Bai got sleepy quickly and Zuo Jingyou was simply too busy. But whenever Zuo Jingyou had free time, Yin Bai would chat with her until midnight, until she absolutely couldn’t hold on any longer and would fall into a deep sleep, phone still in hand.
In their many video calls, Yin Bai saw Zuo Jingyou in all her many states: exhausted, weary, radiant, full of spirit… But no matter which Zuo Jingyou she saw, it made her look forward to the next day.
Time flew by, and soon it was late September. After a period that included Yin Bai taking the children on a vacation to the seaside and sending Tongtong off to first grade, the premiere of Zuo Jingyou’s debut film finally arrived.
On September 29th, Yin Bai gave Jin Xiangyu a rare day off and traveled to the capital with her own trusted staff and Zuo Jingyou’s mother, Sun Yulan, to attend the premiere.
Inside the dimly lit auditorium, Yin Bai sat in the guest section, clutching her cane and looking up at Zuo Jingyou, who was seated in the front row with the main cast.
This time, Zuo Jingyou wore a white qipao embroidered with black bamboo, looking elegant, graceful, and stunningly beautiful. The theater lights converged on her, and under the hazy glow, the woman in the qipao looked like a peerless beauty who had stepped out of an old story, captivating beyond words.
Yin Bai gazed at Zuo Jingyou on the stage, watching her gracefully handle the host’s sharp and teasing questions, her heart stirred.
She was just too beautiful. Zuo Jingyou in a qipao was so beautiful it was impossible to look away.
As Yin Bai thought this, she kept her head tilted up, her cane in hand, her gaze firmly locked on Zuo Jingyou.
Just then, the film interview segment drew to a close. Zuo Jingyou, holding the microphone, turned to face the audience. She looked at the countless film industry figures seated below and said with a smile, “I hope that you will enjoy this film, my friends.”
As her voice fell, a round of applause erupted from the audience.
Amidst the lively applause, Zuo Jingyou tilted her head, her gaze drifting almost imperceptibly in Yin Bai’s direction. When her eyes met Yin Bai’s focused stare, Zuo Jingyou couldn’t help but curve her lips into a faint smile.
She’s watching so intently, Zuo Jingyou thought. Is she looking at me, or at this qipao?
With that thought, Zuo Jingyou handed the microphone back to the host and led the main creative team off the stage to the viewing seats.
Soon, all the lights in the auditorium went out. A huge white screen descended, and a beam of projection light, as if crossing the vast river of time, landed upon it, casting a hazy, dreamlike image.
The image on the screen flickered once, then gradually revealed an old scene from the late Qing era: on a bustling street, a young woman dressed in a men’s Western-style suit, her hair in a long braid under a hat, was carrying a suitcase. She brushed past countless men with shaved queue hairstyles and women with bound feet.
Carrying her suitcase, she navigated the seemingly prosperous street, passed through a small alley, and arrived at a mansion with two stone lions at its gate. With her slender hand, she pulled the copper ring and knocked on the great door.
With a creak, the door slowly opened.
The handsome young woman looked up, calmly meeting the servant’s gaze, and offered a polite greeting. “Hello, I am the new teacher1. Would you be so kind as to announce my arrival…”
As her voice faded, the heavy, mottled vermilion door slowly opened all the way. A few large characters faded into the frame from the opening, gradually solidifying on the screen to form three words: The Female Teacher.
With the appearance of the film’s title, the story of the awakening of female consciousness and national consciousness in the late Qing and early Republican era2 officially began.
Re-translated on June 14, 2025
Footnotes
- 先生 | xiānsheng | A term that can mean ‘Mister’ or ‘husband,’ but in historical or academic contexts, it is a respectful title for a teacher or scholar, regardless of gender. Her use of it here is significant.
- 清末民初 | Qīngmò Mínchū | A period in Chinese history from the end of the Qing Dynasty (late 19th century) to the early years of the Republic of China (1912-1920s), a time of immense social and political change.
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