Weekend
Are you free this weekend? Let’s have a meal together.
It was only after pushing the person out that Lu Zhenqiu felt she had overreacted. Her nightgown was on the long side; she should have only seen her two legs, that’s all. What was there to be shy about? When she went swimming, didn’t she just wear a swimsuit?!
Although she comforted herself with these words, her face was still flushed. Lowering her head, she saw her phone screen was still lit. Teacher Jin’s phone had just dropped. She immediately hung up the call and heard Jin Shuilan ask from outside the door, “Are you, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Lu Zhenqiu was a little embarrassed, biting her lip. “I’m sorry, Teacher Jin.”
She awkwardly scratched her head, which was sopping wet, getting water all over her hand. Lu Zhenqiu took two steps back, grabbed a dry towel to dry her hair, and finally asked Jin Shuilan, “Teacher Jin, I didn’t push you too hard just now, did I?”
Jin Shuilan had been pushed just below her chest, and the skin there was still burning. She said in a low voice, “No.”
Lu Zhenqiu let out a breath and fanned her face with one hand. Her entire face was beet red. She managed to get her clothes on properly and stood before the sink. The person in the mirror had a face as red as a cooked shrimp. The phone rang again with an abruptness that made Lu Zhenqiu frown; without a second thought, she hung up.
Outside the door, Jin Shuilan wanted to knock but pulled her hand back, just standing there stiffly.
Hearing no movement from inside, she was about to leave when she heard the phone ring again. Just as she turned, Lu Zhenqiu opened the door from the inside. The two came face to face, both with scarlet faces.
Lu Zhenqiu had nearly bitten her lip raw. Fiddling with her phone and the hem of her pajamas, she said, “About just now, I’m sorry, Teacher Jin.”
Jin Shuilan feigned composure and nodded. “It’s fine.”
After speaking, she glanced at the phone. “Not answering your call?”
Lu Zhenqiu looked down and hung up once more, her face mostly hidden by the towel. She said, “I’m not answering.”
Jin Shuilan saw that her pajamas were on properly. They were a bit large, making her figure appear very slender. Jin Shuilan asked, “Your friend?”
Lu Zhenqiu thought for a few seconds. “My ex-girlfriend.”
Jin Shuilan said “oh” and stepped aside to let her pass. Lu Zhenqiu said, “Teacher Jin knows her too.”
“It’s Tang Yingxia.”
Jin Shuilan hadn’t expected her to reveal this and didn’t react for a moment. Lu Zhenqiu, thinking she was shocked, gave a dry laugh. “Didn’t expect that, did you?”
She didn’t know what had gotten into her; she’d wanted to ease the awkward atmosphere, but ended up dropping an even more awkward piece of news. It took Jin Shuilan a few seconds to recover before she nodded. “Why is she calling you?”
Lu Zhenqiu said, “She said she doesn’t really want to break up.”
Jin Shuilan’s heart leaped into her throat. She glanced at Lu Zhenqiu, the question slipping out, “What do you think?”
“I…” Before Lu Zhenqiu could finish, her phone rang again. She hung up, blocked the number, and only then looked back at Jin Shuilan, giving an awkward smile. “That’s what I think.”
A few minutes later, the two were sitting on the sofa. Jin Shuilan handed Lu Zhenqiu a bottled drink. Lu Zhenqiu opened it and took a sip. The icy sensation flowed down her throat, and her mind instantly cleared up a lot.
Just now, in a daze, she had told Jin Shuilan about her relationship with Tang Yingxia. She wasn’t worried Jin Shuilan would tell anyone, but she just didn’t know what she was thinking.
After all, she was Tang Yingxia’s ex-girlfriend.
Would Jin Shuilan be unhappy?
Lu Zhenqiu looked uneasy, her gaze constantly darting toward Jin Shuilan. “Teacher Jin, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. If I had known how much you dislike Tang Yingxia before I rented the apartment, I…”
Jin Shuilan took in her expression and cut her off, “It’s alright.”
Lu Zhenqiu’s words came to an abrupt halt. She gripped the drink can, her fingertips turning white. Jin Shuilan said, “You are you, she is she. You were just in a relationship, that’s all. You don’t need to take responsibility for the things she’s done. You two are different.”
Hearing her say this, Lu Zhenqiu’s breathing finally slowed. Jin Shuilan asked, “Why did you break up?”
Lu Zhenqiu turned her head. Beneath the crystal chandelier, her side profile was fair and clear, her nose elegantly straight, and her lips were a natural, pale pink. When she opened her mouth, her pearly white teeth were beautifully shaped.
She had a nice set of teeth.
Lu Zhenqiu said, “Our views didn’t really align.”
To this day, she still hadn’t said a single bad word about Tang Yingxia. Jin Shuilan stared at her deeply for a few seconds and nodded. “If your views didn’t align, it’s good to break up sooner. Better to cut your losses in time.”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “I suppose so.”
After speaking, she looked at Jin Shuilan and asked, “Why doesn’t Teacher Jin like her?”
Even though Tang Yingxia always said she disliked Jin Shuilan, the two had never had any direct interaction. It was more of a one-sided dislike from Tang Yingxia. Lu Zhenqiu had never heard of them collaborating on anything, so why did Jin Shuilan dislike Tang Yingxia?
Was it for the same reason as Tang Yingxia?
She suddenly grew curious, forgetting that this was a rather personal question. Jin Shuilan was silent for two seconds before replying, “She once made me act like a Three-Good Student1.”
“I don’t like her.”
What a strange reason.
Are the minds of novelists all this strange?
Lu Zhenqiu didn’t press the matter. She just nodded. Jin Shuilan said, “Go blow-dry your hair. Your clothes are all wet.”
“Oh.” Lu Zhenqiu ruffled her own fine hair. “Okay.”
As she spoke, she got up and went into the bathroom to blow-dry her hair. Her phone, left on the coffee table, didn’t ring again. As Jin Shuilan went into the bathroom to draw a bath, she asked Lu Zhenqiu, “Since you don’t want to take her calls, why don’t you change your phone number?”
Lu Zhenqiu had just put down the hairdryer. Hearing this, she thought about it seriously and felt it was an excellent idea. How could she have forgotten to change her number? She had few contacts to begin with, mostly online friends, so all she needed was a QQ number and a WeChat ID. She hardly used her phone number for anything else. Changing it would bring her some peace and quiet.
She smiled. “Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Jin.”
Jin Shuilan lowered her eyes. “You’re welcome. Tomorrow morning, after we go to the film crew, I’ll take you to get a new number.”
Lu Zhenqiu had no objections. “Okay.”
After speaking, she tilted her head and saw that Jin Shuilan had finished drawing the bath. She said, “Teacher Jin is going to take a bath, then I’ll head out first.”
Jin Shuilan watched her figure leave the bathroom and pursed her lips. Finally, she took off her clothes and got in. A moment later, she heard a sound at the door. Her heart stirred, and she looked over. It was Maomao.
The mind really does wander late at night.
How could Lu Zhenqiu possibly come in while she was bathing?
Even if the door wasn’t locked.
Jin Shuilan sighed softly, soaking in the water. Tilting her head back amidst the hazy steam, she felt as if she had been transported back two years, back to when she and Lu Zhenqiu would often chat on WeChat.
She wasn’t very good at chatting. Every time she couldn’t find a topic, she would search for questions online. It was the first time she had shown goodwill, the first time she had cautiously tried to get closer to someone, afraid of being too close and causing revulsion, yet afraid of being too distant for the other person to notice.
Ji Zibo used to say often that she couldn’t imagine what she would be like in a relationship.
She herself had never imagined it either—that she would be so restrained, so worried and fearful. Not like her at all.
When Lu Zhenqiu said something, she would ponder its meaning for days. When she posted something to her feed2, she would also think about it for a long time. She knew Lu Zhenqiu’s health wasn’t good and that she drank ginger tea—something she had spied on her Moments3. Afraid that she would think she was a pervert, she deliberately didn’t use her handwritten name.
She kept waiting in the chat window, waiting for Lu Zhenqiu to say something about the ginger tea. Even if it was just a curious question like, “How strange, I wonder who sent this,” she would have a reason to confess.
But there was nothing.
Lu Zhenqiu never mentioned it. And later, she got together with Tang Yingxia.
For these past two years, she had deliberately avoided hearing any news about Lu Zhenqiu. Occasionally, just hearing Tang Yingxia’s name would leave her in a daze for half the day. Before meeting Lu Zhenqiu, she never thought she was a person who could love so enduringly, nursing a secret crush that had never seen the light of day for two or three years.
When she suddenly heard Hua Luo mention that friend of hers, she instantly thought of Lu Zhenqiu. It was only then that she realized she had never, ever let go.
Jin Shuilan scooped up a handful of water and poured it over herself. The water had already grown cool. She stood up, dried herself off, and Maomao followed by her side as she left the bathroom, its big tail wagging left and right as if it wanted something to eat. Jin Shuilan chuckled, went to the kitchen to get it some treats, and placed them in its bowl. Hearing its munching sounds, she suddenly felt a sense of peace.
On the way back to her room, she passed by Lu Zhenqiu’s door. The light was already off, the room pitch-black inside. She didn’t disturb her, but returned to her own room, lay down, and closed her eyes. The image of Lu Zhenqiu with her pajama pants only halfway on suddenly flashed through her mind. Jin Shuilan’s face flushed slightly as she buried it in her pillow, softly calling out a name: “Zhenqiu…”
Lu Zhenqiu slept quite well. The pestering from Tang Yingxia last night hadn’t affected her. She woke up when Maomao came into the room and, as usual, lay in bed playing on her phone for a while. First, she scrolled through the forums, then browsed Weibo for a bit. Seeing that Hua Luo had released a new novel, she was quite happy and reposted it with a “Go for it!” sticker.
Hua Luo’s message came in the blink of an eye: 【You’re awake so early?】
Lu Zhenqiu: 【It’s not strange for me to be up this early. Why are you up so early too?】
Hua Luo: 【I haven’t even slept yet!】
As expected.
A night owl.
Lu Zhenqiu: 【Take care of your health.】
Hua Luo: 【Thanks for the concern. By the way, did Tang Yingxia look for you last night?】
Lu Zhenqiu: 【She called me. What’s up?】
Hua Luo: 【She’s nuts. You didn’t answer her calls yesterday, did you? She called me several times. Is there something wrong with this person? She never thought of you when she was being all lovey-dovey with Yu Wen, but now that they’ve broken up, what’s with this devoted act?】
Lu Zhenqiu: 【Sorry for troubling you again.】
Hua Luo: 【What damn nonsense are you talking about, don’t you know how satisfying it was to curse her out! I bet she won’t dare to call me again, but she might still contact you.】
Lu Zhenqiu: 【I’m planning to change my number.】
Hua Luo: 【That’s good.】
After they finished chatting, Lu Zhenqiu heard a noise outside the door. She walked out and saw Jin Shuilan on the balcony hanging up clothes. She called out, “Teacher Jin, morning.”
Jin Shuilan nodded. “Morning.”
Lu Zhenqiu went to the kitchen to wash up before starting on breakfast. Jin Shuilan turned on the TV and watched for a bit, her peripheral vision fixed on Lu Zhenqiu. In the end, she simply leaned back on the chaise lounge4 and watched Lu Zhenqiu make breakfast.
Lu Zhenqiu was still wearing yesterday’s pajamas with an apron tied around her waist. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing fair, slender wrists. Sunlight leaped through the window onto her, making her skin seem almost transparent, as white as jade.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t dreamed of a scene like this before.
She’d even dreamed of things more daring. Lu Zhenqiu would finish cooking, come over to kiss her, and say, “Time to eat.”
“Teacher Jin?” After being busy for a good half hour, Lu Zhenqiu finally finished and called out to Jin Shuilan twice with no response. She walked over. Jin Shuilan snapped back to reality, her cheek slightly flushed from the sun. She stood up. “Is it ready?”
Her voice was a little hoarse, very low.
Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “It’s ready.”
Jin Shuilan followed her to the dining table. Maomao also came over. Lu Zhenqiu lowered her head and whispered to Maomao while eating her breakfast. The atmosphere was warm and comfortable, suddenly as beautiful as a dream.
She looked at Lu Zhenqiu and asked, “Does Maomao bite?”
Lu Zhenqiu looked up. “Huh? Maomao? Maomao doesn’t bite.”
Jin Shuilan sighed.
What a pity.
She was actually hoping Maomao would bite her, just to see if it would hurt.
Because she was afraid Maomao would bite people, Lu Zhenqiu explained for several sentences. Jin Shuilan listened with a smile. “I know, eat up. We’re heading to the film set in a bit.”
“Mhm, okay.”
After speaking, Lu Zhenqiu lowered her head to eat breakfast. Jin Shuilan leaned back in her chair, fiddling with her phone, and beckoned, “Maomao, come here.”
Maomao trotted over in a few steps, wagging its tail, clearly very happy. Jin Shuilan held out her hand, and Maomao licked it, its eyes sparkling. In a good mood, Jin Shuilan said, “I’ll go feed it something.”
Lu Zhenqiu watched Jin Shuilan lead Maomao away, then hastily finished her breakfast and washed the dishes. Half an hour later, after putting on their makeup, the two grabbed their bags and went out.
Lu Zhenqiu asked, “Teacher Jin, what kind of dog do you want to get?”
Jin Shuilan hadn’t even thought about it; she had just been talking nonsense earlier. Now that she was being asked so directly, Jin Shuilan thought seriously for a moment and said, “Probably one similar to Maomao.”
“A Golden Retriever, huh.” Lu Zhenqiu said, “Goldens are great. They’re not rowdy, they’re obedient, and they’re very intelligent. If Teacher Jin wants to get one, I can go with you to pick one out in the future.”
She did have some experience, after all.
Jin Shuilan glanced at her and smiled. “Okay, then I’ll have to trouble you.”
Lu Zhenqiu said, “It’s no trouble.”
She had troubled Jin Shuilan so much since moving in; she would do anything she could to help without hesitation. Jin Shuilan glanced at her expression, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
They arrived at the film set a little after nine. This time, the rest of the crew had all arrived. Some had met Lu Zhenqiu before, while others were complete strangers. However, since everyone was in the same group chat, it wasn’t too awkward. Ji Zibo introduced her to the crowd and had an assistant take her to find the voice actors for the two main leads, while saying to Jin Shuilan, “Teacher Jin, could you come here for a moment?”
Jin Shuilan said to Lu Zhenqiu, “You go on ahead, I’ll be right there.”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded. She was still a bit unaccustomed to suddenly being away from Jin Shuilan’s side. The people she was most familiar with here were Jin Shuilan and Ji Zibo. Now, suddenly separated from them both, she seemed a little constrained.
The assistant led her to find the two leads. Jin Shuilan glanced at Ji Zibo. “What is it?”
Ji Zibo looked around and said, “I’ve spoken with Zhenyuan.”
Jin Shuilan’s expression turned sharp. Her eyes lowered slightly as she leaned a half-step closer to Ji Zibo, her voice dropping. “What did they say?”
Ji Zibo said, “Zhenyuan said that they didn’t insist on replacing Lu Zhenqiu back then. It was the investor who requested the change.”
“The investor?” Jin Shuilan frowned. “Who was the investor?”
Ji Zibo shook her head. “I don’t know them. But there’s something strange.”
Jin Shuilan asked, “What strange thing?”
Ji Zibo said, “Zhenyuan said that the news about the canceled collaboration wasn’t spread by them.”
Back then, when Lu Zhenqiu was collaborating with Zhenyuan, she missed the audio submission deadline. The investor wanted to replace her, and Zhenyuan, with no other choice, could only post a few vague, critical comments on Weibo and then terminate the contract with Lu Zhenqiu. Other than that, they didn’t do anything else.
But afterward, rumors started spreading that Lu Zhenqiu was unprofessional, and the more it spread, the fewer people dared to work with her.
So, there was someone else involved in this matter, adding fuel to the fire5, who just wanted to force Lu Zhenqiu out of the industry.
Jin Shuilan’s face darkened slightly, the gold-rimmed glasses reflecting a cold, frosty light.
Ji Zibo said, “I think it’s better to tell her about this.”
Just as her words fell, someone called out, “Teacher Ji.”
Then, Lu Zhenqiu walked over. Ji Zibo said, “You came at the right time. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Lu Zhenqiu walked over quickly. “What is it?”
Ji Zibo said, “You…”
“I was asking if you’re free this weekend.” Jin Shuilan cut Ji Zibo off, her voice gentle. “Our crew is having a dinner gathering this weekend. Are you coming?”
Lu Zhenqiu didn’t hesitate, nodding with a smile. “Okay.”
The author has something to say:
Thirty red packets, muah muah.
A little weekend surprise.
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