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Do you like me with glasses, or me without glasses?
Lu Zhenqiu held her breath after saying that sentence. Her heart was pounding from the lie. She gripped her phone as the person on the other end asked, “When did you two get together?”
When did I just say? Lu Zhenqiu’s mind went blank for a few seconds before she said, “We just got together not long ago.”
Jin Shuilan shot her a look and quickly pulled out a pen and paper from nearby. Lu Zhenqiu listened to the other end of the line murmur, “You kept it from us? No, it’s not like that…”
Jin Shuilan scribbled a couple of lines and passed the paper to Lu Zhenqiu, who then said, “We just wanted to wait until our relationship was a bit more stable before telling you all.”
“Her?” Lu Zhenqiu couldn’t repeat the question. Her face flushed red as she held her breath and said, “I… like her a lot.”
The voice on the phone still sounded doubtful, as if they hadn’t expected the sudden news of Jin Shuilan having a girlfriend. Lu Zhenqiu was being forced to herd a duck on a perch1, and although her answers were halting, she managed to fool them. When Lu Zhenqiu handed the phone back to Jin Shuilan, she let out a long sigh of relief. Jin Shuilan said, “That was tough. Did they say when they’re coming back?”
Lu Zhenqiu replied to her, “They said they’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Jin Shuilan’s lips curled into a smile, but then she heard Lu Zhenqiu add, “I think my performance just now was terrible, Teacher Jin. Why don’t you find someone else?”
The half-formed smile vanished. Jin Shuilan said, “It’s fine, you did great.”
But Lu Zhenqiu patted her chest, seemingly unconvinced of her own acting skills. Jin Shuilan said, “But to avoid any problems, let’s get our stories straight first.”
“Stories?” Lu Zhenqiu asked, “What stories?”
Jin Shuilan said, “You know, some interests and hobbies. We can’t be completely clueless about each other when the time comes, right?”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Right. Teacher Jin, what are your usual hobbies?”
Jin Shuilan thought for a moment. “Quite a few. How about we talk after you finish recording?”
Lu Zhenqiu agreed and left the lounge to go record. Jin Shuilan sat on the sofa, lightly tapping her phone as she fell into deep thought.
For three or four days straight, Jin Shuilan and Lu Zhenqiu spent their time learning about each other’s hobbies and habits. Lu Zhenqiu memorized everything, especially regarding food preferences. Seeing her act as if she were reciting a textbook, Jin Shuilan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Relax a little,” Jin Shuilan said. “The more nervous you are, the easier it is to expose yourself.”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “I’ll try my best.”
Not far away, Ji Zibo called out, “Qiuqiu!”
The two looked over as Ji Zibo walked up. “Qiuqiu, you don’t have to go back to stream today, right?”
The production crew was having a dinner party over the weekend, and Lu Zhenqiu had also taken a day off from streaming. Lu Zhenqiu nodded, “Not today.”
Ji Zibo said, “Then we’ll record until this afternoon, and then you and Teacher Jin can head over. We’ll drive there?”
Lu Zhenqiu said, “Sure, no problem.”
She usually only recorded for a morning, so having lunch here was a novel experience for her. The meal was a boxed lunch ordered by the crew—a standard three-dish, one-soup meal. When Lu Zhenqiu opened it, she saw that two of the stir-fried dishes were made with bean sprouts. She subconsciously thought of the food preferences of Jin Shuilan she had recently memorized and asked a crew member who was handing out the boxes, “Is there only one type of boxed lunch?”
“Only this one kind,” the person said, puzzled. “Qiuqiu, is it not to your taste?”
Lu Zhenqiu shook her head. “No, I like it a lot.”
The person was relieved.
Lu Zhenqiu glanced at Jin Shuilan, who was still talking with Ji Zibo. She thought for a moment, put down her lunchbox, and quickly walked out of the studio canopy. Two streets away from the canopy was a food street bustling with people. To save time, Lu Zhenqiu went to the nearest restaurant. After getting a meal to go, she hurried back. On the way, she unexpectedly ran into Tang Yingxia and her group. Tang Yingxia was walking at the very front, followed by the voice actors from her crew. When Lu Zhenqiu saw her, she only paused for two seconds before lowering her head and brushing past.
Tang Yingxia watched her leave and turned her head to look. Yu Wen called out, “God Xia?”
She snapped back to reality, looked at the group, and smiled, clasping her hands. “Let’s go, let’s get something to eat.”
As Lu Zhenqiu walked past, she could still overhear some of their conversation.
“God Xia, how does it feel to have switched magazines?”
“How else could it feel? She’s making a killing. God Xia’s pre-sales are nearly at eighty thousand copies.”
“This magazine company really knows how to create hype. Their promotion is top-notch.”
“God Xia, I heard your signing event is at Guangda2?”
There were only a handful of baihe authors who could hold a signing event at Guangda. It seemed Tang Yingxia was indeed very popular. Lu Zhenqiu’s heart was untroubled. She hurried back to the canopy, her face tight from the cold wind, stinging as if a knife had scraped it. Lu Zhenqiu patted her cheeks and walked in. Not seeing Jin Shuilan, she curiously asked someone else, “Where’s Teacher Jin?”
“In there.” After the crew member told her, Lu Zhenqiu carried her lunchbox inside and found the lounge, its door half-open.
Jin Shuilan was sitting on the sofa, the fast-food box open. Her chopsticks were still in their wrapper, and her expression was a bit helpless. Just as she lowered her head to tear open the disposable chopsticks, a lunchbox was placed before her. She looked up to see Lu Zhenqiu smiling at her, saying, “Teacher Jin, eat this.”
The takeout box was from a different place than the ones they were eating. Jin Shuilan froze, seeing a light twinkling in Lu Zhenqiu’s smiling eyes. Her heart began to beat uncontrollably, crashing around in her chest. Jin Shuilan’s voice was tense. “Where did this come from?”
Lu Zhenqiu sat across from her and said, “I just went out to buy it.”
Jin Shuilan took the lunchbox and opened it. Inside were all her favorite dishes. A warm current spread from her heart, so hot that the corners of her eyes turned red. She turned her head slightly. “Thank you.”
Lu Zhenqiu smiled. “It’s nothing.”
Jin Shuilan blinked, lowered her head, and began to eat, gripping her chopsticks tightly. Lu Zhenqiu asked from beside her, “So, is Teacher Bai coming today too?”
“Bai Mao?” Jin Shuilan nodded. “She’s coming too.”
Lu Zhenqiu hummed in acknowledgment and continued eating.
Jin Shuilan took a couple of bites, glancing at Lu Zhenqiu. Her eating pace was clearly much slower than usual. Lu Zhenqiu had already finished when she was only halfway through. Lu Zhenqiu said, “Teacher Jin, take your time. I’ll head out first.”
“Mm, go ahead.” Jin Shuilan gave her a slight nod. As Lu Zhenqiu left, she passed by Ji Zibo. Ji Zibo walked in, saw Jin Shuilan’s lunchbox, and said, “Yo, an extra meal?”
Jin Shuilan shot her a cool look. Ji Zibo cleared her throat and straightened up, waiting until Lu Zhenqiu had left before asking, “Qiuqiu bought it, didn’t she?”
“How did you know?”
Ji Zibo said, “I saw her go out.”
She then muttered, “And she ran into Tang Yingxia.”
Jin Shuilan’s hand paused. She glared at Ji Zibo, who waved her hands. “I won’t say more. I’m just giving you a heads-up. Don’t let them have a chance to interact.”
Jin Shuilan lowered her head. “Got it.”
After finishing her meal, she immediately went out to work. In the studio, Lu Zhenqiu was getting into character. Jin Shuilan sat not far away, watching her. Thinking of the moment Lu Zhenqiu had handed her the lunchbox, and then of what Ji Zibo had said about her running into Tang Yingxia, she rested her hand on her forehead, her expression unreadable.
They recorded until past six in the afternoon. When Lu Zhenqiu came out of the studio, most of the others had already left. The others needed to go back to the hotel to change, but Lu Zhenqiu didn’t, so she had some time to spare. When she came out, she saw Jin Shuilan looking down at her phone and called out, “Teacher Jin.”
Jin Shuilan looked up at her and nodded. “Finished?”
Lu Zhenqiu hummed in agreement. Seeing her stand up, the two of them grabbed their bags and walked out. Jin Shuilan took a pair of glasses out of her bag. Lu Zhenqiu tilted her head and stared for a few moments. Jin Shuilan asked, “What is it?”
Now that they were more familiar with each other, Lu Zhenqiu’s attitude was less reserved, and she spoke more casually. “Nothing, I just feel that you look quite different with and without glasses, Teacher Jin.”
Jin Shuilan frowned. “Different? What kind of different?”
Lu Zhenqiu thought for a moment. Without glasses, Jin Shuilan was gentler. With them on, her features appeared more defined and sharp. Especially with the gold-rimmed glasses, her features appeared more defined and sharp. Her gold-rimmed glasses caught the light, casting a cold glint that matched her tone. She looked very cool, very capable, very much like an elite professional from the corporate world.
Hearing this, Jin Shuilan chuckled. “Really?”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Yes.”
Jin Shuilan said, “Then which one do you like?”
Lu Zhenqiu turned her head. “Hm?”
Jin Shuilan suppressed her racing heart and asked, “I mean, do you like me with glasses, or me without glasses?”
Lu Zhenqiu paused for a few seconds, then said, “I think they’re both great.”
Her eyes were bright and full of sincerity. Jin Shuilan’s chaotic heartbeat slowly calmed down because of this sentence. She was at a loss for words. “Let’s get in the car.”
Lu Zhenqiu agreed and sat in the passenger seat.
When they arrived, the others hadn’t gotten there yet, probably having gone back to change and do their makeup. Before Lu Zhenqiu even reached the table, she heard someone call out, “Jin Shuilan?”
Jin Shuilan turned her head and saw it was Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan was sitting at a dark brown round table. In the middle of the table were two hot pot stoves, steaming with heat. Four or five men were seated at the table. Zhou Yuan stood up and said, “Didn’t the class president say you weren’t free?”
Jin Shuilan retorted, “You guys are having a gathering here?”
“Yeah,” a man next to Zhou Yuan said. “The atmosphere here is nice. Wait, aren’t you here for a gathering?”
Jin Shuilan said, “My crew is having a dinner party, just inside.”
“Oh,” the man nodded, then asked, “And this is?”
Zhou Yuan said, “This is Lu Zhenqiu.”
“Lu Zhenqiu?” the man said. “That name sounds familiar. Isn’t this your…”
Zhou Yuan pulled the man back, not letting him finish. Jin Shuilan smiled faintly. “We’ll head in first.”
The others looked at the two of them. The man, being pulled by Zhou Yuan, was a little unhappy. “What are you doing? Is she the Lu Zhenqiu you mentioned last time? She really is very pretty.”
Zhou Yuan nodded.
The man next to him said, “Hey, but you said she doesn’t like guys. Is that true?”
His tone was full of disbelief. A man across from them sneered, “Doesn’t like men? You mean she likes women?”
The words were dripping with mockery and frivolity.
Lu Zhenqiu and Jin Shuilan had just walked past the table when they heard this. Lu Zhenqiu’s lips tightened. Jin Shuilan turned around directly and walked back to the round table. She looked at her former classmates. Stunned by her suddenly serious expression, they held their breath, obvious nervousness in their eyes. Jin Shuilan placed one hand on the table and tapped it. Her gold-rimmed glasses caught the light, casting a cold glint that matched her tone. Jin Shuilan said, “What’s wrong with not liking men?”
Her attitude was calm, her voice clear and cold. “I don’t like men either. Are you going to put me on your blacklist?”
Jin Shuilan took out her phone. “Come on, anyone who wants to block me can do it right now.”
There was no movement from in front of her. The most successful person in their class now was the class president, who always tried to curry favor with Jin Shuilan. Offending Jin Shuilan was equivalent to offending the class president, and those who came to the gathering were just trying to get closer to the class president. So, for a moment, no one spoke.
Jin Shuilan lifted her eyelids, swept her gaze over them, and asked coolly, “No one?”
The entire table was silent, utterly speechless.
The author has something to say:
Thirty red envelopes, muah.
Jin Shuilan: Do you like me with glasses, or me without glasses?
Lu Zhenqiu: Are you asking about in bed or out of bed?
Jin Shuilan: …
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