Troublesome – Chapter 92

Guess

She is really too outrageous.

Jin Shuilan did not know how Lu Zhenqiu had discovered it; although she had not intentionally concealed it, it was just that the matter with Lu Yan a while ago that made her unable to speak it out honestly. Lu Zhenqiu asked, “Why didn’t you tell me that Sanshui is yours?”

“Qiuqiu,” Jin Shuilan said, “Do you still remember that incident with Lu Yan when you had just come over?”

Lu Zhenqiu closed her eyes for a moment, and nodded.

At that time, she could rebut Lu Yan with righteous and stern words, but what about now?

Jin Shuilan explained, “I just didn’t want you to feel like you were being taken care of…”

“But this is a fact!” Lu Zhenqiu said resolutely¹, “This was a fact from the beginning. From the first day I joined Sanshui, you have been taking care of me, have you not?”

She would not forget the popularity brought by those PKs one after another, and the public opinion topics created at Sanshui, which directly pushed her to the number one newcomer position.

Lu Zhenqiu suddenly thought again of the matter of the same IP that Lu Yan had insinuated on Weibo, and a chill ran through her entire body.

Jin Shuilan was most afraid of her getting stuck on trivial things², and unexpectedly, she was doing it now. Lu Zhenqiu’s past was different from hers, so her mind was heavy and she was sensitive. Her relationship with Tang Yingxia was constantly being negated, and she had even developed a faint inferiority complex. She had thought about explaining everything from beginning to end, but she also knew that the hurdle Lu Zhenqiu needed to overcome was not the explanation, but the one within herself.

“Qiuqiu, I have said it many times; I only gave you an opportunity. It is your own excellence that has led to your current achievements.”

Lu Zhenqiu asked back hesitantly, “Excellent?”

She muttered to herself, “I just thought about it, and it seems that everything I have at present is closely related to you.”

Sanshui, the livestreams, the voice acting, all the good scripts.

It seems there isn’t a single thing that is detached from Jin Shuilan.

Jin Shuilan said, “Of course not, you forgot Chang’an…”

Lu Zhenqiu suddenly interrupted her, “Do you know Zhang Xin?”

Jin Shuilan’s breath hitched, and she was silent for two seconds. “Qiuqiu.”

It seemed they did know each other. A nameless fire began to burn in Lu Zhenqiu’s heart again. Maomao came closer, but was uncharacteristically pushed away by her. Maomao gave a wronged cry, and Lu Zhenqiu’s heart tightened. She lowered her head and said, “Sorry.”

It was unclear whether this apology was for Jin Shuilan or for Maomao.

Jin Shuilan stood at her side.

Lu Zhenqiu said, “I am very angry right now, so the things I say next might be very hurtful. I know you mean well, and I don’t want to hurt you, but I’m too much of a mess right now. I can’t guarantee what I will say in a moment.”

She clenched her fists, calmed her breathing, and her eyes grew red-rimmed. Only after several seconds did she say, “So can you let me calm down for two days, please?”

Jin Shuilan tilted her head to look at her. Just as she was about to reach out and grab Lu Zhenqiu, Lu Zhenqiu turned and moved away from her hand. Jin Shuilan’s fingers curled into a fist as she watched Lu Zhenqiu lead Maomao out.

The room was quiet. A breeze blew in from the doorway. Jin Shuilan angrily kicked the edge of the sofa. She wasn’t angry at Lu Zhenqiu; she was just angry at herself.

After getting on the elevator, Lu Zhenqiu returned to her room. Her new roommate was exceptionally surprised to see her leading a dog in. “Where did you get a dog?”

“I’m raising it,” Lu Zhenqiu said, somewhat apologetically. “I’m sorry, I brought it over directly without giving you a heads-up.”

“No problem.” The new roommate was a newcomer in the entertainment section who was replacing Lu Yan. As soon as she arrived, she had been very enthusiastic towards her, calling her “Qiuqiu” this and “Qiuqiu” that. Now, she walked in front of Maomao and said, “I really like dogs.”

She wanted to pet Maomao, but after extending her hand, she didn’t dare and gave a dry laugh. Lu Zhenqiu said, “It’s quite gentle.”

“It looks like it, so well-behaved.” The new roommate said to Lu Zhenqiu with a smile. As soon as her voice fell, her phone rang. She looked at the screen and said, “I’m going downstairs to buy something.”

Lu Zhenqiu gave a slight nod.

She put Maomao on the balcony and contacted the section head. The call had just gone through for less than two seconds when she quickly hung up. After sitting on the sofa for a short moment, she still took the elevator down to find the front desk.

Sanshui had booked out the tenth floor and above, and there were still empty rooms below. She was afraid that bringing Maomao would disturb others, so she wanted to get a separate room. The front desk helped her check the hotel’s vacant rooms and said, “Miss Lu, 910 is still empty.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Then 910 it is.”

The front desk helped her book the room and gave her the key. After getting everything sorted, Lu Zhenqiu turned to go upstairs and caught a sharp-eyed glimpse of her new roommate standing at the entrance, still on the phone. She had originally intended to walk over and say hello, but then she heard her own name: “Zhenqiu, don’t even mention it. She actually brought a dog into the room just now, it scared me to death, it was so big.”

“I’m afraid of dogs to begin with. Tell her? I wouldn’t dare. Who knows how Lu Yan left? Do you dare to provoke her?”

“It’s fine, I’ll just endure it. It’s the last night tonight anyway. If it’s really not okay, I’ll come squeeze in with you for a night.”

Lu Zhenqiu’s fingers gripped the edge of her phone tightly, the hard case poking her hand until it hurt. She took a deep breath, turned to go upstairs, and didn’t forget to send her new roommate a message, informing her that she was taking the dog out for the night and wouldn’t be returning to the room.

Lu Zhenqiu’s face was slightly pale as she got off the elevator. After entering the room, she packed her things and moved into 910 with her luggage and the dog. It was a single suite; although the space wasn’t large, it was enough for her and Maomao. Lu Zhenqiu settled Maomao down and sat on the edge of the bed. This room was a single open space, with everything clear at a glance except for the partitioned-off bathroom.

There was also a balcony, but it was very small, only big enough for two or three people to stand. However, there was a refrigerator in the room. She pulled it open and saw a few cans of beer inside. Lu Zhenqiu took one out. As she was about to open it, she thought of the way Jin Shuilan opened a pull-tab can with one hand and turned her head to ask her, “Cool or not?”

The corners of Lu Zhenqiu’s lips lifted slightly, but then she came back to her senses, her smile vanishing. She opened the beer and took a sip. Maomao sat beside her, as if it could sense her bad mood. It didn’t make a fuss or run around, and despite being in a new environment, it just sat quietly by her side.

Lu Zhenqiu drank two cans of beer. Her phone screen lit up with a message from Xiao Yu: 【I’ve arrived at the hotel.】

She lowered her eyes and replied with one hand: 【En.】

Xiao Yu: 【Yo, you replied so fast. Didn’t get down to business?】

Lu Zhenqiu: ……

She replied briefly: 【No.】

Xiao Yu: 【What happened? Were you no good, or was Teacher Jin no good?】

Lu Zhenqiu couldn’t be bothered to reply to her and placed her phone on the coffee table to the side. Xiao Yu’s call came in. With a rustling sound, she asked in a very low voice, “What are you doing?”

“Lying down and resting.” Lu Zhenqiu was lying on the sofa. It was a single-person sofa, only big enough for one person to lie on, completely different from the one in Jin Shuilan’s room.

She thought of Jin Shuilan again.

Lu Zhenqiu pressed her forehead. Xiao Yu gave a mischievous laugh. “Finished already? That was pretty fast.”

What a mess.

Lu Zhenqiu said irritably, “No, I’m in my own room.”

Xiao Yu went “Ai,” and asked in confusion, “You’re not with Teacher Jin?”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “No.”

Seemingly hearing that something was wrong with her voice, Xiao Yu said seriously, “What’s wrong? Did you two have a fight?”

Lu Zhenqiu didn’t know if this counted as a fight, or an attempted fight. She was truly afraid of arguing, and also afraid of using overly harsh words. She then sighed, “No, I have a headache, so I came back to rest first.”

“Oh,” Xiao Yu nodded. Knowing she had drunk quite a bit tonight, she said, “Then you should rest well. Are you going back with us tomorrow, or with Teacher Jin?”

Since Lu Zhenqiu had Maomao with her, there was definitely no way she could go back with them. She said, “You guys go first tomorrow.”

Xiao Yu understood. “OK.”

Just as she was about to hang up, Lu Zhenqiu suddenly called out, “Xiao Yu.”

Xiao Yu gave a confused “en,” and Lu Zhenqiu thought for a few seconds before asking her, “If one day Hua Luo lied to you, would you be angry?”

“Hua Luo?” Xiao Yu sat up. “Lie to me about what? She can lie to me about personal matters, but she can’t lie to me about money.”

Lu Zhenqiu took a deep breath.

Xiao Yu said, “Just kidding. But it would depend on what her original intention was. After all, there are white lies in this world, you know. If she did it for my own good, I could still understand. But as for being angry, I would still be angry.”

After all, no one likes being kept in the dark and being deceived.

Lu Zhenqiu made a sound of acknowledgement.

Xiao Yu asked strangely, “Were you deceived by Hua Luo?”

At such an absurd question, Lu Zhenqiu gave a rare smile. “No.”

She said, “I just suddenly thought of it. I probably drank too much.”

Xiao Yu said, “I told you to drink less. Stop thinking about it and go to sleep.”

Lu Zhenqiu agreed and hung up. Lying on the sofa, she tossed and turned but didn’t fall asleep. She picked up her phone from the coffee table again and clicked into her chat box with Jin Shuilan.

Their chat history was quite long. Generally, she was the one who sent more messages, like a constant chatter, rambling from one topic to another without a theme. Sometimes she would even send a picture of a lamp at a gala to Jin Shuilan and ask her if it looked good.

In comparison to her chats with her.

She was much colder towards the other boss.

She had not expected that the other boss was also Jin Shuilan.

Lu Zhenqiu scrolled through her chat history with 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】. It was sparse. The last chat was about coming to the gala; the boss had cheered her on via WeChat, saying she could perform very well.

At the same time, Jin Shuilan was also sending her messages.

Lu Zhenqiu’s head felt like it was about to split. Extreme, contradictory thoughts pulled at her from within her body. Her face turned pale in waves, and a cold sweat broke out. She turned her head and saw that the balcony window wasn’t closed. She walked over, leaned against the side of the window, and the blast of cold wind cleared her head for a moment.

She continued to scroll up, looking at the chat history.

Suddenly, she saw that string of messages.

【In a bad mood.】

【What’s wrong?】

【There’s someone I’ve liked for a long time, and I don’t know if I should say it.】

【Is the person you like single?】

【En, single.】

【If they’re single, I think you can give it a try, but don’t be too hasty. Take it slow. Girls tend to like little surprises, so you can occasionally create a small surprise for her.】

【Do you like surprises?】

【Don’t misunderstand, I just think your personality is very similar to hers, your hobbies are very similar, and your voice is very similar too.】

Lu Zhenqiu automatically ignored the reply below it, staring at the one above: 【Do you like surprises?】

The other person’s reaction was almost subconscious.

【There’s someone I’ve liked for a long time, and I don’t know if I should say it.】

【Teacher Jin, actually agreed to let you rent a place with a dog? Unbelievable.】

【She’s so fussy³. I lived in a suite with her before, and she didn’t even allow eating snacks! Is it very tiring living with her?】

All the minor details gradually became clear. Lu Zhenqiu’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter. She suddenly felt that she had really drunk too much tonight, otherwise how could she have come up with such an outrageous guess?

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, memeda.

Lu Zhenqiu: I want some quiet⁴.

Jin Shuilan: Who is Jingjing?

Lu Zhenqiu: ……

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