Jiang Lai lay flat on the bed, her phone tossed aside and on speakerphone: "What... I've already scolded you all I could. I've behaved pretty well these past few days."
"Then why do you sound so down? Don't you like acting anymore?"
Jiang Lai has a flaw: she has a short attention span. In college, she once signed up for several clubs on a whim, such as dancing, illustration, tea ceremony, and nunchaku. In the end, she only went once or twice, contributing the registration fees to the school clubs and never went again. However, if she encounters something she truly likes, she will immerse herself in it wholeheartedly, such as acting.
She's like that when she's in a relationship. She seems shrewd most of the time, but when she meets someone she truly likes, she throws herself into it headfirst. To put it bluntly, she's love-struck. She considers everything for her partner and gets jealous if he gets even slightly close to someone else. But she manages to control herself well and doesn't go overboard.
You Yiduo hoped she would be jealous of him.
In front of the mirror, You Yi was trying on a dress. The long dress accentuated her curvaceous figure, and her long hair, which was usually tied in a ponytail, was now down. The woman in the mirror was beautiful; You Yi rarely dressed like this.
She looked at herself and wondered: Would Jiang Lai like her like this?
Jiang Lai's voice on the other end of the phone interrupted her thoughts: "Bullshit, my love for acting is real."
You Yi quickly calmed her downcast hair: "Okay, okay, you and acting are truly in love, I'm just an accident, so what's wrong with you? Don't pretend, don't force me to visit you on set tomorrow!"
"Forget it, do you think your dad would let you come here? I'm fine, it's just..."
Jiang Lai thought for a moment, then put the phone to her ear: "I think I like someone else."
You Yi's smile froze on his face, and his breath was heavy: "Are you serious? It's only been a few days!"
Jiang Lai said with a bitter face, "Yeah, it's only been a few days, so I said it's just like that, because I slept with her once... and she's still my idol. I can't tell if it's because I slept with her or because I admire her that I have feelings for her."
The amount of information was overwhelming, and You Yi almost fell to the ground, but luckily she managed to grab the wardrobe for support: "You...you slept with her?! Didn't you say the first time was very important?"
"Yes, it is indeed very important, but when I looked at her... I couldn't help myself, you understand? My body just wouldn't be under my control. It's all your fault. If you hadn't sent me that video, would I have been able to... not be able to resist?" She spoke softer and softer.
If You Yi had known back then that sending Jiang Lai a video had led to Jiang Lai sleeping with another woman, she would have slapped herself hard.
I sent it to you because!
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back: "Anyway, it's not about letting you sleep with other women!"
Jiang Lai clasped her hands together, feeling wronged: "We've already slept together... I'm only telling you, so don't tell anyone else, or my acting career will fall apart just as it's starting."
You Yiqi almost laughed: "Am I that kind of person?"
"You are not."
"Then you still say... so you're unhappy because of that person? You're jealous of her?"
She was jealous of Lin Xi before, but she wouldn't tell Lin Xi; she would only tell You Yi.
"Hmm...I guess so."
"What is your relationship now?"
Jiang Lai hesitated and said, "Friend... um, friend."
You Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, they were just friends. They slept together, so it was fine. She didn't mind. She had waited so long, what difference would it make if she didn't sleep with this woman?
Yu Yi: "You slept together but are still friends. She probably doesn't have feelings for you. At most, it was just a hookup. Don't worry about it so much. Focus on filming. You can't be in a relationship right now, it's too dangerous!"
You Yi's words woke her up; she couldn't be in a relationship, it was too dangerous.
"You're right, I'm going to look at the script."
"Okay, go ahead. If something like this happens again, let me know immediately!"
"Alright, you're so long-winded, I'm hanging up."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Lai felt that her mood had not improved, but had worsened. She looked at the two boxed meals on the table and sent a message to Anna, asking if she wanted to come and eat together.
At that moment, Anna, who was enjoying fried chicken and cola in her room, saw the message. She looked at the fried chicken with a pang of reluctance, hesitated for a moment, and then chose the fried chicken.
[Sorry, Lai Lai, I'm full. Didn't you eat with Sister Lin? If you're lonely, I can come and keep you company!]
Jiang Lai quickly replied: [She and Qi Chuan are having dinner... Forget it, I'll eat quickly, then I'll read the script. Don't come over.]
Anna sent an apologetic emoji. Although Jiang Lai was very good to her, fried chicken was delicious too!
Jiang Lai took out her iPad to watch a show while eating, but after only a couple of bites, she lost her appetite. So she simply closed the lid, turned off the iPad, and started reading the script.
Focus on filming!
Qi Chuan was kicked out by Lin Zhi after finishing her meal. She took a shower and put on a face mask. The radiation from the computer was making her skin worse, and she didn't want to start looking old at twenty-nine. Women all love beauty.
She opened Weibo, checked the trending topics and recommendations as usual, and keeping track of public opinion on Weibo was her basic task.
As she was scrolling, she saw Jiang Lai's face in the recommendations. It was a mashup video of ancient costumes. Lin Zhi knew without a doubt that it was made by Nan Moxi. How could Jiang Lai's fans have so many views?
Lin Zhi clicked on the video. In the video, Jiang Lai was wearing silver armor, holding a long sword, and her brows were filled with murderous intent. At the end of the video, she stood straight in the center of the battlefield. Enemy spears pierced through her silver armor, staining it with blood. Even so, she did not fall down until she breathed her last.
Lin Zhi's eyes reddened as she suddenly remembered the saying, "Why must a general be a husband?"
She searched for the drama, and while the rating wasn't low, it wasn't particularly high either. The male lead was terrible, and the show relied entirely on the female lead's popularity. Jiang Lai was just a supporting character with very few scenes. However, it was this drama that gave Jiang Lai her own fan page. But she hasn't acted since then. Many of her fans who were drawn in by her looks and acting skills have gradually left. A few days ago, Jiang Lai signed a contract with a company called "Zhengsheng Rishang," leading fans to speculate that she was about to officially debut. But almost a month has passed, and there's still no news. Fans are patiently waiting for Jiang Lai to appear on screen.
Lin Zhi logged out of Weibo and sent a message to Nan Moxi: [After Jiang Lai finishes filming, take promotional photos for her. Release them as soon as the director releases the news about the isolated island.]
Before Nan Moxi could reply, she received a call from Zhang Zhen. It was nothing, just a work report.
"Zhang Zhen, I have something to tell you."
"Ah, go ahead and tell me."
"I have a friend who is very straight. One day she accidentally slept with a woman, and for the next few days she kept thinking about that day and wanted to... do it again. But my friend is frigid and can only accept sleeping with that woman. Do you think this is normal?"
Zhang Zhen burst out laughing: "Who did you sleep with?"
Lin Zhi frowned, blushing, and said, "It's a friend."
Zhang Zhen suppressed a laugh: "Oh, okay, a friend."
Do you think this is normal?
Lin Zhi's cautious and tentative manner was quite funny. Zhang Zhen couldn't bear to expose her, so he went along with her: "What's wrong with that? It just means that woman is good at it. So let your friend be with her, and sleep with her legitimately!"
Lin Zhi refused: "No, we can't be together."
Putting aside whether the two like each other, even if she likes Jiang Lai, she can't pursue him. The label of "homosexual" weighs on her so heavily that she'll never recover.
"So...your friend is pretty jerk."
Lin Zhi couldn't quite explain it. She wouldn't call it skillful, and it was a little painful, but after the pain came a tingling, comfortable feeling. She wasn't sure if her body liked Jiang Lai or if her heart did; they'd only known each other for a few days, so it was too early to say she liked him emotionally...
Is there any way to sleep together without being together...?
After saying this, Lin Zhi herself felt ashamed! Perverted!
Isn't this a female hooligan?
But that wasn't Lin Zhi's intention, and she couldn't explain it.
Zhang Zhen laughed and said, "Then let's be friends with benefits. You can be intimate in bed and respectful to each other outside of bed. Isn't that great? You won't interfere with each other's lives. If you want to do it, just book a room together."
Lin Zhi frowned and said disdainfully, "How shameless."
Zhang Zhen was stunned, thinking to himself: Which of us is shameless?
Author's Note:
Zhang Zhen: Just say it, and see if I believe you or not.
Chapter 15
At 11 o'clock, Lin Zhi turned off her computer, put on a slip dress, and crawled into bed. Just as she closed her eyes, a loud knocking on the door startled her awake.
She got up, put on a coat, walked to the door, and through the peephole she saw Jiang Lai wearing a yellow Pupu short-sleeved pajama top. The pajama top was a bit long and covered her shorts, and she was holding a Pupu in her arms.
Lin Zhi opened the door and asked, "What's wrong?"
Recalling her conversation with Zhang Zhen, Lin Zhi felt ashamed to face Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai didn't know how she ended up standing there. She had been lying in bed thinking about You Yi's words, and as she thought about it, she felt a little sad. Without anyone noticing, she came over and knocked on the door.
"I had a nightmare, and I'm a little scared."
Hmm...what a cliché excuse.
Do you want me to sleep with you?
After Lin Zhi finished speaking, she felt extremely guilty, and the more she listened to what she said, the stranger it seemed.
Jiang Lai was pleasantly surprised and, taking advantage of Lin Zhi's dazed state, slipped into her room.
Lin Zhi watched her dart inside like a little mouse, smiled helplessly, peeked into the corridor before closing the door, and only closed it after confirming that no one was there.
Lin Zhi had heard about paparazzi during her previous training. They would go to any lengths to get exclusive news, some even camping out overnight in the bushes below your house. Let alone this small hotel. Maybe there are no paparazzi secretly filming Jiang Lai now, but given the status of the male and female leads, Lin Zhi didn't believe there weren't any paparazzi in this hotel. Even if there weren't any inside, there would be in the cars in the parking lot outside.
"Which floor does Xia Fanrou live on?"
Jiang Lai was about to crawl into Lin Zhi's bed when she heard her question. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "I think it's on the third floor."
Lin Zhi nodded. With a layer separating them, even paparazzi couldn't photograph Jiang Lai.
wrong
Why are you so nervous? Jiang Lai just had a nightmare and wanted someone to keep her company.
It's all Zhang Zhen's fault.
Jiang Lai covered the cup and, seeing that Lin Zhi didn't move, reminded her, "Teacher Lin, why aren't you coming over? I've already taken a shower."
Lin Zhi snapped out of her daze, walked to the bedside, kicked off her slippers, and got into bed: "You don't need to call me Teacher Lin."
Jiang Lai leaned against the headboard, squeezing Pupu's hand: "Confucius said, 'When three people walk together, one of them will be my teacher.' It's not that I call you my teacher because you've taught me something, but because your strengths are worth learning from. So in my eyes, you are my teacher."
Lin Zhi also sat up, standing a fist's distance away from her: "You're quite good at Chinese, but I don't have anything for you to learn. I'm a terrible person."
"No way!" Jiang Lai exclaimed, and poor Pu Pu got punched by her: "You...you are my idol."
Lin Zhi tilted her head and asked with a smile, "Why?"
"Because you work very hard!"
Lin Zhi denied it, saying, "There are many hardworking people. You can still call me Sister Lin, just like them."
Jiang Lai couldn't argue with her, so she pouted and muttered, "Everyone calls you Sister Lin, but I don't want that."
The room was quiet, and Lin Zhi heard everything she said clearly: "Then... whatever you want, just don't call me teacher, because..." I'm not worthy.