After We Broke Up, She Started Pursuing Me [Entertainment Industry] 15

Chapter 15

At 6:15 AM, the alarm on Zhou Jinsi’s nightstand went off.

Zhou Jinsi’s schedule was very regular, and she didn’t have a habit of lazing in bed. The alarm hadn’t even rung twice before she was up.

After washing up, Zhou Jinsi walked to the window and looked at the still-dim sky outside. Although she set her alarm for this time on both weekdays and weekends, today she felt particularly energetic. There was a faint sense of anticipation in her heart, but as for what it was, even Zhou Jinsi couldn’t say.

She didn’t know what had possessed her last night to agree to Shi Qin’s request. Thinking back on it now, she still felt a bit muddled.

So, after much thought, Zhou Jinsi finally came to a conclusion.

She couldn’t help but curse herself inwardly.

Zhou Jinsi, you’re a real “keyboard warrior.”

Not long ago, she had said that since they had broken up, there was no need for contact. And how long had it been…

Tsk.
So annoying.

In the end, with this jumble of feelings, Zhou Jinsi drove all the way to Shi Qin’s apartment and parked outside the complex, arriving a full half-hour earlier than their agreed-upon time.

Since no one had arrived yet, Zhou Jinsi closed her eyes for a while in the car. When she opened them again, she happened to see Shi Qin walking out of the complex.

Remembering that her role today was that of an assistant, Zhou Jinsi dutifully got out of the car, walked to the other side, and opened the passenger door for Shi Qin.

Shi Qin raised an eyebrow, clearly a little surprised.

As she passed by Zhou Jinsi, she greeted her with a very cheerful mood.

“Good morning, Assistant Zhou.”

Zhou Jinsi paused, then replied, “Good morning.”

After getting in the car, Zhou Jinsi entered the location Shi Qin had given her and started the navigation. Just as she was about to drive, she suddenly remembered something. “By the way,” she said.

She took a bag out of her backpack and handed it to Shi Qin.

“This is breakfast I bought for you.”

Shi Qin was surprised again. She took the bag and opened it.

Inside was a hot Americano and a wrapped cheese hot dog bun.

“I had them add sugar to the Americano. I was afraid the original would be too bitter for you to drink,” Zhou Jinsi added thoughtfully.

Shi Qin stared at her, stunned, for several seconds. Did the monk come down from the mountain today? Has the block of wood finally blossomed?

Zhou Jinsi was driving, but being stared at so intently made her uncomfortable. She glanced at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

By now, Shi Qin had taken off her mask. She took a sip of coffee, and the warmth instantly filled her entire body.

She stared at Zhou Jinsi’s hands on the steering wheel—the knuckles distinct, as clean and smooth as jade. She suddenly smiled and said faintly, “Nothing. I just think you’re doing a great job, Assistant Zhou.”

“I’m thinking of extending your employment.”

Zhou Jinsi was taken aback. Knowing that Shi Qin was teasing her again, she was at a loss for a response.

Shi Qin’s mood became even more cheerful. She looked at her focused profile and said no more, but the smile in her eyes made Zhou Jinsi’s thoughts race.

After a long moment, she finally replied quietly, “I take every job seriously. Since I promised you, I will do it well.”

“Besides, you’ve never had the habit of eating breakfast. If you’re in a hurry on the road, you might not have time to buy any.”

She said it so seriously.

A faint, casual smile still hung on Shi Qin’s face. She leaned a little closer to Zhou Jinsi, her nose now no more than ten centimeters from her face.

Zhou Jinsi subconsciously tilted her head away, her blinking frequency quickening slightly.

“Don’t… I’m still driving…”

The words came out with a sense of indulgence that even Zhou Jinsi herself hadn’t noticed, like the intimacy between lovers.

Shi Qin was clearly taken aback as well, but a smile soon curved her lips. She obediently sat back in her seat and said slowly, “From a psychological perspective, people are afraid of someone’s proximity for many reasons.”

“One is when the person has a higher class and status, like a teacher or a boss. In addition, the approach of a stranger can also make people feel defensive or socially anxious.”

At this point, Shi Qin paused, her gaze turning to Zhou Jinsi as she said softly, “There’s another reason. It’s because this person can have a certain emotional effect on you. For example, someone who has bullied you.”

“Or, for example, someone you like.”

Shi Qin reached out and gently pinched the flushed tip of Zhou Jinsi’s ear, rubbing it as she asked, “So, Assistant Zhou, which category do you think I fall into?”

A delicate warmth spread from the tip of her ear, but to Zhou Jinsi, it felt scorching hot. The caress made her ear tingle, and that whole side of her face burned.

Her frown deepened, her jaw tightening. She still remained silent.

But even without a response, Shi Qin didn’t feel discouraged. Instead, she became even bolder.

Her fingers gradually moved down, stopping when they touched Zhou Jinsi’s warm cheek. First, she poked it, then she pinched it.

Mm, nice to the touch.

“Are you hot? Your face is so red.”

Zhou Jinsi really couldn’t take it anymore.

“Stop messing around… Sit properly.”

Her hand was caught by cool fingers, the touch as smooth and cold as jade.

She looked at Zhou Jinsi’s tightly pressed lips, but her flushed face betrayed her thoughts. Zhou Jinsi looked like a virtuous woman about to lose her chastity.

Shi Qin laughed inwardly, letting Zhou Jinsi pull her hand away.

The atmosphere returned to calm, but Shi Qin would still occasionally glance over, her eyes dark and unreadable, as if she were contemplating something.

After another long moment, Shi Qin finally parted her lips. “I was just thinking about how you used to be.”

Zhou Jinsi paused, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Thinking about how you’ve changed from before.”

Zhou Jinsi asked casually, “What change?”

Shi Qin: “Your skin is fairer, you’ve taken off your glasses, you don’t have bangs anymore, your hair is a bit shorter, and…”

Zhou Jinsi: “And what?”

Shi Qin just smiled without answering. Instead, she said, “Why have you changed so much in these two years?”

This was the question everyone had asked her most since she came back.

But now, facing the very source of that answer, Zhou Jinsi wasn’t so keen on replying.

How could she say it?

That after breaking up with Shi Qin, she had suddenly become aware of the insecurity she had felt around her all those years?
Or that she was waiting for a chance to meet again, just like this moment, so that her transformed appearance would surprise her?

But perhaps there was no need to delve too deeply into this question, because…

“Because people change. People always aspire to become better versions of themselves. Maybe it starts for other reasons, but in the end, it’s for oneself.”

Zhou Jinsi paused, then added, “This way… you can also better say goodbye to your past self.”

Say goodbye to your past self…

Shi Qin stared ahead, her gaze not focused on anything in particular, her mind mulling over what Zhou Jinsi had just said. She fell silent.

The previously relaxed atmosphere in the car inexplicably grew heavy because of Zhou Jinsi’s words. The two of them tacitly maintained their silence until the car reached the filming location.

After Zhou Jinsi followed Shi Qin to the dressing room, Shi Qin got busy, heading to the makeup room for styling. The lead actor’s dressing room was separate, so with Shi Qin gone, Zhou Jinsi was left alone.

She didn’t particularly like looking at her phone, so after a while of feeling bored, she went out for a casual look around.

Today’s filming location was an amusement park. Zhou Jinsi figured that in such a place, they would undoubtedly be filming a dating scene between the male and female leads. She, of course, had no interest in watching that kind of plot.

She wandered around outside and found that filming hadn’t started yet. Not far away, Shi Qin, already in costume and makeup, was sitting on a small chair in a corner, focused on reading her script.

Zhou Jinsi’s feet unconsciously carried her over. But Shi Qin was so engrossed that she didn’t seem to notice the person next to her. Zhou Jinsi didn’t say anything, just stood nearby.

Finally, when Shi Qin looked up to relax, she noticed her.

“When did you get here?”

Zhou Jinsi looked straight ahead at the bustling crowd and replied, “Just now.”

“Hasn’t filming started yet?”

Shi Qin glanced in Shen Junnan’s direction. “It should be soon. We’re waiting for the director’s call.”

Another silence fell. It seemed that since getting out of the car, a strange, awkward feeling had settled between them, though neither knew why.

Zhou Jinsi glanced down at Shi Qin, who was reading her script again. She cleared her throat twice, then asked lightly, “What are you… filming here today?”

What are we filming?

The question made even Shi Qin pause. She looked at Zhou Jinsi with an urge to laugh and said, “What can you film at an amusement park? A dating scene, of course.”

After all, according to the plot, the main characters were now in college. They had confessed their feelings for each other, so it was only normal for their sweet moments to begin.

Zhou Jinsi’s face showed no reaction. She replied with a blank expression, “Oh.”

However, from her expressionless face, Shi Qin could see some of her hidden emotions.

She put down her script, looked up at her, and smiled with deep meaning. “An actor’s job is to act well. And acting requires you to bring your own emotions into it. That’s how it becomes vivid.”

“But,” Shi Qin met Zhou Jinsi’s gaze and said, “actors, naturally, also separate their public and private lives.”

The implication was that even if she and Yin Chenxuan had intimate scenes, her emotions were for the performance, and did not represent her personally.

“Oh…”

Zhou Jinsi replied faintly again, still with no expression, but this time her tone was a little softer. Noticing this small change, Shi Qin smiled again.

The little one is still so stubborn.

Soon, the director called for them to get ready, and Shi Qin naturally went over. Zhou Jinsi didn’t go forward to watch. One reason was that this was a public place with many onlookers, and as for the second… she didn’t want to dig too deep into that for the time being.

Zhou Jinsi just stood where she was, looking thoughtful. Fortunately, this scene didn’t take long to film, and the actors could continue to prepare for the next one.

And so, as Zhou Jinsi watched Shi Qin walk back, she saw other young actors stopping her midway to ask for autographs and photos.

Shi Qin was always gentle and generous when dealing with others. She kept a smile on her face as she looked at the young girl. Being stared at by her made the girl even more embarrassed.

Having such a goddess-like figure standing before you, smiling and looking you straight in the eye—the devastating effect was imaginable.

Zhou Jinsi thought, Shi Qin had always been such a dazzling figure, someone who would make people’s gazes linger… Wasn’t I the same, once?

Shi Qin had felt a gaze on her for a while now. Her intuition was very accurate.

Sure enough, when she looked up in that direction, the person, as expected, looked away again.

Shi Qin sighed softly in her heart and slowly walked over to her.

Zhou Jinsi stood with her arms crossed, staring ahead, though at what, she didn’t know. When Shi Qin came to a stop beside her, she put on an act and asked, “Finished filming?”

Shi Qin raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips, but her eyes held a hint of puzzlement.

“Zhou Jinsi, I’ve discovered you have a bad habit now.”

Zhou Jinsi: “What?”

Shi Qin said with a half-smile, “You always like to secretly watch people.”

Zhou Jinsi was about to ask, who was she secretly watching?

But in the next second, she caught the playful look in Shi Qin’s eyes and immediately shut her mouth.

When she didn’t speak, Shi Qin mimicked her, crossing her arms and standing in front of her. One tall, one short, they made a very eye-catching pair from a distance.

“You need to change this bad habit. And… when did I ever not allow you to look openly?”

“You can look at me. I won’t say anything.”

She smiled faintly again, the peach blossom charm in her eyes blooming as she said softly, “Zhou Jinsi, can you stop being a coward?”