Chapter 69: Journey to the Sea Island (1)

Bai Xirou stopped fooling around when Lu Zhiyu said that. She wrapped her arms around Lu Zhiyu, rolled over on the bed, and rested her head wearily on her shoulder. Yawning, she said, “Since there’s something going on, let’s sleep then. I’m feeling a bit sleepy too.”

With a crisp click, the lights turned off, plunging the room into darkness. The faint moonlight outside the window cast a silvery glow that gently illuminated the person beside her. She curled up next to her, her face full of unreserved trust and peace.

A woman in her late twenties, without even a hint of laugh lines. When she smiled, she looked sweet and fresh, indistinguishable from a girl in her early twenties. She took such good care of herself—if her real age were revealed, plenty of female celebrities would come begging for her skincare secrets.

Lu Zhiyu’s mind was wide awake in the night. Her thoughts wandered aimlessly as she looked amusedly at Bai Xirou childishly nestling into the crook of her arm. Her long, slender pale legs restlessly shifted to press right against hers, while one hand possessively encircled her waist, as if treating her like a human body pillow.

Bai Xirou seemed to have poor sleep quality; the faint dark circles under her eyes were quite noticeable. The hand resting on Lu Zhiyu’s waist looked slender and elegant, but when touched, the palms and gaps between her fingers were covered in thin calluses—rough, and it made Lu Zhiyu feel a pang of heartache.

Lu Zhiyu wanted to roll over, but she worried it would disturb Bai Xirou’s sleep. She adjusted to a comfortable sleeping position, her chin resting on the top of Bai Xirou’s head, her own hand wrapping around her waist. Inhaling the pleasant scent of mugwort from the pillow, she gradually drifted off to sleep.

.

At the entrance of Gu Ye Building, Ruan Suhuai put on her sunglasses and stepped out into the scorching sunlight. Her agent, Rose, followed closely beside her. The premiere of General’s Tomb was imminent, and as the lead actress, she needed to attend the press conference. In the afternoon, she had to record a special episode of Super Star Era, which required flying to the Sea Island filming location in F Province. Her schedule was packed.

Supported by her little assistant, she stepped into the nanny van in her ten-centimeter high heels. Suddenly, a domestic sports car pulled up in front. A familiar woman got out—her permed pear-flower curly hair braided into a fishtail plait, adorned with a silver leaf accessory that added a touch of playful elegance. Dressed simply in a white short-sleeved shirt and jeans, she helped a slender woman in a puff-sleeved floral dress with a cinched waist emerge from the passenger seat. They pulled out a backpack and laptop from the back seat.

Lu Zhiyu? How did she end up hanging out with Bai Xirou again—and they were even arm-in-arm, looking quite close.

Ruan Suhuai recognized the two women who stepped out of the domestic car. She took off her sunglasses and peered through the window, but within seconds, their car drove off. Her hand was then smacked several times by the rolled-up speech script.

She glared at Rose and waved her slightly reddened hand in front of her, saying irritably, “What are you doing? You hit my hand red! I can recite the speech from memory already. Are you assaulting an artist? Watch out, or I’ll tell Saizerlyaaa to dock your pay.”

Agent Rose flipped through the latest fashion magazine featuring Ruan Suhuai on the cover and said discontentedly, “What’s so interesting about that? Memorize your speech properly and practice your fake smile in the mirror. Don’t pull that long face like last time when you’re in a bad mood in front of the media, or get mocked by entertainment outlets as an SD doll again. I won’t bother removing the hot searches if that happens. For the afternoon Super Star Era Sea Island special, you’re Lu Zhiyu’s mentor, so you’ll definitely be staying in the same villa. If you want to see her, you can do it anytime in the next twenty-four hours. If you like, I can even arrange for Lu Zhiyu’s room to be next to yours.”

Ruan Suhuai pouted, crossed her arms over her chest, and gazed at the scenery flashing by outside the window. “You know how much I’ve been paying attention to Lu Zhiyu lately. She’s an important friend to me now. What’s wrong with taking a look? Seeing her with Bai Xirou makes me uncomfortable, so I stared a bit longer. That’s not against the law, is it?”

Rose deftly selected electronic images from the magazine and sent them to the studio’s Weibo account, saying without looking up, “Business is business, personal matters are personal. If you want to talk about your emotional issues, we can sit in a stylish café after work, sipping gin cocktails and having a heart-to-heart.”

Ruan Suhuai made a vomiting gesture, rolled her eyes, and said disdainfully, “Who’d want to sit in a café with you drinking those ‘romantic’ cocktails? Go find your girlfriend instead. I don’t want to end up on some lesbian magazine again and have people write a bunch of smut about us.”

Rose tsked, typing rapidly on her mini laptop. “Is Lu Zhiyu really that great? She’s just a worn-out shoe played around by the higher-ups at Star Emperor Entertainment. Weren’t you always disgusted by those playboy male stars being filthy? Not picky with partners anymore? Even hanging out with someone who might have AIDS? I heard from ERIC Cheng that you two booked a private booth at a clear bar last time, enjoying your little world alone. If we hadn’t worked together for so many years and known each other so well, I’d think you were under a spell.”

The mini laptop slammed shut with a heavy thud.

Ruan Suhuai angrily placed her hand on the laptop, locking eyes with Rose. She said word by word, “Lu Zhiyu isn’t the kind of person you think she is. I hope you can change your prejudice against her. That Weibo post I made wasn’t under duress—it was sincere. I believe she has the potential to become a bigger star than me in the future!”

Rose raised both hands in surrender, smiling. “I was just testing you to see if you’re really in love. Looks like your feelings for Miss Lu are genuine.”

Ruan Suhuai’s face flushed red instantly. She was already leaning forward; annoyed, she grabbed the dolphin pillow from the seat and tossed it—not too lightly, not too heavily—into Rose’s lap. “Are you that bored? So annoying!”

Rose caught the dolphin pillow without getting upset. She knew Ruan Suhuai was just embarrassed that her feelings had been seen through. She shook her head with a smile, reopened the mini laptop, and continued typing her work report.

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Saizerlyaaa, with her straight bob haircut and bangs, had makeup so flawless it looked artificial, paired with her perpetual serene smile—like a power-operated real-life Barbie doll, every movement precise and mechanically repetitive.

Dressed in a black-and-white striped skirt suit, she looked at the distinguished guest who had arrived that morning and made a welcoming gesture. “Miss Lu, President Gu is waiting for you inside. You can go in now.”