Chapter 162
Chapter 162
The sound of cicadas chirping came from the trees planted along the roadside. Jun Zishu used to find the chirping of cicadas annoying. However, in their current environment, she found herself welcoming the noise.
There was no moon tonight. Adding on the lack of light pollution in this rural area, the numerous stars decorating the sky shined so brightly that they looked like they could fall out of the sky at any moment.
The cool evening breeze blew and caressed their exposed skin, allowing them to have a refreshing stroll. If not for the mosquitoes incessantly following them, this evening stroll would’ve been perfect.
“These summer mosquitoes really know how to ruin the atmosphere,” Yu Fanshu said helplessly as she patted a mosquito off of her arm. Then, under the illumination of starlight, she saw that a new red spot had indeed appeared on her arm.
“Let’s go back, then,” Jun Zishu suggested.
“No rush,” Yu Fanshu said as she held hands with Jun Zishu. She still wanted to stay like this for a little longer.
The world fell silent when the two stopped speaking.
Although they weren’t in a remote mountain village right now, the people living in this area had regular work and rest cycles. Typically, the residents here would already have their doors shut and their lights off around 10 PM. The only sound one could hear at this time was the occasional bark or two from dogs.
After walking in silence for a few minutes, Yu Fanshu suddenly said, “Honestly, I never thought I would get to see such a day.”
“What?”
“To be able to stroll hand in hand with the person I like on a path lit by starlight.”
Yu Fanshu’s health in the past few years had been so terrible that she didn’t even think she could ever walk outside like this for the rest of her life. However, life was sometimes a magical and mysterious thing. Just when she had lost hope in life, her body suddenly got better, and she could resume doing what she liked and meet the person she liked.
The scent of unknown flowers came from the roadside. Surrounded by these fragrances, Jun Zishu felt her mind and body entering a peaceful state.
Jun Zishu never thought she would welcome such a day, either. She never thought she would try to learn what she liked to do and try to obtain happiness. She never imagined there would come a day where she would act so carefreely and try to find herself.
As the two continued walking down the tranquil path, they arrived by a small creek and took a break.
“The water’s cold,” Jun Zishu commented as she crouched down and scooped up a handful of water. Then, after soaking her hands in the water for a moment, she stood up and played around with Yu Fanshu’s face with her wet hands.
Yu Fanshu let Jun Zishu fool around a little before reaching out and holding her hands. Then, she moved aside the wet hands and embraced Jun Zishu.
“What’s wrong?” Jun Zishu asked, feeling a little surprised.
“I just wanted to hug you.’
“Hug away, then,” Jun Zishu rested her chin on Yu Fanshu’s shoulder, a peaceful look in her watery eyes as she took in Yu Fanshu’s scent.
Yu Fanshu also leaned her head on Jun Zishu’s shoulder for a moment before turning and giving Jun Zishu’s cheek a soft kiss. She came to realize that so long as she was with the person she liked, she would feel happy even if they didn’t do anything special.
“Actually, I don’t think I need to teach you anything. You’ve already learned it.”
“What? Do you mean how to love?”
“Specifically, how to fall in love.”
“Huh?”
“It’s very contradictory, but that’s how I feel about it. Even though you clearly don’t like me, we are now getting along like an ordinary couple. I can feel that you aren’t against my approach. Yet, I can also clearly feel that you don’t like me,” Yu Fanshu said gloomily. She didn’t really know how she should express her current emotions. Even though the person she liked was clearly in her arms right now, it also felt like this person was far out of her reach.
“But I like you,” Jun Zishu said, her eyes curving into smiles as she locked eyes with Yu Fanshu. “I just don’t love you.
“I find it very comfortable being close to you. I like you very much because I think you are a wonderful person. However, if you don’t want me near you and tell me to leave right now, I wouldn’t think much of it, either.”
Yu Fanshu’s mood had gone from happy to frustrated when she listened to Jun Zishu obediently reporting her feelings. However, she quickly pulled herself together.
After all, she hadn’t officially started her pursuit. She was confident she could move this person’s heart sooner or later, or rather make this person’s heart flutter for her.
She would make this person desire to get close to her, depend on her, and never leave her.
“You’ve done good enough for now. I’ll reward you with a kiss,” Yu Fanshu said.
“Are you sure you’re not just trying to take advantage of me, Teacher?” Jun Zishu said, chuckling. However, she still lifted her head nonetheless.
It was a short kiss, and their lips separated after making contact for a brief moment.
Even though it was an unbelievably pure action, Yu Fanshu’s face gradually turned red, a contrast to Jun Zishu’s calm and generous expression.
Yu Fanshu celebrated the fact that it was a dimly lit night. Even though they were close enough to feel each other’s breaths, Jun Zishu still wouldn’t be able to see her blushing face clearly. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a little vexed. Even though her heart was beating furiously right now, Jun Zishu behaved as if nothing had just happened. There was even a faint smile on the other party’s face.
“Let’s go back and enjoy the A/C,” Jun Zishu said.
“Okay.”
The date was satisfying, but the price Yu Fanshu paid for it was a bunch of mosquito bites.
For some reason, Jun Zishu didn’t attract many mosquitoes, and there was only one red mark on her right arm. In comparison, Yu Fanshu had a total of eight bite marks on her arms alone. That number would probably increase to more than double if she counted the ones on her legs.
After settling down in their room, Jun Zishu called Chenzi and asked if she had brought any ointment meant for treating mosquito bites.
“I do. I’ll bring it over for you, Big Sis Jun.”
Chenzi arrived with the ointment and left again like a whirlwind.
“I’ll apply it for you.”
“Okay.”
Yu Fanshu obediently stretched out her arms while Jun Zishu applied the cool ointment on the bite marks and blew on them.
The room’s lighting was warm, and it gave Jun Zishu a gentle look when it shone on her.
Afterward, the two had a good night’s sleep.
…
The next morning, Jun Zishu heard a knock on the door. After rubbing her face, she saw that Yu Fanshu had already shown signs of waking up, so instead of waking Yu Fanshur up, she went to open the door.
When Jun Zishu opened the door, the cameraman outside gave her a smile before directing his camera toward her. Although she already knew this would happen, she still played along and showed dumbfounded, confused, and surprised reactions.
“The crew really knows how to play,” Jun Zishu said with a bitter smile. Even though the director had already briefed them over today’s plans, she still had to act surprised.
Jun Zishu and Yu Fanshu had durable beauty, so they didn’t go out of their way to wake up early and put on makeup. The facial mask they put on before going to bed last night was more than enough to keep their faces camera-ready.
For today’s attire, Jun Zishu and Yu Fanshu deliberately chose the same clothes and hairstyles for each other.
Jun Zishu twisted Yu Fanshu’s hair into a loose braid that highlighted her saintly aura. Meanwhile, the braid Yu Fanshu tied for Jun Zishu gave her a spirited and youthful look.
Despite having similar facial appearances and wearing similar clothes and hairstyles, nobody would mistake them for each other. Their temperaments were just too different. Though, everyone would also agree that they were both incredibly beautiful.
Tang Tongtong still hadn’t arrived when everyone had already gathered in the living room. However, this wasn’t something Jun Zishu and the others had to bother with. The TV crew could easily remedy this problem by doing separate recordings and editing in the shots afterward.
Jiu Xi and Lemon were dressed differently from how they usually dressed. It looked like they had swapped styles.
Jun Zishu noticed that Jiu Xi’s lips were abnormally red, and his expression was more icy than normal. On the other hand, Lemon looked bright and sunny, a stark contrast to Jiu Xi.
Millie stood outside the camera since Tang Tongtong wasn’t here. Though, she would still step in to say a few words from time to time.
Once the morning recording ended, Jun Zishu and Yu Fanshu recorded some separate shots before leaving together in the same van.
On the van, Coco yawned as she sat with her legs crossed.
“I feel as if I’ve gotten the taste of early retirement already.”
Coco wore a sulking expression as she looked at the two artists she managed. She was so free nowadays that she didn’t know what to do with her time.
Coco didn’t need to find resources for Yu Fanshu since resources would automatically find their way into Yu Fanshu’s hands. All she needed to do was screen these job offerings and find the best ones. She didn’t have to run around negotiating and begging for resources for Yu Fanshu. She didn’t even have to entertain potential employers. Her life managing Yu Fanshu was as relaxing as it could be.
Coco didn’t have to worry about Jun Zishu’s side, either. Yu Fanshu behaved as if she were Jun Zishu’s mother, strictly controlling Jun Zishu’s activities by herself. At this point, Coco couldn’t even tell who Jun Zishu’s manager was.
“You can try dating someone,” Yu Fanshu earnestly suggested.
“Men aren’t as fun as making money,” Coco said, humming lightly as she fiddled with her nails.
“You can try finding a woman, then.”
Chenzi, who was drinking water, started coughing violently when she heard Yu Fanshu’s sudden words.
“I choked a little,” Chenzi said as she waved her hand to signal that she was alright. Then, she quietly closed her water bottle and tried to reduce her presence as much as possible.
“Actually, I’m not free at all.” Coco squared up and changed the topic. “This variety show is about to air. Once it airs, Jun Ling’s exposure will increase, and the endorsement offers and scripts she receives will increase as well. So, you need to be prepared, Jun Ling.”
Acting skills might be important, but many investors didn’t really care about it. What they cared about was the amount of traffic an actor could generate. It was especially true for idol dramas. So long as the actor had a pretty face, it didn’t matter even if their acting skills were on an amateur level.
“No rush. She doesn’t need to accept any other work for now,” Yu Fanshu said.
“Why?”
Coco was confused. She knew that Yu Fanshu was trying to help Jun Zishu make a reversal. However, to do that, Jun Zishu would first need to have the opportunity to present herself to the audience. There was no way Jun Zishu’s reputation would get any better if she didn’t participate in any films or advertisements.
“Because I want her to act in a film with me.”
“What?”
At this time, Coco wasn’t the only person surprised. Even Jun Zishu was a little taken aback by this sudden revelation.
“I know you have your own ideas, Fanshu, but can you please discuss these matters with me first? I am still your manager. Stop startling me like this,” Coco said, frowning.
“The script still hasn’t been edited yet. I initially planned to only inform you after it was ready.”
A few days ago, Yu Fanshu had taken a liking to one of the scripts Coco had shown her. The script was for a costume drama called Phoenix Dynasty, and she would be playing the female lead, Chaofeng, the princess of a fallen kingdom.
The story was about her and her younger twin sister getting sent into the harem of the emperor that had taken over their kingdom. Then, she would go from becoming a fallen slave into the empress and into taking control over the dynasty.
The film crew’s request was for her to play both roles. On one side, she would play the intelligent and ruthless Chaofeng. On the other side, she would play the innocent twin sister who became obsessed with love and turned against Chaofeng.
Yu Fanshu could play both roles, but she didn’t want to.
Yu Fanshu knew that if she played these two roles well, she would receive a lot of praise and fame. However, she wasn’t short of this bit of fame.
So, Yu Fanshu contacted the director and made her intentions clear. She could act in the movie, but she wanted Jun Zishu to play the twin sister’s role.
The director had heard of Jun Zishu’s acting skills, so he naturally wasn’t willing to accept this condition.
“What happened next? How did you get the director to agree?”
Coco knew about Phoenix Dynasty. Although she had let the script pass her screening, she didn’t really want Yu Fanshu to take it. After all, playing two roles would place a huge burden on Yu Fanshu’s body.
“I told him to trust me and that it doesn’t matter even if he isn’t willing to agree. I can simply find other movies to act in with Jun Ling. If worse comes to worst, Brilliance can also fully fund an entire movie,” Yu Fanshu said as she looked at Coco with a faint expression. When she locked eyes with Jun Zishu, though, a smile formed on her face.
Coco might have really assumed that Yu Fanshu was Jun Zishu’s mother if it weren’t for their similar ages. After all, Yu Fanshu was simply spoiling Jun Zishu rotten.