Yun Ni assumed that Lin Zijin had only stayed overnight due to convenience, but to her surprise, when she arrived at the set at noon, the other woman was still there.
Glancing at the figure talking to Director Zhou, Yun Ni pretended not to see her, greeted Tao Ningchu, and headed straight for the dressing room.
Short on cash, she planned to change and then grab one of the crew’s boxed lunches to make do. If she ran into Lin Zijin, she definitely didn’t want the woman to see her eating a cheap lunch box.
However, she was a step too late. Lin Zijin had already spotted her and walked toward her with long strides. Concerned that Yun Ni might ignore her, she even called out, “Miss Yun.”
In an instant, Yun Ni felt the eyes of everyone on the set shift toward her. Naturally, they were curious about who could make President Lin take the initiative to offer a greeting.
Yun Ni’s scalp tingled from the attention. She had no choice but to stop and turn around. “President Lin.”
“Have you had lunch yet?” Lin Zijin checked the time. “If not, would you like to join me?”
Yun Ni: “No, thank you. I’m going to eat the crew’s boxed lunch in a bit.”
Lin Zijin arched an eyebrow. “You shouldn’t eat just anything when your stomach is upset, and the crew’s boxed lunches aren’t very good.”
Yun Ni naturally wanted to eat something else, but the problem was she was broke.
She wasn’t about to tell Lin Zijin that, though. She simply smiled and said, “Eating the boxed lunch saves time.” Before Lin Zijin could reply, she added, “President Lin, I’m on a tight schedule, so I’ll head off first.”
With that, she strode quickly toward the dressing room.
Lin Zijin stood there thinking for a moment, then turned and left as well.
Yun Ni entered the dressing room and had just sat down to catch her breath when she saw Tao Ningchu walking over with a face full of gossip.
Tao Ningchu pulled out a chair and sat next to her. “Sister Yun, you know President Lin?”
Noticing the intense curiosity in her eyes, Yun Ni shook her head. “We’ve met a few times.”
Tao Ningchu believed Yun Ni, but she couldn’t figure it out. “If you’ve only met a few times, why does President Lin seem so enthusiastic about you?” She remembered the last time she was caught badmouthing Lin Zijin in the dressing room; Lin Zijin had clearly been there looking for Yun Ni.
Yun Ni couldn’t easily explain the nature of their relationship, so she gave a vague, “It’s nothing.”
Seeing that she wasn’t talking, Tao Ningchu didn’t push further but began to ponder it herself. After a while, Yun Ni saw Tao Ningchu looking at her through the mirror with a look that said she was dying to speak. Yun Ni laughed. “What else do you want to ask?”
Since the door was open, Tao Ningchu didn’t hold back. “About that hot search from before… President Lin must have taken it down specifically for you, right?”
Yun Ni raised an eyebrow and didn’t answer, simply asking, “And?”
Tao Ningchu had learned her lesson. She checked behind her to make sure Lin Zijin wasn’t there before leaning into Yun Ni’s ear. “As the saying goes, ‘excessive courtesy hides a motive.’ If you’ve only met a few times and she’s being this helpful, there must be some unspeakable secret. Sister Yun, you have to be careful.”
Recalling Lin Zijin’s constant testing over the last two days, Yun Ni found herself in total agreement with Tao Ningchu’s words.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the door being pushed open slightly. A glint of mischief appeared in her eyes. She quickly changed her tone and winked at Tao Ningchu. “President Lin isn’t that kind of person.”
“You know the face, not the heart!” Caught up in her “mentor” role, Tao Ningchu saw Yun Ni’s “innocence” and tried to enlighten her with examples. “There’s a lot of this in the industry. First, they do you a small favor, then they use it to get close, and then they use that debt to do bad things.”
Yun Ni shook her head. Worried Tao would say something truly irredeemable, she quickly spoke up: “President Lin, why are you here?”
Tao Ningchu froze like a wooden statue. She turned her body stiffly and met the frost-covered face of Lin Zijin.
“So, this is the image I have in Miss Tao’s heart?” Lin Zijin wondered where she had offended Tao Ningchu to the point of being badmouthed twice. “I wonder what I’ve done to cause such a misunderstanding?”
Tao Ningchu stood up sheepishly and bowed in apology. “President Lin didn’t do anything wrong. I was judging a noble heart with my own petty thoughts. Please forgive me.”
She was almost in tears. She had checked to make sure no one was there—how did the woman appear out of thin air?
“Ahem.” Yun Ni cared about her “silly but cute” friend and quickly gave her an out. “Xiao Chu, didn’t you say the crew was looking for you? Shouldn’t you hurry?”
Tao Ningchu hesitated, looking at Lin Zijin, afraid that running away would make things worse.
Lin Zijin saw the look Yun Ni sent her and placed a bag on the vanity. “If the director is looking for you, then go quickly.”
Tao Ningchu fled the scene as if she’d just been granted a stay of execution.
Yun Ni knew Lin Zijin wasn’t petty, and since Tao Ningchu wasn’t malicious but just “objectively analyzing,” she didn’t worry about retaliation. At that moment, she noticed the items Lin Zijin had brought—two plastic bags containing transparent lunch boxes. She frowned. “President Lin, this is…”
“Didn’t you say you wanted a boxed lunch?” Lin Zijin took the boxes out and lined them up. “I heard you talk about it as if it were delicious, so I wanted to try.”
“And you thought I’d want to eat too, so you ‘accidentally’ grabbed an extra one?” Yun Ni couldn’t move because her hair was being styled, but her downcast eyes were filled with amusement. “President Lin, surely you aren’t ‘harboring ill intentions’ like Xiao Chu said?”
Lin Zijin sat in Tao Ningchu’s former seat and crossed her arms. “Would Miss Yun give me the opportunity to do so?”
Noticing the stylist’s shocked expression, Yun Ni ended the flirtatious banter immediately. “President Lin, you joke.”
Lin Zijin fell silent.
Yun Ni was actually quite surprised that Lin Zijin had gone to get boxed lunches herself. She was even a little touched by the consideration. Consequently, she didn’t refuse the invitation to eat together.
Since both had upset stomachs, Lin Zijin hadn’t chosen anything greasy, opting for light side dishes and white porridge. They both enjoyed the time together, and neither broke the quiet atmosphere.
After finishing, Yun Ni closed her lunch box and prepared to throw it away, only for Lin Zijin to snatch it from her hand.
Yun Ni was puzzled. “President Lin?”
Lin Zijin looked down as she put the boxes back into the bag. “Time is almost up. Go see the director; I’ll just toss these on my way out.”
This considerate attitude was different from her earlier probing; it was as if she had already decided that this was indeed her Yun Ni. Realizing this, Yun Ni’s brow knit together.
Lin Zijin moved efficiently and soon had everything packed. Seeing Yun Ni still in her chair, she asked, “Aren’t you going to film?”
“Ah?” Yun Ni snapped out of it and stood up. “Going now.”
Lin Zijin nodded and followed her out.
Seeing the two emerge one after the other, the crew had varied expressions—curiosity, envy, jealousy, and resentment. The dressing room wasn’t private, and word of them eating together had already spread.
Yun Ni, being sharp-witted, knew exactly what they were thinking but offered no explanation, heading straight for Tao Ningchu.
Director Zhou hadn’t arrived yet, so only the main cast members were there.
“Yun Ni, you certainly have good methods,” Dong Menglian, who was standing near Tao Ningchu, sneered. “So you have President Lin backing you. No wonder you could join the crew despite being plagued by scandals.”
Before Yun Ni could retort, Tao Ningchu jumped in to defend her. “Dong Menglian, do you have no shame? Sister Yun’s acting is better than yours; how is she here because of President Lin?”
Poked in her sore spot, Dong Menglian’s face darkened. “Better acting than me? Did the director say that? Or did you? Tao Ningchu, I wasn’t talking to you. Why are you butting in?”
“I’m just stating facts! What, can’t handle the truth that your acting isn’t up to par?” Tao Ningchu put her hands on her hips, her voice rising. “I’ll say it: your acting isn’t as good as Sister Yun’s. I’ll say it a thousand times. What are you going to do? Why don’t you try slapping me again while we’re filming?”
Recalling the twenty or so slaps she had received yesterday, Dong Menglian felt her cheeks sting again with fury. Fortunately, her manager realized something was wrong and rushed over to pull her away, preventing a full-blown brawl.
The hot search scandal had lasted all day yesterday and was only taken down this morning on orders from above—meant as a lesson for Dong Menglian. From this, the manager understood that Lin Zijin was protecting someone and didn’t want Dong Menglian to cross Yun Ni again.
Tao Ningchu made a face at the retreating Dong Menglian, nearly causing the actress to break free from her manager to fight.
Yun Ni laughed and pulled Tao Ningchu’s sleeve. “Everyone is watching. Can’t you mind your image?”
“What’s an image? Can I eat it?” Tao Ningchu grumbled, then panicked. “Just don’t tell Sister Jin, or she’ll nag me to death.”
Yun Ni spread her hands helplessly and then smiled at the person walking toward them. “Sister Jin.”
“Miss Yun.” Sister Jin nodded to her before turning a stern face toward Tao Ningchu. “You think I won’t find out if you don’t tell me? You’ve got quite the nerve, making headlines with a ‘slapping’ scene and then trying to start a real fight?”
Tao Ningchu shook her head vigorously. “Sister Jin, you have to believe in the sweet, innocent me. I would never do something so violent.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I don’t believe you for a second. When we get back tonight, go practice your calligraphy for two pages to cultivate your character.”
“Huh?”
“No excuses.”
“Oh…”
Yun Ni watched the scene with a deepening smile at Tao Ningchu’s “soul-dead” expression. Suddenly, she thought of something and looked around, spotting Lin Zijin in a corner. The woman was on the phone, her lips moving as she gave instructions. Sensing a gaze, Lin Zijin quickly looked up.
Yun Ni didn’t look away, offering a small smile before returning her attention to discussing the script with Tao Ningchu.