Zhou Sheng’s phone call disrupted Yun Ni’s rhythm of setting up a street stall, but she didn’t give up on the idea. After all, no one knew what would happen after this role was finished.
In case there were no scripts to film later, setting up a stall was still a good choice.
Yun Ni recorded this thought and then began tinkering with the things in the apartment. Even with the original owner’s memories, everything she saw still felt like a novelty to her. If her stomach hadn’t started growling to remind her it was time to eat, she could have continued her “research” indefinitely.
Recalling how the original owner used to handle meals, Yun Ni quickly changed into a white T-shirt and jeans, grabbed her phone and keys, and headed out. Seeing the blazing sun outside, she turned back to grab an umbrella. Having taken the elevator once, she was now composed enough to calmly follow others inside.
She lived in a residential complex with a small convenience store downstairs, but Yun Ni wanted to buy some supplies to stock the fridge for when she was hungry. So, she left the complex and headed toward the nearest large supermarket.
Since her memories were fragmented, she had to resort to the legendary “navigation” app on her phone. She took two wrong turns and spent an extra ten minutes before finally finding her destination. Even under an umbrella, the scorching heat left her drenched in sweat.
The supermarket was located inside a large shopping mall, so there were many people coming and going. Yun Ni blended into the crowd, her narrow “peach blossom” eyes squinting slightly as she took in the sight of the mall.
While she was observing the mall, many people’s gazes were already fixed on her. Even without makeup, her features were exquisite and fair; her peach blossom eyes seemed to speak, making those she glanced at feel a tremor in their hearts.
A few bold girls nudged each other and stepped forward. Seeing the three young women in front of her, Yun Ni sensed no ill intent and curled her lips into a gentle smile. “May I help you?”
That smile was her undoing—the three girls felt their hearts skip a beat.
“Um… excuse me, are you a celebrity?” The girl in the middle had a baby face, her cheeks flushed red—it was hard to tell if it was from shyness or the heat.
Celebrity?
Yun Ni searched her memories; it was just another word for an actor. She nodded.
The girl grew even more excited. “Then, could we take a photo together? Or maybe an autograph?”
Yun Ni didn’t understand why they were so excited despite not knowing her. Not understanding, she simply asked, “Why?”
The girl’s eyes sparkled. “If I answer, can we get the photo and autograph?”
Fast reflexes, Yun Ni thought. She nodded with a smile.
The girls answered in unison: “Because you’re so beautiful!”
Yun Ni hadn’t expected such a reason, but she kept her promise and took photos with them. However, she declined the autograph. She wasn’t used to using a pen yet; the few words she had tried writing earlier were crooked and messy, and writing now would easily give her away. Since she remained pleasant and smiling, the girls didn’t press her.
“If we can’t get an autograph, can we at least ask your name?” The baby-faced girl smiled at her. “I’m Lin Huaihan. What’s your name, big sister?” As she spoke, she pulled out a pen and paper and wrote down three characters for Yun Ni to see.
She handed over the pen, and Yun Ni instinctively took it. But she quickly reacted, put the pen down, gave the girl a meaningful look, and simply said two words: “Yun Ni.”
Lin Huaihan didn’t feel guilty at all and just beamed at her.
Yun Ni was truly hungry, and given the heat, she wasn’t in the mood for more banter. After saying goodbye, she hurried into the mall. Once she disappeared into the crowd, Lin Huaihan realized something and slapped her own forehead in frustration. “What a pig-brain I am! I forgot to ask for her WeChat or phone number!”
Her friend teased her, “She might not have given it even if you asked. She’s an artist; she probably values her privacy.”
“True, true.”
“But Hanhan, why were you so enthusiastic?”
Lin Huaihan didn’t hide it, her eyes shining. “Because she is exactly my type!”
She had never hidden her sexual orientation. The other two exchanged looks and started brainstorming: “Someone that beautiful can’t stay unknown. She’s likely a newcomer who hasn’t officially debuted yet.”
The other one remembered something: “Oh, right! Doesn’t your cousin run some entertainment company? Just go ask her later and have her look it up.”
Lin Huaihan’s eyes lit up.
Unaware that she was being “targeted,” Yun Ni entered the mall at a leisurely pace. The mall was air-conditioned—a completely different world from the heat outside.
Considering her remaining funds, she recalled that the original owner had eaten here before and seemed quite satisfied. Her worries vanished, and she decided to try a meal the original owner had enjoyed. According to her memory, the shop was on the fifth floor. She looked around for a while before finding the elevator.
Ding—
Yun Ni stepped inside, pressed “5,” and looked up, only to meet a pair of calm, piercing “phoenix eyes.” Standing outside the elevator was Lin Zijin—the very woman who had warned her this morning never to appear before her again. From the looks of it, she was also planning to take this elevator.
Yun Ni’s mind raced. This President Lin clearly had a prejudice against her, and when you dislike someone, everything they do is annoying. If she greeted her, she probably wouldn’t get a good reaction; but if she didn’t, she could be accused of ignoring her superior.
While she was hesitating, Lin Zijin stepped into the elevator. Acting as if she hadn’t seen Yun Ni, she turned to face the door with her hands in her pockets—retaining that “don’t flatter yourself” arrogant attitude from their earlier encounter. Since she was acting that way, Yun Ni didn’t bother greeting her, lest the woman claim she was trying to attract attention. She stared straight at the floor numbers above.
After Lin Zijin, more people entered, and soon the elevator was packed. Yun Ni was squeezed into the back, while Lin Zijin was right in front of her. Given the heat and the narrow space, various scents mingled together. Yun Ni frowned slightly and imperceptibly tilted her head back.
Then she noticed that in front of her, Lin Zijin was doing the exact same thing. Only the other woman was more obvious about it, practically pressing herself against the wall—and as if she thought the wall was dirty, she even pulled out a tissue to cushion her hand. Seeing her like this, Yun Ni imagined the expression she must have: surely she was frowning in disgust, or perhaps looking calm while internally regretting entering this crowded elevator.
Yun Ni only thought about it for a second before she went back to recalling the delicious food from the shop she was heading to. Just then, Lin Zijin suddenly turned her head, looked down, and then glared up at her.
Lin Zijin frowned, and seeing Yun Ni’s innocent look, her anger flared. “You woman…” Noticing others looking over, she stopped abruptly and lowered her voice. “Have you no shame?”
Yun Ni was completely baffled. Just as she was about to ask for clarification, the elevator doors opened. Lin Zijin gave her a cold look, turned, and walked away.
Yun Ni didn’t want to carry a label like “shameless” for no reason—it was an insult to the original owner as well. She hurried out, umbrella in hand, to follow. However, just as she approached, the woman suddenly stopped and whipped her hand back in a swift grab-and-pull motion, snatching Yun Ni’s umbrella.
“This time I’ve caught you red-hand—” Realizing the texture was wrong, Lin Zijin looked down to see the umbrella, and her voice died in her throat.
Yun Ni looked at the umbrella, then at the woman, and then recalled Lin Zijin’s words in the elevator. She seemed to understand something. Lin Zijin also remembered her words in the elevator, and her usually calm mask cracked.
Yun Ni figured that the woman was, after all, her boss, and it wouldn’t be good to let her be too embarrassed. Noticing a restaurant nearby, she smiled and took the initiative. “President Lin, shall we have lunch together?”
Lin Zijin snapped out of it, released the umbrella, and regained her expressionless facade. “No.”
Since Lin Zijin had a bad impression of her, Yun Ni hadn’t really expected her to agree; she just wanted to ease the awkwardness. She smiled at her. “Then I shall go eat by myself, President Lin.”
Lin Zijin nodded, but then seemed to remember something and called out to her. Yun Ni turned back. Lin Zijin’s thin lips parted, and a “sorry” escaped.
Yun Ni was stunned. She hadn’t expected someone as proud as Lin Zijin to say those words so easily.
Lin Zijin noticed her expression and guessed what she was thinking. Her brow furrowed in displeasure, and her tone turned cold and hard: “It was a misunderstanding in the elevator. But next time, please watch your umbrella and don’t go poking people with it.”
Yun Ni didn’t know what she had done to annoy her again. She felt that a woman’s heart was as deep as a needle in the ocean. She lowered her head and apologized, “Yes, I am sorry.”
Seeing her give in so easily only made Lin Zijin more annoyed, and she turned and walked away immediately.
Footsteps sounded, and Yun Ni looked up. Seeing Lin Zijin gone, she didn’t mind and headed toward the nearby restaurant. This was a Jiangnan-style establishment with plants at the entrance and a view of a small bridge over flowing water with goldfish inside. It looked very elegant. Business was clearly good; the place was almost full.
As soon as Yun Ni entered, a staff member approached. Upon learning she was alone, they led her across the small bridge to a seat. She asked for recommendations and, combined with the original owner’s memories, soon ordered one meat dish, one vegetable dish, a soup, and rice.
The waiter took the order and left, returning shortly with a kettle. Yun Ni recalled that this was for rinsing the tableware, not for drinking. She peeled off the plastic film, poured water over the utensils, rinsed them, and poured out the dirty water. She found this sequence of actions quite amusing. Even before she was Emperor, she was a royal prince served by maids and eunuchs—food was always placed in her bowl for her. She never had the chance to do things herself, so doing it for the first time felt novel.
Just after finishing the rinsing, Yun Ni looked around and realized her seat was in a corner. She turned her head and saw Lin Zijin—whom she had just parted with—being led across the bridge by a waiter, heading right toward her.
Lin Zijin also noticed her. After all, when everyone else was chatting or eating with their heads down, a lonely person with eyes darting around curiously was very conspicuous—not to mention Yun Ni’s striking face. Their eyes met and then, with unspoken agreement, moved away, acting like two strangers.
The waiter led Lin Zijin toward Yun Ni’s direction and stopped at the table next to her. The place was almost full; this small table was the last one left. After inquiring, Lin Zijin had no choice but to sit down.
It was peak lunch hour on a weekend, and the mall was crowded. Lin Zijin had tried two other restaurants that had no space before settling on this one. She hadn’t expected that while there was a seat, she would run into Yun Ni.
Three times in half a day, Lin Zijin thought while looking at the menu, wishing she hadn’t rejected her secretary’s offer to bring her lunch.
Yun Ni’s food arrived quickly. Each dish was exquisite and aromatic. She picked up her chopsticks and reached for a piece of golden-brown rib. Just as she was about to eat, she heard a faint “stomach growl.”
She didn’t pay it much mind and took a bite. The sweet and sour flavor of the meat instantly filled her mouth. In her previous world, there were few seasonings; sweet and sour could only be found in certain fruits.
Delicious.
Yun Ni’s eyes lit up. She ate the meat and gnawed on the bone before putting it on the plate.
Growl—
The sound was louder this time. Yun Ni couldn’t pretend she hadn’t heard it. She put down her chopsticks and tilted her head to look at the person just an arm’s length away. From her angle, she could see Lin Zijin holding the menu with her lips pressed tight; the waiter who was supposed to take her order had been called away.
Growl, growl— Lin Zijin’s stomach betrayed her again.
The atmosphere turned awkward. Yun Ni looked at the bright red ears peeking out from under Lin Zijin’s hair, and a hint of amusement appeared in her eyes. She placed her right fist to her lips, cleared her throat, and used the same reason again to ease the tension:
“President Lin, I ordered a bit too much meat. Would you like to share the table and eat together?”