CHAPTER 95

In the following days, Xiaoyuan stayed at home, following the schedule arranged by her company—attending classes, working out, eating nutritious meals, seeing a psychologist, and so on.

She had almost recovered and no longer needed to take antidepressants.

Life was monotonous and routine.

Wei Zhuang hadn't contacted her, nor had she sent any WeChat messages.

Xiaoyuan sometimes wondered, were they really in a relationship? Was this a normal dating pattern?

Cai Juan hadn't returned from Pengcheng yet, and there was no one around her she could consult. She had no choice but to call Zou Yirui, subtly asking her about her experiences in relationships. Coincidentally, Zou Yirui was also on a break, shooting endorsements.

"Why are you asking this?" Zou Yirui's gossip radar immediately activated. "Are you in love?"

Xiaoyuan: "..."

She quickly changed the subject, "I just haven't had any filming lately. I'm bored, just looking for some gossip to talk about with you."

"What's there to gossip about? In our line of work, 'on-set couples' are common. It's normal to develop feelings for someone you're filming with, especially when you're spending months together. You're the type of method actor who gets deeply immersed in your roles, so it's inevitable. Who caught your fancy? Huh? It can't be Huo Bijun, right?"

Xiaoyuan was almost dizzy from her long rant and couldn't help but tease, "Why aren't you this smooth when delivering lines on set?"

Zou Yirui wailed on the other end, "Wow, you're attacking me personally! I'm going to anonymously badmouth you on my secret Weibo account."

"Go ahead, who's afraid of who?" Xiaoyuan laughed.

After a few more rounds of playful banter, Zou Yirui steered the conversation back, "Hey, hey, seriously, are you into the handsome older uncle type like Huo Bijun?"

"I'm not into that type. He's really vain. Didn't I complain about him to you before?" Xiaoyuan denied.

"Hahahaha, I remember now! Gosh, I think Sister Chenying is just a sucker for good looks. Otherwise, why would she marry him?"

"But Chen Yunxiu isn't that handsome, is he?"

"He's more of the talented type. Both of Sister Chenying's husbands fell for her on set. Sigh, Sister Chenying really tends to develop feelings for her co-stars..."

"Hey, how did we start talking about Sister Chenying? She's a respected senior. It's not right to gossip about her behind her back." Xiaoyuan quickly stopped her.

"Alright, alright, let's talk about you then. What exactly do you want to ask? Come on, your sister will tell you everything she knows!"

After some hesitation, Xiaoyuan finally asked, "If two people are both very busy with work, how do they maintain their relationship?"

"That depends on you two. You have to try your best to make time to see each other. But in our line of work, it's already hard to spend much time together. If both are in the same industry, they might understand, but outsiders probably couldn't handle our workload."

"But you don't seem to have dated anyone in the industry?"

"Haha, yeah, I don't think it's very reliable, hmph," Zou Yirui said. "After all, we know how deep the water is in this industry, and I can't stand my man kissing and hugging other women, even if it's acting."

Xiaoyuan: "..."

Zou Yirui seemed to know what she was thinking, "Hey, when I was in a relationship, I didn't do any kissing scenes. I only did them when I was single. I'm not being hypocritical!"

Xiaoyuan didn't agree with her standard. After all, acting was their job, and the role came first. To portray a character, they had to accept everything that came with it—good, bad, love, hate. Making sacrifices was normal.

If the person she liked couldn't support her work, then...

Her mood suddenly became complicated.

What did Wei Zhuang think of her work?

The thought had just surfaced when she dismissed it.

She didn't have any particular views on Wei Zhuang's work either. Everyone had their own job, and they didn't interfere with each other.

But if she had to film kissing scenes or nud3 scenes in an art film, would Wei Zhuang not mind? And if Wei Zhuang had social engagements, would there be other people there?

These were things she had never thought about before.

"Hey, hey, who is this person you like?" Zou Yirui finally asked. "Tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone."

Xiaoyuan originally didn't want to say, but at this moment, she really needed someone to confide in. She told Zou Yirui that she liked someone, but she wasn't sure if the other person liked her back.

"Oh..." Zou Yirui dragged out the sound, extremely excited, and asked her many questions.

Xiaoyuan could only answer selectively. The person was older than her, and couldn't exactly be considered part of their circle, nor completely outside of it.

"Is he handsome?"

In an instant, a flood of adjectives popped into Xiaoyuan's mind: "beautiful," "cold," "a domineering queen," "a big boss," "strong presence," "aloof," "quiet," "used to sleeping alone"...

"Ah, you don't even know if he's handsome?" Zou Yirui teased her.

Xiaoyuan's mind flashed an image of Wei Zhuang in a suit, a cigarette between her fingers, the lighting dim, her expression hard to make out, but there was an understated yet dazzling allure about her.

"She's... very cool, very handsome." Xiaoyuan blurted out. [Both "他" (he) and "她" (she) are pronounced the same way as "tā," making it difficult to distinguish in spoken language.]

"Show me a photo!" Zou Yirui urged.

"No," Xiaoyuan immediately refused. "...I don't have a photo, and even if I did, I wouldn't show you!"

"Ah? How could you! We're done, done, done!" Zou Yirui shouted.

Xiaoyuan wasn't fazed by her antics. If Zou Yirui wanted to cut ties, so be it. But before Xiaoyuan could finish, Zou Yirui, unwilling to let the gossip end, interrupted, "Then I'll ask another question, another one!"

She grinned mischievously, "Are you two... harmonious in that area?"

Xiaoyuan: "...Let's not talk about that."

There was no way to talk about that.

Zou Yirui was disappointed and felt sorry for her. "Ah? Is he... not good?"

Xiaoyuan: "..."

That wasn't the issue. It was just that she was too good, leaving Xiaoyuan no chance to take the lead. Unfortunately, Xiaoyuan could only keep it to herself, unable to discuss it with Zou Yirui, and sighed dejectedly.

Zou Yirui wanted to laugh but was afraid of hurting her feelings directly, so she just sighed insincerely along with her.

......

After that day, Zou Yirui would occasionally send her voice messages and private messages, prying into her love life. Xiaoyuan, annoyed by the constant questioning, told her to go focus on her acting work.

"I don't have any work right now. My Xiaowu went abroad again, so I can only spend more time with you." Zou Yirui chuckled.

Xiaowu was still that wealthy young man, and surprisingly, Zou Yirui's relationship with him was going well, something even he found strange.

Zou Yirui even barged into Xiaoyuan's house, dragging her into gossip and going out shopping at night. They were photographed by paparazzi and posted on Weibo, causing a wave of discussion and even making it to the ninth spot on the trending topics.

[Wow, these two beauties are stunning! The YunYao CP is still going strong, so touching~]

[Xiaoyuan is so beautiful! She looks so much better than when she was filming Huo Bijun's movie. She looked so worn out back then.]

There were also those who criticized Zou Yirui, saying her face had changed again and that she couldn't be seen without makeup.

Xiaoyuan's Weibo account was already managed by Tiantian, who usually posted once a week. Since she had joined the new film crew last time, she had basically stopped posting.

Ruan Qing's current strategy for Xiaoyuan's career was to keep a low profile, stay ambitious, and quietly work hard as a rising actress.

Through Zou Yirui, Xiaoyuan discovered for the first time that she also had haters. Some people said:

[She's just trying to hype up her 'talented actress' persona again.]

[Isn't she just relying on her looks to grab attention? The audience is just stunned by her beauty, her acting isn't that amazing...]

[Yeah, I think the hype is a bit over the top. It's kind of awkward...]

Xiaoyuan frowned as she tried to recall. Her appearance in Drunken Wanderer was the only normal one. In her other works, she had played a disheveled village girl, an emaciated daughter suffering from malnutrition, a zombie, a clown, and even a transgender character...

She had never relied on her looks, okay? Could the haters at least do their homework?

"Xiaoyuan, you're practically a trending topic now!" Zou Yirui exclaimed while scrolling through Weibo. "Having haters just proves how popular you are."

Her tone was even tinged with envy. "Look, even the haters can't deny your looks! Tsk!"

Xiaoyuan merely furrowed her brows. She really didn't pay much attention to these things anymore, and she thought Zou Yirui had a point. In this industry, sometimes you just have to have a thick skin. Ignoring what doesn't matter is the best thing for yourself.

"By the way, what's up with your skin? It's so smooth, no pores at all, and it's got this rosy glow. Hmm, your chest is also pretty good, looks about the same size as mine..." Zou Yirui's eyes lingered, and her hands itched to reach out and touch.

Xiaoyuan was startled and quickly swatted her hand away. "Don't touch me!"

"What's the big deal? We're both women. Let me have a feel. The internet says we've got 'unfinished business'!" Zou Yirui giggled. "Or I'll just touch your face."

"Get away, get away..." Xiaoyuan laughed, and the two of them bantered and teased each other for a while.

Tiantian and Zou Yirui's assistant brought up some takeout and laid it out on the table. The two assistants took their food and went to the apartment across the hall, leaving the two of them space to chat.

Suddenly, Xiaoyuan asked, "By the way, how much do you know about your big boss?"

Zou Yirui was in the middle of gnawing on spicy chicken feet, her mouth burning as she hissed from the heat. The question nearly made her choke on a bone. "Huh? Why are you asking me that?"

"Just, asking casually." Xiaoyuan replied, masking her curiosity by starting on another dish of spicy chicken.

"My status at Tonghua is so lowly, I barely see the big boss once a year." Zou Yirui said, her eyes darting around guiltily, clearly not being entirely truthful.

'Wait, really? '

Xiaoyuan's eyes widened, and she immediately grabbed her. "Tell me more."

"No, no, I don't know anything." Zou Yirui covered her ears. "I'm a nobody, I don't know anything!"

"Your acting is terrible. If this were a spy drama, you wouldn't survive the first five minutes!" Xiaoyuan scoffed.

Zou Yirui wanted to retort but couldn't find the words. "...Why are you attacking me like this?"

"Come on, spill it. You're eating the midnight snack I bought!"

"Tsk, you're so stingy." Zou Yirui glanced at her, hesitating as if she wanted to say more but held back.

She wasn't entirely comfortable discussing her boss with Xiaoyuan, but she figured Xiaoyuan probably had no connection with the big boss anyway. Besides, she had been holding it in for too long, and the dark, windy night was the perfect setting for gossip.

"Last month, I attended a family gathering with Xiaowu. You know, the kind where all the big shots and celebrities are present. I was so nervous—I'd never been to such an event before. I spent days trying on evening gowns, and when I got there, it was eye-opening. All these socialites, and there was even a small auction..."

Xiaoyuan couldn't help but interrupt her bragging, "Get to the point."

Zou Yirui rolled her eyes, "Xiaowu's family is decent, but in that crowd, they were nothing... Anyway, since I'm quite clever and charming, I managed to mingle with the ladies..."

"They started gossiping about the Wei family, saying that Wei—" She coughed, still hesitant to directly mention the big boss's name, "—that my boss has some... unusual preferences."

Xiaoyuan blinked. She had mentally prepared herself, knowing Wei Zhuang's biggest secret—her relationship with Wei Jiabao. She thought she wouldn't be surprised by anything, but she never expected to hear this?

Xiaoyuan pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and suppressed a laugh.

She tightened the lines on her face, putting on a serious gossiping look. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently, the boss is quite... frigid. She's forty and still unmarried, and there's no news of her having any lovers. Even if there are rumors, they're all vague and unconfirmed. Some people tried to curry favor with her, but..." Zou Yirui shrugged, "they got nothing."

"Those people weren't willing to give up, so they openly and secretly introduced people to President Wei, but President Wei didn't accept any of them."

"She doesn't like men, and she doesn't want women either."

Xiaoyuan bit her lip hard, trying to suppress the corners of her mouth from curling up. She turned her face slightly to hide her expression from Zou Yirui.

"Oh, and there's more," Zou Yirui was on a roll, "One of the ladies dropped an even juicier piece of gossip. She said that the deceased Elder Master Wei's first wife abandoned her child and left with nothing."

Xiaoyuan's expression changed, "The child is..."

The first wife's child—wasn't that Wei Zhuang?

Zou Yirui widened her eyes and nodded, confirming Xiaoyuan's guess.

Xiaoyuan tried to contain the storm of emotions inside her, "Are you sure about this?"

"I think it's pretty reliable. The lady heard it from her mother-in-law, who used to have some dealings with the Wei family. They still have business connections now. Coming from someone of the older generation, it's probably true."

"Then, Elder Master Wei's first wife was..." Xiaoyuan's heart pricked with pain, and she asked in a low voice.

"I don't know about that. She didn't say," Zou Yirui added, "But apparently, Elder Master Wei treated Wei Zhuang terribly. He remarried soon after, and not long after that, he had a son—who's only a year younger than Wei Zhuang!"

"Sigh, who would have thought that even wealthy families are like this," Zou Yirui sighed. "Once there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather!"

......

They chatted about other things afterward, but Xiaoyuan's mind was already elsewhere.

After Zou Yirui left, she curled up in her beanbag chair, feeling as if a heavy stone was lodged in her chest, causing a deep, painful ache.

She waited for a while but still couldn't fall asleep. In the complete silence of the night, she couldn't help but want to hear Wei Zhuang's voice.

Several days had passed, and they hadn't contacted each other.

Xiaoyuan had probably been holding onto a bit of resentment in her heart, but it had long since dissipated. She had been waiting for Wei Zhuang to reach out first, but it never happened.

She thought about the family secrets of the Wei family that Zou Yirui had mentioned earlier, and her mood grew even more somber. Without further hesitation, she dialed Wei Zhuang's WeChat voice call.

Wei Zhuang didn't answer.

Xiaoyuan checked the time—it was past eleven.

At this hour, she might already be asleep, or maybe not.

She sent a WeChat message, [Are you asleep? We...] She paused, then typed, [Can we video call?]

There was no reply for a long time.

She must really be asleep.

Xiaoyuan let out a sigh and flopped down on the sofa, lying still for a while. But her long eyelashes fluttered up and down, mirroring her restless emotions.

After a while, she finally got up, washed up, and turned off the lights to sleep.

Tossing and turning for a bit, she couldn't resist unlocking her phone again—still no response.

Xiaoyuan was so frustrated she wanted to punch the bed. 'That big bad person! Only caring about her own sleep!'

All sorts of complicated emotions mixed together in her heart, and she finally fell asleep resentfully.

When she woke up the next day, there was a WeChat message from Wei Zhuang on her phone: [I haven't returned to Shencheng yet.]

[We can video call tonight.]

Her heart skipped a beat, and she sat up abruptly. After a moment, she cupped her face and smiled.

'Ah, that big bad person!'

She reached out and touched Wei Zhuang's WeChat profile picture, her gaze softening.

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