After A Secret Marriage Agreement With A Rival Omega - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

◎ “Do you have any exes?” ◎

When they arrived at the village, the chief finally gave up on the idea of having Xiao Liang punished in front of Jian Jixing, only after Jian Jixing repeatedly explained that she wasn’t angry.

He smiled and, seeing how attentive Jian Jixing was to Sheng Ruxi, also said to Sheng Ruxi, “Miss Sheng and Director Jian are a perfect match. When are you two getting married?”

Their internet speed was obviously slow, and they weren’t aware of the drama in the entertainment industry. They only saw what was in front of them.

They had been holding hands the entire way. How good was that relationship? In the village, that meant they were going to get married.

Of course, when the chief said this, he didn’t just stump one or two people. Gu Shengci felt even more oxygen-deprived after hearing that, but she thought to herself, ignorance is bliss. Jian Jixing and Sheng Ruxi, these two sworn enemies, couldn’t blame others for their own mess, could they?

Sheng Ruxi came back to her senses and finally prepared to take her hand out of Jian Jixing’s.

She felt that a small question in her heart had been answered, and there was no need for further verification. Jian Jixing immediately noticed this. She had no intention of letting go of Sheng Ruxi’s hand.

On the contrary, she tightened her grip on Sheng Ruxi’s hand and said calmly to the chief, “That’s up to Miss Sheng.”

“Jian Jixing, you’re really good at talking nonsense.” Sheng Ruxi’s hand was completely warm now. She even felt that Jian Jixing’s palm was no longer dry. Jian Jixing squeezed her, and she squeezed back, lightly scratching the web of Jian Jixing’s thumb with the oval edge of her fingernail.

Jian Jixing smiled: “Look at you, still so stubborn.”

The chief just saw them as a young couple flirting and said with a laugh, “Oh, just put in some effort, and Director Jian will definitely be fine.”

Jian Jixing said, “Yeah, I hope so.”

Gu Shengci: … You two are so good at playing games.

Before further angering Sheng Ruxi, Jian Jixing led Sheng Ruxi to her accommodation, finally letting go of her hand. She said, “If you’re afraid of the cold, make sure you bundle up well outside, so you don’t freeze like an icicle.”

“How could I?” Sheng Ruxi said on purpose, “Don’t I have the understanding Director Jian here to warm my hands? I don’t know if she’s this attentive to others, which is why she’s so skilled.” She didn’t even need to look to find her hand with pinpoint accuracy.

She even joked about herself with the locals here.

She hadn’t missed it. After Jian Jixing brought her over and said those two sentences, the chief said something in a dialect she didn’t understand to the welcoming villagers, and they all started looking at her differently.

Fortunately, Sheng Ruxi didn’t care about that. If Jian Jixing wasn’t afraid of being misunderstood, what did she have to be afraid of?

“You have to get up at seven-thirty tomorrow to go up the mountain to the blue ice lake. That’s for you and Zou Xinjie’s scenes.”

After Jian Jixing finished speaking, she casually picked up Sheng Ruxi’s backpack from by the door. She weighed it in her hand. It was very light; there didn’t seem to be much inside.

She added some firewood to the stove and said, “This bag of yours seems a bit impractical.”

“…” Sheng Ruxi asked: “The schedule says the blue ice lake and the cliff are tomorrow?”

“The cliff is the day after tomorrow. We can only go after we get approval from higher up,” Jian Jixing said. “We’ll finish filming early tomorrow and head back to the village. You can rest if there’s nothing else to do.”

Sheng Ruxi hummed in response. She didn’t tell Jian Jixing to leave or to stay. Jian Jixing herself tidied up everything that needed tidying in the room. Seeing that Sheng Ruxi didn’t intend to keep her, she closed the door and left.

Gu Shengci was clearly suffering from altitude sickness today, so Jian Jixing arranged for her room to be with Gu Shengci’s.

As soon as she entered the room, Gu Shengci, who was on oxygen, looked at her: “What are you doing back here?”

Jian Jixing: “…Where else should I be if not here?”

“You should be at Sheng Ruxi’s place. Can you please ask her when she’s going to bring Yan Fuzheng to me, or if we can just sign an online contract?”

Jian Jixing laid a blanket on the bed before sitting down: “What did you trade for it?”

“You.” Gu Shengci sighed contentedly. “If I had known you were this useful, I wouldn’t have bothered with all that effort. Hey, what are you doing? Are you even listening?”

She saw Jian Jixing taking things out of her backpack. She actually brought two cups of instant noodles! And some instant milk tea powder, and even a silk scarf? When Gu Shengci worked with Jian Jixing in the wild before, she had never seen Jian Jixing bring these things.

Jian Jixing had changed. She didn’t know when the change happened, probably on that morning when she felt uncomfortable if Sheng Ruxi didn’t boss her around.

“I’m looking for something to smash you to death with,” Jian Jixing said calmly. “What did she ask?”

“She didn’t ask anything…”

Jian Jixing smiled, stood up, and took two steps towards Gu Shengci. Gu Shengci had a premonition that Jian Jixing was going to pull out her oxygen tube and shrank back into the bed: “Ah, ah, ah, it was just one question! She asked me if you really hate her.”

Jian Jixing stopped.

She had been watching the two of them talk and knew they had discussed some things, but she didn’t know that Sheng Ruxi would actually ask Gu Shengci that.

What did she mean by that?

Her second thought was even—

Why would Sheng Ruxi ask someone else such a simple question instead of asking her? It was so unnecessary.

Gu Shengci watched Jian Jixing’s expression change and said, “I already told you, just give me that cup of noodles. I haven’t had it in a long time and kind of miss it.”

Jian Jixing: “How did you answer?”

Gu Shengci said, “Of course I said you love her! Do you not? You love her to death.” It was pretty much the same meaning. In any case, she felt that was what Jian Jixing wanted to hear right now.

Jian Jixing: “Who told you to say that?”

She picked up the pile of snacks and prepared to leave. Gu Shengci was really at her wits’ end. They had been together for almost half a month, why hadn’t there been any improvement? She took a few breaths, “Just be stubborn. Don’t let that Zou Xinjie snatch her away.”

Jian Jixing walked back to Gu Shengci’s side: “You know about them?”

“Only you, who are so unconcerned with Sheng Ruxi, wouldn’t know,” Gu Shengci said. “When they were filming that movie for Bian Dairong, as soon as behind-the-scenes photos were leaked, their CP fans surged. It got even worse after the movie was released. There have always been a lot of old bloopers online. They were probably pretty… in character on set.”

Gu Shengci observed Jian Jixing’s expression. When she saw no particular change, she continued, “I later heard Bian Dairong say they were together at one point. I think they were. Wait a minute, why am I telling you this? If you want to know, you should ask your wife yourself.”

“Watch your words,” Jian Jixing said. “This is all in the past. If anyone asks, don’t spread rumors.”

“You were the one who asked!” Gu Shengci was speechless. She clearly didn’t know herself and was trying to trick her into talking. She’s a coward, huh? Afraid to ask Sheng Ruxi directly and came here to bully her instead.

Jian Jixing threw the instant noodles to Gu Shengci and left. The dinner standards in the village were a bit different from what they had at the camp. Here, they liked to make soup and dishes with their dried herbs. But there weren’t many vegetables.

Before dinner, Xie Ruizhang returned with Zou Xinjie and the others. Zou Xinjie looked a bit disheveled. In such cold weather, her hair was sweaty. She came out after taking a hot shower.

Jian Jixing was next to Xie Ruizhang, asking about the filming progress.

“It’s pretty good. She’s got some real skills… She rides a horse well and even knows how to protect herself when she falls. The footage is great,” Xie Ruizhang reported to Jian Jixing while drinking her milk tea and chewing on some meat. “Xiao Zou told me that she specifically learned to ride a horse when she and Ruxi were filming Rose, which is really impressive.”

After saying that, Xie Ruizhang suddenly felt her face grow cold. She couldn’t help but rub her cheeks: “What’s wrong? Director Jian, why are you looking at me like that?”

Jian Jixing said, “A few of the shots we submitted for review—the ones you were in charge of—Cen Jing said they weren’t very good. You should look at how to fix them tonight.”

Xie Ruizhang almost choked. She wanted to spit that mouthful of milk tea on Jian Jixing’s face. She looked at Jian Jixing resentfully, suddenly remembering Sheng Ruxi calling Jian Jixing a “tyrant of the set.”

This is pure exploitation! Pure exploitation!

Jian Jixing glanced casually in the opposite direction. Sheng Ruxi was sitting there, but two seats away from Zou Xinjie.

Zou Xinjie must have used up a lot of energy. She was eating with gusto and was constantly crossing over to curry favor with Sheng Ruxi. Sheng Ruxi, however, was not very interested and didn’t eat much.

Their voices were low, but some of it still reached Jian Jixing’s ears.

“Want some of this?”

“No, thanks.”

“You’re not going to gain weight anyway. You didn’t see Teacher Gu; she couldn’t even replenish her energy and didn’t come out for dinner.”

Jian Jixing thought to herself with indifference: That’s not true. She didn’t come out for dinner because she’s probably secretly eating instant noodles in her room.

“Ruxi, I posted a behind-the-scenes photo when I was filming today. The fans are reacting very well. Have you seen it?”

“…No.”

“Director Xie said our looks and resources are a good match. If we’re interested, we can work with her. She wants to sign us… Ouch! What was that?”

Zou Xinjie felt something hit her leg. She looked down and saw a fork lying at her feet.

“My apologies, my hand slipped,” Jian Jixing said with a smile. “Could you please pick it up for me?”

Zou Xinjie couldn’t see any hostility on Jian Jixing’s face, but she always felt a strange feeling in Jian Jixing’s presence.

When she arrived, she had heard people say that Jian Jixing had a high fever a few days ago, and Sheng Ruxi had taken care of her for an entire afternoon.

That’s ridiculous. When has Sheng Ruxi ever taken care of anyone, let alone for a whole afternoon? They must be lying. But Jian Jixing’s status was very high, and being in front of her, she could feel the pressure of an alpha on her own kind.

Zou Xinjie could only suppress the strange feeling in her heart, said of course, and bent down to pick up the fork.

Just then, Sheng Ruxi pushed her bowl away and said she was full before leaving. Zou Xinjie had just looked up when Jian Jixing was already by her side. She took the fork, patted her shoulder, and walked away without taking the fork with her, leaving it on the table.

Jian Jixing went back to her room to get the things she had prepared and then went to Sheng Ruxi’s room to find her.

As soon as she entered, she saw Sheng Ruxi dumping all the snacks out of her backpack and muttering that she didn’t want to eat this or that.

“How about this, then?” Jian Jixing held up the bag in her hand. “I don’t have much. Just instant noodles, cookies, some chocolate, and wafers.”

Sheng Ruxi abruptly pushed her bag aside: “Who said I wanted to eat snacks!”

“Oh, the ones Zou Xinjie prepared for you weren’t thoughtful enough to make you feel like you had to eat them?” Jian Jixing laughed, turning on the electric kettle.

“Who said she prepared them?” Sheng Ruxi glanced over and, seeing that Jian Jixing was already opening the package, said, “I told you I’m not eating!”

“It’s shrimp and noodles. Only this one bowl. If you don’t eat it, I will,” Jian Jixing said, sitting down on the tatami mat. “I’m too embarrassed to go out and eat. Please let me enjoy this here.”

When the hot water was poured onto the still-unmelted broth base, the fresh and sweet flavor was instantly released. Sheng Ruxi hadn’t felt hungry, but a picture of Jian Jixing slurping noodles suddenly appeared in her mind, and the aroma immediately filled her nostrils.

She held back and said nothing. Jian Jixing waited for the noodles to soften. She opened a pack of soy milk wafers and asked again, “Zou Xinjie didn’t prepare these for you?”

“Nonsense. Why would I use something she prepared? My brother had her bring them for me,” Sheng Ruxi replied testily. “Why do you keep talking about Zou Xinjie in front of me?”

Jian Jixing fell silent. She opened the lid of the noodles and stirred them a few times. Before she could even get a cookie to her mouth, Sheng Ruxi had taken it.

“You’re taking mine?”

“I’m taking our shared property. Give me the noodles. I’ll eat first,” Sheng Ruxi huffed, acting self-righteously, and sat down at the table.

Jian Jixing had just finished stirring and pushed the bowl to Sheng Ruxi. She said casually, “You certainly know how to keep track.”

Sheng Ruxi slurped up a mouthful of noodles, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction. She didn’t know when Jian Jixing had placed a cup of warm water next to her, with a preserved plum floating in it.

She took a bite of a cookie, and Jian Jixing naturally placed her palm under Sheng Ruxi’s chin to catch the crumbs.

Seeing Jian Jixing staring at her, Sheng Ruxi raised an eyebrow, quickly ate a few more mouthfuls of noodles, and then took another bite of the cookie: “I’m going to eat all of it!”

Some crumbs were still on the corner of her mouth. Jian Jixing looked at Sheng Ruxi for a while before using her thumb to wipe away the crumbs. She couldn’t help but smile slightly and whispered, “You’re a greedy cat.”

Sheng Ruxi’s cheeks were slightly puffed out. Afraid she would choke, Jian Jixing handed her the water, but Sheng Ruxi was holding a fork in one hand and a cookie in the other. Since she had no free hands, she simply lifted her chin.

Jian Jixing didn’t think there was anything wrong with this and fed Sheng Ruxi the water. As she drank half the cup, Jian Jixing watched Sheng Ruxi’s lips, her cheeks slightly moving as she drank, her eyelashes focused on the water, and the ripples on the surface.

“Be careful,” Jian Jixing said. “I wasn’t planning on fighting you for it.”

Sheng Ruxi started eating again, but this time very slowly. She couldn’t tell if the sweetness in her mouth was from the noodle broth or the cookie; everything was just sweet. Jian Jixing unhurriedly opened another wafer. She was very thoughtful, holding the end of the wrapper that hadn’t been fully torn off.

She didn’t say anything, just waiting for Sheng Ruxi to ask for it. She even knew to catch the crumbs for her.

Sheng Ruxi stared at Jian Jixing’s fingertips. Jian Jixing thought she wanted to eat, and just as she was about to hand it over, she heard Sheng Ruxi ask: “Do you have any exes?”