After Divorcing the Scummy Alpha Movie Queen, I Became Extremely Popular - Chapter 38

If You Truly Want to Thank Me, Why Not Marry Me?

Luo Jingyun didn’t want any entanglement with Tan Jizhu, so she hurriedly pulled Park Soo-ah further into the bamboo forest.

“Soo-ah, I think this bamboo looks pretty good.”

Park Soo-ah looked up at the top of the bamboo. “Yeah, it does feel pretty good.” After saying that, she stepped forward and knocked on it. “The sound it makes is also very good.”

“Alright, then we’ll cut this one.” Luo Jingyun took out her sickle, preparing to chop.

Park Soo-ah stopped her for a moment. “Jingyun, you’re just going to start like that? Don’t you want to pick around a bit more?”

“Soo-ah, have you ever had an experience like this? You go to a store to pick out clothes, and the first shop you visit has a nice piece, but you worry there might be something better further on, so you give up on the first shop and keep browsing. In the end, after wandering around, you realize the first shop was the best.”

Park Soo-ah nodded. “Yes, I definitely have.”

“Exactly! That’s because you hesitated, and so you wasted time. You must be decisive; when it’s time to act, you act.”

“Yeah, I can’t hesitate,” Park Soo-ah said with firm conviction. “Jingyun, I understand what you’re saying.”

“As long as you understand. I encountered the same problem once, but my mom just took all the clothes I had picked out and bought every single one of them. So, my trouble changed from picking clothes to buy, to picking out the clothes I didn’t like as much to throw away.”

“…” Park Soo-ah gave a hollow laugh. “That… I suppose is educational in its own way.”

“Stop joking around, let’s hurry and cut the bamboo.” Luo Jingyun raised the sickle and hacked at the base of the bamboo with several heavy blows. The towering bamboo came crashing down.

Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah coordinated their work, starting from both ends to cut the bamboo into small segments and load them into the bamboo baskets they were carrying.

“Success!” Luo Jingyun prepared to find the next suitable bamboo, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tan Jizhu not far away. This person, I told her not to follow me, yet she insists on following. Seizing the moment when Tan Jizhu lowered her head, Luo Jingyun continued to lead Park Soo-ah deeper into the bamboo forest.

Seeing the spacing between the bamboos getting denser, Park Soo-ah said weakly, “Jingyun, let’s not go any further. I feel like it’s eerie inside this bamboo forest.”

“Tsk, you’re such a coward.” Luo Jingyun patted Park Soo-ah’s shoulder. “There are so many people here cutting bamboo; our chances of finding good bamboo have decreased. Only by going where no one else is can we get twice the result with half the effort.”

“But,” Park Soo-ah looked troubled, “it’s so gloomy there. What if there are wild beasts?”

“Wild beasts? Surely not,” Luo Jingyun wasn’t particularly afraid. “If you’re scared, just wait for me here.” After saying it, she felt it wasn’t quite right and changed her tune: “Forget it, go cut your own, don’t mind me. When I’ve cut enough bamboo, I’ll head back on my own. Waiting around like this is a waste of time.”

Park Soo-ah felt that if she blocked Luo Jingyun any further, the other woman would surely get angry, so she nodded in compromise.

Luo Jingyun walked alone towards the deeper areas. Compared to the previous spot, this place was sparsely populated with almost no paths, yet the bamboo was thick and tall.

Following the teaching materials, Luo Jingyun quickly found several suitable bamboos, cut them into segments, and placed them in her basket. Her harvest along the way was bountiful. She checked the space in her basket and estimated she could fit about one more bamboo’s worth. She thought to herself that she’d finish this one “job” and then head back.

After some selection, Luo Jingyun identified her next target and stepped toward that unyielding bamboo. Suddenly, her foot hit empty air. Before she could react, the ground seemed to split open, and a large hole suddenly broke through.

“Ah!” Luo Jingyun fell abruptly, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Struggling to climb up, she looked at her surroundings. She realized she had fallen into a pit. To judge how deep it was, she stood up. A dull pain immediately shot from her right ankle; she must have twisted it when she fell.

Luo Jingyun sucked in a breath of cold air and tried to stand. Based on her own height, she estimated the pit was nearly two meters deep. She tried to stand on her tiptoes on her left foot and stretched her arms, but her fingertips only barely touched the edge. She forced herself to calm down and check the equipment she had with her. The GoPro could only record and view video. Although she had her phone, there was no signal in the deep mountains; it was practically scrap metal.

“What bad luck!” After cursing for a moment, Luo Jingyun began to think of other ways to get out.

Observing the surroundings, the pit was almost vertical, and there was nowhere on the walls to get any leverage. Luo Jingyun wasn’t a great jumper, and now that one ankle was injured, it was impossible to use a running start to get up. She didn’t lose heart and picked up the dropped cleaver, attempting to dig a few small footholds into the pit walls. However, after tossing and turning for half a day, there were no results.

Luo Jingyun despairingly realized that she could not get out of this pit on her own.

“Is anyone there? Can anyone save me?” Luo Jingyun sat at the bottom of the pit and began to wail. “Park! Soo! Ah! Can you hear me? I fell into a hole!”

“Whoever it is, please come save me!”

No one responded.

After shouting for a long time, Luo Jingyun’s throat was dry. She hadn’t brought water with her, so she decided to stop shouting and instead used the cleaver to tap against the earthen pit, trying to attract the attention of people nearby.

The sky gradually darkened, and almost no light reached the bottom of the pit. The bamboo forest was dead silent; except for the occasional bird call and the sound of wind through the leaves, nothing else could be heard. Scenes from horror movies she had seen instantly flashed through Luo Jingyun’s mind.

She hurriedly tried to turn on her phone’s flashlight, but because of the dropping temperature, her fingers were stiff. The more she rushed, the more chaotic she became, and it took a long time before she succeeded. She huddled in a corner, holding the phone in one hand and the cleaver tightly in the other.

“I… I am a materialist! Don’t come over here! If you… if you have any grievances, leave an address, and I will… I will burn paper for you. I’ll burn lots and lots of paper.”

A sound echoed above her head; it seemed like someone was walking. Luo Jingyun immediately went on high alert. “Who? Who’s there?”

A blurry dark shadow entered Luo Jingyun’s line of sight, but when she shone her flashlight toward it, there was nothing.

“There… there was a shadow, which means it’s not… not a ghost, right?”

But if it wasn’t a ghost, what else could it be? A wild beast? Oh no, that was even scarier.

Whether from the cold or fear, Luo Jingyun trembled, waving her cleaver to bolster her courage. “Whether you’re human, ghost, or beast, my cleaver isn’t just for show! Come over here and this grandmother will hack you to death!”

Once a bad thought entered her mind, it connected to even worse ones.

Various rare beasts and demons swirled in her head. Luo Jingyun had a breakdown and screamed, “AH!!!!! Don’t come near! If you’re so brave, kill me! Eighteen years from now, I, Luo Jingyun, will still be the fiercest woman!”

“Jingyun! Luo Jingyun!” Tan Jizhu called out loudly. “Where are you?”

Hearing someone call her name from afar, Luo Jingyun froze for a moment. After confirming it wasn’t a hallucination, she ignored the pain in her right foot and scrambled to stand up from the bottom of the pit to respond. “I’m here! Help! In the pit!”

“Jingyun,” Tan Jizhu heard the response and grew even more anxious. “Jingyun, is that you?”

“It’s me, it’s me! I’m in a pit! You must be careful, don’t fall in.”

“Okay, I’ll be careful.” Upon hearing this, Tan Jizhu lowered her gaze and used her flashlight to search around, looking for the pit Luo Jingyun had fallen into.

Green bamboo leaves were scattered on the ground; everything in sight was a wash of green. The light of the flashlight was suddenly swallowed up in one spot. Tan Jizhu ran over to the side and looked down into the pit. “Jingyun, is that you?”

“It’s me, it’s me.” Luo Jingyun’s eyes hurt from the intense light. she shielded her face with her hand and replied, “It’s me!”

Tan Jizhu peered over the edge of the pit. “Jingyun, are you okay?”

Luo Jingyun moved her hand. Even against the light, she recognized the person who came to save her was Tan Jizhu. She couldn’t help but sigh; it really was a case of “the more you try to cut ties, the more tangled they become.”

“I’m alright. I think I twisted my right ankle, but it shouldn’t be broken. I hurt it when I fell. I think this pit is about two meters deep. Do you have a rope?”

“No,” Tan Jizhu checked her surroundings. “I came in a hurry and didn’t bring any tools.”

“Alright,” Luo Jingyun didn’t blame her. “When you came looking for me, did you tell the production crew? They should be coming soon, right? Have them bring a rope or a ladder.”

“They came with me. I’ll ask them over the walkie-talkie.”

After a burst of static, Tan Jizhu reported the situation over the walkie-talkie. A response soon came saying they were going to find tools. Tan Jizhu hurried to comfort Luo Jingyun.

“Jingyun, don’t be afraid. I’m here with you.”

“Ha, thank you.” Having someone there was better than being all alone.

The mountain temperature was dropping, and their breath was visible as they spoke. Tan Jizhu noticed Luo Jingyun was shivering. She set the flashlight aside, lay down at the edge of the pit, and reached down. “Jingyun, can you grab my hand?”

“Huh?”

“Try to hold my hand, and I’ll pull you out. I don’t know if the crew will have a ladder or rope; we don’t have time to wait for them.”

Tan Jizhu’s upper body was almost entirely inside the pit. She held out both hands and said, “Jingyun, grab onto me.”

“What if I pull you into the pit too?”

“The rest of the crew already knows our location anyway. If you pull me down, we’ll just wait for rescue together. If I can get you up early, it’ll save some time. Hurry and try.”

Luo Jingyun didn’t dawdle. She tossed the basket and sickle aside, endured the discomfort in her ankle, and took a running jump from the center of the pit. “I got it! I’ve got you!”

Tan Jizhu used all the strength in her arms. “Hold on tight, I’m pulling you up.”

Luo Jingyun’s survival instinct kicked in. Guided by Tan Jizhu’s strength, she pressed her feet against the pit wall to add friction. She kicked at the dirt on the wall, trying to find a foothold for herself.

With the two of them pulling and pushing in coordination, Luo Jingyun finally saw the light of day again. The relief of surviving the ordeal made Luo Jingyun ignore everything else as she lunged at Tan Jizhu. “This is great, I’m saved. I thought I was going to die in that pit.”

Tan Jizhu was stunned for a moment, then she hugged Luo Jingyun tightly. This simple gesture had become Tan Jizhu’s greatest wish. She wanted to hold Luo Jingyun a little longer; she wanted to hold her like this forever.

Luo Jingyun was the first to react. She coughed awkwardly. “Um, it’s gotten this dark. Let’s hurry and find our way back.”

“Okay,” Tan Jizhu let go of Luo Jingyun and stood up. “Let’s go.”

Luo Jingyun also stood up, but the pain in her ankle made her stumble.

“Sss—”

“What’s wrong?”

“My ankle seems to be twisted. Let me rest a bit.” Luo Jingyun stood on her tiptoes, using the front of her foot to walk to alleviate the pain. Though it still hurt, now was not the time to be slow. “It’s fine. Let’s go quickly.”

Without a word, Tan Jizhu walked in front of Luo Jingyun and half-squatted. “Get on. I’ll carry you.”

“No… that’s not necessary.”

Tan Jizhu urged, “Hurry up, don’t waste time.”

“…” Luo Jingyun felt awkward, but she didn’t refuse. It hadn’t been easy for Tan Jizhu to come save her; it would be wrong to cause more trouble.

Leaning onto Tan Jizhu’s back, the woman handed her the flashlight. “Help me light the way. If there’s another pit, we’ll both fall in.”

“Oh.” Luo Jingyun rested one hand lightly on Tan Jizhu’s shoulder and held the flashlight with the other, illuminating the path ahead.

Sensing the movements of the person on her back, Tan Jizhu intentionally stumbled. “Oops.”

“What happened?” Luo Jingyun was startled and quickly threw her arms around Tan Jizhu’s neck. “Another pit?”

“No, I just tripped.” Tan Jizhu said deliberately, “Hold me tight, or we’ll both fall over.”

“Oh,” Luo Jingyun felt something was odd, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Tan Jizhu stopped talking and walked forward by the light. Aside from the rustling of bamboo leaves under their feet, only the sound of their breathing intertwined.

The dew was heavy deep in the forest. The sharp, cold scent of bamboo grew intense, making it impossible for Luo Jingyun to distinguish whether it was the smell of the bamboo itself or the scent of Tan Jizhu’s pheromones. Subconsciously sniffing, Luo Jingyun detected a fragrant aroma of rice cooked in bamboo tubes within that aggressive bamboo scent.

I must be hungry from being in the pit so long, Luo Jingyun thought to herself.

After walking for a few minutes, they reached the edge of the bamboo forest where staff members were already waiting. Seeing them emerge, everyone rushed forward to help. Someone came to support Luo Jingyun, while others used walkie-talkies to inform those still in the forest and tell them to come out.

As soon as she lay on the bed in the infirmary, Liu Yuqi, Chen Shidong, Park Soo-ah, and several other guests arrived.

“Jingyun, how are you?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Sorry for making you all worry.”

Tan Jizhu didn’t stand on ceremony and said directly, “Jingyun twisted her ankle. Can we please have the doctor take a look?”

Liu Yuqi went to call the doctor and told the other guests to go back and rest. Four of them said their goodbyes to Luo Jingyun and returned to their rooms, while Chen Shidong and Park Soo-ah decided to stay and keep watch.

The doctor arrived and, after an examination, reached a conclusion. Luo Jingyun didn’t have a fracture, only a soft tissue contusion in her ankle. She should try not to use too much force or jump for the next couple of days, and she would recover in a few days.

The doctor asked, “Are you staying here to rest tonight?”

Luo Jingyun replied, “Yeah, I’ll just stay here for today. I don’t feel like moving.”

“Alright, then I’ll leave the keys to the infirmary with you. I’m heading back.”

After seeing off the doctor, Liu Yuqi asked concernedly, “Jingyun, do you need to go to the county hospital for a check-up?”

Luo Jingyun waved her hand quickly. “No need, no need. The doctor said it’s fine. If you have a spare scooter I could use, I’ll just rely on that to get around for the next few days.”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” After showing her concern, Liu Yuqi looked at the people around her.

Tan Jizhu looked at Liu Yuqi, then at Chen Shidong, and the two of them immediately got the message.

“Ah, since there are no problems, we’ll head back first. Take care of yourself.” Chen Shidong and Liu Yuqi made a quick exit, dragging Park Soo-ah along with them.

“Eh? Senior, Director, why are you pulling me? I want to stay here with Jingyun.”

“Jingyun needs rest, let’s all go back. Be good, come see Jingyun tomorrow.”

“But why isn’t Tan Jizhu leaving?”

“Shh, shh, shh. She’ll leave in a bit too.”

The room suddenly became quiet, leaving only Luo Jingyun and Tan Jizhu.

Luo Jingyun stole a glance at Tan Jizhu and found the other woman staring straight at her. Subconsciously wanting to tell her to leave, she remembered that the only reason she wasn’t still in that earthen pit was because of Tan Jizhu.

The dismissive words hovered on the tip of her tongue before turning into a thank you. “Tan Jizhu, about today… thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Luo Jingyun repeated, “In any case, thank you.”

“Jingyun,” Tan Jizhu said with a smile, “if you truly want to thank me, why not marry me?”