Falling for the Married Movie Queen - Chapter 5

Yu Junye stared at her phone screen, cleared her throat, drew in a long breath, and finally answered right before the call disconnected.

“Hello!” Her voice naturally and seamlessly shifted into a gentle, soft-toned cadence. Everyone nearby glanced sideways; without needing to guess, they all knew who was on the other end.

That’s right, the person calling was none other than Yu Junye’s boyfriend, Guo Nianhong. Yu Junye had a strong hunch that her assistant must have gossiped, leaking the news of her fright earlier to him.

“How are you feeling now? I’ll check flight schedules in a moment and head over as soon as possible,” Guo Nianhong asked with anxious concern.

“I’m fine, you don’t need to worry.” A warm current flowed through Yu Junye’s heart, sweet and comforting. The feeling of being cared for and cherished by someone was genuinely wonderful.

“Are you really alright?” Guo Nianhong still sounded somewhat unconvinced.

“It really was just a prop. There are tons of people on set, and you’re so busy you don’t need to make a special trip out here.” Yu Junye knew how hectic Guo Nianhong’s business was; sometimes he had to carve out scraps of time just to eat or sleep.

“I’m still a bit worried.”

“Don’t worry. I’m totally fine. Besides, don’t I have Producer Han watching my back?”

“If you feel any discomfort at all, you must remember to call me. If there’s no time, you can always ask Han Deyu for help first.”

“Mm-hmm!” Yu Junye paused, speaking in a soft, milky tone, her voice dropping a fraction. “Thank you!”

“Silly girl, just take good care of yourself.”

After hanging up, Yu Junye felt her scattered wits settle back into place. The moment she turned around, however, she was met with a ring of gossipy, spectating eyes.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such sweet, loving phone chats,” Eileen clicked her tongue with a playful grin.

An Ji smiled in silence. As an older person with lived experience, she naturally understood that kind of emotional dynamic, so her gaze carried a profound, knowing warmth.

Under the collective scrutiny, Yu Junye suddenly felt a brush of bashfulness.

“Alright, alright. The incident is behind us now. Everyone hurry up and go take off your makeup. Once you’re done with what’s in your hands, meet me over at Yuanmeng Pavilion right next to the hotel!” Seeing the atmosphere lighten up and realizing it wasn’t all that early anymore, Han Deyu seized the moment to urge everyone along.

Yu Junye glanced toward the direction of her dressing room, and a tight, densely woven panic fluttered back to life. Standing frozen in place, her legs suddenly felt strangely heavy.

Having already started walking toward her own dressing room, An Ji noticed the lack of footsteps behind her. She halted, turned around, and saw Yu Junye still rooted to the spot, biting her lower lip with a solemn expression. After a brief moment of thought and intuition, she walked back to Yu Junye’s side, her eyes bright and warm as she offered softly, “Come remove your makeup in my dressing room. I was actually hoping to find someone to chat with anyway.”

Meeting An Ji’s smiling face and bright eyes, Yu Junye caught her meaning instantly. A look of profound gratitude washed over her features as she replied, “Thank you, Teacher An.”

“Let’s go, no need to be so polite.” With that, An Ji took hold of Yu Junye’s arm and guided her toward the dressing room.

“I’ll come find you two in Teacher An’s room in a bit,” Eileen called out as she spun on her heel. “You guys need to move fast! I definitely don’t want to wait around for long.”

“We will. See you in a bit, then.”

Having made their arrangements, the three of them split up to remove their stage makeup.

Only after changing out of her period costume did Yu Junye realize that her undergarments seemed to have been completely soaked through with sweat. Clinging damply to her skin, they carried a cold chill, but since she hadn’t brought any temporary changes of clothes, she had no choice but to bear it and wait for them to dry out from body heat.

Inside the quiet dressing room, the stylist worked without a single moment of pause.

Through the mirror, Yu Junye watched as An Ji sat docilely with her eyes closed in the chair. Taking advantage of the moment, she studied someone closely for the very first time: An Ji truly possessed that rare brand of classical Eastern allure fair, delicate skin, high and graceful arched brows, radiating a brilliant glow. Combined with her distinct black-and-white peach-blossom eyes, complemented by refined manners and a gentle, flowing fluidity, she was more than amply equipped to captivate all under heaven.

Thinking back to her two accidental trespasses earlier especially having just caught An Ji secretly pressing a hand to her chest that collision must have hurt quite a bit. Yet An Ji hadn’t shown an ounce of impatience or blame.

A sudden sourness pricked at the back of Yu Junye’s nose. Such a gentle, older sister figure radiated so much warmth, making it hard for her to understand why the media occasionally ran stories accusing her of a loose private life. Was it simply because a woman was beautiful that people automatically assumed she was promiscuous? She looked nothing of the sort no matter how one analyzed it, though none of that was her concern anyway; her only job was to partner up with her and deliver a great performance. People gossiping probably never bothered trying to understand the truth they just wanted to grab eyeballs, since gossip traffic always far outstripped the actual work itself, Yu Junye mused.

Fortunately, she had never been skilled at pandering to the media. Focusing purely on her career as an actor and pouring herself into her craft meant she wouldn’t stray too far off course.

“Teacher An, I’m sorry about earlier,” Yu Junye muttered in a muffled voice.

Hearing this, An Ji opened her eyes, the corners of her lips curving into a smile as she spoke in a soft purr, “Everything happened for a reason today, and it was entirely unintentional, so you don’t need to take it to heart. Just be a little more careful from now on and make sure you don’t hurt yourself.”

“Mhm! I will, thank you, Teacher An.” Yu Junye looked as obedient and well-behaved as a docile student being lectured by a teacher.

“Are you two done yet?” Eileen poked her head silently through the doorway.

“Almost. Just hold on a little longer,” Yu Junye chimed in first.

“No rush, take your time. I can wait!” Eileen casually pulled up a chair and made herself comfortable.

“Have either of you ever been to Nanshi before?” Eileen asked the moment she sat down.

“Never!” Yu Junye answered in a low voice.

“Teacher An, what about you?” Eileen turned her head to look at An Ji.

“Neither have I. This is my first time,” An Ji replied, her voice low and possessing its customary gentleness.

“Looks like none of us have been here. I heard there’s a really famous night market around here we should find a time to check it out together!”

“Sounds good!”

“And there’s a scenic spot here too I heard praying to the deities there is supposed to be super effective. I’d love to go!”

The moment Eileen stepped in, her chatter refused to stop for a second, instantly bringing a bustling lively energy to the dressing room. An Ji maintained her gentle smile throughout, chiming in with a reply or a remark every now and then, creating a harmonious and cozy atmosphere.

“Let’s head out.” Once An Ji finished removing the last bits of her makeup, the three of them set off together toward Yuanmeng Pavilion.

Encountering a bit of traffic along the way, by the time they arrived, everyone else was already gathered and seated.

“Everyone’s here. Shall we get started?” Having arranged the seating for the group, Han Deyu walked back to his seat and asked director Yin Yongquan a symbolic question.

“Let’s begin!”

The banquet officially commenced amidst a flurry of polite pleasantries.

After quietly declining two rounds of wine toasts, An Ji found herself completely undisturbed as no one else dared to risk running into a cold wall with her.

After downing two glasses of wine, Eileen’s face turned as red as a boiled lobster, prompting everyone to leave her be in peace as well.

Consequently, all attention shifted entirely toward the lively, cheerful Yu Junye.

“Xiao Yu, you had a fright today. Let me toast you.”

“Teacher Yu, I’m sorry about earlier. Cheers.”

“Teacher Yu, I’m a newcomer, please guide me.”

“Xiao Yu, come on here’s to a great collaboration.”

Glass after glass, cup after cup.

Yu Junye, who boasted a reputation of never getting drunk even after a thousand cups, accepted practically every single drink handed her way.

Both Eileen and An Ji watched her with growing concern, yet Yu Junye displayed zero abnormalities and showed no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Knowing Yu Junye’s alcohol tolerance inside out, Han Deyu thoughtfully stepped in to call a halt right around an appropriate threshold.

Amidst a warm, harmonious atmosphere, the banquet finally drew to a close with a portion of the attendees thoroughly intoxicated.

“Teacher Yu, how are you feeling?” An Ji asked with a worried gaze, noting the somewhat hazy look in Yu Junye’s eyes, a far cry from her sharp, lively demeanor during the day.

Yu Junye didn’t speak; she merely felt waves of biting chill washing over her body.

“Cold…” After a long moment, Yu Junye managed to squeeze out a single word.

Eileen and An Ji exchanged a bewildered look. Normally, someone who had consumed alcohol would feel warm and feverish all over!

Pausing to think for a moment, An Ji noticed that Yu Junye’s lips had turned somewhat pale. Reaching out, she pressed the back of her hand against Yu Junye’s forehead: it was burning hot and sticky with fine beads of sweat, registering a temperature far beyond normal.

She had a fever!