Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Duan Rujin felt a lump in her throat. Cen Zhi’s phone call had dispelled all her negative emotions, but the thoughts she had just entertained made her feel as though she had truly wronged Cen Zhi.

How should she respond now?

She wrinkled her nose, trying her best to keep her tone light: “Okay, goodnight.”

“Are you…” Cen Zhi hadn’t hung up yet. She asked with a trace of uncertainty, “Did you drink a lot again?”

“Can you tell?”

“A little.”

Duan Rujin moved the phone slightly away from her face. She tilted her head back and took a deep breath before speaking back into the receiver. “And here I thought I sounded exactly the same as when you left.”

“Then you should get some sleep.”

Only after saying it did Cen Zhi remember Duan Rujin’s earlier reminder. She added, “I’m going to hang up now, Duan Rujin.”

“You actually told me beforehand this time.”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Cen Zhi.”

“Goodnight.”

the WeChat call lasted less than a minute. Duan Rujin stared at the call duration on the screen, feeling a bit dazed. She scrolled through their chat history until she found that call record from years ago that lasted hundreds of minutes.

She had a real talent for self-deception.

That night, she knew Cen Zhi had fallen asleep, but she simply didn’t hang up. She kept the line open, hearing nothing, and eventually fell asleep herself. It had brought her a strange sense of peace. When she woke up to a dead phone and saw the notification for those hundreds of minutes, it gave her the illusion that she had actually spent the whole night talking to Cen Zhi.

It was just a fleeting moment.

The reality was what they had now: no idle chatter, ending the call quickly.

But it was enough.

Duan Rujin’s lips quirked upward. This was at least better than the years of zero contact. Moreover, Cen Zhi hadn’t just sent a text saying she was home; she had called. Text has no voice; when you like someone, you want to hear their voice and see their face.

Since they wouldn’t see each other for the next three days, Duan Rujin woke up early to head to Liucheng with Xiao Yuan. This time, Xiao Yuan had rented a gas-powered car and drove all the way to their destination. During the few hours on the highway, Duan Rujin took many photos, but she didn’t send a single one to Cen Zhi.

She chose to post them on Weibo instead.

The caption was simple: “Scenery along the way.” It included the sky at the service area, the mountains captured from the highway, and slogans on city walls…

She posted a full set of nine photos, including a selfie inside the car.

The comment section exploded instantly. Some said “Good afternoon,” some praised her for sharing her life so frequently, and others urged her to join a new film set, even though she had just finished one. She picked a few cute comments to reply to, and her mood brightened considerably.

It was good to keep this desire to share hidden for now; she was truly afraid of scaring Cen Zhi off.

Today was Wednesday. Cen Zhi seemed to be off duty, but she wasn’t entirely sure. To her surprise, after checking into her hotel in Liucheng, she received a message from Cen Zhi: “Did you make it to Liucheng?”

“Yes.”

The contact marked with the orange 🍊 emoji replied instantly:

“Good.”

“Stay safe.”

“OK.”

Cen Zhi didn’t send any more messages. She had had a few drinks herself after her shower last night and had slept until now. She had to go to “Shining Star” this afternoon because her appointment with Zhang Yan was at 3:00 PM. After a quick lunch, she arrived at the shop early.

Feng Xingxing saw her and smiled. “Sister Cen, it’s your day off. What are you doing here?”

“I love working,” Cen Zhi said, her eyes crinkling.

Feng Xingxing immediately put on an exaggerated expression. “A person who loves working… how terrifying.”

Before they could chat further, the phone rang with an inquiry. Feng Xingxing immediately switched to her professional persona. Cen Zhi gave her a wave and headed to the second floor. She sat in the office and organized her already tidy desk.

With an hour left until three, she started reviewing some files. However, an adult’s focus usually only lasts about forty or fifty minutes. Once she finished, she took out her phone and opened Weibo.

In the selfie Duan Rujin had posted that morning, a paper sunflower was visible. It wasn’t in a prominent position; it wasn’t even a full flower—just half of one peeking out from the back seat—but Cen Zhi’s eyes locked onto it instantly.

She didn’t know why Duan Rujin would bring the paper sunflower with her.

She wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Wei Shu, who had taught her how to fold it, had just woken up and messaged her immediately: “That looks awfully familiar, A-Zhi.”

Wei Shu: “Argh, I am dying of jealousy!”

Wei Shu: “How come you get to! Just because you’re pretty and an old classmate?!”

Wei Shu: “Fine! I lose!”

Cen Zhi: “Stop being crazy.”

Cen Zhi suddenly thought of something and asked: “By the way, I have a question. What do sunflowers mean to Duan Rujin?”

Wei Shu: “I thought you knew, that’s why you chose to fold them. You didn’t know?”

Cen Zhi was stunned: “So?”

“Well, you know Xiao Duan is gorgeous. Fans love using flowers to describe her. In an interview two years ago, a magazine asked her what flower she would be if she could be one.” “As you can see, she said a sunflower.”

A string in Cen Zhi’s mind snapped tight. She remembered what Feng Xingxing had relayed to her when she handed her the flowers.

– She said these flowers suit you very well.

“Cen Zhi,” Wen Lin opened the door, looking at her. “Ready to go down? Boss Zhang is here.”

Cen Zhi’s thoughts snapped back. She swallowed hard, pulling herself out of her daze. She sent a quick “I have to get to work” to Wei Shu and stood up.

Wen Lin frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing. Let’s go, don’t keep Boss Zhang waiting.”

It was more than just putting up names. The five sets of ashes were placed on a tray and moved to a specially decorated farewell room. They were no longer remains, but resting inside cute, pink ceramic jars.

Cen Zhi remembered the location of each cat’s ashes. She handed a pen and paper to Zhang Yan and pointed to the first one. “This is the British Shorthair.”

Zhang Yan’s face looked calm, but her eyes were already red and swollen. She wrote the names as instructed and leaned down to kiss each jar. Her tears splashed against the ceramic as she choked out, “It’s been a week. How are you all? Your companions are doing well too; they’re still fighting and playing every day. They must miss you too. I miss you so much.”

After nearly an hour, Cen Zhi and Wen Lin watched Zhang Yan get into her car. This time, Zhang Yan took the jars with her, saying she wanted them at the shop so they wouldn’t lose their way.

Cen Zhi pulled open her car door. “If there’s nothing else, I’m heading out.”

“Wait.”

Wen Lin had a look on her face like she was watching a drama unfold. “I saw some flowers on your classmate’s Weibo this morning. They looked a bit familiar. Weren’t they the ones you were holding the other day?”

“…”

Support Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me