Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

For Cen Zhi, terms like “secretly” or “dating” shouldn’t even exist in the same sentence as her and Duan Rujin. Seeing them paired together now made the air feel a bit subtle.

Yet, she couldn’t afford to show even a hint of her unease. She replied to Yu Lu exactly as Duan Rujin had suggested. Consequently, for the rest of the drive to Duan Rujin’s hotel, they were on a call with Yu Lu. Knowing how well the two of them were getting along now, Yu Lu didn’t offer any “criticism”; instead, she spent the whole call venting about her client.

“We’ve arrived at the hotel parking lot,” Duan Rujin said, bringing the conversation to a close. “We’re heading back to Yuncheng tomorrow. Can you finish your venting to us in person then, Lu?”

Cen Zhi unbuckled her seatbelt. She didn’t follow the script, saying instead, “I might be a bit busy.”

Yu Lu’s voice crackled through the phone: “It’s not like it’ll take up your working hours, Zhi!”

“Fine.”

The call ended, and everything went quiet. Cen Zhi locked her phone screen while Duan Rujin opened her car door. They stepped out and walked toward the elevators.

Duan Rujin had already put on her mask. This was peak time for the elevators, and several other people were waiting nearby. Cen Zhi instinctively shielded her, letting Duan Rujin stand by her side to block the gazes of the others. Once they entered the elevator, she stood directly in front of Duan Rujin.

The ascent was fast, but Cen Zhi could feel Duan Rujin tugging gently at the hem of her shirt from behind. The movement was slight, yet impossible to ignore.

The other passengers reached their floors first, leaving only the two of them in the elevator.

Watching the doors slide shut, Cen Zhi relaxed her body and took a small step forward. “You should have worn a hat.”

Duan Rujin’s eyes were simply too recognizable.

With a ding, the elevator arrived at the floor of Duan Rujin’s suite. At the same time, Cen Zhi heard Duan Rujin speak: “I was in a rush to leave and forgot.”

Cen Zhi stepped out. She didn’t dare ask why Duan Rujin had been in such a rush.

However, Duan Rujin clearly didn’t intend to let her off the hook. She quickly caught up and walked alongside her, smiling. “It was because I was going to pick you up, Miss Cen. You can’t ignore that, even if you try.”

Cen Zhi glanced at her. “Then pay more attention next time?”

“Do you still want me to pick you up after work?” Duan Rujin arched an eyebrow. “My appearance fee is very expensive.”

“I have no money.”

The next second, her wrist was caught again by the person beside her. She turned to find her smiling brightly. “But Miss Cen, my room is to the right. You’re going the wrong way.”

Technically, it only took twenty minutes to get from Sun Shuyi’s shop to the hotel room, but for some reason, it felt like an ordeal to Cen Zhi. Sitting down in the brightly lit living room of the business suite, she still felt a bit dazed.

This was a business suite with many more amenities than a standard room, including a separate, cozy little balcony.

Duan Rujin tossed her phone to Cen Zhi. “Order some food.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t know.”

Cen Zhi looked at her. “Don’t you have dietary requirements? Like keeping the calories low?”

“I’ve already had several meals with you. Have you seen me be picky?”

Cen Zhi nodded. “True.”

She began browsing the delivery app while Duan Rujin added from the side, “But this industry definitely has body standards. I exercise whenever I have free time.”

Duan Rujin went to the wardrobe, opened it, and pulled out a set of workout clothes, holding them up against herself. “See? I bring workout gear wherever I go.”

The clothes were grey and simple in style.

Watching Duan Rujin share her life so naturally gave Cen Zhi an indescribable feeling. She felt as though she were gradually stepping into Duan Rujin’s world, learning her habits. What about her, then? Was it “even,” as Duan Rujin had said?

“What kind of exercise do you do?” Cen Zhi asked casually, her eyes back on the phone.

“Like Pamela Reif workouts,” Duan Rujin replied, hanging the clothes back in the wardrobe.

Cen Zhi nodded. “I do those occasionally too.”

Duan Rujin walked slowly toward her and said leisurely, “But I also have a private trainer. Especially before joining a new set, I go for training.” She gave a light cough. “My stamina is pretty good right now.”

“I can tell.”

“How can you tell?” Duan Rujin’s eyes widened slightly.

“The day you went rock climbing.”

Duan Rujin laughed. “Oh.” She sat down beside Cen Zhi. “I thought you hadn’t noticed me.”

Cen Zhi didn’t respond to that. She handed the phone back. “This grilled fish place looks good. Want to try it?”

“Sure.”

Duan Rujin swiftly placed the order. Since it was still raining outside, the delivery was estimated to take an hour. She handed Cen Zhi a power bank and a charging cable before taking her pajamas and heading into the bathroom to shower.

Cen Zhi sat on the sofa, her mind blank. No, that wasn’t true—she wasn’t thinking of nothing. She simply remembered that on that rainy night five years ago, Duan Rujin had also gone to shower first.

Tonight was also a rainy night, and Duan Rujin was showering again. But surely, nothing else would be the same.

Cen Zhi looked at her phone. She opened Weibo. The hot search list was full of boring content—who was dating whom, what color someone was wearing, and role marketing for dramas she hadn’t seen. She didn’t click on any of them. Eventually, she bit her lip and searched for “Duan Rujin.”

The first trending post was a GIF of Duan Rujin’s past roles—all focused on her beauty. Cen Zhi didn’t open it. She kept scrolling until she saw a post at the bottom of the trending list: “Guys, help! I think I ran into Duan Rujin, but I’m not sure if it was her…”

It was accompanied by a photo at a rescue station. It was clearly a candid shot; Duan Rujin wasn’t looking at the camera but was talking to a staff member. In the photo, Duan Rujin was wearing a mask and a hat. A casual observer might not recognize her, but her fans certainly would. Besides, Xiao Yuan was standing right next to her, and Xiao Yuan wasn’t disguised at all.

The post had gone viral. The comments were full of fans asking, “What is my sister doing?”

“Is she adopting a cat or dog?” Others asked the original poster for more details, but the poster admitted they didn’t know anything and had only just realized it really was her.

Just as Cen Zhi clicked to enlarge the photo, she heard the bathroom door open and Duan Rujin’s clear, pleasant voice: “Is the food here yet?”

“No.” Cen Zhi exited the interface with the guilt of a thief, her fingers sliding across the screen as she pretended to look at something else.

“Then I’ll blow-dry my hair.”

“Okay.”

Duan Rujin went back into the bathroom but left the door open. The sound of the hairdryer echoed through the room.

Cen Zhi let out a quiet breath, realizing her palms were slightly sweaty. She hadn’t done anything wrong—why was she reacting like this? She rubbed her temples.

A few minutes later, a delivery robot arrived. Cen Zhi took the food and set it on the table. Duan Rujin emerged from the bathroom just then, wearing a black camisole. She used her hands to gather her hair and clip it up as she walked, looking effortless and charming.

“Miss Cen.”

Duan Rujin called out to her. “I just remembered I brought skincare products for dry and sensitive skin. Are you staying?”

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