Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

If Cen Zhi still couldn’t see through Duan Rujin’s little tricks, she felt she’d need to go and get her IQ tested.

Although she had no experience sleeping with anyone other than Duan Rujin, she was firmly convinced that she would never insist on holding Duan Rujin’s hand to fall asleep. If that were the case, why hadn’t Duan Rujin mentioned it before?

But what was Duan Rujin’s goal in doing this?

“Is it fun?” Cen Zhi lifted her eyelids and looked straight ahead.

The highway was mostly mountain roads. Aside from the sky still being a bit gray, the rain had stopped. It was Sunday, and there were plenty of cars on the road; Xiao Yuan was driving very steadily.

Duan Rujin’s voice went up at the end: “Not bad.”

“Have you played enough?”

“Just about.”

Cen Zhi pulled her hand out of Duan Rujin’s palm. The skin that had been touched felt as if it had been rolled through a fire, the heat traveling through her blood to her heart. She shifted back into her seat unobtrusively.

Duan Rujin chased after her: “I’m still very sleepy, I’ll lean on you for a bit longer.” She paused for half a second. “I won’t tease you this time.”

Cen Zhi relaxed, yet felt a trace of disappointment, though she just gave a surface-level “Mhm.”

Straight girls’ games are truly hard to evaluate.

They arrived in Yuncheng in silence. During the break at the service area, Duan Rujin didn’t even get out of the car; she slept from start to finish.

Cen Zhi was dropped off at her apartment complex first. She watched the black sedan disappear from view, her lips pursed. As soon as she got home, she threw Duan Rujin’s clothes into the washing machine and then dried them in the dryer. She carefully placed them in a paper bag. After her afternoon nap, she received a message from Duan Rujin right on time: “It’s time.”

When they parted, they had agreed on the time for the injection: 4:00 PM.

Cen Zhi: “Coming.”

It was the same health center as last time—the fourth shot.

The sun in Yuncheng was intense. Cen Zhi felt that wearing a crop-top camisole was perfectly reasonable, but when she met Duan Rujin, she noticed the other woman’s gaze lingering on her slim waist several times.

Cen Zhi handed her the bag: “Your clothes.”

Duan Rujin, wearing her hat and mask again, slowly took the bag, her eyes curving. “Miss Cen’s waist is going to be lent to me again.”

“Mhm.”

Duan Rujin stared into her eyes. “I hope that when I hold you later, I don’t leave any marks on your waist.”

Cen Zhi’s expression remained flat. She didn’t respond to the remark, only saying, “Let’s go inside.”

The smell of disinfectant filled Cen Zhi’s nose, and the sound of children crying in the hallway and lobby was as constant as ever. They took a number and waited a while before entering the consultation room, which muffled the crying.

It was the same doctor as before.

Cen Zhi stood by Duan Rujin’s side. She looked down and could see the exposed line of her waist. The “hot weather” was just an excuse. She wanted to pay back Duan Rujin for her tricks, lest she seem too passive. So what if she was a straight girl? Who said she couldn’t play along?

Cen Zhi glanced at the seated Duan Rujin. The latter was truly afraid of needles, looking quite pitiful now.

“Starting now,” the doctor said, disinfecting with iodine.

Duan Rujin had already closed her eyes, and just like before, she wrapped one arm around Cen Zhi’s waist. But this time was different—her lips pressed unreservedly against the skin of Cen Zhi’s waist.

Soft, warm, and accompanied by shallow breaths.

Time seemed to freeze. Cen Zhi struggled to keep her body from tensing up so Duan Rujin wouldn’t notice, but how could she ignore such intimate contact? She was truly digging her own grave.

A few seconds later, the shot was done. The doctor placed the discarded needle on the tray. “Stay for observation for thirty minutes.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Duan Rujin’s voice snapped Cen Zhi back to reality.

The two left the room one after another, walked through the hallway, and found a secluded spot in the lobby to sit down. The patch of skin on Cen Zhi’s waist felt as if it had been scorched; every second reminded her of what had just happened.

Duan Rujin was still pressing the cotton ball against her arm. Her eyes were filled with a subtle smile as she looked at Cen Zhi. “Only one shot left until I’m free.”

“Mhm.” Cen Zhi gripped her phone. Wanting to ignore the sensation at her waist, she focused on the screen, acting very busy.

“Cen Zhi,” Duan Rujin suddenly asked, “Will you come with me for the fifth shot?”

Cen Zhi’s finger paused on the screen. She turned to meet her gaze. She didn’t give a definitive answer, only offering a relaxed smile. “If you want me to, I can.” To make herself feel better, she added, “After all, we’re friends now. Accompanying someone for a shot is a perfectly normal thing to do.”

“But do you want to accompany me?”

The curve of Cen Zhi’s lips didn’t change, and she still didn’t give a straight answer: “That depends on if I’m busy that day.”

Hearing this, Duan Rujin removed the cotton ball. Her smile under the mask looked a bit bitter. “True. I’m on vacation right now, but you have work to do.”

“Mhm.”

Cen Zhi went back to replying to messages in her group chat. She usually didn’t participate much, but now she felt compelled to answer people’s questions. To her surprise, she received a message from Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan asked if she had time in the next few days; she had adjusted her mood and wanted to treat Cen Zhi, Wen Lin, and Hao Man to dinner.

After all, the condition of those cats had been tragic, and the effort to restore them had been grueling. Cen Zhi politely declined. They rarely socialized with clients unless they hit it off particularly well, like with Wei Shu or Sun Shuyi. She was certain she and Zhang Yan wouldn’t click because Zhang Yan’s grief was so immense that she didn’t know how to interact with her in a healthy way.

As expected, in their private three-person group chat, both Wen Lin and Hao Man said they had also declined.

Cen Zhi’s lips quirked up. She realized Duan Rujin beside her was being unusually quiet. She wasn’t on her phone; instead, she had tilted her head back and pulled her hat down, revealing her long, fair neck.

“Sleepy?” Cen Zhi locked her screen and asked.

Duan Rujin shook her head slightly. “No, just thinking about something.”

“Then keep thinking.” Cen Zhi checked the time. “A few more minutes until the doctor checks on you, then we can go.”

“Are you in a hurry to leave?” Duan Rujin countered.

“Not really. I don’t work until tomorrow.”

Duan Rujin tilted her head to the other side and let out a soft huff, but didn’t speak.

Cen Zhi was baffled. “Why ask that?”

“You were chatting with someone else and ignored me,” Duan Rujin said, avoiding the main issue while letting her discomfort show.

Cen Zhi looked at the strangers passing by in the lobby. She was confused for a moment before realizing it was about the WeChat messages. She opened her mouth to explain it was work-related, but felt there was no need to justify it.

“Sorry,” Cen Zhi said sincerely. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No.”

Cen Zhi reached out and lifted the brim of Duan Rujin’s hat, then used one hand to gently turn her face toward her. Her tone was somewhat helpless. “But you certainly don’t look like someone who feels ‘fine’.”

“…” Duan Rujin’s throat bobbed.

Cen Zhi let go and finally explained: “I was just declining a dinner invitation from that cat cafe owner. She hasn’t recovered yet, and I’m worried that if we meet, she’ll ask about the details of her pets, which would only hurt her more.” She sighed. “She already took the ashes; I usually assume that means the connection is severed. I didn’t expect her to message me again.”

Duan Rujin listened quietly, blinking.

Seeing no response, Cen Zhi pursed her lips and said softly, “Also, I’m not in a hurry to leave. Didn’t you say you were thinking? Checking the time for you is normal, isn’t it? It’s just like when a deskmate at school was sneaking a snack and I’d watch the window for the dean. Don’t you think?”

“No.”

Duan Rujin’s voice actually had a hint of a nasal, teary quality.

She was startled by her own voice, and Cen Zhi was equally taken aback and became flustered. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Duan Rujin pulled her hat down again, hiding herself. “Cen Zhi, I’m sad that you didn’t give me a certain answer. If you don’t want to come for the fifth shot, don’t force yourself. I don’t want to waste your—”

“I want to,” Cen Zhi interrupted, then repeated firmly, “I want to accompany you.”

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