Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

It was now late April, and Labor Day was fast approaching. Normally, a public holiday wouldn’t have much to do with “Shining Star,” but when Cen Zhi sat down in the office on Monday, Wen Lin unexpectedly proposed giving everyone time off for the holiday.

Cen Zhi was stunned. “Am I hallucinating?”

Wen Lin had always prioritized the shop’s business; she was the one who had insisted on not closing during public holidays for the past three years. Seeing her suggest Labor Day off now was a complete shock.

“Not exactly,” Wen Lin twirled her pen. “I saw a news report about improving team cohesion by relaxing outdoors. Think about it—’Shining Star’ has been open for three years. We’ve had meals together, but we’ve never had a chance to go out and relax as a group.”

Cen Zhi rested her chin on her hand. “But aren’t you aware of the crowds during Labor Day? Where would we even go? Besides, a company teambuilding event and a ‘holiday’ are two different concepts. A holiday belongs to the individual, not the company. If you want to do a teambuilding event, just call it that—don’t hide behind the banner of giving us a holiday.”

“Fair point.”

Cen Zhi was getting confused. “So it’s not actually a holiday, right? You just want to find a day to take everyone out to play.”

“Yes.”

“And what’s the plan?”

“Fruit picking in a neighboring city, how about that?”

Cen Zhi massaged her temples. “It’s doable, I guess. But the shop is fully booked until April 27th. The only option is the 28th, since the actual holiday starts on the 29th.”

And so, the “Shining Star” outing was settled.

Cen Zhi drafted a notice for the group chat. If the event used up someone’s scheduled day off, they could compensate for it later. Naturally, no one objected; after all, a teambuilding event meant the two bosses, Cen Zhi and Wen Lin, would be footing the bill. Since the atmosphere in the shop was great, everyone expressed their joy with a flood of emojis, bringing a small smile to Cen Zhi’s face.

Still, Wen Lin’s sudden urge to go fruit picking in another city felt a bit peculiar.

There were pet remains to be handled both in the morning and afternoon. Wen Lin had covered Cen Zhi’s work during her business trip, but Cen Zhi hadn’t lost her touch, handling everything with her usual meticulous care. When she finally returned to the office and unlocked her phone, she saw a message from Yu Lu sent twenty minutes prior.

Yu Lu: “Zhi, are you back in Yuncheng?”

“Just got back to the office.”

Yu Lu replied instantly: “So are you about to get off work?”

“Yes.” Cen Zhi glanced at the time. “I’ll sit for a bit longer to look over some files, then head back.”

Yu Lu: “Then I’ll come find you.”

Cen Zhi didn’t know what it was about, but she agreed: “Sure.”

Yu Lu usually sought her out when something was up. Over the past three years, they’d shared many such moments, mostly involving Yu Lu venting about nightmare clients, just like her message in Liucheng suggested. Cen Zhi expected more of the same tonight.

But tonight was different.

The two went to the same restaurant they always visited, sitting in their usual spot. Halfway through the meal, Yu Lu hadn’t said a word about work. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore, clutching her hair. “I just want to ask… what goes on in a straight girl’s head?”

“Huh?” Cen Zhi felt a pang of guilt. She put down her chopsticks. “So, what happened?”

“A girl I liked in university… I ran into her when I was in Beijing recently. Honestly, we weren’t even that close back then, but I ended up confessing to her in a daze. She rejected me, of course—very politely and tactfully. She said she didn’t like me, and it wasn’t because of my gender, she just… didn’t like me.”

“…” That sounds a bit odd.

Yu Lu tapped the table. “So I moved on, right? Who would have thought that after all these years, she’d still remember me.”

Cen Zhi took a sip of water and prompted with a hum: “And then?”

“And then she invited me…” Yu Lu covered her face. “…to a hotel room.”

Cen Zhi choked on her water, turning her head and coughing violently. Yu Lu scrambled to hand her a tissue and pat her shoulder. “Is it really that shocking?”

“It’s… it’s wild.” Cen Zhi caught her breath, her eyes tearing up.

Yu Lu sat back down. “Obviously, I didn’t agree. Xiao Shi mentioned this kind of situation before; she said you might as well just enjoy the moment, but she was talking about strangers. This is my…” She searched for the word. “White moonlight?”

“Mhm.”

“So what’s the status now?”

Yu Lu shook her head. “No status. We exchanged contact info, but we haven’t really talked since I got back. I just don’t understand her logic, which is why I’m asking you.”

“I wouldn’t know either,” Cen Zhi said slowly. “Maybe some ‘straight girls’ are only straight on the surface.”

Yu Lu rubbed her chin. “Are you?”

“Would you believe me if I said ‘yes’?”

“No.”

The restaurant was bustling and noisy, but luckily their corner was private enough that no one could overhear. Cen Zhi quickly changed the subject to the fruit-picking trip on the 29th.

Yu Lu raised her hand. “I want to go too! Can I pay my own way and join you guys?”

“Just drive yourself.”

“I’ll ask Rujin about it.”

Cen Zhi froze. She didn’t stop her, but by the time she parted ways with Yu Lu, she still didn’t know Duan Rujin’s answer. Back home, she stared at the empty chat log with Duan Rujin, feeling a bit lost.

It always seemed to be this way with Duan Rujin. When they were together in person, it was natural, but once apart, they rarely messaged. She had been busy with work today, and Duan Rujin surely had her own things to do.

She swiped her thumb over the screen, then typed: “What time are you free tomorrow?”

Thinking it sounded too blunt without a name, she added “Miss Duan” at the end. Even after she finished her shower, there was no reply. She leaned against the bed, bit her lip, and sent another: “Is 2:00 PM okay?”

Still no answer.

Finally, she tried a WeChat voice call, but it rang until it timed out. Cen Zhi slid down into her covers, rolling over to check Weibo. Yu Lu hadn’t mentioned whether Duan Rujin was going fruit picking, probably because she hadn’t heard back either. It left Cen Zhi feeling hollow—so this was what it felt like when you couldn’t reach someone.

Duan Rujin had truly tried to reach her before, hadn’t she? That’s why she said yesterday: “Just don’t let me lose contact with you again.” But why did Duan Rujin want to reach her so badly? The thought made Cen Zhi’s chest feel tight.

She killed time watching videos until 10:30 PM. Still nothing. She messaged Yu Lu, who was definitely still awake: “Did Duan Rujin reply to you?”

Yu Lu: “Nope.”

Yu Lu: “But she’s busy today, it’s not weird that she hasn’t replied.”

“Okay.” Cen Zhi didn’t want to ask what she was busy with; it felt like overstepping. But why did Yu Lu know?

Yu Lu clearly had no intention of keeping it a secret: “She has a ‘closed-door experience’ today, I think. Something like doing something for 12 hours without a phone.”

“They have stuff like that?”

“Yep. Anyway, sounds boring. I’d die without my phone. Even those few hours at the hobby shop on my birthday were hard, let alone 12.”

Cen Zhi: “Mhm.”

If it was 12 hours, then it should be over soon, right? Cen Zhi didn’t mind that Duan Rujin hadn’t told her; friends don’t need to report every single thing they do. The only reason Yu Lu knew was because Yu Lu talked a lot. Yes, that must be it.

Cen Zhi forced her eyes open, watching the clock tick by. At 11:01 PM, she finally got a reply.

By Any Means: “2:00 PM works.”

By Any Means: “I just got my phone back.”

Cen Zhi nearly bolted upright in bed. she let out a long breath, calmed her heart, and replied: “Then I’ll pick you up tomorrow? Her shop is a bit far.”

“Sure.”

Suddenly, two voice messages from Duan Rujin popped up. Cen Zhi tapped them—

“I thought you weren’t going to message me, Cen Zhi.”

“Turns out you did. Thank you.”

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