Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Cen Zhi didn’t think the situation between her and Duan Rujin was “interesting”; she just felt Wen Lin was teasing her, especially since Wen Lin hadn’t had many opportunities to do so before.

Once she got home, she disposed of the withered sunflowers and washed the vase. She carefully arranged the paper sunflowers Duan Rujin had folded for her today and stared at them for several minutes before her phone screen lit up.

Duan Rujin had sent the photos.

To be honest, Cen Zhi’s untrained eyes couldn’t see much difference between the filtered photos and the scene in real life, but she silently saved them to her album nonetheless. She tapped the photo open, a hard-to-describe feeling rising in her chest.

She truly hadn’t expected to have a moment like this.

Those two halves of a heart pressed together made it look as if they were truly connected, though Cen Zhi knew that was only on the surface.

With that thought, she let out a quiet sigh, sat on the living room sofa, and messaged: “I have to work tomorrow, so I won’t be free until after work.”

By Any Means: “I know.”

Duan Rujin looked at the contact name she had set for Cen Zhi. After a moment of hesitation, she changed it to “Miss Sunflower.” Specifically, the phrase about sunflowers being the only thing worthy of her made Duan Rujin selfishly imbue the name with a special meaning in her heart.

Cen Zhi: “Think about if there’s anything you want to do in Yuncheng during the day. I’ll take you there in the evening.”

Miss Sunflower: “I think just feeling the breeze with you would be fine. The point isn’t what I want to do, Cen Zhi.”

Miss Sunflower: “It’s just being with you that matters.”

Cen Zhi’s breath hitched. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

After half a minute, when Duan Rujin didn’t get a reply, she figured her comment might have scared the other woman. She quickly dragged Yu Lu into the conversation: “Calling Lu along is OK too. We can talk to her about the specific plans for cherry picking the day after tomorrow.”

It was a perfectly chosen excuse.

Cen Zhi stared at the new message, her lips thinning. She replied: “Okay, I’ll ask her.”

Duan Rujin hadn’t realized that Cen Zhi was currently lacking any “bold” intentions. She stared at those few words for a while before directly @-ing Yu Lu in the “Fur-baby Cheer Group.” Yu Lu, who was currently idle, replied instantly and agreed immediately.

Cen Zhi dropped an emoji and went to shower, but the sense of irritability was so thick that even a shower couldn’t wash it away.

I should have responded to my inner feelings right then.

Duan Rujin was someone who could drop sweet talk at the drop of a hat—just like how she drew a heart for Wei Shu without being asked. Cen Zhi reminded herself not to take Duan Rujin’s words too seriously or overthink them; she should treat them as the enthusiastic remarks of a warm friend. But now, she had missed the best opportunity for a reply that could have led to a world of just the two of them.

Forget it.

I’ll just have to keep practicing.

They chatted idly before bed. Cen Zhi acted as if nothing had happened, ending the day’s conversation naturally with a “Goodnight.” Lying on her side in bed, she opened Weibo.

Her “Special Follows” had a new notification.

She had quietly set Duan Rujin to “Special Follow” a few days ago, and there was no need to guess who the notification was for. She tapped it. It was a post Duan Rujin had made a minute ago.

Duan Rujin: “Sending a heart to everyone. ❤️”

The “heart” was an emoji. The accompanying photo was a selfie taken at home. Her right hand was finding the angle for the camera, while her left hand curved up to complete the half-heart on her cheek. Her dimples were visible, and she was smiling brightly at the lens.

But what Cen Zhi couldn’t ignore was the origami sunflower tucked into the corner of the frame.

Whether Duan Rujin had done it intentionally or unintentionally was hard to say, but Cen Zhi felt a genuine sense of being soothed. She blinked, liked a few comments praising Duan Rujin’s beauty, and closed her phone.

After waking up, Cen Zhi tried to shake off her lingering gloom and headed to “Shining Star.” Because they were taking tomorrow off for cherry picking, the overall atmosphere in the shop was livelier than ever. Feng Xingxing, at the front desk, gave Cen Zhi a radiant smile: “Morning, Sister Cen!”

“Morning.” Cen Zhi nodded and went upstairs to her office.

Wen Lin had arrived a few minutes earlier today and was sitting in her chair grinding coffee. The rich aroma drifted through the small office. Cen Zhi turned on her computer and asked casually, “I haven’t seen you grind coffee before.”

“It’s quite stress-relieving,” Wen Lin said, continuing her slow grinding. “Besides, I’m just bringing in a manual grinder. You’re the one who used to bring in an actual person.”

Cen Zhi stared at her. “Did Sun Shuyi never come to the office? Do you think I have amnesia?”

“That was ages ago.”

“Stop poking at my sore spots,” Cen Zhi said, gripping her mouse and returning her focus to the screen. “Don’t think I don’t know who wants those cherries tomorrow. Some people only have this much courage.”

Wen Lin: “…” Wen Lin: “I can’t be bothered with you.”

She stood up to get some hot water, placed a filter paper in the dripper, added the coffee grounds, and began brewing. Cen Zhi felt she had won that round, a small smirk playing on her lips. She didn’t actually know for sure, but a little bluffing had clearly paid off.

The morning passed. Besides handling the remains of a dog, Cen Zhi had a lighter task: a parrot had passed away. The owner had paid for a farewell ceremony, so she acted as a listener in the farewell room, handing out tissues when the owner burst into tears. Pet owners were the same regardless of the species; raising a duck or a bird was no different from raising a cat or a dog.

By the afternoon, she had seen off two more beloved pets. Cen Zhi exhaled, sat back in her office, and rubbed her temples. She pulled out the photo she had saved yesterday and looked at it.

It was already 6:00 PM. Duan Rujin and Yu Lu hadn’t said where they were going yet. Just as she was about to send a message to the group, Yu Lu spoke up first: “Sorry fam, I have to bail on you tonight. Something urgent came up.”

Cen Zhi’s eyes lit up, though she kept her tone neutral: “OK.”

Duan Rujin replied instantly: “Mhm, go handle your business.”

Cen Zhi then opened her private chat with Duan Rujin, only to find that Duan Rujin had beaten her to it: “I’m almost outside your shop! Are you finished?”

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