Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The temperature in late April was already very comfortable, especially at night.

Duan Rujin felt as if the breeze was blowing straight into her heart. Otherwise, why would Cen Zhi’s “imitation” of her previous gesture cause such a huge ripple in her soul?

Or rather…

A tidal wave.

She wasn’t nearly as calm as she appeared on the surface. Her free hand had long since curled into a fist without her realizing it. Except for work requirements, she rarely got manicures and kept her nails short; right now, only the tiny tips of her nails were pressing into her palm.

There was no pain, but the sensation grounded her, telling her that everything happening before her eyes was real.

“Then…” Duan Rujin softened her breathing. By turning her head slightly, she could catch the pleasant fragrance of Cen Zhi’s hair. “Next time this happens, should I go slower?”

God.

What am I saying?

Cen Zhi let go of her hand, straightened her back, and gave a curved-eye smile. “Sure.”

Duan Rujin didn’t quite dare to meet her gaze and quickly changed the subject. “Where was the car parked again?”

“Over there.” Cen Zhi stepped forward. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

An incredibly simple sentence, yet it felt layered with a hint of ambiguity.

Duan Rujin told herself she was overthinking. She nodded. “What time are we heading out tomorrow?”

“We have to be on the vehicle by 8:00 AM. The meeting point is right outside our shop. You and Yu Lu can leave a bit later than us, or we can all go together.”

“I’ll go back and discuss it with her.”

After dropping Duan Rujin off, Cen Zhi didn’t linger and headed back to her own complex.

Around 10:00 PM, Yu Lu appeared in the “Fur-baby Cheer Group” to discuss the cherry-picking trip. They finally settled on meeting at Cen Zhi’s shop at 8:00 sharp to head out together.

Since they had to wake up early, everyone quickly said “Goodnight,” though Cen Zhi didn’t fall asleep immediately.

She was a bit excited.

Even though there would be so many people tomorrow and it wasn’t a private date with Duan Rujin—in fact, it would be less private than their time in Liucheng—she still felt a thrill. It was like the feeling of a school field trip when she was a kid, but instead of being excited about the trip itself, she was excited because of the person.

She eventually got up to prepare the things she needed to bring.

She checked the weather forecast for the neighboring city. It might rain lightly in that area tomorrow, so she packed not only two extra umbrellas but also several raincoats. Raincoats were a staple at the shop; they were more convenient when rescuing animals in the rain.

Power bank, tissues, water…

In the middle of the night, Cen Zhi went downstairs to put these in her car before heading back up. After the flurry of activity, she finally felt sleepy and drifted into a peaceful dream.

She was jolted awake by her alarm.

She had set it for 6:50 AM, giving herself about an hour. After washing up and putting on makeup, she stopped by the bakery at the complex entrance to buy bread and fresh milk. She didn’t buy much—just enough for herself, Duan Rujin, and Yu Lu. Since they were her friends, she felt responsible for them; as for Wen Lin, she didn’t bother.

There were seven of them in total from the shop, so they only needed to take Cen Zhi’s and Wen Lin’s cars. They arrived at the shop courtyard five minutes before 8:00.

Three staff members were already there. Feng Xingxing and the others beamed when they saw them. “Sister Cen, Sister Wen!”

“Have you had breakfast?” Wen Lin asked as she got out, a cigarette tucked behind her ear, unlit.

Everyone nodded. Lin Wen answered, “I ate. I’m still not used to waking up this early.”

Cen Zhi leaned against her car, smiling. “Want to go back and sleep then? But by the time you wake up, we’ll already be at the orchard.”

Lin Wen: “I’ll catch up on sleep in the car, hehe.”

While chatting, the remaining two arrived. Everyone was on time. Just as they finished assigning people to cars, Cen Zhi received a message.

Miss Sunflower: “We’re outside.”

By “outside,” she meant the courtyard gate. Cen Zhi looked over and saw Yu Lu’s car parked there. The passenger window rolled down a crack, and a hand reached out to wave.

Cen Zhi walked over with the paper bag containing the milk and bread.

It was only ten meters away. Duan Rujin had rolled the window all the way down, revealing her face. She had put on makeup today and smiled at Cen Zhi. “Thank you.”

Cen Zhi nodded, not offering any overly polite pleasantries. She leaned down slightly toward Yu Lu in the driver’s seat. “Drive carefully, don’t lose us.”

Yu Lu was speechless. “Little sister, did I age four years more than you for nothing? I’ve had my driver’s license years longer than you!”

Cen Zhi lowered her eyes. The daylight was fully out now, but there was still a layer of morning mist. Being this close, she could see Duan Rujin’s eyes clearly.

She realized she hadn’t really “talked” to Duan Rujin yet since coming over. At that thought, Cen Zhi’s eyelashes fluttered, and she squeezed out a sentence: “…The bread from this place is pretty good.”

“Mhm.”

Cen Zhi wanted to add “the milk is good too,” but before she could speak, Wen Lin called out from the courtyard, “Zhi, come back and drive!”

“I have to go.”

“Okay.”

Seeing Cen Zhi get into her car, Duan Rujin rolled up the window. She took out the bread and milk. Yu Lu grabbed a piece, tore open the packaging, and took a huge bite. She let out a sigh. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two weren’t going to see each other for a long time, acting all ‘lovey-dovey’ like that.”

“Is it lovey-dovey?” Duan Rujin opened the milk.

Yu Lu’s eyes widened. “Wait, why don’t you find it weird for that word to be used on you two?” She caught herself. “Forget it. I called you out for ‘secretly dating’ before and you both denied it, saying it wasn’t ‘secret.’ I’m honestly impressed.”

Duan Rujin arched an eyebrow, took a sip of milk, and didn’t continue the topic. Instead, she said, “They’re pulling out of the yard.”

The neighboring city was called “Tongshan,” a small city surrounded by mountains on all sides. Due to its geography, it produced many types of fruit. One of the best fruits of the season was cherries. It wasn’t just Cen Zhi and her team; many private cars on the road to Tongshan were headed for the orchards.

The total distance was about 130 kilometers. Normally, it would take an hour and a half, but while the drive into the city was smooth, the road leading to the orchard district became a bottleneck. The cherry trees were planted on the mountains, and the winding mountain roads were difficult to navigate during the peak picking season.

In the end, they arrived at the pre-booked orchard parking lot an hour later than planned.

The temperature in Tongshan was several degrees lower than in Yuncheng. It was indeed an overcast day, though it wasn’t raining yet. After getting out of the car, a cool breeze greeted them, which felt very refreshing.

However, picking cherries on-site didn’t mean the price would be much lower; it was similar to market prices. The only perk was that you could eat while you picked. There were faucets nearby for washing. Since the shop’s budget was limited, they settled on a limit of 20 pounds per person. Twenty pounds was quite a lot, costing around a thousand yuan at market prices.

With the quota set, Wen Lin told everyone to grab a basket and start picking, noting they didn’t have to stay in one group.

The group soon split up into pairs and trios. Wen Lin grabbed a basket for herself. “I’m not going with you. Go find your ‘old classmate’ and the others.” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m being quite considerate, aren’t I?”

“I guess so.”

Duan Rujin and Yu Lu weren’t part of “Shining Star.” After listening to the orchard staff’s instructions, they grabbed their own baskets. The breeze here carried a sweet, fruity scent.

Cen Zhi turned and saw her two friends walking over. She pointed in a direction. “Shall we go over there?”

“Sure.”

By this time, there were already quite a few people picking cherries, though they were still considered early arrivals. They pulled their baskets into the orchard and began their work as “fruit farmers.” Duan Rujin had taken off her mask by now and went to wash a few cherries.

Yu Lu popped one into her mouth, her eyes instantly rounding. “Wow! So sweet!”

Cen Zhi hadn’t tried any yet. She asked casually, “Really?”

Duan Rujin picked up a cherry and held it to Cen Zhi’s lips. “Want to try?”

Yu Lu: “…”

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