Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Cen Zhi hadn’t expected Duan Rujin to make such a move, but it happening was one thing; having Yu Lu point it out was quite another.

She didn’t turn her gaze. Instead, she started petting another dog’s head and said, “Yu Lu, are you and Xiao Shi even in the same circle?”

“Of course we are.”

“The ‘straight girls’ in her circle are practically shaking the beds apart,” Cen Zhi said, finally looking at Yu Lu. “Is Miss Duan grabbing my hand to pet a dog really more exaggerated than that?”

Duan Rujin tilted her head, her eyes full of inquiry as she looked at Yu Lu. “Xiao Lu, your understanding compared to Xiao Shi’s is a bit like kindergarten level.”

Yu Lu: “…”

“And I suggest you don’t keep that label on the tip of your tongue,” Cen Zhi added.

“Hmm?”

“According to the law of conservation of energy, the more you say ‘straight girl,’ the less likely any heart-fluttering candidates will approach you,” Cen Zhi fabricated. “I think it’s a form of suggestion. Just like if you want to get rich, you should say ‘money come to me from all directions’ rather than ‘money, get lost,’ right?”

Yu Lu was four years older than them, but ever since Cen Zhi had known her, she had never seen her in a relationship. It wasn’t that Yu Lu lacked options, but rather that she hadn’t met anyone she liked and refused to settle for other suitors.

“Is that so?” Yu Lu furrowed her brows, falling into deep thought.

Duan Rujin’s hands hung at her sides. She glanced at the composed Cen Zhi, and the tension she had been holding relaxed a bit. She hummed in agreement, “Feels like it.”

“OK, I get it.”

Yu Lu also rubbed a dog’s head. “I shouldn’t be labeling you guys like that anyway. We’re all friends. Besides, I know straight girls can play quite wild; you two really are like kindergarteners.”

Cen Zhi: “…”

Duan Rujin: “…”

The topic was dropped, and Cen Zhi quietly exhaled.

Frankly, she didn’t want any further entanglement with Duan Rujin. Their current status and positions were unequal; she had no desire to experience the storms of the internet.

But Duan Rujin had been the proactive one since their reunion last night.

She would call her by her name—and Cen Zhi didn’t believe her excuses. She would take her hand—and Cen Zhi didn’t believe Duan Rujin just thought the dog’s head was “smooth.”

So, what did Duan Rujin want?

Cen Zhi’s thoughts shifted to the only possibility: Duan Rujin didn’t trust her.

But in reality, aside from being etched in memory, nothing else remained of that night, did it?

As a public figure, even if Cen Zhi didn’t follow the news, she knew Duan Rujin must have been the subject of many rumors. The fact that Cen Zhi had slept with her would sound like just another outlandish rumor to anyone else.

What did Duan Rujin still have to worry about?

Cen Zhi couldn’t figure it out. They finished feeding the dogs in the first area and moved to the second. The dogs here looked much healthier, with all limbs intact and very lively. When they arrived, some were running around the grass, their coats a bit dirty.

Brother Xin gave a shout and called them all over.

As dozens of dogs barked, Duan Rujin moved to hide slightly behind Cen Zhi.

Cen Zhi noticed this but remained silent this time, silently watching Brother Xin demonstrate the results of his training: “Sit”, “Down”, “Roll over”—the standard commands.

Yu Lu took a few photos, remarking, “It’s like military training.”

Brother Xin smiled. “They’re all very obedient. I’ll have to trouble Xiao Yu to promote us well when the time comes.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Xin.”

Duan Rujin also held up her phone to record a video. Her face didn’t look great, but her effort was evident.

Cen Zhi looked away and spoke up first: “Brother Xin, that’s enough for now. Lead us to see the cats.”

There were fewer stray cats than dogs. It was afternoon, and even without sunlight, the cats were mostly sleeping. They weren’t particularly pretty; some had messy patterns, and some had faces so crooked it looked like they had a side-fringe.

Duan Rujin was clearly less afraid of cats, as Cen Zhi could tell from her expression.

“If I didn’t travel so much for work, I’d definitely have a pet,” Yu Lu said with some regret after taking photos. As a food blogger with millions of followers, she often had to visit restaurants across the country or attend events, so she truly didn’t have much time.

Duan Rujin felt the same sentiment. “If I weren’t so busy, I might raise a cat.”

“What about a dog?”

“I can’t keep up with the walks,” Duan Rujin mused. “And I’d worry that I wouldn’t be able to train it well.”

Cen Zhi blinked. “That possibility is actually quite high.”

Yu Lu laughed. “What do you mean?”

Duan Rujin also looked at Cen Zhi, her brows dipping. “Miss Cen, I was only wondering.”

“And I was only saying it’s possible.”

Cen Zhi rolled up her shirt sleeves again. “I’m going in with Brother Xin to feed the cats.”

“I’ll go too.”

Duan Rujin also rolled up her sleeves and followed into the cat area.

They reached the kitten area. In addition to cat food, they had to open the lactose-free milk donated by kind souls. As soon as they entered, several kittens gathered at their feet, “meowing.” Some even boldly treated their legs like mountains to be climbed.

“Cen Zhi.” Yu Lu was still outside taking photos when Duan Rujin called her name again.

Cen Zhi picked off a distorted-looking cow-pattern kitten. Hearing her name, she looked up. “Something wrong?”

“Help me take this one off my leg too. Its claws went right through my pants.”

Cen Zhi: “…”

Duan Rujin was frozen like she’d been hit by a paralysis spell, despite just talking about wanting to raise a cat.

Cen Zhi followed the request, taking the kitten from Duan Rujin’s leg and holding it in her palm, her expression softening considerably.

“I’m just afraid of crushing them,” Duan Rujin explained for herself. “I’m not scared.”

Cen Zhi put the kitten down and started opening the milk. “No need to tell me that.” Amidst the chorus of meows, her voice reached Duan Rujin’s ear: “After today, we won’t see each other again, right?”

Duan Rujin’s movements paused as she opened the milk. She gave her answer: “The possibility of that is actually quite small.”

“…”

Cen Zhi looked at her profile and found herself speechless.

As expected, Duan Rujin had another motive.

Silence fell between them. After soaking the cat food in milk, they grabbed large scoops to clean the litter boxes. Yu Lu never came in, filming them from the doorway the whole time.

Brother Xin tucked his cigarette behind his ear, chatting about recent funny stories involving the animals while they worked.

Duan Rujin listened intently, a faint smile on her face.

The kittens ate until milk was all over their faces. Once full, they went to the mats to groom themselves or lick their paws, looking very relaxed.

“Well, Brother Xin, we’ll head back soon. We’ll update the rescue info on our shop’s page in real-time,” Cen Zhi said, patting a kitten’s head as she stood up.

Brother Xin looked happy. “That’s great.”

The next second, Duan Rujin let out a sharp “Ah!” Cen Zhi looked over at the sound.

Duan Rujin’s hand had been bitten by a slightly larger cat. There was a clear tooth mark on the webbing of her hand, and two streams of blood were beginning to ooze out. Seeing Cen Zhi look over, she raised her head, looking a bit helpless. “I was only petting it…”

“…” Cen Zhi knelt in front of her. “Let me see.”

The cat had already escaped to a high shelf, looking incredibly smug.

Brother Xin came over, looking worried. “The cats have been vaccinated. Xiao Duan, are you okay?”

“I’ll take her to wash it with clean water first, then take her for a rabies shot.”

Cen Zhi made the decision immediately.

Stray cats always carry a risk of rabies. With a bite that deep, a shot was necessary; no one could afford to gamble on that.

Brother Xin still felt apologetic. “I’m so sorry, Xiao Duan.”

“It’s fine, Brother Xin,” Duan Rujin said. “I’ve never been bitten by a cat before. It’s a very novel experience.”

Cen Zhi: “…”

Cen Zhi glanced at her sideways, wanting to ask if the bite had damaged her brain.

But it was a cat, not a zombie.

Yu Lu had been taking shots elsewhere in the factory. She was smiling when they came out, but when she saw the blood dripping from Duan Rujin’s hand, her brow furrowed deep. “How did it get bitten like this?”

“Some cats are very cautious and aggressive. It might have felt threatened by such a large creature squatting down, so it bit.”

Cen Zhi felt her tone was a bit cold, but it was the truth.

Duan Rujin had an epiphany. “Then I shouldn’t have gotten so close.”

“Not exactly,” Cen Zhi led her to the faucet, speaking clearly. “You just have no way to distinguish which situation it is since you have no experience. If you could tell, you would have avoided it.”

She turned on the tap, and Duan Rujin placed her hand under the water.

The water in the suburbs was much colder than in the city. The fresh blood was washed away. Duan Rujin’s skin was well-maintained, her hands white and tender.

Cen Zhi looked at her hand and fell silent again.

She couldn’t help but remember the Duan Rujin of that night—the same pair of hands that had “painted” and “played piano” on her body.

“Does she need a rabies shot?” Yu Lu asked, realizing the situation.

Cen Zhi’s thoughts were pulled back. “Yes, she does. I’ll take her to the community health service center to get it in a bit.”

Yu Lu’s face crumpled. “Poor thing.”

Duan Rujin shook her head. “Not a poor thing. This little injury is nothing compared to the injuries of the kittens and puppies here.” She withdrew her hand after it was sufficiently rinsed, lifting her eyes to look at Cen Zhi with a smile. “I’ll just have to trouble Miss Cen to take me to the health center then.”

Cen Zhi spoke without emotion: “Let’s go.”

Brother Xin had gone to attend to other kind-hearted visitors. Cen Zhi sent him a WeChat message and then led Duan Rujin and Yu Lu back to the van.

In the three years she had been in Yuncheng, Cen Zhi still wasn’t very familiar with the geography, so she naturally turned on the navigation.

The nearest community service center was about a ten-minute drive away. On the road, blood began to seep from Duan Rujin’s wound again. She took a photo of it—not sure who she was sending it to—and her fingertips tapped rapidly on the screen as she replied to messages.

From the corner of her eye, Cen Zhi saw her fingers never stopping.

Yu Lu was taking a nap with her eyes closed, exhausted.

Before long, Cen Zhi parked the car. This health center was also in a somewhat secluded area, and the surrounding shops didn’t have much business.

Duan Rujin glanced at Yu Lu in the back seat and whispered, “Let her keep sleeping.”

“Mhm.”

After responding, Cen Zhi realized—this meant she was going to be alone with Duan Rujin again.

Yu Lu seemed too tired; she was sleeping soundly. Even the sound of them closing the car doors didn’t wake her.

Getting out of the car, Cen Zhi maintained a certain distance from Duan Rujin.

“Cen Zhi,” Duan Rujin said, “I’m afraid of needles.”

“Then I’ll watch you be afraid.”

“…You’re a really ‘nice’ person.”

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