What Should I Do If the Aloof Movie Queen Is Too in Love With Me? - Chapter 15

Ji Youyi didn’t notice that Lin Shen and Fang Ruohan had left until dinner time.

“They had urgent business and left in a hurry, so they didn’t say goodbye to you,” Meng Xingzhu explained.

“I see.” Ji Youyi sat down at the dining table, her tone a bit regretful. “President Lin said she wanted to taste the delicacies of a film set; I even asked the producer for a few extra lunch boxes.”

“What what what?” Li Zhulan walked over carrying three lunch boxes, placing them one by one in front of the three of them as if she were hearing a fairy tale. “How could anyone want to eat set meals? Xiao Ji, did you trick an innocent girl again?”

“How did I trick anyone?” Ji Youyi argued. “The meals for our crew are actually quite delicious.”

Today’s two vegetable dishes and one meat dish were white radish, spinach, and scrambled eggs. The selection made Li Zhulan’s eyes go dark, and she planned to go back and eat snacks: “If you don’t believe me, ask Teacher Meng—who could possibly stomach this!”

Meng Xingzhu broke apart her chopsticks, tasted a bit of the radish, and gave a faint evaluation: “It’s actually quite good.”

“??” Seeing Ji Youyi’s smug expression, Li Zhulan suddenly realized—a tactical error; she was wrong, she had asked the wrong person.

Li Zhulan pulled out her trump card: “Do you know why your fever won’t go down and you have stomach pains every day? It’s because you eat too much of this stuff! And you won’t take your medicine!”

Ji Youyi said righteously: “I want to take it, but that bottle is so small. I don’t know where I tossed it. I can’t find it anywhere.”

“Then buy a new one!”

“I don’t remember what it’s called, how can I buy it!”

Ji Youyi and Li Zhulan had become increasingly familiar during this period. One was the director and the other the screenwriter—both the brains of the crew—but once they left the work environment, they would bicker like this from time to time.

Meng Xingzhu glanced at Ji Youyi, took a bottle of medicine from her pocket, and placed it on the table: “The doctor prescribed an extra bottle last time; I forgot to give it to you. Take it before a meal—right now is perfect.”

Li Zhulan froze unexpectedly. Her eyes darted between the medicine bottle, Meng Xingzhu, and Ji Youyi, and a smile surfaced uncontrollably.

Holding back a laugh, she chimed in: “Exactly, exactly, take it quickly!”

As she spoke, she jogged off to get a bottle of mineral water.

Meng Xingzhu opened the medicine, poured a pill into the cap, took the mineral water, loosened the cap, and placed it by Ji Youyi’s hand.

The two on either side stared at Ji Youyi like they were watching a rebellious little patient. Ji Youyi had never been “fed” medicine like this in her life; even someone as thick-skinned as her felt a bit embarrassed.

Without a word, she tossed the pill into her mouth and gulped down half the bottle of water to hide her bashfulness.

Li Zhulan, however, was very satisfied with this scene.

She looked at “Little Ji” frantically drinking water with a wooden face, then at Teacher Meng sitting beside her, quietly watching her. She was certain this was the most delicious “meal” she had ever eaten.

Ah, hurry up and wrap filming; she wants to write fanfiction!

Li Zhulan was secretly making plans, observing while grinning as she continued to spill secrets: “Teacher Meng, let me tell you, it’s normal for Xiao Ji’s stomach to hurt. She doesn’t even chew when she eats. She just picks up the plate and drinks it directly. Let her perform it for you in a bit.”

Ji Youyi argued: “How can I not know how to chew?”

“Then go ahead.” Li Zhulan nodded toward the meal tray.

“I…”

Ji Youyi wanted to say “Fine, watch me” or something even tougher. But as her gaze swept across the food on the table, the words felt stuck in her throat—rough, dirty, like cold, hard pebbles.

Her gums began to feel sore and painful. A bloody scent seeped out from every crevice, crowding her entire mouth. A few teeth were so sore they felt as if they were about to fall out, yet they hadn’t quite detached. The teeth left the gums but were still tugged by the flesh, and the flesh was gushing blood. Drip, drip, swallowed into her stomach along with the pebbles…

The daze lasted only an instant. Ji Youyi reacted quickly, heroically taking another big gulp of water and shouting: “Why should I? This isn’t an animal show.”

Meng Xingzhu lowered her eyes slightly, hiding the contemplation in them: “Do your teeth hurt?”

“No,” Ji Youyi answered quickly, seriously analyzing it for them. “I don’t chew just to improve my eating efficiency. Think about it—when you’re eating, you can’t work or talk. What a waste of time. But if I swallow the food as quickly as possible, isn’t that twenty minutes saved? Three meals a day, 365 days a year—I’ve saved seven thousand hours in twenty years. According to the ten-thousand-hour rule, I’ll be a grandmaster in another ten years!”

“Makes sense,” Meng Xingzhu said nonchalantly.

Ji Youyi’s meal box was only opened but untouched. Meng Xingzhu pulled the lunch box closer and broke apart a pair of clean disposable chopsticks.

“If you don’t like doing something, then don’t do it. It’s the same if you eat it after it’s been broken up.”

Her well-defined fingers held the chopsticks, picking apart the food in the container bit by bit.

Her face was expressionless, her features clean and sharp like the ridge of a snowy mountain, carrying the same cold aloofness as in the past.

But perhaps because the sunlight was so mild today, Ji Youyi actually felt her expression was exceptionally gentle.

Ji Youyi hastily withdrew her gaze, a strange sensation welling up in her heart.

The feeling of unease grew stronger. She stood up: “Whatever. Anyway, I can’t eat for the time being. I’m going to go get busy with other things.”

“Have a piece of candy first?” Meng Xingzhu took a candy from her bag and handed it over.

The transparent wrapper shimmered with pale gold in the sun, lying quietly in her open palm. Ji Youyi was stunned, and before she could react, she had already reached out to take it.

She peeled the wrapper, popped it into her mouth, and turned to leave.

Seeing her run off to find the production coordinator as if escaping, Li Zhulan couldn’t help but laugh out loud, calling after her: “Baby Xiao Ji, why are you running? Are you feeling guilty or shy?”

“Don’t tease her.” Meng Xingzhu’s voice was neither heavy nor light as she said to Li Zhulan, “Her digestion isn’t great. Buy some digestive tablets for her to take after meals.”

The residual warmth from where the soft fingertips had accidentally brushed her palm seemed to remain. Meng Xingzhu curled her left hand loosely and tapped the medicine bottle on the table with her knuckle.

“This one is once a day, one pill at a time. I’ll trouble you to keep it for her and supervise her taking it. Also, a persistent low-grade fever for a week after gastric bleeding is normal, but if she’s still feverish next week…”

Meng Xingzhu originally wanted to say that if Ji Youyi’s body remained uncomfortable, she suggested going back to the hospital for a check-up, but she heard Li Zhulan raise her hand and blurt out an answer: “I know! I’ll give you a secret report!”

She paused slightly, then nodded in response: “Thank you for the trouble.”

For Ji Youyi, Meng Xingzhu visiting the set was a huge blessing.

Before this, the entire crew had a clear self-perception: low budget, a makeshift team, no future in sight. Even though Ji Youyi had made various efforts after becoming the director, it was hard to boost the demoralized troops.

After all, what can you expect from a crew full of newcomers—a massive hit? We’re all adults; stop dreaming.

It wasn’t until today that everyone discovered their Director Ji was not only an all-rounder who seemed to be cheating with her skills, but she actually knew Meng Xingzhu!

That was Meng Xingzhu—ranked number one at the box office, an international superstar who won awards until her hands were soft. What ordinary crew could ever get in touch with her?

Their revenue-sharing drama, which had no connection to any platform, could invite Meng Xingzhu and even have high-level executives from Filmily visit the set. What did that mean?

It meant Director Ji had connections; it meant Filmily highly recognized their crew; it meant the drama they were filming was going to be broadcast on a major platform!

Promotion in the film and television circle depends on fate. Many film professionals remain obscure their entire lives. No one knew if this drama would be their one and only chance in a lifetime, so naturally, they all put in their best effort to seize it.

Ji Youyi originally thought she had squeezed out 90% of their potential, but she didn’t expect that one injection from Meng Xingzhu would send it straight to 120%. Even the actors’ performances were more brilliant than before.

At 10:00 PM, the crew finished work early. Ji Youyi had been living on the set for seven days and had to return to her rental—she had been stingy with money at the start and only rented it for ten days. Now the term was up, and the landlord was urging her to return and renew the lease.

Ji Youyi packed up the extra lunch boxes from the day and flattered Meng Xingzhu: “Thanks to Teacher Meng, the ‘Sea-Calming Needle,’ I got off work three hours early.”

“I didn’t help with much,” Meng Xingzhu said calmly.

“How could you say that!” Ji Youyi’s tone was exaggerated. “You don’t know how worried I was about tonight’s scenes before we started. You naturally think it’s easy, but our crew is full of rookie actors—how could they pull it off? If it weren’t for your guidance, we’d probably be NG-ing until dawn.”

As she spoke, she let out a theatrical sigh, “Sigh, I really want to hire Teacher Meng as a performance instructor.”

The darkness hid the slightly upturned corners of her lips: “Do you want to hire me?”

“No, no, no, Great Movie Queen—can’t afford it, can’t afford it.”

After the joke was over, Ji Youyi asked, “How is Teacher Meng getting back? I’ll see you off.”

“Ruohan will come to pick me up. What about you?”

“I live not far from here; I’ll walk back.”

“Then I’ll walk you.”

“No.” Ji Youyi refused flatly. “The environment there is complicated. If you go, I’m afraid you’ll be surrounded.”

“It’s late at night; I won’t be recognized.”

Meng Xingzhu took out a mask and put it on, her fair fingers holding the black straps as she hooked them behind her ears.

Her fingers were slender, her ears soft and white, and her long hair fell lazily. The streetlamp cast a dim, warm yellow light from the upper right. Even wearing a mask, the person in front of her was still as beautiful as a painting.

Ji Youyi’s professional instincts told her that going out with a star might bring trouble, but looking at Meng Xingzhu’s side profile, she didn’t speak again, as if possessed.

Avoiding the crowd, Ji Youyi led Meng Xingzhu westward, crossing the main street and turning into a cramped road.

Perhaps it couldn’t even be called a street; it was more like an alley. The buildings were no more than three stories high, and the road was so narrow it could only accommodate a single car in one direction.

The neon lights were left behind, and the air became noticeably damp. The rotten smell rising from the sewers permeated the entire street.

The whole road had no streetlights, and almost all the ground-floor shops on both sides were closed. Meng Xingzhu only saw a guesthouse in the distance with its lobby lights still on—the light was dim and yellow, unable to illuminate the darkness of their path.

Ji Youyi didn’t turn on a flashlight. Meng Xingzhu’s night vision was decent, so she didn’t mention it.

She surveyed the surroundings and silently extended a hand, protecting Ji Youyi from a few centimeters behind.

Only when they got close did Meng Xingzhu see the guesthouse sign clearly.

The two characters of the “Home Guesthouse” sign were mostly burnt out. Below was a pair of double glass doors covered in grease. On the pitted concrete ground, puddles of sewage sat one after another. Cigarette butts, plastic bags, and deformed soda cans were scattered around, barely leaving a path to the door.

Ji Youyi pushed open the door, and the loud music from a short video app hit her ears first. The landlord poked his head out from behind the bar, squinted, and recognized Ji Youyi: “Renewing for how many days?”

Meng Xingzhu saw Ji Youyi pull a handful of paper bills from her coat pocket—four red hundred-yuan notes and several smaller ones. She hesitated for a few seconds, eventually pulling out only one and handing it over with a smile: “Still ten days!”

“Girl, my place is truly affordable and good to live in. How could you get this price anywhere else?” The landlord’s face dropped.

Ji Youyi’s voice was sweet: “I know! Thank you, boss. But my salary for this drama hasn’t been paid yet; I have to keep some money for food.”

The landlord sighed, his gaze drifting over to Meng Xingzhu, pausing for a few seconds: “Eh, are you… oh, no, impossible. You look so much like…”

Ji Youyi immediately grabbed Meng Xingzhu’s arm and chimed in with a laugh: “You also think my sister looks like a star, right? Lots of people say that.”

Meng Xingzhu’s body stiffened slightly. She stayed motionless, trying her best to remain natural.

But she was soon let go by Ji Youyi, only to have her right hand grabbed the next second.

“Boss, we’re going up now! Bye-bye!”

Ji Youyi held her hand and hurried upstairs, running all the way into the room and locking the door before she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“The boss couldn’t believe a Great Movie Queen would grace his humble abode; he just missed his chance for an autograph.”

After whispering that, she triumphantly tilted her chin at Meng Xingzhu, seeking credit: “How about it? Am I smart or what?”

Meng Xingzhu unobtrusively moved her gaze away from their joined hands, looking into Ji Youyi’s bright eyes, and gave an “Mm.”

From the moment her right hand was grasped, she hadn’t moved it at all, keeping it as still as a lifeless object, trying her best to lower its presence.

…Because, according to the requirements of social safety distance, if she were noticed, the hand would be let go.