Chapter 26: Lies
After her mother repeatedly assured her that she neither snored nor ground her teeth in her sleep, Mi Hongdou hung up the phone, still worried. After all, they slept in separate rooms at home. Maybe her snoring or teeth grinding was too quiet to be heard… The news of sharing a room with Ji Junxin made Mi Hongdou deeply anxious. Even her mother’s assurances couldn’t calm her down. Should she call her college roommate? Mi Hongdou was conflicted…
Meanwhile, at the hotel, Ji Junxin also encountered a small problem.
Qiao Rubai arranged the bed swap, subtly gave Ji Junxin a few more pointers, took a call, and left. The hotel staff, having been paid, were efficient. In less than an hour, they brought two single beds from a furniture store in town. The style naturally wasn’t as good as those in big shopping malls, but it was on par with the hotel’s original beds. Most importantly, the wood was good and didn’t have any strange smells. The big problem of changing the beds had been solved by Qiao Rubai before she left, so there shouldn’t be any more issues. But Ji Junxin looked at the two beds in the room and felt that something was still wrong.
The suite had a living room upon entering, and further inside was an open study. It was called a study, but it was actually just a small connecting area with a desk. It connected to the bedroom on the left and the bathroom on the right, without any separating walls. Earlier, when they moved the old bed out through the study, it had been quite a struggle. Now, the double bed in the bedroom had been replaced with two single beds. One was next to the wardrobe against the wall, and the other was near the floor-to-ceiling windows. The bedroom wasn’t particularly large, and the distance between the two beds was only enough for two people to stand side by side, but it was enough for everyday movement.
Ji Junxin circled the two beds twice. The placement was good, so what was wrong? Her gaze suddenly fell on the pristine white duvet covers. Ji Junxin slapped her forehead, finally realizing what was wrong. She rummaged through her suitcase, took out clean bedsheets and duvet covers, compared them to the new beds, and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they were just a little too big.
Everyone has their little quirks. Ji Junxin’s quirk was that she didn’t like using hotel bedsheets and duvet covers. She always brought her own and changed them as soon as she arrived at the hotel. Firstly, for cleanliness, and secondly, they looked more homely and helped her sleep better.
However, Mi Hongdou hadn’t arrived yet. Ji Junxin thought that she should at least extend the courtesy of letting the little empress choose her bed first. So, she put the bedsheets away again. But looking at the white bedsheets on the bed and then at her own in the suitcase, she felt that it wasn’t very friendly to change only her own bedding when they were sharing a room…
Some of her spare bedding was with Lu Gaoshi. She should have a new, washed, and unused set… Ji Junxin thought that she should prepare a set for the little empress as well, so she called Lu Gaoshi, who had gone somewhere. However, Ji Junxin didn’t expect that as soon as the call connected and she mentioned that Mi Hongdou would be moving in, before she could even bring up the bedsheets, Lu Gaoshi interrupted her in a raised voice, repeatedly objecting.
“How can two people sleep well in the same room!” “You’ve only known each other for a few days, you don’t know her character or living habits. If you find out you’re incompatible after living together, can you just kick her out?” “Different sleep schedules will affect your rest, how can you live together!” “She’s trying to get close to you because you’re famous, she has ulterior motives!” … Lu Gaoshi didn’t wait for Ji Junxin’s response and went on and on, finally concluding that she should quickly find a reason to refuse before Mi Hongdou arrived.
Admittedly, some of what Lu Gaoshi said made sense. For example, different sleep schedules could indeed affect rest. Or, different living habits might cause friction. However, Ji Junxin felt that these problems could be overcome. Although she hadn’t interacted much with Mi Hongdou, the latter had left a good impression on her. Mi Hongdou moving in would firstly facilitate their interaction, laying a good foundation for their frequent scenes together, and secondly, Ji Junxin felt that the other crew wasn’t very friendly towards Mi Hongdou and hoped that living here would be more conducive to her growth as an actress. Lu Gaoshi’s words made Ji Junxin waver for a moment, but she quickly remembered what Qiao Rubai had said before leaving.
“Actually… we were considering whether to have the little empress move in, or Jiang Duo.” Ji Junxin’s lie instantly silenced the chattering Lu Gaoshi on the other end of the phone.
“Then, why not choose Jiang Duo?” Lu Gaoshi’s previously assertive voice became cautious, probing, and slightly hopeful.
“The main reason for sharing a room is to build rapport. Considering the number of scenes we have together, I have more scenes with the little empress.”
“But…” Lu Gaoshi realized that this was a good opportunity for Jiang Duo to get close to Ji Junxin, but Ji Junxin’s reasoning was too sound, and she didn’t know how to object. “But, after all, you and Jiang Duo joined the crew together and have been getting along for over a month. You’re much more familiar with her than with Mi Hongdou, who just arrived a few days ago. Living together wouldn’t be so awkward.” Lu Gaoshi could only grasp at straws.
“Is that so…” Ji Junxin’s voice revealed a hint of hesitation.
Having been with Ji Junxin for so many years, Lu Gaoshi could hear the wavering in her voice and immediately pressed her advantage: “Yes. Look, Jiang Duo likes to cook. Didn’t she bring you pork jerky earlier when she heard you hadn’t eaten breakfast? If you live together, when you’re hungry at night, you can cook together.” She hit where it hurt. Lu Gaoshi knew Ji Junxin’s weakness.
“That’s true. But I don’t know Jiang Duo very well…” Ji Junxin seemed to be persuaded, her tone softening.
Thinking that she had persuaded Ji Junxin, Lu Gaoshi beamed on the other end of the phone: “Aiya, I think Xiao Jiang is a good girl. If you live together, you can chat more and get to know each other. Don’t worry, I’ll help you refuse Mi Hongdou. When can she move in? It’s convenient since she’s in the same hotel as you.”
Ji Junxin’s expression darkened. When she mentioned Mi Hongdou moving in, Lu Gaoshi tried every way to dissuade her, from living habits to character. Although her words were subtle, Ji Junxin could hear that she desperately wanted to disparage Mi Hongdou. It was completely different with Jiang Duo. Lu Gaoshi was full of praise, living habits, character, familiarity, none of it was a problem. She even praised Jiang Duo’s cooking skills. Did she think she was a mindless foodie? Although Qiao Rubai had paved the way, and she had been mentally preparing herself for days, when a simple lie revealed Lu Gaoshi’s two-faced attitude, Ji Junxin still felt a deep sense of disappointment.
“No need. I’ve already decided to live with the little empress. Jiang Duo is a famous actress, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to share a room with me. Sister Lu, you don’t have to worry about this.” After saying that, Ji Junxin hung up the phone. As for getting new bedsheets and duvet covers from Lu Gaoshi, she was no longer in the mood to deal with her.
She really didn’t know what Jiang Duo’s background was. Lu Gaoshi’s protectiveness towards her made Ji Junxin very disappointed. Undeniably, when Ji Junxin insisted on becoming an actress instead of a teacher and fell out with her family, Lu Gaoshi, who appeared like an elder, had brought her a lot of comfort. Afterward, she had taken care of her for several years. Ji Junxin not only felt grateful to Lu Gaoshi, but also dependent on her. Because of this, she hadn’t ignored Qiao Rubai’s initial warning, but she had been unwilling to think about it. Until these past few days, when Lu Gaoshi started speaking up for Jiang Duo more and more, and seemed to have some underlying dissatisfaction with her. Just now, Ji Junxin had improvised a little performance, and Lu Gaoshi had taken the bait.
Facing Lu Gaoshi’s change, the usually withdrawn Ji Junxin had to face reality. But after facing it, she regretted it… Why couldn’t she remain oblivious? What was the point of seeing clearly? Ji Junxin smiled wryly, holding the phone. It would only lead to fewer and fewer people around her.
The way to stop the spread of unhappiness was to keep herself busy. After repeatedly rejecting two calls from Lu Gaoshi, Ji Junxin completely gave up on getting clean bedsheets from her.
Over the years, Lu Gaoshi had been acting as Ji Junxin’s assistant. She took care of almost all of Ji Junxin’s daily needs. The two assistants assigned by the company could only be ordered around by Lu Gaoshi to do chores and rarely got close to Ji Junxin. Previously, Lu Gaoshi had arranged everything for Ji Junxin, and she hadn’t seen any problem with it. But now, when she checked her phone and found that she only had the number of one of her two current assistants saved, she was really speechless.
Shen Zhu, the assistant, had been assigned to Ji Junxin after training for one year, four months, and sixteen days. This was the first time she received a call directly from Ji Junxin. When she answered the phone and heard Ji Junxin’s voice, she was quite flattered.
“Buy a set of bedsheets and duvet covers, beige or similar light warm colors. Have them washed and dried as soon as possible, I need them this afternoon.” Shen Zhu hung up the phone and silently recited Ji Junxin’s words, making sure she remembered the task before rushing off to do it. This was the first task assigned to her directly by Ji Junxin, not through Sister Lu. Shen Zhu, as Ji Junxin’s hidden fan, was determined to do a good job.
Naturally, Shen Zhu wasn’t the only one working efficiently. After suppressing Mi Hongdou over the phone, Yang Lianyi felt that it wasn’t enough. She put aside her work for the “Divorce, So Be It” crew and went to the hotel where the crew was staying. As expected, she caught Mi Hongdou sitting on the bed, spacing out and not packing her luggage.
Not only did she urge her repeatedly, but when Mi Hongdou finally stood up and started packing, Yang Lianyi even helped her. She was a newly signed artist, okay? For Qiao Rubai’s sake, there was no need to be so eager to sell out her own teammate. Anyway, an hour later, Mi Hongdou and her luggage were delivered to Ji Junxin’s door. Oh, and also the bouquet of flowers that Yang Lianyi bought on the way.
Mi Hongdou, pulling her suitcase with one hand and holding the bouquet with the other, stood at the door, preparing for the final round of mental preparation.
“Ahem…” Seeing Mi Hongdou hesitating again, Yang Lianyi coughed from the end of the corridor. When Mi Hongdou looked at her, she pointed at the door in front of her.
Alright, the two-year contract was probably too long. She didn’t think Yang Lianyi was so unreliable in her previous life! Mi Hongdou looked away from Yang Lianyi, who was gesturing for her to go in, smoothed her hair, and knocked on the door.
After just two knocks, she heard a series of crashes from inside, followed by Ji Junxin’s exclamation. Startled, Mi Hongdou instinctively reached for the doorknob. Click, click… the door didn’t open. Mi Hongdou then realized that this was a hotel, and she didn’t have a key card.
Just as Mi Hongdou was about to ask what was going on inside, the door clicked open.
Then, a strong smell of vinegar wafted out…
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