Chapter 40: Breakfast Again
Ji Junxin’s reaction clearly didn’t match the assistant’s expectations. It took her a while to retract her outstretched hand. Jiang Lingling’s expression was still aloof, but her complexion had improved considerably. Perhaps a little embarrassed by her momentary loss of composure, Jiang Lingling didn’t say anything more to Ji Junxin, just hummed in acknowledgment, slightly raised her chin, and walked away with her assistant, as proud as a peacock with bright plumage.
She seemed to have glimpsed something extraordinary earlier. What was that pitiful little chick under the peacock feathers? Ji Junxin watched Jiang Lingling and her assistant walk away, then looked down at the large, slightly heavy bag in her hand. Well, it seemed that this person wasn’t so annoying after all.
After a moment, Ji Junxin carried the bag back to the makeup room. As soon as she entered, she felt a gaze from Jiang Lingling’s direction, filled with unknown meaning. When Ji Junxin looked back, she only saw Jiang Lingling’s profile. It didn’t seem like the source of the gaze, but the large, swinging earrings on Jiang Lingling’s ears betrayed her completely.
Why did she think that if she sent KFC four times a day, she would help her persuade Mi Hongdou to make her fried rice? … Ji Junxin hadn’t heard the story of Jiang Lingling and Dong Yuannan yet, so based on the few words she overheard, she couldn’t guess the details. What she could discern was that KFC was, to Jiang Lingling, the most delicious food. Offering her most cherished food in exchange for other food, although a bit childish, wasn’t incomprehensible. But the question was, why did Jiang Lingling think that her pleading would make Mi Hongdou cook for her? … Ji Junxin couldn’t understand Jiang Lingling’s logic. Did she think the power of a roommate was that strong? …
As Ji Junxin pondered, the gaze from Jiang Lingling’s direction intensified. Recalling Jiang Lingling’s quickly masked expression when she refused earlier, Ji Junxin, already full from the sandwiches, silently opened the KFC bag. Although she had accepted the food, she could choose not to eat it, or share it with others, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. So, despite not being hungry at all, Ji Junxin wisely reached for something in the bag – congee.
KFC’s congee bowls were opaque, so Ji Junxin couldn’t see clearly. She picked one that she thought might be preserved egg and lean meat congee. Looking down through the lid, it looked dark, so it should be preserved egg, right? Imagination was beautiful, reality was cruel. Pickled vegetable congee… It was her least favorite pickled vegetable congee… It must be because she arrived late, and pickled vegetable congee was the only kind left. Ji Junxin pouted and instinctively wanted to take out another bowl of congee from the bag. If she was careful, Jiang Lingling wouldn’t see, right? After all, opening it and then putting it back uneaten would be a sign of disdain for the food she bought. Ji Junxin carefully picked up the lid she had just opened, and just as she was about to close it, Lu Gaoshi’s voice came from afar, interrupting her plan.
“Aiya, why are you eating this again? It’s so oily to eat this early in the morning! Unhealthy!” Seeing the KFC bag from afar, Lu Gaoshi said as she quickly walked towards Ji Junxin, holding a large thermos.
Ji Junxin frowned, stopped closing the lid, and replied in a low voice, “It’s just congee, how is it oily?” With so many people in the makeup room, Lu Gaoshi wouldn’t normally be so indiscreet as to shout from afar. Perhaps Qiao Rubai was right, some ulterior motives, once formed, were hard to retract.
Lu Gaoshi now saw that it was indeed an opened bowl of congee in front of Ji Junxin, but she still felt a little dissatisfied and continued, “You see this KFC congee, who knows how much MSG and additives are in it. It’s not as good as homemade congee. And look, those KFC burgers, pancakes, fried dough sticks, they’re all oily and greasy. Eating them will make your waist bigger, and you won’t be able to fit into your costume. And you bought so much…” As she spoke, Lu Gaoshi rummaged through the plastic bag with a disgusted expression, showing no signs of stopping.
Ji Junxin’s frown deepened. Just as she was about to interrupt, someone spoke up from behind her.
“What’s wrong with KFC?” Jiang Lingling, her face dark, was standing behind Ji Junxin. “KFC has chains all over the country. If you say that about them, they can bury you with chicken nuggets, do you believe it?” Jiang Lingling unceremoniously plucked Lu Gaoshi’s hand out of the bag with two fingers and then took a tissue from Ji Junxin’s dressing table to wipe her fingers where she had touched Lu Gaoshi’s hand.
“You!” If Jiang Lingling’s harsh words had just offended Lu Gaoshi, then her subsequent action was basically a slap in the face. Who was Lu Gaoshi? With Ji Junxin being so famous, as her manager, she practically ruled the set. Everyone addressed her respectfully as “Sister Lu.” Jiang Lingling had been ostracized by the crew before, but she hadn’t confronted anyone directly like this. Why was she making such a fuss over KFC! Lu Gaoshi couldn’t understand Jiang Lingling’s thoughts, but that didn’t stop her from retaliating quickly: “I’m talking to my artist, what are you butting in for? Go serve your sugar daddy!” Lu Gaoshi raised her voice, loud enough for everyone in the makeup room to hear.
Lu Gaoshi’s emphasis was very clear. If Jiang Lingling still couldn’t understand, then she would be truly stupid. “Say that again?” Jiang Lingling’s voice was icy, her expression darkening, her gaze sharp as knives.
Jiang Lingling’s assistant trembled beside her, secretly watching Jiang Lingling’s right hand slowly clenching at her side. Was she going to throw a punch or play rock-paper-scissors… Was she really going to hit someone? Although she had heard that her employer had a bad temper before accepting the job, she wouldn’t just hit someone, right? This was on set, what would the media write about it? … The assistant trembled and, risking her life, slowly reached for Jiang Lingling’s wrist.
“I’m sorry… my manager doesn’t always speak appropriately. I apologize on her behalf.” Seeing that the two were about to start fighting, Ji Junxin quickly stepped in to mediate. “She’s been with me for a long time, she was just nagging out of habit. Please, for my sake, don’t hold it against her.”
With the mediator arriving, the assistant quickly retracted her hand.
“Why should I…” Why should she apologize to her? She was just a small-time actress with no fame, relying on her godfather. Lu Gaoshi, her face full of displeasure, was about to continue when Ji Junxin quickly grabbed her arm, not gently. Ji Junxin had never done this before. Lu Gaoshi was stunned and didn’t say anything more.
Seeing that Jiang Lingling’s expression was still dark, her gaze towards Lu Gaoshi still unfriendly, Ji Junxin’s heart skipped a beat. The ruthlessness that flashed in Jiang Lingling’s eyes when Lu Gaoshi insulted her relationship with her godfather was genuine. Perhaps she wouldn’t slap Lu Gaoshi right now, but Ji Junxin was certain that if this matter wasn’t resolved peacefully, Jiang Lingling wouldn’t let Lu Gaoshi off the hook. Impulsive people weren’t scary, smart, patient, and ruthless people were. When Lu Gaoshi suffered later, she probably wouldn’t even realize it was because of her words today. Dong Yuannan was in real estate. Having established himself in this industry, he had connections to the underworld. Lu Gaoshi had just said those words so loudly in front of so many people, Jiang Lingling’s anger probably couldn’t be appeased with a simple apology. Moreover, it wasn’t even a sincere apology from Lu Gaoshi herself. But Ji Junxin couldn’t scold Lu Gaoshi now. She didn’t even ask for an apology, she just hoped she would stop talking! Thinking this, Ji Junxin tightened her grip on Lu Gaoshi’s hand, hoping to stop her from provoking Jiang Lingling further.
“By the way, Mi Hongdou will probably be here soon. I don’t know if she’s had breakfast yet. If she hasn’t, can I share some of this breakfast you brought with her?” Ji Junxin tried to smooth things over.
This KFC was Jiang Lingling’s breakfast? First Mi Hongdou, now Jiang Lingling, why were these people so troublesome? Hindered by Ji Junxin’s increasingly tight grip and the implied warning to keep quiet, Lu Gaoshi could only hold the thermos and maintain an unhappy silence.
Jiang Lingling naturally saw Lu Gaoshi’s expression. But Ji Junxin was clearly protecting Lu Gaoshi, even going against her usual aloofness. This made Jiang Lingling postpone her plan to deal with Lu Gaoshi. “Of course, if it’s not enough, I’ll ask my assistant to buy more.” Jiang Lingling looked away from Lu Gaoshi and softened her expression when looking at Ji Junxin. “I heard that Mi Hongdou has almost finished filming her scenes for the other production?”
“Yes, since she has more scenes here, they filmed her scenes for the other production all together. I heard that the indoor scenes are almost done, and they might film some outdoor scenes later.” Seeing that Jiang Lingling was no longer fixated on Lu Gaoshi, Ji Junxin relaxed a little and chatted casually. However, she quickly realized why Jiang Lingling was letting it go when she saw the obvious anticipation on her face. “I’ll ask about the egg fried rice you mentioned before…” Ji Junxin finally said what Jiang Lingling wanted to hear.
It was easy to talk to smart people.
Jiang Lingling nodded, thanked her, didn’t even glance at Lu Gaoshi, turned around, and went back to her seat to continue with her makeup.
“Don’t provoke her again in the future, or I won’t be able to help you.” Ji Junxin released Lu Gaoshi’s hand and sat back down, looking tired.
“What are you talking about…” Ji Junxin had a good temper and had never said such things to Lu Gaoshi. Lu Gaoshi looked a little embarrassed and lowered her voice, but she still seemed to want to complain.
Ji Junxin looked at Lu Gaoshi and said, “I’m being serious.” She really was. In the past month, Ji Junxin had clearly seen Jiang Lingling’s personality: vengeful and unforgiving, willing to harm herself to hurt her enemies, unwilling to swallow any insults. Plus, she was exceptionally talented in revenge, smart, patient, and with unusual logic. She was definitely not someone Lu Gaoshi should provoke. The fact that she was letting it go now for the sake of Dong Yuannan’s egg fried rice further proved his importance to her. So, those who slandered her relationship with Dong Yuannan were probably even more infuriating to her than those who targeted her personally in the crew. This time, she could use the egg fried rice to smooth things over. Next time Lu Gaoshi offended Jiang Lingling, what would she use to resolve it?
Lu Gaoshi wasn’t a very capable manager. Her arrogance was completely based on Ji Junxin’s affection for her. Seeing Ji Junxin like this, she didn’t dare to say anything more about Jiang Lingling. She just gently moved the KFC bag on Ji Junxin’s dressing table aside and placed the thermos in front of her, opening it. “Haven’t had breakfast, right? Eat some of this, I made it myself, it’s safe.” This time, she didn’t shout.
The thermos had two layers. The top layer contained four kinds of dim sum: shumai, shrimp dumplings, radish cake, and char siu bao, one of each. Taking off the top layer, the bottom was filled with congee, and she could vaguely see scallops and pork ribs. The delicate shumai, plump shrimp dumplings, glistening radish cake, and fluffy char siu bao, along with the fragrant scallop and pork rib congee, were much more appealing than the KFC takeout.
Ji Junxin looked at the food, then pushed Lu Gaoshi’s hand away when she offered her chopsticks. “I’ve already eaten some this morning, I’ll just have a little of this light congee. You eat the rest.” Ji Junxin said, getting up, reaching past the thermos, and taking the opened KFC pickled vegetable congee back. She didn’t bother looking for the preserved egg and lean meat congee in the bag. It couldn’t compare to the obviously carefully prepared scallop and pork rib congee in front of her. But… it was a gesture. This time, not towards Jiang Lingling, but towards Lu Gaoshi and Jiang Duo.
“Aiya, that pickled vegetable congee, how can it compare to this scallop and pork rib congee? The ones sold outside are full of additives!” Lu Gaoshi reached out to take the bowl from Ji Junxin’s hand, but she dodged.
“It’s quite delicious.” This was actually true. After all the commotion, the light and refreshing pickled vegetable congee was strangely comforting.
Lu Gaoshi didn’t give up and pushed the dim sum towards Ji Junxin. “Then have some dim sum, they’re all your favorites.”
Ji Junxin put down the congee bowl and sighed, “Where did the congee and dim sum come from?” She really had to be blunt.
“…” Lu Gaoshi paused, seeming hesitant, but finally started her earnest persuasion. “Jiang Duo just wants to be friends with you. She put in a lot of effort to cater to your tastes. Besides, you ate the food from that Mi Hongdou and that Jiang Lingling, why can’t you eat Jiang Duo’s? She’s trying to befriend you, you can’t just push her away…”
“Why not?” Ji Junxin, tired of being pushed around all morning, interrupted Lu Gaoshi. “If I don’t want to eat it, are you going to force me? It’s just work. Even if she didn’t give me food, I wouldn’t make things difficult for her. Whether we can be friends depends on fate, not food. I already said last time, I don’t want to accept her things. If you accept them, you eat them.” Perhaps influenced by Jiang Lingling, Ji Junxin’s tone was a bit harsh, unlike her usual gentleness. But after saying that, she felt a sense of relief. She had indeed been holding back.
When filming on location, Lu Gaoshi usually took care of Ji Junxin’s daily life. Half a month ago, Lu Gaoshi had brought her different kinds of dim sum for afternoon tea for several days in a row. A few days later, Lu Gaoshi told her that the dim sum was all made by Jiang Duo in her spare time, how much effort she had put in. They were both actresses. Although their fame was different, their profession was the same, there was no high or low. Lu Gaoshi kept emphasizing Jiang Duo’s efforts, and Ji Junxin, unknowingly, had eaten quite a bit. Coupled with Qiao Rubai’s words, she felt a little manipulated. So, she naturally stopped eating the dim sum and even asked her assistant, Shen Zhu, to buy several times the amount in gift certificates from a famous cake shop and give them to Jiang Duo as a way of returning the favor. Finally, Ji Junxin talked to Lu Gaoshi and hinted that she shouldn’t bring Jiang Duo’s food anymore. What was the meaning of only her having it when no one else did? Unexpectedly, after half a month of peace, Lu Gaoshi started again. Now, Ji Junxin was really curious why Lu Gaoshi was so eager to push Jiang Duo towards her, even more eager than Jiang Duo herself.
Lu Gaoshi wanted to continue, but Ji Junxin didn’t want to listen. “If there’s nothing else, you should go back to Jiang City, Qiao Rubai has something for you to do.”
“What is it?” Mentioning Qiao Rubai, Lu Gaoshi quieted down, her expression turning serious.
“Just go now.” Ji Junxin didn’t want to say more. She had a lot of scenes this morning and needed to adjust her mood. Right, after Lu Gaoshi left, she had to remember to send a message to Qiao Rubai, coordinate their stories, and ask her to find something to keep Lu Gaoshi in Jiang City for a few more days. It was time for her to calm down and think about the issue with Lu Gaoshi.
Lu Gaoshi returned to Jiang City, and Qiao Rubai’s reply confirmed that she would arrange Lu Gaoshi’s work in Jiang City for the next stage. Ji Junxin finally felt a little more relaxed.
After filming three or four takes in the morning, Mi Hongdou came over from the other set. Mi Hongdou’s arrival made Ji Junxin feel Jiang Lingling’s intense gaze again.
“Did you… see the note I left on the coffee table when you passed by the living room this morning…” Mi Hongdou, upon arriving backstage, was stunned by the huge KFC plastic bag on Ji Junxin’s dressing table. After the shock, came heartbreak. Had her lovingly prepared breakfast been ignored? She had specifically woken up early to make it to celebrate their one-month anniversary. Well, the point wasn’t the breakfast, the point was the note, the little note she had nervously written… although after writing it, she didn’t know why she was so nervous about a small note.
“I ate it, I ate all the sandwiches…” Ji Junxin lowered her voice, a little embarrassed. “Come with me.”
Taking Mi Hongdou out of the makeup room and finding a quiet place with fewer people, Ji Junxin recounted what had happened that morning, omitting the part about Jiang Duo’s breakfast.
“So, that’s what happened… I’m worried that Jiang Lingling cares a lot about her adoptive father. After what Sister Lu said, she must be very angry. Jiang Lingling definitely won’t take this lying down. I saw her earlier, she looked like she might hit Sister Lu. So, I agreed to ask you if you have time to make her some egg fried rice… I hope she won’t be so angry…” Ji Junxin’s voice trailed off, embarrassed. She had just eaten Mi Hongdou’s breakfast and was now asking her to cook for someone else. It was really inconsiderate.
So that was where the KFC came from… Just making a meal for Jiang Lingling. Her scenes for the other production were almost finished, so she shouldn’t be so busy anymore. Making fried rice, she definitely had time. And Jiang Lingling asking Ji Junxin to be the messenger was quite clever. Mi Hongdou smiled and reassured her, “I don’t think Jiang Lingling will actually hit Sister Lu. Sister Lu slandered her relationship with Dong Yuannan. What Jiang Lingling is most likely to do is give her a taste of her own medicine.”
“What do you mean, a taste of her own medicine? Spread rumors about her too?” Ji Junxin didn’t understand.
Mi Hongdou shook her head. “Perhaps without even needing to spread rumors.” Saying this, Mi Hongdou suddenly didn’t want to cook for Jiang Lingling anymore. That way, Jiang Lingling would continue to be angry with Lu Gaoshi. If she really investigated Lu Gaoshi, she might actually find something, like the shady dealings between Lu Gaoshi and Jiang Duo. It would be nice if someone exposed them.
“Hmph, you see things clearly.”
As they were whispering, a sudden cold snort from behind the wall startled them.
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