Chapter 56: Old Beijing Chicken Roll p2
Thinking about rebirth, Qiao Rubai’s gaze landed on Yang Lianyi, who was walking slowly ahead.
Back then, she had been stabbed, and Yang Lianyi had shielded her… She must have died then. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have woken up ten years in the past. But she… hadn’t come back. So, she must have survived.
Every time she thought about this, Qiao Rubai felt a pang in her heart. Sometimes, she couldn’t tell whether she hoped Yang Lianyi had survived or whether she hoped that Yang Lianyi had also died and returned to ten years ago with her.
This ten-year gap, how should she face it? She, who had developed feelings for her ten years later, how should she face her, who might or might not have had feelings for her, whether ten years ago or ten years later?
Qiao Rubai pressed her hand against her heart, as if the physical pain could lessen the heartache.
When Yang Lianyi realized that the person behind her hadn’t spoken for a long time, she turned around and saw Qiao Rubai frowning, clutching her chest, looking like she was in pain.
“What’s wrong? Is your heart hurting? Don’t scare me…” Yang Lianyi quickly rushed back to Qiao Rubai’s side, shifted the little girl to one arm, and placed her free hand over Qiao Rubai’s.
The familiar voice from the last moments of her previous life. Qiao Rubai looked up, and through the anxious Yang Lianyi in front of her, she seemed to see the blood-soaked Yang Lianyi from back then, holding her, crying and saying something.
“I’m fine, I think Miemie just kicked me…” Feeling Yang Lianyi’s warmth, Qiao Rubai felt much better and unhesitatingly blamed Yang Miemie for her discomfort.
The little girl, busy looking around from Yang Lianyi’s shoulder, didn’t realize she had just been framed.
Anyway, the priority was to ensure she wouldn’t be killed in this life, everything else could wait… Qiao Rubai thought. Thinking about Lu Gaoshi, whose salary had been settled and who had been dismissed by her assistant this morning, well, one step at a time, there was still hope.
Qiao Rubai’s life now had a glimmer of hope. But Jiang Lingling felt that her life was hopeless.
Hmph, who were those two walking in side by side? She didn’t know them! Jiang Lingling turned her face away.
Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou weren’t blind, they saw her childish behavior. It was her fault, she had been so focused on breakfast at Mi Hongdou’s place that she forgot about Jiang Lingling. Ji Junxin awkwardly fiddled with her clothes. Mi Hongdou patted her hand reassuringly and pulled her towards the sulking Jiang Lingling.
“Freshly baked KFC egg tarts.” Mi Hongdou stopped beside Jiang Lingling and held out the plastic bag.
Hmph, who knows you! Jiang Lingling, surrounded by the sweet aroma of egg tarts, stubbornly turned her head even further away. Away from the egg tarts! Away from the CP!
“And… and…” Ji Junxin also held out her plastic bag.
Mi Hongdou encouraged Ji Junxin with a look. Ji Junxin composed herself and recited the items, “And spicy wings, roasted wings, original recipe fried chicken, Old Beijing chicken roll…”
Old Beijing chicken roll… Jiang Lingling gulped silently.
Foodies are always observant of strange details. Ji Junxin took out the chicken roll, peeled back the wrapping paper, reached out, and held it to Jiang Lingling’s mouth.
The aroma of fried chicken, scallions, cucumber, bean sauce, and tortilla… Jiang Lingling couldn’t help but sniff a few more times, then she realized she was constantly gulping.
She had to maintain her composure… Where was her assistant? She would dock her pay! Jiang Lingling held her head high, refusing to move.
The exhausted assistant was fast asleep on a makeup chair nearby, dreaming of fragrant fried chicken.
Ji Junxin looked at Mi Hongdou, who raised her hand slightly, so Ji Junxin also raised her hand, pressing the exposed fried chicken part of the chicken roll against Jiang Lingling’s lips.
Now, Jiang Lingling couldn’t even lick her lips.
Okay, if they admitted their mistake and said a few nice words, she would forgive them. Jiang Lingling, having imagined the taste of the fried chicken against her lips dozens of times, finally decided to be magnanimous towards the CP.
Ji Junxin’s hand was getting tired from holding the chicken roll.
“My hand is tired…” Ji Junxin whispered to Mi Hongdou.
Mi Hongdou looked at Jiang Lingling, who was practically twisting her neck, and said to Ji Junxin, “Then forget it, let’s go eat the egg tarts, they’ll be cold soon.”
Ji Junxin glanced at Jiang Lingling, hesitant, feeling a little bad. But her hand was really tired. After a few more seconds, she decided to listen to Mi Hongdou.
Jiang Lingling had been listening intently. Although she was still acting arrogant, she had already given in inwardly.
They were leaving without even apologizing properly! Did they even have any sincerity! Jiang Lingling was exasperated.
The moment the fragrant, slightly firm object left her lips, Jiang Lingling instinctively lowered her head and took a bite.
The soft tortilla, the sweet and savory bean sauce, the crisp and refreshing cucumber, the thin scallion shreds, and the crispy, tender fried chicken… how could it be so delicious? It was the perfect combination. Jiang Lingling chewed, as always, feeling incredibly satisfied. She had finally succumbed to her deep love for KFC, forgetting everything else. She had only eaten breakfast today, a tasteless steamed bun her assistant had bought on the road.
After the first bite, Jiang Lingling quickly took another. Wait, her teeth seemed to have bitten something… She licked her teeth and looked at the chicken roll. Had she bitten her own hand?
“Um…” Jiang Lingling quickly swallowed the chicken. “Did I… bite your hand?” Oh my god, she had bitten Ji Junxin’s finger in front of Mi Hongdou, would she be killed in her sleep tonight? Jiang Lingling looked at Ji Junxin worriedly.
“It’s okay… it’s okay…” Ji Junxin handed the chicken roll to Jiang Lingling.
It was okay, not that she hadn’t bitten her, but that it was okay that she had bitten her? Jiang Lingling was conflicted. She really hadn’t meant to, she was just a little hungry and lost control. As a fellow foodie, Ji Junxin could understand, right? …
Looking at Ji Junxin, who was smiling faintly, it seemed that she did understand. However… whether Mi Hongdou, who was now carefully examining Ji Junxin’s hand, could understand was another matter.
“You could have come back this afternoon, why didn’t you tell me!” Jiang Lingling, having just committed a misdeed, decided to take the offensive, but her voice lacked its usual force due to her guilt.
“But you bit Ji Junxin.” Mi Hongdou said confidently. She had just checked Ji Junxin’s finger, it was fine. Hmph, a finger that even she, the die-hard fan, hadn’t bitten, Jiang Lingling had bitten it, did she want to fight! Mi Hongdou’s competitiveness intensified, not even realizing how skewed her comparison was.
“Okay…” Jiang Lingling’s arrogance deflated. “Then we’re even.” Something still felt off.
So, Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin, in a strange way, triumphantly reconciled with Jiang Lingling.
But all three of them seemed a little unhappy.
Jiang Lingling felt that she had accidentally bitten Ji Junxin, but it had somehow offset their deliberate ignoring of her, which felt like a loss.
Mi Hongdou regretted that the finger she hadn’t even bitten had been nibbled on by Jiang Lingling and wanted to bite her back.
As for Ji Junxin, she wasn’t quite sure if they were now officially friends with Jiang Lingling. Did Mi Hongdou like Jiang Lingling more, or her? She had just decided to expand her friend circle, but she didn’t want Mi Hongdou’s friend line to be occupied by someone else.
Coincidentally, the first scene they were filming that afternoon was in the Imperial Garden, with the three of them as the main characters and a few other concubines as background, a scene of seemingly harmonious conversation but filled with hidden agendas and scheming.
This scene was completed in one take. Director Pan, who had suffered through two days of NGs, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Life was back to normal.
“The three of you were very good. In that scene, the dynamic between you, neither enemies nor friends, with subtle undercurrents and a need for cooperation, you captured it perfectly.” Director Pan, tormented by Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo for two days, generously praised the three.
Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou exchanged glances and smiled.
Poor Jiang Lingling was hurt again. So, making up with a CP, how foolish… it wasn’t because of the Old Beijing chicken roll that she became foolish, waaaah.
The following scenes also went smoothly. Director Pan, in a good mood, considering that the three of them had endured a five-hour drive each way for two days, dismissed them at 6 PM.
After two days of traveling and filming, both Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin were tired. Mi Hongdou, seeing that they finished early, had planned to go to the supermarket, buy some ingredients, and make dinner for Ji Junxin. But this suggestion was unexpectedly rejected by the foodie.
The foodie insisted that Mi Hongdou was too tired from the two-day drive and wouldn’t let her cook. Although Mi Hongdou was a little disappointed that she couldn’t personally feed the foodie today, she was warmed by her concern.
Wait, something seemed off. She was supposed to be her goddess, what was this “foodie” business?
On their way back, they ordered a large portion of big plate chicken and two servings of noodles. Carrying the heavy food containers, they returned to their room.
It had only been two days, but it felt like two weeks. Ji Junxin sat on the sofa in the living room, watching Mi Hongdou move around, opening the windows for ventilation, unpacking the takeout containers. She recalled yesterday, being alone at home, the small apartment feeling strangely empty. She had felt this way before, but yesterday, it was particularly strong. Ji Junxin didn’t know if it was because of her falling out with Lu Gaoshi, or because after living with Mi Hongdou for so many days, she could no longer get used to being alone.
Sigh, it seemed that after this drama finished filming, it would take her a long time to get used to living alone again. Ji Junxin leaned back on the sofa, feeling that even the aroma of big plate chicken couldn’t lift her spirits.
She watched Mi Hongdou open the windows, wipe the table, arrange the takeout on the coffee table, and then stand before her with two pairs of chopsticks. Ji Junxin looked at the tempting big plate chicken, quickly pushed her loneliness aside, sat up straight, and reached for the chopsticks.
Then… Mi Hongdou pulled her hand back.
Ji Junxin froze.
“Heh, who was the one who said it’s best to take off your bra as soon as you get back to the room, that wearing it for too long isn’t good?” Mi Hongdou asked, a mischievous smile on her face.
Ji Junxin was speechless.
That’s right! It must have been because she wasn’t fully awake and her brain wasn’t functioning properly that she was teased by the Yang Lianyi-possessed Ji Junxin, and even blushed! … Hmph, now that she was well-rested and her brain was recharged, it was her turn… to make Ji Junxin blush. Mi Hongdou recalled her earlier fantasy of Ji Junxin blushing and pouting in embarrassment… it was so cute. It wasn’t so much about getting back at Ji Junxin for teasing her earlier, but rather about satisfying her own mischievous desire to see Ji Junxin blush. But she wouldn’t admit that.
Ji Junxin stared at the chopsticks in Mi Hongdou’s hand. So, she wouldn’t let her eat unless she took off her bra? … Ji Junxin looked at the steaming, fragrant big plate chicken and the two large bowls of noodles, her hand unconsciously touching the strap of her bra under her clothes, then she looked at Mi Hongdou with a pitiful expression.
That pitiful look was so cute… Mi Hongdou’s heart felt like it was being scratched by ten thousand cats. Okay, that expression was compensation for teasing her earlier.
Just as Mi Hongdou was about to hand over the chopsticks, Ji Junxin’s expression suddenly turned resolute, like a warrior about to make a great sacrifice.
“Then okay…” Before Ji Junxin could finish… the doorbell rang.
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