Chapter 76: Sticky Rice Rolls p1
Help you, help you… what exactly couldn’t she do herself that required Shen Zhu’s help? Mi Hongdou was incredibly annoyed, but she couldn’t express her displeasure directly.
“If Sister Ji needs anything, even if I have to gnaw off my own arm, I’ll be there right away,” Shen Zhu said with a bright smile. “Putting aside my role as her assistant, I’m her fan, a super fan. If my idol asks for something, I’ll do anything~”
Shen Zhu, with her baby face and slight chubbiness, said these sweet words with a smile, then intimately linked arms with Ji Junxin, swaying slightly as if acting cute and seeking praise.
Mi Hongdou could barely maintain her smile. What was wrong with this Shen Zhu? She had seemed normal before. She had mentioned being Ji Junxin’s fan, but after Lu Gaoshi left, she hadn’t been this clingy. This shameless fawning, Mi Hongdou frowned, it felt strange.
But as a fan, having uncontrollable urges to be close to your idol was understandable. Mi Hongdou could understand, but she didn’t want to.
Shen Zhu’s arm linked with Ji Junxin’s was incredibly irritating. Mi Hongdou quickly thought of a way to take her little foodie away. But it was difficult… what was her status? Just a colleague, perhaps a friend. Just a friend, she couldn’t interfere with Ji Junxin’s relationships, especially since… Shen Zhu was officially Ji Junxin’s assistant. Even if she clung to her constantly, as long as Ji Junxin didn’t mind, she had no right to interfere.
Mi Hongdou felt helpless. This was the awkward reality, her status never matching her feelings.
Just as Shen Zhu was feeling smug, and Mi Hongdou was heartbroken, Ji Junxin, seemingly uncomfortable with Shen Zhu’s closeness, although still saying gently, “There’s no need for such dramatic pronouncements, I still need you to be a good assistant,” subtly pulled her arm away.
She thought her movement was discreet and natural, but both Mi Hongdou and Shen Zhu, their attention fixed on her, noticed it clearly.
Now it was Shen Zhu’s turn to force a smile.
It felt like two concubines competing for the emperor’s favor, Mi Hongdou thought, amused.
Seeing Ji Junxin pull away from Shen Zhu’s embrace, Mi Hongdou felt a little relieved. Ignoring Shen Zhu, she asked Ji Junxin, “Have you had breakfast?”
“No.” Ji Junxin glanced at Mi Hongdou reproachfully, went to the back seat, retrieved an insulated bag, and opened it. “Waiting for you. Didn’t you say you would be back soon? … It’s been a while… Fortunately, Bai Tang prepared this insulated bag, otherwise, you would have to eat cold breakfast.”
Ji Junxin handed Mi Hongdou the warm glutinous rice balls and soy milk.
The warmth seemed to spread from her fingertips to her heart. Although Ji Junxin was complaining about her being late, seeing her slightly annoyed expression as she searched for a straw in her bag, Mi Hongdou felt a sweetness in her heart. Could it be… was she a masochist? … Mi Hongdou was startled by her own thought and quickly took a bite of the glutinous rice balls to calm herself down.
The sticky rice, fragrant and smooth, wrapped around a fried egg, sausage, and pork tenderloin, with both sweet and spicy sauce and salad dressing, it was a satisfying mouthful.
A hearty and delicious breakfast, it should have been a moment of pure bliss, but Mi Hongdou froze after one bite.
Ji Junxin found a straw, put it aside, and picked up her own glutinous rice balls, ready to eat.
“Wait…” Mi Hongdou, her mouth full, tried to speak, but could only make muffled sounds.
She wanted to stop Ji Junxin, but how could she be faster than a starving foodie who had been waiting for this breakfast for days?
Ji Junxin took a large bite, chewed with a satisfied expression, then looked at the sticky rice roll in her hand, puzzled.
By now, Mi Hongdou had swallowed her mouthful. Looking at Ji Junxin’s confused expression, Mi Hongdou was both amused and exasperated.
“It seems… we took the wrong ones…” Mi Hongdou looked at the filling in Ji Junxin’s roll – pickled mustard greens, youtiao, and meat floss – and showed her own, “Mine has egg, sausage, and pork tenderloin…”
Ji Junxin looked at Mi Hongdou’s roll with a heartbroken expression, trying to speak, “Mine…” but her mouth was full.
Mi Hongdou understood. Looking at the pitiful little foodie who had missed out on her desired breakfast, she smiled. “You can’t blame me, you handed it to me… I realized it was wrong after one bite and wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t speak with my mouth full. But even if I had stopped you, it wouldn’t have mattered, I had already taken a bite of yours, so you could only eat mine.”
The glutinous rice balls she had been craving for days… the glutinous rice balls she specifically asked Bai Tang to buy… Ji Junxin’s head drooped, her cheeks puffed out, she didn’t even have the energy to protest.
“It’s okay. We’ll ask Bai Tang to buy more tomorrow, we’ll have it again for breakfast.” Mi Hongdou couldn’t bear to see Ji Junxin’s pitiful expression. “We’ll have glutinous rice balls for breakfast every day this week, until you’re tired of it, then we’ll change, okay?” She comforted Ji Junxin gently, her tone unconsciously indulgent.
“Sister Mi ate Sister Ji’s glutinous rice balls!” Shen Zhu said, shocked. “Although they look the same on the outside, you can always take a small bite to check the filling before eating. Sister Ji, if you don’t like it, don’t eat it, I’ll go buy you another one. Egg, sausage, and pork tenderloin, right? How many do you want?” Shen Zhu’s attentive and caring demeanor made Mi Hongdou, who had just eaten Ji Junxin’s glutinous rice balls, seem like the worst person in the world.
Shen Zhu made a move to get out of the car, glancing at Mi Hongdou, then added, as if suddenly remembering something, “Sister Mi, which kind do you want? I’ll get you one too. This time, I’ll pack them separately and label them, so you won’t mix them up again.” She said the last sentence with a playful, innocent tone.
Heh… first subtly criticizing her, then undermining Bai Tang, and finally promoting herself. Mi Hongdou, a veteran of two lifetimes in the entertainment industry, could see through Shen Zhu’s act, despite her innocent expression and cheerful tone.
Just as Mi Hongdou was about to unleash her sarcasm, Ji Junxin swallowed the glutinous rice balls and stopped Shen Zhu, shaking her head. “No, no need, it’s a long drive, and we have to get our makeup done soon, there’s no time. We’ll have it again tomorrow.” She held up the sticky rice roll and smiled slightly. “Actually, pickled mustard greens, youtiao, and meat floss isn’t bad either.”
That smile was so forced… Mi Hongdou and Shen Zhu reached a strange consensus on this.
“Shen Zhu, have you had breakfast?” Ji Junxin suddenly asked.
How to answer this to gain more points? Did “yes” or “no” earn more favor? Shen Zhu quickly calculated and gave what she thought was a neutral, safe answer: “I had… a little this morning.”
Mi Hongdou couldn’t help but criticize Ji Junxin inwardly for wasting her limited concern on someone else. But Ji Junxin’s next sentence amused her.
“Just a little? That’s not enough. It’s so cold, you should eat more.” Ji Junxin pointed at the door. “Jiang Lingling has a table full of breakfast, enough for dozens of people. Why don’t you go have some?”
Shen Zhu, not expecting this, was stunned. Before she could figure out how to refuse, Mi Hongdou, with a bright smile, pulled her away from Ji Junxin and pushed her towards the door, saying gently, “Yes, yes, you should go eat more. Tell Jiang Lingling that I sent you, she’ll take good care of you.”
I don’t want to go… Shen Zhu looked at the two, who seemed to be very eager for her to have breakfast, feeling frustrated. After Ji Junxin urged her a few more times, Shen Zhu, unwilling to disobey and lose points, finally succumbed to Mi Hongdou’s enthusiastic pushing and got out of the car.
“Hey…” As soon as Shen Zhu got out, Ji Junxin turned to Mi Hongdou, about to speak.
“Wait…” Mi Hongdou, taking out her phone and typing, ruthlessly ignored her.
Ji Junxin bit her lip, looking dejected.
[Shen Zhu, Ji Junxin’s assistant, just got out of the car. Take her to your breakfast table and don’t let her leave until she’s about to burst. I’ll reward you handsomely later.] Mi Hongdou quickly typed and sent the message to Jiang Lingling. Heh, so good with words, then eat more… Mi Hongdou wished Jiang Lingling could keep Shen Zhu eating forever, but that was just wishful thinking. For now, a little suffering would be satisfying. Mi Hongdou felt a little mischievous, she must have learned it from Jiang Lingling.
After sending the message, Mi Hongdou, feeling relieved, took a bite of her sticky rice roll and looked at Ji Junxin. “What did you want to say earlier?”
“…” Ji Junxin glanced at the half-eaten rice roll and shook her head. “Nothing…” She took a small bite of her own.
Since Ji Junxin didn’t want to talk, Mi Hongdou had a question to ask: “Your assistant, Shen Zhu, she wasn’t this… enthusiastic before, what’s going on?” She asked casually, actually wanting to know why Shen Zhu had been so clingy earlier. But considering Ji Junxin’s obliviousness, she didn’t want to draw her attention to it.
“She told me earlier that she and Xiao Zhang, my assistants, haven’t had much to do. There’s been some gossip in the company, saying they’re just getting paid for doing nothing. So she asked me to give them more tasks. After all, they’re my assistants, they should be handling my daily affairs.” Ji Junxin explained honestly, then looked at Mi Hongdou, puzzled. “But I don’t have much for them to do. We’ve been so busy filming recently, sometimes we don’t even have time to eat, so since Bai Tang is here, I asked her to get us food, that’s all. But… Bai Tang is your assistant, is it okay to always ask her to buy food for me too?”
“What’s wrong with that? Is the food Bai Tang buys not good? Or do you want to eat something different? Eat separately?” Mi Hongdou’s voice was slightly sharp, her displeasure evident. “So next time I ask Bai Tang to buy groceries and cook, you won’t eat it?”
“That’s not what I meant…” Ji Junxin hadn’t expected such a strong reaction to a simple question and didn’t know how to explain.
Mi Hongdou looked at the slightly flustered Ji Junxin, sat next to her, and sighed deeply.
What an idiot, if that Shen Zhu was truly so enthusiastic, wouldn’t she have been clinging to you earlier? Your two assistants, they just relayed messages from the director, they weren’t exactly proactive. And if she wanted to do a good job, why be so clingy? … Something was definitely off, and only you, so oblivious, couldn’t see it.
But… she had been a bit harsh earlier. Mi Hongdou frowned and took a bite of the glutinous rice balls. She should probably appease her. It wasn’t worth fighting with Ji Junxin over someone like Shen Zhu.
As Mi Hongdou was thinking this, her sleeve was tugged. She turned and saw Ji Junxin looking at her hesitantly. Mi Hongdou sighed. “I was a bit harsh earlier. I just thought, since we’re eating together anyway, it’s easier for Bai Tang to buy it for both of us, rather than having two assistants buy separately…”
Her tone was gentler, with a hint of apology. But Ji Junxin still looked hesitant and pitiful, her hand still clutching Mi Hongdou’s sleeve.
“…” Mi Hongdou patted Ji Junxin’s hand. “Okay, okay, if you want your assistants to buy food, then let them. Eat quickly, the glutinous rice balls will be hard when they’re cold.”
She thought this would appease her. After making Ji Junxin happy, she would find some tasks for her assistants, keeping them away from Ji Junxin… Mi Hongdou thought, deciding that Jiang Lingling, with her endless schemes, would be her accomplice.
“…I…” Ji Junxin started to speak, then hesitated. Mi Hongdou sensed something was wrong and looked at Ji Junxin closely. Although she was holding her sleeve, her gaze was fixed on… the sticky rice roll in her hand.
“What’s wrong?” Mi Hongdou sensed something was off, but she couldn’t guess what Ji Junxin wanted to say.
“Nothing…” Ji Junxin shook her head and released Mi Hongdou’s sleeve.
Hmph, after chatting with Shen Zhu, she was now being evasive! There were things she couldn’t tell her anymore! Mi Hongdou’s annoyance grew. Ji Junxin had hesitated for so long and still hadn’t said anything, so Mi Hongdou decided not to ask.
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