Chapter 53: Hurt p2
Originally, Mi Hongdou disliked Zhang Zijing more than Jiang Duo, but now, her dislike for both was equal. Mi Hongdou hadn’t realized that Jiang Duo’s befriending Ji Junxin was premeditated, for the sake of her career and money. It was even more despicable than she had imagined. And Lu Gaoshi, why hadn’t she dealt with them in her previous life when she had the money and influence! They were so shameless! She had originally thought it was just Zhang Zijing’s infidelity, Jiang Duo’s betrayal, and Lu Gaoshi’s job hopping. Now it seemed that everything was premeditated. The truth was chilling and infuriating.
“Ji Junxin is already in the room, right? Did Qiao Rubai arrive? Did they hear that conversation? You can’t record it? Quickly ask if they heard it!” Mi Hongdou, in full-on die-hard fan mode, bombarded the burly man with questions, practically exploding with anxiety. She didn’t even realize that she had inadvertently revealed the other room’s occupants. Fortunately, it was indeed them.
The usually quiet girl who sat next to Jiang Lingling, eating nuts and barely speaking, had suddenly transformed into a raging dragon, almost breathing fire. The burly man didn’t find this contrast cute at all…
After quickly contacting the crew-cut man, the burly man gave a definite answer: “They’re both in the room and heard the conversation.”
Qiao Rubai heard it, she definitely wouldn’t let them off the hook. Mi Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief, but a new worry surfaced.
“What was their reaction? I mean, are they okay?” Mi Hongdou remembered that Ji Junxin seemed to care about Lu Gaoshi quite a bit. Although hurting Ji Junxin in the process of pushing Lu Gaoshi away was unavoidable, Mi Hongdou still hoped that the wound wouldn’t be too deep.
“This…” The burly man hesitated. This was different from confirming whether they were in the room and heard the conversation. Their reaction should be considered private information, he couldn’t reveal it.
Seeing his expression, Mi Hongdou knew she was asking for too much. Worried about Ji Junxin, she wished she could quickly achieve the success she had in her previous life and then ruthlessly crush these scumbags.
Jiang Lingling wasn’t sure how close Lu Gaoshi and Ji Junxin were. But from the information Dong Yuannan had provided about the crew, it seemed that Ji Junxin cared about her manager, who had been with her from the beginning. Earlier, when she and Lu Gaoshi had their argument, Ji Junxin had clearly defended her. So now, the content of Lu Gaoshi’s conversation with Jiang Dingyi was clearly not good. Jiang Lingling silently ate a walnut. Downplaying a serious matter like loan sharks, what was the point?
“Okay, don’t be angry. Since Qiao Rubai heard it too, I don’t think Lu Gaoshi will be on set tomorrow. As for Ji Junxin… isn’t she picking you up tomorrow? Make her something delicious to cheer her up.” Jiang Lingling comforted her. “The Jiang family is so messed up, nothing good will happen to them.”
Mi Hongdou looked at Jiang Lingling suspiciously. Jiang Lingling winked with a smile.
It seemed she hadn’t misheard, there was indeed a hidden meaning in her words. Mi Hongdou didn’t ask. If Jiang Lingling was planning something, she would definitely tell her the result. She owed her a big favor this time. But she was happy to owe it!
Regardless of how heartbroken and angry the people in the other two rooms were, and how they were planning to retaliate, Lu Gaoshi and Jiang Dingyi’s meal finally ended. Lu Gaoshi paid the bill, and Jiang Dingyi gallantly helped her put on her coat. Their harmonious ending made some people grind their teeth in frustration.
“Let’s go.” Ji Junxin wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked at Qiao Rubai with determination.
“Now? We might run into them…” Qiao Rubai looked at the screen, where the two were getting ready to leave, and hesitated. But meeting Ji Junxin’s gaze, she suddenly understood. “Okay, let’s go.”
Ji Junxin’s lips curved into a smile, but her eyes were still red.
Qiao Rubai gritted her teeth and gestured to the crew-cut man in the corner: “Have your people arrange for us to ‘run into’ them at the exit.”
Ji Junxin didn’t object.
The crew-cut man’s eyes widened. “Nan Tian’s rules…” Nan Tian’s rule was that when a waiter escorted a guest out, they would never encounter other guests.
But before he could finish, Qiao Rubai interrupted him, her gaze sharp and leaving no room for doubt, “I’ll pay extra, you make it happen.”
The crew-cut man took out his phone and started dialing. After a while, he looked up. “They’ve decided to leave through separate exits, what should we do?”
“We’ll go to Lu Gaoshi’s exit.” Ji Junxin’s voice rang out before Qiao Rubai could speak.
The crew-cut man looked at Qiao Rubai, who nodded.
Without Lu Gaoshi, the Jiang family’s schemes were nothing.
Lu Gaoshi was quite satisfied with this meeting without Jiang Duo. Although the beginning wasn’t ideal, it had ended well. Jiang Dingyi had ordered her favorite dishes, given her food, agreed with her plan to approach Ji Junxin, and even helped her put on her coat. Everything was going in the right direction. According to Jiang Dingyi, Jiang Duo had been kept on set by Director Pan, it seemed that fate was on their side. Having Jiang Duo present every time was troublesome. She had to maintain a dignified image, hiding her true feelings, pretending that they were just old classmates catching up. What their relationship truly was, she knew, and she believed Jiang Dingyi also knew, and probably Jiang Duo too. But having a younger generation present was like having an extra layer of modesty, it was quite boring. She hoped Director Pan would keep Jiang Duo busy more often, so she could have more opportunities to be alone with Jiang Dingyi. He was aloof and distant, but she would openly show her feelings, sooner or later, he would be hers.
Lu Gaoshi thought this, confident and happy, as she said goodbye to Jiang Dingyi and followed the waiter.
However, her good mood didn’t last long.
What happened to protecting customer privacy! What happened to not encountering other guests! When Lu Gaoshi saw Qiao Rubai and Ji Junxin at the exit of Nan Tian, after a moment of panic, she was angry at the waiter. But after that brief moment of distraction, the waiter was gone. Lu Gaoshi suppressed her anger and mentally made a note of it.
“What a coincidence, are you here for dinner too?” Lu Gaoshi greeted them with a smile, unsure if they were arriving or leaving. Anyway, they didn’t know Jiang Dingyi, and they didn’t know who she had met or what she had talked about, so there was nothing to be nervous about.
To Lu Gaoshi’s surprise, neither of them responded to her friendly greeting. Qiao Rubai’s face was expressionless, and even Ji Junxin just looked at her silently, her eyes slightly red.
A sudden wave of guilt almost made Lu Gaoshi take a step back to avoid Ji Junxin’s gaze. But she didn’t.
“Junxin, don’t you have scenes to film in Shudian today? Why are you suddenly back in Jiang City? Did something happen?” Lu Gaoshi put on a concerned expression. “Why didn’t you tell me? Is there anything I can help with?”
Please don’t let it be a career problem, she still needed Ji Junxin for the Jiang family matter. It would be best if it was a family problem, so Jiang Duo could show her care and concern and perhaps even take advantage of the situation to get closer to her. Lu Gaoshi’s mind raced, but she maintained a worried expression.
Were you lying to him? Or to me? After all these years, is that what you think of me? Was all that care and companionship fake? Would you really, as you said to him, manipulate me for the love you want?
Ji Junxin looked at Lu Gaoshi silently, many words she wanted to say, but they all felt superfluous.
She couldn’t trust her like before anymore. At this moment, Ji Junxin realized this clearly. Looking at Lu Gaoshi, whose worried face still held a hint of affection, Ji Junxin thought, perhaps, she couldn’t even face her anymore.
“Sister Lu, I’m changing managers. You don’t have to take care of me anymore.” Ji Junxin’s words were slow and steady, her gaze fixed on Lu Gaoshi. She wasn’t good at handling this kind of situation, but she instinctively felt that she had to say these words herself, to make a clean break.
Then, should she act like a strong woman, turning and leaving after delivering those harsh words? Or should she act like a damsel in distress, expressing her sadness and grievances with tears? Or, like a pampered girl, believe that there were reasons behind everything and wait for an explanation? What kind of persona should she adopt to handle this situation better? After saying those words, Ji Junxin felt lost.
“What?” Lu Gaoshi’s first reaction was that she had misheard. “Junxin, what are you saying? I’ve been with you since you entered the industry, what do you mean?”
Ji Junxin, unable to choose a persona and facing Lu Gaoshi’s almost interrogative tone, could only remain silent.
Her silence, in Lu Gaoshi’s eyes, was a sign of guilt.
“Junxin, you can’t do this. Are you forgetting our past just because you’re famous now? Think about it, all these years, you’ve been filming, and I’ve been with you every step of the way. Packing your luggage, driving you around, accompanying you for early morning and late-night shoots. Even in Jiang City, I cleaned your apartment and cooked for you. Honestly, is there a better manager than me?” She couldn’t let this happen. Lu Gaoshi’s voice was hurried and anxious, and she even squeezed out a few tears. “I’m at this age, without children, I’ve taken care of you all these years, truly treating you like my own daughter. Tell me, what did I do wrong? Why are you unhappy with me?”
“Enough!” Qiao Rubai snapped. She had been holding back, seeing that Ji Junxin was taking a stand, but Lu Gaoshi’s words were becoming increasingly hurtful. Lu Gaoshi, as a manager, had been doing an assistant’s job, and she even had the audacity to bring it up.
Lu Gaoshi, caught up in her act, had momentarily forgotten that Qiao Rubai was also present. Startled by the shout, her tears stopped mid-flow and gradually dried.
“President Qiao, I’m speaking from the heart.” Lu Gaoshi wiped her eyes. “You’ve assigned me so many tasks that aren’t part of my job recently, trivial and burdensome. I don’t have enough energy, and perhaps I haven’t been taking care of Junxin as well as before. But I’ve really been trying my best…” She glanced at Ji Junxin from the corner of her eye.
Ji Junxin remained unmoved, and Lu Gaoshi’s heart sank.
“Heh…” Qiao Rubai sneered. Even now, she was still trying to subtly complain?
Ji Junxin had vaguely sensed Qiao Rubai’s actions in assigning tasks to Lu Gaoshi. If it weren’t for today’s incident, she might have actually talked to Qiao Rubai about it later. But now, Lu Gaoshi’s words sounded like she was badmouthing Qiao Rubai.
Yes, her parents indeed didn’t have time for her. And Qiao Rubai was her only true friend all these years. Lu Gaoshi knew this and was still trying to drive a wedge between them. Ji Junxin’s heart ached. Every word from Lu Gaoshi hurt her.
“Stop.” Ji Junxin stopped Lu Gaoshi from continuing. “I heard everything. My parents don’t care about me, I only have one friend, and the person I trust the most is you. Naive and clueless. I heard it all.”
Lu Gaoshi leaned forward, her eyes wide, her lips trembling, utterly shocked.
You also forgot to mention “foodie”… Qiao Rubai touched her nose, feeling a little guilty for suddenly remembering this.
“You… you…” Lu Gaoshi’s trembling hand pointed at Ji Junxin, then at Qiao Rubai. “No, it’s not like that… let me explain… those words weren’t my true feelings…” Were they followed? Or were they eavesdropped on? No, it didn’t matter. Those words, spoken by her less than ten minutes ago, were now repeated by Ji Junxin, as if copied and pasted. Lu Gaoshi didn’t even want to know how Ji Junxin found out. Even denying it was useless now. She could only explain, explain. Ji Junxin would definitely listen to her explanation. Lu Gaoshi wasn’t as confident as she seemed, but she still grabbed Ji Junxin’s hand.
Her hand was immediately brushed away.
“I don’t want to hear your explanation. I can’t trust you anymore. I won’t pursue this, and I don’t want to see you again.” Ji Junxin forcefully shook off Lu Gaoshi’s hand and stepped back. She thought she had found the right persona for this moment.
Someone who had been hurt and could no longer trust anyone.
Ji Junxin’s sudden coldness didn’t escape Qiao Rubai’s notice. Something seemed wrong… Qiao Rubai’s heart lurched.
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