Chapter 89: Little Jerk
This translation was originally posted on
https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Facts have proven that honest people should not be provoked because once honest people get angry, their power is unimaginable and terrifying.
Shen Qingzhi who relied on favor and became arrogant, is rubbing her numb waist for the nth time at this moment, thinking in her heart: What a painful realization.
As soon as she sat in the car after the morning advertisement shoot finished, she received a voice message from Gu Jinrong, almost arriving right on time.
"Qingqing, are you done with work? I'm near the Yifeng Building. Do you want to come over for a meal?"
During these days, Shen Qingzhi was as busy as a spinning top, while Gu Jinrong unloaded most of her less important tasks, acting semi-retired.
Not only did she have time to develop the latest dishes at home, but she also memorized Shen Qingzhi's schedule better than the person herself.
Every time, either she was making luncheon appointments or on her way to meet her for a meal.
Shen Qingzhi once sincerely worried for Gu Jinrong, "You only film a TV drama once a year after returning to the country. Aren't you afraid of being forgotten by the audience one day?"
Gu Jinrong wasn't concerned about it, "Not afraid. With my previous works, they'll at least remain popular for ten years. Besides, even if there's no longer a Gu Jinrong in the entertainment industry in the future, I'll always be doing what I want to do."
This may sound a bit boasting, but it is indeed true.
For some people who, at the age of thirty, can live so freely, Shen Qingzhi expressed envy and jealousy.
Then, she continued to keep herself as busy as a spinning top.
However, being with someone with a leisurely life has its advantages. For instance, although Shen Qingzhi has been busy lately, the quality of her love life hasn't diminished in the slightest.
Every time she finished her work, she could always manage to find Gu Jinrong, who was lurking nearby and then pretend to coincidentally bump into her, sharing lunch together.
This love affair has quite a bit of an underground spy meet-up style.
At first, Gu Jinrong was somewhat displeased with Shen Qingzhi's secretive behavior, but as time passed, she unexpectedly immersed herself in this underground battle-style game with her.
After listening to the voice message through her headphones and checking the phone's time, 12:25, it was less than 15 minutes away from their daily meet-up time.
She buried her head and typed on the screen with her fingers.
[Not today, I have some personal matters to deal with after work]
Talking about work-related matters to Gu Jinrong was ineffective; ever since the assistant, Li Qian, noticed their relationship, she had almost defected to the other side.
Personal matters?
Gu Jinrong stared at the phone screen, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing.
She didn't necessarily have to share this meal, but now her little girl had a small secret and was unwilling to tell her, which made her feel sad.
Shen Qingzhi's typing tone clearly indicated her reluctance to elaborate, and Gu Jinrong didn't want to push too hard, so she could only type back word by word.
[Okay then……]
This translation was originally posted on
https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
A string of six dots in an ellipsis expressed her deep melancholy at the moment, hoping the other party could sense it.
Shen Qingzhi indeed noticed it; when she just mentioned "personal matters," it was deliberately meant to annoy someone.
Who told this black heart to go so far last time, causing her to have to lean on the wall while walking for the past two days?
Just be mad at her for now; after all, she can be calmed down later.
[Let's not chat for now. We'll talk about it when I get home tonight.]
After sending this message, Shen Qingzhi truly put away her phone and even turned off her mobile data.
The time she arranged with someone was approaching, and Li Qian had taken leave in the morning, so she had to manage the driving herself.
Shen Qingzhi parked her car near a high-end private psychological clinic, then got out and navigated her way based on her memory.
This place was somewhat hidden in the city, not far from the bustling area, yet people rarely visit it.
The high cost was one reason for this, and another was that some people, even if they needed psychological therapy, preferred online methods and might not necessarily visit in person every time.
Shen Qingzhi came here not because she had psychological issues that needed diagnosis but to find someone.
“Weird, it should be around here, right?”
Following the directions from the receptionist, Shen Qingzhi maneuvered through the clinic, twisting and turning in what felt like a third time complaining about the inhuman maze design in her heart.
As she took steps backward while observing the door plates on both sides, she unexpectedly bumped into a slightly chilly body.
"Sorry, sorry!" Shen Qingzhi hastily turned around, picking up the files she had accidentally knocked to the ground. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face.
"You?"
As soon as she uttered the first word, Wen Qi snatched the document from her hand and left with a cold face without looking back.
With such an unwelcoming attitude, it’s surprising that netizens can still afford to ship our CP.
Before Shen Qingzhi could dwell on this, she heard someone from the room behind her calling, "Zhizhi, over here." Shen Qingzhi turned around and saw a tall woman with gold-rimmed glasses sitting on a long sofa in the room, tidying up the building blocks on the coffee table.
The woman wore a dark green long coat, with distinct facial features and a harmless smile.
"Senior Sister, it wasn't easy to find this place."
Finally locating the person, Shen Qingzhi sighed in relief, walked straight into the room, and plopped down onto the sofa.
"Get up, you're sitting on my cards."
Shen Qingzhi obediently shifted her seat, releasing the cards that were being pressed down.
Si Ruo retrieved the last card from the sofa, then stood up and fetched a small box from the cabinet on the desk, handing it over to Shen Qingzhi.
"Here, this is what you asked me to help with."
Shen Qingzhi took the box and opened it, revealing a pair of crescent-shaped earrings crafted from gemstones.
She saw these earrings by chance online and found them incredibly appealing.
The design was simple and sleek, the texture crystal clear, resembling the bright and clear moon in the sky, radiant and pristine.
At first glance, Shen Qingzhi felt that these earrings were a perfect match for Gu Jinrong as if they were the shimmering fireflies not competing but complementing each other, just like the bright moon.
Upon inquiring, she found out that these seemingly simple-designed earrings were actually crafted by the F Country's master jeweler, Julie, and were the only pair globally, not for sale.
Shen Qingzhi found it somewhat amusing and frustrating; the one thing she had taken a liking to turned out to be so precious. Her taste seemed unexpectedly good.
Thinking there was no chance, she stumbled upon a few likes from Julie on some posts in her friend's Moments including several messages from Senior Sister Si Ruo.
Coincidentally, she and Si Ruo had collaborated on a program during their university days, and their relationship was relatively good. Following the clues led to today's arrangement.
Shen Qingzhi carefully admired the earrings, closed the box with care, and showed her gratitude.
"Senior Sister, I'm really thankful for this, I..."
"Stop." Si Ruo raised a hand, "You've already said your thanks eight hundred times. Next time, bring the true owner of these earrings to let me have a look."
"Huh?" Shen Qingzhi blinked innocently, "What true owner of the earrings? Can't it be me who wants to wear them?"
"Heh, are you really going to lie in front of me?" Si Ruo lightly chuckled, her expression confident.
Shen Qingzhi held the gaze for two seconds, admitting defeat, "Ah, you psychologists are truly terrifying."
Back when she first entered Y University, Si Ruo was already a senior in the first year of her master's program at the same school.
Despite a four-year age gap, the two got along very well due to their compatible personalities.
It was mainly because Si Ruo at that time had no airs of a senior, and her personality was still very much like someone with 8th-grader Syndrome*. For instance, after getting drunk, she would earnestly tell people:
*Chūnibyō (中二病) is a Japanese colloquial term typically used to describe early teens who have grandiose delusions, who desperately want to stand out, and who have convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers.
[I am a descendant of ancient royal lineage, entrusted by the heavens to save humanity from water and fire.]
Of course, Shen Qingzhi didn't believe a word of these lies, but it didn't stop her from feeling that Si Ruo was easy to get along with.
It's just that she hadn't expected that within a few short years, the former 8th grader would transform into a psychologist who could easily see through people's hearts.
Time is indeed a butcher's knife*...ah!
*time changes everything beyond recognition. (usually used negatively)
Shen Qingzhi was sighing to herself when she suddenly remembered that Wen Qi seemed to have just left this room. Her gossipy heart surged momentarily.
"Senior sister, the red-haired woman who just left your room, she...”
"Client confidentiality, no information will be disclosed." Si Ruo adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses with one hand, a glint passing through her eyes.
Shen Qingzhi locked eyes with Si Ruo for a moment, conceding defeat. She knew pressing further wouldn't yield an answer, so she switched topics temporarily.
She focused on Si Ruo's gold-rimmed glasses. "Senior Sister, I remember you didn't have nearsightedness before. As psychologists, do you have to read a lot of documents?"
"Not really," Si Ruo maintained her pose of adjusting her glasses with one hand, standing as if posing for a magazine.
"Just wearing these glasses makes me look very elegant."
Shen Qingzhi: ...
Well, this person is still an 8th-grader girl at heart.
***
Shen Qingzhi finished work earlier today and arrived home exactly at 6 p.m.
Before getting off the car, she intentionally hid the little box containing the crescent-shaped earrings. There was only half a month left until her tenth anniversary of knowing Gu Jinrong, and she wanted to give that person a surprise.
She opened the front door of the house, and the warm yellow light in the entrance hall welcomed the lady of the house back home.
Today's living room looked a bit emptier than usual, and even the partially closed kitchen showed no signs of activity. Shen Qingzhi hurried towards the bedroom wearing her bunny slippers and finally found her wife deeply engrossed in typing on the keyboard.
She was used to Gu Jinrong in an elegant or homey manner, and suddenly seeing her in serious work mode was quite charming.
Shen Qingzhi sat on the chair nearby without making a sound, quietly admiring her wife's beauty.
Gu Jinrong is sitting in front of the computer right now, her expression impeccable, but her thoughts have drifted off to Java Kingdom* since Shen Qingzhi appeared.
*fig. remote place
This little jerk just said she had personal matters to attend to at noon, but she didn't send any messages, didn't make any calls.
Now that she's back home, she acts as if nothing happened, not saying a word!
Gu Jinrong casually fiddled with the computer for three minutes before pretending to have accomplished something significant and then turned around.
She saw Shen Qingzhi sitting beside her but didn't approach as she usually would. Instead, she stared at her intently for quite a while.
Shen Qingzhi was stared at so hard that she thought to herself: Does she still mind my joke at noon?
She originally just wanted to make Gu Jinrong a little angry, but she accidentally exceeded the limit of power.
Shen Qingzhi, who knew she was in the wrong, took the initiative to coax. She put her hands on Gu Jinrong's shoulders and squeezed them, with an innocent smile.
“Busy? Have you eaten?"
“I haven't, but I'm already full." Gu Jinrong's tone was indifferent, her gaze unmoved.
This is... full of anger, right?
It was rare to see the chef at home not eating or caring about food. Shen Qingzhi knew that she had sinned deeply, so she quickly confessed.
"Actually, I went to see a senior this noon and asked her to bring me something."
As for what it is, it really needs to be kept secret at the moment.
Fortunately, Gu Jinrong's attention was not on the thing.
"Is your senior sister pretty? Are you close?”
Shen Qingzhi: Huh?
"She's quite pretty, and we are pretty…close, I guess."
As soon as she finished stating the facts, she felt that the temperature around her seemed to have dropped a few degrees, and she raised her head in confusion.
Is this air-conditioning coming from those eyeballs?
