Chapter 42: Coaxing Herself

With Gu Jinrong's help, Shen Qingzhi's luggage was repacked quickly and in an orderly manner. For a moment, the little assistant Li Qian almost thought that she was about to lose her job.

But seeing those two exchange glances with playfulness, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in her heart.

She realized that her earlier thought of Gu Jinrong coming to steal her job was just a moment of foolishness. It was just a little play between the couple to abuse a single dog.

After realizing this, Li Qian simply stopped working as a light bulb, and when Gu Jinrong asked her to go back to rest first, she graciously followed. Even Shen Qingzhi herself didn't notice that her assistant had followed other's orders.

They said they were moving, but in reality, it was just a short distance of about ten meters. You could tell at a glance that both rooms belonged to the same homeowner.

Except for the lack of a pot of cactus on the window sill, other places are basically the same, even the pattern and orientation of the single bed in the bedroom.

Um, wait, single bed?

Shen Qingzhi strolled around the house like a patrol, it wasn't a large space, so she quickly took in the whole picture.

Originally she was the one who asked to come over for a squeeze, but now the host generously agreed to her request, and instead, she became reserved and polite, "Mm, where do I sleep at night?"

"Of course you are sleeping on the bed." Gu Jinrong gave her a strange look as if she  didn't understand why she would ask such an obvious question.

These words were exactly what Shen Qingzhi wanted, but she wanted to continue being polite, "What about you?"

"Of course, I'll sleep on the bed too."

As soon as Gu Jinrong finished speaking, Shen Qingzhi gasped secretly, but it was actually very obvious.

She reminded her with amusement, "Qingqing, we have been married for almost a month now."

Shen Qingzhi nodded subconsciously at first but then realized something was off. "We had a marriage agreement, we are not real wives."

She added somewhat guiltily, "We're living together just for the convenience of the film crew. Don't think you can take advantage of me."

"Pfft!" Gu Jinrong couldn't help laughing, receiving Shen Qingzhi's disdainful gaze, but she didn't feel scared at all.

She leaned in close to Shen Qingzhi's ear, her tone seductive, "You and I shared a bed a few nights ago. You didn't say this at that time. Qingqing, why do you think I would take advantage of you, or perhaps you secretly want me to?"

Shen Qingzhi's ear tickled a bit, and she involuntarily turned her face, catching a glimpse of someone's slightly smirking lips.

And... they were remarkably good-looking.

She was caught off guard by the sudden mention of their past shared sleeping arrangements. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, but now, she was feeling a belated sense of embarrassment.

However, she'll never admit that she was feeling shy. It was all because the woman in front of her was too fickle.

She obviously looked pitiful just a few days ago, but now she has recovered and started to play tricks again.

Shen Qingzhi grabbed a nearby small stool, stood on it, and puffed up her chest, attempting to assert dominance with her posture.

"A few days ago was a few days ago, now is now, are you the same as you were a few days ago?"

It sounded quite philosophical, and Shen Qingzhi couldn't help admiring herself inwardly.

However, Gu Jinrong was obviously not overwhelmed by her "philosophical" words, and the smile on her face became even more dazzling.

"So Qingqing knows that the me now is different from the me in the past, but you're still willing to take the initiative to sleep with me. Does this also mean that Qingqing likes me no matter if I am the me before or the me now?"

Shen Qingzhi was shocked: Weren't we just squeezing in to save space? What does she mean by "willingly sleep together"? How did this woman become so eloquent just by changing locations?

She glared at the person in front of her, and wanted to refute something like "only the devil would like you", but felt that it lacked impact and wouldn't dent the evolved black-hearted person in front of her.

She is currently biting her lips, thinking about how to counterattack to appear powerful. Unconsciously, a warm feeling drops from the corner of her lips.

Gu Jinrong wiped her pink lips with her fingertips, "Don't bite yourself like this, your lips will break. If you really don't like it, you can bite me."

In the past, Shen Qingzhi might have actually bitten her. With those lips that were both beautiful and capable of saying infuriating words, she would have bitten fiercely to vent her frustration!

But now, Gu Jinrong, unlike her previous restrained appearance, suddenly became more aggressive. She started to feel a bit timid.

Gu Jinrong sent out the invitation and looked at Shen Qingzhi with burning eyes for a long time. Seeing no response from the other party, she simply pulled her down from the small stool.

"Since Qingqing refuses to bite me, let me bite you instead."

Shen Qingzhi: Hey hey hey!

It has been more than half a month since the last time their lips met. This time, they unexpectedly found themselves close again, feeling both familiar and strange.

If the previous few times were Shen Qingzhi's reckless exploration, then this time it was Gu Jinrong's intentional guidance. She said it was biting, but it wasn't exactly biting, only her teeth were lightly pressed against her lips.

Tingly, but not painful.

Shen Qingzhi put her hands on Gu Jinrong's arms as if she wanted to push her away, but her strength was not enough at all, and instead, she was pulled closer.

Forget it, you've already been bitten anyway, might as well not suffer.

Shen Qingzhi was thinking of turning the tables and biting back when suddenly her leg went numb, causing her to almost lose her balance.

Luckily, Gu Jinrong acted swiftly and held her, preventing her from falling flat on her face.

At that time of shock, her first thought was: It's over, will this be misunderstood as throwing myself into her arms? And why did the sensation from my lips travel down to my legs?!

Before she could figure it out on her own, there was a knock on the door, "Zhizhi-jie, Boss Gu, are you going out for dinner? It's an authentic farm dish made in the village."

"We're coming!"

Shen Qingzhi jumped out of Gu Jinrong's arms almost in seconds and ran towards the door in three jumps. In just a few seconds, she didn't forget to wipe her mouth and put on a serious face when she opened the door.

Li Qian stood at the doorway, looking normal. Shen Qingzhi can't help praising herself for her quick reaction.

"Aren't we supposed to eat? Hurry, hurry," She now had a very hungry appearance.

There was a short distance from here to the house where they would eat. The film crew had originally brought cooks with them, but on the first day, everyone needed rest, so they gave some money to the villagers, thinking of taking the opportunity to taste the local food here.

To ease her embarrassment, Shen Qingzhi's gaze wandered along the two narrow paths, looking at chickens, ducks, and wheat, but not looking at Gu Jinrong.

She had found these sceneries very fresh and interesting when she first saw them, but now she suddenly felt somewhat dull.

She didn't bother to continue pretending to be interested. The person next to her was a movie queen, who wouldn't notice her crappy acting?

So she decided to change her strategy and went to chat with Li Qian, "By the way, why did you call her Boss Gu when you knocked on the door just now? Shouldn't I be your boss?"

Li Qian was stunned for a moment, feeling bad: Oh no, I just got too excited chatting in the group and accidentally said it out loud.

It's better not to let the protagonists know about the fact that I secretly ship on the artist's real-life CP.

Shen Qingzhi just casually picked a topic but suddenly, she did feel a bit curious.

She stared at her little assistant with interest as if she absolutely had to have an answer.

Li Qian was under a lot of pressure, but fortunately, she reacted quickly enough, "Uh... that's because, of course, Queen Gu is not only the lead actor of this drama, but also the producer of this drama. Strictly speaking, she is the boss of all of us. If you don't like it, I can change back to my previous address."

Shen Qingzhi listened and nodded, "Boss Gu, Boss Gu, interesting. Then you should continue to call her Queen Gu from now on."

Li Qian:?

Are the two sentences you said before and after the same in meaning?

Shen Qingzhi chatted with her own assistant for a while, her mood improved quite a bit, and she didn't feel guilty like before. She straightforwardly turned around and called out: "Boss Gu, let's go quickly, or we'll miss the hot meal."

Li Qian: ...

Gu Jinrong remained silent throughout, standing to the side and listening as the two people discussed the issue of addressing her. She watched as her little girl, who had initially avoided eye contact when they left home, was quickly comforted and settled.

She had originally thought about whether she teased her too much just now, wondering if she should coax her later.

In the end, the little girl coaxed herself well before she even tried. This kind of mentality is very admirable, and it seems that she can continue to intensify her efforts in the future.

In the past two days, she has figured it out a little bit. The secret seduction and the silent pampering are only effective for the kind of delicate girl, but it doesn't seem to be very effective for a top-notch tsundere.

Originally, she thought that they had a long future together and that spending time together like they did before would be nice. There was no need to rush things.

But the news brought by Shen Hanzhi in the past few days reminded her that there are some things she can't choose whether to be in a hurry or not, but rather, she must be in a hurry.

Shen Qingzhi broke her usual dinner routine and had two extra bowls of rice. The village's dishes may not be as finely prepared as those in the city, but they excelled in using local ingredients, making them naturally fresh.

Normally, she didn't indulge in various delicacies, but now, her appetite has greatly increased. Partly because she had been hungry for most of the day, and partly because the surrounding environment complemented the food so well.

Tasting local dishes in such a wild village gives you a sense of being one with nature.

Shen Qingzhi was the leader of the praise group when it came to the skills of the village aunt.

"This bacon tastes really good. Did you raise the pigs yourself?"

"What's the name of this purple dish? It's so fragrant. I've never seen it before."

"Is this a radish? It's so refreshing to eat. Ah, this isn't a radish?"

Among the colleagues from the same drama crew at the same table, most had visited similar villages before, except for Shen Qingzhi, who was experiencing it for the first time. She seemed somewhat excited.

The portions of the dishes here are very generous, and there is no manager around at the moment, reminding her to control her diet, she immediately let go of herself.

However, every time she moved her chopsticks, she felt like there was a pair of eyes watching her. When she turned to look, it seemed like everyone was eating their meal seriously.

To confirm whether she was being overly sensitive, she deliberately adjusted the frequency of her food picking. As expected, the sensation of being watched changed with the variation in her food-picking frequency.

With a sudden thought, she pretended to focus intently on the food in front of her while her hand continued to move. At the same time, she turned her head unexpectedly and successfully captured the hidden resentment in Gu Jinrong's eyes.

The conjecture was verified, but Shen Qingzhi was even more puzzled: Does she think I'm eating too much and stealing her share? There are still so many on the table though.

She looked at half of the dishes left on the table and nudged Gu Jinrong with her elbow.

"If you want something, just help yourself. You shouldn't starve yourself just to save face."

Author's Note:

I've been quite busy lately, so updates will be less frequent for a while. I'll let you know when I'm back to regular updates.