CH 46

Su Mingmei has always been beautiful since childhood, and being the youngest in the family, she was the most spoiled. She was also intelligent and had a natural talent for acting. At a young age, she left home to study acting and traveled all over the country with different drama crews. At that time, whenever there were TV programs or disc posters, the whole family would gather around the TV to watch, and they would buy a lot of them.

After her suicide, all these things were packed away, and no one was interested in watching TV anymore. The whole family was enveloped in an invisible haze.

No one ever mentioned that name again, as if this could make the pain go away.

Su Mingxi always thought that Zheng Baozhu's desire to become a star was just a dream that all children had. Now, in retrospect, her persistence in wanting to piece together that torn composition probably foretold today's ending.

"Don't be too angry. It's the New Year, and the child has finally come back," Father Zheng sat on the side, trying to persuade Su Mingxi, "Talk to Baozhu calmly tomorrow."

Su Mingxi looked at the poster of Zheng Baozhu on her phone, "What's the point of talking? Do you think she'll listen to us?"

Father Zheng sighed, "The child has grown up and has her own ideas. What can we do about it? We can't tie her down at home, right?"

Su Mingxi raised her head to look at him, "I think your approach is feasible."

Father Zheng: "..."

At Qu Zhi's home, Zheng Baozhu had already finished one can of beer and was reaching for another. Qu Zhi moved the beer aside, preventing Zheng Baozhu from getting it, "Aren't you afraid of getting drunk?"

Zheng Baozhu looked at him and raised an eyebrow teasingly, "You know my drinking capacity, right?"

Qu Zhi nodded slightly, "Are you talking about the warrior incident?"

"..."

Zheng Baozhu suddenly recalled some embarrassing moments, and her tone wasn't as confident as before, "That was wine. Are you saying two cans of beer can make me drunk? You're underestimating me too much."

"Oh," Qu Zhi responded half-heartedly, but he didn't remove his hand from the beer can.

Zheng Baozhu stood up and took a can of beer that was further away, tauntingly raising her eyebrow at Qu Zhi.

Qu Zhi: "..."

Isn't she trusting him too much?

Zheng Baozhu didn't know the doubts in his heart and asked, "Did you delete the video from last time?"

Qu Zhi looked at her, and the corners of his mouth slightly curved, but he didn't answer.

Just as Zheng Baozhu was about to say something, Qu Zhi's phone rang. He glanced at the table; it was a video call from his mother.

"It's my mom," Qu Zhi said as he bent down to pick up his phone and answered the call, "Mom."

"Little Zhi, Happy New Year!" Qu Zhi's parents appeared on the screen, smiling and greeting him. Qu Zhi nodded and replied, "Happy New Year to both of you too. How are you guys doing?"

"We're doing well, don't worry. Take good care of yourself."

"Sure, I have experience with that."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

"What are you having for dinner tonight?" Father Qu didn't notice or pretended not to notice the hidden meaning in his words, and cheerfully asked, "Are you having dumplings?"

"Yes."

"Huh?" Mother Qu noticed something was off, "Aren't you at Aunt Su's place? Why are you at home?"

"Right," Father Qu also noticed the video background was his own home, "You came back home so early? We were hoping for you to visit Aunt Su and celebrate the New Year together."

"..."

Qu Zhi remained calm, trying to figure out how to explain to them. At that moment, Qu Zhi's sharp-eyed mother noticed something unusual again, "Is that Baozhu sitting next to you? Baozhu is also at our house?"

Upon hearing Mother Qu's words, Zheng Baozhu leaned over and said, "Uncle Qu, Aunt Qu, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year to you too! Baozhu is becoming more and more beautiful!"

"Exactly!"

"No, no, you both are looking younger and beautiful!"

"Hahaha, Baozhu, you still have a way with words," Mother Qu laughed a few times and then hesitated before asking, "What about you and Qu Zhi..."

"Oh, we just finished dinner at my place. We felt too full, so we went downstairs for a walk, and then we thought of checking in with you guys," Zheng Baozhu half-truthfully explained, fearing they might misunderstand.

"Oh..." Qu Zhi's parents seemed to misunderstand something as they smiled and said, "In that case, we won't disturb you. Hang up now!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the video call was disconnected.

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

Looking at the darkened screen in silence for two seconds, Zheng Baozhu raised her head and looked at Qu Zhi, "I think your parents misunderstood something."

"...Yeah."

"...Just 'yeah'?"

Qu Zhi put away his phone, stood up, and said to Zheng Baozhu, "It's getting late, I'll take care of the remaining beers. You finish this one and get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll accompany you to meet Aunt Su."

"Oh, okay," Zheng Baozhu watched him hurriedly leave, feeling a bit puzzled as she took a sip of her beer.

Qu Zhi brought the beers into his room, afraid that Zheng Baozhu might drink more. After a moment, he came back with a set of clean sleepwear, "This is my mom's, it's clean. You can wear it for tonight."

"Alright."

"These are towels, brand new," Qu Zhi said, placing everything on the couch before turning back to his room. Zheng Baozhu looked at him closing the door and chuckled to herself.

After finishing the beer, Zheng Baozhu took the things Qu Zhi gave her and went to freshen up. Although the apartment had two bathrooms, they were separate and not connected to the bedrooms. Zheng Baozhu changed into her sleepwear and came out of the bathroom. She glanced at Qu Zhi's room. The door was closed, but the light inside was still on, indicating that he hadn't gone to bed yet.

Zheng Baozhu felt like he was waiting for her to freshen up first before he did.

She smiled and walked to the other room, closing the door behind her.

Qu Zhi heard the sound of the door closing and came out with a towel from his room. Zheng Baozhu was inside his room, admiring his trophies and certificates, when she heard the faint sound of running water from outside.

The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it was especially noticeable in the quiet evening. A few years ago, when fireworks and firecrackers were still allowed in the city, the outside would be very noisy at this time. However, now the neighborhood was much quieter, with only occasional barking from dogs.

The rushing water sound entered Zheng Baozhu's ears, seemingly neither near nor far but impossible to ignore. She stood there listening to the water for a while and then the sound suddenly stopped. Zheng Baozhu looked toward the door and opened it slightly to peek outside.

Qu Zhi came out of the bathroom, water still on his hair, and saw Zheng Baozhu sneakily looking around.

He froze for a moment, subconsciously used the towel to cover himself, meeting Zheng Baozhu's gaze, "What are you doing?"

Zheng Baozhu blinked, then walked out of the room, "Nothing, just wanted to get some water."

Saying that, she intentionally glanced at Qu Zhi's unfastened collar, "What are you hiding? We've been friends for so long, just be honest."

Qu Zhi: "..."

He felt like Zheng Baozhu might be a bit drunk again. :)

"I suddenly remembered, didn't you set up a gym at home? You said you exercise regularly and that you have a good physique," Zheng Baozhu looked him up and down, "But you didn't say the same thing to my mom today. Are you lying to me?"

"...You've had too much to drink," Qu Zhi stood still, his tone somewhat stiff.

"Just a little beer," Zheng Baozhu didn't take the alcohol seriously.

Qu Zhi looked at her, "When you took the beer, I checked, it has a high alcohol content."

"It's nothing special," Zheng Baozhu continued to scrutinize him, "You're changing the subject. Is it because I hit the nail on the head? Dare to show me how good your physique really is?"

"..."

He didn't dare to answer.

"Weren't you saying you wanted water?" Qu Zhi raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the kitchen, "There's bottled water in the fridge, but it's cold. If you want some, you can warm it up first."

"Oh," Zheng Baozhu nodded and walked in the direction he pointed. However, as she passed by him, she suddenly stumbled.

"Oops." Zheng Baozhu let out a cry and fell towards Qu Zhi. He instinctively reached out to catch her. Zheng Baozhu was caught by him, and when she raised her head, she saw a large area of his chest and abdomen.

"..."

The room seemed even quieter than before. Qu Zhi realized something and tried to let go of Zheng Baozhu, but just before he released his grip, Zheng Baozhu raised her hand and accurately placed it on his chest.

Thump, thump – it seemed that he had indeed been exercising regularly.

Qu Zhi froze for a moment, then abruptly let go of her hand, stepping back two steps as if Zheng Baozhu was some kind of fierce flood.

Zheng Baozhu stood upright, looking in the direction of Qu Zhi, and smiled, "You were right, you are indeed better than Lin Ziqin."

"..."

Qu Zhi fell silent for a moment, staring at her, "You still remember Lin Ziqin?"

"Of course, he was even in a movie with me!" Speaking of filming, Zheng Baozhu remembered the incident with her mom discovering the stills from today, "Oh no, my mom found out about my acting! What do I do?"

Qu Zhi: "..."

He felt that he really couldn't let Zheng Baozhu drink anymore. On the surface, she seemed normal, but no one knew what she might do next.

"Drink some water and go to bed early," Qu Zhi quickly said this sentence, bypassing Zheng Baozhu, and went back to his room, locking the door behind him.

...Who would have thought that he would be the one locking the door in the end? :)

Zheng Baozhu went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, and sure enough, she found bottled mineral water. Without heating it, she directly opened the bottle and took a sip.

The cold water made her feel a little more comfortable. After closing the fridge, she carried the water back to her room.

The next morning, Zheng Baozhu woke up groggily with a slight headache. Blaming herself for drinking such high-alcohol drinks last night, but then she thought, how could she choose low-alcohol drinks to drown her sorrows?

It's a pity she had a good tolerance and she wouldn't easily get drunk.

After taking a shower last night, she felt a bit feverish, so she went out to get a bottle of water. She turned her head to take a look and the water was still there on the bedside table.

But it seemed like something had happened in between?

She pondered for a moment and lightly touched her right hand.

Wait, this feeling... She lifted her hand, incredulously staring at her palm.

Did she use this hand to... Qu Zhi yesterday?

...No, it must be an illusion. She has always had good alcohol tolerance.

Zheng Baozhu convinced herself like that, changed into her own clothes, and went out to freshen up. When she opened the door, she noticed some noises coming from the kitchen. Out of curiosity, she walked over and saw Qu Zhi preparing breakfast.

Looking at him with some surprise, she asked, "You can cook?"

Qu Zhi heard her voice, turned his head, and glanced at her with a slight glimmer in his eyes, "Awake?"

"Mhm," Zheng Baozhu approached and looked into the pot that was being cooked, "Are you making tangyuan?"

"Yes, it's the only frozen food we have at home, so we'll just make do with it."

"Oh..." Zheng Baozhu withdrew her gaze, "I didn't think you could cook."

Qu Zhi fell silent for a moment, then spoke to defend himself, "I've been able to cook since junior high school. I've become even better during the years I studied abroad."

Zheng Baozhu couldn't help but laugh at his earnest expression, "Really? Then I'll have to see Chef Qu's skills someday."

After teasing Qu Zhi, she went to freshen up and put on makeup, and when she appeared in the living room again, she was the elegant Zheng Baozhu.

"Be careful, it's hot," Qu Zhi sat opposite her and reminded her, "After eating, let's go see Aunt Su."

Mentioning going to see Su Mingxi, Zheng Baozhu still felt uneasy. Seeing her frown slightly, he reassured her, "Don't worry, I'm on your side."

This statement seemed to have some magic, calming Zheng Baozhu's nerves instantly.

Yes, she wasn't fighting alone; she had friends supporting her.

After finishing the tangyuan, Zheng Baozhu took her phone and returned home with Qu Zhi. Su Mingxi seemed to know they were coming and had been sitting on the sofa waiting for them. She appeared calmer today and didn't start scolding as soon as she saw Zheng Baozhu.

Zheng Baozhu cleared her throat and called out, "Mom."

"You finally remember I'm your mom?" Su Mingxi looked at her, "Let's not waste time with the small talk and get straight to the point."

As soon as Zheng Baozhu and Qu Zhi sat down on the sofa, Su Mingxi said to Zheng Baozhu, "Regarding that movie, since it's already filmed, there's nothing I can do about it. But let's put an end to this matter. You have fulfilled your dream, so from now on, focus on doing other things."

Zheng Baozhu knew it wouldn't be that easy, but she didn't plan to back down today, "Mom, do you think my dream is just child's play? Like playing house? You think it's enough for me to stop there, but I don't think so. When I said I wanted to be a star, I meant it seriously."

Su Mingxi clenched her jaw, of course, she knew it was serious, but precisely because she knew it was serious, she had to firmly cut off such thoughts.

"You've made the movie, what else do you want? Do you have to see your grandma end up in the hospital before you'll be willing to settle down?"

Zheng Baozhu furrowed her brows and remained silent for a moment. The incident of her aunt's suicide hurt her grandma the most, and there was no way to make her grandma forget it ever happened. But what was her fault in all this?

Thinking that she had to keep her dreams hidden in her heart since she was young, not daring to tell anyone, Zheng Baozhu also felt aggrieved. "Mom, I know you can't forget what happened to Aunt, but why do you have to punish me based on Aunt's incident? I know what I'm saying might sound selfish, but in my senior year of high school, I already gave up my dream because of you all. Now, can't you make some concessions for me?"

Hearing this, Su Mingxi's eyes turned slightly red. In her senior year of high school, Zheng Baozhu gave up on taking the art exam, and that night, they heard her crying in her room.

They all heard it.

They knew it was unfair to Zheng Baozhu, but it was a thorn in everyone's heart that they carefully avoided so they could continue living.

Choking up a bit, Su Mingxi looked at Zheng Baozhu and said, "Baozhu, we don't want you to go into acting, not just because of the fear of mentioning Mingmei, but also because we're worried you might end up like her... From your grandfather's words, actors are all lunatics, and they might lose touch with what's real and what's just a performance."

"I admit that some good actors may have difficulty stepping out of their roles, but not everyone would do something extreme," Zheng Baozhu replied to her mother, "My first lesson from my teacher was about drawing the line between acting and reality."

Su Mingxi raised her eyebrows, "What? You even got yourself a teacher? It seems like you really want to make a big splash in the entertainment industry?"

"..."

Tears welled up in Zheng Baozhu's eyes, "What's wrong with having a teacher?"

"Fine, I've said everything I needed to say. I won't agree if you continue acting. Before this matter reaches your grandma's ears, I have to resolve it," Su Mingxi said, then moved a chair and sat down, blocking the doorway. She continued, "I'll sit here until you've thought it through. No one is leaving through this door."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

Qu Zhi: "..."

While the three of them were in a standoff, Zheng Baozhu's phone started ringing. She picked it up and saw that it was Gao Boyun calling.

Glancing at Su Mingxi, who looked like a door god guarding the entrance, Zheng Baozhu went into another room and answered the phone, "Director Gao, what's up?"

"Baozhu, Happy New Year!" Gao Boyun sounded cheerful on the other end, "Did you see the stills that were released yesterday? Everyone has given you great feedback. By the way, how come you don't even have a Weibo account? Hurry up and open an actor's Weibo."

"..."

Zheng Baozhu took a deep breath and yelled into the phone, "Are you serious? How can you not inform me in advance when you release my stills? My family has seen the photos! Now my mom won't even let me leave the house!"

Gao Boyun was a bit flustered by this barrage of complaints, "Hold on, why won't your mom let you go out?"

"What do you think? You know my aunt is Su Ming, right? My aunt is my mom's sister, her real sister! The thing they hate the most is the entertainment industry, especially actors!"

Gao Boyun: "..."

"What should I do now?"

"..."

Gao Boyun scratched his head, feeling troubled, "Ah, I didn't expect this. My dad didn't mention it to me either. I even said we'll have you come back after the holiday to shoot another scene, but now you can't come?"

Zheng Baozhu said, "My mom is like Guan Gong standing at the door, she's just one big sword short."

"..."

Gao Boyun pondered for a moment and said, "Then give me your home address, and I'll personally go and persuade Auntie?"