CH 55

"Zheng Baozhu, what are you doing again?" Qu Zhi placed the drink on the table and held Zheng Baozhu's hands, stopping her from removing her clothes.

Zheng Baozhu winced since Qu Zhi grabbed her wrist too tightly, "Ouch, that hurts! Be gentler!"

"..."

Qu Zhi eased the pressure but still held her wrists firmly. Zheng Baozhu looked up at him and suddenly laughed, "Hahaha, why are you so nervous? I'm wearing something inside, you know!"

Saying that, she intentionally turned around, seemingly wanting to show Qu Zhi the open zipper and the light-colored undershirt underneath.

Qu Zhi's expression changed, and he turned his gaze away, "Even so, you shouldn't casually undress."

"But I feel suffocated in this outfit. I can't breathe," Zheng Baozhu frowned, "I think I ate too much at lunch."

"...Remove the 'I think'," Qu Zhi glanced at her, "You ate too much, and on top of that, you drank so much alcohol."

"The three of us were drinking!" Zheng Baozhu argued, "And I wasn't even drunk. Do you remember the last time? Who helped you handle the people from the financial side after they got drunk?"

Qu Zhi said, "And do you remember what you did after that?"

"What did I do?" Zheng Baozhu pretended not to understand.

"Heh." Qu Zhi scrolled through his phone, opened a video, and Zheng Baozhu's loud voice came from inside, "Warrior, transform——!"

Zheng Baozhu was taken aback and tried to snatch his phone. Qu Zhi quickly raised the phone above his head, and Zheng Baozhu, sitting on the sofa, couldn't reach it, "Qu Zhi, didn't I tell you to delete that video?"

"Fortunately, I kept a backup. Otherwise, you'd keep acting dumb and denying it," Qu Zhi said.

"You!" Zheng Baozhu stood up determined to take his phone. However, she accidentally stepped on her dress, causing her to fall directly onto Qu Zhi. Qu Zhi instinctively caught her, and as they fell onto the sofa, the hand holding the phone raised high also resulted in the phone dropping to the ground.

A loud bang echoed and the room fell silent. Zheng Baozhu looked wide-eyed at the person beneath her on the sofa; and felt that the fleeting panic and unease in his eyes seemed somewhat... intriguing?

Qu Zhi's hand rested on Zheng Baozhu's lower back, and the zipper was still undone, with his palm directly touching the thin fabric of her undershirt. The warmth from Zheng Baozhu's body transmitted to his hand, feeling like it was about to burn.

Qu Zhi's expression was hesitant, but Zheng Baozhu, now lying obediently on him, didn't make any further moves. Qu Zhi's hand clenched slightly, then slowly relaxed, and finally, in this position, he pushed Zheng Baozhu's hair at the back of her head aside and zipped up the dress for her.

The sound of metal echoed in the room, when Zheng Baozhu felt tightness around her waist, making it hard to breathe. She glared at Qu Zhi with dissatisfaction, "Why did you zip up my dress?"

Qu Zhi replied, "To prevent accidents."

Zheng Baozhu clicked her tongue but didn't plan to get up from him. She just stared at him. Qu Zhi became more and more uncomfortable under her gaze, and his ears gradually turned red, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Zheng Baozhu said, "I'm practicing my eye expression. As an actress, eye expression is essential. It should be focused and not scattered."

"..."

Qu Zhi pursed his lips; he couldn't agree with such a ridiculous reason, "Staring at me can improve your eye expression?"

"Yes, I usually practice in front of a mirror. Since there's no mirror now, I'll use your eyes instead," Zheng Baozhu said.

"..."

Qu Zhi fell silent for a while and gently pushed the person lying on him, "Why don't you get up? I'll find a mirror for you."

"Forget it," Zheng Baozhu huffed, finally getting up from him, "I'll practice later."

Qu Zhi let out a sigh of relief and also sat up from the sofa. Zheng Baozhu opened the drink he brought and started drinking. Qu Zhi glanced at her and suddenly became a bit angry, "Zheng Baozhu, don't you know that I'm a man?"

Pfft, cough, Zheng Baozhu choked on the water in her mouth and coughed several times in a row. After catching her breath, she looked at Qu Zhi with a smile, "What do you mean? Of course, I know. Hahaha."

Qu Zhi smirked as well, "So you did that on deliberately?"

"Deliberately what?" Zheng Baozhu drank the water in her hand and looked at him curiously. Qu Zhi exhaled deeply and decided not to argue with someone acting crazy under the influence of alcohol, "Never mind, I didn't say anything."

After finishing her drink, Zheng Baozhu let out a small burp and continued to stare at him.

Qu Zhi raised his hand to block her gaze and said, "Go back to your room after drinking."

"Tch, stingy," Zheng Baozhu stood up and took her bag, "I'm leaving; no need to send me off."

"...I'll still walk you to avoid you going to the wrong room again," It didn't matter if she walked to his room, but if she entered someone else's room by mistake, that would be a problem. Qu Zhi opened the door for her as Zheng Baozhu flicked her long hair, holding her bag, and walked out. There was no sign of her acting crazy like before. Qu Zhi kept watching until she reached her room, then he closed the door and went back inside his own room.

After returning to her room, Zheng Baozhu washed her face and took a nap. When she woke up, her mind was clear. She looked down at her sleeping attire and blinked her eyes lightly.

Just now, in Qu Zhi's room, things happened, right?

Help! In the past, whenever she drank alcohol, she might act a little crazy after closing the door and being alone in her room! In front of others, she always maintained a normal appearance!

Zheng Baozhu didn't easily show signs of being drunk, so whenever she was drunk, one can't tell from her face at all. Her alcohol tolerance was decent, and she would never get so drunk that she would lose consciousness, so most people who drank with her think she had a good tolerance.

But only she knows that once the door is closed, she has had her own personal concerts in the bathroom. :)

However, ever since Qu Zhi returned to the country, she noticed that she couldn't wait until she got back to her room to act tipsy. It would start right on the way there! The first time was when she danced like a warrior in front of Qu Zhi, which she could still accept because it was similar to her previous antics. But later on, it became more and more abnormal!

The last time, she heard the sound of him taking a bath and felt restless, even going so far as to touch him all over. And now, she ended up in his room! And she even lay him at some point?

"..."

Why did she change her way of acting crazy in front of Qu Zhi?

Could it be that being single for too long really made her eccentric? :)

No, it must be Qu Zhi's fault. She is not that kind of person!

Running her fingers through her hair, she saw the schedule for the reshoots that the crew had sent her. The reshoots wouldn't take too long; she would only need to stay on the set for three days. Zheng Baozhu didn't pack too much since she still had some space left in her luggage. She even brought the foldable foot bath bucket that Qu Zhi had bought for her.

Most of the reshoots involved action scenes. On the first day, Zheng Baozhu spent the whole day practicing martial arts in the training room on the set. Although the last wire stunt was quite intense, after such a long break, she surprisingly felt excited wearing the wires again.

As the reshoot scenes were not extensive, she spent a day in the training room and then returned to the set on the second day. There was still a difference between rehearsing moves in the training room and performing them on set, especially since she had to wear the costume which was a bit restrictive. They had to make a few adjustments on the set before they could achieve the effect that Gao Boyun was satisfied with.

Once again, Zheng Baozhu got some new bruises. She understood why actors nowadays tend to perform slower and repeat moves during fight scenes. Even for someone with over ten years of dance experience like her, it was tiring. Those without any martial arts background would definitely not be willing to endure such hardships.

After all, lying down and making money was much easier.

But on Gao Boyun's set, even top actors like Lin Ziqin couldn't get away with faking fight scenes. Gao Boyun had a genuine passion for martial arts, so naturally, he had high expectations for the fight scenes. In [New Moon Wuxin Sword], fight scenes were crucial; they accounted for almost half of the success of the project.

During the break, Zheng Baozhu sat in Lin Ziqin's resting area, taking a break with him. The filming on the set would be completed soon and Zheng Baozhu would finally get some time off.

Lin Ziqin sat beside her and started chatting, "I heard from Boyun that you had some trouble before and almost couldn't make it here today?"

Zheng Baozhu smiled and replied, "Yes, but it's mostly resolved now. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to be here today."

Lin Ziqin nodded slightly and said, "It would be a shame if you couldn't continue filming. Your photos have received great feedback, and once the show officially airs, you're bound to become popular."

Zheng Baozhu said, "I'll take that as a good omen from you, Teacher Lin!"

Lin Ziqin chuckled but didn't say anything. Zheng Baozhu noticed that he seemed preoccupied, so she asked, "What's on your mind? You seem a bit off today."

After some consideration, Lin Ziqin replied, "It's nothing, just that some people online said I only know how to act in period dramas and always stay in my comfort zone. Lately, I've been thinking about whether I should stop taking period dramas after finishing this show."

"Oh, don't listen to them. They're just jealous of you!" Zheng Baozhu was worried when she heard that Lin Ziqin didn't want to do period dramas anymore, "You look great in period dramas, why stop? They just can't stand seeing you succeed! Besides, you've only done three period dramas; it's not like you've been doing the same thing over and over. Look at other actors in the past; many of them focused on one genre and did multiple projects. Now they're considered classics. By their standards, aren't they also staying in their comfort zone?"

Lin Ziqin listened to her passionate words and couldn't help but laugh, "Are you my agent? When I said I didn't want to do period dramas anymore, my social media was also blown up like this."

"Well, it's the same for anyone like you! As an ordinary viewer, I love seeing handsome guys in period dramas. Those people can't accept that, and now that period drama hunks like you are rare, they can't handle it. After you came into the scene, all the popularity flowed to you. You've only done three dramas, and some people are already pushing you out of your comfort zone. But honestly, who needs to move from their comfort zone if it's a brick that suits you?" Zheng Baozhu said, feeling indignant on his behalf.

"Actors wanting to avoid repeating themselves is normal, but the three period dramas you've done are completely different. One was a prince, another a deity, and the other a martial hero. Moreover, you hardly need a double. How is that comfortable for you?" Zheng Baozhu thought about how tiring it was for herself, who had only done a few fight scenes. Lin Ziqin, as the male lead, had fight scenes throughout the entire show, "Oh, and when you step out of your comfort zone, won't they want you to spin in circles in a period drama?"

Lin Ziqin laughed and handed her a bottle of water. He said while looking at her, "You've said so much; aren't you thirsty? Have some water."

"Thank you," Zheng Baozhu took the water. It had been placed near the heater and was still warm.

Lin Ziqin said, "I didn't say I won't act in period dramas anymore; I'm just considering doing something different next time."

Zheng Baozhu asked, "Do you have any ideas in mind?" With Lin Ziqin's current popularity, it was likely that he already had offers for his next project even before finishing the current one. Judging by his expression, it seemed that some production companies had approached him.

Lin Ziqin didn't intentionally hide anything and nodded, telling Zheng Baozhu, "I have received several scripts, most of them are period dramas, and there are also some big IPs among them. However, I'm still a bit hesitant. A few days ago, Boyun also approached me, saying he wants me to play the male lead in his next project."

Zheng Baozhu was taken aback by the sudden revelation and almost choked on her water. She noticed that recently, whenever she drank water while sitting across from him, he would drop surprising news. Seeing her surprised expression, Lin Ziqin asked, "What's wrong?"

Zheng Baozhu waved her hand, indicating that she was fine, "Is Director Gao preparing for several new projects?"

Lin Ziqin smiled and said, "Probably only one. Did he tell you about it too?"

"Just mentioned once," Zheng Baozhu recalled how Gao Boyun had used the prospect of her being the lead in his next project to convince her mom when he visited their home, "But I don't know if he meant it or not."

If he really wanted Lin Ziqin to be the male lead in his next project, that would mean they could co-star together. This possibility seemed too good to be true.

"I'll ask him later then," Zheng Baozhu turned to the next page of the script, "By the way, there's a cousin of mine who really likes you. She asked me to get your autographed photo. Would you mind?"

Lin Ziqin agreed readily, "Sure, my assistant should have my photos. I'll have them find one for you."

Zheng Baozhu felt a bit embarrassed and hesitated, "Actually, quite a few kids in her class like you. She asked for ten autographed photos..."

She realized that this request might be too much and quickly added, "But it's okay, ten is a lot to ask from you. One or two would be enough. Thank you, Teacher Lin!"

Instead of refusing, Lin Ziqin thought for a moment and said, "Ten is not a problem. It's just that my assistant might not have that many. I'll go back and check. Next time, I'll bring them to you, or you can just give me an address, and I'll send them to you."

"Is that okay? Thank you for helping me send them. I can pay for the postage," Zheng Baozhu thought Lin Ziqin was quite considerate, which was probably why the kids liked him so much, "Should I give you my address?"

Lin Ziqin replied, "Just send it to me on your phone," After a moment's pause, he looked at her and asked, "We haven't added each other as friends yet, right?"

"That's right!" Zheng Baozhu had been hesitant to ask him to add her, afraid that he might think she wanted something from him as a minor supporting role.

Lin Ziqin took out his phone and opened WeChat, "Scan mine, and I'll let you know when I have the signed photos ready."

"Alright, thank you, Teacher Lin." Zheng Baozhu excitedly scanned Lin Ziqin's QR code and successfully added him as a friend. Later that night, back at the hotel, she soaked her feet and showed off in her small group chat, "Guys, I've added Lin Ziqin on WeChat, hahaha!"

Meng Yaxin: !!

Zheng Baozhu: From now on, my circle of friends has gained one more handsome guy. 

Cen Tongtong: Don't make it sound like you're visiting the harem of a palace after watching a show. [Picking nose emoji]

Zheng Baozhu: Well, it does feel like that. 

After soaking her feet, Zheng Baozhu laid on her bed and scrolled through her moments' posts, and there it was—a handsome selfie.

The handsome guy was Qu Zhi.

"..."

Zheng Baozhu was silent for a moment, then opened a private chat with Qu Zhi, "Dr. Qu is going to impoverished areas again?"

Qu Zhi: Yes.

Zheng Baozhu: ...Alright.

Qu Zhi: When will you be back?

Zheng Baozhu: I'll be back tomorrow after finishing filming.

Qu Zhi: Okay.

Zheng Baozhu was about to reply when her phone vibrated. Thinking it was Qu Zhi calling, she was surprised to see her mom's name displayed on the screen.

Her hand trembled as she answered the call, "Hello, Mom? Is there something you need so late?"

Su Mingxi's voice came from the other end, "Where are you?"

"I... I'm in my room," Zheng Baozhu was afraid of further questioning and asked again, "What's the matter?"

Su Mingxi said, "Your grandmother, after resting at home for a few days, couldn't stay idle. She insisted on going out today to buy groceries herself."

"What? Isn't she supposed to be resting?"

"She didn't listen and went out on a chair. But that's not all, after going out, guess what she did?"

Zheng Baozhu couldn't even guess, "What did she do?"

"She started writing letters to government departments! She said the accessibility facilities here are poorly done. She tried sitting in a wheelchair, but it's inconvenient everywhere!" Su Mingxi said with exasperation.

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

Her grandmother truly lived up to expectations. This turn of events was unexpected.

"She didn't buy many groceries and came back to the community first. She complained that many roads only have stairs and didn't consider people using wheelchairs. Tomorrow she plans to go to government departments to complain about the inconvenience of getting on and off buses. I can't stop her. Since you are so eloquent, why don't you accompany her tomorrow?"

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

"Uh, well, Mom, Grandma is indeed well-intentioned, and she's not wrong about this... but I have work tomorrow, and I can't get away. How about you ask my cousin and others?"

"But they all have work, right? You're the most flexible with your time," Su Mingxi replied.

"Um... then, can you ask Grandma to wait one more day? I'll be free the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll talk to her again," Su Mingxi hung up the phone. Zheng Baozhu returned to her conversation with Qu Zhi and absentmindedly sent him a sweating emoji.

Qu Zhi: What happened?

Zheng Baozhu: My grandmother went out to buy groceries in the wheelchair today. She made an important speech about the accessibility facilities in our city and is already writing letters to the mayor's office. [Sweating emoji]

Qu Zhi chuckled and replied, "That's very much like something your grandmother would do. Our accessibility construction does indeed have many areas that need improvement. If everyone were as enthusiastic as your grandmother, it would definitely accelerate the process of accessibility construction."

Zheng Baozhu: She's indeed enthusiastic. Tomorrow, she also plans to criticize the work of a public company. [Sweating emoji]

Zheng Baozhu: My mom asked me to accompany her, but I have to film tomorrow.

After considering it for a moment, Qu Zhi typed in the chat box, "How about I accompany your grandmother?"

Zheng Baozhu: Huh? Weren't you going to work tomorrow?

Qu Zhi: I can take half a day off; I still have unused vacation days.

Zheng Baozhu: Okay, but won't that be too much trouble for you?

Qu Zhi: It's fine, just let your grandmother know. I'll go see her tomorrow morning.

Zheng Baozhu replied with a "good" and then called Su Mingxi, "Mom, Qu Zhi said he can accompany Grandma tomorrow."

"Huh?" Su Mingxi was taken aback and her tone became strange, "You've been bothering Qu Zhi with our family matters. It seems like you don't treat him as an outsider at all?"

"..."

Zheng Baozhu fell silent for a moment, feeling that there was an underlying meaning in her words, "Isn't it you who doesn't treat him as an outsider?"

"Well, that's true, but you didn't have this attitude before. It seems like you have a very good relationship with him now."

"Mom, don't bring up these irrelevant things," Zheng Baozhu quickly changed the topic, "Qu Zhi has been giving lectures on blind alley construction before, which is also part of accessibility facilities. He has experience in this area, and I'm sure he and Grandma will get along well."

"Fine... but since you're bothering him, remember to treat him to a meal afterward as a thank you."

"I know, I'll hang up now," Zheng Baozhu quickly hung up the phone, not sure why she felt guilty about it.

Early the next morning, Qu Zhi went to Grandma Su's house as arranged. Grandma Su was now very skilled with the wheelchair, and when she saw him, she even asked for his help in revising the letter she had written yesterday.

"When I wasn't using the wheelchair, I truly didn't realize these things. It was only when I went out yesterday that I discovered how inconvenient it is," While Qu Zhi helped read the letter, Grandma Su complained to him, "You see, I only sat on the wheelchair for a short time, and I already found it so inconvenient. How do those disabled people manage? We can't ignore this matter."

"Grandma, don't worry. You are right, and your letter is written truthfully; there's no need to make any changes," Qu Zhi turned his head to comfort Grandma Su, "Moreover, the country hasn't said it will ignore this issue. It's just that the construction of accessibility facilities requires a significant amount of manpower, financial resources, and time. We need to take it one step at a time. Some places indeed don't pay enough attention to these matters, but with people like you continuously providing feedback, we can gradually improve. In fact, many social figures are now concerned about this issue, and there will be a charity event about it next week."

"Really?"

"Yes," Qu Zhi nodded. The charity event originally invited Professor Luo to attend, but he didn't like to attend such occasions and didn't want to miss this opportunity for popularizing knowledge. Thus, he asked Qu Zhi to go in his place.

After she was done filmings, Zheng Baozhu headed straight back to Starlight Farm. On the way, she started messaging Qu Zhi, "Did everything go smoothly today with my grandmother?"

Qu Zhi: Yes, it went smoothly. The public company took the feedback seriously and said they would carry out improvements soon.

Zheng Baozhu: Wow! You guys are amazing!

Qu Zhi: It's not that we're amazing; the public company has become more conscious.

Zheng Baozhu: Haha, well, I was involved in charity work before. A few days ago, the person in charge of a project sent me an invitation to attend a charity event!

Zheng Baozhu: I looked it up and found out it's also about accessibility facilities construction. How coincidental, isn't it?

Qu Zhi's eyebrows gently raised. It was indeed quite coincidental. He didn't tell Zheng Baozhu that he would also be attending and asked instead, "Have you returned?"

Zheng Baozhu: I'm on my way back.

Qu Zhi: Give me a call when you arrive, I'll come to pick you up.

Zheng Baozhu typed "No need" in the chat box but hesitated. She deleted those words and typed something else instead.

Sure. (>▽<)