Su Mingxi prepared a large table of dishes today, including roast duck. Zheng Baozhu ate almost everything, but when the dumplings were cooked in the evening, she still sat at the table with a dipping dish and hadn't eaten a single one.
Qu Zhi sat beside her and had just taken a bite of a dumpling when his expression changed slightly. He put the dumpling back in the bowl and used chopsticks to split it open, revealing a coin inside the filling.
Seeing this, Su Mingxi happily said to him, "It looks like little Qu Zhi will get rich next year."
Zheng Baozhu rolled her eyes, looking enviously at the coin in Qu Zhi's dumpling. Qu Zhi noticed her gaze and asked, "Do you want it?"
"What are you so proud of!"
"…I mean, if you want it, you can have this coin."
"You weren't this accommodating when you took my dream penthouse," Zheng Baozhu glared at him; Qu Zhi seemed to have a habit of pretending to be a good person in front of his mother!
Qu Zhi couldn't argue about the house, so he remained silent. Su Mingxi, however, became interested in the topic, "I heard from Baozhu that you bought a penthouse and have started the renovation?"
"Yes, but I haven't had a chance to go there yet. The project manager is overseeing it for me."
"That won't do; the renovation process is quite complex. Each project needs to be carefully inspected after completion."
After some thought, Qu Zhi nodded, "You're right. Since I have a few days off during the Chinese New Year, I'll take the opportunity to go and see."
Su Mingxi suggested, "Take Baozhu with you; she has experience with renovations as she's done it several times."
Qu Zhi glanced at Zheng Baozhu as if asking if she wanted to go with him. Zheng Baozhu didn't respond, Qu Zhi fell silent for a moment before asking again, "Do you really not want the coin?"
"No, I want to earn it myself!" There were two dumplings with coins inside, so the other one would be her reward!
When she was a child, Zheng Baozhu had studied the differences between dumplings with coins and regular ones to improve her chances of finding the lucky ones. Over time, she had developed a keen eye. Carefully examining the plate, she occasionally used public chopsticks to tap the dumplings. After a moment, she locked onto a target and used her chopsticks to pick it up.
Everyone at the table stared, as though waiting to see if her method worked. Zheng Baozhu carefully took a bite of the dumpling and soon felt something hard in her mouth.
"Um!" She lightly bit down and the coin came out of the dumpling.
"Hehe, see?" Zheng Baozhu took the coin out and placed it on a tissue, saying, "I told you I could find it myself."
Su Mingxi chuckled from the opposite side, "Of course! Since childhood, you've always been the expert at finding these things. No matter how well-hidden something shiny is, you can dig it out."
Upon hearing this, Qu Zhi also laughed softly. Zheng Baozhu really had a talent for sniffing out secrets.
Zheng Baozhu raised an eyebrow, accepting the praise gladly. She picked up her phone, saw a notification from the [Blind Date and Family] group, and promptly entered the chat.
Her older cousin kept flooding the group with numerous red envelopes, and while the elders might not notice, Zheng Baozhu immediately caught on that she was intentionally trying to dominate the chat.
Hmm, what kind of forbidden secrets are being shared up there? She should take a look.
Bracing herself, she sent the message up and then saw her older cousin's first message in the group.
Cousin: Baozhu, are you and Lin Ziqin acting in a TV drama together?!!! [Picture]
When Zheng Baozhu saw that image, her heart almost stopped. It was directly taken from Weibo, complete with the watermark of [Zheng Baozhu as Ye Ling] from [New Moon Wuxin Sword].
This promotional photo was even better than the one sent by Gao Boyun earlier, but now she had no interest in admiring her own appearance.
The production crew unexpectedly released the promotional photo suddenly! And they even included her in it!
No one else in the group said anything below that message, so the next one was still from her cousin.
Cousin: Sorry, Yao Yao was playing with my phone just now.
Because the message had been sent for several minutes already, there was no way to take it back. To salvage the situation, her cousin kept sending red envelopes non-stop, trying to push the message up.
It was clear that she was trying her best.
But during those few minutes, surely other people had seen it!
"Zheng Baozhu!" Su Mingxi suddenly raised her voice and called out to Zheng Baozhu, nearly scaring her into throwing her phone. Guiltily locking her phone, she looked at Su Mingxi with an innocent expression, "What?"
"Take a look at what your uncle just sent me!" Su Mingxi threw her phone onto the table, showing a magnified version of the photo she had just seen—the promotional photo with Zheng Baozhu.
Qu Zhi and Father Zheng also leaned over to look at the phone screen, and their faces changed.
Father Zheng furrowed his brows slightly and looked at Zheng Baozhu, "Baozhu, did you go into acting?"
"Haha," Zheng Baozhu forced a smile and said, "This person really looks a bit like me, doesn't she?"
"Stop pretending! Your name is written right there!"
Zheng Baozhu trembled slightly under Su Mingxi's scolding and was suddenly reminded of that memory from third grade when Su Mingxi chased her and beat her up at the school gate.
The phone placed on the table beeped three times in a row, all messages from her older cousin. Zheng Baozhu guessed her cousin probably wanted to remind her or cheer her on, but it was too late!
She didn't dare to pick up her phone and instead kept an eye on her mother across the table, who might explode at any moment.
"You…" Su Mingxi had just started to speak when Zheng Baozhu quickly pulled Qu Zhi in front of her as a shield.
"Mom, if you have something to say, say it nicely. It's New Year's, don't get upset," She hid behind Qu Zhi and swiftly spoke before hiding again. Su Mingxi squinted at her from the other side and slammed the table, exclaiming, "Come out and stop hiding behind Qu Zhi. You dared to go into acting, what are you afraid of now, huh?"
Saying this, Su Mingxi went around the table, intending to catch Zheng Baozhu. However, Zheng Baozhu held onto Qu Zhi tightly and didn't let go, using him as a shield, "Don't come near me!"
Su Mingxi furrowed her brow and said to Qu Zhi, "Qu Zhi, move aside."
Qu Zhi slightly pursed his lips and said, "Aunt Su, if there's something, let's sit down and talk calmly. There's no need to get so upset."
"How can I not be upset? She's already acting in a drama!" Su Mingxi said, then glanced at Qu Zhi as if sensing something, "Qu Zhi, did you already know about this?"
Qu Zhi paused for a moment and nodded gently, "Yes, I did know…"
"Great, so now you're lying to me too!" Su Mingxi was getting angrier and angrier, "Qu Zhi, back then, when Baozhu wrote about her dream of becoming a star in her composition book, you were the first one to tell me. And now that you've grown up, why are you helping her deceive people?"
"…"
Qu Zhi said, "Aunt Su, I don't want to deceive you. What I did back then was wrong."
"You're doing something wrong now!"
"…"
Qu Zhi now understood how Zheng Baozhu felt all those years, no wonder she held a grudge against him for so long. When Aunt Su got angry, she was genuinely scary.
"Qu Zhi, this matter has nothing to do with you. I won't argue with you for helping her lie to me. Now, step aside and let me talk to Zheng Baozhu properly."
"No, no, no," Zheng Baozhu clung to Qu Zhi's clothes as if he were a life-saving straw. Qu Zhi turned to look at her, but he still didn't move away, "Aunt Su, I know this is your family matter and I shouldn't interfere as an outsider. But Zheng Baozhu and I grew up together, and I hope she could do what she likes and pursue her dreams."
Zheng Baozhu looked up at Qu Zhi, her eyes filled with surprise.
She didn't expect Qu Zhi to say such things.
Su Mingxi paused her actions, her lips loosening, and then she looked at Qu Zhi, "I also want to her do what she likes, but acting is out of the question! There are so many things in the world that you can do. Why do you have to choose acting? Even if I were to agree, would your grandfather and grandmother agree? Zheng Baozhu, your grandmother is old. If she sees this photo, do you think she'll be able to take it?"
Zheng Baozhu cautiously peeked out from behind Qu Zhi, looking at her mother, and said, "So, you must never show that photo to Grandma!"
"…Are you still trying to reason with me?" Su Mingxi rolled up her sleeves and continued to try and grab Zheng Baozhu, "Come out here!"
"Qu Zhi, let's go!" Zheng Baozhu quickly reached for her phone and then pulled Qu Zhi towards the door. They opened the door and rushed outside!
Their escape seemed fluid and seamless.
After rushing downstairs with Qu Zhi, Zheng Baozhu finally stopped and caught her breath. She looked back upstairs and said, "My mom doesn't seem to be chasing us. We're safe for now."
Qu Zhi stood beside her, his heart was also racing. He let out a light sigh and looked at Zheng Baozhu, asking, "What do we do next? We can't keep avoiding Aunt Su forever."
Zheng Baozhu replied, "She's still angry right now. Let's wait until she cools down, then we can talk to her calmly."
Qu Zhi keenly grasped the point, "We?"
Zheng Baozhu cleared her throat, glancing at him with a slight smile, "With you by my side, my mom won't scold me as harshly."
"…I'm not so sure about that," He had experienced Aunt Su's power firsthand just now.
"Oh, I forgot to take my bag," Zheng Baozhu's car keys were in her bag, "Luckily, I was quick enough to snatch my phone back; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere."
She opened the ride-hailing app and asked Qu Zhi beside her, "Are you staying here tonight or going back to the hotel?"
Seeing her ordering a ride, Qu Zhi replied, "Are you leaving? How about you stay at my place tonight? Tomorrow, after Aunt Su calms down, you can talk to her properly."
Zheng Baozhu hesitated for a moment and then looked at Qu Zhi. He felt a bit uneasy under her gaze, and he coughed lightly, avoiding her eyes, "There are two rooms at my place. You can sleep in my room, while I sleep in my parents' room."
After a pause, he added, "The room doors can be locked from the inside."
"…"
Zheng Baozhu put away her phone and said, looking at him, "I was actually thinking, since nobody has been living at your place for so long, is there a thick layer of dust everywhere?"
"No, my house gets regularly cleaned. We had it cleaned just before the New Year."
"Oh…alright then," Zheng Baozhu nodded and followed Qu Zhi toward his apartment building. The shadows of the two were stretched long under the streetlamp. Zheng Baozhu's voice sounded gently in Qu Zhi's ear, "Do you have food in your home?"
"…Didn't you just eat? You're still hungry?"
"…Are you implying that I ate too much?"
Qu Zhi stayed silent for a couple of seconds and then said, "Let's go buy some food then. I'm not sure if the convenience store near my home is open."
Fortunately, on this Chinese New Year's Eve, the convenience store near their home was still open. The store's owner, Uncle Liu, also lived in the neighborhood and had been running this shop for over a decade.
As Qu Zhi and Zheng Baozhu walked in, Uncle Liu recognized them immediately, "Aren't you Qu Zhi and Zheng Baozhu? You're back for the New Year?"
"Yes," Zheng Baozhu greeted him with a smile and picked a few bottles of beer from the shelf. Qu Zhi saw that she only took alcohol and then picked up several bags of snacks. They both went to the cashier to pay.
As Uncle Liu scanned their items, he teased, "You two have a really good relationship. After so many years, you still come here to buy things together."
Zheng Baozhu: "…"
Uncle Liu, don't pretend like you haven't seen us argue before.
"I'll handle the payment," Qu Zhi took out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay. It was then that Zheng Baozhu noticed Qu Zhi wasn't wearing a jacket, only a thin sweater, and she tugged it down.
"Your jacket is still at my home," she said.
Qu Zhi nodded and replied, "I'll get it tomorrow."
Zheng Baozhu didn't say anything more and followed him upstairs. Qu Zhi's home was indeed kept clean and tidy through regular cleaning. He fetched a pair of slippers for Zheng Baozhu and turned on the air conditioner in the room.
Zheng Baozhu sat down on the sofa and opened a can of beer, taking a sip. Qu Zhi knew she wasn't feeling well, so he also sat down on the sofa and opened a can of beer.
Seeing him open a can of beer, Zheng Baozhu was a bit surprised and said, "I thought you hated drinking."
"It depends on who I'm drinking with."
Her heart skipped a beat at his response, then she saw Qu Zhi take a sip of his beer.
"Thank you just now," Zheng Baozhu said with a can of beer in her hand. She took another sip and expressed her gratitude to Qu Zhi, "It was supposed to be a peaceful Chinese New Year's Eve, but it turned out like this."
Qu Zhi replied, "It's okay. Originally, if Aunt Su didn't object, I would've been spending it alone."
Zheng Baozhu chuckled lightly, "That sounds kind of pitiful."
Qu Zhi followed her lead and chuckled as well. Both of them fell silent for a moment, and then Zheng Baozhu spoke again, "You mentioned earlier that I should do what I like and pursue my dreams. I was quite surprised by that. Regardless of whether you meant it or not, I appreciate it."
"I meant it," Qu Zhi said, looking at her, "You and your aunt are two different people; you have the right to pursue your own life."
Zheng Baozhu pursed her lips, staring at the beer can in her hand, "When I was in my third year of high school, I thought the same way, which is why I bravely applied to the art school. But later, my grandmother pretended to be sick and was hospitalized. Almost the entire family was worried, and I realized I was too naive. They cared more about this matter than I had imagined. I thought that now that I'm an adult, and it has been so long since my aunt's incident, they would be more lenient, but it turned out to be the same. My mom is right; if my grandmother found out, she might really be upset enough to end up in the ICU."
"It won't be that serious," Qu Zhi saw a side of Zheng Baozhu he had never seen before and wasn't sure how to comfort her, "Aunt Su said that your grandmother is quite lively."
Zheng Baozhu chuckled, raised her hand, and took another sip of beer, "You really can't comfort people properly."
Qu Zhi: "…"
"But my grandmother is indeed lively. I heard that not long ago, she wanted to become a volunteer in the community, but they wouldn't let her participate due to her age, and she even had an argument with them."
Qu Zhi drained the beer in his hand and looked at her, "So, things might not be as bad as you think. Tomorrow, talk to Aunt Su calmly."
At Zheng Baozhu's home, Su Mingxi was still sitting on the sofa, looking at the drama stills of [New Moon Wuxin Sword] on her phone. She found the show on Weibo and read the comments. This was a classic wuxia drama IP that naturally attracted a large audience. In addition to the popular male lead and well-known female lead, there was a cast of important supporting characters. Among them, only Zheng Baozhu was a pure newcomer, without even a Weibo account.
However, amidst all the discussions, some netizens still noticed her and even created a comment thread, albeit at the bottom of the popular comments.
"You've been sitting there for a long time, what are you looking at?" Father Zheng finished smoking a cigarette and walked back to the living room. Su Mingxi sat aside with disdain, not even bothering to look at him, and replied, "I'm reading netizens' comments about Baozhu."
"Oh? What are they saying?" Father Zheng also became curious.
Su Mingxi said, "They are praising her beauty and charisma, some are even asking for her Weibo account."
"That's true. Our Baozhu has always been beautiful," Father Zheng commented.
"She's too beautiful," Su Mingxi sighed, "If she weren't this beautiful, maybe she wouldn't be so eager to become a star."
Father Zheng sat there silently when Su Mingxi zoomed in on Zheng Baozhu's makeup photo and examined it closely, "She really looks so much like Mingmei."
Su Mingmei used to be their pride, because having a big star in the family made them the focus of attention, and many distant relatives, who were usually unrelated, liked to come and establish connections with them. Su Mingmei also had charisma; all the movies she starred in received awards and they used to attend every premiere. But everything changed after her suicide.