Zheng Baozhu couldn't help but doubt if Qu Zhi had received some kind of specialized training abroad all these years.
"Who are you texting now?" Gao Boyun saw Zheng Baozhu sitting there staring blankly at her phone and asked teasingly, "Is it your old classmate again?"
"Mind your own business," Zheng Baozhu locked her phone and played with her hair, "This updo looks nice."
The makeup artist stood on the side and said, "I did a simple one to save time. I'll make it more refined during the official makeup session."
Today, they were just trying out the makeup. After the costumes were ready, they would need to adjust the makeup according to the costumes. Gao Boyun and the makeup artist exchanged a few words, and then he said to Zheng Baozhu, "Let's end here for today. I'll send you the contract, and once you've reviewed it, we can sign it as soon as possible."
"Okay," Zheng Baozhu sat back in her chair and let the makeup artist help her remove her headpiece and makeup. The producer invited Gao Boyun and others to have dinner together in the evening, but Lin Ziqin had other arrangements and declined. Gao Boyun also didn't agree, "I still need to go to the studio and check the edited footage."
Although [New Moon Wuxin Sword] had finished filming, as the director, he couldn't just leave it all and not follow up with the post-production progress. The producer saw that both of them were busy and suggested picking a time when everyone was available to meet up.
After Zheng Baozhu finished removing her makeup, she put on a mask and left with Zhou Xiaonan and her assistant. On the way, the person in charge of JS sent a message, saying they had already arranged the time for them to try on the dress tomorrow.
Zheng Baozhu thanked them and then sent a message to Qu Zhi: Tomorrow is set to try out the dress fittings. I hope you didn't forget.
Qu Zhi had already finished work, and his reply was enthusiastic: Of course not, but do we need to make such a big deal out of it just to attend Wei Yu's wedding?
Zheng Baozhu: It's not for Wei Yu, it's for my integrity!
Qu Zhi laughed and found Zheng Baozhu's response a bit cute: Alright, I got it. I'll wake you up on time tomorrow.
Last time, Qu Zhi had waited outside Zheng Baozhu's door, pretending to be pitiful, and successfully obtained the room key from her. Now, he could openly wait for her in her room.
After waking up, Qu Zhi called Zheng Baozhu to offer his wake-up service, and then he got ready and went to her room. Since Zheng Baozhu needed to do her makeup, it would take her some time. Qu Zhi wasn't in a hurry and went to the kitchen to fry eggs and bacon and warm up some milk.
When Zheng Baozhu came out, breakfast was already set on the table. She didn't even know she had so many things in her fridge.
"Did you make this?" Zheng Baozhu casually picked up a cherry tomato and ate it. Qu Zhi patted her hand back gently and asked, "Did you wash your hands?"
"Uh, my hands are clean," Zheng Baozhu said so, but she still went to the kitchen to wash her hands, "When did you stuff so many things into my fridge?"
Zheng Baozhu lived in the hotel and had her meals in the restaurant, so she rarely cooked for herself, and thus there weren't many things in her fridge. Qu Zhi sat down at the dining table and took a sip of milk, "When I put things in my fridge, I also put some in yours."
"Hahaha," Zheng Baozhu laughed as she sat opposite him and tasted the eggs he fried, "Your cooking skills are quite good, young man."
Qu Zhi gladly accepted the praise, "Well, it took me 25 years to hone my skills."
Zheng Baozhu was amused by his sense of humor. She used to think Qu Zhi was snarky, but now she found that he not only spoke sweet words but also told jokes, "You used to always call me a clown, but I think you're suitable to do comedy as well."
"It seems like we're a perfect fit."
"…"
Zheng Baozhu was silent for a moment and then started teasing him with some banter, "But if we analyze the two lines you just said, it seems a bit off."
Qu Zhi recalled their conversation, his silence lasting longer than Zheng Baozhu's, "Do you usually read those novels?"
"…I haven't!" Zheng Baozhu denied it, feeling a bit embarrassed. Well, she did have a few bookmarked sites that she would occasionally flip through, "What about you? Can you honestly say you don't watch unhealthy short videos?"
"Unhealthy short videos?" Qu Zhi thought for a moment, looking at her, "You mean those mukbang videos where people eat large quantities of high-calorie food and then induce vomiting? Indeed, they are unhealthy."
Zheng Baozhu shrugged, "Don't pretend! Haven't you shared some of those videos with your buddies?"
"I actually haven't shared any with them."
"Oh, so they shared some with you then!"
"…"
Qu Zhi put down his cutlery, leaned on the table, and leaned slightly towards Zheng Baozhu, teasingly suggesting, "If you're so interested in this topic, we could explore it together. It should be more interesting than watching short videos."
Zheng Baozhu: "…"
So, scientists can also be rogues!
Seeing Zheng Baozhu avoid his gaze uncomfortably, Qu Zhi chuckled lightly, picked up his cutlery again, and said, "You can consider it."
"Consider your head!" Zheng Baozhu retorted, picked up a cherry tomato with her fork, and ate it with gritted teeth.
After finishing breakfast together, they went to JS's brand store. Since today was a private arrangement, Zheng Baozhu didn't bring an assistant and drove herself with Qu Zhi. On the way, Zhou Xiaonan sent a message to Zheng Baozhu. Since it was not convenient to read while driving, Qu Zhi sat beside her and relayed the message, "It says that the legal department has reviewed your contract, and if there are no issues, you can sign it directly."
"Okay, good."
Qu Zhi glanced at her and asked, "Are those two trial makeup photos you sent me yesterday from this drama?"
"Yes, it's for Gao Boyun's new drama, set in the Republic of China's business and politics," Zheng Baozhu said while driving, "I've read the script, and it looks good."
Qu Zhi wasn't interested in work-related matters and just reminded her, "You should still take a look at the contract yourself."
"I already read it last night. Although I'm not a professional, I've signed many contracts over the years, so I have some experience," Zheng Baozhu smiled at him, "Don't worry, my studio's legal affairs are handled by Lawyer Han's friend. Lawyer Han and I have cooperated for many years, and he's very reliable."
"That's good," As he said this, Qu Zhi didn't want to delve further. He remembered that Zheng Baozhu started her own business during her university years, starting with a few tea shops. It was indeed a risky venture for a university student without any prior business experience, "When you started your own business in university, weren't you afraid of being cheated?"
"Of course, that's why I had to be extra cautious with every decision I made, especially when signing contracts," Zheng Baozhu said, "There were indeed people who tried to deceive me because they saw me as just a university student, but fortunately, I was careful enough not to fall for it. Lawyer Han was introduced to me by my father and he has helped me a lot over the years. So, you were right before, I should thank my father for my business ventures."
Qu Zhi coughed uncomfortably, trying to explain, "It's not that… My understanding back then was too one-sided. Doing business is never easy, let alone when you're a university student. You indeed have more courage and decisiveness than many others, and your investment judgment is quite accurate."
Zheng Baozhu chuckled and said, "Well, today I've come to understand that when you dislike someone, everything they do seems wrong in your eyes. But when you like someone, even if they slap you in the face, you still believe it's right."
Qu Zhi: "…"
Fine.
"Humans are truly hypocritical." Zheng Baozhu glanced at him. Qu Zhi raised an eyebrow, "I won't deny that. Aren't you the same?"
"…"
"…No, weren't we just talking about the script?" Let's not touch those scars and hurt each other, okay? "By the way, the male lead in this drama is Lin Ziqin! I feel like we have some connection!"
"…"
Qu Zhi's expression turned cold, "Huh, let's get back to discussing business."
Zheng Baozhu: "…"
She cast a sidelong glance at Qu Zhi and asked him with amusement, "Are you jealous again? You have such a small mind."
Qu Zhi looked at her and replied, "Perhaps my mind is even smaller than you imagine."
"…" No, no, no, I've known since the third grade that Qu Zhi has a small mind!
Zheng Baozhu didn't want to provoke Qu Zhi further and focused on driving her car. After arriving at JS's store, the staff warmly escorted them to the VIP area on the second floor.
"Miss Zheng, we have prepared three sets of dresses for you to choose from. Please have a look," the staff, wearing white gloves, brought out the prepared dresses, "Considering that you are attending a wedding, we avoided the common red and white colors that might clash with the bride. Black might also be avoided by some people, so we selected light purple and yellow."
Zheng Baozhu glanced at the dresses; they were all beautiful, but she paid more attention to the men's suits. JS prepared mainly suits for men, with slight variations in style, such as the choice of tie and pocket square, which would be in light pink.
Looking at Qu Zhi, she asked, "If I choose…"
"No," Qu Zhi interrupted her before she could finish, "I can't handle that."
"Who said that? You can even handle gold, so this won't be a problem for you," Zheng Baozhu coaxed him, hoping to see Qu Zhi try on the dress. The JS staff also chimed in, "That's right, sir, men wearing light pink won't look strange; it's actually quite fashionable. And you have an excellent figure and temperament, so the effect will surely be outstanding."
When Qu Zhi entered the store, the female staff took notice of this handsome guy, but out of politeness, she couldn't keep staring at him. Now, she finally had a reason to look at him openly!
Although she worked in the business of flattering customers every day, the words she just said were not flattery at all. This gentleman was genuinely handsome and his figure was simply natural elegance.
She didn't know his identity, but since Zheng Baozhu drove him here in a luxury car… this was the joy of being a rich woman! She wished she could have such happiness too!
Although the staff's thoughts went off on a tangent, she maintained her professional and friendly smile.
Still, Qu Zhi was not swayed by her words, "I think the purple one looks the best."
Zheng Baozhu looked at the dress he pointed out, which was probably because the nearby men's suit had a tie and pocket square in the purple color family.
"Do you like purple?" Zheng Baozhu looked at him. Purple was also a charming color. She hadn't seen Qu Zhi wear it yet, "Sure, we can try this purple set first."
"Okay," the staff led Zheng Baozhu and Qu Zhi to two separate fitting rooms and brought the dresses as well.
Zheng Baozhu cautiously put on the dress and noticed that the zipper at the back was a bit difficult to pull up. She poked her head out of the fitting room, intending to ask the staff to help her, but she saw Qu Zhi had already changed into the suit and was standing in front of the mirror, adjusting it.
"Qu Zhi," She called him. Qu Zhi turned to look at her and walked towards her.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't zip up the dress. Can you help me?"
"Sure," Qu Zhi entered the fitting room. Zheng Baozhu turned her back, tucking her hair to the front, exposing her fair and smooth back to Qu Zhi.
The last time Zheng Baozhu was in his room, she was still wearing a base layer underneath the dress, but this time, she had nothing underneath, and her snowy white back was exposed to Qu Zhi.
Suddenly, Qu Zhi felt a little dry in his throat, and his heart seemed to race. He walked up and hugged Zheng Baozhu from behind with one hand. Lowering his head, he gently sniffed the skin on her neck. Zheng Baozhu felt slightly ticklish and couldn't help but giggle and squirm a bit, "What are you doing? I asked you to help me with the zipper."
"Mhm," Qu Zhi responded softly, then he placed a kiss on Zheng Baozhu's neck. The touch of his lips sent shivers down her spine, she couldn't control the light moan that escaped her. Qu Zhi tightened his embrace, placing tender kisses on her back.
"Qu Zhi, don't do this here…" Zheng Baozhu didn't expect Qu Zhi's kisses to weaken her knees so quickly. Qu Zhi turned her around and pinned her against the wall, asking, "Why not?"
Blushing, Zheng Baozhu tried to say something, but before she could speak, Qu Zhi's lips sealed hers again. Since they confirmed their relationship, they occasionally shared kisses, but most of them were light and fleeting. However, this kiss was different, filled with a strong sense of possession, more intense than any before.
Submitting to Qu Zhi's passionate attack, Zheng Baozhu wondered if he suddenly became so passionate because he found the fitting room exciting?
He said he didn't watch unhealthy videos!
"Miss Zheng, are done trying on the clothes? Do you need any assistance?" The staff's voice unexpectedly came from outside, interrupting the couple inside the fitting room. Qu Zhi and Zheng Baozhu slightly distanced themselves, Qu Zhi's lips formed a charming curve. Zheng Baozhu's heart was racing, and she quickly replied to the staff, "I'll be ready in a moment."
"Alright, I'll be waiting outside. Let me know if you need any help."
Zheng Baozhu: "…"
Can you please go and be busy elsewhere for a while?
Looking at Qu Zhi, she playfully pinched his waist, "Are you still able to smile? How do we go out like this?"
Qu Zhi's hand reached around to her back and slowly zipped up the dress, "Just find some kind of excuse to distract them."
"…"
Zheng Baozhu turned toward the staff outside and said, "Um, I'm feeling a bit thirsty. Could you get me a glass of water?"
The staff replied, "I already brought water and a fruit platter for both of you."
"Ah, I see," VIP service indeed, quite attentive.
Qu Zhi gently kissed her again and suggested, "Let's just go out directly. As long as we act nonchalant, it won't be awkward."
Zheng Baozhu: "…"
Is this even reasonable? 🙂
Following the principle of "I'm not awkward, the awkwardness is on others", Zheng Baozhu was pulled out of the fitting room by Qu Zhi. The staff waiting outside saw them come out together and had a momentary eye-opening experience!
But they were professionals, and even though their hearts might have been shaken, they maintained their professional smiles.
They just smiled a bit more stiffly than usual.
"Are both of you dressed now?" The staff didn't even ask why they came out of the same fitting room. They walked up to help adjust their clothes, "Miss Zheng, you look lovely in this outfit. The purple complements your fair complexion."
Zheng Baozhu: "…"
Of course, how can it not complement my fair complexion, after all, I don't have a thick skin like Qu Zhi does. 🙂
"This suit looks great on Mr. Qu too. The purple tie is the finishing touch, making his temperament even more noble and adding a touch of charm."
Zheng Baozhu didn't want to try on more outfits, so she directly decided on this one, "Let's go with this set."
"Sure!" The staff smiled and nodded, "We'll take your measurements and make slight adjustments according to your physique. Once it's ready, we'll inform you right away."