Chapter 96 Reality Day
After Ruan Nanzhu said this, he looked at Lin Qiushi with burning eyes. Lin Qiushi felt a little embarrassed by his gaze. Just as he was about to respond, he heard the sound of the door opening. He turned around and saw Cheng Qianli and Cheng Yixie coming back from outside carrying large and small bags of things.
"What are we having for dinner? Hot pot?" Cheng Qianli, a thick-skinned man, completely failed to notice the subtle tension between Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu. After receiving Ruan Nanzhu's cold glare, he felt a little aggrieved and said, "Brother Ruan, why are you glaring at me... I haven't done anything bad, at least not recently."
Ruan Nanzhu didn't say anything and just stood up and left.
Cheng Qianli cast his gaze towards Lin Qiushi. Lin Qiushi pretended to know nothing and spread his hands innocently.
Cheng Yixie sneered mockingly.
Cheng Qianli was a little annoyed by his brother's laughter: "What are you laughing at?"
Cheng Yixie: "I'm laughing at your stupidity."
Cheng Qianli: "How am I stupid? How am I stupid? Even if I am stupid, it's because you sucked away all my nutrients in the womb. You have to compensate me. You have to compensate me with my IQ!"
Cheng Yixie glanced at Cheng Qianli indifferently, and Cheng Qianli, who had been throwing a tantrum, instantly stopped talking, like an eggplant hit by frost.
"Go wash the vegetables." Cheng Yixie raised his chin towards Cheng Qianli, directing him to go to the kitchen to work.
Cheng Qianli wanted to refute, but he stammered for a long time and didn't dare to. In the end, he could only follow Cheng Yixie dejectedly to work together.
What just happened was suddenly interrupted, and Lin Qiushi couldn't explain what he felt in his heart. In fact, he could vaguely sense Ruan Nanzhu's special attitude towards him, but this speculation was too incredible. Lin Qiushi couldn't understand why Ruan Nanzhu would think this way about him, and his first reaction was whether he was being too sentimental.
After all, a man as handsome and capable as Ruan Nanzhu can chase any girl he wants, so why would he be interested in a tough guy like him?
At this time, the importance of premature love was highlighted. As a person who had never been in a relationship and had no experience in secret love, Lin Qiushi had no experience in this matter. It was like wearing a LV.1 novice suit to fight a full-level BOSS. Not only was he confused, he couldn't even pass the maze in front of the BOSS.
He thought about it and went to the kitchen to help cook dinner.
They had hot pot for dinner, and the TV happened to be showing a movie by Tan Zaozao from a few years ago. Lin Qiushi looked at the bubbling pot and remembered that Tan Zaozao had given him two movie tickets. He thought for a moment, then spoke carefully, "Um... Nanzhu, are you free on the evening of the 12th?"
Ruan Nanzhu was chewing a meatball. After swallowing the food in his mouth, he hummed faintly, "What's wrong?"
Lin Qiushi said, "Didn't Tan Zaozao give me two movie tickets? That movie seems to be showing on the 12th."
"Tan Zaozao? Can I go?" Cheng Qianli was joining in the fun nearby.
"You had something to do that day." Cheng Yixie said coldly from the side.
"I'm fine..." Cheng Qianli looked confused.
Cheng Yixie put down his chopsticks and said in a tone that brooked no refusal: "If I say you have something to do, then you have something to do."
Cheng Qianli: "..." Faced with his brother's cruel power, he finally chose to give up resistance weakly, feeling very aggrieved, "Okay, I have something to do."
After watching Cheng Yixie send Cheng Qianli away, Lin Qiushi turned his attention to Ruan Nanzhu again.
"Okay." Ruan Nanzhu nodded slightly.
"Okay, see you then." Lin Qiushi smiled happily.
The 12th was a Friday and the weather was pretty good. It had rained the day before, so it was still quite cool.
Ruan Nanzhu was dressed simply, with a dark red plaid shirt on the upper body, dark jeans and high-top shoes on the lower body. He sat in his seat with his sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing his beautiful wrists and a dark blue watch. He tilted his head slightly and looked at his mobile phone with his eyes lowered. He was no less impressive than the faces around him who were well-known to the public in the entertainment industry.
"Nanzhu." Lin Qiushi came back from the toilet and saw a middle-aged man standing next to Ruan Nanzhu and talking to him.
Before he even got close, he heard the man's voice from afar. The man said, "Little brother, are you really not going to consider it? We can give you great resources and make you famous..."
Ruan Nanzhu didn't even raise his head, and said in a cold tone, as if he was dismissing a salesman who came knocking on his door: "Not interested."
"Why aren't you interested?" The man was still unwilling to give up. "You are really suitable for this industry."
Ruan Nanzhu seemed a little annoyed and asked, "How much do you make a year?"
The man said, "One year? If you're a big name, making tens of millions or even hundreds of millions a year wouldn't be a problem at all..."
Ruan Nanzhu sneered: "Do you know how much I earn a year?"
The man was stunned.
Ruan Nanzhu said, "I can make two million in ten minutes, and you want me to be a star?" His black eyes were filled with disdain. "Are you crazy or am I?"
The man was speechless and turned away angrily.
Lin Qiushi walked up to him at the right moment and asked with a smile, "Being hit on again?"
Ruan Nanzhu: “Yeah.”
"If you hadn't encountered the door, would you have considered becoming a star?" Lin Qiushi suddenly became curious about this question. He knew that Ruan Nanzhu was now focusing on the affairs within the door and had almost no energy to participate in other work in reality.
"I don't know." Ruan Nanzhu said, "When I met the door, I hadn't figured out what I wanted to do."
Lin Qiushi was speechless. It was only then that he remembered that Ruan Nanzhu's connection with the sect was too deep, and it was simply impossible to separate them.
But then again, Ruan Nanzhu was not talking nonsense when he said that he could make two million in ten minutes. In reality, it only takes more than ten minutes to open a door.
While Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu were talking, Tan Zaozao also arrived.
She was wearing a beautiful custom-made dress and was surrounded by the crowd. Her long, slightly curly black hair draped over her white back and shoulders, making her look dignified, mature, and very eye-catching.
Tan Zaozao and the film's director came on stage, and after a few brief words, the movie began.
She took advantage of the darkness and walked to the empty seat to Lin Qiushi's left. She whispered, "Qiushi."
Lin Qiushi: "Hmm?"
Tan Zaozao: "Thank you for coming to see my movie."
Lin Qiushi said, "It should be thank you for inviting us..."
Tan Zaozao seemed to want to say something, but the sound effects of the movie started playing, so she fell silent.
The film tells the story of an ancient swordsman's revenge. Tan Zaozao plays a stunningly beautiful dancer, and she's even more beautiful in the film, especially the scene where she dances on the actor's hand. However, the film's ending is tragic. The swordsman has spent ten years honing his sword, overcoming countless difficulties, only to discover that his enemy has long been dead. Losing faith, he drinks the sword and commits suicide. At the end of the film, the dancer, deeply in love with him, holds his head in her arms and burns to death.
Lin Qiushi hadn't expected the ending to be like this. He asked, "Will tragedy fail to be a hit?"
Tan Zaozao said with a smile: "This is not a commercial film. It is intended to win awards."
"Can I get it?" Lin Qiushi asked.
"I think so," Tan Zaozao said. "Everyone is very confident." She said softly, "I didn't have confidence before, but after watching the film, I have it now."
"Then congratulations in advance," said Lin Qiushi.
After the subtitles, the lights in the screening room came on, followed by some activities organized by the organizers.
Tan Zaozao looked at Ruan Nanzhu, who was sitting to the right of Lin Qiushi, and said, "Brother Ruan, I have something I want to tell you. Can you give me some time?"
Ruan Nanzhu nodded slightly.
"Let's talk in the dressing room. There are fewer people there." Tan Zaozao lifted the hair by her ear.
"Then I'll wait for you outside," said Lin Qiushi.
"Yeah." Ruan Nanzhu stood up and followed Tan Zaozao out. Lin Qiushi also left the theater and found a secluded corner to play with his phone. As soon as he pulled out his phone, he heard a very subtle sound...
Lin Qiushi was stunned and looked towards the source of the sound towards the stairs with the words "Safety Passage" written on them.
He hesitated and walked slowly towards the safe passage. He saw two people overlapping in the depths of the passage... Although the light here was very dim, Lin Qiushi could still see one of them clearly. It was the arrogant director Zhang Yiqing introduced to Ruan Nanzhu by Tan Zaozao, and the one kissing him was actually Ruan Nanzhu's good friend Bai Ming.
Lin Qiushi took a step back involuntarily because he was too surprised. The two people who were hugging each other seemed to hear his footsteps. They paused slightly and looked towards the exit.
Bai Ming's usual smiling face was gone, and his eyes were cold and sharp. At first glance, they were somewhat similar to Ruan Nanzhu's eyes. He said, "Who's there?" He let go of Zhang Yiqing, made a protective gesture, and walked quickly towards the door.
Lin Qiushi looked embarrassed and stood there without daring to move until Bai Ming came out of the fire escape.
Bai Ming turned the stairs and saw Lin Qiushi. His tense expression relaxed and he asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
"Tan Zaozao gave me two tickets," Lin Qiushi explained. "After the show...she went to talk to Brother Ruan about something, so I just found a place to rest."
"Oh." Bai Ming smiled. "Is that so?" He scratched his fluffy curly hair and smiled like a harmless large dog. "Then you continue to wait. We'll leave first."
Zhang Yiqing also came out from the back passage. His hair was messy, his cheeks had an unnatural redness, and his eyes were a little wandering. He no longer had the arrogant look he usually had. When he saw Lin Qiushi, he just nodded and greeted him, then turned and left.
Bai Ming quickly followed and said, "Bao'er, don't be angry..."
Zhang Yiqing lowered his voice, but Lin Qiushi still heard it. He felt a little embarrassed and annoyed: "I told you not to stay here, why didn't you listen—"
"How could I know that someone would come here? Baoer, I was wrong. Please don't ignore me." Bai Ming was coaxing a child.
The two of them talked and slowly walked away.
Lin Qiushi looked at their backs with a complicated expression. He had never expected Bai Ming and Zhang Yiqing to have such a relationship. He had originally thought Bai Ming was just a fan of Zhang Yiqing, but who knew that the two of them...
Lin Qiushi felt a mix of emotions for a moment. He checked the time, thinking that Tan Zaozao and Ruan Nanzhu would be almost done chatting, so he headed towards the dressing room. But once he reached the dressing room, he heard Tan Zaozao wailing loudly from inside.
"Brother Ruan, I beg you, Brother Ruan..." The dressing room should have good soundproofing, but Lin Qiushi still caught the faint sound of crying. "Brother Ruan, please promise me, I'm willing to pay anything, money or other things. I don't want to die, I don't want to die."
Lin Qiushi paused.
Ruan Nanzhu seemed to be silent for a long time before he spoke softly, "Do you think Lin Qiushi survived because of me?"
"Isn't that so?" Tan Zaozao said, "He has even less experience than I do... He was clearly brought up by you..."
Ruan Nanzhu said, "You are too naive. He is where he is today entirely because of himself. Zaozao, I've asked you before. It was your own choice."
Tan Zaozao's crying became more and more sad.
Lin Qiushi stood at the door in a daze until he heard Ruan Nanzhu push the door open. He saw Lin Qiushi outside and said, "Let's go."
"Yeah." Lin Qiushi responded, but his eyes looked behind him.
But Ruan Nanzhu didn't explain anything and walked outside. Lin Qiushi didn't dare to ask, so he had to follow him.
After the two of them left the cinema and got into the car, Lin Qiushi suggested, "Should we go straight home? Or... find a place to have a drink?" He felt that Ruan Nanzhu seemed to be in a bad mood.
When he was feeling down, Wu Qi would come and have a drink with him. They'd drink and chat, and things would just pass. It was as if those seemingly insurmountable obstacles weren't so difficult after all. But now that Wu Qi was gone, Lin Qiushi had no one to drink with.
"You're still drinking?" Ruan Nanzhu said, "If the doctor knew you, a liver cancer patient, were to drink, he'd probably be furious."
Lin Qiushi had completely forgotten his identity as a liver cancer patient. Ruan Nanzhu had to remind him every time, and he felt helpless: "I forgot it."
Ruan Nanzhu: "Do you remember now?"
Lin Qiushi could only nod.
"Let's go home," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Lu Yanxue made some Tremella soup. If you feel depressed, you can drink a couple of bowls."
Lin Qiushi laughed.
Ruan Nanzhu held the steering wheel and drove forward.
Lin Qiushi asked, "What did you and Zaozao talk about?"
"You can't guess?" Ruan Nanzhu asked rudely.
Lin Qiushi said, "I can guess a little..." He actually liked Tan Zaozao very much. He felt a little uncomfortable when he heard her crying loudly today.
"It's just as you guessed, not complicated," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Not everyone can face death calmly." He laughed self-deprecatingly, "I couldn't do that before either."
Lin Qiushi was silent for a moment: "Is she going to go through the next door by herself?"
"Not really. She could ask someone else to take over, but the success rate is not guaranteed." Ruan Nanzhu said, "So she's actually gambling with her life."
Lin Qiushi leaned against the car window and fell silent.
"At first, I asked her whether she wanted me to simply take her in or train her, and she chose the former." Ruan Nanzhu stared straight ahead, his tone cold, "She made her own choice."
Lin Qiushi didn't know what to say. He took out a candy from his pocket, peeled off the candy wrapper, and put it in his mouth.
Ruan Nanzhu stopped the car when they encountered a red light with a 70-second delay. He turned to look at Lin Qiushi and said, "I want some candy, too."
Lin Qiushi said "oh" and was about to take out the second one from his pocket, but he saw Ruan Nanzhu suddenly lean over and his face suddenly enlarged in front of him.
The next moment, Lin Qiushi felt a soft, warm touch on his lips. The feeling lasted only a moment before it faded away. By the time Lin Qiushi recovered, Ruan Nanzhu was already licking his lips and said softly, "Sweet."
Lin Qiushi's face flushed instantly. He felt he should say something calmly, but his heart was pounding wildly, and he felt a bit helpless. Ruan Nanzhu's beautiful face was so close to him just now that he could even smell the faint scent of grass and trees on her body.
The red light ended and the car started again. Neither of them spoke the entire way.
However, although he didn't say anything, Ruan Nanzhu seemed to be in a much better mood, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Lin Qiushi always felt that he should say something, but he couldn't find a topic. So, he was confused and quietly took out his phone and typed a line of words in the search bar: How to find a topic after kissing.
The search results that came out were all: How to find topics to kiss——
Lin Qiushi: "..." We kissed without even finding a topic to talk about! We even need to find a topic to talk about!
Ruan Nanzhu didn't want to talk, and Lin Qiushi didn't know what to say, so the two of them maintained this atmosphere until they reached their home. It wasn't until Lu Yanxue made them each a bowl of Tremella soup that Lin Qiushi coughed dryly and said, "It tastes good."
Ruan Nanzhu: “Yeah.”
Lin Qiushi: "..." Are you just saying "hmm"? Don't you want to say something else?
Who knew that after Ruan Nanzhu finished drinking the Tremella soup, he turned around and went upstairs. Looking at his back, Lin Qiushi felt sad and angry as if he was being teased.
Lu Yanxue looked at the interaction between the two and was puzzled. She asked, "What's wrong with you two?"
"Nothing," Lin Qiushi said. "Nothing." He finished his Tremella soup and asked, "Sister Lu, how long have you been here?"
Lu Yanxue said, "I'm the last one to come, even later than Yi Manman... It's been almost three years, right?"
Lin Qiushi coughed dryly and said, "Um, have you ever seen Nanzhu talk about his girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" Lu Yanxue shook her head. "I haven't seen one. Brother Ruan doesn't seem very interested in these things. I've never seen him get close to anyone." After she finished speaking, she added, "Except you."
Lin Qiushi: “…Ah?”
"He's truly special to you." Lu Yanxue seemed unaware of the shock her words had caused Lin Qiushi. "I've never seen him so attentive to anyone."
Lin Qiushi looked at the empty bowl in his hand, not knowing what to say.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yanxue said, "But... I heard from Chen Fei that Brother Ruan used to have a partner, but it seems that he died when he passed the ninth door. That incident was a big blow to him... But I wasn't there at the time, so I didn't see it."
Lin Qiushi vaguely remembered this partner, but there seemed to be no trace of him in the villa, and Ruan Nanzhu hadn't mentioned him. He could only vaguely find some small clues from the conversations of old friends.
"I understand." Lin Qiushi nodded.
He put down the empty bowl, went back to his room, tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, so he turned on his computer and opened the forum inside the door to read the post.
As a result, a private message dinged. Lin Qiushi clicked it and found that it was Gu Longming who was sending him a message, saying that he was still not asleep so late and was catching ghosts.
Lin Qiushi: Didn’t you sleep either?
Gu Longming: I am abroad now, and it is daytime now.
Lin Qiushi: Oh.
Gu Longming: What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?
Lin Qiushi: Not bad.
He encountered a lot of things today and needed to digest them slowly: Tan Zaozao, Bai Ming, and that kiss... He thought for a while and asked: Have you ever been in love?
Gu Longming said: I gave my first kiss when I was six years old, and my girlfriend couldn’t count the number of times I’ve had it with both hands!
Lin Qiushi: “…” What a coincidence! He only gave Gu Longming his first kiss twenty years later… that’s all!! People really shouldn’t compare themselves to others, or else their mentality will easily become unbalanced.
"Have you met a girl you like?" Gu Longming's gossipy heart was about to overflow from the computer screen. He said, "Tell me and I'll give you some advice."
"A very beautiful girl, arrogant and a little cold, but very kind to me." Lin Qiushi didn't dare reveal the identity of the person involved. "And she's even more powerful than me. Today... she kissed me."
Gu Longming: "Oh oh oh oh...wait, even better than you?"
Lin Qiushi: "Yes."
Gu Longming: "Fuck, how awesome is she?"
Lin Qiushi thought of Ruan Nanzhu's face and thought that he was indeed quite awesome.
Gu Longming said: "Did she kiss you first?"
Lin Qiushi: "Yes."
Gu Longming was excited: "Then why are you hesitating? Find a suitable place——"
Lin Qiushi looked at the words, still wondering if he should find a suitable place to confess his feelings, when he saw two bold, black characters sent from Gu Longming: FUCK HER!!!
Lin Qiushi: "..." He silently closed the computer. Gu Longming was truly unreliable. And what about fucking Ruan Nanzhu? Ruan Nanzhu's expression, his chin slightly raised, cold yet arrogant, flashed through his mind. For a moment, he felt a little insecure. Damn, if it really came to this, who was going to get fucked?
Gu Longming on the other end of the computer didn't receive a reply from Lin Qiushi for a long time. He was scratching his head anxiously and muttering: "Damn, this Yu Linlin can't be a man of action, he really went there, if this is a misunderstanding, wouldn't that be instigating him to commit a crime..." Alas, he regretted saying this.
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