Impossible Lovers

Li Huixin had never added Zheng Baozhu as a friend on social media, but one day she was suddenly pulled into a class group chat. At first, she was quite happy until a notification popped up, indicating that Zheng Baozhu had joined the group as well.

The corners of Li Huixin's mouth instantly drooped.

Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door of the private room. Wei Yu pushed the door open and said to them, "The ceremony is about to begin; you can take your seats."

A total of ten high school classmates came; Wei Yu arranged for them to sit at one table. Zheng Baozhu put on her mask and left with Qu Zhi. Their table was located in a corner, not attracting much attention.

The ceremony started promptly at twelve o'clock. The proceedings were similar to other weddings Zheng Baozhu had attended. However, the banquet hall was beautifully decorated.

When it was time to dine, Zheng Baozhu removed her mask. Sitting beside her, Meng Yaxin asked, "Aren't celebrities not supposed to eat high-calorie food?"

Zheng Baozhu calmly replied, "As long as my manager doesn't see, it's fine."

Meng Yaxin was speechless, "You have no sense of self-discipline as a celebrity."

Zheng Baozhu explained, "Qu Zhi asked me not to follow other celebrities; he said I've already lost enough weight."

Meng Yaxin glanced at Qu Zhi, who was sitting on the other side of Zheng Baozhu.

Qu Zhi nodded indifferently, "Yes, I told her."

"...Alright, as long as you're happy."

The formal attire Zheng Baozhu wore today easily accentuated her lower belly, so she didn't eat much and only tasted a few bites of each dish. Halfway through the meal, the newlyweds came to propose toasts. Since there were many people at this table, no one was forced to drink; a symbolic gesture was enough.

In the afternoon, the newlyweds reserved private rooms for the guests to drink tea, play mahjong, or even sing at karaoke. If the younger crowd wanted to go for karaoke, they could help book a place. Zheng Baozhu and Qu Zhi didn't stay to play with everyone and left early. After freshening up in the restroom and touching up her makeup, Zheng Baozhu ran into Wei Yu when she came out.

Zheng Baozhu didn't know if Wei Yu happened to be using the restroom or if he intentionally waited there, but she didn't ask. She smiled and nodded at Wei Yu, preparing to leave when he stopped her, "Um, Zheng Baozhu."

Zheng Baozhu paused and looked at him. Wei Yu seemed a bit awkward, possibly because he was tipsy from the alcohol during lunch, and his face was a little red. He looked at Zheng Baozhu, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "I heard them say that you and Qu Zhi are together now?"

"Yes," Zheng Baozhu candidly nodded.

A trace of self-mockery flashed in Wei Yu's eyes, "So, you rejected me back then because of Qu Zhi, right?"

Zheng Baozhu glanced at him and suddenly smiled playfully, "Wei Yu, I didn't even mention that today, yet you're running into a wall by yourself. So, are you admitting now that I rejected you back then?"

Wei Yu's face turned even redder than before, he pursed his lips as if trying to explain something, "I didn't spread that story. At the time, a classmate saw it and asked if you rejected me... I, I don't know what got into me, I felt embarrassed about being rejected by you, so I casually said that it was me who rejected you. I didn't... I didn't expect him to spread it to everyone."

Zheng Baozhu chuckled and looked at him, "You being rejected by me is embarrassing, but me being rejected by you wouldn't be embarrassing, right?"

"No, it's just that I..."

"Don't explain. Even if someone else spread it, after you found out, you didn't come to clarify, did you?"

Wei Yu remained silent and Zheng Baozhu didn't want to argue with him anymore. It had been so many years since that incident, and if it weren't for Li Huixin bringing it up constantly, she would have almost forgotten about it.

Without saying anything further, she raised her foot to leave. Wei Yu seemed like he wanted to hold her hand but midway, he realized it was inappropriate and withdrew his hand, "Zheng Baozhu, I'm sorry."

He suddenly apologized to Zheng Baozhu, perhaps finally breaking the ice, and the rest of his words sounded much more relaxed, "I was wrong back then, and I apologize to you. I know my apology is too late, but I haven't forgotten about this incident all these years. I was indeed weak and concerned about my pride at the time."

"As long as you know," Zheng Baozhu said, looking at him, "I hope that in the future, you'll treat your wife like a man and be responsible."

Hearing such words from someone he once liked, Wei Yu's face definitely didn't look good. His hand that was placed beside him clenched into a fist, and his palm began to sweat. After a long pause, he finally managed to say, "Uh, I will."

Qu Zhi was standing outside the corner, waiting for the two of them to finish talking before walking over, "Wei Yu, the bride is looking for you."

"Oh, alright," Wei Yu responded and glanced at Zheng Baozhu again before quickly walking outside. As he passed by Qu Zhi, his footsteps paused, and he stopped to say, "Take good care of Baozhu."

Qu Zhi's eyes appeared even colder than before, and his gaze swept over Wei Yu as if carrying icy debris, nearly freezing Wei Yu in place, "From what standpoint are you saying that?"

"Clas... classmates," Wei Yu's imposing manner inexplicably weakened. He had never liked Qu Zhi since their school days; Qu Zhi always carried an air of superiority, as if he didn't care about everything around him. So many years had passed, and he hadn't changed a bit, still as unlikable as ever.

Qu Zhi gave a cold smirk and stood in place, waiting for Zheng Baozhu, "I'll remember to invite you, an old classmate, to our wedding. Remember to bring gifts."

"..."

Wei Yu left in a hurry.

Qu Zhi coldly smirked and stood in place, waiting for Zheng Baozhu, "Let's go."

"Alright," Zheng Baozhu heard what he had just said to Wei Yu and curiously asked, "Are you really planning to invite Wei Yu to our wedding?"

A smile finally appeared on Qu Zhi's face, and he turned his head to look at Zheng Baozhu, "The prerequisite is that we have to have a wedding first."

The mention of the word "wedding" made Zheng Baozhu's heart skip a beat, but she quickly regained her composure, "You're not proposing, are you?"

"Of course not," Qu Zhi said, "My proposal won't be so simple."

"Oh..."

"By the way, do you have work this afternoon?"

Zheng Baozhu shook her head, "No, do you have any plans?"

"I don't have any either," Qu Zhi looked at her with a smile, "But Meng Yaxin said that Cen Tongtong has plans."

Zheng Baozhu raised an eyebrow in suspicion. On the way back, she figured out what happened.

Before this, Cen Tongtong made a bold claim that if Zheng Baozhu and Qu Zhi got together, she would eat all the keyboards at home. Although she later claimed to have thrown away all the keyboards, Meng Yaxin didn't plan to let her get away with it so easily.

Since Cen Tongtong said she had no keyboards left, Meng Yaxin went ahead and customized a special keyboard for her.

They were practically sisters.

The customized keyboard took some time and it was only shipped by the seller a few days ago. Yesterday, when Meng Yaxin checked the tracking, it showed that the package had been delivered. So she immediately set up a live broadcast for Cen Tongtong, in which she would eat the keyboard.

The broadcast was scheduled for this afternoon.

"Surprised or not? Unexpected, right?" Meng Yaxin's voice on the phone sounded proud, and one could imagine her triumphant look, "I was afraid you'd be upset at Wei Yu's wedding today, so I prepared this reserved program for you! I truly am your best sister!"

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

Cen Tongtong might want to hit someone if she heard this.

"I'm still stuck playing mahjong with them. They won't let me go even though they need one more player," Meng Yaxin's voice could be heard in the background playing mahjong, "But it's fine, it won't delay me from watching the live broadcast. Say hello to Cen Tongtong for me!"

Qu Zhi said, "I'll go."

Zheng Baozhu: "?"

She suspected that Qu Zhi had been holding a grudge all this time.

So, don't offend Qu Zhi, this narrow-minded person! This was a lesson learned from tears!

Qu Zhi initiated a three-way video call and brought Cen Tongtong, who was reluctant, into the conversation. Cen Tongtong had a smiling face but her mind was full of foul words: "You'll all get your retribution."

Qu Zhi smiled and said, "You eat the keyboard first before saying anything."

"Hahahahaha!" Meng Yaxin laughed wildly.

Cen Tongtong smiled and took out the custom-made keyboard from Meng Yaxin. As expected, Meng Yaxin still had some conscience and common sense, knowing that eating a keyboard would be deadly. So she found a dessert shop and had a chocolate keyboard custom-made.

The chocolate was pure dark chocolate, slightly bitter but otherwise tolerable. Cen Tongtong took a few bites on the other end of the camera. Seeing this, Zheng Baozhu and Meng Yaxin were already laughing uncontrollably.

"..."

Cen Tongtong smiled and said, "I didn't expect that my first mukbang in life would be like this."

Zheng Baozhu laughed while wiping her tears, "I also didn't expect that the first time I watched someone's mukbang, it would be so funny, hahaha!"

Cen Tongtong tried to eat a couple more bites, but even the dark chocolate started to feel too much, "I can't eat anymore. Dogs die if they eat chocolate."

"..."

Meng Yaxin gave a thumbs-up, "You truly deserve it. You can insult yourself to avoid eating it."

Cen Tongtong smiled at her, "You too, why are you laughing like a dog? Want a bite of dog food?"

"..."

Meng Yaxin couldn't laugh anymore.

"Okay, that's enough," Cen Tongtong finished eating the keyboard, and Zheng Baozhu decided to spare her, "Tongtong, after going through this, you should learn a lesson. Don't casually make vows."

"But it's all because you two are so annoying!" Thinking about how they used to bad-mouth each other in front of her, Cen Tongtong couldn't hold back her anger, "You two have been plotting against me for so many years. Did you really want to see me eat a keyboard?! What have I done to deserve this? Tui!"

"Alright, alright. Tongtong, both of them have already backtracked on their own words," Meng Yaxin calmly said, "After all, nobody can escape the law of reverse psychology."

"Cough." Zheng Baozhu coughed and pretended to be serious, "Now that Tongtong has eaten the keyboard, I declare today's video conference concluded. Everyone, let's go."

After finishing the call, he hung up and let out a sigh. Qu Zhi stood nearby, watching him, and teasingly asked, "After interviewing the parties involved, did you find it exciting?"

Qu Zhi raised a corner of his mouth in a casual arc and leaned in to peck Zheng Baozhu on the lips, saying, "Not sure if it's exciting, but it's sweet."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

Not long after Wei Yu's wedding, Golden Jade Mansion called Zheng Baozhu to inform her that the second batch of properties was now available for selection. As expected, the penthouses were already gone, so they had to go with their second choice.

"If I had known, I would have pursued scientific research after graduation too," Zheng Baozhu held the property information from the sales and complained to Qu Zhi. To which Qu Zhi smiled and replied, "I decorated my penthouse as a wedding house."

Zheng Baozhu looked at him with surprise, "What? Were you already planning to get married back then?"

Qu Zhi's penthouse had been renovated for quite some time. How come he was already preparing for marriage? If it were any other man, it wouldn't be so surprising, but wasn't Qu Zhi's mind only on the motherland back then? How could he have thought about marriage?

"You already like me back then?" Zheng Baozhu blinked at him, "My mom mentioned that you had expressed your feelings early on to them."

"Yeah, that's right," Qu Zhi admitted.

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

She had intended to tease Qu Zhi a little, but his candid admission left her speechless.

"You're shameless, you know that," Zheng Baozhu muttered as she looked at the property information in her hands.

Upon hearing these words, Qu Zhi chuckled softly and said, "After all, you're more important."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

She really wanted to compile a collection of Qu Zhi's quotes.

She had no idea that Qu Zhi was so good with words. :)

"Since I've already bought the penthouse there, do you still want to buy in the same neighborhood?"

"Yeah, the potential for appreciation is great, and it's also considered an investment," Zheng Baozhu said, "And if we ever have a fight in the future, it's convenient for one of us to move out."

"..."

Qu Zhi fell silent for a moment and then leaned closer to turn Zheng Baozhu around to face him, "I won't fight with you."

This made Zheng Baozhu burst into laughter, "Say that again? Do you want me to count how many times we've argued from childhood till now?"

Qu Zhi hesitated for a moment and then replied, "Well... If we ever have a real fight in the future, you can kick me out, but please don't leave yourself. I'm afraid you won't come back if you leave."

His eyes were focused and gentle, causing Zheng Baozhu's heart to skip a beat again.

...Compiling a book of Qu Zhi's quotes was becoming urgent! He was so good with words every day!

Eventually, Zheng Baozhu chose a different floor in the same building as Qu Zhi's. This way, it would be convenient for anyone to leave home if they needed to.

After completing all the procedures, without realizing it, spring was coming to an end, and the weather was gradually getting warmer. Zheng Baozhu's new drama costumes were ready; Gao Boyun soon arranged for them to try on the costumes and take makeup photos.

Gao Boyun had been busy during this time, preparing for the new drama while also overseeing the post-production of [New Moon Wuxin Sword]. On the day when Zheng Baozhu and Lin Ziqin were going to take the makeup photos, the first trailer for [New Moon Wuxin Sword] was officially released.

The trailer was one minute and seventeen seconds long, not too short, but because it was an ensemble drama with many characters, apart from the male lead having more screen time, other characters only had a few seconds of appearance.

Zheng Baozhu didn't expect that in such a competitive situation, Ye Ling would also have ten seconds of screen time!

The final eight seconds of Ye Ling's appearance were action scenes, and the remaining two seconds showed a distant shot that zoomed in on her face, making it look very impressive.

Sorry, but she counted it very carefully. After all, this was the first time she had a trailer, and she was like a newcomer who finally got a chance.

During the break, while taking makeup photos, she immediately forwarded the trailer on her Weibo. Now her Weibo already surpassed five million followers. When it reached five million followers, she kept her promise and posted a childhood photo as a treat. Now people were already asking for six million followers treat.

Naturally, the trailer comments were dominated by the male lead, but Zheng Baozhu's ten seconds included a scene with Lin Ziqin, and both of them looked very elegant and eye-catching. As CP, they were instantly picked up by fans.

Fans of the CP were overjoyed and began to share their excitement. However, Lin Ziqin's fans were not happy, so a little war broke out.

—They called it little because the CP fans were too few and couldn't compete with Lin Ziqin's fans.

However, because they were posting on their own fan base and getting beaten up by Lin Ziqin's fans, they felt upset and retaliated a little. Seeing that both sides were about to escalate, a marketing account suddenly intervened.

「Lin Ziqin and Zheng Baozhu's CP fans are still fighting with Lin Ziqin's solo fans. Little do they know that Zheng Baozhu already has a boyfriend. [eating popcorn]」