Chapter 22

Bai Lu's eyes lit up, and she almost couldn't hold her phone steady.

"Didn't you say he was filming in Hengdian?"

"Yeah, he wrapped up and just arrived in Yanjing, so I'm dragging him out for a meal to celebrate."

"Really? Then I'm going!" Bai Lu immediately sat up from the bed and started rummaging through her wardrobe.

"Meng Yan, he's very handsome."

"You've said that so many times." Bai Lu clamped the phone between her ear and shoulder, her hands rummaging through the wardrobe. "I have to see just how handsome he is."

"He's really handsome. Just don't drool when you see him."

"If he's really handsome, I won't just drool; I'll chase him right in front of you, his girlfriend." Bai Lu joked. "I'll NTR him right in front of you and make you shed tears of regret."

Meng Ziyi sent a "hammer hitting you" emoji and added: "Hmph, our relationship is innocent."

The taxi stopped at the entrance of the restaurant.

Zhou Jin got out of the car, and just as he reached for his suitcase, he heard a familiar voice.

"Zhou Jin, over here!"

He looked up and saw a bright and beautiful Meng Ziyi standing by the roadside.

She was wearing a beige wool coat today, with the belt tied in a knot at her waist, pulling her waist in to look slender.

Underneath the coat were black skinny jeans and a pair of brown ankle boots. Standing in the gray winter afternoon, she looked like a splash of bright color.

She held her phone high, waved vigorously at him, and had a smile on her face.

Zhou Jin dragged his suitcase over, and Meng Ziyi walked up two steps, smiling: "Congratulations on wrapping up."

"I'm going to fleece you today," Zhou Jin laughed.

"Okay, okay." Meng Ziyi suddenly remembered something, her eyes rolled, and she laughed maliciously. "By the way, a few of us in the group chat have agreed that when Li Yitong wraps up, we'll all fleece her together."

Zhou Jin looked at her "witty" expression and couldn't help but smile.

He followed Meng Ziyi into the private room of the Chinese restaurant.

The room wasn't big, decorated in an antique style, with a stick of sandalwood incense burning in the corner, the scent faint.

Meng Ziyi picked up the menu and chattered away to the waiter, ordering several specialty dishes. Only after she finished did she hand the menu to Zhou Jin, asking if he wanted to add anything.

Zhou Jin waved his hand and asked casually: "By the way, how did you meet that friend of yours?"

Meng Ziyi's eyes lit up, and she put down her chopsticks to introduce her: "She's a Taobao model and is very pretty. She also wants to transition into acting, same idea as me."

"One time I went for an audition and ran into her. Neither of us got the part. The next day I went for another audition, ran into her again, and neither of us got that one either."

"That's how we met. Later, we started meeting for meals when we were free, and we soon became best friends."

Zhou Jin listened to Meng Ziyi chattering away, and his heart stirred slightly.

Taobao model.

A name flashed through his mind—Bai Lu.

Before his rebirth, Zhou Jin could be considered half an industry insider, very familiar with the circle.

He remembered that Bai Lu, who later became very famous, started as a Taobao model.

Could it really be Bai Lu?

Zhou Jin quickly shook his head.

The probability was too low; how could there be such a coincidence in the world?

"By the way, what's your best friend's name?"

"Bai Mengyan."

Bai Mengyan.

Zhou Jin felt the name was somewhat familiar and was just about to think carefully when Meng Ziyi added: "Although we haven't known each other long, she's a very quiet beauty."

Quiet?

Zhou Jin felt completely relieved.

Then it definitely couldn't be Bai Lu.

Bai Lu was the type who had nothing to do with the word "quiet."

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open.

"Hello."

Bai Lu greeted with a smile and walked in.

Her features weren't the type to stun you at first glance, but they were pleasant to look at.

Her eyebrows were of moderate thickness, her eyes weren't particularly large but were very spirited. When she smiled, the corners of her eyes curved down slightly, carrying a straightforward energy.

Her skin wasn't particularly fair; it was a healthy wheat color, glowing with luster.

Her hair was tied into a neat high ponytail. Standing there, she looked clean, comfortable, and carried the unique vitality of a young girl.

Zhou Jin was stunned.

Bai Lu.

It really was Bai Lu.

He remembered—Bai Lu was her stage name; her real name was Bai Mengyan.

Bai Lu looked at Zhou Jin and was also stunned.

Handsome.

So handsome.

When Meng Ziyi said he was handsome before, she hadn't taken it to heart at all.

She hadn't been without contact with the entertainment industry; the streets were full of handsome men and beautiful women, so how handsome could he be?

But the moment she saw Zhou Jin in person, she understood why Meng Ziyi kept going on about him.

He was more handsome than any male star she had ever seen.

Bai Lu took a deep breath, suppressed the waves in her heart, put on a dignified smile, and extended her hand like a lady: "Bai Lu."

Zhou Jin looked at her quiet and dignified appearance, couldn't help but smile lightly, and shook her hand: "Zhou Jin."

Bai Lu handed over the things in her hand: "Congratulations on wrapping up."

She paused, looked down at the bouquet of small daisies she had bought from a flower shop on the way, and realized she had handed over the flowers.

Meng Ziyi looked at the bouquet and was also stunned.

Why hadn't she thought of buying flowers?

But Meng Ziyi didn't care about that. She reached out and shook Bai Lu's shoulders, joking: "Meng Yan, how could you do this? You make me, Meng-jie, look so dull."

The three of them burst into laughter together.

In any occasion where Meng Ziyi was present, the atmosphere would never be cold.

One dish after another was served.

The three of them chatted while eating and gradually became familiar with each other.

Bai Lu's exuberant curiosity could finally no longer be suppressed, and she began to chase Zhou Jin, asking about all kinds of gossip in the entertainment industry.

Zhou Jin didn't hide anything, picking interesting things to talk about—fun things on the set, jokes made while filming, and all sorts of messy rumors in Hengdian.

He was eloquent, telling stories vividly. When he got to the interesting parts, Bai Lu and Meng Ziyi would both let out exclamations.

The more they listened, the brighter their eyes became, and their expressions were full of longing.

Bai Lu rested her chin on her hand, forgetting to move her chopsticks, her eyes full of light.

Meng Ziyi was even more direct, constantly asking—and then? And then?

Zhou Jin looked at the two of them and smiled, suddenly saying:

"By the way, I remembered a joke about the entertainment industry. Want to hear it?"

"Of course."

"Tell us quickly."

Meng Ziyi and Bai Lu both looked over.

A reporter asked a star: "What do you think is the peak moment of your acting?"

The star answered seriously: "Every time I'm asked if I have any acting skills."

Meng Ziyi tilted her head to look at Zhou Jin, her eyes somewhat blank. What was funny about that?

Zhou Jin looked at her expression and couldn't help but chuckle.

Meng-jie's IQ really wasn't just for show; she truly fit the persona of a "dumb beauty."

Bai Lu didn't react at first either, frowning and thinking for a few seconds. Suddenly, she understood, slapped her thigh, and laughed until she was leaning back and forth.

"Hahahahahaha!"

She laughed too loudly, too exaggeratedly.

This also caused Zhou Jin and Meng Ziyi, who hadn't realized how the joke was funny, to look at Bai Lu in unison.