First Kiss Diary - Chapter 09

The conversation was diverted back to a few nights ago. Initially having no recollection, Jining’s memory zone truly revived the scene of her pinching his chin after he reminded her. She dared to use the arrogant and charming posture of the male protagonist in novels against Jishiyi, probably feeling reckless.

How could she even forget the sensation?

She even felt a little envy towards her past self at that time.

“Tsk.”

Finally, someone outside grew impatient. A lazily smiling voice came in— “Had enough hugs? My wife needs to use the restroom.”

Jining moved awkwardly, wanting to say we hadn’t hugged, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it, as if choked up.

Jishiyi frowned impatiently, released his grip on her, and looked towards the door, obviously irritated by someone’s behavior of constantly bringing up family matters. “Only you have a wife?”

The person outside answered straightforwardly and provocatively, “Yeah.”

Jishiyi: “…”

He couldn’t be bothered to argue with such a crazy person anymore. He pulled Jining’s wrist out of the washroom, and Jining turned around and said, “Is that Pei Hanzhou?”

The man’s palm loosened, and he raised his eyebrows indifferently, his voice devoid of any tone, “What about it?”

“He’s been married to Luosang for so long, and I still…” She felt she was saying too much and noticed she wasn’t being held back anymore, so she hurriedly escaped, “Wait for me, I’ll come up to help you buy medicine later.”

Jishiyi stared at her back for a while, watching her hurried and anxious appearance, feeling like a hot potato for the first time.

He hadn’t been sitting on the sofa for long when another shadow covered him. Pei Hanzhou, who had just boasted about his wife, sat down beside him, “Why deceive the little girl?”

Jishiyi didn’t even lift his eyes, “What did I deceive her about?”

“I heard it at the door,” Pei Hanzhou’s cold peach blossom eyes were half-lifted, his smile not reaching his eyes, “You said she pinched your chin last night.”

It was clearly because they had just been fooling around too much, and the bottle opener accidentally scratched his chin, so he had to put a band-aid on his precious face, the most valuable face in the entertainment industry.

Jishiyi’s fingers rubbed over the band-aid, as if contemplating something. After a while, he smiled lightly, “Funny.”

Teasing her, seeing her turn red from ear to ear like magic, was quite amusing.

Pei Hanzhou casually added, “It’s quite amusing.”

“What about you?” Jishiyi finally bothered to look up, “Are you two working together?”

“No, Luosang and her have a good relationship,” Pei Hanzhou added, “Do I need to remind you again, Lin Luosang—my wife.”

“I got it.” Jishiyi turned his wedding ring, couldn’t help but mutter softly, “Nuts.”

The man who was called nuts didn’t seem to mind at all. Known for his cold and ruthless demeanor in the business world, he even smiled with a hint of spring water melting.

After chatting for a few moments, Pei Hanzhou got up and went with Lin Luosang. Jishiyi, a lone figure with no attachments, looked absent-mindedly at the door.

Soon, the hem of the girl’s light blue skirt swept over the threshold.

The man glanced at her, meaningfully, “The banquet is almost over.”

She couldn’t help but scrunch her nose and quietly retorted, “It’s not that exaggerated.”

Originally, she just wanted to find an excuse to leave first, but unexpectedly, there was a pharmacy just a kilometer away. The round trip took just over twenty minutes. Since she didn’t know what kind of wound he had, she bought a tube of every kind of ointment.

In the center of the private room, everyone was busy cheering for a newly publicized couple, paying no attention to the hidden undercurrents in the corner. Jining took two steps forward, slightly leaning to see his wound. He also cooperated, tearing off the band-aid.

Jining stared at the scratch, obviously not believing his words, “Could I have done this?”

Jishiyi raised an eyebrow, remembering when he had just said she pinched him, her face was filled with disbelief.

“What, remembering pinching me?”

Ji Ning choked, picked out the ointment for treating abrasions from the bag, intending to let him apply it, but his fingers subconsciously squeezed a small lump onto his fingertip.

She looked at her disobedient hand, then at Ji Shiyan, who was eagerly watching her prepare to do something. She gritted her teeth, thinking that since they were both actors, there was nothing to fear — she had applied medicine to others before.

She hesitantly smeared the lump onto Ji Shiyan’s chin, and seeing that Ji Shiyan didn’t scold her for her audacity, she determinedly spread the transparent ointment.

On such a perfect chin, there was an meaningless scratch, causing her to furrow her brows involuntarily. As she withdrew her hand, she felt a warm sensation on her forehead, as if someone’s fingertip had touched her.

The man’s voice was very light, “Didn’t anyone tell you that actresses shouldn’t frown? It’ll give you wrinkles.”

She hastily turned her face away, “Don’t you also frown?”

He seemed to smile again, “You know about that?”

This girl gave him an unusual feeling; sometimes she seemed unwilling to get close to him, but at other times, she understood him beyond the ordinary.

“I was just guessing,” Ji Ning casually brushed her hair, afraid of being caught off guard, and prepared to turn around to pour water. However, as she turned, about twenty people were staring at them with gossipy expressions.

The leader, Zhuo Gong, smirked, “What are you two doing here?”

Zhuo Gong and Ji Ning weren’t meeting for the first time; he was the male lead with stardom here, and Ji Ning had acted with him during the audition.

Ji Shiyan didn’t answer the question; instead, he reached out, “Are there any more band-aids?”

“Why do you need band-aids? You’re applying medicine,” Zhuo Gong said.

Although he said that, Zhuo Gong still took one out of his pocket, “This is the last one. Use it sparingly.”

Someone laughed, “You make a hundred million for a movie, and you’re being stingy with band-aids?”

“How is this being stingy? I’m just telling him not to waste!”

Everyone burst into laughter. There were many unfamiliar faces in the private room, and Ji Ning was shy. She smiled along and sat quietly on the outskirts of the crowd.

Later, Nono sent her a message, and after replying, she opened Weibo to see how the fan club was developing. The red carpet event had gained her some fans, and the fan club had added over twenty new members.

There were more female fans in the fan club, but there were also quite a few male fans. Although their numbers were not large, after enduring so many ups and downs, they had become very loyal. Each one was worth ten, and the results of their efforts over this period were evident in the Weibo data. Her repost count had already surpassed ten thousand, showing some progress in her popularity.

Everyone in the group was working together. Even the voting group was celebrating at one in the morning yesterday —

[Ning Ning’s Weibo reposts have exceeded ten thousand!]
[Don’t rush, let me be proud first!]
[Although I stayed up until dawn for the past few days, seeing the results still makes me proud. The hard work during this time has paid off.]
[Our girl has taken another small step forward. Let’s all work hard. We must not hold her back; we must be her wall with data. She deserves better.]

Ji Ning bit her lip, feeling complex emotions for a moment. She felt that in order not to let them down, she also had to become a more powerful actress.

After all, she also felt sorry for them for doing so much for her. She wanted to prepare some gifts, so after picking for a while, she sent a message to Nono: [I’ve chosen a cake and wallet style, and then I’ll sign photos today. I’ll give one to each member of the fan club later.]

Not only would each person have a generous gift, but she would also draw a lucky one among them to fulfill their wish.

Since she had always been in contact with everyone under the guise of the official account of the fan club, no one knew that the organized planner behind it all was Ji Ning herself. However, in order to maintain normal operation, she could not reveal her identity.

Hiding behind the official account, she asked everyone: [If Ning Ning could fulfill one wish for everyone, what would you most hope for?]

Someone asked, [Can any wish be made? Can we meet for a meal?]

Ji Ning replied, [Of course.]

[Then I want to hug her, shake hands, and have a meal with her. (Is it too greedy?)]

[I… I want to see her make cocktails live. Haha, I became a fan of her because of the cocktail scenes in “Moonlit Corridor”!]

[Now that you mention it, I also want to see her make cocktails live. It must be very cool.]

[+1]

Ji Ning played a bartender in “Moonlit Corridor.” In order to shoot the only two bartending scenes well, she actually spent several months learning bartending. From preparation to the end of the bartending scenes, she always had a teacher with her for practice.

Actually, it’s not just that. No matter what role it is, as long as it requires certain professional skills, she will learn them and try her best to excel. This is probably also influenced by Ji Shiyan.

In addition to the fan club, she also planned to revamp the official studio blog before. After all, it’s the artist’s second face and a key channel for important announcements. Many things are only suitable for the studio to handle, such as some statements and itinerary clarifications.

However, because she has been focusing on the fan club and data recently, she didn’t add the studio’s tasks, fearing she couldn’t handle them. Now that the fan club is basically formed, she can focus on the studio’s affairs again.

The studio should at least ensure timely updates of materials, so that fans always have something to engage with, increasing their loyalty and giving her boss a sense of presence. A better studio could even help attract more fans for her boss.

Since everyone has chosen bartending, let’s release a video of her making cocktails for fans as the first Weibo post for the studio’s relaunch. They should like it.

―― It’s okay to overturn, she can rebuild her own kingdom.

――

She was just finishing the studio’s work list when the protagonist of today’s birthday banquet, Sheng Qiannight, sat down beside her. “Sorry, Ningning, I was busy discussing things just now and didn’t notice you were alone.”

Sheng Qiannight knew Ji Ning was shy, so he usually stayed by her side at gatherings. Today was just too busy, and he felt a bit guilty.

“It’s okay,” Ji Ning smiled, “I’m not bored either.”

“Luo Sang is the same, why didn’t she come to accompany you?”

“She’s with Pei Hanzhou. They haven’t seen each other for two months, absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Sheng Qiannight tapped her head, “You know a lot.”

Sheng Qiannight chatted with her about recent events and shared some interesting anecdotes from his filming experience, and soon the dishes were served.

During dinner, a host with the surname Shen suddenly turned to Ji Ning, “I heard your new drama is about to air?”

Ji Ning was taken aback for a moment, then quickly answered honestly, “Yes, ‘Roses and the Wind of That Time.'”

“The theme of this drama is good. Aren’t you also going to film Director Zhao’s new drama soon? His dramas are always a hit,” Shen remarked, “I remember when you and a bunch of newbies from the company were on my show, I immediately noticed you and said you would definitely become popular. Judging by the current situation, I’m waiting for you to prove me right.”

“Definitely, her acting skills are so good,” Zhuo Gong chimed in from the side, “Star tried out so many actresses, but acting opposite her is the most comfortable. She can handle everything I throw at her.”

Ji Ning also heard that Zhuo Gong had strongly recommended her to the director.

Shen Shen smiled and asked Zhuo Gong, “Is Star the male lead?”

“Oh right, forgot to introduce,” Zhuo Gong stood up and patted Ji Ning’s shoulder like a comrade-in-arms, “This, my girlfriend.”

This circle is open-minded, and such statements are common. Most of the time, it’s just a joke between male and female actors during the cooperation period. There was also a certain actor who called a female actress, who had previously acted in a classic drama together, his wife. It’s not about taking advantage, just a habit.

Zhuo Gong is also a cute chatterbox. At the moment, he was undoubtedly active in the atmosphere and introducing the new drama to everyone, “Let’s get to know ‘There are Stars Here.'”

While everyone was enjoying the gossip, someone sitting opposite Ji Ning moved slightly.

Ji Shiyuan turned his wedding ring and smiled, “What a coincidence.”

All eyes turned to him again, surprised and somewhat excited by his voice at this moment.

With a slight tilt of his head, an overwhelming aura accompanied by a deep voice swept through the room—

“She’s my girlfriend too.”