The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 208

There were many people and prying eyes on set, and no secret stays hidden for long. News that Lin Zhen’s high school classmate was a little boss spread quickly.

Jian Fu, with his good looks, expensive wardrobe, and cheerful demeanor, seemed like someone worth befriending in every way.

Before, Jian Fu would simply sit quietly under the tent, propping his chin on his hand as he watched Lin Zhen act. Now, whenever he was alone, people—both men and women—would come over to chat with him.

Jian Fu, being naturally sociable, welcomed everyone and could hold a conversation with anyone. However, he was careful not to share anything that might touch on Lin Zhen’s privacy.

Today, Lin Zhen was filming a dramatic scene, set in winter.

His character was gravely injured, narrowly escaping death, and had to lie on a hard bed in a shabby, straw-thatched hut, covered in thick blankets.

The injuries were caused by the male lead’s retainer, and at this point, the male lead was missing, and the female lead had lost contact with him. This marked the greatest misunderstanding between the male and female leads and the climax of the entire story.

The female lead would stay by Lin Zhen’s side, delivering a heartfelt monologue.

This scene symbolized the awakening of the female lead’s personal determination and self-awareness—it was the first time she resolved to fight for her family.

Lin Zhen, dressed in blood-stained underclothes, had his long hair loose, lips pale, and his fingers hung weakly over the edge of the bed. The blanket was pulled up to his chest, and his breathing was so faint that the blanket barely rose or fell.

The female lead gently held Lin Zhen’s hand, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot, her lips pressed tightly together, and for the first time, her gaze carried a deep hatred.

Off-camera, the assistant director prompted the female lead with her inner monologue lines while the director, holding a megaphone, instructed leisurely, “Yes… give the female lead a fiercer expression, slowly lift your head, gaze at the moon outside the window—good. Now, the camera pans straight to Lin Zhen’s face. Lin Zhen, you need to shed a tear here. This moment represents the turning point where the misunderstanding between the siblings starts to resolve.”

The director kept giving instructions, and the scene was shot four or five times before he was finally satisfied. However, he decided to shoot one more take for safety.

Jian Fu, meanwhile, paid no attention to the intricate web of drama and conflict. All he could think was how stunning Lin Zhen looked with today’s sickly makeup.

Acting was such an interesting profession—getting to live out experiences and appearances unattainable in real life, all within the realm of film and television.

This drama, in particular, was wonderful. Lin Zhen had scenes where he appeared injured and frail, moments as a dashing general, times when he was innocent and carefree, and others where he was introspective and reserved.

Each version of him was captivating, bringing something new to admire every day.

Jian Fu finally understood why some girls loved playing dress-up games.

If he could have a doll like Lin Zhen, he’d happily spend money on skins and costumes for him.

“Hey, Brother Jian, the male lead’s fan group is handing out fruit boxes over there. Do you want one? I can grab one for you.”

Jian Fu looked up and felt the person in front of him seemed familiar. After thinking for a moment, he remembered she was one of the accompanying actors—the kind who actually had lines.

“No need,” Jian Fu replied. “I don’t lack fruit. Let everyone else have some.”

The girl grinned. “Oh, then what kind of fruit does Teacher Lin Zhen usually eat?”

“Low-sugar ones,” Jian Fu said casually. “Grapefruits, starfruit, lemons, loquats. The sweeter ones are for me.”

The girl laughed. “Haha, you two have quite the division of labor. With a classmate like you by his side, Teacher Lin Zhen must feel very comfortable.”

Jian Fu, slightly embarrassed by the compliment, responded, “Not really, I’m just here for fun.”

“Is this Whale Sea’s latest model?” the girl asked, glancing at Jian Fu’s outfit. “Did Teacher Lin Zhen give it to you? He seems to have a collaboration with them recently.”

“Haha.” Jian Fu let out a perfunctory laugh, unwilling to divulge anything about Whale Sea.

The girl persisted, “Are you usually in A City too, Brother Jian? Let’s add each other as friends. Maybe we can do an escape room together sometime.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jian Fu said, “Haha, why don’t you add Lin Zhen? If he’s free, I’ll be free. If he’s not, neither will I be.”

The girl looked slightly surprised. “Oh… I see.”

She hadn’t even mentioned wanting to hang out with Lin Zhen, but Jian Fu’s stance was clear: unless Lin Zhen agreed, he wouldn’t accept any invitations. It was as if Lin Zhen’s approval was the only thing that mattered.

While Jian Fu was chatting, the set was noisy, and he didn’t notice the director announcing that the scene was complete.

Lin Zhen sat up from the bed, pulling off the heavy quilt and shaking his blood-stained costume as he got off the bed.

He was drenched in sweat, his face pale and fatigued.

The female lead, wiping away her tears, said sympathetically, “That was rough—staying under a quilt for hours.”

Lin Zhen smiled. “It’s part of acting. You worked hard too, crying for so long.”

As Lin Zhen stepped down, the makeup assistant handed him a water bottle. He took it, drank a couple of sips, and glanced toward Jian Fu sitting under the canopy.

Holding the water bottle, Lin Zhen frowned and called out weakly, “Jian Fu.”

He was so drained that his voice lacked energy. Jian Fu didn’t hear him, so Lin Zhen took a deep breath and shouted louder, “Jian Fu, bring me the talcum powder!”

Jian Fu still didn’t hear him.

Lin Zhen stared at him for a few seconds, squinted his eyes, then abruptly turned and walked off in the opposite direction.

Sister Mei hurried over, jogging to his side. “What’s wrong, what’s wrong? What do you need? I’ll get it for you.”

“Nothing,” Lin Zhen muttered quietly. “I don’t need anything.”

Sister Mei hesitated.

She had heard Lin Zhen call Jian Fu for talcum powder earlier. Since Jian Fu seemed busy, she thought she’d lend a hand. To her surprise, Lin Zhen now didn’t want it anymore.

Sister Mei, being emotionally perceptive, sensed that Lin Zhen seemed a little upset, likely because Jian Fu hadn’t responded. But she couldn’t quite understand why Lin Zhen was unhappy.

What was the big deal?

Sister Mei quickly ran back to Jian Fu, tapping him on the shoulder and speaking in a low voice. “Lin Zhen called for you just now. You didn’t hear, and he seemed a bit upset.”

Jian Fu froze for a moment. Looking in the distance, he saw Lin Zhen walking away.

He wasted no time with the actress he had been chatting with, dusted off his pants, and ran toward Lin Zhen.

Sister Mei called after him, “Hey, he needs talcum powder!”

But Jian Fu had already run off.

Catching up to Lin Zhen, Jian Fu instinctively slung an arm around Lin Zhen’s shoulders and said warmly, “I heard you called me earlier. What’s up?”

Lin Zhen took a deep breath, his shoulders twitching as he shook off Jian Fu’s arm. He took a sip of water and said coolly, “Nothing. Go back and chat.”

Jian Fu blinked in confusion. “Huh? I don’t have anything to chat about. Now that you’ve finished your scene, who else am I going to talk to?”

Lin Zhen glanced at him. “You looked pretty into it just now.”

Jian Fu rubbed his nose, puzzled by Lin Zhen’s apparent irritation. “Into it? I was just humoring her. She wanted to add me as a friend, and I told her to add you instead.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhen became even more annoyed. “Why add me? What does this have to do with me?”

Jian Fu blinked innocently and said, with a hint of grievance, “Because I wouldn’t dare add her unless you did. How do I know if she’s trying to get your personal info?”

Lin Zhen felt both exasperated and at a loss for words. Finally, he turned away abruptly. “Forget it. I’m going to change my clothes.”

“Oh,” Jian Fu muttered softly, watching Lin Zhen walk off.

Lin Zhen’s blood-stained costume and slightly disheveled look still caught Jian Fu’s eye. He hadn’t admired it enough yet, and earlier, when he had sneakily rested his arm on Lin Zhen’s shoulder, it had been brushed off without hesitation.

Lin Zhen hadn’t expected himself to feel so emotional either.

But he really did feel awkward—so much so that, in that moment, he didn’t want to deal with Jian Fu at all.

Maybe it was the oppressive heat, making tempers flare more easily. In times like these, he had a habit of calling Li Rong.

Li Rong, the class monitor, always had a way of resolving his troubles.

When he got to the dressing room, Lin Zhen sat down on a chair and dialed Li Rong’s number.

At this time of day, Li Rong was probably working, so Lin Zhen wasn’t sure if he’d pick up.

Fortunately, after a few seconds, the call connected.

Li Rong’s voice echoed slightly, as if he were walking down a corridor. “Done filming so early today?”

Feeling a little guilty, Lin Zhen mumbled, “No… Class Monitor, I just lost my temper with Jian Fu. I think I went too far.”

Sitting in the air-conditioned dressing room, Lin Zhen began to calm down.

Thinking it over, he realized it really wasn’t Jian Fu’s fault. With all the noise and commotion on set, it made sense that Jian Fu hadn’t noticed him.

He couldn’t seriously expect Jian Fu to act as his assistant, putting him first in everything.

Or maybe… Jian Fu had been so considerate toward him that Lin Zhen had started taking it for granted.

The thought that he might have been acting spoiled made Lin Zhen’s skin crawl.

Li Rong stopped walking, sounding a little surprised. “You two can argue? You’ve got such a good temper, and Jian Fu isn’t the type to hold grudges.”

Lin Zhen shook his head. “It wasn’t really an argument. I guess I was just too hot and tired, and my mood was off.”

Hearing Lin Zhen’s self-reflection, Li Rong couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly happened?”

Lin Zhen sighed. “I’d just finished filming, and Jian Fu was chatting with a female cast member. I asked him to bring me some talcum powder, but he didn’t hear me. It’s not a big deal, honestly. Even telling you about it feels embarrassing.”

Li Rong was silent for a moment before laughing. “Do you know why you felt the need to tell me about this?”

Lin Zhen replied earnestly, “Because I trust you. I rely on you.”

Li Rong sighed lightly and said straightforwardly, “No, it’s because you think I have experience.”

Lin Zhen: “…”

Li Rong offered him a choice: “Do you want me to analyze the psychological cause from a scientific perspective, or explain it more simply?”

Lin Zhen replied softly, “I probably wouldn’t understand the professional explanation, so just keep it simple.”

Li Rong: “Oh, you’re jealous.”

Lin Zhen: “!!!”

Lin Zhen smiled wryly, “Class monitor that’s way too straightforward.”

Li Rong also smiled. “I thought you meant for me to avoid being subtle. Or should I pretend I didn’t say anything? By the way, do you remember back in high school when you gave me a bottle of hot milk? Cen Xiao got quite upset about it. So, this kind of emotion is normal. Stop overthinking it.”

Lin Zhen was a bit surprised but, for the first time, found joy in hearing gossip. “Cen Xiao was jealous over that? Cen Xiao actually got jealous of me?”

Li Rong replied casually, “Yep, but don’t let it slip. Team Leader Cen is very prideful.”

After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhen felt no trace of negativity.

He had to admit, Li Rong truly understood people. After uncovering Lin Zhen’s hidden feelings, Li Rong immediately shared his own secret, making sure Lin Zhen wouldn’t feel pressured.

Of course, Cen Xiao’s jealousy wasn’t just mentioned offhand. It was both a way to comfort him and a message: “Don’t be embarrassed; we’re all the same.”

How could there be someone as perceptive and considerate as the class monitor in this world?

“Lin Zhen, superstar, are you there? I’m coming in. Do you need prickly talcium powder? Grandpa Jian personally came to apply it for you. If I don’t hear your voice again, can you at least only ignore me for just one day?” Jian Fu leaned against the door, softly pleading.