The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 209

Lin Zhen stopped being upset after chatting with Li Rong. He even considered saying something soft to smooth things over, but just as he opened the dressing room door, Jian Fu cheerfully bounded in, looking completely unbothered.

Lin Zhen decided to hold back the soft words he had prepared.

“I really didn’t hear you. Next time, I’ll just stand outside the frame to make sure you see me as soon as you open your eyes,” Jian Fu said as he casually shut the door firmly behind him.

Lin Zhen muttered under his breath, “Please don’t. Seeing you makes me lose focus.”

Jian Fu clicked his tongue, grabbed Lin Zhen by the collar, and gave it a playful tug. “Big star’s demands are getting higher and higher. Do us mere mortals even get to live anymore?”

Lin Zhen chuckled. “Alright, enough with the banter. Hand me the talcum powder.”

Jian Fu quickly hid his hand behind his back. “Why would I give it to you? I’ll do it for you.”

Lin Zhen usually applied talcum powder on his neck and back. The weather was too hot, and with the thick costumes he wore, heat rash could become an issue and affect his performance. Since he couldn’t reach his back, he didn’t insist.

Jian Fu excitedly urged, “Take off your clothes, take off your clothes!”

Lin Zhen: “…”

Lin Zhen sat down on a stool and loosened the bloodstained inner robe, letting it slide off his shoulders.

Underneath, he wore a thin white undershirt, which was light and breathable. His skin, covered and suffocated by the heat, looked pale. The indoor air conditioning had almost dried the sweat on his body.

Jian Fu reached out and lightly touched his skin with a fingertip, feeling its smoothness. “Aren’t you going to take off your undershirt too?” he asked, a bit regretfully.

Lin Zhen replied, “…No need. Just apply it to the exposed areas.”

Jian Fu dipped the powder puff into the talcum powder and gently dabbed it onto Lin Zhen’s skin. He couldn’t help but comment, “Why are you getting skinnier and skinnier? Is there some magic in this industry? You weren’t like this in high school.”

The fragrance of the talcum powder wafted to Lin Zhen’s nose, and the cool sensation on his skin made him feel much more comfortable. 

Tilting his head to make it easier for Jian Fu to apply powder to the side of his neck, Lin Zhen remarked, “If you worked in this weather, you wouldn’t be able to keep anything down either.”

This movement made his collarbones appear even more pronounced.

Lin Zhen wasn’t just skinny—his body was well-toned, with defined muscles. Standing above him, Jian Fu could easily see the muscle lines shifting beneath the thin undershirt with each breath Lin Zhen took.

His hand moved to Lin Zhen’s collarbone, applying the powder while lost in thought.

He had never paid this much attention to anyone’s physique before—Lin Zhen was the first.

Jian Fu couldn’t quite figure out if it was because he genuinely liked this kind of body, or if it was simply because it belonged to Lin Zhen.

After a few seconds, Lin Zhen noticed that Jian Fu’s hand was lingering around his collarbone, repeatedly applying powder to the same small area.

Unable to hold back, Lin Zhen turned his head and pressed down on Jian Fu’s hand. “What are you thinking about?”

Jian Fu snapped out of his thoughts instantly, pausing for a moment as his gaze wavered. “I was… wondering when you’ll get a break from filming.”

Lin Zhen didn’t pick up on Jian Fu’s guilty tone and gave the question some serious thought. “Hmm… The lead actress is heading to a banquet the day after tomorrow. Without her, there won’t be much for me to film, so I’ll have a light day. I can mostly stay at the hotel. If I don’t want to stay cooped up, maybe I’ll catch a movie or grab a meal, though there’s not much to do in this rural area.”

Only then did Jian Fu nonchalantly move his hand away from Lin Zhen’s collarbone, secretly thinking to himself how nice it felt to touch.

“Don’t you have other events to attend? Your popularity is probably higher than the male and female leads right now,” Jian Fu asked.

Lin Zhen sighed lightly. “If I wanted, I could pack my schedule full, but I’m still a newcomer. With so much attention on me, even if I don’t do anything wrong, people might say I’m acting like a diva. Taking leave to attend other events would only fuel that narrative.

“Honestly, I have confidence in myself and believe I can have a long career in this industry. Short-term activities aren’t that important. Building a strong portfolio and reputation matters more. Of course, some people go all out to make money when they get a brief moment of fame, but that just shows they don’t trust their future.”

Jian Fu couldn’t help but give Lin Zhen a light tap on the head. “You’re so young—why do you overthink everything all the time? Aren’t you tired?”

“My hair!” Lin Zhen protested, rubbing his head and shooting Jian Fu a resentful look. “It’s called being prepared for potential dangers, you know? You said it yourself—the incident with the class president taught us a lot. Even someone as kind as Professor Li or Professor Gu could be framed. Who knows what might happen in the future?”

Jian Fu replied, “But isn’t that why you have me… us? Don’t worry. We’ll help you handle anything that comes up.”

“I know,” Lin Zhen responded softly.

After finishing with the talcum powder, Jian Fu and Lin Zhen left the dressing room together, with Jian Fu carrying Lin Zhen’s costume over his arm.

Sister Mei looked at their faces and, reassured, approached them. “All done?”

Lin Zhen nodded.

“It’s so hot today,” Sister Mei said. “Zhenbao, drink some mung bean soup to cool down.”

Lin Zhen yawned and replied, “I’m fine. I’ll rest for a bit before the evening shoot.”

He knew he had overreacted earlier when he was upset with Jian Fu. Sister Mei wouldn’t have understood his mood anyway—after all, in her eyes, he had always been modest and easygoing.

Jian Fu added, “I’ll head back too.”

Sister Mei quickly agreed. “Good, good. You both should take a break.”

Lin Zhen led Jian Fu toward the trailer, but along the way, they bumped into the background actress who had earlier asked for Jian Fu’s contact information.

Lin Zhen glanced at Jian Fu almost imperceptibly but didn’t say a word. Jian Fu, however, greeted the actress directly. “Hey.”

The actress was surprised that Jian Fu remembered their earlier, interrupted conversation and hurried over. “Brother Jian, what were you rushing off for earlier? Was there an emergency with Teacher Lin Zhen?”

A flicker of irritation flared in Lin Zhen’s heart. If Jian Fu dared to chat enthusiastically with her in front of him, he’d definitely kick him off the bed later.

But Jian Fu had already forgotten about the supposed “friendly chat.” He raised the costume in his hand and asked, “Who should I give this to?”

The actress blinked, caught off guard by the question. “Um… give it to the makeup assistant, I guess.”

“Got it, thanks.” Jian Fu immediately turned to deliver the costume, showing no further interest in the conversation.

After dropping off the costume, Jian Fu pulled Lin Zhen along. “Why are you still standing in the sun? Did you forget about all that sunscreen you sprayed on?”

The background actress, left behind and ignored, felt deeply frustrated.

It seemed this privileged young man, surrounded by beautiful women, didn’t care at all about those in the entertainment industry.

Back at the hotel, Jian Fu and Lin Zhen each took a shower. Lin Zhen reapplied a layer of talcum powder, turned on the air conditioning, and burrowed into his blankets to rest.

When Jian Fu emerged from the bathroom and saw that Lin Zhen wasn’t in his bed, he felt a faint twinge of disappointment.

But someone as thick-skinned as Jian Fu understood perfectly well what it meant to “go after what you want yourself.” He walked over to Lin Zhen’s bed, propping both hands near Lin Zhen’s pillow and leaning his face close to Lin Zhen’s. “Are you not having nightmares anymore?”

Lin Zhen opened his eyes and found himself staring directly at Jian Fu’s face, which was so close. He mumbled softly, “It’s broad daylight—what kind of nightmares could I have?”

Still, despite his grumbling, his gaze remained fixed on Jian Fu. He noticed Jian Fu’s half-dry hair and the completely unfiltered sincerity in his eyes.

Jian Fu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he pitifully added, “Then can I have nightmares?”

Lin Zhen’s eyelids twitched slightly. He held back for a few seconds before finally giving in, his eyes crinkling as he broke into laughter.

How could someone come up with such a clumsy excuse? How could someone be so adorably silly?

Seeing Lin Zhen laugh, Jian Fu knew he wasn’t being rejected. He nudged Lin Zhen further inside the bed, shamelessly climbing in. As he did, he rambled, “I really do have nightmares, and they’re super scary. Sometimes I even wake up from them. Honestly, I’m not as strong as I look—I need someone to sleep with me.”

Lin Zhen listened to his nonsense but still scooted over a bit to make room. “Oh? And what kind of nightmares are those?”

“Terrifying ones,” Jian Fu replied vaguely. “I’d scare you if I told you, so let’s just sleep.”

With that, he shamelessly draped an arm over Lin Zhen’s waist, rested his head on Lin Zhen’s pillow, and closed his eyes with a satisfied smile.

Lin Zhen glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, observing his “pretend sleep” and feeling the arm tightly wrapped around his waist. He murmured helplessly, “Nonsense.”

Jian Fu’s arm shifted slightly on Lin Zhen’s waist, his eyes still firmly shut.

Lin Zhen instinctively tightened his stomach and softly warned, “You can keep your arm there, but don’t move it around. I’ve got a night shoot later, and it’s in the rain—I really need to rest.”

Jian Fu immediately settled down, staying perfectly still.

The two of them soon warmed up the bed, and before long, Lin Zhen drifted off to sleep.

He had always been used to sleeping alone, yet he was surprised by how quickly he adapted to having someone else on the bed.

Once Lin Zhen was sound asleep, Jian Fu slowly opened his eyes.

He wasn’t actually that tired—he’d been sitting all morning and still had energy to spare.

As the sun outside gradually sank, the shadows lengthened. Jian Fu watched Lin Zhen’s peaceful sleeping face and felt as though time had slowed down.

In fact, over the past couple of days, Jian Changli had been calling him, urging him to return home after he’d had his fun, to socialize more and lay some groundwork for the future.

Jian Fu wasn’t exactly idle, or rather, his most carefree days were before university. After starting college, he spent his time shuttling between campus and District One, dedicating the little rest he had to their small team.

And most of that time went to Lin Zhen.

Still, Jian Fu didn’t regret coming along to accompany Lin Zhen on this film shoot. Even though the place was a remote wilderness with no comforts to speak of, his bond with Lin Zhen had only grown stronger.

Jian Fu was aware that his thoughts and actions were a little dangerous, but he couldn’t control himself. If people could easily suppress their desires, wouldn’t that be even scarier?

Almost unconsciously, Jian Fu leaned closer. Bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun, he lightly kissed Lin Zhen’s cheek.

Lin Zhen was sound asleep, completely unaware. Only Jian Fu’s heart raced, and his blood surged.

After that kiss, Jian Fu finally snapped back to reality, realizing what he had just done.

He pursed his lips, his eyelids fluttering nervously as he thought, Oh no, oh no—this is the second time I’ve taken advantage of my buddy!

He had only been here for a few days, and he already dared to steal a kiss on his friend’s face. Who knew what outrageous things he might do in the future?

As his thoughts spiraled, his gaze unconsciously drifted to Lin Zhen’s rosy lips.

D*mn, d*mn, d*mn!

Jian Fu wanted to slap himself.

This is what happens when you taste forbidden fruit—now I just want more!

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