Bai Yin rarely drank so much. The next day, she woke up in the soft circular king-sized bed of the presidential suite, her mind completely blank.
She groped for her phone on the bedside table and glanced at the time—it was already one o'clock in the afternoon. The heavy curtains of the presidential suite were tightly closed, blocking the intrusion of light, presumably to allow her a good rest.
Bai Yin rubbed her slightly aching head and struggled to get out of bed. As soon as her feet touched the floor, she felt something was wrong. Her legs were so weak and wobbly that she could barely take two steps without trembling.
She quickly grabbed the bed for support and sat back down again. Her whole body felt sore and weak. As she turned her head, she saw several torn square plastic bags in the trash can.
Bai Yin shuddered as she counted the bags: "One, two, three, four..."
She only counted roughly and didn't dare look closely.
She must have really let loose last night while drunk and didn't know how far things went.
Her mind only held some fragmented memories. Even just those memory fragments made her blush to the roots of her neck when she recalled them.
Bai Yin picked up her clothes on the sofa and found that the collar of her little black dress seemed to be ripped.
Chen HuaiXiao had actually torn her dress!
Bai Yin slapped her head hard, trying her best to sober up.
She groped for her phone that was charging on the bedside table and called Chen HuaiXiao.
The phone rang twice before he answered.
It was very quiet on the other end. His voice was low and magnetic:
"Awake?"
Bai Yin rubbed her slender waist: "Chen HuaiXiao, I was drunk last night. You took advantage!"
"Are you a dog?"
"You're scolding me?!"
"If not a dog, why bite back."
"......"
Chen HuaiXiao said calmly: "Forgot already? Let me remind you, last night you were clinging to me, calling me brother again and again, and said once was not enough."
"Chen HuaiXiao! Shut up!" Bai Yin's mind was chaotic. She was totally embarrassed: "Ahhhhh!"
Over the phone came a soft laugh from the man: "The interest my plastic wife has shown in me has exceeded my imagination."
Bai Yin gritted her teeth and said, "You actually believe drunk words? You're an idiot."
"There's a saying, in vino veritas."
Bai Yin would admit to anything but this one thing. She could only deny and say with a laugh: "Seeing how much I love you, I'll leave the female lead of The Colorful Clouds to my husband. Please take good care of me in the future as well."
Chen HuaiXiao's smile faded a little, knowing she cared only about her career prospects.
"I'm in a meeting, gotta go."
"Wait, you tore my clothes. Don't you need to compensate?"
Beep beep beep...
Chen HuaiXiao had already hung up.
Bai Yin snuggled back under the covers, resting her slender snow-white arm across her forehead, staring blankly at the ceiling, her mind full of fragmented passionate memories from last night.
She secretly vowed never to drink again.
Getting drunk really messed things up.
Soon, she heard the voice of a room service girl outside the door: "Madam, are you awake? Mr. Chen has sent over some clothes."
Bai Yin didn't want to get up to open the door, so she lazily called out, "Come in."
The young room service girl brought in a brand new black dress and held it out to Bai Yin: "Mr. Chen picked out this dress for you. See if you like it?"
As Bai Yin was freshening up, she casually glanced at the dress.
It had a dark Gothic lace style and was from a niche British designer brand. The chiffon dress was quite heavy, with a skirt, and would look very nice paired with a blazer and boots in autumn and winter.
Chen HuaiXiao had always had fierce taste. The clothes and dresses he chose for her complemented her complexion and temperament well.
"Thanks, just leave it there."
After the room service girl put down the black dress, she said, "Oh right, Mr. Chen has also prepaid for a spa massage and aromatherapy service for you."
Bai Yin thought for a moment, then asked again: "How much does this spa service cost?"
"Three thousand five hundred yuan."
"Okay, I don't need the aromatherapy. Please refund what he pre-paid to me."
"Uh..."
The room service girl said awkwardly: "Mr. Chen said that if Madam requests a refund, the money should be refunded directly to his account, not transferred to Madam."
"......"
That jerk!
Since it was a luxurious service Chen HuaiXiao had booked for her, Bai Yin would not decline it. She changed into loose, comfortable clothes and followed the room service girl downstairs.
Relaxed amidst the soft floral fragrances and music, Bai Yin enjoyed the 3,500 yuan aromatherapy massage.
Her phone beside her vibrated and Bai Yin swiped to open it. She saw a message from Sun Lili:
"It's official! The female lead of The Colorful Clouds has been decided! It's you!"
Bai Yin tapped open the link she sent, and saw the official Weibo account for The Colorful Clouds had posted that Bai Yin would play the female lead.
The Colorful Clouds Weibo: "The greatest dancing girl of Tang, Xiao Xiao Bai, who will never drink orange juice again, turns towards the light and dances for love."
Every photo could be described as a beauty. As Bai Yin enlarged the photos, even the girl giving her massage gaped: "So gorgeous!"
Bai Yin smiled, "Thank you."
She reposted the official announcement on her Weibo account "Xiao Xiao Bai who will never drink orange juice again". Her number of followers also began to skyrocket rapidly, most of whom were fans of the original novel.
The original fans had extremely discerning eyes, but Bai Yin's promotional photos...were 99% faithful to the image of the female lead Yan Huan in the book. In terms of looks and temperament, they could find no fault, so they became her fans.
Bai Yin's Weibo followers quickly broke one million. For a complete newcomer, this was a very good start.
She put down her phone, the corners of her lips curving up faintly.
The Colorful Clouds was her beginning. She would continue steadily down this path to stardom.
...
In the afternoon, Bai Yin went to visit her grandma at the nursing home.
After suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, her grandma's reactions had slowed and she couldn't remember many things clearly.
Every time Bai Yin visited, it would take her grandma a long time to vaguely recall who she was.
Bai Yin felt very reassured.
The old lady sat by the window, her hair frosted white, as if covered by a layer of white frost. The veins on the back of her hands looked like meandering earthworms. She held Bai Yin's hand and looked at the ring on her ring finger.
"Little Bai, you're married?"
"Grandma, I've told you three hundred times already. I've been married for almost two months now."
"Who did you marry? Does your grandson-in-law treat you well?"
Bai Yin patiently repeated over and over: "I married Huai Ge from next door. He treats me very well."
Of course, only at certain times.
"I remember. You used to look forward to weekends because on weekends you could see little Huai from the Chen family next door. You wished he would take you out on his motorbike."
Bai Yin said joyfully: "Grandma, you remember! That's great."
The doctor said it would help her rehabilitation and recovery if she could recall more things from the past.
"Grandma, let me take you out for some sun. I'll tell you more about my acting career."
"Just tell me about my grandson-in-law. Does he treat you well?"
"You've forgotten again." Bai Yin tirelessly repeated: "He treats me very well."
Bai Yin called the caretaker auntie to bring a wheelchair. She took her grandma out to the garden to get some sun, then went to the wardrobe to take out a jacket for her grandma.
As soon as she opened the wardrobe, a damp, moldy smell hit her.
Bai Yin rubbed her nose.
The rooms on this floor were a little too damp.
With the old lady's poor health, how could she recuperate staying in such a damp room?
She took out a jacket, shook it out, and handed it to the caretaker for her grandma to put on. Then she went to the director's office to find Director Li.
"Director Li, I applied for a room on the fourth floor for my grandma, but it hasn't been approved yet?"
Director Li was busy writing documents and taking calls. He perfunctorily said, "You want a nice room with a mountain view. We have old folks checking in every day. It's not that easy to get one. Besides, the mountain view rooms cost at least ten times more than your current room."
Bai Yin immediately said: "Money is no object. No matter the cost, as long as it allows my grandma to move in. She likes looking at the mountains. When we lived at home, there were mountain ranges nearby. It will be good for her condition."
But Director Li impatiently put down his phone and said, "Our nursing home is one of the best in the north of the city. The families who can afford to be here all have some assets. I know money is no issue. Everyone can afford it. The key is there are only so many rooms. You want it and others want it too. How can I satisfy everyone?"
Bai Yin knew the director was right and didn't insist. She just said, "Then let's get in line. If any become available, Director Li, please save one for my grandma. I'd be much obliged."
Seeing her decent attitude, Director Li nodded: "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye out."
"Thank you."
As Bai Yin walked out of the office, she heard a familiar voice coming from the end of the corridor.
"Mom, the environment of this nursing home is great."
Bai Yin recognized it was the voice of her "dear" sister—Su Anning.
"Of course. Your dad picked this place for your grandma. He has a good heart."
The one speaking...was naturally Zou Meizhi.
Bai Yin heard their footsteps approaching, so she leaned against a pillar to hide herself a little and peeked at them.
She saw them escorting an opulently dressed old woman down the hall, with two men behind them carrying luggage.
Bai Yin recognized this old woman as Zou Meizhi's mother and Su Anning's grandmother.
Zou Meizhi came from humble beginnings. Her mother had never worked either and was notorious for her shrewishness in the alleys where they lived.
Later Zou Meizhi went from being Su Yecheng's personal assistant to becoming his mistress. She drove Bai Yin's mother to her death and married into a wealthy family.
Now this old woman had finally taken off her common clothes and ornaments and wore gold and jade instead. Her hands were full of gold rings and jade bangles that she didn't seem to find cumbersome at all.
Zou Meizhi and Su Anning supported Old Lady Zou up to the fourth floor. Director Li personally took them to see the rooms.
"Mrs. Su, see if you're satisfied with this room. It's our nursing home's best room with the best mountain view. I specially reserved it for your mother-in-law. Others have waited months but I wouldn't give it to them! I kept it specially for you!"
Zou Meizhi walked around the spacious room. There was a floor-to-ceiling window through which you could directly see the beautiful snow mountain view nearby. The view was excellent.
She nodded satisfyingly, "You've been very thoughtful, Director Li."
"Customer satisfaction is our greatest pursuit."
Su Anning supported Grandma Zou and sweetly said, "Grandma, do you like this room?"
"Not bad." Grandma Zou walked to the window and glanced at the courtyard below. She asked, "The old ladies and gentlemen living here, they're all from wealthy families?"
"Of course. Ordinary people can't afford to live in such a high-end nursing home. Daddy specially contacted them for you."
Grandma Zou seemed satisfied that only by interacting with such wealthy seniors was she maintaining her status. She nodded approvingly, "My son-in-law always handles things properly. Alright, let's settle on this then."
"Mom, just focus on recuperating here. If you want to eat anything, tell the caretakers. Don't skimp on money."
"I know."
As Zou Meizhi and Director Li went out to process the admission paperwork, Bai Yin coldly asked from the doorway: "Director Li, didn't you say there were no more mountain view rooms available?"
Director Li looked awkward seeing Bai Yin was still there. "Uh, the Su family had booked it long ago."
"I've waited three months. They booked before me?"
"This is..."
Grandma Zou had only recently fallen ill and needed to be admitted. Of course she couldn't have booked earlier than Bai Yin.
"Director Li, there's no justice."
