Volume 1, Chapter 54: The Female Celebrity and Her Non-Celebrity Best Friend

Jiang Yun杪's postpartum assessment was quite good, with all indicators passing the standards.

Lu Shenshen was genuinely happy for her. "That's wonderful! The toughest days are finally behind you. You have no idea how anxious I've been for you lately. I was truly terrified that that old witch would constantly torment you and you wouldn't be able to hold on. Fortunately, you're mentally strong enough."

"Believe it or not, I've actually been having a great time lately. Zhou Manhua says one thing, and I retort with one. She says two, and I retort with two. My motto is simple: 'Drop personal standards, go completely unhinged when necessary.' Looking back now, I really used to give her way too much face." Jiang Yun杪 felt deep regret for her past self.

Lu Shenshen glanced at her sideways. "You can say that again. You used to be the quintessential dutiful daughter-in-law."

Jiang Yun杪 felt profound disgust toward her past self. "I must have been put under some kind of spell by Duan Yixiao back then."

While the two were chatting, Wen Ying called to ask if Jiang Yun杪 was free to visit the Fanhxin Yayuan residence now, as she had already had people clean the place up.

Jiang Yun杪 replied that she would go right away.

Lu Shenshen went along with her.

"Ooh, today is yet another day to witness a fairy descending to the mortal realm! Beauty Wen, long time no see, I've missed you terribly!" Lu Shenshen gave Wen Ying an exaggerated, dramatic hug.

"I hear all sorts of flattery all the time, but I just love hearing Boss Lu speak the plain truth," Wen Ying said with an amused, curved smile.

Then, she shifted her attention to Jiang Yun杪. "How are you? Are you holding up well?" Seeing a vibrant Jiang Yun杪 standing right before her finally set her mind at ease. Especially when she recalled how Jiang Yun杪 had almost not made it out of the delivery room due to a difficult labor, her chest ached fiercely, just like an old injury flaring up.

"Am I not standing right here, safe and sound?" Jiang Yun杪 spun around easily and gracefully in front of her.

Wen Ying bit her back teeth in fierce resentment. "If you had suffered even a scratch, I would never have let that bastard surnamed Duan off the hook!"

Jiang Yun杪 gave her a touching hug. "Sigh, when you have poor judgment in men during your youth, you're bound to pay a price. But it doesn't matter—I can afford to lose!"

Wen Ying patted her back approvingly. "That's the attitude, very handsome!"

"Let me show you the rooms here," Wen Ying said, leading Jiang Yun杪 through them one by one. "Just tell me what else needs to be added, and I'll have someone get it."

Jiang Yun杪 looked around at the fully equipped apartment and found nothing to fault. "Thank you for your exclusive sponsorship of me and little Lele."

Wen Ying tossed her head slightly. "That goes without saying."

"Since you've taken care of the housing, I'll cover all the formula and diapers," Lu Shenshen declared generously.

Jiang Yun杪 felt a pang in her heart, her eyes turning slightly red. "I just love being friends with big spenders like you."

A shimmering light danced in the depths of her eyes, and her heart overflowed with gratitude.

How fortunate to meet such good friends, softening the passage of time.

Thank you for fishing me ashore time and time again during my moments of utter despair.

"Although your taste in men leaves much to be desired, I have to admit your taste in friends is still remarkably sharp."

After the three of them bantered and joked around for a while, the person they mentioned the most was naturally Duan Yixiao.

In the mouths of Wen Ying and Lu Shenshen, Duan Yixiao was practically the embodiment of all evil; subjecting him to all the ancient tortures of China over and over again would still be too lenient.

Consequently, Duan Yixiao, who was currently in the middle of a meeting, kept sneezing, disrupting the rhythm of the meeting repeatedly and earning countless cold glares from Duan Zhenhong.

"By the way, what are we eating for lunch today? Now that Miaozi has finished her confinement, should we go out and have a proper feast?" Lu Shenshen suggested enthusiastically, noticing it was already lunchtime.

"Yes, yes! Our friendship is bonded by food; how can it be a friendship without eating? You guys have no idea what kind of miserable life I've been living on the set." The great beauty Wen immediately started acting dramatically.

Jiang Yun杪 naturally raised both hands in agreement. Dining with her food buddies was infinitely better than staring at Zhou Manhua's aged face.

The three of them hit it off instantly.

Lu Shenshen immediately made a phone call, and a moment later announced to them, "Let's go, I'll take you to a great place. It just so happens there aren't many people at noon, and they still have a private room."

"How is it? This place isn't bad, is it? An immersive experience of Song dynasty spatial aesthetics."

As they stepped out of the car, Lu Shenshen looked at them with hopeful eyes. This restaurant was newly opened, and its Song-style architecture was crafted by veteran carpenters by hand. It was classical, grand, and full of antique charm, much beloved by everyone. If it were evening, they might not have been so lucky to secure a private room.

Wen Ying helped Jiang Yun杪 out of the car and glanced around casually. "It really is nice. It gives me the feeling of being back on the film set."

Jiang Yun杪 and Lu Shenshen exchanged glances, and the three of them burst into laughter in unison.

Lu Shenshen gave Wen Ying a white-eyed look. "I chose this place precisely because of you—the privacy here is quite good. Of course, most importantly, the food is fantastic. You'll see in a minute."

"Take a look, what would you like to eat?" Lu Shenshen handed the menu over to them.

Wen Ying unfolded the menu, which looked remarkably like an imperial edict, glanced over it with a ten-lines-at-a-glance scan, and then shoved it back into Lu Shenshen's hands. "You'd better not ask what I want to eat; I'm afraid I won't finish listing it anytime soon."

Lu Shenshen and Jiang Yun杪 both snorted with laughter.

"I never took you for such a foodie, Beauty Wen! Those people who praise you for being ethereal and detached from worldly desires really ought to see this," Lu Shenshen teased with an urbane, mischievous smile.

Wen Ying was just about to pick up her teacup to drink when she looked at Lu Shenshen in surprise upon hearing this. "Who says I'm detached from worldly desires? Where on earth did you read that pirated news? Doesn't everyone always say I came out of some remote mountain valley and am just playing myself?"

At the mention of this, Lu Shenshen and Jiang Yun杪 were both left speechless. "Can't you take on more roles as wealthy heiresses and glamorous urban elites?"

For all these years since entering the industry, Wen Ying had some bizarre penchant for playing beggars, orphans, bankrupt heiresses, and other down-and-out characters.

"Can you blame me? Whenever I play female CEOs or arrogant princesses, the shows just won't blow up. It's only every time I appear with an impoverished image that the shows become massive hits," Wen Ying lamented, massaging her forehead. As time went on, directors invariably thought of her first whenever such roles came up.

Listening to her hilariously ironic tale, Jiang Yun杪 couldn't help but deepen the smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with a captivating radiance like the light morning mist.

Suddenly, she felt a sense of inner peace and softness. Being with friends was like a dopamine factory—they could talk about anything and laugh heartily.

The trivial chatter among them was also the quiet passage of their years together.

She and her friends had walked all the way from their youth, transforming into a female celebrity and her ordinary best friends. When savored carefully, life's encounters truly felt wonderfully surreal.

As for men—ha! She could love fearlessly, and she could leave without the slightest bit of lingering attachment.

She gently picked up her teacup. "Come on, let's drink this cup of tea, and whatever you act in next year will be a massive hit."

Wen Ying's eyes crinkled like stars when she smiled, and she raised her cup to toast with Jiang Yun杪. "Darling, I suggest you go get your mouth blessed by a master before you come saying things like that to me."

Jiang Yun杪 went along with her gracefully. "Alright, no problem at all."