Zhu Lan's gaze was scrutinizing, clearly not buying Zoe's casual tone.
Zoe gave an exasperated laugh. "Lan, you're overthinking this. I knew you'd jump to conclusions."
"Then explain to me why I shouldn't," Zhu Lan said, arms crossed, staring Zoe down and refusing to let her avoid eye contact. "When did you two get so close that you're meeting for lunch? The two of you are right in the spotlight—aren't you afraid this will just feed the rumors?"
Zoe had no comeback for that. Honestly, even she found the situation pretty bizarre. From a logical standpoint, she should've just refused the invitation and stayed far away from any potential trouble. But Song's invitation, with the bait of Zhao Qin's "heart attack" cover story, was too intriguing. Despite herself, she couldn't help but take the bait.
Seeing Zoe go quiet, Zhu Lan softened a little but still kept up her questions.
"So, you're going alone?" Zhu Lan asked. "Do you want me to go with you?"
"I can go alone. He didn't say he was bringing his manager, either," Zoe replied.
"So should I take this lunch as… a date?" Zhu Lan raised an eyebrow.
Zoe sighed, looking Zhu Lan straight in the eyes. "Lan, this is the last time I'm saying this seriously—I have nothing going on with Song. Before we trended on social media, we were like two parallel lines with zero connection. In fact, we only added each other on WeChat yesterday."
Zhu Lan's expression grew even more skeptical. "You only added each other yesterday? Seriously?"
"I know it sounds a bit unbelievable, but it's true," Zoe replied, exasperated. "So, Lan, please stop pressing me. I have no idea why he wants to have lunch with me, but hey, maybe he couldn't resist my charm—fair skin, beauty, and all that."
She tossed her hair playfully, put one hand on her hip, and struck a sultry pose with a slight smirk.
Zhu Lan chuckled. "That's not so far-fetched, actually."
Zoe's playful demeanor immediately crumbled. "Wait, you actually believe that?"
"Come on, Zoe," Zhu Lan said, amused. "You're fair-skinned, beautiful, and stunningly attractive. Even someone as popular as Song is still a young man. It'd be hard for him not to feel something."
Zoe covered her face with one hand, groaning. "Lan, please, don't say that to anyone else. His fans would kill me."
Zhu Lan suddenly gave a cold laugh. "Speaking of which, I haven't told you something yet. I was going to wait until filming was over so it wouldn't affect you."
"What is it? Did you find the girl who threw juice on me at the airport?" Zoe guessed immediately.
Zhu Lan nodded. "Yes. And guess what? Turns out she's a repeat offender."
"A repeat offender?" Zoe frowned. "What do you mean?"
"She's already harassed one of Song's rumored love interests before. Sent a dead rat in the mail," Zhu Lan said. "But since that didn't go public, no one knows about it."
Zoe's mind flashed back to the young woman's face. "Sending a dead rat? That's crossing the line."
"Exactly. They reprimanded her before, but clearly, she didn't learn," Zhu Lan continued. "Song's unfortunate to have fans like this. Apparently, her room is plastered with his photos—she's obsessed."