Bad influences
"When is it coming out, again? You do know that Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies, ever! Don't you?" Asked Alice before bringing her hot teacup to her mouth and sipping carefully.
Zhi Ruo giggled as she placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the coffee table in her garden, where they usually talked and had tea when the weather was nice while Alice visited. It just turned Springtime, but it was warmer than usual today.
Zhi Ruo still lived in Paris, in a perfect little house with a beautiful backyard/terrace she had bought — except for when she recorded abroad. Alice lived in London close to her parents, and Zhi was lucky that she had managed to come visit her for three days, since Alice's life had been a little chaotic lately.
She was now 25 and Alice 26. It had been eight years since the last Miraculous movie came out, both of them were still incredibly famous, and of all of the cast, they were the ones who had gotten luckiest regarding their acting careers. Well, aside from Eloise Bonnaire (Alya Césaire).
Zhi had just been cast to play another leading role in a drama called "Where the flowers grow" and next month was the premiere release of her last starring role — Fa Mulan — in Disney's Mulan.
"The premiere is next month. On the 25th. You know how it goes..." Zhi gesticulated, sitting sideways on the sofa next to Alice, so as to face her friend. "Red carpet, pictures, interviews, some autographs... Although, since it's a Disney production, it will be a bit different, more like a gala instead of a premiere. They want me to sing now. Geez." Zhi Ruo executed an eye roll Ladybug would be proud of.
"You're lucky you're not a bad singer." Alice teased.
Zhi giggled, "They're lucky they found that out. You know me, I don't sing in public anymore, to avoid this kind of thing, mostly. I want an acting career, not a singing one. I was in a very good mood and didn't even noticed I was humming to myself." She sighed dramatically, "They are going to overdo it. I'm sure."
Alice chuckled and nodded, grabbing a cookie and giving it a tiny bite.
"But in the end... They do it with such style, that people just stare in awe." Laughed Zhi, and after a couple of seconds, she looked at her blonde friend, "Have you decided if you are coming?" She asked, making her best big puppy eyes.
"Where is it?" She asked sadly, already knowing the answer.
"Hollywood..."
"I don't think I can go, Z." Alice sighed, apologizing with her eyes, "My mum is getting her transplant around that time. I can't be on the other side of the world... The operation is scheduled for the 23th, so I can't make plans for the following days."
Zhi sighed nodding, "Family first." She smiled understandingly, "How is she doing?"
Alice's mother had been diagnosed with Leukemia last year and was going to receive a bone marrow transplant.
"Oddly enough, she is doing well." Alice smiled sadly, "She is responding well to the treatment... Also, she is going through all these painful procedures and still she is the one that makes me and dad laugh, instead of the other way around. I think the news of getting a new transplant made her believe she can be saved, and now she is more cheerful than ever."
"I'm glad to hear that." Zhi said, "How have you been doing?"
Alice sighed and let a desperate chuckle escape her lips, "I'm... I don't know... Honestly, I have no idea." Tears started to form in her eyes.
"Hey, it's okay..." Started Zhi, jumping from her seat to hug her friend, "Everything will be okay." She promised, knowing deep down that it was an empty promise, "You're gonna get through this." She felt Alice's body shudder against hers.
"I-I'm scared..." She whispered, sobbing against Zhi's shoulder, and holding her tighter.
"I know, sweetheart." Zhi whispered back, "I know."
"W-What if-?"
"Shh." Interrupted Zhi Ruo rubbing Alice's back, "No what ifs." She pulled away from Alice and looked at her swollen blue eyes, "Your mum is going to be fine." She said, "She is getting a transplant! She is responding well to treatment! She will survive because she is a survivor. Just like you."
Alice straightened up, cleaned up her tears, and gave Zhi a confident nod. She had come to Paris because she desperately needed to be with her best friend. No one was as good at giving pep-talks as Zhi Ruo. She often joked around, saying it was all those years listening to 'Alya' pep-talking 'Marinette'.
"That's m'girl!" Zhi said with a proud smile growing on her lips.
Alice giggled and cleared the rest of the tears from her face, trying desperately to find a new conversation topic.
"How are things between John and you?" She asked. Alice was talking about the famous actor John Boyce, mostly known for playing good looking heros and desirable male characters in romantic comedies.
Zhi Ruo snorted, "That jerk..." She shook her head with her eyes closed and let out a resigned sigh, "We broke up last week, and the next day he was already snogging another girl."
"Oh, Z, I'm so sorry..."
"What! Why? It's not like I loved him, or anything... He is cute and all, but things weren't really working out anyway." Zhi shrugged with a smile. It was the second relationship she had started that year. She was beginning to wonder if maybe there was something wrong with her...
"Still, it must sting..." Sighed Alice, throwing a concerned look at her friend.
Zhi shrugged, "It hurts my ego a little bit, I can't lie about that." She chuckled as if she was already at peace with her forever-single situation, "I just have to stop dating famous guys. They are all full-of-themselves-jerks."
"That, they are. I can't disagree. Most of them, anyway." Said Alice, containing a sigh.
Zhi chuckled a bit more, "You're still pining over Simon, I see."
Simon Laurent had participated in all the Miraculous movies with them as the infamous Cat Kwami, Plagg. He was five years older, but the moment Alice saw and talked to him, she was smitten. She had dated other guys along the way, but her crush for Simon Laurent never disappeared, not really.
"I-Well... Yes." She answered with a faint blush appearing on her cheeks, "But you know me. It's not like I'm going to declare my love for him... Plus, we haven't talked in years-"
"I hear he is single." Zhi simply said, making her best innocent smile.
"Don't!" Alice breathed, looking a tiny bit frustrated, "I'm not going to make a move on him. I barely have time to visit my best friend, let alone date! No! We were talking about you! About your dating life!"
Zhi Ruo burst into laughter.
Alice was a great actress. She was a very kind and shy person despite having played the role of Chloe Bourgeois. Sometimes Zhi felt frustrated with her friend, though, because she was so unsure of herself. If she learned something from Chloe, is that things don't happen if you don't try. Chloe normally took that motto over borders, but she knew what she wanted and did what she needed to get it. The opposite of Alice, really.
Zhi's personality was very Ladybug-like, and not so much Marinette. That part of her had died with a broken heart a long time ago.
"I think you should consider dating civilians." Said Alice very suddenly, with a thoughtful face.
"You think?" Replied Zhi, not convinced, "but won't they date me just because I'm... you know... me?"
"Well, yes... I mean, most of them, yes. Definitely."
"But I don't want someone to date me just because I'm rich and famous!" Zhi let out a bit outraged with the thought.
"Z, even the celebrity guys you date, date you because you're you." Said Alice with a bitter smile, "At least civilians won't be as full of themselves as the celebrities?" She asked unsure, "Well, I don't know! I'm just saying because you've kinda tried everything already!"
Zhi twitched her nose at the idea. Alice did have a point. She wasn't in desperate need of a boyfriend, and most of her relationships didn't work out because of her independence, but she did feel lonely most of the time. Her real friends could be counted on the fingers of her hands and as for her parents, they'd moved to live in Algarve, Portugal, searching for a quieter life. They'd wanted her to move with them, but she could never abandon her city, her Paris...
"How the hell would I do that, then?" She asked, in a very complacent tone, "Date a 'civilian'?" Alice shrugged and placed a hand over her chin, thinking, "I can't just step outside, pick the first guy I find and go 'Hi mister, don't you wanna go on a date with me?'"
Alice snorted, "If you do, please let me watch!"
"Ha ha." laughed Zhi, not impressed, "Not funny."
"Oh but it is." Alice laughed, imagining how that would go. She decided to stop teasing when she noticed her best friend wasn't enjoying being mocked any longer. Zhi Ruo had her heart broken a long time ago, and that had been the last time Alice had seen her friend give it to someone. Even though she didn't show it, Zhi was still suffering from her heartbreak. It wasn't the kind of wound that went away with time... Alice was scared that it was going to stay with her friend forever, and that was why she was so insistent on getting Zhi dating. A big new love could cure a broken heart, right? She cleared her throat. "How about a dating app?" Zhi's eyebrows frowned, "Don't look at me like that!" Alice laughed, "My friend Sophie met her boyfriend through a dating app and they are very happy together. Maybe you should give it a try..." Zhi looked like she was thinking about it, but Alice knew she needed a little push, so she put on her best 'excited' smile and said: "Please? It will be so much fun! I will help you make your profile and we can choose the candidates together!" Alice grabbed Zhi's phone from the table and quickly searched for a dating app, "Sophie used this one," She said, turning the screen of the phone towards Zhi, where she saw the name of the app Red Thread and that it was already downloading.
"No time to waste, huh?" Zhi let out a giggle. The app really had a great name to it, if they asked Zhi. The Red Thread of Fate is an East Asian belief that the Gods tie an invisible red cord around the ankles of those that are meant to be together. The red thread may stretch or tangle, but it is known for never breaking. And, according to the myth, two people that are connected by it are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. Soulmates.
The idea of not having a say on her own destiny was something that always made Zhi Ruo frown. She chose to believe that she could choose her own path alongside with the people that were good for her. So, although the name of the app was well chosen, the concept amused her.
"Of course not! Down with the jerks, Up with the Prince-Charmings!"
Zhi snorted, "Yeah, sure, 'cuz the Prince Charmings live amongst the 'civilians'."
"Why not? You never know for sure! Not until you try."
Zhi Ruo shrugged and smiled, knowing she didn't have a say on the matter now.
"My god! How old is this thing?" Alice asked impatiently, referring to Zhi's phone, that was taking way longer than it should to download such a light app.
Zhi chuckled agreeing, "It's old."
They waited a few more minutes until...
"Okay, okay! Download completed!" Alice squealed with excitement, closing the distance between them until their shoulders touched so that Zhi could have access to what was happening on her own screen, "Hum, email..." She mumbled while she quickly typed Zhi's email, "Phone number— Wow, phone number? It requires a phone number!" She looked at Zhi, unsure, "Should you use your personal phone number?"
"I'm not going to use my work number for sure." Zhi laughed, "Put my personal phone number, if I have to change it later, well, whatever."
Alice squealed again and typed furiously, making Zhi laugh, "Username?" She asked looking up to Zhi.
"Ah... Shouldn't I just put my name-name!?" She asked confused. What kind of a dating app was this?
"I think this it's for login purposes only. We have to fill your profile later, so... Username?" Asked Alice growing impatient.
"Uhm... I guess Zhi Ruo Léi, or Ladybug, or Marinette Dupain-cheng are taken..." Alice typed on the phone for two minutes, confirming Zhi's suspicions, "So... Try Buggzhinette?"
Alice giggled, "That's a good one!"
Chat Noir would have been proud. Both thought, but neither of them said it out loud.
"Password.." Alice typed something on the screen.
"Hey!? Shouldn't I be the one to decide my own password?" Asked Zhi, slightly offended and equally amused.
"Yes..? Okay. Sure." Said Alice shrugging, but without deleting what she had written in the phone, "Password?"
"LeiZhiRuo18"
Alice smug smile spread through her face as she pressed 'enter', "Obviously."
Zhi's face became red, and she refrained herself from saying a word. Obviously, Alice knew all her passwords and knew her well enough to know which one she was going to pick for a dating app.
"Okay!" Cheered Alice, putting her hands up in the air, "We are in!" She hugged Zhi momentarily before returning to her job as cupid, "Name— Léi Zhi Ruo... Should I write it in Chinese characters too?— Whatever, you can add it later." She said quickly, making Zhi throw her head back and laugh. Alice had tried to learn Chinese from Zhi, but it always ended in disaster. "Age— 25..." She continued, pretending to ignore the reason Zhi was laughing. "Nationality— Chinese/French... Living in... Paris. Profession— Actress. Relationship status— Single, obviously!"
Alice went on like this for three hours. By the time she finished answering all of the 'What do you do on a day off?'-like questions, it was nightfall. Even though it was fun to build a profile on a dating app, Zhi was now trying not to pull her hair out. Alice was clearly sick of it too, but she was determined to go through with it.
"Now for the important part!" She said, as she drummed rolled with her left hand on her left thigh, "We have to put a picture of you!"
"Just pick one out from facebook and get on with it." Sighed Zhi, picking up the dishes and cups from the table in order to get them inside, "It's getting cold and late. We still have to make dinner."
Alice followed her inside with her face still glued to Zhi's phone, "Can't we order some food? Or go buy take out?"
"You are a bad influence for me, you know that, don't you?" Zhi sighed looking at the time, "Perhaps that's not such a bad idea."
"Yay!" Alice cheered, making Zhi laugh, "Pizza?"
Zhi narrowed her eyes and then her smile grew, "Pizza." She confirmed, gesturing for Alice to return her phone.
"Ah... I've finished your profile, but maybe you wanna call from my phone." Alice smiled like a child that had just made a beautiful work of art on her bedroom walls with a permanent pen, "Yours is dead."
After calling the pizzaria, Zhi put her dead phone on the charger, and both girls totally forgot about the dating app for the next few hours.
While eating the pizza, the girls decided to watch Mulan, the original. When the movie ended they were laughing on the floor with Zhi's impressions of Mushu and Grandmother Fa to the sound of 'True to your heart' by Stevie Wonder and 98 Degrees.
When the laughter finally died, Alice's eyes widened and she jumped as if she had just been struck by lightning, "I can't go to the premiere, but... What if we go to the movie release in a normal movie theatre?" Zhi's eyes grew big too, almost matching Alice's, "You know, for old times sake?"
"Oh my god, Al!" Said Zhi, almost speechless, "Yes! That's such a great idea! We will go to the movies in London, though. Because you need to be close to your family around the time the movie comes out."
"Alright," Agreed Alice, feeling her chest warm with how much Zhi cared, "But if you have a boyfriend by then, you must promise to bring him! I want to meet him!" She laughed.
"I'm not very confident in this dating app-thingy, you know that, right?" Started Zhi with a sheepish smile, "But if I do find someone worthy of meeting my best friend in the world, I will bring him."
"Awww!" Sighed Alice with dreamy eyes. But Zhi Ruo could see way past that.
"You're dying to see if I have dating requests, aren't you?" She chuckled in disbelief.
"OH MY GOD, YES!" Yelled Alice as she got up and ran to the kitchen to pick up Zhi's phone, making her laugh.
She came back racing from the kitchen with Zhi's phone in her hand. She turned it on as she sat on the couch next to the phone's owner.
The screen lit up and asked for a pin code, which she quickly typed — Obviously — and they waited. After a minute, nothing happened.
No notifications at all.
Alice sighed disappointed, placing the phone on the coffee table, "I was sure you'd be rocking with notifications, right now..." She groaned, frustrated, "I mean..." She pointed at Zhi Ruo with both hands, "You're YOU."
"Thanks, Al." Zhi giggled, "But it's okay, really... I wasn't very convinced with it anyway—"
Ping.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.
Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.
Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.
Ping.
Zhi and Alice had moved away from the smartphone on the coffee table as if it were a possessed object.
Ping.
"Wow." Zhi breathed out. She normally disabled the notifications for unimportant apps such as Facebook or Instagram. Otherwise, the phone wouldn't stop ringing, and she would dismiss important text messages and calls thinking the notification had come from a social app... Alice hadn't done that to Red Thread, though.
Alice jumped to the phone, squealing with delight, "Oh my gosh! Z, so MANY have already sent a date request!"
"I could tell, by the 'Pings'." She answered, a bit apprehensive.
"Don't worry!" Alice said, embracing her shoulders with her free arm and squeezing, "I will help you choose who to reply to!"
When Alice finally came up with five 'perfect matches' for Zhi, Zhi was in her seventh sleep. Alice smiled warmly and covered her best friend with a blanket and closed the electric blinds from the living room. It was very late and Zhi had always been a baby when it came to late night gatherings.
As promised, here is the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it and hope you stick around for more! I'll try to post a new one soon. If not tomorrow, tuesday!
Bug Out!
AuriMoon*