A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 41

Strictly speaking, the Qu family’s legacy in C City was far deeper than that of the Ming family. The Mings only settled in C City during Ming Lang’s great-grandfather’s generation. But the Qus were different; they had a thick, heavy genealogy and had always been a prominent clan in C City. During a certain unspeakable period in modern history, the Qu family tree was nearly destroyed, saved only by the family head who protected it at the risk of his life. Later, due to their social background, the Qu family had to keep a low profile, but as the saying goes, “a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.” With their strong foundation, the family quickly rose to prominence again under the leadership of Elder Qu.

Unfortunately, Elder Qu’s two sons were incompetent. For twenty years, they engaged in open and secret struggles for inheritance. Coupled with the Ming family’s rise from behind, the Qu family’s current prestige outweighed its actual substance. At over eighty years old, Elder Qu still had to guard the family business, fearing his two useless sons would squander it.

The only person who brought comfort to Elder Qu was his eldest son’s only child, Qu Hefeng. The boy had been clever since childhood, possessed a sharp business mind, and took the family industry to heart. As the eldest grandson of the first branch, Elder Qu pampered him to no end. He taught him the ropes of the business personally and, fearing the second branch might harbor ill intentions toward him, sent him to the UK before he reached adulthood. Only recently, with things quieting down at home, did he dare bring him back.

Elder Qu and Ming Lang’s father, Ming Guangwen, were close friends despite the age gap. Elder Qu liked Ming Lang’s calm and steady nature at such a young age and even thought about arranging a betrothal between Qu Hefeng and Ming Lang. However, as soon as he had the thought, his precious grandson came running to him clutching his head and with wet pants to complain that Ming Lang had beaten him up. The Elder felt heartache for a week and was so intimidated by the dominant personality of the Ming’s eldest daughter that he never dared mention it again.

However, Qu Hefeng and Ming Yan got along quite well later on—to the point where Ming Yan frequently teased him about the incidents from their childhood, which left Qu Hefeng feeling quite depressed.

“Hey, didn’t your grandpa throw you abroad? What, he finally was willing to send you back?” After three rounds of drinks, Ming Yan forgot all the unpleasant things she had encountered recently. She held a wine bottle and asked Qu Hefeng, her eyes hazy with intoxication.

“My dad and my second uncle finally called a truce. After fighting for so many years, I really don’t know what they were struggling for.” Qu Hefeng gave a boozy hiccup and smiled. “Hey, I heard your sister got married recently? And to a woman, haha.”

“What’s wrong with a woman? Is it any of your business?” Ming Yan shot him a sidelong glance and curled her lip. “But she’s divorced now.”

“Divorced?” Qu Hefeng jolted, his sobriety returning slightly. “Didn’t I hear your sister liked her quite a bit?”

“Your news is quite well-informed, huh?” Ming Yan smirked disdainfully. “My sister looked down on her at first, then I don’t know what possessed her, but after the wedding she fell head over heels. Instead, the other person started acting all high and mighty and didn’t care for my sister. After a while of fussing, I guess my sister couldn’t stand her anymore, so they divorced.”

“Di… Divorced? Good!” Qu Hefeng clinked glasses with Ming Yan, speaking with a thick tongue. “That kind of woman is just a troublemaker. Better to dump her early for peace of mind.”

“But my sister likes her.” Ming Yan clinked back and asked curiously, “Why are you asking about my sister anyway?”

Qu Hefeng drained his glass in one gulp and grinned. “What could I be doing? Just making conversation to keep you from being so depressed alone.”

“I thank you. This conversation has only made me more depressed.”

“Don’t worry. Watch me do your sister a huge favor! Ming Lang will definitely have to thank me later.”

Ming Yan and Qu Hefeng drank until the middle of the night before she returned home drunk. As soon as she got back, the butler escorted her to Ming Lang’s study. Ming Yan had drunk too much; her head was spinning, the floor seemed to be rotating, and she couldn’t stand steadily. Ming Lang, sitting behind the desk, glanced at her and frowned. “Drink less next time.”

“I’m fine, I’m just happy!” Ming Yan smiled with alcoholic breath. “Sister, you were looking for me?”

“I’ve invited Elder Liu back, and Xu Luyang will assist him. Lessons start for you tomorrow. I’m flying to Europe tomorrow and will be back in a week to check on your progress.”

Ming Yan’s sobriety returned instantly. In a panic, she slammed her hand on Ming Lang’s desk. “What? I don’t want to!” Elder Liu was Ming Lang’s former teacher, a complete old fossil. Taking lessons from him would bore Ming Yan to death.

“Wait, sister, why?” Ming Yan couldn’t understand. She wasn’t going to inherit the family business; there was no need for her to work as hard as Ming Lang to learn so much. Besides, she was an adult now; being kept at home by a tutor would make her the laughingstock of her friends!

“In the past, I indulged you too much. A-Yan, the Ming family will have to be handed to you eventually.” Ming Lang only gave her this vague explanation before leaving, leaving Ming Yan alone to wallow in despair.

Ji Chenli had been eating well and sleeping soundly these days. Her body was recovering smoothly, and everything seemed to be going her way—except for the hukou registration of Da Wei and the other children.

It wasn’t until Ji Chenli went to handle it personally that she realized the task was far harder than Tao Yuan imagined. The tedious and long queues were enough to drive one mad. When it was finally her turn, she was met with a dismissive “this isn’t our jurisdiction,” forcing her to run to another location. At the end of the day, she had achieved nothing and was exhausted. After several fruitless attempts, Ji Chenli thought about seeking media exposure. However, before she could find a reporter, another disaster struck the orphanage: the West City area was slated for demolition.

The land in West City had actually been sold long ago. The original owners had taken their relocation fees and moved to new homes, but nothing had happened for a long time. So, they rented the houses cheaply to migrant workers to make some extra cash. In Ji Chenli’s memory, this place wasn’t supposed to be demolished until much later. But since the timeline of this life had been disrupted, she was used to it. Only…

“Sister, what will happen to the children if the orphanage is demolished? Do you have a place to stay?”

Tao Yuan shook her head gloomily, at a loss for what to do. “This courtyard is public property. I’ve been to the Civil Affairs Bureau several times, but they say my orphanage is illegal. Back then, I thought since the place wasn’t being demolished yet, I could slowly find a suitable house. I didn’t expect the demolition to come so fast.”

“Wasn’t it legal when the old director was here? How did it become like this?”

“I don’t know. They said my certificate expired years ago and a renewal requires an inspection. I thought it wouldn’t matter, so I didn’t do it…”

Ji Chenli knew Tao Yuan was usually carefree, but she hadn’t realized she was this negligent. With the demolition scheduled for next week, a courtyard full of children had nowhere to go. They couldn’t exactly sleep on the street.

The hukou issue wasn’t solved, and now even their home was at stake. Ji Chenli was anxious beyond belief. She ran back and forth every day—petitioning, seeking media, looking for connections. She went everywhere, but absolutely no one dared to help. Ji Chenli developed several blisters on her mouth from stress. Finally, a reporter friend of hers couldn’t bear to watch and gave her a quiet hint: “Chenli, it’s no use looking for us for this. If I publish a report for you today, I’ll be fired by the editor-in-chief tomorrow. It’s not easy for everyone to earn a living…”

Seeing the reporter’s hesitant and stuttering manner, Ji Chenli’s heart sank. she asked him, “What do you mean?”

“I’ve said this much, how can you still not understand?” The reporter glanced around and leaned in to whisper. “Chenli, you are currently the Mistress of the Ming family. Is there anything your bedfellow can’t settle?”

Hearing this, Ji Chenli’s temper flared instantly. She asked with a furrowed brow, “Are you saying the demolition is a plot by the Ming family?”

“I don’t know about plots, since their procedures are legal. But my editor said the order came from above: no reporting on anything related to the orphanage. Tell me, besides the Ming family, who else has the power and the motive to target you like this?”

Ji Chenli’s face was dark. She gritted her teeth in silence while the reporter continued to advise her. “Chenli, when you married the Ming’s eldest daughter, she already took so much pressure for you. I know this better than anyone as a reporter. Back then, the mainstream media went crazy—insulting you and the Mings—but President Ming suppressed it all. She’s treated you well since the wedding, hasn’t she? She’s a wealthy socialite; it’s normal for her to have a bit of a temper. You married up; if there are things you can endure, just endure them…”

Without a word, Ji Chenli stood up and walked away, the air around her practically burning with anger. The reporter watched her back and gave a contemptuous smile.

No wonder that land in West City hadn’t moved for years and was now suddenly being developed. Ji Chenli had thought Ming Lang was actually merciful enough to let her live her own life, but it turned out she was waiting for her here.

No wonder she agreed to the divorce so readily. No wonder she let her have a quiet life for so long. No wonder she hadn’t shown her face! She was waiting for Ji Chenli to come and beg her!

The person who had so decisively declared they would never speak again was now crawling back to beg—what a sense of achievement that must be. Ji Chenli thought through gritted teeth: Ginger is indeed spicier when aged. Ming Lang truly lived up to having lived twenty years longer; her methods were brilliant and airtight. she didn’t even have to lift a finger; simply by giving a hint, people would scramble to trample an ant like Ji Chenli for her!

Ji Chenli felt truly hopeless. she realized that despite living two lives, she was still so naive. When a person like Ming Lang didn’t want you to leave, she had a million ways to torment you. Look at this—she hadn’t even shown her face yet, and she had already backed Ji Chenli into a corner.

Ji Chenli remembered something Ming Lang had told her once: To threaten someone, you must hold their weakness in your hand for it to be useful. Ming Lang certainly knew her; she had squeezed her weakness perfectly.