A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 45

The issue with the orphanage had always been a thorn in Ji Chenli’s side. If anyone other than Ming Lang had helped resolve it, Ji Chenli would have been eternally grateful, remembering their kindness for a lifetime. But since it was Ming Lang… the way Ming Lang handled it was irreproachable, yet Ji Chenli couldn’t help but think that she now owed her an enormous favor. From now on, she feared she wouldn’t have the same confidence to cut ties as cleanly as before.

Ji Chenli thought that if she had any spine or capability, she would refuse Ming Lang’s help and throw her favors back in her face. But she couldn’t.

Setting aside the house and donations for a moment, the fact that Ming Lang could solve Da Wei’s schooling problem with just a few words—and fix all the missing legal permits for the orphanage while she was at it—was something Ji Chenli simply couldn’t refuse. Something she and Tao Yuan had run themselves ragged trying to do, Ming Lang had settled without even showing her face. Ji Chenli could choose not to accept, but if she didn’t, she had no idea how much longer Tao Yuan would have to live in fear. Thinking of the white hairs she’d seen at Tao Yuan’s temples the other day, Ji Chenli could only sigh and compromise. Sometimes, life forces one to bend.

Tao Yuan, of course, didn’t believe that those government bureaus had suddenly developed a conscience and decided to help a commoner like her. There had to be a push from behind. Seeing how enthusiastic those people were—especially since they had specifically mentioned Ji Chenli—Tao Yuan felt something was fishy. The first person she thought of was Ming Lang.

Knowing Ji Chenli had struggled to jump out of the fire pit that was Ming Lang, Tao Yuan couldn’t accept the idea of pushing her sister back in by accepting this help. After much deliberation, she finally asked Ji Chenli about it indirectly.

Ji Chenli had anticipated that Tao Yuan would ask. Knowing Tao Yuan’s temper, if she knew the truth, she would definitely refuse to accept it. Since the priority was solving the orphanage’s problems, everything else could be discussed later. Thus, Ji Chenli made up an excuse to gloss it over, telling Tao Yuan not to overthink it.

“Really?” Tao Yuan was skeptical.

“Sister, I could lie to anyone but you, right?” Ji Chenli grinned. “Didn’t I tell you I found a reporter to expose the story? It caused quite a stir online. Those officials were probably terrified for their jobs, so they got proactive. Didn’t the news mention a few days ago? The state is cracking down on local cadres for inaction; they don’t want to ruin their careers.”

Tao Yuan had heard something about that. Still uneasy, she asked, “That person surnamed Ming hasn’t come to harass you again, has she?”

“No. I told you we’re divorced. Don’t worry about it, Sister.”

“You’re mostly recovered now. Go to the Civil Affairs Bureau as soon as possible to finalize the divorce. My heart won’t be at ease until the paperwork is done.”

“You got it,” Ji Chenli agreed readily, but her heart grew heavy. Ming Lang had just done her a massive favor; bringing up the final divorce procedures right now felt suddenly difficult to voice.

The registration and paperwork were processed quickly; everything was settled in less than a week. When Tao Yuan received the legal certificates, she was grinning from ear to ear, repeatedly shaking the hand of the person who delivered them. Once they left, Tao Yuan clutched the booklets and papers with their red official seals, touching them and laughing, muttering, “This is great. No more worrying from now on.” Ji Chenli was happy for her, yet worried about how to handle the situation.

However, once the matter was resolved, it was resolved. Ji Chenli waited tensely for a summons from Ming Lang, but there was no news at all—as if nothing had happened. Ji Chenli was unwilling to seek her out, so she let things hang in this awkward limbo. Naturally, she felt too embarrassed to proactively bring up the final divorce papers.

Spring weather was erratic and rainy. Adults found it hard to endure, and children with lower immunity found it even harder. Over the past two days, several kids in the courtyard caught colds. One of the younger ones suddenly developed a high fever in the middle of the night, his forehead hot enough to boil an egg. Tao Yuan wanted to take him to the hospital immediately, but she couldn’t leave the other sick children unattended. Thus, Ji Chenli took the child to the hospital in the middle of the night, leaving Tao Yuan behind to care for the others.

In the dead of night, buses and subways had stopped running. West City was remote, and there were few taxis. The child in Ji Chenli’s arms was crying until his face was beet red. She stood by the roadside, pacing anxiously. Just as a traffic light turned green at the intersection ahead, the only black sedan on the road drove toward her. The car was pitch black, reflecting the dim yellow streetlights like a ghost in the night.

Ji Chenli looked around; there wasn’t another car within two hundred meters. She could wait, but the child couldn’t. In her desperation, she threw caution to the wind and ran into the middle of the road, using her body to block the black sedan.

The car sped toward her, looking as if it would hit her. Ji Chenli instinctively clutched the child, closed her eyes, and recoiled. But the car screeched to a halt, horn blaring, stopping a mere five centimeters away from her.

The driver’s door opened, and a woman stepped out. Her shoulder-length hair was tied back casually, with a few stray strands tucked behind her ear. She looked as if she had just come from a formal event, wearing a business suit, but the top two buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing a slender neck and delicate collarbones.

“Chenli?”

Still closing her eyes, Ji Chenli shuddered at the familiar voice. She opened them in disbelief, and upon seeing the woman’s face, a bitter smile pulled at her lips.

“Long time no see, Ming Lang.”

Truly, adversaries meet on a narrow path. To stop a random car in the middle of the night and have it be Ming Lang’s—what kind of ill-fated connection was this?

Ming Lang was clearly startled by Ji Chenli’s appearance. She wanted to step forward to ask what was wrong, but seemed wary of a negative reaction from Ji Chenli. She took one step and stopped sensibly, asking tentatively, “Do you need help?” Her eyes flickered toward the whimpering child in Ji Chenli’s arms.

Ji Chenli remembered the child then and set aside her grievances. She hurried to the car and pleaded, “Please help me, I need to go to the hospital. Any later and it’ll be too late!”

Seeing the child’s condition, Ming Lang understood instantly and opened the passenger door. “Get in.”

Ji Chenli hesitated for a second, glanced at the back seat, then bit her lip and sat in the front passenger seat.

“Seatbelt,” Ming Lang said.

Ji Chenli buckled up. The next second, the accelerator was floored. The car sped away like a bolt of lightning through the night, leaving only a cloud of dust on the empty road.

The car reached 200 km/h, blowing through countless red lights. Ji Chenli sat in the passenger seat, terrified. she wanted to say something, but seeing Ming Lang’s intense focus on the steering wheel, she feared distracting her would cause an accident and kept her mouth shut.

They reached the hospital in minutes. Ming Lang drove straight to the front of the building without anyone stopping her. Ji Chenli prepared to get out with the burning child, but Ming Lang took him from her arms.

“You…”

“You’re tired. I’ll carry him in; you follow behind.” Ming Lang gave a brief explanation and strode toward the emergency room. Her pace was urgent yet steady; she soon disappeared from Ji Chenli’s sight. Had the hospital not been so quiet at night, Ji Chenli might not have even heard her footsteps.

Ming Lang had already notified the hospital from the car, and Ji Chenli had explained the symptoms, so the doctors went to work immediately. It turned out to be acute pneumonia caused by shifting temperatures and low immunity. When Ji Chenli heard the doctor say the child was out of danger, the tension in her heart snapped. Exhaustion and aches flooded her body; her vision blurred and her legs went weak. Fortunately, Ming Lang was quick and caught her by the waist.

“Are you alright?” Ming Lang asked urgently.

“I’m fine.” Ji Chenli leaned against her forehead to steady herself. Her vision cleared, and she realized Ming Lang was holding her, with most of her weight leaning on the other woman. The posture was far too intimate. Ji Chenli instinctively pushed Ming Lang away and sat down on the public bench in the hallway.

Ming Lang didn’t sit. She turned to get a cup of water and handed it to Ji Chenli.

Ji Chenli looked at it, thought for a moment, and took it. “Thank you.”

Ming Lang gave a slight shake of her head and sat down silently beside her.

In the middle of the night, the empty hospital corridor was dark and silent at both ends, lit only by the cold overhead light above them. Being alone in such a place would be terrifying. Although Ji Chenli didn’t want to see Ming Lang, she had to admit that having company was better than being alone—even if that company was Ming Lang.

Ming Lang sat with her hands clasped over her knees, her posture perfectly straight.

She wanted to make conversation, but she wasn’t good at it. After a long while, she finally squeezed out a sentence: “You’ve gained weight.”

Ji Chenli: “…”

You’re the one who’s fat. Your whole family is fat.