A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 48

With the burden of past affairs lifted from her shoulders, Ji Chenli’s life suddenly lost the focal point she had struggled for. She spent her days in the courtyard either sleeping or minding the children, unless Tao Yuan occasionally remembered to summon her for chores. Otherwise, she would drag the old bamboo chair—which had temporarily become her exclusive throne—out to the courtyard to bask in the sun, with that tea mug older than herself sitting by her side. Within a few days, even the flesh on her body seemed to slacken from relaxation.

Tao Yuan couldn’t stand Ji Chenli’s aimless idling anymore. One day, while they were sorting vegetables in the yard, she said helplessly, “Do you plan to just lie around like this forever?”

Ji Chenli plucked the rotten leaves from a handful of water spinach, her eyelids not even lifting. “What else is there to do?”

“Chen-chen, I’m happy you divorced Ming Lang, too. but after being happy for so many days, it’s time to think about the future, isn’t it? Do you plan to live like a useless person for the rest of your life? Is this what you meant by living for yourself?”

Of course not, Ji Chenli countered silently. She had planned it beautifully in her mind: to take over a small storefront at a street corner near a school. It didn’t need to be big—two square meters would do—specifically to sell breakfast like jianbing guozi and soy milk. It would be a bit tiring, but the beauty of it was having no worries and doing as she pleased.

“So?” Tao Yuan asked.

Ji Chenli was confused. “So what?”

“Your grand plan—when do you intend to implement it? Do you know how to make pancakes? Have you found a storefront? Have you handled the permits? What about the equipment?” Tao Yuan’s mouth rattled off a string of questions. With every question, Ji Chenli’s head retracted further into her collar. By the time Tao Yuan finished and looked up, she almost burst out laughing at the cowardly sight of Ji Chenli’s head nearly disappearing into her neck.

Usually, she joked around with Ji Chenli so much that the girl treated her words like a breeze past her ears. Tao Yuan felt it was absolutely necessary to assert her authority as an elder. She furrowed her brows, pulled the corners of her mouth down, and said fiercely: “In short, you can’t waste away at home like this anymore. I don’t care what you do, you’re leaving the house next week so you stop eyesore-ing me.”

Tao Yuan didn’t truly care how successful Ji Chenli became or how grand a career she built. She only wanted Ji Chenli to have food, sleep, and safety for the rest of her life; how much money she made was secondary. She would have loved for Ji Chenli to stay by her side forever, just like when they were kids—a little tyrant when bullying others, but coming back teary-eyed to find her to beat up the bullies when she got picked on. But Ji Chenli staying in her current state was not a sustainable solution.

Ji Chenli didn’t have to be ambitious, but she couldn’t lose her drive for life. Divorcing Ming Lang was a hurdle she had crossed; after crossing it, her life was still long, and she needed something to look forward to. Tao Yuan kicked her out specifically so she would find that drive.

Well, she couldn’t even stay at home anymore. What kind of world is this? Even my own sister is kicking me out. Ji Chenli had nowhere to go. She had some money on hand. Thinking about how the mental energy of two lifetimes had been spent entirely on Ming Lang, she realized she had never seen the snowy mountains, the grasslands, the deserts, or the oases—the great sights of the world. Her heart stirred, and she suddenly wanted to travel. She told Tao Yuan this idea, and Tao Yuan naturally agreed with both hands. No matter what Ji Chenli did, as long as she had a goal, it was fine.

“Then where do you plan to go for your first stop?”

Ji Chenli’s eyes sparkled as she pointed ambitiously at the map on the wall. “Wild Africa!”

“…” Tao Yuan moved Ji Chenli’s finger a bit to the left. “This is Africa. You’re pointing at the Middle East.”

“Mhm, right there!”

Seeing Ji Chenli’s resolute look, Tao Yuan had nothing left to say. “Africa it is then. Better than lying at home. I heard there are lots of bugs there, so stay safe.”

Ji Chenli was a woman of action—one could tell from the way she resolutely set a trap for Ming Lang years ago. Mountains may change, but nature remains. This trait wouldn’t change in two lifetimes, let alone five. She moved immediately. Within a week, she had finished her travel guide and bought her gear. A while later, as soon as her visa was approved, she bought a ticket to Paris, intending to transfer to Cape Town. Tao Yuan had wanted to see her off, but by the time she realized it, Ji Chenli had already dragged her gear onto the plane.

“Mama Tao, Sister Chen-chen left this morning!” Beibei, with her pigtails, tugged at Tao Yuan’s skirt to report.

Tao Yuan looked at the empty room, put her hands on her hips, and let out a laugh. “That girl… she needs a good spanking when she gets back. I can’t leave her undisciplined anymore.”

Terrified, Beibei quickly covered her little bottom and ran to hide. Poor Sister Chen-chen, she’s going to get spanked by Mama Tao. Oof, it hurts just thinking about it.

“President Ming, she’s gone. The 7:15 AM flight this morning,” Xu Luyang reported to Ming Lang.

Ming Lang stood by the glass wall with her hands behind her back, looking at the sky. The weather was great today; it had rained a few days ago, so the dust hadn’t spread yet. The sky wasn’t covered by haze—it was a wash of watery blue, clean and bright. Just then, a plane flew across Ming Lang’s line of sight, leaving a white contrail in the azure, looking as if it were tearing a gap in the sky. Though she knew it was impossible, Ming Lang couldn’t help but think that perhaps Ji Chenli was on that plane.

That plane, carrying her Ji Chenli, had flown away just like that without even saying hello, leaving only a white trail that cut the sky in half. Ming Lang felt as if a piece of her heart had been torn away and flown off with the aircraft. There was a hollow void in her chest, accompanied by a raw, bloody ache.

“I see.” Ming Lang retracted her gaze and looked at Xu Luyang. “How is the situation with the Qu family?”

“Nominally, Elder Qu is still in charge, but in reality, all power has fallen into Qu Hefeng’s hands.”

“Keep a close eye on him,” Ming Lang said.

A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Furthermore, Qu Hefeng was different from the heirs of other families; he had been ambitious since childhood. Years ago, to compete with Ming Lang for the praise of their elders, he had used countless methods, both open and hidden. Later, after the Qu family’s internal strife, he was sent to the UK. Environments can change a person’s personality, but not their nature. Qu Hefeng’s return likely isn’t just to revive the Qu family; he’s probably calculating against the Mings and other families as well. He wants to change the very weather of C City.

Ming Lang looked up at the sky again. The wind blew and the clouds moved; it had been sunny just a moment ago, but now it was turning overcast.

“What about the Han family?” Ming Lang asked.

“Old Mrs. Han is practicing Buddhism and eating vegetarian; she doesn’t seem to care about worldly affairs. When Qu Hefeng went to visit last time, he couldn’t even get through the door. He left his gifts and departed. However…” Xu Luyang hesitated.

“Speak.”

“However, Old Mrs. Han returned a jade pendant to Qu Hefeng as a gift, saying it originally belonged to the Qu family and should return to its owner.”

Ming Lang nodded.

The history between Old Mrs. Han and the Qu family was an open secret among the families of C City. Before she married, Old Mrs. Han and Elder Qu were childhood sweethearts. It was said they were betrothed, and the betrothal gifts had been sent, but Old Mrs. Han had rejected them. It turned out she and the late Mr. Han had already pledged themselves to each other and “the rice was already cooked.” At that time, Mr. Han was a poor boy, and Old Mrs. Han’s family, the Lis, found them shameless and kicked her out. The Li family held considerable power then, and few dared to help the couple. It was pitiful; Old Mrs. Han was already pregnant. Ultimately, it was Ming Lang’s grandfather who took them in, creating the long-standing bond between the Ming and Han families.

It was said that when Elder Qu went to propose, he gave Old Mrs. Han a jade pendant—a family heirloom of the Qu family. It appeared the pendant she gave Qu Hefeng was that very one.

Xu Luyang knew a bit of the inside story and couldn’t help but sigh. “Elder Qu was quite romantic in his youth; it’s just a pity he was born in the wrong era.”

Ming Lang said nothing, only giving Xu Luyang a seemingly indifferent glance. Xu Luyang immediately retracted her playful look, lowered her head, and said solemnly, “My apologies, President Ming. I overstepped.”

“How has A-Yan been lately?” Ming Lang changed the subject, not lingering on the old scandals of the previous generation.

“The Second Miss is naturally intelligent, just… a bit playful.” Xu Luyang smiled bitterly. It was more than “playful”—she was more of a terror than any “bratty kid.” Every time Xu Luyang finished a lesson with that little ancestor, she felt like she had lost a layer of skin. She truly would rather fight a battle of words at a negotiation table than teach that girl again.

Ming Yan stared at the mouth of her foreign tutor, who was dressed in a tube skirt suit. The middle-aged woman in her fifties wore glasses, her gaze sharp and the corners of her mouth turned down, giving her a look of utter sternness. She rattled on in a “bird language” (foreign tongue) Ming Yan couldn’t understand. Ming Yan watched her sagging chest—which even clothes couldn’t hide—and propped up her head, feeling drowsy.

Suddenly, the teacher, who had been lecturing to herself, turned around and asked Ming Yan in Mandarin with a thick French accent, word by word: “Did you understand?”

Fearing the teacher would repeat everything if she said no, Ming Yan nodded hurriedly. “Understood, understood! Your lecture was excellent, Teacher!”

“Then, you repeat it.”

“Huh?” Ming Yan was dumbfounded.

Fortunately, the butler appeared at that moment, interrupting the interrogation-like session. “Second Miss, Miss Xinyuan is back, along with the young master of the Qu family.”

Ming Yan’s face lit up with joy. After a wary glance at the foreign teacher and receiving permission to end class early, she sprinted out of the classroom. She whizzed past the butler like a gust of wind, nearly knocking him over.

The butler, who had no children of his own, had watched the two Ming sisters grow up. Because Ming Yan had poor health as a child, he doted on her especially. Seeing her run off energetically, he wasn’t angry; he only shook his head with a smile, grateful that the once-weak Second Miss had finally grown up healthy.

“Xinyuan? Weren’t you supposed to be filming until June? Why are you back now?” As soon as Ming Yan entered the hall, she saw Han Xinyuan and Qu Hefeng chatting and laughing. She walked over quickly and slapped Han Xinyuan on the shoulder.

“I missed you, so I finished my scenes early,” Han Xinyuan said with a grin. She then pointed at Qu Hefeng. “Hey, look, the little brother who got beaten up by A-Lang until he wet his pants has grown up to look quite decent.”

Qu Hefeng sat to the side, looking exhausted. Can we stop mentioning that? A moment of dark history is a lifetime of dark history.