A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 52

Perhaps it was because they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, or perhaps the foreign atmosphere was so strong that it diluted much of the tension between Ji Chenli and Ming Lang back in C City. Ji Chenli was only stunned for a moment upon seeing Ming Lang, and she even had the heart to tease her. “I thought a big CEO like you would only stay in five-star luxury hotels when traveling. What, did the Ming family go bankrupt and you’re here as a refugee?” Otherwise, why would she appear in front of the same hotel as Ji Chenli?

Ji Chenli looked left and right but didn’t find the usual massive group of assistants and bodyguards that closely followed Ming Lang’s every move. Ming Lang was alone, even buying her own coffee—and it was instant coffee. Ji Chenli was a bit shocked. “No way, did the Ming family really go bankrupt?” Otherwise, why live in a place like this and drink such cheap cup-based beverages?

“Yes.” The atmosphere was so relaxed that the sternness on Ming Lang’s face faded significantly. She pursed her lips into a slight smile and walked closer to Ji Chenli. “I currently have only twenty thousand euros on me.”

But Ji Chenli caught a glimpse of the limited-edition Patek Philippe on Ming Lang’s wrist, curled her lip, and muttered, “Who are you kidding?”

“I’m not kidding,” Ming Lang said. “I snuck out.”

“Then you said you were here for business?”

“My master settled in Berlin, so I came to visit. It counts as business, barely.” After speaking, Ming Lang looked around. “I don’t know if Xu Luyang has tracked me to Berlin yet. Let’s go inside to talk.” Looking at her vigilance, it truly seemed as if she had snuck out.

Ji Chenli hadn’t slept all night and her eyes were sore. She wanted to go back for a nap and turned into the hotel. The moment she turned her back, the slight smile on Ming Lang’s face vanished. She stared gloomily in the direction Lea had departed and gave a nod to a pedestrian reading a newspaper across the street. The pedestrian immediately followed Lea, and only then did Ming Lang stride to catch up with Ji Chenli.

At the door of the hotel room, Ji Chenli discovered that Ming Lang was actually staying in the room right next to hers. She looked at Ming Lang swiping her key card with a complicated expression, thinking to herself: Could there really be such a coincidence in the world? Could Ming Lang really have followed me all the way from Paris to Berlin? The thought sent a chill down her spine.

“Come in for a bit?” Ming Lang invited tentatively, seeing Ji Chenli staring at her room for a long time.

Her expression was so open and honest, not at all like someone guilty of a bad deed. Ji Chenli also felt her own suspicions were a bit far-fetched. In her previous life, she had always been the one chasing Ming Lang’s pace; aside from Ming Lang, she had no other thoughts. She knew the Ming family was powerful, but that was an abstract concept. She only understood a fraction of it and couldn’t believe Ming Lang’s reach could extend so far abroad.

Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Ji Chenli thought, refusing the offer. “No, I haven’t slept all night. I’m going back to catch up on sleep.” She yawned, swiped into her own room, and waved at Ming Lang. “Bye.”

Ming Lang said nothing, watching her enter and close the door. After a few minutes, she closed her own door as well.

Ji Chenli slept soundly until someone was banging on the door in her dream, waking her up. She rolled over on the soft bed, clutching the quilt, and shouted groggily, “Who is it?”

“Me.” Ming Lang’s muffled voice came from outside. “Chenli, open the door.”

Ji Chenli wasn’t fully awake yet. She rubbed her eyes and twisted around on the bed, shouting again, “Is something wrong?”

“Yes,” Ming Lang said.

Ji Chenli waited for Ming Lang to say what it was, but she heard nothing more for a long time.

She probably left, Ji Chenli thought, intending to go back to sleep. Unexpectedly, the annoying knocking rang out again.

“Who is it?” Ji Chenli asked.

“Me,” Ming Lang answered.

“Do you have business?” Ji Chenli asked impatiently.

“Yes.”

Then there was silence outside the door for a long time again.

Ji Chenli sat up, scratched her hair, and waited. Sure enough, the door was knocked upon once more.

“…” Without even putting on slippers, Ji Chenli charged out of bed and opened the door with an unfriendly tone. “What exactly is it?”

“Lunch.” Ming Lang was holding a tray, offering Ji Chenli a faint smile. “It’s noon; you should at least eat something. Your stomach isn’t good.” She looked down and saw Ji Chenli’s bare feet, furrowing her brow. “Go back in and put on shoes.”

“That was my last life.” Ji Chenli raked her hair and lazily walked back into the room to put on slippers. “In this life, my stomach is perfectly fine; I can eat anything.”

Ji Chenli would never allow the tragedies of her previous life to repeat, so she carefully looked after herself and her family.

“That’s good,” Ming Lang said, placing the tray on the dining table.

Ji Chenli squeezed out toothpaste in the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe to brush her teeth, nodding toward the tray. “What’s for lunch?” She could guess even without being told—it would be the same few things: sausages, steak, and bread, maybe with a glass of some random wine. She had been eating this for a month, and the more she ate, the more she felt that the “five thousand years of China” were truly superior in one thing: food. Foreigners couldn’t even catch up on horseback. After all, Confucius said: “He did not object to his rice being finely cleaned, nor to his meat being finely minced.” When it comes to eating, if Chinese people claim second place, no one dares claim first.

Ming Lang opened the stainless steel dome cover. Ji Chenli looked at the plates, her eyes nearly popping out of her head: sweet and sour ribs, fish-flavored shredded pork, lettuce in soy sauce, and even a bowl of chicken soup! The moment the lid was lifted, the familiar aroma flooded the room. Ji Chenli’s mouth watered instantly. She rushed into the bathroom to rinse her mouth, completely forgetting any handsome foreigners. Her homesickness overflowed; she wanted to fly back to China immediately.

“Where did you get these dishes?” Ji Chenli wiped her face and came out, impatiently scooping a bowl of rice and picking up a rib. The rich savory flavor mixed with the unique sweet and sour taste filled her mouth. The ribs were tender yet chewy. She hurriedly shoveled a large mouthful of rice, her mouth so full she couldn’t speak clearly. After swallowing, she said only one word: “Fragrant!”

Ji Chenli had thought she wasn’t picky about food as long as she didn’t starve. Only now did she realize it wasn’t a lack of pickiness—it was simply that every dish back home was delicious, so she just didn’t need to be picky.

She ate with abandon. Halfway through the bowl, she remembered someone else was in the room—someone she was deeply entangled with. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she wiped her mouth and asked, “Aren’t you eating?”

“I already ate,” Ming Lang said.

“Oh.” Ji Chenli responded, her chopsticks not stopping, though her manners became much more refined now that she had some food in her stomach. “Where did you find this restaurant? The flavor is so authentic. I haven’t had Chinese food this good the whole time I’ve been in Europe.”

“My master’s chef. He followed him from China years ago,” Ming Lang said, using a clean pair of chopsticks to place some food in Ji Chenli’s bowl, quietly hiding the bit of grease on her own unwashed hands.

Ji Chenli’s chopsticks paused for a microsecond as she debated whether she should eat what Ming Lang served. A second later, she let it go. She had already eaten the food the woman brought; there was no need to be hypocritical now. She decisively swallowed it.

She and Ming Lang hadn’t been in contact since finalizing the divorce. Counting from that day, it had been over three months since they last met. Ji Chenli had let go of the past; she thought that intentionally giving Ming Lang the cold shoulder would only prove she was still obsessed. Since they had run into each other, they were just acquaintances. It isn’t easy to find an acquaintance in a foreign land. Since the person didn’t provoke her and even treated her to a meal, she couldn’t exactly give her a cold face, right?

Besides, chance encounters abroad don’t count for anything. Once they return home, they belong to two different worlds and are unlikely to meet again.

Thinking this way, her attitude toward Ming Lang improved.

“How long are you staying in Berlin?” Ji Chenli asked while eating.

“Leaving tomorrow.”

“What a coincidence!” Ji Chenli blurted out, regretting it immediately. Didn’t that basically mean she was also leaving tomorrow? I’m so stupid.

Ji Chenli tried to backtrack with a forced laugh. “But I might fly back from France; we probably won’t be on the same route.”

To her surprise, Ming Lang said, “I’m also going through France.”

“Aren’t you in Germany to see your master? What are you going to France for?”

“A business trip to France; I just stopped by to see him on the way.”

“Oh.” Since it had come to this, Ji Chenli had nothing left to say. She could only say, “Well, then we might as well travel together.”

Ming Lang kept her usual cold face, making it impossible to tell if she was happy or not. She gave a simple “Mhm.”

“Let me take you around,” Ming Lang suggested after Ji Chenli was full.

“No need, I’ve been here for days and have seen all of Berlin.”

“Is that so?” Ming Lang said noncommittally.

Since she had nothing to do in the afternoon anyway, Ji Chenli’s curiosity was piqued by Ming Lang’s suggestion. She changed her clothes and went out with her.

Ji Chenli thought Ming Lang was going to take her somewhere grand, but Ming Lang led her through various turns on the Berlin streets, finally ending up at an obscure little street. There was a tiny storefront with a long line. Going closer, she saw they were selling fried ice cream.

“My master brought me here once, a long time ago,” Ming Lang said.

Ji Chenli never knew Ming Lang was such a foodie, traveling so far for fried ice cream. More importantly, Ming Lang’s “long time ago,” considering her age, was probably forty or fifty years ago. It was impressive she still remembered it after half a century.

Ming Lang ordered two servings with practiced ease. When it came time to pay, she looked steadily at Ji Chenli. “I have no money.”

“Didn’t you say you had twenty thousand euros?”

“Spent it all,” Ming Lang said righteously.

So Ji Chenli took twenty-four euros from her wallet to pay. That was her hard-earned money; she could practically hear her heart bleeding as she handed it over.

However, the fried ice cream was indeed delicious. Ji Chenli had never had it before. Standing by the roadside with Ming Lang, she ate with great relish. They had ordered different flavors. Ji Chenli looked greedily at Ming Lang’s portion. Seeing Ji Chenli biting her spoon while staring at her bowl, Ming Lang generously handed over her paper cup.

Ji Chenli chuckled twice and unceremoniously scooped away a large portion from Ming Lang’s bowl. She nodded as she ate. “It really is good. Worth the trip.”

Perhaps food can soften any relationship in the world. Ji Chenli followed Ming Lang to search for obscure snacks in every corner of Berlin. Although it pained her to pay the bill every time, the two of them walked side-by-side with their snacks, chatting and laughing. To an outsider, they looked no different from any pair of close friends.