A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 57

Ji Chenli had said “okay,” but there didn’t seem to be any substantial change between her and Ming Lang. Ming Lang wasn’t exactly a natural at getting along with people, and Ji Chenli had long since lost the interest to interact with her. So, although Ji Chenli had given Ming Lang a chance, Ming Lang found herself at a loss for what to do next.

When they returned from Paris, Ming Lang wanted to drive Ji Chenli home, but Ji Chenli refused.

“If Sister Tao Yuan saw you, she’d break your legs for sure.” After saying this, Ji Chenli imagined the scene of Tao Yuan facing off against Ming Lang and laughed to herself. But the laughter was tinged with worry; she really didn’t know how to explain things to Tao Yuan this time.

“Then I’ll have A-Fei drive you.”

“No need, I’ll take the subway.” Ji Chenli waved at Ming Lang with her backpack on. “That’s all for now. See you later.”

She landed around noon and arrived home in the afternoon, already famished. Luckily, she had called Tao Yuan in advance, and Tao Yuan had prepared a feast waiting for her.

No matter how good it is outside, it can’t compare to home. The moment Ji Chenli stepped into the small courtyard where she grew up, she felt the profound truth of those words. Tao Yuan’s cooking smelled even better than in her memory; even the two meals prepared by top chefs that Ming Lang had treated her to abroad couldn’t compare.

“Slow down,” Tao Yuan said, watching Ji Chenli eat. Despite her mock disapproval, she didn’t forget to pour her a glass of water. “Did you not get enough to eat out there? You look like a starved ghost reincarnated.”

“Sister, you have no idea. Those foreigners eat bread, steak, and sausages all day; I felt like throwing up.” Ji Chenli took a sip of water. “By the way, did anything happen at home while I was gone?”

“What could happen? Everything is going smoothly,” Tao Yuan said. “Two weeks ago, someone invited me to see the progress on the new orphanage site. Hey, that place is much grander than our little courtyard! Though they don’t call it an orphanage; they say it’s a ‘Children’s Welfare Institute’.” Speaking of the orphanage, Tao Yuan was all smiles. She chatted for a long time before remembering something else. “Oh, right, that Han Xinyuan came by once, too.”

“Han Xinyuan?” Ji Chenli put a piece of braised pork in her mouth. “What was she doing here?”

“Said she was bringing you local specialties. Who knows what she was really up to.” Seeing Ji Chenli eating like a child with oil all over her mouth, Tao Yuan wiped it for her with a tissue. “She asked where you went. I said Africa, and then she left.”

What was there left to say between Ji Chenli and Han Xinyuan? It was nothing more than Ming Lang. Thinking of Ming Lang gave Ji Chenli a bit of a headache. She didn’t know if she should tell Tao Yuan about meeting Ming Lang in Europe; even if she did, she didn’t know where to start. After thinking it over, she decided to keep it a secret for now. As for how long she could hide it, she’d leave that to fate. Perhaps before she could even open her mouth, Ming Lang would announce the game was over?

She rested for a few days after her return and received notice that the movie, which had miraculously survived the earthquake, was resuming production. She had almost forgotten there was still such a film. Since the movie was back in production, Ji Chenli spent her remaining free time at home, devoted to memorizing the script.

Because of her warning, Ming Lang didn’t come to find her. However, every night at ten o’clock sharp, she would receive a text message. It was very simple, usually just asking if she had slept yet. Ji Chenli would always reply that she was about to sleep, and the exchange would end with Ming Lang’s “goodnight.” Ji Chenli looked at the message history with Ming Lang on her phone:

[Slept yet?]

[About to sleep.]

[Goodnight.]

The format was standard without the slightest deviation. She couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at it. Then, as ten o’clock passed, Ming Lang’s greeting arrived on time: [Slept yet?]

Ji Chenli fell back onto her quilt, laughing as she typed on her bed: [About to sleep.]

[Goodnight.]

Having received this text, Ji Chenli knew the daily routine was over. She set her phone aside, but ten minutes later, it vibrated again. She picked it up to see another message from Ming Lang: [Can I call you?]

It was less than ten characters including punctuation, sent after a ten-minute gap. Holding her phone, Ji Chenli could imagine Ming Lang on the other end, face full of hesitation as she stared at the “send” button.

Ji Chenli’s heart felt a light tug.

[Yes.]

Just as the “sent” notification appeared on her screen, Ming Lang’s number flashed on Ji Chenli’s phone. Ji Chenli answered, not noticing the smile spreading across her face. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” Ming Lang’s voice on the other end was low as usual, formal and cool, lightly brushing against Ji Chenli’s eardrums.

“If there’s nothing wrong, I’m hanging up,” Ji Chenli said playfully.

“Don’t hang up!” Ming Lang blurted out to stop her. Then her tone stalled, and she said hesitatingly, “I… I wanted to hear your voice.”

A slight flush rose to Ji Chenli’s face because of Ming Lang’s words. She thought: She’s acting impossibly innocent.

Ming Lang was no good at small talk; she could kill a conversation face-to-face, let alone over the phone. Their call remained connected; one didn’t speak, and the other didn’t either. Ji Chenli wore her headphones to memorize her lines, occasionally reading a difficult passage aloud without realizing it. Ming Lang didn’t disturb her, silently listening to those few leaked words and sentences, appearing perfectly satisfied.

When the clock passed eleven, Ji Chenli put away her script to get ready for bed. She assumed the other side had hung up long ago, but when she picked up her phone, it was still in a call.

“Ming Lang, are you still there?” Ji Chenli asked.

Ming Lang responded almost without delay. “I’m here.”

“I’m going to sleep.”

“Okay. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Ji Chenli waited for a moment, but Ming Lang didn’t seem to have the intention to hang up first, so she pressed the red button herself.

Actually, it was quite interesting.

Ji Chenli thought that if this was Ming Lang’s way of courting someone, she truly was a “stone”—even her pursuit was so frigid. But it was still quite interesting.

Interesting, but not real.

Ji Chenli’s gaze turned cold, and the smile on her face vanished instantly. This was just a play Ming Lang was performing. Ming Lang was the actor; this time, she was the spectator in the audience. The roles had reversed, but a play is just a play. When the curtain falls and the crowd disperses, it can never become real.

On the other end, Ming Lang watched the call disconnect. Holding her phone, the corner of her mouth curved up ever so slightly, a ripple of light appearing deep in her eyes—just as Ming Yan, who had just returned, walked in.

The moment Ming Yan entered, she saw that look of a young girl in love on her sister’s face. It was so bizarre it made her break out in goosebumps. She quietly signaled the butler, who was bringing her a late-night snack. “Uncle Ming, what’s wrong with my sister? What kind of shock did she get? Surely the Ming family isn’t going bankrupt?”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” the butler scolded with a smile, then whispered, “Eldest Miss has been in a good mood since returning from Europe. If you’ve done anything bad recently, tell her now while she’s happy. Don’t miss the opportunity; if she finds out later, she’ll punish you again.”

“Oh.” Ming Yan stuck out her tongue and took the tray from the butler. “Then I’ll just bring it to her myself. You’ve had a long day, Uncle Ming; go get some sleep. Hee hee.”

Ming Yan carried the tray and tiptoed up behind Ming Lang. She set the tray down carefully, making no sound. She intended to startle her sister, but just as she reached her, she heard Ming Lang say: “How is your coursework coming along?”

Ming Yan’s face, frozen in a distorted expression meant to scare her sister, immediately collapsed. “Sister, you’re such a killjoy.”

“Have you been hanging out with Qu Hefeng again?” Ming Lang asked, her tone certain.

Knowing she couldn’t hide anything from her sister, Ming Yan confessed everything—how she’d driven off several teachers, and how many times she’d been photographed causing trouble at nightclubs with Qu Hefeng. She waited anxiously for the family discipline, prepared to go kneel in the ancestral hall, but Ming Lang didn’t punish her.

“A-Yan, the Ming family will be handed to you eventually,” Ming Lang said. “You need to learn things.”

“I don’t want to!” Ming Yan got angry at the mention of this. “Sister, you’re only a year older than me; don’t act like you’re some old person. The Ming family is fine in your hands. I don’t want to manage it!”

Ming Lang didn’t seem to want to debate this with her. She only said, “Stay away from Qu Hefeng in the future.”

It was unclear if Ming Yan took it to heart. She huffed and left, leaving Ming Lang alone in the hall with two bowls of lotus seed soup on the coffee table.

Filming for the movie was already on the schedule. Ji Chenli had been living too comfortably lately, and the fat on her belly was now visible to the naked eye. This state was absolutely unacceptable for the screen. Thus, since returning from Paris, her life had become disciplined. She got up at 6:00 AM every morning to run, hit the gym at 9:00 AM for five or six hours of training, and then returned in the evening to memorize her script.

However, when she woke up today, she realized something was wrong. Wailing could be heard from the courtyard. Unsure of what was happening, Ji Chenli hurried downstairs. She saw Beibei, with her two pigtails, standing in the yard crying with her schoolbag on. No matter who tried to comfort her, it was useless. Ji Chenli strode over, squatted down, and wiped Beibei’s face with tissues. “Beibei, don’t cry. Tell Sister what’s wrong, okay?”

Beibei was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. She handed Ji Chenli a notice. Ji Chenli looked at it; it turned out there was a parent-teacher meeting today. The notice required every parent to be present. However, Tao Yuan had other business today and couldn’t leave. Feeling wronged, Beibei could only vent through crying.

Seeing Beibei’s nose turned red from crying, Ji Chenli felt quite sorry for her. She picked her up and sat her on her lap. “Good girl, Beibei. Mama Tao has to take the little bean to the hospital because he’s sick. Remember that?”