Chapter 19, Section 19: "Do you hate me?"

Gu Lai hadn't encountered such a large and impressive fan scene in a long time.

If you have money or power to a certain extent, hiding your whereabouts is actually a very simple thing. Moreover, Gu Lai is not a hot female celebrity now, and she doesn't have a tireless and powerful fan base that tracks and follows her every move.

But she overlooked how many fans were paying attention to their idols' schedules tonight for New Year's Eve, with international airports being one of the targets.

Gu Lai's face is quite well-known. Among all the top actresses, she seems to stand out from the crowd. Once recognized, even passersby are willing to join in the fun, resulting in the huge crowds following her now.

“The boarding information has been leaked.” The assistant said nervously to Gu Lai and the PR, “It seems to be information leaked by Qiao Yi’s fans. He is also on this flight. Sister Zhang said that she has contacted the fans to say that they will not pick him up at the airport and is preparing an apology statement.”

Gu Lai had been at the noisy party for hours, and now her temples were throbbing. The PR person asked, "When did the information leak happen? Is there a possibility of sasaeng fans? What's the latest you can change your flight?"

The assistant said with a pained expression, "If we change flights, there are no business class seats available for the next few days. It would be better to land at another airport..."

The PR person's eyes practically popped out of their head: "The time it takes to get off the plane and get to the car is longer than the time it takes to fly."

Just as Gu Lai was about to say something, Zhou Shanshan, holding a phone, leaned forward with a strange expression and called out to her, "Sister Gu, Sister, the phone."

Gu Lai looked at her with a puzzled expression. Zhou Shanshan took a deep breath, covered her mouth, and whispered, "It's from President Jiang."

The people around fell silent.

Gu Lai is an actress, and she is both sensitive and insensitive to other people's gazes. In the past, she could calmly make a late-night phone call with Jiang Yi in front of others, but now, with only her team watching her subtly, she feels that something is not right.

Even though she was in the lounge, she felt as if the gazes from those people were as heavy as the entire passenger flow of the airport.

What does Jiang Yi want when he calls?

Has anything been wrong lately? It seems like nothing's happened except for the scandalous "From Winter to Summer." She didn't seem to interfere with the whole mess surrounding that film, did she? Is there a problem with the year-end dividends from the trust or some other investment? Is Jiang Yi ready to investigate the total expenditures for the year after finishing the accounts?

I can't exactly bring her divorce papers to wish her a Happy New Year, haha.

Gu Lai took the call expressionlessly, stood up, and looked at the screen. The communication interface read "President Jiang." That damned woman had actually answered... She held it to her ear and took two steps to the side.

"Hello." Gu Lai felt her voice was relatively calm, sugar-free and ice-free.

"Gu Lai," Jiang Yi's familiar, calm voice came through, "Are you in the waiting room getting ready to change planes?"

Gu Lai frowned slightly: "Yes."

Jiang Yi said, "Someone will pick you up within ten minutes and take you to the FBO. The Wind Dew private jet is there, and the flight schedule will be arranged."

Gu Lai was at a loss for words.

If it weren't for all this mess, she would probably travel by private jet. Jiang Yi spends tens of millions of yuan every year to maintain a team that is available on call for private airlines.

But this is not her place; it is not a level she is capable of enjoying.

They've already filed for divorce, and the clock is about to strike midnight. How much longer will she remain under the spell of her "fairy godmother"? How much longer does she dare to remain under her spell?

Gu Lai glanced outside the lounge and unconsciously gripped her phone tightly: "We're getting a divorce anyway, you don't need to care about me."

Jiang Yi remained silent for a moment, then for two seconds.

"Is this what you call management?" she said. "I didn't know this was management; I only learned it today."

Is she angry?

When Gu Lai realized that this was her first reaction, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.

It's none of my business if Jiang Yisheng isn't angry!

"Jiang Yi," Gu Lai turned and glanced at the group of people who were observing from the shadows, seemingly unconcerned, and said coldly in a low voice, "Did you use all your emotional intelligence on others? Did it all go to waste on me?"

Jiang Yi asked, "Did you only find out about my speaking style today?"

When Jiang Yi said this, she did so in her usual calm and descriptive tone, as if she were stating a truth—affirming, yes, you only just realized this now.

Gu Lai had felt powerless and angry many times because of these trivial matters, and at this moment her anger was mixed with something else.

You always think you're right, and you're always right.

Let's just call him Jiang Li, since he's a natural-born reasonable person.

Gu Lai took a deep breath, suppressing her overly aggressive tone, and asked her, "Did you see the news? Or did someone tell you?"

Jiang Yi stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding the phone in one hand and looking out. The night view of the old house was not as good as theirs—now it was her place where she lived alone, with only swaying tree shadows and the dim green lawn lights, partially obscuring the dark road.

She could tell that Gu Lai was angry, but she remained relatively calm, much calmer than the sudden heart palpitation she felt when she called and the call was answered.

Jiang Yi said, "I saw the news and just asked Zhou Shanshan to find out."

Gu Lai quickly turned her head and glanced at the people looking over, including Zhou Shanshan, before turning back to continue: "You want me to take a private jet, thank you for your trouble. But what you said is not making me feel good at all—Jiang Yi, didn't you really notice?"

Jiang Yi looked at the night view without saying a word.

Gu Lai asked, "Did you really not notice, or did you notice but didn't care? Jiang Yi, if I were someone else, like He Xiaoqing, Tian Miao, or Camilla, Delilah, wouldn't you have noticed too?"

Jiang Yi knew that a rabbit will bite when cornered, but this seemed to be the first time she had ever been struck by Gu Lai's strong aggressiveness.

Before Gu Lai uttered the word "divorce," had she said anything so aggressive to herself?

...It seems that it is true. Gu Lai asked her, "Do you still love me?"

At the start of the argument that day, Jiang Yi remembered that Gu Lai asked in a yin-yang tone, "Are you going to apologize?"

Jiang Yi wanted to laugh a little. She suddenly had a strong urge to bring up these memories and tell them to Gu Lai. She was particularly curious to know what else Gu Lai would say.

...She might be surprised to find that her husband of ten years still has an excellent ability to bring up old grievances.

"My emotional intelligence... I do watch my words with my subordinates and partners like Camilla because there's profit to be made. I also do the same with Tian Miao and the others because we're old friends, it's half emotion and half profit. And as for Grandma, it goes without saying."

Jiang Yi spoke in a soft tone, exactly as she always had.

"Language cannot be faked. Ten years, Gu Lai, when did I start to anger you so easily? When did I become someone who 'cannot speak properly'?"

Gu Lai's throat tightened, and she slowly said, "Jiang Yi, are you blaming me? Is it because my opinion of you has been declining that I feel you're always speaking in a sarcastic tone?"

“I was just confused, and by the way, I wasn’t being sarcastic about you earlier… Oh, I was genuinely upset when I said ‘I didn’t know this was called management,’ which is normal, right?” Jiang Yi said calmly. “Changing a ten-year habit and adopting the rational and polite conversational style I have with strangers takes time, Gu Lai, I…”

Jiang Yi wanted to say "I don't blame you," the words were on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't say them.

Even if I said that, you shouldn't believe me, Jiang Yi thought sarcastically. You should know that I have always been the opposite of a devout believer.

She concluded by saying, "I don't hate you, don't worry."

Gu Lai thought absentmindedly, "Should I thank you?"

I am grateful to my ex-wife, my former lover, for not becoming my enemy because of the divorce. I am grateful to her for putting my mind at ease and telling me that she would not retaliate against me. I am grateful that she even cares about me. No matter the reason, she is here to help me in my time of need.

She had expressed her gratitude before, and Jiang Yi had also told her that there was no need to thank anyone for all of this; if anyone should thank someone, it was fate.

They probably said that to her when they hadn't known each other for very long.

What was my reaction at the time?

Oh, she made a promise in her heart: I have nothing to give back but myself, so I will stay by your side until the day you no longer want me.

Gu Lai was even a little dazed, finding it hard to imagine that they had once had such warm and tender moments.

At that time, Jiang Yi's words were even the fire that sustained her soul, the explanation for the confusion she encountered, and the sacred voice she cherished.

"Should I thank you?" Gu Lai murmured. "Should I thank you after I've been so sad?"

Jiang Yi remained silent for a moment, then laughed, very clearly, and somewhat awkwardly, accompanied by a few coughs.

After coughing, Jiang Yi's voice was still a little hoarse: "Gu Lai, there's a question I've never asked you before: what do you think a good ex is like? Should they be like they're dead?"

Gu Lai didn't speak; she couldn't find the words.

After waiting a few seconds without any response, Jiang Yi sighed and asked, "Do you hate me?"

Gu Lai also said that she was unable to speak.

She felt a lump in her throat, as if she were about to cry, so she immediately looked up at the ceiling, her eyes open, but no tears came out.

Only a sour feeling, from my eyes to my throat.

“We are still married. After the divorce is filed, there is a 30-day cooling-off period. Gu Lai, I couldn’t hold back today, and... it’s because we are still one. You still represent me, and I don’t want words like ‘embarrassment’ or ‘chaos’ to be associated with me.”

As Jiang Yi spoke, she touched the glass with her hand to block out the excessively bright spots of light. She felt absurd even as she spoke, finding it both rational and hypocritical, and then she laughed again.

“You should know these things, I’ve taught you them, and now is the best time to make up for the ten years of your wasted youth and relationships.”

She seemed to be teaching me just like before, and she really wasn't being sarcastic or sarcastic.

...Gu Lai almost wanted to follow the audio and strangle her.

Gu Lai closed her sore eyes: "I can't do it."

“I didn’t manage to do it either. It just takes time, doesn’t it? I’ll have to let it go eventually, so there’s no need to worry about it.” Jiang Yi paused for a moment and said softly, “Let’s go board the plane, A-Lai, Happy New Year.”

Jiang Yi hung up the phone, leaving her with a cold, busy tone.

Gu Lai stood holding the phone for a few seconds, then turned around, her expression so calm that nothing could be discerned.

"Get ready to go to FBO. We've arranged for a Fenglu private jet."

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Thank you to my three sweethearts, Shi Yi, Lecha, and March, for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji]