Chapter 27: It seems I don't know Jiang Yi as well as I thought.

Although Gu Lai found the video call to be unusually pleasant, she had no intention of meeting in person, and she even felt that Jiang Yi didn't either.

The day before the Fenglu Annual Meeting, Jiang Yicai flew back, while at the same time, Gu Lai had already gone to another province to find He Xiaoqing.

She signed an assistant director agreement, but she could do whatever she wanted; it seemed more like He Xiaoqing had found an excuse to give her a share of the money.

He Xiaoqing felt like she was experiencing a year of bad luck.

With such a significant commotion surrounding Jiang Yi's asset division, it was natural for her, being from the same social circle, to notice. Moreover, she had been forced to witness their argument and cold war beforehand, with such a long build-up. Even if He Xiaoqing was an art student with a head full of movie beauties, she could still guess what was going on.

Who knew that after drinking a few too many glasses of wine, she couldn't keep her mouth shut and blurted it out to her lover as if it were a fait accompli.

It's quite funny; these two haven't even registered their marriage yet, but she already blurted it out. To apologize and appease them, she had to pay them money as compensation, essentially working a year for nothing.

At that moment, she saw Gu Lai walking over, and it felt as if her bank card had been fluttered to her side, which was heartbreaking.

As Gu Lai approached, she saw He Xiaoqing's expression, as if she were looking at her former lover.

If Jiang Yi were here looking at her now, he probably wouldn't see as many nuances in her eyes as he does.

Gu Lai pulled down her sunglasses, revealing her beautiful eyes as she glanced up at her: "What's wrong?"

He Xiaoqing pressed her stomach and said, "It's nothing."

Gu Lai pushed her sunglasses back up and glanced at her hand: "Do you have a stomachache?"

He Xiaoqing silently moved her hand up a little, then slumped down a few seconds later: "It's nothing, good morning. I drank too much alcohol earlier, I'm sorry."

Gu Lai smiled: "It's alright." Yeah, right.

He Xiaoqing was a dissolute and heartless woman who didn't really care about other people's joys and sorrows, so she could say whatever she wanted. It wasn't that she didn't consider others friends, it was just her character; her true feelings were shown through a generous apology after things went wrong.

Heiresses from wealthy families who have been pampered since childhood are prone to developing this kind of personality. They have too many options and seem to think that everything can be compensated for with money. They take it for granted that others are the same way, but how many people in the world can truly empathize with them?

It's just that people are different, and their self-expression is different too. Someone like Tian Miao, who has good emotional and intellectual intelligence, can make even unfamiliar relationships feel like a gentle breeze, while He Xiaoqing can be unsettling at times.

As Gu Lai pondered this, she naturally thought of Jiang Yi.

He Xiaoqing chattered away beside her, recounting the previous incident and mentioning Jiang Yi's warning and demand for compensation, which he spoke of casually. Gu Lai had been distracted and hadn't been listening carefully until later, when she finally caught his attention.

At first, Gu Lai thought that He Xiaoqing wasn't entirely without merit. Although she clearly didn't get involved in or know anything about Gu Lai and Jiang Yi's relationship, she still spoke up for Jiang Yi from Gu Lai's perspective. As a childhood friend, she was quite sincere, which explained why Jiang Yi didn't dislike her.

But as she listened, she suddenly realized something was wrong.

According to He Xiaoqing, after Jiang Yi found out, he contacted her to calmly understand the cause and effect, warned her not to do it again, revised the compensation for her four times, and finally politely said thank you and that was the end of it.

Is that reasonable? Even if a normal person doesn't break off the friendship, wouldn't they at least have a big argument with their friend first?

Gu Lai looked down and sent a message to Jiang Yi.

Gu Lai: [He Xiaoqing said you didn't get angry with her?]

She must have been busy; she didn't reply to the message immediately. Gu Lai didn't wait and put her phone away.

He Xiaoqing didn't notice her taking out her phone and continued, "Will the role of Fan Zi be recast? Actually, acting with Kang Suru felt pretty good; she's capable."

“It’s just that she’s always causing trouble,” Gu Lai interjected, smiling as she said, “They’re from the same company after all, so they know each other… As for you, if it’s a good fit, then you don’t need to worry about it. Otherwise, if the signed agreement is torn up right after it’s signed, you’ll have to find a new lead actor, which is quite troublesome.”

He Xiaoqing suddenly stopped, turned her head and looked Gu Lai up and down a few times, then sighed: "There's more than one problem."

Gu Lai understood what she meant: "Actually, you don't have to offer the options of assistant director and producer. I can still participate as an investor."

He Xiaoqing said, "I did try to avoid it, but it didn't have to be this bad. Didn't you say before that you wanted to switch to directing or producing? Well, why not give it a try? It's not a big deal. Luckily, you didn't think I would avoid things to the point of kicking out the investors as well."

Perhaps the reason she didn't kick him out completely was because they had developed some relationship over the years, or more likely, she knew they weren't officially divorced and couldn't figure out the real situation.

The latter is more likely.

Gu Lai's phone vibrated in her pocket. She opened it and saw Jiang Yi's reply.

Jiang Yi: [I already knew she was this kind of person, so I didn't expect her to be very reliable.]

Gu Lai quickly typed a reply.

Gu Lai: [She's unreliable? That's not what you said when you introduced her to me.]

Jiang Yi: [She's reliable in the film industry]

Jiang Yi: [At most, you'll be implicated, but I won't deliberately harm you for any personal gain.]

He Xiaoqing called out to her, "We've arrived at the filming location, this is the town."

Gu Lai put away her phone.

Today, she went with He Xiaoqing to check on the construction progress of the filming location, treating it as a kind of sightseeing trip.

Gu Lai had never been to a small town on the southwestern border before, the reason being, of course, that Jiang Yi wasn't interested.

That person was quite pampered and only had a casual attitude towards travel; they simply couldn't tolerate substandard living conditions. Gu Lai, on the other hand, wasn't particularly enthusiastic about travel and had never taken such a "down-to-earth" travel route.

Before she met Jiang Yi, the concept of travel was not part of her life.

Gu Lai looked around and slowly revealed a look of amazement.

The town is nestled amidst mountains on all sides, their verdant hues appearing like silent, gray shadows against the blue sky. Stilted houses, built in the traditional stilt style, sit close together at the foot of the mountains, beside ponds, lakes, and streams. A thin, smoky mist tinges the rows of blue-gray tiles. Rows of dark blue and stone-blue Dong cloth are hoisted high on bamboo poles, swaying in the December wind like wine flags fluttering in the breeze of a waterside village in Jiangnan, a scene Du Mu once witnessed.

Puffs of white smoke rose from the narrow alleyway and quickly dissipated into the misty morning fog.

Gu Lai's gaze lingered there for a long time, while her attendant smiled and said, "They sell local food there. If you're interested, Teacher Gu, you can try the oil tea stall or something."

Gu Lai smiled and said "No need," then took a few photos with her phone and quickly sent them to Jiang Yi.

He Xiaoqing, who was standing next to her, crossed her arms and watched her take pictures, saying, "Isn't it beautiful? It's quite strange, this place has nice scenery, but it's not very popular. But it's convenient for renting out the place for filming. I took a lot of pictures when I first came here. You can just edit the ones you took with your phone and post them online."

The assistant, who was waiting to edit the photos, peeked around from behind, only to see Gu Lai put away her phone immediately: "I'm not posting it. I still have some in stock. As for the publicity for this place, let's follow the movie's publicity schedule to avoid any premature leaks."

He Xiaoqing felt a little guilty after hearing the rest: "Okay, okay, you can post it later."

After putting away her phone, Gu Lai and He Xiaoqing quickened their pace, keeping some distance from the other entourage. Hearing this, Gu Lai glanced at He Xiaoqing: "It was sent to Jiang Yi."

"It's for... Oh!" He Xiaoqing realized what she meant and turned her head in disbelief. "No, huh? They've made up already?"

Gu Lai said slowly, "Of course not."

"So now it's...?"

"De facto separation".

He Xiaoqing looked on with a hint of realization: "Oh, so I didn't go to Fenglu's annual party."

She thought it was because her divorce was imminent and he had come to her place to relax.

Gu Lai saw through her unspoken words: "Actually, it's pretty much the same, but coming here gives me a legitimate reason for the itinerary." This was to deal with the Fenglu executives and netizens who might become curious in the future.

He Xiaoqing was silent for a while, then pulled Gu Lai and walked a few more steps, further away from the entourage.

“Before, I didn’t know how to say it. The atmosphere was so tense, it felt like we were about to get divorced, so there was no point in saying anything. Now, however, it’s the perfect time. I’ve been wondering about this for a long time,” He Xiaoqing said softly. “Why did Jiang San agree to the divorce? And why… is it in this ambiguous state now?”

Given what had happened before, Gu Lai didn't really want to say anything, even though she knew He Xiaoqing probably wouldn't do it again.

But what can Jiang Yi do when he only has a few close childhood friends, and He Xiaoqing is the only one he gets along with?

She needs such a familiar and close friend.

From the feedback of a dinner and a video, Gu Lai suddenly realized that she didn't seem to know Jiang Yi as well as she had imagined.

Gu Lai felt the vibration from her phone in her pocket and slowly said, "Actually, I don't know either."

He Xiaoqing glanced at her inquisitively: "And what about you?"

Gu Lai didn't answer directly, but said half-jokingly, "Would you just relay that to Jiang Yi?"

Unexpectedly, He Xiaoqing said speechlessly, "Sigh, Jiang San never comes to our temple without a reason. Don't you know? She never talks about your private matters unless she needs someone to do her a favor. At most, she'll just gloss over it. It's like I'm asking for trouble by talking to her."

Gu Lai was actually taken aback for a moment.

is that so?

She still remembers Jiang Yi, who once retorted to others that her fashionable and tasteful style was choked by their question, "How did you know my husband picked it out for me?"

Jiang Yi doesn't like excessive exposure and doesn't often show affection publicly on social media, but her willful personality can't be contained.

Gu Lai recalled how Jiang Yi had tricked people into revealing information.

She chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "I guess what I'd say out loud would just be a complaint, which would sound tasteless, so it's not good to say it out loud."

After she finished speaking, she herself felt that her acting was a bit low-level, except that her facial expressions were well managed. But He Xiaoqing took the bait and said, "I don't think so. I guess she just doesn't use this kind of topic as conversation starter."

"It wasn't like this before, was it?"

"Now that she's in a high position of power, she's become more and more serious and proper. She's probably been more thoughtful. Take Tian Miao, for example. She's the extreme opposite. She doesn't care at all. She can even listen to others commenting on her partner's figure and appearance with a smile."

It's only natural to complain to friends occasionally, right? If that's disrespectful, then what is she doing right now?

In terms of intimacy, she and He Xiaoqing shouldn't be as close as Jiang Yi, right?

Gu Lai fell silent, while He Xiaoqing's initial confusion gradually turned into suspicion: "Don't tell me it's because of this that you—"

“No.” Gu Lai dismissed her absurd question. She pondered for a moment and took out her phone. “Then I’ll ask Jiang Yi if he can tell me.”

He Xiaoqing sighed helplessly: "Isn't this unnecessary? We're practically separated..."

Gu Lai's tone was gentle, but her voice was firm: "It's necessary. That's why I don't want to, and can't, hide it or be tactful and accommodating anymore."

She could explore the past indirectly with Jiang Yi in order to find the truth and clarity of the final answer. But for anything new, she would not make a self-righteous choice of silence; she could even ask questions to the very end, as if she were getting to know him all over again.

Gu Lai opened her phone and saw Jiang Yi's previous reply.

Jiang Yi: [Cat in amazement jpg]

Jiang Yi: [This is beautiful. Where in Guizhou Province is this?]

Gu Lai sent her location directly.

Gu Lai: [Do you mind if He Xiaoqing and I discuss personal matters?]

Gu Lai: [Related to you]

Gu Lai: [She said you and she rarely mention me unless there's something important to discuss? Really? Why?]

He Xiaoqing couldn't watch directly from the side, and she was getting a little anxious while waiting. She crossed her arms and walked forward with Gu Lai, her fingertips constantly tapping her arm.

She cried out in her heart: Jiang San! Quick! Go back!

Perhaps she heard He Xiaoqing's thoughts, or more likely, Gu Lai's continuous stream of messages had drawn Jiang Yi's attention, because this time she replied very quickly.

Jiang Yi: [I don't mind, I'm not curious.]

Jiang Yi: [It's true]

Jiang Yi: [It's pointless to say anything, what's the point?]

Gu Lai: [? You never complain about anything? Including work?]

Jiang Yi: [Insulted the patient with cerebral palsy]

Gu Lai smiled for no apparent reason.

...Really.

Gu Lai: [Are the complaints you share with your friends only things that can be resolved?]

Gu Lai: [So the reason has nothing to do with me at all?]

This time, Gu Lai stared at the "typing" message for a long time before Jiang Yi finally replied, and a long paragraph of text appeared.

Jiang Yi: [I don't have the habit of publicizing my problems to people who can't help. The reason is partly related to you; sometimes I feel you're increasingly reluctant to appear as my lover, especially those closer to me. If I keep bringing this up, you'll probably hate me someday when you find out.]

Jiang Yi: [Do you remember when we argued, I always insisted on asking "why?" If I couldn't get an answer myself, what was the point of asking others?]

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Good evening! [Heart emoji]

Thanks to March for the grenade and to Xiao i for the sleepy landmine.

Thank you for the nutrient solution, sweetheart:

Nanxun, +2 nutrient solution; Ji Yunjiu, +2 nutrient solution; Zheng, +1 nutrient solution