Secret Past (1)

Jiang Shuiying and Yan Ming met for the first time on the set.

Jiang Shuiying had just entered the industry and was always willing to take any role that came her way. The entertainment industry was always a bit harsh on newcomers, but she was willing to endure hardships, had good looks, and had excellent acting skills, so she quickly stood out from the crowd of newcomers.

At that time, Jiang Shuiying played the role of a wife whose husband had cheated on her. She sat on the ground with tears in her blinking eyes, her brows slightly furrowed, tears sliding down her cheeks, and she spoke her lines in a trembling voice.

"Cut! Pass! Prepare for the next one!"

The film was screened in one take, and she was still immersed in her emotions, sobbing and wiping away tears when her agent covered her with a blanket.

Jiang Shuiying, who was helped up by her agent, was in a trance and saw a man in a suit sitting next to the director, staring at her.

"Who is he?" Jiang Shuiying covered herself with a blanket and asked her agent quietly.

The agent was a girl about the same age as Jiang Shuiying, and they usually interacted more like friends. She helped Jiang Shuiying hug the blanket tightly and said, "I heard he's one of the investors of this play. If you behave well, if he takes a fancy to you, maybe you'll get the next script!"

Jiang Shuiying curled her lips. She didn't believe it would be so easy.

What she didn't expect was that when she returned to the hotel, she suddenly received a large bouquet of roses. While she and her agent were still in shock, her phone suddenly rang with an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?"

"Do you like Rose, Miss Jiang?"

"...Who are you?"

"I have a few movies in hand. If Miss Jiang is interested, the address is on the card. Can we meet and chat?"

Jiang Shuiying asked her agent with her eyes, and after getting permission, she agreed to the person on the other side.

The two met at a restaurant not far from the set. After arriving with her agent, Jiang Shuiying realized that the man who had made the appointment was the man who suddenly appeared on the set today.

During the meal, Jiang Shuiying realized that the person sitting in front of her was Yan Ming, a famous entrepreneur in City G.

Yan Ming was dressed in a suit and tie, with elegant manners and a faint scent of cologne. The two of them had a pleasant conversation. Yan Ming did show Jiang Shuiying the project he had invested in, but Jiang Shuiying rejected it.

"Thank you, Mr. Yan, but I...I can't accept it."

Despite hitting a wall, Yan Ming remained undeterred and pursued Jiang Shuiying vigorously on the set. Whenever Jiang Shuiying was in a scene, Yan Ming would treat everyone to coffee and also allocate funds to the crew to improve the food, especially when it came to Jiang Shuiying.

And every day, someone would deliver a different flower to Jiang Shuiying's door: today it was a red rose, tomorrow it was a lily, and the day after tomorrow it was a blue rose. Her room was filled with the fragrance of different flowers until the filming was finished.

These actions turned Jiang Shuiying, who was originally a nobody in the crew, into a hot potato. Even the director was polite when he saw Jiang Shuiying.

Jiang Shuiying, who had just debuted, could not withstand such a fierce move, and finally on the night after the wrap-up banquet, she got into Yan Ming's car.

Yan Ming drank some wine at the wrap-up party, but he didn't get drunk. However, Jiang Shuiying being next to him made him feel a little drunk.

The baffle rose, leaving only two people in the enclosed space. The air was filled with the scent of roses mixed with cologne and a hint of alcohol, making Jiang Shuiying feel a little dizzy.

She pressed her legs together, clutching her skirt at her knees, her voice strained.

"Mr. Yan, I have a question for you."

"Oh, don't be nervous, Miss Jiang, please speak."

"What on earth is there about me that would make you spend so much money? What do you like about me?"

Yan Ming leaned his elbows on the car window, his eyes never leaving Jiang Shuiying's profile.

"You... look like someone."

"...who?"

"No, you are like her, but not like her."

Jiang Shuiying didn't look at him when she heard that. She nodded at the air in front of her, and her tone was a little strange.

"Oh... I see. So I'm a stand-in?"

Yan Ming was amused by Jiang Shuiying's train of thought. He approached Jiang Shuiying with a teasing smile.

"Angry?"

"You just look like me, but not like me in character,"

"Besides, she's gone."

What happened next was a natural progression. Jiang Shuiying accepted Yan Ming's pursuit, and they confirmed their relationship on Valentine's Day.

Yan Ming was very high profile. He directly announced to the public that Jiang Shuiying was his girlfriend and would bring her with him to various events. Jiang Shuiying took advantage of this favorable situation and took on several roles in one go. With her superb acting skills, she won the Newcomer Award that year, and her reputation in the industry soared.

To outsiders, the two seem to be very loving. If Jiang Shuiying has no notice, she will come to the company to have lunch with Yan Ming at noon. People in the company have gradually become accustomed to Jiang Shuiying's coming and going.

Jiang Shuiying's fans gradually increased, and just when her fans thought her career was about to flourish, she suddenly announced on social media that she was going to get married.

It was an ordinary day. Jiang Shuiying was on vacation after filming and came to see Yan Ming as usual at noon, but she found that the secretary who came to pick her up looked a little strange.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Yan Ming?"

The secretary shook his head and smiled without saying anything.

The door of Yan Ming's office was closed. When Jiang Shuiying was about to push it open, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that everyone around her seemed to be looking at her.

What happened?

When she pushed open the door, the strong scent of roses rushed into Jiang Shuiying's nostrils, which made her suspicious.

Could it be... Yan Ming cheated on his wife?

It was not until the office door was completely opened that Jiang Shuiying's suspicion turned into surprise. Only then did she understand why everyone looked at her so strangely along the way.

Yan Ming's office was filled with roses, from the door to the window, forming a small rose valley. Yan Ming was kneeling on one knee in the middle of the valley, holding a red velvet box in his hand.

Although Jiang Shuiying was far away, she could still see clearly what was in the middle of the box.

It's a diamond ring.

"Jiang Shuiying, will you marry me?"

"Will you be my only wife?"

Jiang Shuiying's face turned red immediately. She slowly moved forward amid the crowd's cheers and placed her hand on Yan Ming's hand with tears in her eyes.

"I do..."

The sparkling diamond ring was placed on Jiang Shuiying's slender finger. Yan Ming stood up and excitedly hugged Jiang Shuiying in his arms. The two kissed amid the noise.

Jiang Shuiying huddled in Yan Ming's arms with a flushed face, like a shy girl who had been proposed to. Yan Ming hugged her and spoke excitedly to the employees outside the door.

"Everyone's bonus will be doubled this month!"

"Very good!"

"Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss lady!"

"Boss and Madam, may you have a long-lasting marriage!"

***

Yan Ming originally wanted to have a grand wedding, but at Jiang Shuiying's insistence, the wedding was very low-key with only relatives and friends attending.

Jiang Shuiying's parents had passed away, leaving her an orphan. Yan Ming knew this when he was pursuing her. She had no friends in the circle, and only a few people came to participate.

Yan Ming had a strong control over public opinion. Even the media did not know the date of the wedding until the two of them appeared in front of the camera arm in arm and wearing wedding rings. Only then did everyone know that they had gotten married.

It was on this day that Jiang Shuiying announced to the camera that she would quit the entertainment industry and return to her family and no longer act.

After her marriage, Jiang Shuiying faded from the public eye, and her previous work in the entertainment industry was like a flash in the pan. Many people say that she is lucky to have married a good husband, and the two are very loving, at least that's what it seems to outsiders.

Yan Ming's younger brother Yan Ying didn't feel anything about this sudden arrival of his sister-in-law. Only Yan Ming and Jiang Shuiying lived in the Yan residence, and they rarely saw each other.

However, during meals during festivals and holidays, Jiang Shuiying could occasionally feel Yan Ying's gaze on her.

When they first got married, Jiang Shuiying was well-behaved and obedient, listening to Yan Ming's every command. Yan Ming doted on her, and material things were the most basic consideration. After that, Jiang Shuiying never looked at the price when buying anything. It wasn't just about material things, but also about emotions. Even Yan Ming, the CEO, turned down most social engagements and went home every day at a fixed time to be with Jiang Shuiying.

This kind of life lasted for more than a year, and Yan Ming gradually became a little bored.

Jiang Shuiying is so well-behaved. She listens to Yan Ming in everything and often stays at home. She takes care of all matters big and small in the huge Yan residence and has truly become a qualified housewife.

As expected, they only look alike, but their personalities are completely different, Yan Ming thought to himself.

If it were her, she would probably be more passionate, smarter, stronger and more opinionated.

Yan Ming started to resume his previous social engagements and often did not return home at night. Jiang Shuiying saw this but did not take it seriously, thinking that he was just busy with work.

Even when she found hair that did not belong to her in Yan Ming's suit, Jiang Shuiying just smiled and asked the servant to sweep it away without saying anything.

This attitude made Yan Ming feel that Jiang Shuiying might not love him at all, and he became even more presumptuous. Lipstick marks began to appear on his clean collar, and he began to appear in various nightclubs, which led the media to speculate whether their marriage had broken down.

Yan Ming directly cut off contact with public opinion. No news about the breakdown of their marriage could be seen online. He also did not appear in the nightclub afterwards, but turned around and went into a more private club.

When Yan Ming once again pushed open the door of his house late at night, drunk, Jiang Shuiying still gently supported him, made sobering soup for him, fed him honey water, and ignored the red marks on his neck.

Jiang Shuiying put Yan Ming on the sofa, brought him some hangover soup, and said softly, "Yan Ming, drink some, it will make you feel better."

Although Yan Ming was drunk at the moment, his eyes were unusually clear. He pushed hard and sprinkled the warm sobering soup on the expensive sofa.

"Go away!"

"You are not her, you will never be her!"

"Why... I thought that if I married you... God would let me go... Why..."

Yan Ming protected his head, huddled on his knees, and groaned in pain.

"Why...why did you kill her in the first place, why..."

People speak the truth after drinking, but Jiang Shuiying was unusually cold and expressionless when she heard this. She just dutifully helped Yan Ming back to the bedroom and let him go to sleep.

"Yan Ming, you are drunk, you need to rest."

After that day, one afternoon, Yan Ming accidentally walked into a bookstore on the corner of the street and met the owner of the bookstore.

Yan Ming cheated on his wife.

This marriage began to exist in name only. Jiang Shuiying was still the considerate and virtuous wife on the surface, but in fact she didn't want to take care of anything.

The most important point is that although there were cracks in Jiang Shuiying and Yan Ming's marriage, Yan Ming never hit her.

She has not suffered domestic violence.