Chapter 24
The morning light shines through the half-closed curtains, illuminating a corner of the bed.
The sun shone brightly outside the window, and the sky seemed washed by water, revealing a clear blue. Even through the thick glass, I could feel the summer heat.
Waking up from the familiar bedroom again, Shen Fengni felt as if she was in another world.
A month before their wedding, she moved into the luxury apartment owned by Yu Qian. Yu Qian, maintaining her traditional persona, behaved with restraint and respect, never staying overnight with her, only visiting her occasionally.
Back then, Shen Fengni was filled with longing, believing her life was about to turn around and lead to happiness. Now, returning to her old place, she feels a completely different state of mind.
Relying your happiness on others is the most foolish decision.
Shen Fengni said to herself.
She stood up, walked to the window, and opened the curtains completely.
The sunlight poured in, illuminating the entire bedroom and causing her to squint slightly.
Shen Fengni lit a cigarette and quietly thought about his next plan.
The wedding is the day after tomorrow, and all the matters have been almost coordinated, so her schedule for today and tomorrow is not full.
Chen Fengni will not let the wedding go smoothly, so she has to find a way out for herself first.
She planned to pack her luggage and store it at a hotel, returning to retrieve it after she successfully escaped the marriage. She would then rent a small house to temporarily live in and continue her livestreaming.
As for the financial situation, she had already researched it yesterday. She currently had about 15,000 yuan on hand, and if it weren't for the return gift to Yu Qian, she could have saved even more.
But it had already happened, and there was no point in regretting it. Fortunately, Shen Fengni's daily expenses were not high, and this money, minus the rent, was enough for her to live on for a while.
Shen Fengni raised her head slightly and exhaled a puff of white smoke.
Having lived by the rules for over twenty years, she could already imagine the uproar her escape would cause within the family. She had brought shame upon both families and would inevitably become a target of public criticism.
But so what.
In her previous life, she lived in a cage until her death, bound all her life and with no one to care for her after her death. Now, she no longer wants to consider what anyone thinks, she just wants to live a happy life.
There is no place for her in this house, and it cannot be called a home.
Shen Fengni threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray and looked out the window.
The sky is clear, the river is roaring, and the bustling city is in full view. She grew up here and has witnessed the development and prosperity of her hometown, but she herself seems to be stuck in the same place.
She had to move forward too.
Not only do you have to start over, but you also have to help those around you.
Shen Fengni picked up the phone and slowly flipped through the address book.
She realized it yesterday, and now Song Manman and Sheng Xinyan are not on her list.
According to the last timeline, Song Manman should have just graduated from college and would have applied for a job at Yu Qian's company in August.
Shen Fengni remembered that Song Manman rented the house in the urban village a few days after she started working. Song Manman was very excited about living alone for the first time and enthusiastically invited her to visit.
So she just had to stop the other party before that. The doctor said that the cause of Song Manman's illness was most likely because she lived in a newly renovated house. As long as Song Manman rented a safe place, the subsequent tragedy would not have happened.
Sheng Xinyan and she had known each other since October, but according to her understanding, Luo Ye had been suppressing and retaliating against her since mid-September. Therefore, she had to become friends with Sheng Xinyan before Luo Ye took action, and give her timely warnings and accompany her to face and resolve the situation.
Shen Fengni opened the chat app and saw a dense list of messages, all about wedding matters. Because Yu Qian didn't care about anything, everything fell on her head.
Shen Fengni didn't even look at it and just passed by.
She found Zhezhi's dialog box, set it to the top, and then sent a message.
Feng Ni: Good morning.
Yesterday, Zhezhi said that he had not replied to her since the meeting. Based on her understanding of Zhezhi, he might have been busy all night and was catching up on his sleep.
Therefore, she didn't expect Zhezhi to reply to her quickly, but just said hello as usual.
But the next second after the message was sent, the screen suddenly switched to a call interface.
It was Zhezhi's voice calling.
Shen Fengni was stunned, and her phone dropped to the ground with a trembling hand.
Zhezhi had never called her since they met. She had only heard Zhezhi's voice in games, and she wasn't sure if it was his real voice.
Unexpectedly, the first phone call between the two was on the second day after she was reborn.
Why did Zhezhi call her suddenly? Did something happen to him?
My heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and I felt an indescribable nervousness and a faint anticipation.
Shen Fengni bent down to pick up the phone, took two deep breaths before answering the call, "Hello?"
It was very quiet on the other end of the phone, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Shen Fengni called "Hello" twice again, but still no one answered. Just when she began to wonder if there was something wrong with the network, there was finally a voice in the receiver.
"Feng Ni."
The voice was cold, but the tone was warm, like the sunshine after the snow, gently falling on her.
It was Zhezhi calling her.
At that moment, Shen Fengni clearly heard her own heartbeat. She pressed her palms against her chest, as if this could ease the throbbing in her heart.
She replied softly, "I'm here."
There seemed to be a low sigh from the other end of the line. But it didn't sound sentimental, more like the emotional release after the dust settled.
Shen Fengni was a little worried: "What's wrong with you?"
Zhezhi was silent for a moment, then replied, "Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to call you."
Perhaps because she had just woken up, her voice had a slight nasal tone and seemed a little fragile.
Chen Fengni felt that today's branch breaking seemed a little different from usual.
In her eyes, Zhezhi is a person in a high position, who is able to make plans and is calm and composed, and rarely shows his emotions in front of others.
But the person who called her now sounded like a hurt child who needed comfort, making people want to protect her.
Shen Fengni's tone softened unconsciously, "What happened? If you'd like, you can tell me."
There was another moment of silence, and then Zhezhi said, "It's nothing, really. I just... suddenly wanted to hear your voice."
The sound of breaking branches was very light, but it seemed to be scorching hot, burning people's ears.
Shen Fengni pursed her lips, at a loss.
She heard Zhezhi continue, "Maybe it's been a while since I saw you live, so I'm not used to it."
So that's what it means.
Shen Fengni relaxed a little, but inexplicably felt a little disappointed.
She put her messy thoughts behind her and replied with a smile: "It's okay, it won't be long before the live broadcast returns to normal."
Zhezhi responded but didn't continue the topic.
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Zhezhi said that he had something else to do, and the call ended.
Zhezhi's voice was indeed a little different from the one in the game, yet Shen Fengni felt as if she had heard it somewhere before. Unfortunately, Zhezhi was very frugal with his words, saying only a few words, and with his nasal tone, she couldn't distinguish what he was saying.
Although she didn't know the reason, receiving Zhezhi's call early in the morning still made Shen Fengni feel good. She hummed a little tune and continued to read the messages.
When he saw an unread message, his eyes paused slightly.
The sender was Zhou Luoying, a popular female anchor on the "Moments" app. A chance connection led Shen Fengni to her. Upon learning they were both in Qinglan City, Zhou Luoying followed her and suggested they play together someday.
Shen Fengni smiled and agreed, but she didn't take the initiative to connect with Zhou Luoying again. The number of people in Zhou Luoying's live broadcast room was dozens of times hers. Her excessive enthusiasm seemed like she was just trying to gain popularity and share traffic, which was a taboo in live broadcasts.
Zhou Luoying said that Qinglan City will hold a music festival in a week and she has been invited to sing an ancient style duet song.
But her partner suddenly contracted tuberculosis and his condition was quite serious. The doctor said he would need to stay in bed for at least half a month to recover.
The song Zhou Luoying was going to sing was called "Chang'an Bright Moon", which was a piece that required a lot of technical skill and was very difficult to perform, so Zhou Luoying couldn't find a suitable replacement for the role.
Just when she was at a loss, she suddenly thought of Shen Fengni, who was also in Qinglan City.
Zhou Luoying had heard Shen Fengni sing before and knew she was incredibly talented, with a wide vocal range, capable of hitting both low and high notes with ease. If she were to sing alongside her, it would surely be a great result, so she hurriedly invited her.
Shen Fengni quietly listened to the voice messages sent by Zhou Luoying one by one and fell into deep thought.
Qinglan City hosts a music festival every year, featuring many well-known singers and live-streamed on its official channel. This presents a great opportunity for streamers to gain exposure.
But in her previous life, she rejected Zhou Luoying's invitation because of her honeymoon trip, and they had no more interactions afterwards, and the two gradually drifted apart.
After she signed the contract and obtained the marriage certificate as requested by Yu Qian, Yu Qian found an excuse to cancel her honeymoon trip which had not been planned in the first place, and she took off her disguise and stopped acting.
This time, Chen Fengni would definitely not miss it again. She immediately replied to Zhou Luoying, saying that "Chang'an Bright Moon" was her specialty and she was very willing to participate.
In order to prove her ability, she sent a screen recording of herself singing "Chang'an Bright Moon".
After listening to her, Zhou Luoying was indeed very satisfied and praised her highly. She then said that she was currently on a business trip and that they could practice the chorus online first and then practice it live after she returned.
Zhou Luoying returned to Qinglan City on July 6, which was exactly the day after the wedding. There was no conflict in time, which was exactly what Chen Fengni wanted.
After Shen Fengni finished talking with Zhou Luoying, she went to the second floor of the apartment to pack her things.
She didn't have much luggage, and she didn't plan to take the things Yu Qian bought for her. The main things she needed to pack and take away were her live broadcast equipment, some clothes, and daily necessities.
Shen Fengni took down the equipment one by one and carefully packed them into the box.
She has contacted a moving company to help her deliver her luggage to the designated hotel for temporary storage tonight.
When they parted yesterday, Yu Qian said that she had an important project to work on and would not have time to accompany her in the two days before the wedding, so Chen Fengni was not worried at all that Yu Qian would discover her behavior.
An hour later, Shen Fengni packed the last piece of luggage swiftly.
The things were put away, and the spacious room suddenly became mostly empty, looking a little deserted.
Finally... I can leave.
Chen Fengni stood in an empty space and suddenly felt a little sad.
At this moment, the phone next to him vibrated twice.
Shen Fengni came back to her senses and opened the chat software.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
Zhezhi: Are you getting married soon?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
