Chapter 09
Mother Shen: "I didn't agree to this marriage from the beginning, but you insisted on marrying me and even had a whirlwind marriage to provoke your father and me. Now look what's happened, more than three years have passed, and you're already thirty."
Shen Li: "Thirty isn't like I'm going to be buried tomorrow. Can't a person live a life on their own?"
"Spit it out!" Mother Shen slapped her. "Can't you say something nicer?"
Shen Li spat three times helplessly and said seriously, "I never thought about getting married before I met Fang Wei. He was an accident."
Now I realize this accident was a mistake, and I should cut my losses, delete it, and go back to my previous life. Whether I have a partner or not is irrelevant to me.
“But…” Mother Shen wanted to say something more, but then she sighed.
Mr. Shen put his arm around his wife and patted her gently: "Trust your daughter's decision. They've been arguing a lot in the last two years. I could have imagined it would come to this. Marriage isn't a constraint. If you really can't live together, separating sooner is the best choice."
“Dad…” Shen Li’s nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Don't cry, don't cry," her father wiped away her tears. "We can tell whether you're happy or not after you get married. Dad supports all your decisions and hopes you'll be happy."
"As long as you've thought it through and won't regret it," Mother Chen said, looking at her. "I've never liked Fang Wei. I'm angry not because of outsiders, but because of you. You used to say you were bewitched by love at first sight, but now you've learned your lesson?"
Yes, it was love at first sight for her, and she took the initiative to pursue him. She saw his work at the photography exhibition and was first attracted by his talent.
The next time she saw him was at a magazine photoshoot. He came with his team to photograph her, and he was very charming, with a gentle smile. He held the camera and instructed the team, and his every move was warm and humble.
That was the first time she had ever been distracted in front of the camera, and the first time she had ever felt her heart flutter.
She willingly fell for this attraction, only to ultimately experience pain and disappointment, but she couldn't dwell too much on self-blame and regret.
She has a loving family, friends, and fans who have always supported her; her future is bright.
Time was precious, and she didn't want to waste it.
"Thank you for understanding, Mom and Dad. I love you so much." Shen Li smiled through her tears and hugged the couple tightly, refusing to let go.
"Alright, you're too old to be acting like a child," Mother Chen patted her head and glanced at the clock on the living room wall. "Oh dear, it's already eleven o'clock. Go wash up and go to bed."
"good."
Turning around and going upstairs, Shen Li heard a noise from above. She looked up and saw Luo Mingxiu's stiff figure with his back to her at the top of the stairs.
"Did you hear that?" she called out to him.
Luo Mingxiu turned around: "I didn't mean to, I'm going to the toilet."
"So what if you heard it? Why are you running? I'm not going to kill you to cover it up," Shen Li said as she walked towards her bedroom, glancing back at him. "Your room should be cleaned up by now, right?"
Luo Mingxiu nodded slightly: "Yes, my godmother had it cleaned."
His bedroom was across the hallway, not in the same direction as hers. Sensing someone following her, Shen Li stopped and asked, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
"It's nothing," Luo Mingxiu turned around, a faint smile seemingly playing on his lips, though it was hard to tell if it was just her imagination.
Goodnight, I'm leaving.
He walked away quickly, then started running after a few steps. Shen Li sneered, "Little brat."
Luo Mingxiu returned to the bedroom with light steps, and the moment he closed the door, all the emotions he had just been hiding surged up.
The word "divorce" had a huge impact on him. He had been arguing and crying over her that morning, and now his heart was pounding wildly.
He secretly blamed himself for the joy that shouldn't have appeared; Shen Li was so heartbroken, he shouldn't have acted this way.
His heart pounding in his chest betrayed him, and he could no longer hide his smile.
.
On Sunday, Shen Li didn't see Luo Mingxiu when she was having breakfast. She asked her aunt and found out that her father had called him out early in the morning to go fishing by the lake.
Shen's mother had a Yue opera performance to watch in the morning, and seeing that Shen was free, she said she would take her along.
She paired it with a cheongsam in the same color scheme as her mother, and after putting it on, she drew her eyebrows and applied a slightly light and elegant classical makeup in front of the mirror.
Looking at her daughter's pleasing face, Shen's mother thought to herself, "So what if she's thirty?"
Her daughter is forever young and beautiful, seemingly untouched by the passage of time.
"Let me comb your hair," Mother Shen said, walking over to pick up the comb. "It's been a long time since I've braided your hair. What hairstyle do you want?"
Shen Li suddenly remembered the pear blossom hair tie that Luo Mingxiu had given her and smiled, "Then just put it up for me, no need to go to too much trouble."
After arranging her hair, she took a hair tie to secure it. When Chen's mother learned that Luo Mingxiu had made it, she asked her to bring all the other handmade pear-shaped items. She examined them carefully, took photos, and posted them on her WeChat Moments.
"Oh, by the way, remember to give me Mingxiu's new number so we can keep in touch."
"Okay." Shen Li immediately took out her phone and added him to the family group chat, telling him to add it himself.
She booked tickets to return to Hengdian for 5:30 pm. After watching the show, she and her mother ate and strolled around outside, and before they knew it, it was 4 pm.
She had several missed calls on her phone, but thankfully she hadn't brought any luggage back with her. So her mother had the driver take Luo Mingxiu to the mall they had just finished shopping at and then take her directly to the station.
When the driver arrived at the mall, Luo Mingxiu, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked out of the car and his eyes lit up.
Shen Li walked over wearing a light green cheongsam, her hair tied up in a bun on the side, making her look elegant and graceful. And she really was wearing the hairband he had given her.
Luo Mingxiu smiled, feeling a surge of joy wash over him, his head buzzing.
After getting on the bus, Shen Li leaned forward and looked ahead. She saw Luo Mingxiu carrying the pear-shaped bag and breathed a sigh of relief.
There was no traffic on the way back, and I caught the train smoothly. Just as I sat down, Cheng Qingqing sent me a message asking me to check the trending topics.
The production company behind "Detective Xie Huaixi" is Qingli, and the official Weibo account is also managed by her company's operations department. The costume photos and related behind-the-scenes footage, which were taken yesterday morning, have already been released.
She figured the hashtag #DetectiveXieHuaixi# should be trending high on social media right now.
Clicking on it, there was indeed this trending topic, but there was another one above it. Shen Li frowned, her fingertips trembling as she swiped, and held the phone out to Luo Mingxiu: "What's going on?"
#Luo Mingxiu Meng Yaxin#, this kind of entry with the two names followed by the word "explosive" is obviously a scandal without even reading it.
Seeing that Luo Mingxiu was about to pull down his mask to speak, Shen Li raised her hand to stop him: "Explain when we get to the apartment."
Shen Li continued to browse the trending topics. The paparazzi photos were very blurry, and she could only tell from the figure that it resembled Luo Mingxiu.
I took a few pictures of him getting in and out of the car with Director Meng, and also of them entering a restaurant. The two of them kept a distance from each other, which didn't seem like a very close relationship.
She's been photographed like this before, just old friends having a meal together, but the photos are ambiguous, and marketing accounts can make up whatever they want based on the pictures.
But there are always people who believe it, or maybe they are just trolls, and they spread the rumors more and more widely on the internet.
Like in this current discussion, some people say that the two have always been friends with benefits, and that Luo Mingxiu got the movie role by sleeping with Director Meng. Otherwise, how could a newcomer whose name has never been heard of have gotten the lead role in "Youth Diary"?
The more she looked, the more outrageous it became. Shen Li turned off her phone and pretended to sleep with her face turned towards the window.
She might not believe in unspoken rules, but she might believe it if we were dating. If we actually started dating...
Even if they really started dating, what could she say? Luo Mingxiu isn't an idol; it's perfectly normal for actors and directors in the industry to date.
The originally relaxed atmosphere became oppressive because of this trending topic, and Shen Li didn't say a word until she arrived at her stop and transferred trains.
Under her warning gaze, Luo Mingxiu held back all the way to the apartment, and finally he could speak.
"It's all fabricated by paparazzi. Ya-hsin and I don't have that kind of relationship."
Upon hearing the title "Sister Ya Xin," Shen Li raised an eyebrow: "You and Director Meng are that familiar with each other?"
Luo Mingxiu's face turned bright red, and he was almost frantic: "She's Brother Liang's wife."
Huh? Shen Li didn't expect that listening to an explanation would lead to new gossip.
"Director Meng's family doesn't really approve of them being together, so they secretly got their marriage certificate. Brother Liang asked us to keep it a secret, but I don't want you to misunderstand." After Luo Mingxiu finished speaking, he looked at her again, his eyes filled with grievance, ignoring the ringing of his phone.
"Okay, you can answer the phone now," Shen Li reminded him. She breathed a sigh of relief after knowing that the conversation had ended, and felt no longer burdened by anything.
She watched as Luo Mingxiu simply nodded into the phone, unaware that her own emotions seemed too cheerful, a smile already showing on her face.
Luo Mingxiu turned around and saw that her expression had softened and a smile had appeared on her lips: "They made an official announcement in advance and clarified the situation."
Shen Li opened Weibo and saw that Liang Jin's account had posted his marriage certificate with Director Meng, as well as a WeChat Moments post of the three of them having dinner together on the day they were photographed, and issued a statement: Those who spread rumors, receive a court summons.
She gave it a thumbs up and was about to call Cheng Qingqing when the other end called.
"I saw it! I was so scared! I thought the second male lead was going to get into trouble again. I was saying, things have been really unlucky lately. Maybe I should go to the temple to pray sometime. My new project is bound to be targeted and snatched up by others. And my family too, the idiots they set me up with on blind dates, I don't even want to talk about it..."
"By the way, what's going on between you and Fang Wei? He's someone who never asks about your work for ages, but he just messaged me on WeChat asking how long it will take to film this drama. You two have been arguing for quite a while this time."
"Stop arguing, let's get a divorce."
There were two "uh-huhs" on the other end, followed by a few seconds of silence before the tone changed: "Seriously?"
"Yes, I've already told my family."
"Fine, you should have divorced long ago. I'll celebrate your divorce."
The call has ended.
Shen Li was stunned. Only now did she realize how foolish she had been to be so immersed in her feelings. From beginning to end, neither her family nor her friends had a good opinion of her relationship with Fang Wei.
Feeling a coolness on her face, she raised her hand and touched her tears again. A pack of tissues was handed to her, and Shen Li sniffed and pulled out a few sheets, turning her back to him: "What are you standing there for? Aren't you going to leave?"
"Let's go." Luo Mingxiu stared at her sobbing back, took off his crossbody bag, opened a hole, took out a bag of biscuits from the pocket, put it in, and then gently placed it down before walking away.
After crying, Shen Li took a shower and, as she passed through the living room, caught a glimpse of yellow.
The pear-shaped bun was lying on the sofa. She walked over, picked it up, and the open packaging fell out.
She bent down and picked it up. It was a bear-shaped biscuit, the kind that she and Luo Mingxiu used to eat when they were little. Aunt Luo would buy a big bag every time, and the two of them would share it. It would be finished in just a few days.
"It's for coaxing children." She said this, but tore one open and put it in her mouth. The faint milky aroma filled her tongue, and she felt much better.
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