Episode 11 Lucid Dream
In the middle of summer, Lin Ying still has to wear a silk scarf and long skirt and trousers, which is undoubtedly a torture for her as she has to walk for ten minutes after getting off the subway every day.
As soon as she arrived at the office that day, her boss called her to the office.
He asked, "I heard you know someone at Tengchun? The painter they recently signed, Yan Yiming, is your husband?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Ying immediately understood the boss's deeper meaning.
"Yes, that's right."
"That's great, Lin Ying. You've been at the company for two years, and your operational data has been exceptional. I've always had my eye on you for the business development position. Next week, Tengchun Culture will invite all of its contracted artists to Wuzhen, where they've developed a visual arts project. Tengchun is vying for a spot, and we've also been discussing expanding the program in preparation for the October drama festival..."
From what I heard, what Lin Ying had to do was to participate in Tengchun's project trip to Wuzhen as a family member of Yan Yiming, and at the same time conduct business negotiations for the gallery's expansion in October, and strive to win the hands of both parties.
In terms of difficulty, it is not easy.
But in terms of interpersonal relationships, she is the most suitable.
Perhaps her boss would never have thought that compared to completing the mandatory task of business docking, what she was more reluctant to do was to go on a business trip with her husband.
Since that night, Yan Yiming's attitude towards her has become sarcastic. He talks less and complains more.
For nearly half a month, Lin Ying had been living in separate bedrooms from him, deliberately avoiding close contact with him, and the rest of the time they lived in peace.
After arriving in Wuzhen, the two stayed in a homestay in the Wuzhen scenic area according to the guidance of the person in charge. The view from the room was particularly wide and open, and they could sit in the pavilion and watch the flowing water under the small bridge.
After all, it's an ancient town. Although the house has undergone several renovations, the raw materials are antiques. The sound insulation effect is not very good. In the dead of night, if you lean over the wall and listen, you can probably hear the sounds of people walking next door, not to mention the movements in the corridor...
"Mr. Jiang, your room is here..."
Lin Ying heard the doorman outside the corridor take a guest to the next room. The man swiped his card, thanked him, and the doorman left first.
Hearing this name, Lin Ying was suddenly stunned - was it him?
If so, it wouldn't be any worse than the current situation.
She and Yan Yiming went to the most popular restaurant in town for lunch. The two people at the next table were a perfect match.
One is Chen Can, the person in charge of this project of Tengchun Culture, and the other is Jiang Shu, the general manager of Jianglin Group.
In order to repay Jiang Shu for his introduction, Lin Ying specially invited the two of them to have a meal together.
The one who recognized her first today was not Jiang Shu, but Chen Can from Tengchun. He waved at the two of them.
"Hey? Isn't this Miss Lin? What a coincidence, come sit with us."
Yan Yiming didn't know him, but he knew his companion Jiang Shu, and Chen Can didn't know him, but he knew his wife Lin Ying. The whole atmosphere became interesting and subtle.
The four of them sat facing each other, and only Chen Can was the most frank and direct among them. He explained in a few words how he knew Jiang Shulin and his sister. The expression on Yan Yiming's face froze for a moment.
But Jiang Shu remained calm.
Lin Ying said, "No wonder the boss asked me to come this time. It turns out you are the person in charge."
"Tengchun is still in the exploratory stage, and there are many projects that require him to show his face." He patted Jiang Shu's shoulder, a little intimately, "You know, your brother and I have known each other since we were in school. When I heard that you were in charge of the site in Julu, it really came as a timely help to me. Although you always say that I helped you, let's be honest, you and your company have helped me out with many problems. Otherwise, I would not have had the opportunity to plan this project."
Chen Can was an expert at warming up the crowd. No matter who was talking to him, there would be no awkwardness. His main skill was to keep things balanced. Seeing Yan Yiming's expression was indifferent, he quickly added -
"After meeting Miss Lin, I discovered that your husband's paintings were also on our waiting list. What a coincidence! So the next day, I quickly asked my assistant to contact Mr. Yan. We receive so many submissions every day, and my assistant doesn't take them seriously. I scolded him for a long time. Otherwise, I would have missed out on such a unique work of yours!"
But these words were like a bolt from the blue to Yan Yiming at that moment.
Not only did few people appreciate his efforts after so long, but the olive branch extended to him by Fujichun, whom he was so proud of before, actually went to Lin Ying and Jiang Shu - everything was not as ideal as he had imagined, and he was not as ideal as he had imagined.
"Oh, I see."
Yan Yiming's tone was sullen, and he showed no intention of smiling or cooperating.
If this had happened in the past, Lin Ying would have definitely winked at her husband or bumped into him to make him realize that his behavior was inappropriate. However, this time, she was eating her meal by herself, as if she didn't hear what Yan Yiming said at all.
Jiang Shu on the other side just made a gesture and passed the topic over:
"My brother-in-law is a professional in painting. Even if he doesn't have your keen eyes, it's only a matter of time before he meets his mentor."
Chen Can smiled: "Mr. Xiao Jiang is right, I was rude! Come on, I'll make myself a bowl of fish soup!"
The meal was relatively relaxed thanks to Chen Can's warm-up, but apart from him, none of the other three seemed to really feel relaxed, at least Yan Yiming was definitely not the case.
In the afternoon, several people went to the event together. While Yan Yiming was taking photos with other artists, Lin Ying asked Chen Can:
"Why is my brother here? Is he an investor?"
"No, no, we're classmates, why would we talk about investment or not? That's so cliché! I want to do this. We talked about it at our last class reunion. He said he wanted to come and relax. It's not a big deal for me."
At this point, Lin Ying seemed to have seen through Jiang Shu's thoughts.
If it were before, the two of them would have found a chance to be intimate behind each other's backs, but this time there were so many people around and Yan Yiming was also there, so it was really difficult to find a gap.
But secretly, Lin Ying didn't want to do that.
To be exact, she didn't dare to do that.
Yan Yiming's brutality that night made her realize that she and Jiang Shu weren't as good at pretending as she had imagined. Continuing to tangle with him would do her no good.
But it is different for Jiang Shu. No matter who the opponent is, he can escape unscathed.
Because he is alone, and Lin Ying seems transparent and low-key, but in fact he is like a puppet, and his every move is controlled by others.
So throughout this whole process, whether it was towards Yan Yiming or Jiang Shu, she acted as if she was staying out of it. On one side was her husband who was in name only, and on the other side was her stepbrother who she had a good relationship with on the surface but with whom she was not familiar in private.
It was already dark when the event ended, and the organizers also arranged a boat banquet, which was small in scale but lively.
To suit the occasion, Lin Ying specially changed into a new Chinese cheongsam, and everyone present cast admiring glances at her. While saying "you are so lucky" to Yan Yiming, they also did not forget to flatter her.
In short, the only good things about her are her face and figure.
She was fed up with it.
While the group of men were chattering noisily, she quietly got off the boat and went to sit by the dock, watching the bar singer on the other side of the stream lazily playing the poetry and unrestrainedness of life, the unrestrainedness that had nothing to do with her, and the poetry of drowning people.
For a moment, she really wanted to sit here forever. If anyone found her, she would just dive into the water, not struggle, not call for help, and let herself fall...
After less than ten minutes of silence, Yan Yiming sent a message asking her where she was. She replied:
"I'm a little seasick, so I'll go straight back to the inn later."
Then she muted her phone and stopped looking at it.
The flowing night of Wuzhen and the humming and singing sounds on the bridge bank, together, are like a soft dough that can be kneaded and squeezed at will without any struggle. All of them belong to her.
But this scenery should not be just for her to enjoy, and she does not belong to anyone.
She made a decision.
divorce.
No matter what the consequences.
She planned to tell Yan Yiming about it when she returned to Shanghai.
She returned to the room and wanted to spend the night with him in peace, but he was not willing to do as she wished.
After not having been intimate for over half a month, Yan Yiming naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity tonight. Lin Ying's attempts to refuse were in vain. This time, he went even further, even more maliciously, forcing her to look at him and answering some obscene questions.
"Is it very owed?"
"Whose do you like better?"
"Why don't you dare to scream?"
Not only did he not ask her to lower her voice like he had done in the past, but he deliberately pressed her head against the wall and rudely asked her to scream louder. If she didn't, he would pinch and slap her.
Lin Ying knew why he was like that.
He wanted to disgust the people next door.
With such poor sound insulation, you can definitely hear everything from the neighbors.
Her helplessness, her pain, and her struggle were also integrated into this forced cry.
What tramples on a woman's dignity is never any satisfying sex, but any rape with the purpose of humiliation.
She tried her best to push the person away, but the other person's strong strength made her unable to exert any strength. She could not feel any pleasure in her body, and even felt a little nauseous and wanted to vomit.
He still kept on whipping her, making her cry out in disgust.
It's really disgusting.
It's disgusting to everyone, including herself.
It was not until she actually vomited that Yan Yiming finally woke up as if from a dream. He quickly stopped what he was doing, but sat on the bed in a daze.
Lin Ying staggered to the bathroom and returned tonight's delicacies to the toilet.
Finally I am at peace, finally I am awake.
Nothing was worth it, not even her.
She didn't look like a human being at all at this moment. And her husband didn't look like a human being at all at this moment.
Lin Ying casually picked up a piece of clothing, took her phone and ID, and before opening the door to go out, she abruptly blocked Yan Yiming's arm:
"Don't follow me, or you'll be waiting for me to collect your body."
Bang——
She slammed the door and ran out.
The sound of flowing water under the small bridge and the atmosphere of fireworks combined with the sound of guitar singing gave her a brief respite.
Tears fell like rain, and it was as if my vision was scattered. Everything I saw was double, even the lights on the rowboat were yellow and transparent.
She rushed to a small shop, bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, wandered to a dock, and just as she was about to sit down and light a cigarette, a slender hand suddenly reached out from above her head, calmly took the cigarette from her mouth, and gave a warning:
"Smoking won't solve the problem."
"Give it back to me!"
Lin Ying tried to snatch the cigarette that Jiang Shu had crushed, but she forgot that she still had a whole pack in her hand.
Her crying and fighting were meaningless, she just wanted to vent. She tried smoking to vent as well.
Jiang Shu directly held her in his arms. To be precise, he took the initiative to meet Lin Ying's unrestrained impact.
Her tears soon soaked the chest area of his shirt—"I can't stand it anymore."
"I know."
"You don't know, you don't know what I've been through."
“…I heard that.”
"That's nothing!" Lin Ying raised her voice, interrupting him in embarrassment. "Now I understand that I'm truly helpless. No one will stand on my side. Everything I have is being used and judged... I was wrong, I deserve it. Why? For so many years... I've done everything you expected, why do you still treat me like this..."
"Aying, divorce Yan Yiming."
He whispered these words sincerely into Lin Ying's ears, with a heavy and powerful tone.
It just happened to fall on her decision at that time.
Faced with this "incitement", Lin Ying suddenly woke up -
"Divorce him so I can have an affair with you openly?"
"Live your life honestly."
"…my own life? And what am I?"
Jiang Shu stroked her cheek and forced her to look at him. "Lin Ying, you don't have to consider others. Instead of blaming yourself, the most important thing you should do is face reality. Your marriage is wrong, regardless of whose expectations you are trying to meet."
The marriage was wrong, the expectations were wrong, even the demands placed on her were wrong.
She was also a person who made mistakes. After quarreling with her husband, she still needed her lover to comfort her.
But putting all this aside, someone gave her the wrong hints and choices first, and she was blinded by one thing, and she had already entered the game before she could see anything clearly.
If you want to get out now, you have to go through the torture of these false thoughts.
"Why...why didn't you tell me this before I got married? Why didn't you tell me this when I was a kid? If you had told me then, I might not be like this. No one, whether it's Dad, you or Aunt Jiang, really cares about my feelings!"
"Will you listen if I tell you then?"
Jiang Shu interrupted her unbearable reproach and snatched the cigarette pack from her hand before letting her go.
"The past, good or bad, can't be changed. Besides, considering your feelings for Yan Yiming at the time, did you ever waver in your determination to be with him before you got married?"
…
He was right.
She hadn't wavered. Although she occasionally felt that Yan Yiming treated her indifferently, she had never considered breaking up. Firstly, she accepted that she had no other choice. Secondly, she was always worried that if there was any problem between them, wouldn't the relationship between her father and Yan Song also become strained? In that case, she would be the culprit and would be even less popular.
The absurd, mundane and self-evident thoughts became a cage that trapped her.
She walked into the next cage of her life with shackles.
"Divorce is no big deal. As long as you ask, I can find a lawyer to help you with all the subsequent troubles. You don't have to worry about what your parents will think. You have worked with Yan Song for so many decades, and the friendship is mixed. It's hard to say whether it will be beneficial or harmful if you really lose your relationship with the Yan family. What's more... I am the future general manager of Jianglin, and I don't care about the empty reputation between me and Yan Song."
At this point, Lin Ying looked up at him doubtfully. The lights were swaying brightly, and his eyes were exceptionally clear.
She knew that apart from feelings, Jiang Shu was always reliable in doing things. As long as he could say it, he would definitely do it.
"Why are you trying to persuade me? Will my divorce bring any benefit to you in the group?"
She had heard more than once that he and Yan Song had different management concepts, and they would hinder each other openly or secretly in every meeting. As long as she and the Yan family no longer had this relationship, Jiang Shu didn't seem to have to be too wary of Yan Song in the group.
Hearing her insightful question, Jiang Shu felt both amused and annoyed:
"Do you really have to think of me that way? In your eyes, apart from that kind of thing, can't my care and preference for you be based on any other feelings?"
"You don't mean to say that you treat me as your own sister?"
Lin Ying's tone was slightly sarcastic, but the sarcasm was directed more at herself than at Jiang Shu.
But Jiang Shu seemed to have lost his patience after being ridiculed by her again and again, and simply said nothing more, but just sighed in frustration.
"Whatever you think, think carefully about what I just said."
He was about to turn around and leave the dock when Lin Ying suddenly said:
"I don't want to use the key anymore. I'll give it back to you when I get back."
"No need. I'm planning to change the locks soon."
The dock returned to silence. Lin Ying looked at Jiang Shu's departing back, feeling extremely worried.
What did she just hear, what did she say, and what did the other party say to her?
She seemed to have heard it all, but it was also as if she was just having a lucid dream.
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