Zhen'er, do you love me?
The Jiang family's influence was far more deeply entrenched than she had imagined, and their number of supporters was terrifyingly large. The reason this matter gave her such an idea was that, three days after the news broke, screenwriter Lin finally returned to the film crew, free from her worried husband who wanted to halt the project.
But in just a few days, everything seemed to have changed. If it weren't for Mrs. Jin's unspoken identity, and the strange coldness the crew showed her, the script for this drama would probably have been rewritten by now.
The female lead in the new project is that Miss Jiang's best friend from the hot pot restaurant last time. Even though she was mentally prepared for this woman, she was still caught off guard today.
The scene being filmed was a separation between the male and female leads. Several actors, who had been huddled together whispering for a long time, finally revealed their true, uncooperative side on set, showing their loyalty to their boss. After standing in the cold wind for three hours, the female lead, still unable to get into character, finally wrapped herself in a shawl and complained dejectedly:
"The dialogue is so poorly written that it's impossible for anyone to connect with the character; how can anyone cry like that?"
Lin Zhen'er held the script in her hand. Amidst the complex gazes around her, she was unsure how to react to this sudden attack. In the end, she simply pursed her lips and silently endured it.
She couldn't quite articulate her feelings. Joining such a large production team was an experience she had never had before, to the point that for a short time she couldn't even tell if someone was deliberately making things difficult for her or if the lines really weren't written well.
"Such a big project, and they hire a novice to revise it? It's a miracle if you don't laugh when they read these lines, how are you supposed to cry?"
Seeing the staff rushing over to comfort her and calm things down, the female lead seemed even more emboldened, secretly complaining about the script out of the corner of her eye. She refused to take off the blanket she was wearing and follow everyone's advice to try again.
"If you can't cry, it's because your acting is bad. We can replace you."
If they really don't want to film, then let's just call it a day. It's only the beginning anyway; changing the lead actor won't make a difference.
The moment those words were spoken, the entire set fell silent. The woman, arms crossed, looked at everyone with undisguised impatience on her face. She raised her hand to adjust her glasses, the diamond ring on her ring finger subtly gleaming.
The usually mild-mannered and unassuming screenwriter, Lin, suddenly adopted the airs of Mrs. Jin today. Her delicate, fair face was wrapped in a uniform black down jacket, half of her chin obscured, and the gaze emanating from behind her glasses was somewhat chilling. Even the actors, who had previously been sarcastic and sarcastic, lowered their heads.
She didn't want it to be like this, but she had stayed up so many nights and endured countless rumors to marry into a wealthy family, not to suffer this kind of humiliation. Those insincere faces had been in front of her all day; she had enough of enduring it.
The actress, whose face was usually full of emotion, suddenly became obedient, letting the makeup artist touch up her makeup before returning to her original position. The clapperboard sounded, signaling the start of filming, but Lin Zhen'er, who was keeping a close eye on the set, didn't look at anyone else.
The situation has returned to our control, and the project can proceed smoothly. What unimportant people think about this is not worth caring about. No one has gone through all that trouble to get to where we are today just to please the Jiang family's lackeys.
“I went back to Xijiang today, and your mother is much calmer. She said you didn’t reply to her messages, so she asked me to bring you your favorite braised chicken with shiitake mushrooms.”
As expected, she finished work rather late. When she got home, she was still squatting on the floor petting her belly-up puppy when her husband's voice came down from upstairs with his footsteps. She looked up at the steaming chicken on the table, her feelings a jumbled mix as she thought of the elementary school teacher's perpetually displeased face, and she lost her appetite.
The recent scandals have caused such a stir that her chat window, which she had specifically set to "Do Not Disturb," is now filled with complaints blaming her for making a fool of herself and embarrassing herself in the news. She doesn't even need to look to know that.
Lin Zhen'er listened to her husband recount the family's recent situation and his mother's concern for her, which he mentioned intentionally or unintentionally, without immediately responding. It wasn't until Jin Yanzhi seemed to see through her that he showed her the photos he had taken that day on his phone.
The home in the photo still looked familiar and old, except all the appliances had been replaced with new ones. The television screen, which seemed out of place with the somewhat dated cabinets, was playing her recently popular drama, the progress bar still stuck on the first episode, which had long since finished airing. Her lover's voice was gentle yet strong:
“Mom said she’s watched the show ‘The Certificate’ many times. Today I took some people to replace the appliances and toilet in the house. I originally wanted to take her to buy a new set of furniture, but Mom said that the cabinet was bought with your year-end bonus from the first year of your job, and she can’t bear to replace it.”
The shiitake mushrooms in my mouth are a specialty of Xijiang, thick and with a strong mushroom aroma.
She shoveled rice into her bowl, feeling a bittersweet mix of emotions. In her memory, her mother had always looked down on her in every way. If the man beside her hadn't taken the photos today, she wouldn't have known that the TV at home was playing that show on repeat.
"I'll call her back in a bit, I've been too busy these past few days."
After finishing her meal, she was stuffed with freshly stewed fish maw and milk. She finished it in one go before going upstairs. She opened her phone and hesitated for a long time in front of that familiar name. Then she dawdled back to the bathroom to remove her makeup and put on a face mask.
Just as the people downstairs felt the video conference was nearing its end, Lin Zhen'er hurriedly pressed the call button.
"You finally remembered to call me?"
Look at the mess you've made... The news has been full of stories about your detention these past few days, I'm even afraid to go downstairs to buy groceries...
The voice on the other end of the phone was just as I expected; there wasn't a single word of comfort or concern, only shame about my family's scandal making the news. Wrapped in a bathrobe, listening to the incessant accusations, I dug my fingertips into my palm again, using a sharper pain to distract myself from the sadness in my heart.
She had so much to say, about the concept of the new drama and the hard work and effort behind that hugely popular show. But this call was no different from any other; she could barely find a moment to catch her breath, let alone unleash the pent-up urge to confide that she had been suppressing for years.
“Every time you talk about my detention, you only accuse me of being reckless and impulsive.”
But if I hadn't acted impulsively, you would probably be dead by now. That man wasn't my choice; he was yours.
The wind on the terrace was a bit strong, making people shiver. The woman, who was standing outside fearing that her husband would hear what she was saying, could only stand there in the wind. Two steps back would have meant a temperature-controlled room and a soft bed, but she could only stand here, standing with those scarred and battered past memories.
Even though so many years have passed since that helpless and frightening night, a mother's reminder can still easily pull someone who has finally managed to climb out of the vortex back in.
It reminded her of that somewhat shabby restaurant, the screams of the waiters, the fleeing customers, the overturned plates, and the pizza that lay on the floor, trampled and crushed, which she had been craving for so long and finally got to eat for the first time.
That night, her brand-new dress exuded a pleasant fragrance, and her specially washed hair was carefully braided into a pretty plait. Later, the loud screams of the biological father, the wails of the mother, and the blood-splattered knife in her hand plunged him into years of self-blame and inexplicable guilt.
Because the woman on the other end of the phone, just like now, repeatedly condemned her daughter's self-esteem:
"If you hadn't been so vain, trying to imitate others by eating Western food and shopping, and your aunt had seen you and told him, would all those things have happened?"
He thought we were deliberately hiding our money from him, so he became furious. He's a scoundrel, but you also need to examine your own actions to see why things went wrong.
The person, who had initially felt chilly from the cold wind and whose face was now burning, finally couldn't hold back any longer and began to scream into the phone:
"When are you finally going to stop driving me crazy? Every single time, I feel like I can finally forget all that and move on. But you always find a way to infuriate me and drive me insane. Things that other people eat every few days, I didn't eat for the first time until I was nineteen!"
Why can't I spend the money I earn myself? Who at my age doesn't want a new dress? What can you do besides criticize me?!
She knew she was being a bit too loud, even though she had closed the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling windows before coming out, her feet still overlooked the family's large garden. But she felt she couldn't care less about that at that moment; this warm and beautiful life seemed like a huge, fragile bubble, ready to be pierced at any moment by her mother's sharp words.
"You used to say that I was only interested in marrying into a wealthy family and that I was incompetent enough to date a spendthrift like Jin Chaosheng. Later, you married his uncle to become his kept woman, which caused a huge uproar and made the news."
Now I'm telling you, I'm vain! I only know how to climb the social ladder by relying on men! Whether you think I'm spineless or use my looks to please others, I've gotten everything I wanted through my own abilities, even if you think my marriage is just finding a good employer to be subservient to.
I will never again return to that muddy life, living in darkness with you, coexisting yet hating each other!
After saying this and hanging up the phone, the person raised their hands, which were already red from the cold, and hastily wiped away their tears before turning around to go back to their bedroom.
Lin Zhen'er has experienced nights worse than this before, but when she turned around in a disheveled state and saw her husband holding thick clothes and preparing to open the door to find her, she still felt that this moment was one of the most embarrassing in the entire river of her life.
She always stood naked before that perfect man, flawless in every way, in moments of utter disarray and panic. Like a clown helplessly manipulated by fate, she was repeatedly dragged to the center stage, facing every embarrassing and inescapable situation.
The blanket in the man's hands was warm and cozy, and his arms were strong and powerful as he squatted down to pick her up.
The bathroom was filled with hot water at the perfect temperature again, but unlike usual, the man didn't leave today. He squatted beside the bathtub, reaching out to touch the small face, red from crying and slightly swollen from the wind, his face unusually serious:
"Zhen'er, do you... love me?"
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