Chapter 29 We were strangers to begin with. ...
He looked as if to say, "What, did I say something wrong?"
Sheng Yi pursed her lips, thinking, "A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle." "It's nothing."
Even though he hadn't used much force, Sheng Yi still couldn't help but gasp. She didn't know what it felt like to rub salt into a wound, but it was probably not much different.
"You still know pain?" Wen Shili's hands didn't stop moving, and his words weren't pleasant either. "I thought you were made of iron."
How could this person be like this? It wasn't her who sent him.
"No one will think you're mute if you don't speak." Sheng Yi glared at him angrily, tears welling up in her eyes.
With the slightest touch, her hand recoiled as if in a spasm. Wen Shili grabbed her hand and quickened his movements.
He applied the medicine and bandaged her wound, his head bowed, his brows furrowed even more deeply than hers.
Sheng Yi regretted speaking harshly to him earlier; after all, he had come to help her. She chuckled to herself, "Actually, it doesn't hurt that much, it just looks scary."
Unbeknownst to her, her watery eyes completely betrayed her. Wen Shili didn't expose her, but packed up his medicine kit and gave her some more instructions.
Sheng Yi looked at his hands, which were wrapped in bandages, and nodded obediently, "Thanks."
The injury wasn't serious, and Sheng Yi continued to eat and drink as usual, but it was inconvenient that she couldn't get wet while taking a bath.
She no longer got involved in the conflict between the two mothers-in-law, but she heard that the taller mother-in-law seemed to be in poor mental health and had been taken to the city by her children to recuperate.
Three days later, the wound scabbed over, and Sheng Yi finally took a comfortable shower and moved a stool to the door to dry her hair.
The stars twinkled in the sky as she leaned back in her recliner, humming a tune leisurely.
Then I found myself trending on social media again.
The hashtag #ShengYiBullying# stands out as both jarring and malicious amidst a sea of entertainment topics such as #xxBlackStraplessDress#, #xxPromotingxxNewDrama#, and #xxPlayingHerTrueSelf#.
She clicked on it with trembling hands.
The top-ranked video was posted by an ordinary user's account two hours ago, with the hashtag #ShengYiBullying#.
The video begins with Sheng Yi and an elderly woman pushing each other. Sheng Yi is facing the camera, while the elderly woman's face is not visible, but her hair is almost completely white, and she looks to be over seventy years old.
Sheng Yi recognized it at a glance; it was the one that had previously trended on social media.
However, this time was different. After a few seconds, the camera changed angle and pointed in the direction of the old lady, but her face was covered by a sticker.
Despite being blurred, the strong voice was still quite powerful, roughly saying something like "Sheng Yi is a dog that catches mice and loses money."
"Oh no, really? They used such foul language."
"I think Sheng Yi has already been very restrained. If it were me with my hot temper, I might have started arguing back."
"From this angle, Sheng Yi didn't push her at all. The video they released before was just to stir up trouble."
"Didn't you see what the blogger said? She was being scolded for no reason and didn't have the guts to fight back. Sheng Yi was helping her."
"She's an ingrate too. Sheng Yi was smeared so much because of this, but she didn't say a word."
"When other people aren't online, she gets attacked because she tried to gain attention but failed miserably."
"I see that she does post on Weibo, but it doesn't get much traffic and nobody sees it."
Sheng Yi scrolled through the girl's Weibo. In a corner where no one could see, she was actually trying her best to defend her. That was enough.
Old Qian had been insisting on clarifying things, and it turned out he actually found a breakthrough. Sheng Yi sent him a message to thank him, and Old Qian replied after a long time, "It's no big deal. You'll get your share of the benefits once you become famous."
After this incident, Sheng Yi's fans finally recovered from their despair.
The biggest issue surrounding Sheng Yi, aside from her tendency to create hype, was the debate about her character. With irrefutable video evidence, her fans couldn't refute her claims and could only say things like, "I don't think that's true," or "Sheng Yi isn't that kind of person."
Unfortunately, there are too many counterexamples in the industry. Many actors and celebrities who previously claimed to know and abide by the law have ended up becoming lawbreakers. Subjective opinions coming from fans will only become a laughing stock.
But now, things are clearly different.
Since the videos are fake, does that mean that any other snippets of information must be the truth? Fans went into overdrive, and the comments that were originally "Sister, do more work" were changed to "Sister, join more productions."
Sheng Yi was both amused and exasperated. Why did it seem like her fans were even more career-driven than she was?
My third aunt is about to be discharged from the hospital, and she is ready to leave at any time.
Wu Simin said her production team was short of a role, though it wasn't a big one. Sheng Yi added the assistant director's contact information and finally confirmed that she would join the production team in the middle of the month.
Five episodes isn't a lot of screen time, but only by seizing every opportunity to appear on screen can one gradually solidify their foundation.
When the next wave of storms comes, we won't be like rootless duckweed again, helplessly being swept away and torn apart.
Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Luo Hongyu came to her again, asking if she had time.
Sheng Yi couldn't figure out why she came.
She went to the event for nothing last time, but the full payment had already been deposited into her account. And honestly, it had nothing to do with Luo Hongyu. On the contrary, it was she and He Jinping who dragged Luo Hongyu into this mess.
Sheng Yi said she was out and about for the next couple of days and it wasn't convenient for her. Luo Hongyu then asked her where she was so she could come and find her.
The two eventually chose a compromise location.
Sheng Yi had planned it very well. She would go out at noon and still have time to come back to cook dinner, so that neither thing would be delayed.
On the way, she saw a news report that a rainstorm was about to hit City A. She forwarded it to Wen Shili and added two words of concern that were free of charge.
After several days of practice, she has become quite proficient in this task.
Even though I don't know if the other party has read it.
Summer days are long, and at 6:30 a.m., it is still bright.
Wen Shili looked up at the time; the lunch bell, which never stopped ringing every day, was now a full thirty minutes late.
The neighboring courtyard was eerily quiet; the usual boisterous chatter had vanished without a trace. It was as if the place had been deserted.
As dusk settled, Sheng Yi sat on the floor, arms crossed, not wanting to move a single finger.
After going out for a while, she felt like all her strength had been drained.
If all efforts are destined to be fruitless, then why persist on this wrong path?
It was already dinnertime, but Sheng Yi finally remembered that there was someone next door waiting to eat. She struggled to get up and picked some vegetables from the garden. After finally preparing the vegetables, she absentmindedly put most of a bag of salt into the pot.
After she washed the pot and chopped the vegetables again, it was past seven o'clock before she finally managed to prepare the simple two dishes and soup.
As she carried the plate over, she felt her hands trembling. For a moment, she wished she could forget everything and just squat down and cry her heart out.
Wen Shili stood on the balcony, staring at her back for a long time. Normally, Sheng Yi would be very sensitive to such gazes, but at this moment she seemed lost in thought, completely unaware of other people's stares.
Wen Shili swallowed his words, which were on the tip of his tongue. They were already strangers; why create unnecessary entanglements?
When his schedule isn't too busy, he occasionally takes time to stay in the countryside for a while. It's a perfect environment for daydreaming and relaxing, a place where inspiration can flourish. But this year, Grandma Zhao suddenly fell, and the cooking staff needed to be replaced, which changed everything.
Cao Jun has already asked him when he will return to the city, and the schedule for the rest of the trip has been sent to him on WeChat. Grandma Zhao should be discharged from the hospital soon, and Sheng Yi will also return to his own life.
The two have their own paths to walk, and their brief encounter is nothing more than a script written by someone with a heart.
He gently tugged at his lips, recalling the phone call Yan Shen had deliberately made that afternoon.
"You can think about that answer again."
“There’s no need,” he told him.
It's true that because of him, she endured excessive malice. Her simple act of helping was merely to avoid seeing a younger generation fall because of a casual remark she made. A young person occasionally makes a mistake; they deserve forgiveness.
Night fell over the town, and the croaking of frogs outside the window was a vibrant symphony of summer.
Sheng Yi drew the curtains, letting herself sink into the darkness. She didn't want to be touched, nor did she want to touch anyone.
Actually, she should be happy today, but before joy could come, helplessness and dejection had already swept over her.
She buried her head and went over Hongjie's words again and again.
"Do you know you're on the industry blacklist?" With little time to spare, Sister Hong cut straight to the point without much small talk.
"What?" Such a strange word seemed a bit distant to her. Looking back now, her expression at the time must have been adorably silly.
From the first moment Luo Hongyu met Sheng Yi, she was curious why she had never seen her in this circle before. Later, seeing her rise to prominence, she put aside her curiosity. However, their brief encounter brought Sheng Yi back into her view.
By sheer chance, she learned some things that should have been buried in the past.
Suddenly, a creaking sound came from the darkness. Sheng Yi was instantly pulled from her reverie, her nerves tensing, as she heard footsteps approaching her bedroom.
Then came a male voice.
Is anyone home?
Sheng Yi recognized the slightly hoarse voice as belonging to Lao Qian's eldest nephew.
"What are you doing?" She hadn't drunk any water or spoken all afternoon, and her mouth was practically glued together. She thought she had used a lot of force, but her voice was muffled and couldn't reach the ears of anyone outside.
Footsteps approached the door. He was knocking.
Sheng Yi rushed over and braced herself against the door. The doorknob turned gently; the bedroom door was unlocked. Sheng Yi, her heart pounding, raised her voice, "I'm inside."
She didn't have a mirror, but she knew she looked terrible. Her face was oily, and her hair was a mess; if someone took a picture of her, it would be a perfect unflattering photo.
After a moment of silence outside, the person asked again, "Have you eaten?"
His question reminded Sheng Yi that she had eaten lunch. The more she thought about it, the hungrier she became. She rubbed her stomach. "I'll make something in a bit."
The room was dark with the lights off. Wen Shili tried pushing the door again, but Sheng Yi locked it from the inside. "Go back, don't worry about me."
Her voice, which always rose at the end of a phrase, drooped listlessly, like a puppy's tail. She spoke words of refusal, yet her voice held a pleading tone, as if saying, "Don't go, don't leave me alone."
"What are you doing locked up inside?" Wen Shili was very patient.
Sheng Yi wanted to continue persuading him to leave, but then reluctantly shut her mouth and said nothing more.
It was quiet outside. After a while, she asked anxiously, "Are you still there?"
"No," someone outside the door said.
Sheng Yi burst out laughing.
So what if she's on the blacklist? At least for now, there are still people willing to be there for her. In this dark night, they find her and tell her that she's not alone in her struggle.
The two remained silent, separated by a door. After a long while, Sheng Yi spoke again, "Are you hungry?"
Wen Shili reminded her, "I just ate. What would you like to eat?"
Sheng Yi was surprised, "You can do it?" She thought that he was unable to take care of his own meals, which was why she was here to take over his care.
Wen Shili paused for a moment, then said, "Something simpler."
Sheng Yi understood; he guessed the cooking skills weren't great, and seeing her so upset, he was prepared to bite the bullet and cook. Surprisingly, that was quite considerate.
Thinking this, her gloomy mood improved a bit. She patted her bottom and got up. "It's already late. I'll just have instant noodles."
"Not very nutritious." The voice outside the door clearly disagreed.
Back in his school days, Sheng Yi ate countless instant noodles, but she didn't care. She argued, "Junk food makes you feel good."
She opened the door and glanced at the person standing silently not far away. Bathed in light, her bloodshot eyes were clearly visible.
Sheng Yi hastily looked away; even in front of her closest friends, she was not used to exposing such a terrible side of herself.
But since they wouldn't be seeing each other again anyway, she relaxed.
Wen Shili seemed oblivious to her odd behavior. "Didn't you say you wanted instant noodles?"
"Eat up." Following her memory, Sheng Yi rummaged through her stored food, but while waiting for the dough to soak, she felt a little listless. "If only we had some wine."
Grandma Zhao lives alone. In Sheng Yi's memory, she doesn't recall ever seeing alcohol at home, but once the thought pops into her head, she can't stop it.
She turned around, her bright eyes fixed on him, "Do you have any at home?"
Yes, she did, but her mood swings—one moment happy, the next depressed—clearly indicated she was drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Wen Shili frowned, about to refuse, when Sheng Yi understood, pouted, and whispered, "I know."
If he doesn't want to drink, he doesn't want to. It saves me the trouble of owing him a bottle of wine. That heartless little brat, I've cooked for him for nothing, and he can't even part with a bottle of wine.
She said she was fine, but her actions clearly told a different story. She lifted the lid of the instant noodles, angrily poking at the noodles in the bowl, her eyes filled with condemnation. Even from this distance, Wen Shili wondered what heinous crime he had committed.
She's a master at feigning injustice.
He got up helplessly and went back to his courtyard.
At four in the morning, Sheng Yi got up from the sofa, clutching her head. After a moment of confusion, she remembered her surroundings.
The instant noodle box on the table had been cleared away, the wine bottle was nowhere to be seen, and even the trash had been neatly packed and thrown away. But everything that had happened yesterday was clearly imprinted in her mind, scene by scene, like clips from a movie, flashing back before her eyes.
"Damn it, why did they give me alcohol!" She wanted to rush over, grab her nephew, and demand an explanation. Was that drunken tantrum really her?
After sitting there for a while, Sheng Yi finally accepted reality, cheered herself up, got up to wash her hair and take a shower, changed her sweaty clothes, and then checked and packed all her luggage.
As the morning light shone, she gently closed the door. The tightly closed courtyard gate silently watched her receding figure as she walked further and further away.
Old Qian sent her a WeChat message last night, saying that Sister Lan would be coming back to stay with her third aunt this morning. Now that her nephew has someone to take over, her task can be considered successfully completed. Leaving a little early shouldn't be considered sneaking away, right?
She kept making excuses for herself, and thought that maybe she could ask Lao Qian to bring a bottle of wine to her nephew next time she saw him.
Sheng Yi leaned against the car window, slowly bidding farewell to this place that was gradually becoming familiar.
Some leave fully conscious, while others return full of anticipation. The little birds on the branches, oblivious to everything, continue to sing loudly outside the window as always.
Wen Shili woke up to a chattering sound, his head throbbing, as if he had been dreaming all night. Even in his dream, he saw her tearful eyes.
He didn't know where she went or who she met yesterday, but he was certain that something unpleasant had happened to her.
It was still a hazy, dreamlike state when the sky suddenly brightened.
Wen Shili lay in bed for a while, just as he was about to get up, a cheer suddenly came from the neighboring courtyard.
He listened intently, but it seemed he could no longer hear that familiar voice.
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