She Wants to Divorce Me

Chapter 17

Official Weibo of "The Treacherous Courtier" production team V: [Image][Image] Princess Pingyang's role has been confirmed. We are honored to have "Queen of Song" Lu Yusheng and musical prodigy Cheng Henian contributing to the theme song's music video. Stay tuned.

—Exploding like a kaleidoscope! My goddess is back? My goddess is back? Tell me, am I seeing things? I can't breathe now. When I heard she was retiring, I was heartbroken to the point of breathlessness! Haha, God, I can't control my upturned lips anymore.

—Calm down, please. Oh, wait a moment, let me sweep up the broken cup pieces before I come back.

—My goddess has returned! Will she continue singing? Since she left, my ears have been neglected.

—I think it's unlikely, given how determined she was when she left. She and Chang Yu are close friends, probably taking this job for Chang Yu's sake. Even so, I'm content!

—Why aren't you all concerned about Princess Pingyang? It's Ji Yaoguang, my goodness, it's Ji Yaoguang!

—Trash drama, I won't watch it. Really, haha, you got my hopes up for nothing.

—Watch if you want, if not, get lost. Stop complaining, don't think you're so important.

—Why is no one paying attention to Cheng Henian? Who is she? I've never heard of her.

—The above comment clearly shows you're too young. Go search these three characters, you'll be surprised. *Winking face*

—My goodness, what did I just see? My Prince Cheng is collaborating with my goddess? A long-time dream come true! Someone tell me if this is real?

As soon as the production team released the news, the internet exploded with various voices. As Chang Yu had anticipated, most people's attention was drawn to Lu Yusheng's name, leaving only some persistent anti-fans scattered about hurling abuse, though they couldn't stir up much trouble. Cheng Henian's Weibo continued with its usual sarcasm and drama posts, her fans increasing rapidly on this occasion. Lu Yusheng, long absent from the public eye, finally spoke on Weibo: "Thank you all for your support. This return to singing is only at a friend's request and unrelated to anything else." This confirmed some people's speculations. Many fans went from shock to disappointment to acceptance, flooding her Weibo with comments: Even if you're not singing, goddess, it would be nice to see you in public occasionally, please don't play any disappearing games!

Ji Yaoguang, clutching the script, sneaked towards Chang Yu's room door with some trepidation. Hearing the faint sound of unlocking, her breath suddenly froze. Chang Yu was on the phone. She let Ji Yaoguang into the room, gave her a cool glance, and continued listening to the complaints from the other end of the phone. After a long monologue, the person on the other end suddenly realized Chang Yu had been silent for a while. They stopped, sighed, and asked, "Is someone there with you?"

Chang Yu replied indifferently, "Yes, I'll hang up now." Without waiting for a response, she ended the call. She turned and glanced at Ji Yaoguang, who was sitting quietly nearby, script rolled in hand, back straight like a student listening to a teacher. Is there a need to be so serious? Compared to before, she had indeed become much more restrained. Chang Yu sighed inwardly. She stood nearby with her arms crossed, silence and stillness slowly spreading through the room.

Ji Yaoguang couldn't contain her curiosity. After hesitating for a while, she asked curiously, "Who was that?"

A faint smile appeared on Chang Yu's face. She replied, "It was Lu Yusheng, coming to collect a debt."

"Oh." Ji Yaoguang nodded. She had also browsed Weibo during her free time and knew that Lu Yusheng's name had diverted attention, with people criticizing and mocking her drastically decreasing. Occasionally, she would come across comments like "Ji Yaoguang is still better than Li Yaoyao, if nothing else, at least she's pretty" - such self-comforting teases that she just smiled off. "I should find time to thank Lu... Yusheng." Lu Yusheng was older than them, but she didn't like being called "sister", so Chang Yu just called her by name. As for Ji Yaoguang, her interactions with Lu Yusheng were truly limited, and she couldn't immediately change her habits.

"Mm." Chang Yu nodded slightly.

Just looking at Chang Yu's face brought a sense of contentment, but the silence in the room slowly began to feel oppressive. Ji Yaoguang pursed her lips, lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then looked up at Chang Yu's cool eyes. She raised the script in her hand and asked with a hint of uncertainty and probing, "Shall we rehearse?"

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Chang Yu's lips. She moved and sat down beside Ji Yaoguang, responding casually, "Alright, but which scene do you want to rehearse?" Although she and Ji Yaoguang were in the same circle, occasionally playing roles in the same drama, Ji Yaoguang had never rehearsed with her, nor even wanted to hear her interpretation of the characters. Sometimes she wondered, if Ji Yaoguang had no passion for this circle, why step into it? Could it be that she enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention? But Ji Yaoguang was born radiant, probably long accustomed to or even indifferent to various praises.

"Let's do the scene where Yun Yanhui returns home after enjoying herself with Xie Xi at Wanhong Pavilion," Ji Yaoguang said, stealing a glance at Chang Yu and gripping the script tightly. Xie Xi was Yun Yanhui's childhood friend and the object of her girlhood admiration. Later, after Xie Xi passed the imperial examinations, he never returned to their hometown. Of course, in Princess Pingyang's eyes, they were merely fellow townspeople. As her feelings for Yun Yanhui slowly fermented, she was only angry about Yun Yanhui's flirtatious behavior in that place of pleasure. In every aspect, Princess Pingyang was proactive and dominant. She suppressed all her anger and sat in Yun Yanhui's lap with a dissolute and frivolous demeanor. As for Yun Yanhui, she was caught in the anxiety of possibly having her secret revealed after such intimate contact. Her distracted state greatly displeased Princess Pingyang, who, with an innate aggressiveness, sought gratification from her consort's lips.

This was a relatively intimate scene, but both characters in the play were like taut bowstrings, one advancing and one retreating, creating an extremely tense atmosphere.

Chang Yu didn't answer. Her probing gaze fell on Ji Yaoguang's face, as if trying to see through her little thoughts. Under this meaningful gaze, a layer of crimson slowly spread across Ji Yaoguang's face. She lowered her head, avoiding Chang Yu's eyes, and said softly, "Or you can choose?"

"No need," Chang Yu replied indifferently. As soon as she finished these two words, a drunken look appeared in her eyes. In the play, Yun Yanhui naturally drank quite a bit at Wanhong Pavilion. Seeing Princess Pingyang sitting upright in her room, she was actually somewhat surprised, though she always concealed her emotions well. As usual, she was humble and polite, maintaining a respectful manner of interaction with Princess Pingyang.

Ji Yaoguang, of course, couldn't match Chang Yu. Her wandering thoughts only slowly returned when Chang Yu spoke her first line. Seeing Chang Yu's seriousness, she naturally had to summon all her focus to respond. She had already memorized the script and tried to perform in what she felt was the most appropriate way. However, when she sat in Chang Yu's embrace, she still became slightly distracted. Was this the only way she could realize what she had longed for so long? The bitterness in her heart diluted the emotions that should have belonged to Princess Pingyang. She gripped Chang Yu's arm more tightly, and after a while, responded dejectedly, "I'm sorry, I--"

Chang Yu looked at her deeply and said slowly, "Let's switch. I'll play Princess Pingyang, and you be Yun Yanhui." She had never cared about Ji Yaoguang's acting skills; she just disliked her indifference and flippancy. With Ji Yaoguang's family background, she could live comfortably without ever leaving home, but what did that amount to? She clearly remembered the person who had confidently prepared to pursue a career in scientific research when they first met, but now? Changing goals is common, but there's an attitude that shouldn't be abandoned regardless of circumstances.

Chang Yu had a precise grasp of the character's demeanor and emotions. When Chang Yu clung to her, Ji Yaoguang was still a bit nervous. She managed to halt her wandering thoughts halfway, her heart pounding in her chest as she was enveloped by a sense of being conquered. As Chang Yu's face slowly drew near, just as she was about to touch those red lips, she suddenly stopped, instantly transforming from Princess Pingyang back to Chang Yu. Ji Yaoguang's face reddened slightly. Her hands, which had been awkwardly placed, suddenly wrapped around Chang Yu's waist, her moist eyes opening and closing like clear autumn waters.

"You--" What are you expecting? Chang Yu didn't voice this question because Ji Yaoguang, as if bewitched in body and soul, leaned forward, even tightening her embrace of Chang Yu. A brief touch, like the first kiss given in nervousness and shyness long ago. Before she could speak, Ji Yaoguang pushed her away, though she was the one who had done something wrong. She stood up abruptly, at a loss, her reddened eyes looking as if she had been wronged. "I'm sorry, I--" She stuttered for a while without saying anything coherent. Chang Yu lowered her eyes to look at the ring on her hand, suddenly remembering that they were originally each other's most intimate person. Limbs intertwined in the dark night, but now even a light kiss became cautious. Where exactly did things go wrong? Her eyes carried a hint of bewilderment, which made Ji Yaoguang even more uneasy.

Dejected like a defeated rooster: "Chang Yu, I... I must be possessed. I'm sorry."

Possessed to want intimacy? This thought crossed Chang Yu's mind as she glanced coolly at Ji Yaoguang.