She Wants to Divorce Me

Chapter 41

For Ji Yaoguang, who was revisiting old places to find memories of the past, this spring break was quite comfortable. Their world of two was no different from taking another honeymoon trip. Though it was just a short month or so, for her, these days were counted in "years," and her entire state of mind had undergone a drastic change.

The next day, Ji Yaoguang woke up early but was unwilling to leave the warm bed. She leaned against the bedside table, scrolling through WeChat messages one by one, occasionally glancing at the still-sleeping Chang Yu, looking at her peaceful profile and feeling a sense of tranquility in the passage of time. However, while they were at peace here, others were finding it difficult to find calm. The person sending the most messages was her manager, Su Ci, mainly work-related reminders and small complaints about having to bring in new talents again.

Next was Bian Yuting.

"Your ordinary friend is in trouble." Fearing she might not know, the same sentence was repeated more than ten times, finally accompanied by an exclamation mark to express either shock or some other emotion. Each character was familiar, but when put together into a sentence, Ji Yaoguang had to think for a while to understand what she was trying to express. This "ordinary friend" referred to Cheng Henian, right? Her brows furrowed slightly as she went to check Cheng Henian's Moments, but found nothing unusual.

"What are you talking about?"

Bian Yuting was also scrolling through her phone, so as soon as Ji Yaoguang sent this message, she immediately replied: "Go look at the Weibo hot search yourself." After a pause, she sent another message, "Should I 'take advantage of the situation'? Never mind, take my call." Ji Yaoguang's gaze fixed on the screen for a while. Of course, she didn't want to answer. She hung up the moment the call came in and texted back: "She's sleeping, I'll check Weibo first."

Who this "she" was needed no explanation.

Weibo had already exploded. The heat of Ji Yaoguang and Chang Yu revisiting their campus quickly died down, replaced by the trending topic #ChengHenianHittingSomeone. This time it was more intense than before, with her life experiences from childhood to adulthood and family conflicts all thoroughly exposed. Of course, the wind was blowing entirely in an unfavorable direction for her. Ji Yaoguang clicked on the blurry video at the top, vaguely seeing her in a bar, scuffling with several men, and finally, a beer bottle shattering on the head of a man who was getting handsy. As for that man, his face looked somewhat familiar. After a while, she remembered it was Jiang Liu, the son of Sheng Tang Era's CEO. Ji Yaoguang didn't turn on the sound, but just from the visuals, she could guess what kind of vulgar words those people were saying. The first to publish this news was just a small internet celebrity, subsequently reposted by various entertainment media. The truth of the matter gradually became distorted. Under their description, a Cheng Henian who was indecent, led a corrupt private life, and flirted around was slowly being portrayed. There were also mentions of her running away from home and severing ties with her father, further labeling her as "heartless" and "unfilial."

"What happened? Do you need help?" Ji Yaoguang pondered for a moment before sending Cheng Henian a message. She didn't dislike this person, and even found her somewhat congenial. In Cheng Henian, she could see traces of herself. However, Cheng Henian's intensity and willfulness were magnified, while she had gradually been guided onto the right track by those around her. Having edges wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but deviating from societal norms made it easy to be labeled with fixed stereotypes. Feelings of emotion and melancholy intertwined in her heart. Waiting left and right with no reply, she tossed her phone aside and closed her eyes, falling into a dream state amid contemplation and meditation.

Of course, Cheng Henian had no time to attend to Ji Yaoguang's message; she hadn't even turned on her phone. She was curled up on the sofa, her expression full of coldness and disdain. Those young masters always thought too highly of themselves, believing that having some leisure and influence made them great. Without their background, what were they? With the New Year approaching and most people on holiday, calls from her long-uncommunicative family kept coming in, irritating her greatly. She had found a bar to replace her hometown gig, using it to vent her emotions. Who knew it would lead to such an incident?

When the doorbell rang, her alertness rose to a new level. Only after recognizing the familiar face through the peephole did she let the person in, asking wearily, "Tea?" The various trivial matters had left her physically and mentally exhausted in recent days, almost losing the desire to communicate with others.

Taking the paper cup from Cheng Henian's hand and taking a sip, a faint fragrance spread between her lips and teeth. Lu Yusheng said flatly, "Thank you." Her gaze caught sight of the person curled up on the sofa, thoughts wandering who knows where, and Lu Yusheng's brow furrowed again involuntarily. The pallid face no longer showed its former flamboyance and radiance. She seemed to have grown tired of concealing her true state of mind, instead laying everything bare before her eyes. Lu Yusheng's heart skipped a beat, and she spoke, "You should be grateful that no one leaked your home address. That wine bottle incident of yours has infuriated Sheng Tang Era's CEO. Relying on his position in the industry, he's issued an ultimatum. I'm afraid for a long time, no one will seek to collaborate with you again."

"What else can be done?" Cheng Henian looked coldly at Lu Yusheng, like a small hedgehog with sharp spines all over its body. But under Lu Yusheng's calm gaze, she quickly deflated. She wasn't in the mood for banter, nor did she have the energy to display her bad temper and confront the person before her. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she asked, "Why are you here?"

Lu Yusheng looked up and said softly, "To chat."

"Go ahead," Cheng Henian curled her lips, a cold smile on her face.

"As long as you continue to write songs and sing, as long as you have any involvement with film crews, you won't be able to completely escape this besieged fortress," Lu Yusheng put down her cup and smiled, "Moreover, you now have quite a few fans and are considered a person of interest. Your every move is greatly restricted. Freedom is a luxury; you're just seeking as much freedom as possible."

"Mm." Cheng Henian nodded, replying calmly, "I know what I want. I have my own way of life."

Lu Yusheng looked deeply at Cheng Henian, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her words. She stood up, changing the subject, and invited Cheng Henian in a relaxed tone, "Let's go out to eat." Although online comments were like snowflakes, real life wasn't as scary. Walking on the street, not everyone would recognize you or excitedly rush up to scold you. Especially during this time when most people had left H City—those traveling had returned home, and H City had become empty and quiet, its prosperity fading and songs dispersing, returning to its most original, most authentic state.

Most shops had closed, and Lu Yusheng drove straight to their destination. Sitting in the passenger seat, Cheng Henian rarely fell into a state of silence and melancholy. After wiping away the surface color, a poetic quality slowly emerged.

"Most people are familiar with a way of life that pushes them to strive for higher ground, to surpass others, to conquer others, to gain money, fame, and power. When a person's behavior contradicts this lifestyle, for example, being content with being downstream, having no desire for competition, refusing opportunities that others envy—her behavior no longer conforms to the generally accepted behavioral patterns of the era, and she will be treated as mentally ill." A clear voice sounded in the car. Cheng Henian looked straight ahead, tugging at the corners of her mouth to reveal a pale smile. "I apologize for my previous rudeness and malicious speculation about your actions, but I still choose to decline your goodwill."

She was an ordinary person who clearly knew the path she wanted to take. But when other colors entered her eyes, she still couldn't help but be moved and hesitant. However, this absolutely couldn't shake the direction she had firmly set in her heart. To put it selfishly, she had arranged for herself a path that only cared for her own happiness. Too many considerations brought too many burdens; it was better to discard them all.

Lu Yusheng hadn't discussed cooperation with Cheng Henian for some time, but that thought in her heart had never subsided. In her view, Cheng Henian's behavior was childish and absurd. She had a deep misunderstanding of this, thinking it was due to edges that society hadn't yet worn smooth. But after hearing her heartfelt words now, she suddenly had some realization. She had been looking at a person from her own perspective, and to a large extent, her own subjective emotions were at play. She was angrier at Cheng Henian's ingratitude than at her rudeness and offense, but at this moment, she began to let go. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself; similarly, do not impose on others what you desire for yourself.

The car stopped at the entrance of a small alley. Compared to the bustle of a while ago, it had now returned to its original state. The quaint little shops on both sides were almost all tightly closed, with only a few households having two or three children running out, holding toys and playing noisily. At the shop entrance, Lu Yusheng hesitated slightly, her gaze lingering for a long time on the signboard in another direction, sighing wistfully. However, in the "Heart at Peace" restaurant, a young woman had already stepped out, embracing Lu Yusheng's arm enthusiastically, saying, "You've finally come." There wasn't a single customer in the shop, and even the waitstaff had been reduced to just one or two, as if it had opened solely for Lu Yusheng.

Cheng Henian had some impression of this place, though she had visited the "Spring Banquet" across the street last time. Although she had never met the woman embracing Lu Yusheng face to face, she had seen her a few times in videos and livestreams that Lu Yusheng had shared. She was quite a beautiful woman, but for some reason, Cheng Henian couldn't feel any warmth towards her. Her gaze swept over the woman's bright red lips, finally landing on her dark red nails—with this outfit, was it still convenient to showcase her culinary skills?