Chapter 59
Several of the people in question were right here, so Xu Chun didn’t dare say she disliked them or admit that she only liked one of them in particular. Otherwise she might have met the King of Hell on the spot.
Even so, Yu Sui'an calling out of nowhere to ask something like that was baffling. Xu Chun frowned and mulled it over before asking bluntly, “Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”
Yes, she’d answered Yu Sui’an’s call on the first ring because Qin Yao and Zhao Ciying had both come looking for her, and she’d wanted a chance to catch her breath and slip away. But Yu Sui’an’s inexplicable question was clearly the more pressing issue.
Almost unconsciously, she stepped aside, turning her back on Qin Yao and Zhao Ciying, and lowered her voice. “What answer were you hoping to hear?”
All Yu Sui'an knew was that the moment she heard the voice on the other end, her heart felt like it was being sliced open. She could barely breathe. Before she knew it, her eyes had gone red, and it took everything in her to hold back her distress. “Then what about me, sister?” Like a drowning woman clutching at a straw, she pressed on desperately. “Sister, do you still like me?”
Xu Chun couldn't answer that for the original owner. “Yu Sui'an.” It was rare for her to say the female lead's name with such patience. “The old Xu Chun is dead.”
“You broke up with her without a second thought. Then you stirred up your fans and ignorant bystanders to cyberbully her, slander her, and drag her name through the mud. You hounded her until she despaired and had no choice but to leave the entertainment industry. That was when the old Xu Chun died.”
Xu Chun didn’t understand why she was still so stubborn even now. “Don’t you know it perfectly well in your own heart? You knew what you wanted from all of it, what plot developments you wanted to see, what benefits you planned to gain, and how much popularity you hoped to get by cyberbullying someone.”
“Or have you lied so much that you've fooled even yourself, until you're thoroughly convinced that you like Xu Chun?”
Xu Chun felt the original owner had been wronged. She hadn’t done anything, yet she’d had to endure such vicious treatment. She lost the career she’d loved her whole life. One relationship made everyone abandon her and ruined her family. In the end, she lost her life too.
A flower that should have bloomed brilliantly in the entertainment industry had been trampled and broken until it withered away in obscurity.
Xu Chun didn't understand how, after all that, Yu Sui'an could still think the other woman would come back to her. How could she still believe that if she made a mistake, all she had to do was try hard to make up for it and the other person would forgive her and reconcile?
Besides, in Xu Chun's eyes, Yu Sui'an's affection was worthless.
She spouted sweet words and constantly acted deeply devoted and loyal to 'Xu Chun,' but in reality it didn't amount to even a fraction of Qin Yao standing up for her when she was embarrassed and helpless, or Qin Yao looking after her during filming, or the hot water bottle silently slipped to her when she was sick, which had made her feel so warm.
There were things Qin Yao never said a word about, but when Xu Chun was at her most vulnerable and in need, Qin Yao quietly showed she cared through her actions and gave her strength.
Even Zheng Yanran, back on the show, had at least known to give her gifts generously to get closer to her.
They were adults now, with the cynicism of realistic adults. Even a child who truly liked someone would want to give that person everything beautiful and important to them, even if it was just a piece of candy.
But from the time Yu Sui'an treated the original owner that way until now, what had she actually done?
At the very least, Xu Chun hadn't seen any substantive action or compensation.
Besides, Yu Sui'an was a thoroughly realistic person who truly put her own interests first. She could kick Xu Chun aside for her own benefit and go after Jiang Zhaolie instead because Jiang Zhaolie had what she needed. So why couldn't Xu Chun hold her to those same realistic standards right now?
Besides, all her compensation and apologies were meaningless. The real Xu Chun could no longer hear or see them.
Yu Sui'an was struck speechless by Xu Chun's barrage of questions. Her lips quivered slightly. Tears had already slipped unnoticed down her fair cheeks. Suppressing her sobs, she said, “Sister, so all this time, this is how you've thought of me.”
With that, she dissolved into uncontrollable weeping, her muffled crying carrying through the phone, but Xu Chun felt not a ripple of emotion.
“It's not that I think of you this way,” Xu Chun said flatly. “It's simply the truth.”
Sensing the frequent, concerned glances being cast her way from behind, Xu Chun gradually grew irritated, though she couldn’t tell whether it was because of Yu Sui’an’s crying or her pestering. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
Yu Sui'an just kept crying and said nothing, so Xu Chun hung up. Her mood soured in an instant.
Yu Sui’an’s existence was like a wound that would never heal. Every time Xu Chun thought of it or saw it, it ached dully. That pain deepened or eased depending on Yu Sui’an’s every move, and Xu Chun couldn’t ignore it.
Xu Chun didn't have any feelings for Yu Sui'an, but every time Yu Sui'an dragged up this kind of nonsense, it still got to her—as if the other woman was constantly reminding her that even if some things were in the past, even if they weren't something she had personally experienced, they would still cling to her like maggots to bone, impossible to shake off.
And sooner or later, she herself would come to a bad end.
Xu Chun wanted to live with a positive outlook and face this world; she wanted to ignore all this messy nonsense. But she couldn't be sure: did people conquer fate, or would this world sooner or later correct the plot no matter how hard she tried, rendering all her efforts futile?
She couldn't help caring.
An ordinary person could draw a tarot card and stew over a bad result for ages. Imagine someone like her, whose plot had already been firmly decided.
In that moment, Xu Chun's mood sank to rock bottom.
She lowered her head, expression grim. Just then, a shadow fell over her, and Xu Chun instinctively looked up. Qin Yao stood beside her, a tenderness and concern in her gaze that was easy to miss. Just by standing there, without doing anything, she could make a person feel utterly at ease; more than half of all her negative emotions simply melted away.
Xu Chun opened her mouth to say her name, but Qin Yao cut her off quietly. “Ask the director for a leave of absence today. Take half a day off.”
Though phrased as a suggestion, her tone brooked no argument. Xu Chun thought for a moment, then gave a small nod. It wasn't as if she could refuse to take leave anyway. So many people had come all this way just to visit her on set; if she didn't show them some courtesy, she really would be ungrateful.
Every person who’d come today was someone others would beg and plead just to share a meal with.
Thinking of the scene to come, Xu Chun couldn’t help pulling a smile uglier than crying. What profound good fortune it was to raise a glass with so many big shots at once.
Xu Chun quickly asked the director for leave and booked a private room at a nearby high-end hotel. Since Xu Chun had taken leave, He Qingli had no scenes to shoot either, so Xu Chun dragged her along to eat. When He Qingli first heard the invitation, she tried every way she could to refuse, but in the end she couldn't escape Xu Chun's clutches.
So she immediately adopted the same mournful expression as Xu Chun, and even after entering the hotel and taking her seat, she still couldn't figure out why someone as young as her had to suffer all this.
With He Qingli for company, Xu Chun's mental pressure dropped sharply; and when Jiang Zhaolie pushed open the door and came in, she relaxed even more, quickly ushering Jiang Zhaolie to sit down.
When something felt off, Jiang Zhaolie assumed a demon was behind it and instantly went on high alert.
Everyone at the table today was someone rarely seen under normal circumstances, let alone seated at the same table for a meal. Xu Chun called the waiter and ordered the restaurant's deluxe set meal, determined to serve all these big shots food and drink until they were thoroughly comfortable tonight. But they didn't seem particularly interested in the food; each of them was rather keen on the wine at hand.
Even someone as ascetic in Xu Chun’s mind as Qin Yao had picked up a wine glass and was chatting softly with Zheng Jinchan beside her. Xu Chun pricked up her ears and caught the gist of their conversation, which was nothing more than business matters.
That was fine too; Xu Chun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as their attention wasn't focused on her, it was all good.
But soon, Jiang Banxia came over. She politely asked He Qingli if she might move over a seat. He Qingli, who had occasionally drawn the scrutinizing looks of several big shots simply by sitting beside Xu Chun, had long wanted to get far away from her, so at Jiang Banxia's request she nodded without a second thought. “Of course.”
Then, under Xu Chun's watchful gaze, she shifted one seat over at lightning speed.
Xu Chun's face twitched. What a fine example of a fan who forgets all friendship at the sight of beauty.
Jiang Banxia seemed to have come purely to catch up; she didn't bring up anything else during the meal. But Xu Chun was rather curious about her family situation and asked casually. Jiang Banxia was briefly silent, then said, “There's nothing to hide. Lately my father and I have been fighting over control of the company.”
With that, she raised her glass and took a small sip, her gaze calm and unchanging. “After my mother fought and argued with my father, she ultimately compromised for my sake.”
Her voice dropped very low. “She’s such a proud, face-conscious person. Before, just to outdo the other relatives’ children, she would have loved to tie me straight to Zheng Yanran’s bed. But now she’s quieted down too, perfectly silent, no arguing, no fuss.” Jiang Banxia looked away. “She’s afraid that if she makes too much of a scene and angers my father, I’ll end up with nothing.”
“She doesn't want my father to divide everything in the family among those illegitimate sons and daughters.”
Jiang Banxia lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, lips pressed together. “Actually, if it were up to me, I’d rather she divorced him. At least then she’d get every last thing that’s rightfully hers.”
But as things stood, her power in the company had long been hollowed out by her father, and he'd swindled away more than half the shares in her hands. Now she clung to a weak, pitiful remnant while others looked on and laughed. Jiang Banxia didn't want her mother to imprison her own life in the name of love, nor did she want her mother to endure humiliation and hardship for her sake.
She wanted her mother to cut that man loose cleanly and take her rightful money to live freely and happily.
People fight for dignity and trees for bark, but her mother was probably most unwilling to accept defeat.
After all, no one could have imagined that a husband who had shared her bed and been a loving couple with her for so many years would have long ago kept illegitimate sons and daughters on the side—all so that one day they could marry into other families, bring him more and better benefits, and even help him and the entire Jiang family climb another rung.
So her father had never treated them as his children, not her and not the other illegitimate children. They had always been nothing but pieces in his hands, mere bargaining chips.
Jiang Banxia’s lowered lashes trembled slightly. Xu Chun felt inexplicably distressed listening to this and couldn’t help wanting to grab her hand and offer a few words of comfort, but the moment she reached out, she instinctively pulled back and said instead, “Is there anything I can help with lately?”
“Not for now.” Jiang Banxia snapped back to attention at her words, reined in her feelings, and a faint smile rose on her face. “But it should be soon.”
“All right. When the time comes, just say the word. I’ll climb a mountain of blades or wade through a sea of fire for you without hesitation.”
Jiang Banxia couldn't help but laugh at that. Looking into Xu Chun's sincere eyes, she didn't know why, but in front of this person it seemed she didn't have to worry or think about anything; her whole being was in a relaxed state that made her feel very comfortable. Although being with Xu Chun couldn't change reality, this brief ease and joy still made her unable to stop sinking into it.
And this feeling was especially strong in front of the current Xu Chun.
It was as if her subconscious was telling her the other person was utterly harmless, so she could trust her completely and confide in her.
This feeling was familiar. Jiang Banxia thought carefully, then suddenly found a precise descriptor in her vocabulary, “friend to women.”
She swept her gaze over the various important figures at the table and decided this term suited Xu Chun perfectly.
Young as she was, she knew how difficult it was to get on good terms with so many prominent figures and have them remember her whenever they had a spare moment. It was harder than reaching the heavens.
So over the years, just how many people had Xu Chun flirted with?
One second Jiang Banxia had looked downcast; the next, she'd changed entirely, narrowing her eyes and staring at Xu Chun with a rather dangerous look. Xu Chun immediately shivered and couldn't help but let out a “?”
Seeing her complete confusion, Jiang Banxia wallowed in gloom for a moment, but soon cheered up. She herself had barely weathered any storms or setbacks and already felt so relaxed and at ease beside Xu Chun. People like Qin Yao, Zhao Ciying, and Zheng Jinchan, who schemed daily and matched wits with old foxes, must have felt even more comfortable around her.
So she really couldn't blame Xu Chun. After all, when a warm, radiant little sun appeared beside anyone, they would subconsciously want to draw near and hold on to her.
But this still made Jiang Banxia deeply jealous.
She hated that she wasn't strong enough yet.
Her eyes flickered slightly. After a moment of silence, when Jiang Banxia raised her eyes again, her gaze was completely different—as if she'd suddenly figured something out in an instant and matured all at once.
Jiang Zhaolie, who had been closely watching the two of them, paused mid-drink and unconsciously rubbed her brow. She was about to keep watching when she noticed Qin Yao’s gaze on her from across the table. Jiang Zhaolie silently withdrew her own gaze, her heart full of complicated feelings.
Mom seemed to be watching Xu Chun more and more closely lately; the importance she placed on Xu Chun had even, at times, surpassed her own—as if her attention was fixed on the other person at every moment. For a moment, Jiang Zhaolie couldn't decide whether she should be jealous of Mom first or jealous of Xu Chun first.
She felt dazed, her head swimming; she couldn't quite sort out this relationship.
With Qin Yao present, Jiang Zhaolie didn't dare stare at Xu Chun anymore, lest she draw Mom's death glare again.
Feeling glum, she picked up a glass of wine to down it in one go. Just then, the phone in her coat pocket buzzed. Thinking it was a client, she pulled it out instinctively, and only when her eyes focused did she see the caller ID read Yu Sui’an.
Her first reflex was to hang up, but the moment her finger was about to touch the screen, Jiang Zhaolie stopped and changed her mind.
She wanted to see just what tricks her former crush was up to now.
Gently pushing back her chair, Jiang Zhaolie took her phone and walked out of the private room to a deserted corner. Pressing Answer, she asked in a less-than-friendly tone, “What do you want?”
Yu Sui’an had just finished crying over Xu Chun’s cold attitude and merciless words. Her voice still carried a nasal tone. “Zhaolie,” she called softly, still wearing that same gentle, delicate, fragile manner as before. “Are you busy right now? I’m feeling awful. Could you keep me company for a chat?”
Jiang Zhaolie wasn't falling for that anymore. She had seen Yu Sui'an's true face completely, so she said without thinking, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Then she added, “I'm very busy right now; I don't have time to listen to you ramble.”
The person on the other end seemed angered by her; a full six or seven seconds passed before she spoke again. “Zhaolie, I was wrong before. I was fooled by someone's scheme to sow discord, which is why I did so many bad things to you. Now I'm apologizing to you, and I hope you won't hold it against me.”
“Will you forgive me?”
The more Jiang Zhaolie listened, the deeper her frown grew, until in the end her deeply knitted brows could have crushed a fly to death. Her patience ran out, and she couldn't help asking coldly once more, “Yu Sui'an, what exactly do you want?”
“Just say what you have to say, or I'll simply hang up.”
Yu Sui'an choked up again; only after a long while did she speak softly. “Can we go back to how we were, Zhaolie?” Her voice came out tearful. “Can we still do the things we love together like before, and be each other's confidantes?”
“Or, if you're willing, our relationship could go a step further.”
Even as she said it, Yu Sui'an felt disgusted, but thinking of the resources behind Jiang Zhaolie and her agent's persuasion, she could only suppress her true feelings and humble herself before Jiang Zhaolie. As long as Jiang Zhaolie still had feelings for her, as long as she hadn't completely forgotten her, she could use her to make a comeback and become a match for Zhao Ciying.
By then, no matter how great the grudge between her and Zhao Ciying, Zhao Ciying wouldn't be able to do anything to her.
Because who was the backer behind Jiang Zhaolie? Qin Yao.
Lately Qin Group had made quite a splash thanks to the variety show. Even her agent had said that as long as she could attach herself to Jiang Zhaolie and reach Qin Yao, she’d never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life. What was there to doubt?
The agent's family background was already, in Yu Sui'an's eyes, top-tier.
If Qin Yao's family was even more powerful than the agent's... Yu Sui'an couldn't help but feel her heart race, deeply tempted.
So even though she didn't like Jiang Zhaolie, Yu Sui'an would listen to her agent and earnestly win Jiang Zhaolie back. After all, this big blockhead Jiang Zhaolie was much easier to fool than that old fox Zhao Ciying.
In front of Jiang Zhaolie, Yu Sui'an was at least ninety percent confident.
After all, some people always trip over the same rock. Since she'd handled Jiang Zhaolie once before, surely she could handle her a second time—because Jiang Zhaolie was the type to get hot-headed and simple-minded in matters of the heart.
Jiang Zhaolie was utterly baffled; she couldn't figure out what Yu Sui'an was after now.
Was Yu Sui’an after the benefits that came with Jiang Zhaolie’s status and position? Sure, Yu Sui’an had provoked Zhao Ciying a while back. Who else could she turn to if not Jiang Zhaolie?
It wasn’t that Jiang Zhaolie couldn’t help her. Getting involved was simply unnecessary.
Most importantly, after the way Yu Sui'an had cursed her out so viciously before, she still had the nerve to come asking to get back together? It was already generous that Jiang Zhaolie wasn't taking the chance to give her a good scolding or two. So Jiang Zhaolie answered without hesitation, “Impossible.”
“There is absolutely no way we're getting back together.”
Yu Sui’an was somewhat surprised, but she could accept it. After all, she hadn’t expected to succeed on the first try. Still, she needed to know Jiang Zhaolie’s reason. “Why?”
“Don't you like me anymore?” she asked, disappointed.
Wasn’t that obvious? Jiang Zhaolie was rendered speechless by the question; only after a long while did she speak. “Are you trying to do what I did and recognize Xu Chun as your stepmother?”
This time it was Yu Sui'an's turn to be baffled: “?” Recognize her sister as her stepmother? What kind of development was this?
She stayed silent, and Jiang Zhaolie, perhaps out of schadenfreude and for reasons she couldn’t quite name, uncharacteristically explained patiently, “You don’t know that Xu Chun is currently involved with my mom? From the way things are progressing, I’d guess they’ll be official within a couple of days.”
Yu Sui'an finally understood what Jiang Zhaolie meant, but she couldn't understand it. “Then why don't you stop them? Are you really willing to just watch her throw herself into another woman's arms?”
Gritting her teeth, she wished she could swap souls with Jiang Zhaolie and then do everything in her power to stop Xu Chun from getting together with Jiang Zhaolie's mother.
Ending up with her former almost-mother-in-law? What kind of joke was that supposed to be?!
But Jiang Zhaolie looked utterly unconcerned. “Why should I stop them? Isn't it great to have one more stepmother and one more share of motherly love?”
Yu Sui'an fell into a bizarre silence for a long while, and in the end Jiang Zhaolie managed to anger her so much her chest ached. “You're saying that to spite me. I don't believe it.”
“Jiang Zhaolie.” She called her name softly and gently. “If you insist on angering me like this, then I too will resort to any means necessary. I will definitely marry into your family.”
Jiang Zhaolie couldn't help but: “?”
“You’re such a pervert. How are your tastes even heavier than mine? At least I’m my mom’s daughter, so recognizing Xu Chun as my stepmother is out of necessity. But you’re an outsider. For no reason at all, you insist on joining our family and recognizing three complete strangers as your mothers, then waiting on them hand and foot. Is there something wrong with your head?”
“Yu Sui'an, do you not have a mother of your own?”
Jiang Zhaolie couldn't help but give her a scolding, then suddenly realized something and instantly hung up on Yu Sui'an.
She wasn't trying to curry favor with Jiang Zhaolie and get back together so Jiang Zhaolie could step in and solve her predicament at all! She was clearly trying to steal her three shares of motherly love!
Try to steal her mothers? Not a chance!