Chapter 24: It’s my job to take care of her
Jì FánxÄ«ng even asked her father, why has Third Uncle kept his marriage status hidden all these years, even keeping his child a secret from the public? What’s the reason?
Her father said, “Why are you asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I’m not Jiang Jingyuan.”
As for why it’s been hidden for so many years, only Jiang Jingyuan himself knows the real reason. Outsiders can only speculate.
As someone in the industry, Jì FánxÄ«ng had heard even more of the various true and false rumors about ZhÅng Zhuóhuá than the netizens.
Some rumors were so detailed and vivid, and all discussed by people in the know around her. After hearing so much, it became hard for her to tell which of the scandals were true and which were not.
She asked her father, “Did Third Aunt really get in between Third Uncle’s relationship back then?”
Her father replied, “Nonsense! Jiang Jingyuan didn’t even know ZhÅng Zhuóhuá when he broke up with Yang Jiayuan. How could she have interfered?”
She was very curious as to how her father knew so clearly.
Her father hesitated for a long while before saying, “They… I was the one who introduced them.”
So how could he not know?
It turned out her father met ZhÅng Zhuóhuá early on at a business event on Hong Kong Island. Because her mother liked ZhÅng Zhuóhuá’s movies, he specially asked for a signed photo.
At that event, the two of them had a great conversation.
Later, her father and Jiang Jingyuan were invited to attend a private dinner on Hong Kong Island, and ZhÅng Zhuóhuá happened to be present.
Her father said, “I really didn’t know there was anything more between them.”
Even if there was something romantic between a man and a woman, that was normal. But the fact that they secretly married and had a daughter truly shocked him.
She teased her father, “Third Uncle kept it from you so well. Looks like he doesn’t truly love you, only Teacher Yu.”
Her father gave her a slap on the head.
As for Yang Jiayuan’s recent situation, her father said he wasn’t very clear, only that at the time of the breakup, Jiang Jingyuan found it hard to move on.
She still had a bunch of questions, but her father found her annoying and hid in his study.
After that, she came to Jiangcheng on a business trip. The whole afternoon was so busy she didn’t even have time to check her phone.
When she finally opened Weibo, she saw that Third Uncle had actually made a high-profile appearance on set and even treated the entire Crew to afternoon tea.
Just when she was lamenting that there was nowhere to gossip, ZhÅu Shíyì called her and said ZhÅng Yì was also in Jiangcheng.
Without a moment’s delay, she grabbed her bag and rushed over.
Jì FánxÄ«ng sighed to ZhÅng Yì, “I still can’t believe Third Uncle suddenly became so high-profile! I’m not used to it.”
ZhÅng Yì smiled lightly and said, “I’m the same as you.”
She had imagined countless ways her parents might go public, but never expected her father to appear at the Crew at such a critical moment.
What was even more surprising was that after wrapping up, he walked to the car holding her mother’s hand.
She pushed the other plate of pan-seared bass across the table:
||For you
ㄙㄙ
Jì FánxÄ«ng didn’t stand on ceremony, eating as she chatted, “My dad was actually the matchmaker for Third Uncle and Third Aunt.”
“So coincidental?” ZhÅng Yì was surprised. @æ é好æ,å°½å¨ææ±æå¦å
“Who says it’s not? We really are fated, aren’t we? I’ve known your husband since I was little.” Jì FánxÄ«ng clinked glasses with her. “And my favorite celebrity grew up in the same Town as you.”
ZhÅng Yì just smiled faintly, not knowing how to continue the conversation.
“How long are you staying in Jiangcheng?” She changed the subject.
“I’m leaving tomorrow. I have dinner with Du tomorrow night. I’ll come back again on the day of the concert.”
“Du?”
“Yeah, the Vice President of Kuncheng Motors. I’m hoping he can introduce me to Lù Chéng.”
Jì FánxÄ«ng put a piece of fish in her mouth. “I have my eye on a script. I’m planning to buy it and get Lù Chéng to direct.”
Of course, that was just a lovely fantasy. Who knows when she’d ever get to work with Lù Chéng.
The next morning at 7:30, ZhÅng Yì was woken by a phone call.
“Are you up? I’m in the downstairs restaurant.”
The man’s deep voice sounded as if he was right beside her ear.
“Not yet.” ZhÅng Yì opened her eyes, not as sleepy as before. “Give me five minutes.”
ZhÅu Shíyì hung up, crossed his legs, propped his head up, and closed his eyes to rest.
Last night, he’d been restoring data until two in the morning, still without success.
He had no choice but to email Níng QuÄ.
Since he’d sent it so late, she hadn’t replied yet.
Just as he was thinking about it, his phone rang. Níng QuÄ was calling back.
ZhÅu Shíyì took a few sips of coffee and picked up the call.
Níng QuÄ joked, “I’m flattered. Is there actually something you can’t handle?”
ZhÅu Shíyì smiled and said, “Plenty.”
“Alright. I’ll give it a shot.” Níng QuÄ decided she’d just be pitching in again, since she’d once been a witness. “But don’t get your hopes up too high.”
“Thanks.”
“Why so polite all of a sudden?”
Níng QuÄ wasn’t about to directly ask why he and ZhÅng Yì broke up back then, but with ZhÅu Shíyì, there was nothing to hide. “What’s really up with you two? You were fine, then suddenly you just split.”
“There were a lot of reasons.” @æ é好æ,å°½å¨ææ±æå¦å
“No wonder you two are a couple—even your perfunctory answers match word for word.” Níng QuÄ still couldn’t figure it out.
“ZhÅng Yì had a boyfriend back then, and you didn’t even mind. You cared about how they were getting along.”
Back then, ZhÅu Shíyì had asked her indirectly about how ZhÅng Yì was doing, how she was getting along with her boyfriend, and whether he treated her well.
Níng QuÄ said, “I just can’t think of anything that would make you two not see each other for three years.”
“It wasn’t any one thing,” ZhÅu Shíyì said. “It just built up over time.” He changed the subject. “Are you going to do it remotely, or should I have someone send you the laptop?”
“Send it here. I don’t have time to recover it during work hours, still have to do work for Kuncheng Motors.”
Mentioning the Kuncheng Motors project, Níng QuÄ’s head hurt. If only ZhÅng Yì would take over, she wouldn’t be this busy. Now, every day was full of things to do.
She carried her cup of freshly boiled water to the fridge, held the phone with her shoulder, freed up a hand to open the fridge, and pinched a few goji berries from a sealed jar to toss into her cup.
So young, yet already on the road to wellness.
She used to advise ZhÅng Yì to compromise in relationships, to keep things balanced. Now, the chance had come, and it was her turn to advise ZhÅu Shíyì.
“ZhÅng Yì told me, if you actively approached her about taking on the project, she’d consider it.”
Closing the fridge door gently, Níng QuÄ added to the phone, “Her exact words, not one off.”
ZhÅu Shíyì said nothing.
Waiting for her to make a concession on something important—how hard was that.
With the other side silent, Níng QuÄ could only sigh.
Both of them were impossible to persuade.
***
When they were straightforward, they were really straightforward, but when neither wanted to back down, nothing would budge them.
“If you two keep this up, with neither willing to take a step back, how are you supposed to live together? Isn’t it just going to end?”
ZhÅu Shíyì finally spoke. “It’s not like we have to compete over every little thing in private life. Taking care of her is what I should do.” He changed the
subject. “Are you at the office?”
“I didn’t leave last night, slept at the office. Already had breakfast.” Níng QuÄ sat down at the computer, opened her inbox, and the mountain of unread emails made her head ache.
She changed tactics to persuade him. “Put it this way: if ZhÅng Yì takes three months off, it’s like Zhan Liang taking three months off. Now you know my pain, right?”
ZhÅu Shíyì couldn’t relate.
Even if Zhan Liang was on vacation, there was still the whole President’s Office to hold things up.
Níng QuÄ said, “Enough chatting. Talking to you two, I’m the one who’ll die of frustration in the end.”
Not long after the call ended, ZhÅng Yì came downstairs, still sleepy-eyed.
ZhÅu Shíyì ordered Hong Kong-style Afternoon Tea. He used to not understand why a girl who grew up in Jiangnan would love Hong Kong-style Afternoon Tea so much.
Now he understood—it was because of her mother.
He glanced at her, “Didn’t sleep well?”
ZhÅng Yì took a few sips of warm water. “Jì FánxÄ«ng didn’t go back until the middle of the night.”
“That late?”
“Yeah. We just talked and talked until it was midnight.”
She picked up her chopsticks and started eating breakfast.
Only when she bit into a Shrimp Dumpling with its thin skin and springy shrimp filling did she feel that now, there was nothing left to say between them.
Before they broke up, they could talk about anything.
He’d even told her about his parents’ marriage—how both had someone else in their hearts before marriage, but married each other because their families were well-matched.
“How’s the Shrimp Dumpling?” ZhÅu Shíyì saw she was eating absent-mindedly and asked with concern.
ZhÅng Yì nodded, “Very authentic.”
ZhÅu Shíyì asked, “Have you ever been to the Gymnasium in Jiangcheng?”
“No.”
“After breakfast, I’ll take you to have a look.”
The concert on April 9th would be held there.
If fully opened, it could hold fifty thousand people.
She’d never been to anyone’s concert before, so she had no concept of the seats.
ZhÅu Shíyì told her, “The Box Seat is far from the stage. Go check it out and see where you want to sit.”
ZhÅng Yì said, “I’ll just sit in the Box Seat.”
ZhÅu Shíyì said, “Don’t worry about me. Since you’re going, don’t leave any regrets. You might not get another chance like this.”
After finishing the Shrimp Dumplings on her plate, ZhÅng Yì picked up another one, insisting, “Wherever you sit, I’ll sit.”
ZhÅu Shíyì didn’t push her anymore. “Where do you want to go after breakfast?”
He had nothing scheduled today and could spend the whole day with her.
ZhÅng Yì thought for a moment and said, “I want to go play with Chén Chén.”
“You want to play with a one-year-old?”
“No—” Can’t I?
She realized her tone was a bit sharp and quickly stopped, “Being with kids is fun.”
ZhÅu Shíyì stopped discussing it with her, “I’ll take you to Hong Kong Island for afternoon tea.”
“Won’t it delay your work tomorrow?”
“It won’t.”
@æ é好æ,å°½å¨ææ±æå¦å
In the morning, they were still eating Hong Kong-style Afternoon Tea in Jiangcheng. By three thirty in the afternoon, ZhÅng Yì was already feeling the sea breeze by Victoria Harbour.
The restaurant confirmed their arrival time and prepared her favorite Chestnut Matcha Cake in advance, adding some red beans according to her preference.
ZhÅu Shíyì didn’t eat desserts, just ordered a glass of wine.
ZhÅng Yì cut a small piece of cake and looked across the table, “Want to try?”
The man gestured for her, “You eat.”
During their relationship, ZhÅu Shíyì didn’t know about her family background.
What he heard most about was her simple life in the Town, so every time he took her to a high-end restaurant, if there was anything special on the menu, he would order two servings, and always ate first.
It was only much later that she realized he was worried she wouldn’t know which utensils to use, or the order of eating, so he would go first and subtly show her.
And not all those dishes were to his taste.
Back then, he was careful to save her face in every way, even when she drank afternoon tea or ate snacks—if she offered him something, he’d always try a bite, whether he liked it or not.
Of course, now he didn’t try it because he didn’t want to get too close.
ZhÅu Shíyì looked at her quietly eating cake. “What do you think about when you’re not talking?”
ZhÅng Yì said, “I’m thinking about how to get along with you after marriage.”
ZhÅu Shíyì hadn’t thought much about this issue, but no matter how they got along, he’d never be like her father-in-law and mother-in-law, having a child first to tie the knot.
When he and ZhÅng Yì took their second wedding photos, the condom broke during the intense night, leaking a little inside.
Even then, he never thought about using a child to smooth things over or tie them together—let alone now.
ZhÅu Shíyì told her not to overthink it. “Just let it happen naturally.”
ZhÅng Yì wanted to say, if things just go with the flow and neither of them takes the initiative, then how is that different from a marriage of convenience?
Though technically theirs was also a marriage of convenience, at least they had feelings for each other—it was different.
Because ZhÅu Shíyì had work to attend to, they returned to Jiangcheng at noon the next day.
In the days after, they only saw each other a few times in passing.
ZhÅu Shíyì was busy with company matters, while she took advantage of her vacation to relax, taking Chén Chén out on boat rides in the Town every day.
She found being with Chén Chén more fun than being with him. Chén Chén would wrap his arms around her neck and whisper endless secrets.
Unknowingly, it was already the day before the concert, which was also the day Kuncheng Motors would officially announce their brand ambassador.
Recently, ZhÅu Shíyì had been busy with Kuncheng Motors’ Overseas Market strategy and had no time to handle other details.
At seven in the morning, Zhan Liang called to report the arrangements. The official announcement was set for ten o’clock.
ZhÅu Shíyì asked, “Have you placed the Opening Screen Advertisement on all platforms?”
Zhan Liang replied, “Yes. All day today.”
ZhÅu Shíyì paused for a moment. “Tomorrow is Lù Chéng’s Touring Concert. Run the Opening Screen Advertisement on all platforms for another day.”
Zhan Liang couldn’t quite figure out the boss’s intention and asked, “President Zhou, do you want to adjust the ad copy for tomorrow?”
ZhÅu Shíyì was silent for a moment.
He still remembered what wish ZhÅng Yì made on their first New Year’s together seven years ago.
That night, the two of them waited in a street-side restaurant from a bit after nine until midnight.
When the clock struck midnight, she made a wish.
He asked her what she wished for.
At that time, they were only a little more familiar than strangers, so she had no reservations and answered honestly.
“I hope he can go from being unknown to being cheered by crowds.”
“I also hope that one day, he’ll realize his dream of holding a Touring Concert as a singer.”
“Your ex-boyfriend is a celebrity?”
“Not yet.”
Pulling his thoughts back, ZhÅu Shíyì instructed Zhan Liang, “Change the ad copy to: ‘Kuncheng Motors wishes Lù Chéng a successful Touring Concert, and may his star path shine bright, blooming with flowers all the way.’”
Zhan Liang said, “Understood, I’ll take care of it right away.”