A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 13

In the morning, the Ming family rarely had the chance to gather for a meal. Ming Lang’s mother, Wen Yuxiu, spread strawberry jam on her bread while saying, “A-Lang, your sister has been kneeling in the ancestral hall all night. Even if she made a huge mistake, you shouldn’t punish her like this, should you?”

Since Ming Lang’s father, Ming Guangwen, stepped down from his position, he had stopped interfering in the family business. He spent his time traveling the world with his wife. Furthermore, because Ming Lang had insisted on marrying Ji Chenli against his wishes, Ming Guangwen remained bitter; he had left the country before the wedding even took place. He had only returned from Australia yesterday. Before his seat was even warm, he saw Ming Yan return home with a stiff face and head straight into the ancestral hall to kneel without saying a word of greeting.

Wen Yuxiu had a difficult labor when she had Ming Yan, and because the daughter born of such hardship wasn’t expected to inherit the business, she had always been pampered. Forget physical punishment—Wen Yuxiu had never even spoken a harsh word to her.

Normally, knowing her mother was back, Ming Yan’s reaction would be to grab Wen Yuxiu’s arm and ask what gifts she brought, if Australia was fun, or to demand to be taken along next time. But this time, she hadn’t come to cling to her; she had simply gone to the ancestral hall to kneel in silence. Alarmed, Wen Yuxiu had hurried there to ask what happened, only for Ming Yan to lower her head and eventually mumble, “Go ask Sister.”

Wen Yuxiu hurriedly called her eldest daughter, but the phone was off. Ming Lang didn’t return home until six or seven in the morning.

Fearing Ming Yan would fall ill from kneeling all night, Wen Yuxiu tried her best to persuade her to get up. But Ming Yan had a stubborn streak; she treated her mother’s words like wind past her ears and knelt motionless through the night. She was still there when Ming Lang returned for breakfast.

“A-Lang, Yan’er has had a weak constitution since she was a child. If she gets sick from kneeling…”

Ming Lang was flipping through the morning paper. A page rustled over as if she hadn’t heard her mother’s plea.

Knowing her own flesh and blood, Wen Yuxiu understood her eldest daughter’s personality. Ming Lang had been independent since childhood and was raised to be a successor; once she made a decision, not even eight bulls could pull her back. Seeing that she couldn’t move Ming Lang, Wen Yuxiu turned to her husband for help. He was also flipping through a newspaper—though Ming Lang was reading the financial section and Ming Guangwen was reading the local news. They truly were father and daughter; their posture and the frequency with which they turned the pages were identical.

“Ahem!” Wen Yuxiu coughed to get his attention, but Ming Guangwen remained motionless. In desperation, she gave him a poke.

Ming Guangwen glanced at her from behind his reading glasses, flipped another page, and huffed, “Your daughter is the head of the house now. She has the final say in family matters; I can’t interfere.” He was still sulking over the marriage and shot Ming Lang a glare.

Ming Lang remained indifferent to her father’s angry gaze. She finished the last of her milk, wiped her mouth, and stood up. “I’m full. Enjoy your meal, Mom, Dad.”

“A-Lang! Your sister is still kneeling!” Wen Yuxiu tried to chase after her, but Ming Guangwen stopped her. “They are adults; they’ll solve it themselves. Besides, Ming Lang isn’t unreasonable. Stop worrying blindly.”

“Am I worrying blindly?” Wen Yuxiu snapped. “You know Yan’er is weak! If something happens to her, I’m not finished with either of you!”

Ming Guangwen looked bewildered. “What does it have to do with me?”

With a long face, Wen Yuxiu snatched away his half-finished breakfast and took it to the kitchen. “It wasn’t a piece of meat fallen from your body, so you don’t know how to feel the pain!”

“Xiuxiu! I haven’t finished eating!”

“Eat, eat, eat! That’s all you know!”

Ming Guangwen: “…”

The old man felt wronged, but the old man didn’t say it.

Ming Lang stepped over the threshold of the ancestral hall. Ming Yan was still kneeling before the ancestral tablets. After a night of kneeling, her back had slumped, her weight was resting on her calves, and her head hung listlessly to one side. As Ming Lang approached, she realized Ming Yan’s eyes were closed; the position was clearly uncomfortable for sleeping, as she was even letting out small snores.

Ming Lang nudged Ming Yan’s back with her knee. Caught off guard, Ming Yan pitched forward. Luckily, her reflexes were sharp; she braced herself against the floor with both palms, preventing a face-plant.

“Sister?” Ming Yan rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up straight on the prayer mat. “Why are you here?”

Ming Lang stood over her, looking down. “Do you realize your mistake?”

“I do.” Ming Yan was a pragmatist. Furthermore, she knew her behavior as a sister-in-law had been dishonorable. She lowered her head and murmured, “It was my fault. You left Sister-in-law in my hands, and I didn’t protect her. I even teamed up with an outsider to bully her. She is part of our family; from now on, I will take good care of her and never let anyone hurt her…”

Ming Yan feared nothing except this sister who was only one year older. Pampered by her mother and with her father busy with work, it was Ming Lang who had raised and disciplined her. Consequently, she always held a sense of awe for Ming Lang. Knowing her sister was truly angry, her apology was exceptionally sincere.

Ming Lang looked at her biological sister, unsure of how else to punish her besides the overnight kneeling. Ultimately, the fact that Ji Chenli was bullied was Ming Lang’s own fault.

If it weren’t for Ming Lang’s own contempt for Ji Chenli, if it weren’t for her own indifference—Ji Chenli was her legal partner and half-mistress of the Ming house—how could she have been bullied so badly in a place Ming Lang couldn’t see, without anyone daring to speak up for her?

Those who spend years in the entertainment industry are experts at reading the wind. If Ming Lang had shown even a shred of respect for Ji Chenli, they wouldn’t have dared to be so presumptuous. In the end, it was her own fault. Whether it was Ji Chenli or Ming Yan, Ming Lang was merely punishing others for her own mistakes.

Ming Yan’s excellent attitude left Ming Lang with nothing more to say. The sisters—one standing, one kneeling—fell into silence.

After a few minutes, the butler entered and whispered in Ming Lang’s ear, “Miss, Miss Han has arrived with Miss Xie.”

Ming Lang nodded. “Tell them to wait for me in the side hall.”

After the butler left, Ming Lang said to Ming Yan, “Disrespecting your elder sister-in-law… decide on your own which family punishment to take.” Having said that, she walked out toward the side hall.

Ming Yan watched her sister’s cold back, her face a mix of bitterness and amusement. She never seemed this invested in Ji Chenli before; why the sudden change after the wedding? Based on Ming Lang’s tone, she might have to kneel in the hall for another day. Ming Yan shifted her nearly numb knees and sighed, thinking that women—especially powerful women—are truly fickle.

In the side hall, Han Xinyuan and Xie Qinglan were sitting on the sofa drinking tea. Xie Qinglan had her arms crossed with a cold expression, while Han Xinyuan whispered in her ear. Occasionally, Xie Qinglan would let out a cold laugh, her eyes full of disdain.

“A-Lang, you’re here?” Han Xinyuan, who had been trying to persuade Xie Qinglan, brightened up the moment she saw Ming Lang. She stood up with a smile and tried to take Ming Lang’s arm, but Ming Lang sidestepped her. Han Xinyuan’s eyes dimmed instantly. Xie Qinglan took in the interaction, her face darkening further.

“A-Lang, I brought Qinglan here today to apologize.” Han Xinyuan suppressed her disappointment and forced a smile. “I heard about what happened yesterday. Qinglan was in the wrong. She and I will personally go to apologize to Miss Ji later. Please don’t be angry anymore.” As she spoke, her eyes reddened and tears pooled, making her look pitiable.

Xie Qinglan couldn’t hold back and shouted, “I did nothing wrong, and I won’t apologize! What kind of ‘White Lotus’ is that Ji woman pretending to be now? Where was this act when she used dirty tricks to force you into marriage?”

“Qinglan, shut up!” Han Xinyuan grabbed her arm and scolded her softly, then turned back to Ming Lang anxiously. “A-Lang, Qinglan was indeed wrong this time, but she did it for me. Please… don’t blame her, okay?”

Ming Lang looked at the tearful Han Xinyuan and the indignant Xie Qinglan. Finally, she spoke. “I didn’t say it before, which led to your misunderstanding.”

Han Xinyuan’s heart skipped a beat. Sensing what was coming, she bit her lip and shook her head pleadingly, silently begging Ming Lang not to say it.

But Ming Lang said it anyway. “I married Ji Chenli because I love her.”

The tears in Han Xinyuan’s eyes finally broke, falling in large droplets.

Xie Qinglan bolted toward Ming Lang, gritting her teeth. “What did you say?”

“I love Ji Chenli.”

“Ming Lang, you!” Xie Qinglan clenched her fist, looking ready to punch Ming Lang’s handsome face, but Han Xinyuan stopped her. “Qinglan!”

Xie Qinglan hesitated for a few moments, her neck stiff with rage, before finally relaxing her fist. She turned and threw herself onto the sofa in frustration, refusing to even look at Ming Lang.

Ming Lang’s face remained as calm as ever, her emotions unreadable. She said to Xie Qinglan, “I have already arranged a spot for you to pursue a PhD in directing in the United States, and I have notified the Xie family. You will stay there from now on.”

“A-Lang!” This was too much even for Han Xinyuan. she cried out, “Just for one Ji Chenli, you’re throwing away your friends? Is it worth it!”

Xie Qinglan had just begun to make a name for herself in the domestic film circle; she had won a Best Director award before even graduating. She was currently the most promising new-generation director in the country with an unlimited future. The speed of turnover in the entertainment industry applies to everyone. With her career soaring, if she left now, her domestic network would be ruined. It was notoriously difficult for Chinese directors to break through in the US. As Han Xinyuan and Xie Qinglan had been best friends since university, she couldn’t help but be furious at Ming Lang’s ruthless move to cut off Xie Qinglan’s path.

“Ming Lang,” Xie Qinglan sneered. “Just for an actress. You’re really something.”

She brushed past Ming Lang and left without looking back. Only Ming Lang and Han Xinyuan remained in the hall.

With tears streaking her face, Han Xinyuan choked out a question: “You said you love Ji Chenli… is it true?”