A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 15

There were still plenty of things to handle at Tao Yuan’s orphanage, so she couldn’t stay with Ji Chenli forever. Once Ji Chenli finished her meal, Tao Yuan packed up and left. Ji Chenli was still very weak; after playing with her phone for ten minutes, she lay back down to take a nap.

However, after lying down, she found she couldn’t sleep. Her body lay flat and unmoving, but her eyes wandered around the room, taking in every detail of the ward before she let out a faint, cynical smile.

Fate truly loved to play tricks. This very ward was the same one she had stayed in before she died in her previous life. The hospital was really negligent—not a single thing in the room had changed in seven years. How monotonous.

Ji Chenli rarely got sick; in her past life, she could count the number of times she’d been hospitalized on one hand. The first time, her parents died. She was young then, and the details were blurred, but she remembered that hospitals were bad places that stole her parents’ lives. The second time, Tao Yuan died. They didn’t even have time to push her into the operating room; she was sent straight to the morgue. Ji Chenli followed her in, and her only memory was how cold the hospital was—cold enough to freeze a person to death. The third time, she was diagnosed with cancer. Her fingertips turned white the moment she received the report. She was terrified and wanted someone to lean on, but there was no one. She returned alone in a daze to that massive “home” that held only her; even saying “I’m back” would result in an echo.

The last time—the final time she entered the hospital—the one who died was Ji Chenli herself. Her loved ones had left one by one, and finally, it was her turn. Ji Chenli felt she must have been born under a jinxed star; anyone she touched met with misfortune. Look at Ming Lang—she avoided Ji Chenli like the plague and lived a life of spirited success and smooth sailing. No wonder people said she could maintain such a massive family business; she was simply smarter than the average person.

The ward was as luxurious as a presidential suite in a hotel. Ordinary people couldn’t get in here, even with money. Ji Chenli knew this was likely Ming Lang’s arrangement, but she stayed there without a care, feeling no gratitude for Ming Lang’s cheap charity. After all, the state she was in was thanks to Ming Lang’s “good friends” and “good sister.” Even if Ming Lang hadn’t ordered it personally, she bore indirect responsibility. With a luxury ward to stay in and high-end nursing care, and since Ming Lang was being sensible enough not to harass her, she might as well stay. Besides, her nose was blocked, so she couldn’t even smell the disinfectant.

Ming Lang, however, did not take well to being praised. That afternoon, Ji Chenli had just commended her for being sensible and staying away, only for the woman to show up by evening.

The weather was freezing now that winter had arrived. Ming Lang entered the ward carrying the chill from outside. Ji Chenli was sleeping soundly, but even under the quilt, she felt the cold. She shivered with her eyes closed and burrowed deeper, leaving only the top of her head exposed.

Ji Chenli sensed someone entering. Assuming it was Tao Yuan, she didn’t care and intended to sleep a while longer. However, the person’s hand began to toy with her hair, disturbing her rest. Ji Chenli swiped at the hand on her head and said with a nasal voice, “Sister… stop it… let me sleep a bit…”

The word “Sister” was spoken with such familiarity and intimacy, tinged with a bit of spoiled willfuless. Ji Chenli didn’t notice anything wrong, but Ming Lang paused. The small movement of stroking her hair stopped.

Ming Lang withdrew her hand, and her lips seemed to curve ever so slightly. Her features softened considerably as she whispered by the bedside, “Sleep, then.”

The voice reached Ji Chenli’s ears without missing a syllable. Her whole body jolted. She snapped her eyes open, threw back the quilt, and sat up. “What are you doing here?”

Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, and she stared at Ming Lang warily with a furrowed brow. Her entire body was tense, like a porcupine raising its quills. Ming Lang locked eyes with her for a moment; the slight upward curve of her lips flattened, and the softness in her eyes vanished, replaced by a dark, deep gaze that made it impossible to read her thoughts.

“How is your body?” Ming Lang asked. She had already read the medical charts and questioned the doctors thoroughly before entering, but she wanted to hear it from Ji Chenli’s own mouth to feel at ease.

But Ji Chenli would not grant her wish. She didn’t answer and asked again, “Why are you here?”

She maintained her defensive vigilance. Ming Lang frowned at her for a long time, the last trace of gentleness disappearing. “To see you.”

“I’m fine. Please leave.” Ji Chenli answered, her eyes darting absently toward the door. Tao Yuan had said she would bring dinner when she left at noon. It was almost time for the meal; she couldn’t let her run into Ming Lang. Tao Yuan’s temper was even more explosive than Ji Chenli’s; if they actually met, a fight would surely break out. Getting Ming Lang to leave now was the priority.

Ming Lang was not pleased. “You dislike me that much?”

Ji Chenli was focused on the door, but she laughed at Ming Lang’s words. she shot her a sarcastic glance. “I’m in the hospital thanks to your sister and your old flame. If someone threw you into the water in the middle of winter, would you like them?” Ji Chenli thought to herself: It’s a good thing it’s me; anyone else wouldn’t be chatting with you so calmly. They’d be chasing you out with a broom.

Ming Lang was silent for several minutes. She lowered her head and said, “I’m sorry.”

Ji Chenli was instantly dumbfounded. Her mouth hung open as if she’d seen a ghost. Who was Ming Lang? She was someone people usually bowed and scraped to. But what had Ji Chenli heard today? “I’m sorry”? After the shock, Ji Chenli actually found it amusing. Tsk tsk, the great President Ming actually has moments where she apologizes to others. Had she known, she would have recorded it to show everyone.

Ignoring Ji Chenli’s astonishment, Ming Lang continued, “I have already punished Ming Yan and Xie Qinglan. Ming Yan is young and ignorant…”

Ji Chenli interrupted with a sneer, “She’s two years older than me.”

Ming Lang fell silent. Her subsequent words got stuck in her throat, and she swallowed them down. Her eyes darted around and her fingers rubbed against each other restlessly; she looked quite at a loss. After a long time, she mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

Three dry words. Besides these three words, Ming Lang seemed to have nothing else to give Ji Chenli.

Ji Chenli curled her lip and clutched her chest. “If you truly feel sorry, then give me some peace. Leave now, and don’t come back.” Her chest had felt nearly better before Ming Lang arrived; now, under this agitation, it felt more painful than before.

Even if President Ming had uncharacteristically apologized, she was still the same Ming Lang—not someone Ji Chenli could order around. She sat by the bed, motionless. Checking the time, she said, “Are you hungry? Let’s eat.” She moved to lower the overbed table.

Ji Chenli said hurriedly, “No! I’m not hungry. President Ming, just leave. Stop bothering me!”

Ming Lang gave her a strange look and sat back in her chair. “Are you expecting a guest?”

Ji Chenli denied it flatly: “No!”

Ming Lang didn’t believe her. “Is it Tao Yuan?”

Ji Chenli simply stopped answering. She turned her face away, giving Ming Lang the back of her head. After a long silence, she heard Ming Lang give a soft laugh. “The entrance is full of my people, Ji Chenli. Do you really think Tao Yuan can get in?”

“You!” Ji Chenli’s heart tightened. She whipped her face back around and glared. “If you dare hurt Tao Yuan, I’ll fight you to the death!”

Ming Lang stared at her silently for a moment, then suddenly stood up and walked to the bedside. She grabbed Ji Chenli’s wrist and pinned her against the headboard, her nose nearly touching Ji Chenli’s. Ming Lang’s stray hairs brushed against Ji Chenli’s neck, and even her breath was filled with Ming Lang’s scent.

Ji Chenli tried to struggle, but she was still ill and very weak. She couldn’t break free. Ming Lang said, “In your current state, how exactly do you plan to fight me to the death?”

Ming Lang’s nose was pressed against Ji Chenli’s. Their faces were so close that she could see the fine, pale down on Ji Chenli’s cheeks clearly. Ji Chenli’s eyelashes fluttered uneasily, and her pale lips were slightly parted. Ming Lang brushed against her cheek; the skin felt smooth and supple. She tilted her head, unable to resist wanting to kiss Ji Chenli’s lips.

“Don’t move.”

Just as she was about to touch Ji Chenli’s lips, a voice rang in her ear. She felt a cold, hard object pressed against her neck. Ming Lang didn’t even have to look to know what it was.

While Ji Chenli’s right hand was restrained, her left hand—the one originally hooked to the IV—was holding a five-centimeter-long fruit knife against Ming Lang’s throat. Her hand still had the IV needle in it, and blood was beginning to flow back into the tube; that segment of red in the line looked quite terrifying.

Ji Chenli had asked Tao Yuan for this fruit knife when she left, just as a precaution. She hadn’t expected it to come in handy so soon.

Even with a knife at her throat, Ming Lang did not panic. She only frowned slightly when she caught a glimpse of the IV tube. “Ji Chenli, your hand.”

“Don’t act hypocritical!” Ji Chenli bared her teeth and said sharply, “Ming Lang, sign the divorce papers today and we’re done. Otherwise, no one gets out of this well!”

Ming Lang gave a contemptuous smile and said leisurely, “Chenli, do you really think I’m afraid of death?”

“I know you’re not, and I’m even less so!” The knife in Ji Chenli’s hand almost sank into Ming Lang’s neck. “Are you signing or not?”

Ji Chenli truly didn’t want to waste any more time with Ming Lang. She had already wasted a lifetime, and she was starting to doubt if Ming Lang’s promise to divorce after the movie would be kept. With someone like Ming Lang, Ji Chenli had no chips to gamble with. She had to seize every opportunity to force her submission.

But Ji Chenli forgot: for someone like Ming Lang, forcing submission was no easy task.