A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 17

Ji Chenli ended up staying in the hospital for over a week. Tao Yuan had children to care for and the hospital was far away; she truly couldn’t manage the constant back-and-forth. Ji Chenli felt bad for her and worried her body wouldn’t hold up, so she eventually chased her back and told her not to come anymore. Feng Cai, on the other hand, visited frequently. The first time she came, she brought a massive collection of containers filled with soups and tonics, claiming she wanted Ji Chenli to properly nourish her body. Having lost her sense of taste during her hospitalization, Ji Chenli had no appetite for anything—except for fragrant, fatty braised pork. Seeing the chicken and bone soups Feng Cai brought only made her less hungry. She secretly begged Feng Cai to buy her some braised pork or sweet and sour ribs, but Feng Cai refused her with righteous indignation.

“That absolutely won’t do, Sister Chenli. The doctor said you must eat light; you can’t touch anything greasy or stimulating.”

“And you’re telling me this pig trotter soup isn’t greasy?” Ji Chenli looked disdainfully at the large piece of white fatty trotter in the bowl and the oil slick floating on the soup. Her eyes darted around as she chuckled fawningly at Feng Cai. “My dear Xiao Cai, won’t you go buy a bowl of braised pork for your sister? I’ll only eat the lean parts, okay? I’m begging you!”

Feng Cai kept a tight lip. “No means no. I’ve been living in fear for over a week since the last incident. If anything else happens to you, President Ming will skin me alive.”

“That’s not likely. My sister likes the type my sister-in-law is; you’re too cute, you don’t fit my sister’s aesthetic.”

As Ji Chenli and Feng Cai were chatting, another voice cut in from outside—a cheerful, rising tone. Ji Chenli and Feng Cai both looked toward the door at the same time and saw a head peeking in. It was a girl with ear-length black short hair, wearing a vest over a T-shirt and jeans so full of frayed holes that there was more skin showing than denim.

The moment Feng Cai saw it was Ming Yan, her face darkened. She instinctively stood in front of Ji Chenli’s bed, on guard. “What are you doing here?”

Ming Yan had essentially been Xie Qinglan’s accomplice at the set last time and had been grounded at home by Ming Lang to “reflect” for several days. She had only been released today. Ming Yan had been sharp since childhood; after a bit of thinking, she realized that this sister-in-law wasn’t as disliked by her sister as it appeared on the surface. Not only was she liked, she was highly valued. Thus, as soon as her grounding was lifted, Ming Yan rushed over with a basket of fruit to “carry thorns and ask for punishment” (apologize profusely).

Upon arriving at the ward, before Ji Chenli could even speak, this little manager had flared up first. Ming Yan was amused. “Hey, aren’t you the girl who took the chance to feel Sister Qinglan’s chest last time?” This incident had happened several months ago. Ming Yan and Xie Qinglan were drinking together when Xie Qinglan let it slip; Ming Yan had hounded her until she confessed and had been teasing her about it ever since.

“Bah! Who would want to touch the chest of a fake director with no professional ethics! That was a misunderstanding!” Feng Cai’s face turned beet red. Finding it entertaining, Ming Yan teased her further: “No wonder Sister Qinglan keeps thinking about you. To be honest, she loves little sisters like you—so fresh and easy to blush.”

“You… you!” Feng Cai was rendered speechless by Ming Yan. Ji Chenli stepped in with a cold face to bail her out. “Enough. Miss Ming, do you have business here?”

Whatever lingering goodwill Ji Chenli had for Ming Yan from her past life had been completely spent at the filming set. To put it bluntly, these wealthy young ladies were all the same; none of them were truly “good” people. Thinking back, Ming Yan had probably only looked at her with pity in the last life—deep down, she still looked down on her.

Ming Yan put on a long face and drawled, “Sister-in-law…”

“Stop,” Ji Chenli interrupted. “Your sister and I are already preparing for divorce. Just call me Ji Chenli.” Recalling something, she gave a cynical smile. “You’re two years older than me anyway. Save the title ‘Sister-in-law’ for Han Xinyuan. I can’t afford that responsibility.”

“Sister-in-law… I was wrong, okay?” Ming Yan squatted by Ji Chenli’s bed, her arms resting on the edge and her chin on the back of her hands. she looked up at Ji Chenli with pitiable, watery eyes. “Sister-in-law, my sister already punished me. If you’re still angry, just give me a beating. I promise I won’t hit back! Truly!”

The outer corners of Ming Yan’s eyes, like Ming Lang’s, slanted downward. Looking at Ji Chenli like this, her eyes were as moist as a puppy’s. She was born with a face that looked naturally pitiable and made one’s heart ache. Ji Chenli made a motion to raise her hand as if she were actually going to hit her. Ming Yan closed her eyes and shrieked, “Don’t hit the face! My fans will be heartbroken!”

Ji Chenli and Feng Cai: “…”

If it weren’t for the fact that the sisters’ facial contours were so similar, no one would believe Ming Yan was Ming Lang’s biological sister.

Ji Chenli’s hand passed over Ming Yan to pick up a mug on the nightstand. She took a sip of water to moisten her throat before saying, “Miss Ming, it’s not a matter of forgiveness or not. We still have to work together for three months; I wouldn’t dare take offense.”

Hearing this tone, Ming Yan knew her sister-in-law was still angry. Her gaze became even more pathetic. “Sister-in-law, you don’t know, my sister made me kneel in the ancestral hall for days. Both my knees are still swollen. If you don’t forgive me, my sister will definitely cripple me… I know I acted like a jerk last time—I am a jerk, okay? If you don’t believe me, I’ll roll on the floor for you…”

Feng Cai couldn’t stop laughing from the sidelines. This second miss of the Ming family was too funny; she talked like a stand-up comedian. However, Ji Chenli’s face remained void of amusement. She said flatly, “Miss Ming, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit. I’m tired. Xiao Cai, show Miss Ming out.”

“Okay,” Feng Cai replied with a smile, then said to Ming Yan, “Miss Ming, Sister Chenli needs to rest. If you would…”

Ming Yan knew there was no hope for today. This sister-in-law of hers was strong-willed; once she made up her mind, she wouldn’t change it easily. Ming Yan’s face was full of sorrow and regret; she hated that she had messed around with Xie Qinglan. Now she didn’t know how to clean up the mess.

“Then Sister-in-law, you rest. I… I’ll come see you next time…” Ming Yan walked toward the door with her head hanging, just as someone else walked in. The person was quite tall. Ming Yan looked up and saw it was indeed her own sister.

“What are you doing here?” Ming Lang asked with a frown when she ran into Ming Yan.

“I… I came to apologize…” Ming Yan was still traumatized from the punishment; she looked at Ming Lang with lingering fear and shrank her neck.

Ming Lang nodded slightly. “What did Chenli say?”

Ming Yan sighed. “I’ll come back another time. Sister, I’ve caused you a big trouble. I’m sorry…”

“Go back. I’ll have the driver take you.”

“No need, I drove myself. Sister, you should stay with Sister-in-law.” Ming Yan started to leave, but after stepping out, she leaned half her body back in. “Oh, by the way, Sister—Sister-in-law said she wants to eat braised pork!”

Ji Chenli: “…” Nobody asked you.

Upon hearing this, the corners of Ming Lang’s eyes curved slightly. She said to Ji Chenli, “The doctor said it takes two weeks for pneumonia to heal. Bear with it for a bit. Once you’re discharged, you can eat whatever you want.”

The chair by Ji Chenli’s bed was originally occupied by Feng Cai. Now that President Ming was here, Feng Cai tactfully yielded the seat to her big boss and quickly slipped out of the ward with a clumsy, “thoughtful” excuse before Ji Chenli could even open her mouth to stop her.

Ming Lang sat by the bed and asked, “You want to eat braised pork?”

“I don’t,” Ji Chenli said with a wooden face. “I’m better now. I want to be discharged.”

“No,” Ming Lang refused without hesitation. Then, perhaps realizing her tone was too harsh, she softened it and asked, “Why are you in such a hurry to leave?”

It seemed that since the day Ji Chenli threatened Ming Lang with a knife, Ming Lang’s attitude toward her had changed. If she used to act with a sense of aloofness and “high coldness,” she was now taking a completely “commoner” route—sending meals, pouring tea, and asking after her well-being. A grand President was acting like a maid from ancient times. Crucially, she was doing it quite skillfully, which made Ji Chenli feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Ji Chenli had asked several times what Ming Lang wanted. Ming Lang always answered quite frankly, “Nothing, I just want to take care of you.”

Faced with such shameless frankness, Ji Chenli was often left speechless and could only watch her diligence with a cold eye.

Seeing Ji Chenli dazing off again, Ming Lang asked once more, “Why the hurry to be discharged?”

Ji Chenli toyed with the mug in her hand. “What else? To film.” Honestly, the movie Out of Reach wasn’t this full of obstacles in her past life. Aside from the mental toll of the role, everything else had been smooth. She really couldn’t understand how things had turned out this way.

“Don’t film it anymore,” Ming Lang said.

Ji Chenli sneered. “The contract is signed. Why shouldn’t I?”

Ming Lang picked a mangosteen from the fruit Ming Yan had brought and began to peel it. She removed the purple-red outer shell, revealing the white, garlic-clove-like flesh inside. She handed the fruit to Ji Chenli and said, “Chenli, if you don’t want to, don’t force yourself.”

Ji Chenli rejected the mangosteen and smiled mockingly. “I want to. Why wouldn’t I? I want to so much it’s killing me. I’m going to film it, and I’m going to film it to award-winning standards. Didn’t you promise me a Movie Queen title? A trophy within reach—I’d be a fool not to take it.” Feeling a chest full of frustration from Ming Lang’s actions these past few days, she added sarcastically, “You said you’d divorce me once this movie is done. I’m waiting. I’ve already prepared the divorce agreement—don’t you dare forget.”

Ji Chenli expected Ming Lang to talk around the subject or brush it off, but to her surprise, Ming Lang affirmed quite seriously, “I never go back on my word.”

Ji Chenli felt a surge of joy. Enduring for three months meant she could rid herself of Ming Lang—she had never made a more profitable bargain in her life. “Then when can I be discharged?”

“When the doctor says so.”

“Fine, I’ll wait.”

However, Ji Chenli stayed in the hospital for another half-week, and the doctor still said no. Ji Chenli began to think the doctor was someone Ming Lang had specifically hired to mess with her. She was muttering to herself when the doctor overheard. The doctor adjusted her glasses, her expression solemn. “Rest assured, I haven’t forgotten the Hippocratic Oath. I won’t give anyone special treatment just because of someone’s orders.”

Finally, a reliable person who didn’t fear authority. Ji Chenli gave the doctor a cheeky grin. “Ma’am, you’ll definitely be a great doctor.”

Then the doctor made a grand stroke with her pen and said, “The patient has fully recovered. She may be discharged.”

Ji Chenli’s eyes lit up. She went back to the ward, changed her clothes, and bolted—disappearing faster than a rabbit.

“…” The doctor and Feng Cai stared at each other. Feng Cai gave an embarrassed laugh. “So… do you have to be the person themselves to handle the discharge paperwork?”

“…” The doctor indicated that in all her years of practice, she had never seen such an unreliable patient.