A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 22

Few people knew that Ji Chenli had two birthdays. Aside from her parents, who had been buried for many years, only one person knew: Tao Yuan. Ji Chenli had once thought about telling Ming Lang, but at first, she could never find the right timing, and later she simply gave up on the idea. Following Tao Yuan’s death, Ji Chenli gradually stopped celebrating her birthday altogether, let alone telling others about it.

The birthday on her ID card was today, at the end of December, in the dead of winter. In reality, this was a blunder her father had made when registering her household residency. In those days, the internet systems weren’t as developed as they are now, and clerical errors were common. For instance, Ji Chenli had a primary school classmate whose parents named her Li Shan, but the police officer typed an extra character, turning it into Li Shanshan.

Ji Chenli’s name wasn’t messed up, but her birth date was. She was actually born at the end of February, when winter turns to spring—the most vibrant time of year. However, the officer’s hand slipped while entering the date and added a “1,” turning it into a day in the depths of winter. Consequently, Ji Chenli’s official age became nearly a year younger. She had heard this story from her parents when she was very small.

Back then, when her memories were just beginning to form, her parents were street vendors selling breakfast. Ji Chenli remembered that life was quite bitter, but they were very happy. Her father loved to crack jokes to make her mother laugh, though he was a bit unreliable in his affairs. Her mother often teased him about the mistake with Ji Chenli’s birthday. At those times, her father would pull Ji Chenli onto his lap, kiss her tiny face with his stubbly chin, and laugh heartily: “Being younger is good! It’s like our Chen-chen got to steal a bit more time than everyone else. Isn’t that right, Chen-chen?”

Ji Chenli would giggle from the tickling, not understanding what her parents were saying but laughing along anyway. In that small rental room of less than ten square meters, every corner was filled with laughter.

Later, when Ji Chenli entered the industry and began acting, all her official profiles used the incorrect birth date from her household register. No one else remembered her real birthday besides Tao Yuan.

Whether people remembered or not wasn’t a big deal. Ji Chenli didn’t have many fans; even if there were a few so-called “true love fans,” what they liked wasn’t Ji Chenli herself, but a self-satisfying image they conjured up using her face. So, the only person truly willing to celebrate her birth into this world, as far as Ji Chenli could think, was Tao Yuan.

“Today is your birthday,” Ji Chenli heard Ming Lang say.

So her footsteps paused. She turned to look at this beautiful, tall woman who was almost impossible to find fault with. This woman used a fake date that anyone could find with a simple web search to tell her, with an air of claiming credit, that she remembered her birthday. She even tried to celebrate it as if the day Ji Chenli came into this world was truly a magnificent event for her.

Ji Chenli felt like laughing. She wondered what had been wrong with her in her past life to give seven years of her life to a person who clearly didn’t have her in her eyes at all.

And so, Ji Chenli really did laugh. She laughed until she was doubled over, clutching her stomach which ached from the exertion, and thanked Ming Lang: “It must have been hard for you to remember my birthday. Thank you.”

Ji Chenli’s excessive laughter and gasping for breath were completely unexpected for Ming Lang. She stood there at a loss, feeling as though she had done something wrong, yet she didn’t know what it was. Feeling a bit embarrassed and annoyed, she wanted to ask Ji Chenli why she was laughing, but she didn’t even know how to frame the question. She could only say with a stiff face, “Stop laughing.”

Ji Chenli truly wiped the expression from her face. The emotion in her eyes faded as her gaze met Ming Lang’s. In that moment, Ming Lang suddenly felt that Ji Chenli resembled her—a version of herself she hadn’t recalled in a long time: young, cold, and still holding some longing for the future.

“Ming Lang, today is my birthday. Is there a birthday present?” Ji Chenli suddenly asked.

Ming Lang touched her overcoat pocket. Inside was a small, hard box. She had originally intended to give the item inside to Ji Chenli as a birthday gift, but she suddenly felt it was beneath her now. She had thought the item might move Ji Chenli, but it seemed now that the only person moved was herself; presenting it to Ji Chenli would only be self-humiliation.

“No,” Ming Lang shook her head. “What do you want? I’ll make it up to you next time.”

“You’ll agree to whatever I want?” Ji Chenli asked.

Ming Lang nodded, then thought for a moment and added: “Except for a divorce.”

Ji Chenli smiled. This person truly didn’t leave a single loophole. “Then I’ll take a promise.”

“What promise?”

“Promise to answer one question. You absolutely cannot lie.” Ji Chenli laughed as soon as she finished. “Of course, whether you lie or not is something only you would know.”

“What question?” Ming Lang asked again.

“I haven’t thought of it yet. I’ll tell you on the day we divorce.”

“Alright.”

Everyone in the crew knew it was Ji Chenli’s birthday. The pastry chef Ming Lang brought made a giant three-layer cake, vulgarly sprinkled with rose petals. Seeing the “we know what’s going on” expressions on everyone’s faces made Ji Chenli’s face turn dark.

In the end, the cake wasn’t really eaten; most of it was wasted in a cream fight. Ji Chenli actually felt quite bad about it—such a big cake! If she took it back to share with the kids at the orphanage, they’d be happy for a week! These wicked rich people!

The crew celebrated all day, only stopping after midnight. Although Ji Chenli’s physical body was still young, her psychological age wasn’t; she couldn’t keep up with these kids’ rowdiness. However, as the protagonist of the night, she had a few too many drinks. Dizzily, she was supported back to the hotel by Feng Cai, where she collapsed directly onto the soft bed, too lazy to even wash.

“Sister Chenli, I’ve drawn the bath for you. Take a bath before you sleep, or you’ll definitely catch a cold tomorrow.” Feng Cai tried to pull the buried Ji Chenli up to bathe.

“Don’t move… let me… let me sleep…” Ji Chenli brushed away Feng Cai’s hand, murmuring into the bed.

“But…”

Ji Chenli felt the world spinning and couldn’t think. Feng Cai’s voice was a booming noise in her ear that kept her from sleeping. With her eyes closed, she begged: “Good Xiao Cai… just let me sleep a bit… I’m tired…” Her voice gradually trailed off as her breathing became even.

“Sister Chenli…” Feng Cai stood helplessly by the bed. Listening to Ji Chenli’s steady breathing, she had no way to deal with the person who had already fallen asleep.

Just as she was at her wit’s end, there was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” Feng Cai asked.

“It’s me, Ming Lang.”

Hearing it was Ming Lang, Feng Cai’s expression relaxed immediately. She opened the door with a sigh of relief to let Ming Lang in. “Thank heavens, President Ming, you’ve finally come.”

“Chenli drank too much tonight. I had some hangover soup made for her,” Ming Lang said. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Sister Chenli.” Feng Cai looked with a long face at Ji Chenli, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. “She refuses to bathe no matter what I say. How can she sleep well without a bath?”

Ming Lang placed the hangover soup on the low cabinet by the bed. “It’s fine. You go ahead.”

“Really?” Feng Cai brightened up. “Exactly! It’s much more convenient for you to take care of Sister Chenli, President Ming. Hehe, then you two take your time… ahem, take your time building your feelings. I’m leaving!” Fearing Ming Lang might regret it, Feng Cai exited and closed the door in one smooth motion, vanishing before Ming Lang could even react.

Feng Cai’s thoughts were quite simple. She had been with Ji Chenli for two years and had seen everything. Others might not know about Ji Chenli’s feelings for President Ming, but how could Feng Cai not know? They had finally achieved a result—married with a legal relationship. Although President Ming seemed indifferent to Ji Chenli before the wedding, making Feng Cai worry, she now saw that President Ming actually cared quite a lot. Feng Cai’s heart finally settled back into her chest. As the saying goes, “even an honest official finds it hard to settle family matters”; their business as a couple should be left for them to solve. Feng Cai was just a small manager and didn’t dare interfere in the President’s family affairs.

After Feng Cai left, Ming Lang sat beside Ji Chenli. She didn’t wake her up, but simply watched the person sleeping soundly on the bed in silence.

Ji Chenli had been the star of the dinner and was toasted repeatedly. While Ming Lang had blocked most of it, she still had several glasses. Her cheeks had an unnatural flush, and her lips were stained with a bright moisture, like cherries covered in dew, parting and closing with her breath. Ming Lang stared at those wet, bright lips for a long time, feeling the hotel’s air conditioning was a bit too high; it made her throat feel parched.

Heaven knew how much Ming Lang wanted to hold Ji Chenli. She had endured for so long—so long that a lifetime could not make up for it. She just wanted to tie Ji Chenli and herself together with a rope and never separate for a lifetime. But Ji Chenli wasn’t willing; she wanted nothing more than to hide far away, as far as possible, preferably never to see her again.

“Chenli…” As if afraid of startling her, Ming Lang leaned down very gently and slowly. Her chest pressed against Ji Chenli’s shoulder blades as she draped her entire upper body over Ji Chenli’s back. Their faces touched as she greedily inhaled the faint scent of alcohol on Ji Chenli, closing her eyes and letting out a satisfied sigh. “Chenli…”

“Xiao Cai, stop it…” Ji Chenli was deeply asleep. Thinking it was Feng Cai playing a prank, she waved her hand to brush away Ming Lang’s face and mumbled.

Ming Lang didn’t dare to breathe. She braced her hands at Ji Chenli’s side until she confirmed Ji Chenli was talking in her sleep. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Her courage grew; holding Ji Chenli and pressing against her, she still felt unsatisfied. So, she gently lifted Ji Chenli’s chin and leaned in to kiss those moisture-stained lips.

The sweet, slippery sensation and the faint scent of alcohol finally gave Ming Lang’s parched heart some nourishment. She lost control a bit, desperately drinking in the flavor of Ji Chenli’s mouth. Only the faint sound of sucking remained in the air.

Ji Chenli couldn’t breathe. She let out a miserable groan and, in her daze, raised a hand and slapped Ming Lang across the face with a crisp crack. Ming Lang froze, and only then did she snap back to her senses.

Ming Lang felt she had overestimated her own tolerance for alcohol; she had drunk too much and could no longer control her emotions.

“Chenli, congratulations! From now on, we’ll have to call you Movie Queen Ji. Come, finish this glass first!”

A glass of wine was handed over from somewhere. Ji Chenli’s vision was a blur, and she couldn’t see who was toast her. She didn’t care who it was; she clinked her glass with the person, tilted her head back, and let the pungent, stinging liquid slide down her throat.

She didn’t know how many glasses she had already had. Her footsteps were unsteady, and her stomach was filled with burning alcohol; a slight movement seemed to produce the sound of sloshing liquid. She shook her head a few times to clear it, squinting and smiling an apology at the blurred figure before her: “Director Liu, s-sorry… everyone keep drinking… I’m going to… fix my makeup…”

As she spoke, Ji Chenli felt around to pull out her chair. Wearing high heels, she was tripped by the chair leg and twisted her ankle, falling to the floor. The people at the banquet broke into cheerful laughter, and Ji Chenli laughed along with them. She used the wall to stand up and staggered out of the private room, hiding in the restroom.

Ji Chenli sat on the toilet for a long while before the alcohol’s effects receded slightly. She fished her phone out of her wallet. It was fifteen minutes before midnight. The call she had waited for all day never came. Ji Chenli didn’t have high expectations that the person would proactively call, but since there was truly no movement, she still felt an inexplicable disappointment.

Her stomach, filled with too much wine, throbbed with pain. A wave of nausea welled up in her throat, and she vomited the wine out completely. She felt a bit better, though her stomach still cramped in waves; at least it was better than the sloshing feeling from before, and her dizziness wasn’t as severe.

Today was the most glorious day of Ji Chenli’s life—Best Actress. Holding that shining little golden statue in her hands, its weight was heavy. Her work phone had almost exploded with calls; people she knew and didn’t know were all calling with congratulations. But on her private number, aside from a call from Tao Yuan in the morning, there had been nothing until now, with the day almost at an end.

Ji Chenli felt a bit hopeless. She wondered if she had made a mistake in the beginning. How much longer would these days without hope have to last before they ended?

Almost no one knew today was Ji Chenli’s birthday, but almost everyone knew today was Han Xinyuan’s birthday.

Han Xinyuan was popular in the circle. Almost everyone in the industry attended her birthday banquet. Ming Lang was there too. It was much livelier than Ji Chenli’s celebration. The two banquets—one in the east of the city and one in the west—did not interfere with each other, and no one dampened anyone else’s spirits.

Ji Chenli sat in the restroom for ten minutes. At 23:59, she finally couldn’t resist dialing that number. Eleven digits—a reflex action that required no thought; the numbers appeared naturally on the screen. Ji Chenli pressed the call button. The phone rang twice, and finally, a sweet, mechanical female voice came through: “I’m sorry, the user you have dialed is busy. Please try again later. Sorry…”

Refusing to give up, Ji Chenli redialed. This time the call ended even faster; it rang only once before being cut off, not even giving Ji Chenli time to react.

The throbbing in her stomach became more frequent. Ji Chenli dialed a third time, but this time the phone was turned off directly.

So decisive, Ji Chenli thought with a smile.

Then she thought again: What’s so decisive about it? Ji Chenli, you brought this on yourself.

Right up until the final second before midnight, Ji Chenli never received a single birthday wish from Ming Lang. The time on her phone jumped to a brand new day. Ji Chenli looked at the bloodless woman in the mirror, bared her pale teeth, and smiled: “Ji Chenli, happy birthday.”

“Even though today is no longer your birthday.”

“Life is still long, Ji Chenli. If you are good to her, she isn’t made of stone; she will know.”

“She may not love you, but she knows you are good to her, and that is enough.”

But Ji Chenli covered her face with both hands. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold on. She was already a bit tired. Why had no one told her that loving someone was this exhausting?

The banquet lasted until the middle of the night. Ji Chenli returned home drunk. Only a single dim floor lamp was lit in the mansion, which didn’t provide much illumination in the dark; instead, it added an eerie atmosphere. The entire house was asleep. The butler, waiting dutifully at the door, opened it for Ji Chenli with a complain.

“Oh my, how did you end up coming back so late? Miss Ji, it’s not that I’m lecturing you, but you are the Mistress of the Ming family. Our Miss’s status and position are right there; for you to be out all day showing your face with those shady characters… how does that look?”

The butler was a veteran of the Ming family. He had been the butler since the generation of Ming Lang’s father, Ming Guangwen, and had looked after two generations of the family head. He considered himself half a Ming and maintained an air of ownership in front of others, though he was quite dedicated to the family. Ming Lang knew of this quirk of his and never said much.

The butler had always looked down on Ji Chenli. If it weren’t for this “poor ghost” who appeared halfway, Ming Lang should have married an outstanding man of equal status—a powerful alliance to lead the Ming family to new heights, rather than becoming the laughingstock of City C’s elite as she was now. What a joke—a woman actually married another woman, and a shady one at that. Tsk tsk. With that thought, the butler looked at the drunken Ji Chenli with even more contempt. “Miss Ji, the Ming family has its rules. If you do this next time, you might as well sleep on the street. Why even come back?”

Ji Chenli was used to his mockery and didn’t care much. She simply leaned against the doorframe and smiled drunkenly, asking, “Is Ming Lang back?”

“Miss has been asleep for a long time. she doesn’t get a moment of peace all day, worrying about things inside and outside the house. Miss Ji, I advise you to behave yourself. The Ming family gives you plenty of money; what more do you want?”

“Hehe… n-nothing much…” Ji Chenli puffed out alcoholic breath and gave the butler a fawning smile. “You go to sleep. Sorry for the trouble…”

The butler was satisfied with Ji Chenli’s respectful address. He straightened his suit collar, raised his chin, and said, “Walk lighter in a bit. Miss is a light sleeper; don’t be thoughtless and disturb her.”

“I know, go on… go on…”

After seeing off the sarcastic butler, Ji Chenli used the wall for support as she staggered upstairs. Her room was at the end of the hall to the left after going up the stairs, but after going up, she turned right. She leaned against Ming Lang’s study door and began knocking on it intermittently.

Ji Chenli knew Ming Lang was inside. They had slept in separate rooms since their marriage. Ming Lang’s master bedroom was very close to Ji Chenli’s bedroom, but she had simply stopped returning to the master bedroom altogether, packing a few clothes and setting up a bed in the study.

“Ming Lang… Ming Lang, open the door…” Ji Chenli called out in a drawn-out tone. She was very drunk and her pronunciation was unclear, but her tone was very long. “Ming Lang… why didn’t you answer my phone… open… open the door…”

She slid down against the door until she was sitting on the floor, her cheek pressed against the wood, murmuring to herself. “Ming Lang… just see me, okay… I miss you…”

“I… I miss you…” Ji Chenli gave a “hehe” laugh, which turned bitter in her mouth. “I stewed your favorite… mutton soup… that stuff… hehe… tastes terrible…”

She leaned against Ming Lang’s study door and laughed to herself. As she laughed, her drunkenness took over, and she fell into a daze, eventually sleeping against the door. After an unknown amount of time, the study door actually opened. Ji Chenli snapped awake. Ming Lang stood in the doorway against the light, her expression unreadable in the glare. “What are you doing here?”

“Ming Lang… hehe…” Ji Chenli raised her hand, wanting to hug Ming Lang’s leg, but Ming Lang took a step back to avoid her. Ji Chenli’s center of gravity shifted forward and she fell to the floor. Her forehead hit the solid wood floor with a dull thud, yet she didn’t seem to feel the pain. She hurriedly scrambled into Ming Lang’s study as if afraid Ming Lang would kick her out, sitting cross-legged on the floor and refusing to leave.

“I’m so happy just being able to see you.” Ji Chenli sat on the floor, laughing foolishly. “Ming Lang, I’m so happy today.”

“Ming Lang, today is Han Xinyuan’s birthday, isn’t it? Hee hee, don’t try to lie to me. I saw the cake the chef made for her. It actually had rose petals on it… so beautiful… it must be delicious too…”

“Ming Lang, did you save a piece of cake for me? I… I want to eat cake too…”

“Ming Lang, will you also say happy birthday to me? I’m begging you…”

Ming Lang deigned to squat beside Ji Chenli, her brow furrowed in disgust. “Ji Chenli, what trick are you playing now?”

“None… no tricks…” Fearing Ming Lang wouldn’t believe her, Ji Chenli shook her head desperately, her head almost shaking off her thin neck. “Really none… how could there be a trick… I have no tricks… do you… do you still need bone marrow? Ming Lang, take my bone marrow! Go save Han Xinyuan! Will you… will you look at me for just a second…”

Ji Chenli’s only chip was that her bone marrow was a partial match for Han Xinyuan’s. Now that Han Xinyuan was better, what tricks could she possibly play?

Ming Lang said, “Ji Chenli, why have you become like this?” This drunkenly humble and timid state was nothing like the bright, cheerful Ji Chenli she first met, nor like the decisive and brave woman who negotiated using Han Xinyuan’s life as a chip. In such a short time, she had turned into a version that Ming Lang looked down upon.

But Ji Chenli didn’t answer her. She only smiled bitterly and murmured, “Ming Lang, will you also wish me a happy birthday? I’m begging you…”

Ji Chenli’s entire face was flushed red from the alcohol, even her eyes were red. She stared straight at Ming Lang. “Ming Lang, how did I become like this?”

Ji Chenli touched her own cheek, her eyes widening in disbelief. “How did I become like this? Why am I so bad?”

She stared with wide eyes as tears leaked through her fingers. “I didn’t want Han Xinyuan to die… I’m not that bad… how could I be that bad…”

She grabbed Ming Lang’s arm and asked her as if for help: “Ming Lang… Han Xinyuan doesn’t love you… why don’t you look at me…”

“Ming Lang, love me just a little bit, okay…”

Ming Lang gave a ruthless, decisive smile. One by one, she pried open Ji Chenli’s fingers. Then, Ji Chenli watched as the person grew further and further away from her.

“Ming Lang, don’t go—” Ji Chenli started to run forward to chase her, but no matter how she ran, she couldn’t catch up. She knelt in the darkness, her head lolling on her neck, neurotically repeating those words.

“Will you also love me just a little bit, okay?”

“Just a little bit is enough.”

“Why won’t you look at me?”

“Wish me a happy birthday…”

Ji Chenli looked up. In the infinite darkness, it suddenly began to rain.

Ming Lang carried Ji Chenli to the bathroom.

The bathwater Feng Cai had drawn earlier was already a bit cool. She sat on the edge of the tub and let Ji Chenli sit on her lap, her head resting on her shoulder. Then, she drained the cold water and refilled the tub with hot water. She removed Ji Chenli’s clothes and slowly lowered her into the tub.

Ji Chenli’s skin was very white, showing a nearly translucent, warm texture in the water—like a piece of meticulously carved jade. Ming Lang had never seen Ji Chenli’s body before. Seeing it for the first time today, she felt possessed, greedily wanting to touch every inch of her skin.

Just as her hand touched Ji Chenli’s body, Ji Chenli suddenly moved. Her legs in the bathtub twitched, followed by her lips parting and closing slightly to emit a few unclear syllables. Ming Lang leaned in to listen, but Ji Chenli said nothing more.

Ming Lang let out a sigh. Using a loofah with some body wash, she worked up a lather and gently washed Ji Chenli. It was her first time serving someone like this, yet she was surprisingly adept, even holding Ji Chenli’s shoulder to prevent her from sliding into the water.

Ji Chenli was restless in her dream, tossing and turning in the tub. Ming Lang had no choice but to hold her in her arms. Her wool sweater was mostly wet and uncomfortable to wear, so she simply took it off, leaving only her white shirt. Consequently, Ji Chenli’s naked body was pressed into Ming Lang’s embrace with almost no barrier. Ming Lang, facing the sleeping person in her arms, began to feel her thoughts stray again.

Ming Lang wanted to touch her, to hold her, and to do the intimate things they had never done before. Ming Lang regretted the time she had wasted. She couldn’t help but hold Ji Chenli tighter, wanting to kiss her. But Ji Chenli’s chin was resting on Ming Lang’s shoulder, and she suddenly voiced a question—humble and hopeless. She said: “Will you also love me just a little bit, okay?”

The voice was so small and weak that Ming Lang could only hear it because she was so close. Consequently, her indecent stirrings were suddenly extinguished by a bucket of cold water. She held Ji Chenli, feeling that her body was a bit cold.

Ming Lang didn’t know what Ji Chenli was dreaming about, but it likely wasn’t a happy story; otherwise, why would she repeat only those few lines in her sleep?

Ming Lang rinsed the bubbles from Ji Chenli’s body, wrapped her directly in a large bath towel, and carried her back to the bedroom. Ji Chenli had suffered a serious illness recently and her body hadn’t recovered well. She wasn’t fat to begin with, and her stomach had always been poor; aside from the bit of fat on her waist from sitting too much, she was actually quite thin. For someone of her height, Ming Lang didn’t find it difficult to carry her.

Ming Lang placed Ji Chenli on the bed and tucked her in. She heard Ji Chenli murmuring again in her sleep: “Why am I so bad?”

“I didn’t want Han Xinyuan to die.”

“Wish me a happy birthday.”

She kept her eyes closed, her brow deeply furrowed. Her eyes moved back and forth under her lids, and her legs twitched a few times before returning to calm.

The cycle repeated.

Ming Lang held Ji Chenli, quilt and all, in her arms. Her lips pressed against the hair at her temple as she sighed: “Chenli, you aren’t bad.”

But Ji Chenli couldn’t hear. she just blamed herself—blamed herself for being so bad, or asked Ming Lang to wish her a happy birthday.

“Happy birthday,” Ming Lang said. “Chenli, but you no longer want to hear me say those words.”

Ming Lang remembered how much Ji Chenli used to like her; the way she looked at her was almost like worship. If she even slightly curled her lips at her, Ji Chenli would be happy for a day. Before they were married, Ming Lang quite liked this friend who was a bit younger than her. Sometimes Ming Lang would visit Han Xinyuan on set and take a detour to see her. The moment Ji Chenli saw Ming Lang, her whole being would brighten up, her eyes curving into crescents—like a little sun that could melt even an iceberg.

But now, Ming Lang could no longer find her own reflection in Ji Chenli’s eyes. The way she looked at her was full of annoyance and impatience; her gaze was colder than Ming Lang’s. There was no sun left.

Ming Lang couldn’t even gauge Ji Chenli’s emotions now. She was so much older than Ji Chenli. Ji Chenli had wanted her so badly to celebrate a birthday for her; Ming Lang did so, yet Ji Chenli’s expression looked like she was mocking. Ming Lang didn’t even know what she was mocking.

“Will you also love me just a little bit, okay?”

Ming Lang heard Ji Chenli say this in her dream.

She sighed with a bitter smile. “Chenli, now it is you who is unwilling to love me anymore.”

“Not even a little bit.”

“I brought this on myself.”

Ji Chenli woke up feeling very tired. She had dreamt repeatedly—likely because she was forced to have a bizarre birthday celebration—and her dreams were all about what happened on that birthday. It made Ji Chenli so angry she wanted to pull that stupid woman out of the dream and slap her twice.

Begging, begging, begging—begging for what? If someone doesn’t love you, they just don’t love you. What’s the use of throwing yourself at them?

I was too young back then… Ji Chenli lamented. Honestly, the fact that love can’t be eaten for a meal is something you can’t truly realize without some life experience. Fortunately, she had learned her lesson.

Besides, what she had with Ming Lang couldn’t even be called love—it was just one-sided sycophancy.

Having such a suffocatingly bad nightmare, combined with a hangover, Ji Chenli felt awful. Her head felt like it was exploding when she woke up in the morning. She saw she was wearing clean pajamas and assumed Feng Cai had changed them for her, so she didn’t pay much attention. She walked barefoot into the bathroom to look in the mirror. The person inside had two large dark circles under her eyes and a face that looked completely unlucky. Ji Chenli gave the mirror a middle finger and secretly cursed Ming Lang several times in her heart.

She finished washing her face and brushing her teeth and was about to put on a mask to see if she could save the dark circles when there was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Ji Chenli had just finished washing her face. She dried it with a towel and shouted.

“Sister Chenli, are you awake? I’ve brought you breakfast!”

Hearing it was Feng Cai, Ji Chenli said, “Wait a second!” She dried her hands and strode to the door to open it.

“Hey Sister Chenli, how was last night?” Feng Cai squeezed in and began gesturing suggestively. Ji Chenli looked bewildered. “How was what? Oh right, Xiao Cai, I have to thank you. You were the one who got me back last night, right?”

“I was the one who got you back, that’s true, but…”

Ji Chenli’s face changed. “But what? Did someone else enter my room?”

Feng Cai saw Ji Chenli’s expression and knew things were going south. She gave a nod so small it was almost imperceptible. “Yes…”

Ji Chenli asked with a furrowed brow, “Who?”

“Who else could it be? President Ming, of course! Would I dare let an outsider into your room? Am I that unreliable?”

Ji Chenli was so angry she slapped Feng Cai on the forehead. “I’ve never met anyone more unreliable than you! And you call yourself my manager! How did I end up with a manager like you…”

Feng Cai clutched her forehead, feeling quite wronged. “How was I supposed to know? Sister Chenli, aren’t you the President’s wife? Besides, you used to like President Ming so much, and now she’s finally paying attention to you. They say a day apart is like three autumns; you haven’t seen each other for so many days—that’s a lot of autumns! I… I was doing it for your own good…”

“You!” Ji Chenli was so angry she wanted to hit her again. Feng Cai hurriedly clutched her head and hopped several steps back, almost out the door. Ji Chenli let out a sigh and asked, “Then you were the one who changed my clothes, right?”

“What… what clothes?” Feng Cai looked blank.

“The pajamas! The ones I’m wearing!” Ji Chenli roared.

“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me!” Feng Cai waved her hands frantically in denial. “Heaven and earth can witness! Sister Chenli, you and I are absolutely pure! How would I dare do that? If the President found out, she’d skin me alive…”

“Feng. Cai.” Ji Chenli gritted her teeth.

“Huh?”

“I think I’ve met a fake manager.”

Hearing this, Feng Cai immediately grabbed Ji Chenli’s leg. “Sister Chenli, I was wrong! Please don’t fire me! It’s not easy for me to earn a living—I have elders and more elders waiting for me to make it big…”

“Fine, enough nonsense.” Ji Chenli’s head throbbed from Feng Cai’s chatter. “Get out of my sight right now. Seeing you makes me dizzy.”

“Okay, okay, okay! I’m vanishing right now!” Feng Cai scrambled away. As she ran, she was quite confused—she thought she had done something good; why did Sister Chenli seem unhappy?

Ji Chenli sat on the bed with a headache. Since Feng Cai didn’t change her clothes, it could only have been Ming Lang.

“Oh god…” Ji Chenli wailed.

Even when she and Ming Lang were on the best terms, it was only a “sharing a meal” relationship. How did they end up naked in front of each other for no reason? How could she face anyone now?

Ji Chenli was annoyed for a while. She was too lazy to even put on a mask and went out with the dark circles under her eyes, looking like everyone owed her money.

Ji Chenli forgot—there was only one star-rated hotel nearby. The director, leads, and other important crew members all stayed here. As an investor, Ming Lang naturally stayed here as well.

So when she went to the restaurant for breakfast, she happened to run into the sisters Ming Lang and Ming Yan eating. Ming Yan’s eyes were sharp; as soon as she saw Ji Chenli, she waved. “Sister-in-law! Over here!”

The few people in the restaurant turned to look. To avoid drawing more attention, Ji Chenli quickly grabbed two plates of food and walked over.

“Ming Yan, morning.” Ji Chenli sat down and gave an embarrassed smile.

Ming Yan laughed when she saw her. “Whoa, Sister-in-law, what happened to your eyes? Didn’t sleep well?”

“Huh? …Oh! I had insomnia last night.”

“What a coincidence! My sister was out all night for some reason. She came back with a very clear palm print on her face. And now you say you had insomnia… this…” Ming Yan rested her chin on her hand, her eyes darting between Ji Chenli and Ming Lang, her gossip-loving mood plain to see.

“Go to the set once you’re full,” Ming Lang said flatly.

Ming Yan was a coward in front of her sister. As soon as Ming Lang spoke, she quickly grabbed a pastry and fled. “Then you two take your time. Sister, Sister-in-law, I’m going!”

Ji Chenli took the opportunity to glance at Ming Lang. There was indeed a palm print on her face. It wasn’t as exaggerated as Ming Yan said; it was very faint and required a close look to see. However, its presence on Ming Lang’s face was startling enough.

Could it be… I did that while I was dreaming?

Ji Chenli was uncertain. What a mess—who can I even talk to about this?

After thinking it over, she thought resentfully: It’s all Xiao Cai’s fault. That slip of a girl is so unreliable!

Feng Cai was huddling in an unknown corner eating a bun and drinking soy milk when she suddenly sneezed.

She wiped her nose and shivered. Being a manager is hard. Being the President’s wife’s manager is harder. Being the manager for a temperamental President’s wife is the hardest of all…