Taking Advantage of Her Vulnerability [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 5

Once the two entered the bedroom, they were both slightly stiff, looking at one another awkwardly. They had barely seen each other since the divorce; to suddenly find themselves sharing a bed again was a jolt to the system.

Wen Ling was the first to break the heavy silence. She turned to Gu Rongqing and asked, “Do you want to take a shower first?”

Hearing this, Gu Rongqing’s face flushed slightly as she gave a soft nod.

Wen Ling felt a wave of unease at her own words. Why does that sound so much like something you say right before something is about to happen?

Gu Rongqing went to the wardrobe and pulled out some fresh undergarments, picking some out for Wen Ling as well. Since they used to stay here occasionally, Mrs. Gu always kept a supply of clean clothes ready for them. With that, Gu Rongqing headed into the bathroom.

Watching her retreating figure, Wen Ling wondered: How long has it been since we actually slept in the same bed? Initially, it was because of Gu Rongqing’s hectic schedule. Later, it was because Wen Ling herself was unwilling to be near Gu Rongqing due to the Ji Chenxi situation.

Wen Ling felt pathetic. She had been the one to initiate the divorce because of Ji Chenxi’s return, yet here she was, unable to stop thinking about the woman the moment she saw her. She felt like a total “scumbag.”

A short while later, Gu Rongqing emerged from the bath wearing a white camisole nightgown. Wen Ling couldn’t help but notice how long and straight her legs looked. Looking up, she saw the alluring curves of her figure subtly revealed by the silk. Combined with Gu Rongqing’s cold, “abstinent” face, Wen Ling felt like she had regained ten years of youth and was fighting the urge to pounce on her.

Gu Rongqing noticed Wen Ling’s unblinking gaze. Her face, already warm from the shower, grew even hotter.

“Hurry up and go shower~”

The playful, petulant tone surprised them both. Wen Ling’s face turned bright red as she cursed herself inwardly for being a “scumbag” who still lusted after her ex-wife’s body. “I’m going,” she muttered, rushing into the bathroom.

Just as she was about to close the door, Gu Rongqing’s phone rang.

Gu Rongqing answered and called out “Chenxi.” All of Wen Ling’s messy fantasies vanished instantly. She slammed the door shut—out of sight, out of mind.

What she didn’t expect was that the call would still be going on after she finished her shower. As she sat at the vanity applying skincare just a few steps away, Gu Rongqing made no effort to lower the volume or hide the call. Wen Ling could clearly hear Ji Chenxi’s gentle voice calling out “Rongqing.”

She grew increasingly irritated. What exactly is Ji Chenxi’s charm? Back in school, she had watched them together every day, wishing she could be Ji Chenxi. Back then, Gu Rongqing was cold to everyone else, but she always had a certain “warmth” when she was with Ji Chenxi.

Wen Ling was a year behind Gu Rongqing, and Gu Rongqing was a year behind Ji Chenxi. From the moment she started as a freshman, she knew those two were the legends of the school—high beauty, high talent.

And Wen Ling? She was just an invisible “nobody.” She had been attracted to Gu Rongqing from their first meeting, thinking how beautiful the senior was. Even though Gu Rongqing had walked her to her dorm without saying more than a few words, the rumors were everywhere: everyone in school knew they were a couple.

Later, Ji Chenxi went abroad. Wen Ling found more and more opportunities to be by Gu Rongqing’s side, slowly “warming” that cold heart until they started dating, and eventually, married.

Wen Ling used to think that just “having” Gu Rongqing was enough. She wasn’t the type of girl who knew how to act cute or spoiled, but she was a good wife; she did everything she was supposed to do. Yet, she still felt that Gu Rongqing lacked warmth toward her.

The incident that truly froze Wen Ling’s heart happened a few months ago. It was Wennuan’s birthday. They were celebrating together—the cake was ready, the food was set—and then Gu Rongqing got a call from Ji Chenxi and left.

Gu Rongqing explained later that Ji Chenxi had been in a minor car accident and had no one else to call. Wen Ling had simply said “Okay” and stopped the conversation. She thought: Did you have to rush off without even a proper explanation? Nuan-Nuan cried all night, and you didn’t even call once.

“Okay, see you tomorrow. Bye.”

The call finally ended. Wen Ling continued to dawdle at the vanity. Before that phone call, she had been feeling a bit… well, soft. But clearly, she just couldn’t stand the mention of Ji Chenxi.

Wen Ling turned around, crawled onto the bed, and placed her hands on either side of Gu Rongqing’s body, staring at her intensely.

Gu Rongqing grew nervous under the scrutiny, clutching the sheets and scooting back toward the headboard. The more she retreated, the closer Wen Ling leaned in. Her ears were flushed deep red. Just when she thought Wen Ling was about to do something, she heard a question.

“Why did you agree to marry me?”

Before Gu Rongqing could open her mouth, Wen Ling asked another.

“And why did you choose to have Wennuan?”

The air seemed to solidify. Gu Rongqing didn’t answer, and Wen Ling didn’t push. She just stared at Gu Rongqing as if trying to see right through her. Gu Rongqing wanted to answer but didn’t know how. She had accepted Wen Ling’s pursuit in college and they started dating… wasn’t marriage the natural conclusion? Wasn’t having a child after marriage the right thing to do?

After a long silence, Gu Rongqing felt Wen Ling had asked the wrong question. She asked back: “Shouldn’t you be asking why I started dating you in the first place?”

This caught Wen Ling off guard. The strength left her arms, and she sank down to a kneeling position on the bed. Yes… why did we even start dating?

Seeing Wen Ling’s dazed expression, Gu Rongqing suddenly felt the urge to touch her. Her hand reached out instinctively.

Wen Ling flinched, her eyes widening. She searched Gu Rongqing’s face for a sign of something, but saw nothing. She thought: Classic Gu Rongqing. Whatever question you ask, she throws it right back at you, leaving you bewildered.

Wen Ling pulled Gu Rongqing’s hand away, lay down, and stopped talking. Gu Rongqing followed suit. Before long, Wen Ling realized that Gu Rongqing had fallen asleep. She lay there feeling stifled. How can this person be so heartless?

The next morning, the moment Wennuan woke up, she left her grandmother’s room to find her mother. She trotted to Gu Rongqing’s room, pushed the door open, and climbed right into the middle of the bed.

Wen Ling woke up groggily when the child climbed in. Thinking she was in her own home, she reflexively reached out, pulled the body into her arms, and went back to sleep.

After a while, she felt the “Wennuan” in her arms had grown larger. The sensation in her hands was too soft, too comfortable. She squeezed twice… and then felt something was wrong.

Wen Ling snapped awake. She looked down to see herself cuddling Gu Rongqing. What?! How did Gu Rongqing end up in her arms? And her hand was placed… in a very inappropriate place.

Wen Ling covered her face in shame. This was too much. Last night they had been sleeping on opposite edges of the bed, but this must have been Wennuan’s doing.

Yet, looking at Gu Rongqing’s sleeping face, she realized she truly missed this. The “Cold Goddess” actually pouted slightly when she slept, and she would mumble and groan for a bit when she was reluctant to get up. Wen Ling loved those rare moments.

As Wen Ling tried to gently extract her arm from under Gu Rongqing’s neck, the movement woke the actress. A bit grumpy from the interruption, Gu Rongqing grabbed Wen Ling’s collar, pulled her back down, and buried her head in the crook of Wen Ling’s neck…

Wen Ling didn’t dare move. She just let Gu Rongqing hold her.

After a few minutes, Gu Rongqing suddenly bolted upright. She awkwardly brushed her hair back, her face flushing pink. “I didn’t… how did…” she whispered.

Wen Ling rubbed her nose awkwardly. “It was probably Wennuan’s doing.”

“Mhm…” Gu Rongqing looked down, unable to meet Wen Ling’s eyes.

“It’s okay. I’ll go check on her.” Wen Ling scrambled out of bed to escape the awkwardness.

Once she was gone, Gu Rongqing finally exhaled. To her surprise, she felt a lingering sense of attachment to the feeling of being in Wen Ling’s arms.

Wen Ling eventually found Wennuan in the garden, squatting down and playing in the dirt.

“Wennuan! If you get yourself this dirty, Mommy won’t like you anymore.”

Wennuan jumped, her little bottom freezing as she turned to look at Wen Ling. “Mommy…” she whimpered.

“Mommy has told you many times not to play in the mud.” Wen Ling approached with a stern face, intending to pat her head, but the child dodged her.

“Then Mommy lied to me too. I don’t like Mommy anymore either!” Wennuan pouted fiercely.

“What did I lie about?” Wen Ling felt a sense of dread. Did the child know about the divorce? She had wanted to wait until she was older; after all, since Gu Rongqing was rarely home anyway, the lifestyle change wasn’t that drastic.

“Mommy lied to me for so long…” Wennuan looked like she was about to burst into tears. Wen Ling quickly knelt down to hug her. “How could Mommy lie to you? Be a good girl.”

At the comfort, Wennuan broke down completely, sobbing into Wen Ling’s neck. “Mommy and Mami got divorced a long time ago… Mommy… hic… Mommy has been lying to me.”

“I haven’t been lying to you all the time—”

“Mommy is a baddie! My classmate’s parents are divorced, and her mom only comes to see her once in a long time… hic…” Wennuan caught her breath and continued, “Mami always takes a long time to see me. And every time she comes back, you and Mami don’t sleep together.”

“Today… today… Mommy and Mami finally slept together. I wanted… I wanted to sleep with Mommy and Mami too… waaaaaah!“

Wen Ling’s heart melted at the sound. “Don’t cry, baby. Mommy and Mami both love you very much.”

“Then why don’t we live together? I want Mami and Mommy…”

Wen Ling didn’t know how to explain it in a way the child would understand. “Nuan-Nuan, Mami has a lot of work to do, so she can’t—”

“You’re still lying!” Wennuan wriggled out of her arms. “Grown-ups say people only get divorced when there’s no ‘relationship’ left. Do you not love Mami anymore?”

Wen Ling fell silent. How could I not love her? But how could she tell the child: It’s your Mami who doesn’t love me.

Neither of them noticed Gu Rongqing standing at the door, her face pale, her hand gripping the doorframe so hard her knuckles were white.