Appearing on a Marriage Show Before Getting Divorced - Chapter 15

“Jianjian’s” heart was shattered into so many pieces that even 502 superglue couldn’t stick them back together.

Chu Qing looked at Ruan Qiu’s terrified, over-the-top acting and shook her head. She reached down and gave Ruan Qiu’s waist—the fleshier part—a sharp pinch. Ruan Qiu jolted, her face turning red as she shot Chu Qing a glare. Chu Qing just looked back at her with a calm smile.

Ruan Qiu immediately wiped the expression off her face, put on a warm, motherly look, and opened her arms wide. “Oh, look! Our little Jianjian is home! Come to Mama’s embrace! I’m full of warmth here that can melt all the grievances and sadness you faced out there!”

That smile, that voice—it was truly the picture of a great, moving motherly love!

Ruan Youran tossed her luggage aside and walked straight toward them.

Ruan Qiu’s face was full of anticipation, her arms spread wide.

The moment they crossed paths, Youran shoved Ruan Qiu’s arms out of the way, rolled her eyes, and threw herself into Chu Qing’s embrace like a grieved kitten. “Mommy…”

Chu Qing’s heart melted. She held Youran and patted her shoulder gently. “Mhm. You’re tired, aren’t you?”

The daughter has been wronged.

Chu Qing shot Ruan Qiu a look, signaling her to be sensible and stop playing around. Ruan Qiu mimicked her daughter’s eye-roll perfectly—look at that, another ‘milk-brat’ has come to steal my wife.

Ruan Youran was indeed starving. No matter how good the food was outside, it couldn’t beat her mom’s cooking. She washed her hands and started devouring the meal, beads of sweat appearing on her nose. Chu Qing watched with a doting smile, occasionally putting food on her plate.

Ruan Qiu scrutinized her. “So, Jianjian, don’t just eat. How was this week?”

This was a bit of deliberate teasing. Youran looked up, stared at Ruan Qiu for a long time without saying a word, and then tears began to well up in her eyes.

Ruan Qiu froze. She and Chu Qing exchanged a look, both thinking the exact same thing: Damn, she got bullied by Nian Nian again.

“Let the child eat,” Chu Qing said. Ruan Qiu didn’t dare say another word, but she looked at Chu Qing longingly. Chu Qing felt a bit stirred by the gaze; she coughed and brushed her leg against Ruan Qiu’s under the table.

It was a suggestive flirtation.

The corners of Ruan Qiu’s mouth immediately curled up. She looked at Chu Qing, and her hand snuck across under the table, trying to interlace their fingers. Chu Qing, mindful that their child was in a bad mood, thought they shouldn’t go too far. She shot Ruan Qiu a reproachful look and balled her hand into a fist, refusing to let her have her way.

Ruan Qiu gave a wicked smile, coughed, and let her hand slowly travel up Chu Qing’s arm in an “indescribable” manner.

On the surface, Chu Qing didn’t react, but her face flushed uncontrollably. She bit her lip and glared at Ruan Qiu. Ruan Qiu raised an eyebrow, her eyes clearly saying: Beg me.

Slam! A pair of chopsticks was slapped onto the table. Ruan Youran, having reached her limit, stood up with a red face. “Are you two EVER going to stop???”

She tossed her bowl aside and ran off with angry little steps.

Sob, sob, sob.

She came back to heal her wounds, not to watch her two moms show off their love!

Watching the child run off in a huff, Chu Qing scolded Ruan Qiu. “Look at you, you’ve really upset her now.”

Ruan Qiu shrugged, her eyes glowing with a flirtatious spark. “Fine, then I’ll be a good girl, Madam.”

She turned as if to leave, but a faint, suggestive smile lingered on her lips. That smile carried a certain kind of invitation. Chu Qing sighed, put down her chopsticks, walked over, and hugged Ruan Qiu from behind. Moving her hair aside, she whispered into her ear: “You’re not allowed to leave.”

Ruan Youran felt like her life was incredibly bleak. She thought that if she ran away, her moms would surely come to comfort her.

However… they didn’t.

She had been huddled like a hedgehog for nearly half an hour, and there wasn’t a ghost of a shadow from either of them.

Fortunately… Youran looked down and rubbed the head of her small white dog, Xiao Sao. she whispered softly, “Xiao Sao, your mama is back. At least she knows to come back…”

Xiao Sao was adopted by Chu Nian and Ruan Youran. Originally, Jianjian was a very sentimental person; because a pet dog had died when she was a child, she had cried for a week and sworn never to raise a dog again. But after they got married, she and Chu Nian went for a walk, and Xiao Sao decided to follow them every day. Back then, you couldn’t even tell he was white; he looked like a messy mop head.

Youran had been firm about not wanting him, even when Chu Nian looked at her with teary eyes. But later, when she wasn’t looking, Chu Nian brought the puppy home, bathed him, groomed him, and got him vaccinated. He was placed on the bed smelling like perfume.

When Youran came home and took a deep breath, Chu Nian leaned in, kissed her neck, and held up Xiao Sao’s paws. She said softly, “This is your mama~”

This is your mama… With those words, Youran couldn’t even stay angry. Her eyes had turned red instantly.

In the first two years of their marriage, they had thought about having children, but after several surgeries, they failed to conceive. A specialist looked at their reports and sighed: “Your bodies are not suitable. President Ruan, look at your uterus…”

Youran was born with a slightly malformed uterus; the probability of conceiving was essentially zero. Chu Nian, on the other hand, hadn’t cared for her body during her early acting years. Because she did so many historical dramas, she often had scenes in water or wearing thin silk in winter. She suffered from severe “womb cold,” and even after long-term treatment, it didn’t work.

Later, the two of them accepted it. If God wouldn’t give them a child of their own, they would just love each other more.

Now, Youran gently scratched Xiao Sao’s neck. The dog squinted happily in her arms. “From now on, you’ll have to stay with this beautiful single mother…”

Unknowingly, Youran fell into a deep sleep. She dreamed of crying—a lot. Chu Qing and Ruan Qiu checked on her a few times, feeling pained but speechless. In matters of the heart, even a mother can’t take one’s place; Jianjian had to find her own way out.

When Youran woke up in the afternoon, her head felt heavy. Chu Qing handed her a bowl of porridge she had prepared. “Drink some, don’t let your stomach suffer.”

Youran nodded and drank the porridge in silence. This obedient look was exactly like Ruan Qiu; it made Chu Qing’s heart ache terribly.

Feeling a bit warmer after the hot porridge, Youran asked, “Where’s Mommy?”

Chu Qing coughed. “She’s still sleeping.”

Youran looked up sharply, staring at Chu Qing with fury. This is… God, have you no humanity? No wonder they didn’t come to comfort me. In broad daylight, what did those two old women do??? I’m still a child!

Chu Qing, who was only shameless with Ruan Qiu, had thin skin. She patted Jianjian’s hair and found an excuse to retreat.

Youran felt sad for a while longer until her phone rang. It was Soya. Her first instinct was to ignore it, but the phone wouldn’t stop. Amidst the noise, Youran remembered what she had said to Chu Nian before they left. She gritted her teeth.

Why should I stay ‘chaste’ for her! Why should I make things hard for myself! I’m just being ‘pesky’ (jian)!

Youran stood up with resolve. She answered the phone: “Hello, Soya? Let’s meet up!”

Soya, who had been calling for a long time, was stunned. Then she laughed her boisterous laugh. “Great! I want to eat hotpot. Make it for me! It’s my favorite Chinese food.”

Ruan Youran: “…” This international friend… really has zero romantic sense.

Meeting for hotpot… Does she think I’m a chef? Youran rubbed her stomach. Well, at least I can satisfy my own cravings too.

Jianjian was usually lazy, but to satisfy Chu Nian’s picky appetite over the years, she had become an expert cook. She even titled herself the “No. 1 Chef of China.” Making hotpot was a low-skill task for her. She even fried the soup base herself with beef tallow.

The aroma of chili and Sichuan peppers soon filled the house. Ruan Qiu woke up from the smell and looked at the table full of fresh vegetables, shrimp paste, and tripe. “Jianjian, is Nian Nian coming back? You made so much food. Are there crab sticks? I want those.”

Youran’s stabilized mood immediately soured. She gripped her kitchen knife and looked at Ruan Qiu with “murderous” eyes. “There are no crab sticks. There is ‘hand-sliced old woman,’ you want some?”

Ruan Qiu: “…” She’s bullying me! Madam, where’s my Madam?

Chu Qing had actually gone out after a phone call, looking shocked when she saw the caller ID. She hadn’t seen Chu Nian in three years. She never expected Nian Nian to call her. They met at their usual cafe. Chu Nian’s eyes were red when she saw her mother-in-law. “Mom…”

Half an hour later, Soya and Chu Qing arrived almost at the same time. Ruan Qiu opened the door, looking at Soya and then Chu Qing in shock. “Madam… you… you—”

Did she bring back a young girl after just one nap?

Chu Qing seemed to have something on her mind and only smiled perfunctorily. She looked into the house and saw Jianjian bent over the hotpot; her own eyes turned slightly red. This startled Ruan Qiu—she knew how strong her wife was. What happened?

Soya looked at Ruan Qiu and thought she looked just like “Rose.” She reached out her hand. “Hello, Rose’s Mama. I am Soya.”

“Rose?” Ruan Qiu paused. “Do we have rose (meat shreds) in the house?”

“Here! Come in, Soya,” Youran called out.

Soya smiled. “Wait, I haven’t finished my introduction.” She held out her hand to Ruan Qiu again. “I am Rose’s suitor.”

With that one sentence, both Ruan Qiu and Chu Qing went full Sparta.

Soya waved a hand and walked in. “Wow, Rose, you’re so amazing! Such a good wife!”

“Stop staring,” Youran rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you text me saying you wanted to eat spicy peppers? Come with me to the garden to pick some.”

Soya followed her out eagerly. Ruan Qiu watched them and stroked her chin. “Incredible. As expected of my daughter, she already has a suitor chasing her home.”

She looked at Chu Qing. Normally they agreed on everything: as long as Jianjian was happy, it was fine. Soya seemed to make Youran feel relaxed.

But Chu Qing’s expression was cold. “What kind of mother are you? Our daughter isn’t even divorced yet.”

Ruan Qiu: “…………???” The Madam’s attitude is strange.

Chu Qing watched the two in the small garden. “Shouldn’t you do something? If Nian Nian finds out later that a love rival came to the house and you, the mother-in-law, were praising her, how will she react?”

Ruan Qiu shivered, stood up straight, and walked out to the garden. The garden was small but vibrant with vegetables. Youran was crouching to pull weeds, and Soya was leaning in close with a look of admiration.

Ruan Qiu wondered how to give Jianjian a hint. She spoke up: “Daughter.”

They both looked up. “Does Nian Nian know Soya too?” Ruan Qiu asked.

Youran’s face soured. “Why mention her? Does it matter if she knows her? Soya is my friend. I’m treating her to dinner; why does Chu Nian need to know?”

“Fair point,” Ruan Qiu nodded. “But Director Niu said for the next episode of 33 Days of Marriage, they’re coming to film at our house, so Nian Nian might visit unexpectedly soon.”

Youran stared at her. “So what? Am I afraid of her?”

“Not afraid?” Ruan Qiu mused.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Youran snapped.

Soya also stared curiously. What’s there to be afraid of?

Ruan Qiu pointed to a weed nearby. “You’re getting a bit close to that. What is that thing? I didn’t plant it, don’t step on it for me.”

“Getting close to what? I’m looking—” Youran paused. What is Mom doing? Why is she being so weird?

Soya, reacting quickly, laughed and answered for her: “It’s grass (cao). Jianjian, you’re ‘next to the grass’ (ai cao). Auntie is telling you to move over.” (Note: In Chinese, ai cao is a homophone for something much cruder/sexual).

Chu Qing: “…”

Ruan Qiu: “…”

Ruan Qiu gave a satisfied smile. “Soya is right. You’re about to ‘touch the grass.’ Come here, don’t stay so close. Come to Mommy’s safe zone.”