Appearing on a Marriage Show Before Getting Divorced - Chapter 23

Without Ruan Youran, Chu Nian’s light had vanished.

She didn’t want to stay a second longer; she wanted to go back—she needed to see Zhengzhi immediately.

Far away in America, Zhengzhi had no idea what her mother had just been through. At this very moment, she was happily clinging to the leg of a “Spartan-shocked” Ruan Qiu, blinking her big eyes at her: “Mamma!”

Chu Qing had never seen Ruan Qiu look like this…

Ruan Qiu’s mouth hung open as she stared blankly at Zhengzhi. She thought she was hallucinating and rubbed her ears.

Was this…

Had she… somehow traveled back in time?

Back twenty-odd years?

She looked down at Zhengzhi, up at Chu Qing, down again, and up again.

After repeating this several times, Chu Qing reached out her arms toward Zhengzhi: “Come, come to Grandma.”

Grandma!!!

That one word from Chu Qing made every hair on Ruan Qiu’s body stand on end. She bit her lip hard.

This child called her “Mamma”… but called Chu Qing “Grandma”????!!!

This… this warped world!

Where exactly was she??? Was this a parallel, vertical, cross-century, cross-light-year method of time travel???

Chu Qing saw that Zhengzhi refused to let go of Ruan Qiu, looking at her expectantly. Chu Qing’s heart felt pained and bitter. She let out a long sigh, went into the bedroom, and took a photo frame from the bedside table.

When she walked back out, the big one and the little one were still eerily frozen like statues in the same positions they’d been in since the door opened. One was clinging to a leg; the other was staring in a daze.

Chu Qing walked over to Zhengzhi, bent down, and pointed at the Ruan Youran in the frame: “This is Mamma, Zhengzhi. Look closely.”

Zhengzhi looked at the Ruan Youran in the photo—smiling radiantly with her arms around Chu Nian’s neck—then up at Ruan Qiu, then back at the photo, then back at Ruan Qiu.

As Chu Qing had said, Zhengzhi’s powers of observation were very strong. After a few seconds, she slowly let go, her head drooping like a wilting flower.

Not Mamma…

Ruan Qiu finally snapped out of it. She covered her mouth in slow motion, staring at Chu Qing: “Is this… Jianjian’s…?”

Chu Qing: “…”

It seemed President Ruan had taken a massive shock to the system. If it wasn’t Jianjian’s, could it really have been hers?

Ruan Qiu, who had intended to knock on the door to “catch a cheater,” never expected to catch her own granddaughter instead. A dejected Zhengzhi was taken away by the nanny to rest. Chu Qing pulled Ruan Qiu into the bedroom and slowly told her everything she had learned over the past few days.

Chu Qing spoke slowly; Ruan Qiu listened intently. At first, she just shed silent tears, then she started wiping her nose. By the end, the tissues were piled up like a small mountain.

Chu Qing hugged her: “Alright, don’t cry anymore.”

Ruan Qiu clung to her: “Jianjian… oh, my daughter… she… and Nian Nian… and my granddaughter…”

She couldn’t find the words, biting her lip to endure the surge of emotion.

Three years. A mere three years.

Their family had undergone a world-shaking transformation. Let alone Ruan Youran, even she was caught completely off guard. How did such a happy family suddenly end up like this…

It was two hours later before a composed Ruan Qiu stepped out. All she wanted now was to see Zhengzhi, hold her, and give her a proper kiss.

The emotional entanglements between adults had their own complex reasons. Right or wrong, who was to say… No one could judge clearly.

But what had the child done wrong?

As if reading Ruan Qiu’s mind, Chu Qing offered gentle comfort: “Zhengzhi… because her health was poor from birth, she hasn’t had much contact with people. She might be a bit closed off.”

Ruan Qiu wiped a tear from the corner of her eye: “It’s fine. It depends on the person. She loved me enough to hug my leg just now; my face appeals to all ages.”

Chu Qing: “…………….”

Ruan Qiu walked confidently up to Zhengzhi, who was eating fruit. She sat down next to her at the dining chair with a beaming smile. “Eating your num-nums?”

Twenty-odd years ago, when Ruan Youran was three, this was how she coaxed the child. According to Chu Qing, Zhengzhi was still a few months shy of three. Ruan Qiu didn’t know if the girl could even understand her.

Zhengzhi’s hand paused. She actually looked up at Ruan Qiu. Her eyes were already big, but now they were wide as saucers.

Chu Qing was surprised—could it really be different with her?

Seeing Zhengzhi looking at her, Ruan Qiu was even happier. Her smile grew more radiant: “Let Grandma see what we have here? Hmm, red fruit-y, yellow banana-y, and purple veggie-y!” She opened her mouth wide. “Ahhh, can I have a bite? Let me try.” She exaggeratedly mimicked chewing: “Nom nom nom, so delicious!”

This was the “play-house” eating game she used to play with Jianjian. Back then, Jianjian loved it and would cackle with laughter every time.

Zhengzhi stared at her with wide eyes for a moment. Then, she immediately turned to look at the nanny. The next second, she threw her spoon and burst into loud, wailing sobs.

Ruan Qiu: “…” Chu Qing: “…………”

This was the first time Chu Qing had seen Zhengzhi cry since arriving. By the looks of it, she was terrified.

Ruan Qiu’s face was a mask of gloom. She watched as Zhengzhi cried until snot bubbles appeared, her little hands and feet scrambling to climb the nanny, wailing: “Throw… throw it away…”

The nanny looked a bit embarrassed. She bounced Zhengzhi and patted her bottom. “Oh, oh, I know. Auntie will throw it away for you. Shall we throw the veggies away?”

Zhengzhi was still howling: “Bowl… chopsticks…”

Great. She didn’t even want the bowl or chopsticks anymore—all because “Grandma Ruan” had opened her big mouth and pretended to eat.

Chu Qing swore to heaven she didn’t want to laugh, but she truly couldn’t help it. She lowered her head, biting her lip, her whole body shaking with suppressed laughter.

Ruan Qiu: “…”

Chu Qing knew Ruan Qiu best. Ruan Qiu was easygoing in most ways, but her one weakness was her extreme pride. Being despised and rejected by her own precious granddaughter like this was surely a heavy blow to her self-esteem.

Chu Qing was about to offer some comfort and suggest Ruan Qiu go sleep off the jet lag when Ruan Qiu suddenly grabbed a radish from the sofa. She held it to her head and started hopping around with her legs squeezed together: “Grand-baby, look! Rabbit! Rabbit!”

Chu Qing: “…”

Zhengzhi cried even harder.

In all these days, Chu Qing hadn’t seen the child show much emotional volatility. Even when seeing Chu Nian fall ill, she had simply endured it with a pale face. But “Grandma Ruan” was different—the moment she took the field, she made the kid cry twice.

Admittedly, though Ruan Qiu’s arrival added to the chaos, the exhausted Chu Qing could finally rest. She fell asleep to the sound of Ruan Qiu’s non-stop chatter.

Ruan Qiu: “Zhengzhi, look at Grandma! Look at Grandma’s big mouth! Wow! I’m a Tyrannosaurus Rex~!” Zhengzhi: “Waaaaaah—” Ruan Qiu: “Why are you crying? Don’t cry, you’re a girl of our Ruan family! Look, Grandma will turn from a T-Rex into a beautiful girl in one second! Here I go—Transform!” Zhengzhi: “Waaah, Auntie…” “Transform again!” “Waaah…”

Chu Qing had a good sleep. When she woke up, it was dark out. The living room was silent. Thinking Ruan Qiu and the child had both gone to sleep, she went to check.

Unexpectedly, she saw a tiny, shivering ball hiding in the corner.

Chu Qing: “…”

After a silence, Chu Qing called out tentatively: “Zhengzhi?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Ruan Qiu’s voice roared from the living room, sounding as energetic as if she’d been injected with chicken blood: “I’m the Big Bad Wolf! Where are you, Zhengzhi? I’m going to catch you~”

Zhengzhi’s little face puckered up. For the first time since Chu Qing arrived, the girl proactively hugged her leg. “Grandma.”

She tilted her little face up, her dark eyes filled with a plea for “Help.”

In that moment, Chu Qing’s heart melted. She scooped Zhengzhi up and sat her on her lap. “Yes! Grandma’s here!”

She held Zhengzhi in one arm and grabbed a feather duster hanging by the door with the other. As Ruan Qiu entered the room, Chu Qing gave her a swat. “Grandma will protect you!”

Ruan Qiu: “…………”

Chu Nian arrived home the next day. Exhausted, she opened the door and was about to call for Zhengzhi when a small dark figure ran over and clung to her leg. “Mamma!”

The call was urgent and full of trepidation.

Chu Nian looked at Zhengzhi, and tears nearly fell. She knelt down, about to hug her, but was stunned by what she saw.

A giant Pikachu mascot—the kind often seen at promotional events—was reaching out its hands toward Zhengzhi. Zhengzhi jumped in fright. Chu Nian instinctively pulled Zhengzhi into a protective embrace: “Who is it?”

She looked at the figure warily.

Chu Qing walked out of the room, smiling. “It’s fine. It’s your mother.”

Chu Nian: “…………”

She never expected the four of them to meet under such circumstances.

Chu Nian was drained, and Ruan Qiu’s emotions were complex. Ruan Qiu didn’t know what kind of attitude to adopt toward this child she had once loved most; for a time, they stood in silence.

After two days of travel, Chu Nian had barely closed her eyes. Chu Qing saw her poor complexion and comforted her: “Go on, Nian Nian. Your mom and I will watch over things here. Go rest for a bit.”

Nian Nian nodded silently and dragged her weary body into her room. She was so tired that even speaking or breathing felt like a chore. Her body felt like an old machine; she had been supported by a sheer force of will, but now… the internal spring had snapped.

Ruan Qiu watched her go and shook her head softly.

Truly exhausted… yet Chu Nian couldn’t sleep. Her mind was filled with Ruan Youran. Her every smile, every word she had ever said.

To be honest, over these three years, she had imagined this ending more than once. She had even imagined Youran saying heartless things or treating her with extreme hostility. But now that the day had come, it wasn’t as explosive as she’d imagined—it was just more agonizing.

She would rather Youran hate her, resent her, or torture her than see her let go and walk away with a smile.

Since childhood, Ruan Youran seemed to have everything—loving family, loyal friends, countless hobbies. But Chu Nian had nothing. She only had her.

In the end, Chu Nian’s head felt like it was going to explode. She clutched her chest, grabbed a handful of sleeping pills, and swallowed them without a second thought.

She wanted to sleep. She wanted a moment of peace. Even if just for a second—a second where she didn’t have to think of her.

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Nian finally grew quiet. She even felt a sense of impending death, much like when her heart had stopped in the ambulance. That sensation was wonderful. Her body wasn’t hers anymore. Her broken heart didn’t hurt.

Yet she still thought of Ruan Youran. Thought of her until she went mad, until she broke down.

Once, she felt this world was dim and joyless, that being born was a punishment. But then someone came and gave her a light of happiness. Now… that person had finally left.

Should she truly believe in fate… Why was she born? Why did she exist between heaven and earth?

She wasn’t greedy. What she wanted had never changed since she was small. Why? Why did even God want to take this away? If she truly died, would all this misery and pain finally end?

Chu Nian felt as if she were falling into an abyss. At the bottom, a seductive voice called to her: Come, come here, and you won’t feel the pain anymore.

She walked toward the light. Just as she was about to reach the other shore, she suddenly heard Zhengzhi’s crying. All the images shattered like shards of glass flying past her eyes…

Chu Nian woke up the next afternoon. When she opened her eyes, Chu Qing, Ruan Qiu, and Zhengzhi were all there. Zhengzhi had fallen asleep leaning against the bed. Chu Qing’s face was marked with tear stains, and Ruan Qiu was watching her with red eyes.

Chu Nian tried to move, but her body had no sensation. She couldn’t even speak. Chu Qing stepped forward, held her hand, and shed silent tears.

Ruan Qiu stayed silent for a moment before walking to the bedside. She knelt down and gently stroked Chu Nian’s hair: “You silly child. You made it through so many hardships; how could you lose hope now?”

Her heart couldn’t handle that many sleeping pills. She had nearly never woken up.

Chu Nian stared blankly at the ceiling, unmoving. She hadn’t intended to commit suicide; that was something she used to despise. It was just that… right now, she had lost the will to live.

“Mamma…” Zhengzhi woke up, her watery eyes looking at Chu Nian tiredly. Ever since Chu Nian fell into a coma, she had stayed by the bed, refusing to leave no matter who tried to persuade her.

Chu Nian didn’t move.

Seeing that her mother wasn’t responding, Zhengzhi stood on her tiptoes, propping herself up to reach Chu Nian’s forehead, and gave it a kiss. She said in a milky voice: “Mamma, I love you. Don’t leave me… you said you’d take me to see Mamma-Youran…”

Chu Nian’s body still couldn’t move. Now, the only thing that could move was the single line of tears sliding slowly from the corner of her eye.