Appearing on a Marriage Show Before Getting Divorced - Chapter 9

“Jack Ruan” wimped out immediately. She was terrified of water; her swimming skills fell somewhere between a “land lubber” and a “dead duck.” She lowered her voice: “Don’t block me.”

Chu Nian looked at her indifferently. “Is this the attitude of someone asking for a favor?”

Seeing that “Rose Lin” had already started a celebratory freestyle stroke in the pool, Youran knew she’d be caught if she didn’t escape now. She panicked slightly. “Then how do you want me to ask?”

Chu Nian didn’t flinch. “Call me Sister.”

Call her Sister??!!! Youran’s expression shifted to one of righteous indignation. “Over my dead body!”

The moment the words left her mouth, Director Niu pointed a finger. “Jianjian is trying to run! Catch her and throw her in the water!”

So much for “til death do us part”—how could she abandon her partner and run so heartlessly?

Director Niu was the undisputed leader. At her call, people swarmed in like a murder of crows. Youran paled. Wait, is this woman really that cruel?

Chu Nian watched her steadily. Hadn’t Ruan Youran insisted on being strangers? Chu Nian wasn’t a saint; she didn’t show kindness to strangers.

As a young assistant grabbed Youran’s hand, making her stumble, Youran shrieked in desperation: “Sister!”

Though called out in a panic, that “Sister” made Chu Nian’s heart melt. It had been so long since she’d heard that title; she dazed for a moment. Back then, her Bunny had done… many things to her while calling her “Sister.”

“AAAAHHH!!! HELP!” The unyielding Jianjian was already being forced to the edge of the pool.

Chu Nian snapped out of it and looked at Director Niu. “Stop. She’s on her period.”

Director Niu raised her hand in an ‘OK’ sign. “Retreat!”

The aggressive crowd vanished instantly.

Ruan Youran: “……………. SON OF A—!!!!”

She finally realized: Did everyone in this crew now have the last name “Chu”?!

Youran turned her anger into appetite, devouring over twenty skewers of BBQ at lunch before falling into a deep sleep that lasted until dusk.

She hadn’t showered before her nap, and after the BBQ and the running around, she felt like she stank. The resort area was huge—over 500 square meters—and she’d even spent time sunbathing.

She got up lazily and instinctively glanced at the next bed. Chu Nian was lying there reading a magazine. As if sensing the gaze, Chu Nian turned her clear, dark eyes toward her.

“What are you looking at? I’ll gouge your eyes out!” Youran snapped.

Despite the irrational hostility, Chu Nian gave a soft smile. She pointed to a glass on the table. “Honey water. Drink it.”

Youran had a small quirk: she always had “waking-up grumpiness.” Everything looked annoying to her right after a nap. Her family knew to stay far away, but Chu Nian could always smooth her fur with a single smile or sentence.

Youran didn’t deign to drink the water. Hummed a tune, she sauntered into the bathroom.

Chu Nian sat on the bed, lost in thought. She was exhausted but couldn’t sleep; her eyes greedily followed Youran, never getting enough.

Youran was enjoying her bath until, ten minutes in, she let out a scream and the water was abruptly shut off.

Chu Nian jumped up, not even pausing to put on slippers, and ran to the door. She threw it open. “What’s wrong?!”

A cloud of steam mixed with a rich fragrance hit her. Chu Nian froze. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and her lips felt dry.

Youran’s figure… she had been controversial since her debut because of her “precocious” body. Anti-fans used to flood her Weibo asking how many pounds of silicone she had in her. It used to drive Youran crazy until Chu Nian would cup her chin and say, “Ignore them. I’m the only one who needs to ‘inspect the goods.’”

Their last “break-up bang” before the divorce had been hurried and intense, like a battlefield. There had been no time to appreciate details. Three years later, Chu Nian realized her “Jianjian” seemed to have had a “second growth spurt.” Her body was… crystalline and snow-white.

“Get out!” Youran shrieked, grabbing a towel. “Who let you in?!”

A wet towel came flying through the steam. Chu Nian dodged it but didn’t leave. Her eyes were fixed on Youran. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Get out now, or do I have to kick you out?!”

Chu Nian raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Kick me out then.”

How was Youran supposed to kick anyone out in her current state? Seeing the girl on the verge of tears from the teasing, Chu Nian finally closed the door. Her face was burning, and her heart was racing out of control.

Youran emerged wrapped in a towel, her face long. She sat on the bed, motionless. Chu Nian watched her. What is it now? She isn’t even drying her hair?

After a long silence, Youran looked up. “The ring is gone.”

“What?” Chu Nian asked reflexively.

Youran’s eyes turned red instantly. Her voice cracked. “The ring is gone.”

She had been playing so hard that she lost the wedding ring she always wore around her neck. That ring… Chu Nian had bought it for her the day she turned twenty, the legal marriage age. They were a pair—one for each of them. She still remembered how tender Chu Nian was then, kissing her neck and whispering: “Marry me. I can’t wait to have you; I can’t wait another day.”

Chu Nian’s lips moved as if to speak, but Youran took a sharp breath, forcing back her tears. “Fine, it’s gone. I don’t care anyway. Even God is making decisions for me now, isn’t He?”

Youran rolled over, wrapping the quilt around her neck and turning her back to Chu Nian without drying her hair. Though she was silent, her body trembled under the covers.

Chu Nian knew she was crying.

Youran wept silently—for the ring, for the past, and for the heartache. Chu Nian, Chu Nian, Chu Nian… She had told herself a thousand times since coming here to forget her. They were no longer a couple. They were getting divorced; she was the one who asked for it.

But she couldn’t do it. They had been together too long. Ripping that love out was like pulling out her own bones and marrow.

Youran drifted into a heavy sleep. In her dream, she saw Chu Nian on a swing, smiling: “Come, Bunny, don’t be mad. It’s all my fault.” Youran ran to her and pounded her chest, crying: “Why? Why did you leave without a word? You villain! How could you be so heartless? Do you know how I lived these last three years? Do you?!”

She was shaken awake by Lin Yiyi. Her eyes were as red as a rabbit’s.

“What nightmare did you have to cry like this?” Yiyi asked, concerned.

Youran lowered her head. “Nothing.”

“Look what this is!” Yiyi held out a closed fist like she was showing off a prize. Youran glanced at it listlessly. “Stop it, Yiyi. I don’t feel well.”

With the ring gone, she felt like her soul had vanished too.

Yiyi shook her arm. “Guess! If you guess right, we’ll go for midnight snacks. You’ve slept until almost 11 PM.”

Youran didn’t move. Thinking of the ring made her eyes water again. Yiyi sighed and opened her hand. “I found this on the beach.”

Youran jolted as if struck by lightning. She jumped off the bed. “The ring!!! It’s mine!!!”

Yiyi exhaled in relief. “It really is yours? I thought it looked familiar.”

Youran was shaking with the joy of finding it. She snatched it back. “Where did you find it? Thank you, Yiyi! Thank you so much!” She threw her arms around Yiyi, crying tears of relief.

As they were celebrating, the door opened. Chu Nian walked in. She looked at them but said nothing.

The smile vanished from Youran’s face. She raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go, Yiyi. Let’s get that midnight snack.”

She was happy now; her “sickness” had miraculously vanished.

“Yiyi, where exactly did you find it?” Youran asked later, her eyes glowing with happiness.

Yiyi smiled. “It was a coincidence. A cleaning lady came by with it and asked if I knew whose it was. I recognized it.”

“Which lady? I need to give her a ‘Great Honor’ award!”

Yiyi looked away. “The one who cleans the beach area.”

The midnight snack was great. Youran returned to the room picking her teeth, only to see Chu Nian looking pale. Chu Nian was struggling to wrap gauze around her right hand with her teeth and her left hand.

“You—” Youran started.

Chu Nian looked up, her eyes shimmering with tears. Youran felt like she’d bitten her tongue; she swallowed her question.

She wanted to be cold-hearted, but she couldn’t help stealing glances. Chu Nian used to be so afraid of pain; even a tiny paper cut required Youran to kiss it better before she’d allow a bandage. Three years later, she had changed.

Chu Nian endured the pain and finished bandaging her hand. She stood up. “You’re so happy. Did you find the ring?”

Youran rolled her eyes. “I’m not happy.”

Chu Nian stared at her in silence.

Youran snorted and slammed the ring onto the table. “Yiyi found it and insisted on giving it back to me. I didn’t even want it.”

“Is that so?” Chu Nian sneered. she picked up the ring, looking thoughtful. “You don’t want it?”

Her aura suddenly became so heavy it forced back the “Yes” Youran was about to spit out.

“Since you don’t want it…” Chu Nian walked to the window and raised her hand sharply as if to throw it. “Then let’s throw it away.”

Youran shrieked and sprinted to the window, gripping the railing to look outside. It was pitch black out there. She turned back, teeth clenched in fury.

Chu Nian smirked. “I thought you didn’t want it?”

She opened her hand. The shimmering ring was sitting perfectly in her palm.

Ruan Youran: “…”

Chu Nian looked at her and shook her head slowly. she placed the ring back on the table. “Bunny.”

Hearing that name after so long made Youran’s heart tremble. She looked down.

“Can you give me one more chance?” Chu Nian said softly.

The room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Youran’s tears began to fall, shattering on the floor.

“I waited three years,” Youran whispered through her tears. “I just wanted one explanation. Even a single word telling me to wait would have been enough. But there was nothing. Chu Nian, I’m tired. I’ve had enough of crying over you. Do you know how much I hate myself right now?”

She looked up at Chu Nian. “Have you ever tried it? Staying in your room for six months, staring at your phone until you’re numb? Have you ever woken up crying from a dream and sat there holding your blanket from dark until dawn? Have you ever thought of someone so many times that, eventually, you can’t even remember what they look like? I’m tired… I’m really tired…”

Chu Nian’s tears finally fell. The cool wind blew through the room, and their tears shattered on the ground together.

The room fell back into darkness. In the past, Youran was terrified of the dark; she used to demand kisses and cuddles to sleep. Three years had taught her how to sleep alone and face the darkness.

The next morning, Youran woke up with eyes swollen like peaches. Being a person of her word, she prepared a red envelope with cash and a crude, handmade “Great Honor” flower. She went to find the cleaning lady Yiyi had mentioned.

When she found the woman, Youran pressed the envelope and the ugly flower into her hands. “Thank you so much!”

The lady was bewildered. Looking at the hideous flower, she said, “Miss Ruan, I didn’t find any ring. I clean this area, but I didn’t find it.”

Youran smiled sweetly. “Oh, I know you’re just being humble and don’t want to take credit, but I must thank you.”

“It really wasn’t me,” the lady insisted, refusing the money.

As they were arguing, a security guard walked over. He looked at Youran. “Are you talking about that ring?”

Youran nodded, her eyes lighting up. “You know about it?”

The guard smiled. “I do, because the memory is so vivid. From 4 PM yesterday, I saw Miss Chu searching this area alone. She was so thorough, she didn’t miss a single rock. She spent five hours searching before she found it. Her hand was cut by a broken bottle—she was bleeding a lot.”