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Psst! We're moving!
On Monday, Yan Heyu arrived at the real estate transaction center early.
It wasn’t even working hours yet, so they waited in the parking lot.
Kang Bo occasionally glanced at his boss in the rearview mirror. The atmosphere in the car was heavy. The driver, sensing it, simply got out to find a place to smoke.
Yan Heyu propped his chin, his expression calm, thoughtfully gazing out the car window at the roadside, his eyes unfocused.
Kang Bo’s phone chimed with an email notification. It was from Tian Qinglu.
In the email, she mentioned she would be on a business trip to Jiangcheng soon and asked him who Jingyue would be sending.
Before their engagement, Tian Qinglu often came to Jingyue to find him. Now that she and Yan Heyu had a conflict, she only informed him via email.
The investment in Jiangcheng was driven by profit, but Jiangcheng happened to be Wen Di’s hometown.
Assistant Kang consulted Yan Heyu, “Mr. Yan, will the trip to Jiangcheng next week proceed as planned?”
The collaborating party, General Manager Fan, had enthusiastically invited Yan Heyu and Tian Qinglu to visit for inspection, hoping to finalize the project as soon as possible.
Yan Heyu had previously accepted Fan Zhisen’s invitation, which contained an element of personal gain. He had never been to Jiangcheng and intended to use this opportunity to see what Wen Di’s hometown was like.
However, before even heading to Jiangcheng, he and Wen Di had broken up.
“Go,” he finally decided.
Kang Bo understood. He replied to Tian Qinglu’s email, stating that he and Yan Heyu would travel to Jiangcheng together.
“When will Wen Di arrive?” Yan Heyu suddenly asked.
Kang Bo wasn’t sure. Wen Di hadn’t contacted him since. “I’ll ask.”
He quickly typed: [Miss Wen, where are you?]
“Give me your phone.” Yan Heyu’s hand reached from the back seat, asking Assistant Kang for his phone.
Kang Bo froze for a moment, realizing his boss wanted the phone to text Wen Di himself, but his hand was too quick.
He apologized, “I’ve already sent the message.”
Yan Heyu awkwardly took his hand back. “It’s all the same, no matter who sends it.”
Kang Bo, steeling himself, said, “Should I recall it? It hasn’t been two minutes yet.”
Yan Heyu: “...”
He didn’t respond, looking out the car window exasperatedly.
In Assistant Kang’s eyes, he was already so pathetic that he needed to recall a message and retype a few words to Wen Di.
Even after the transaction center opened, Kang Bo hadn’t received a reply from Wen Di.
Perhaps she’s on her way, driving, he thought.
The buyer himself wasn’t present and had sent a lawyer to handle the formalities.
Yan Heyu was indifferent to whether the buyer came or who the buyer was.
Before signing, he asked Assistant Kang again, “Has she arrived yet?”
Assistant Kang shook his head. His boss had arrived so early today just to catch a glimpse of Wen Di. For some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling, fearing that Wen Di wouldn’t show up.
Bad omens are often true, Wen Di’s message came in just as he’d predicted.
“Mr. Yan.”
Yan Heyu asked, “What did she say?”
Assistant Kang held his breath, “Miss Wen said she won’t be coming. Her lawyer will arrive shortly.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Heyu slowly nodded, saying nothing.
She had said that night that she never wanted to see him again in this lifetime. When she was resolute, sometimes he had no recourse at all.
All documents and contracts had been reviewed by the lawyer and Assistant Kang. He didn’t even look at them, signing directly.
The moment the pen touched the paper, it was as if he were signing divorce papers.
All the procedures were complete, and they were processed quickly.
Leaving the transaction hall, Yan Heyu went directly to the company.
Assistant Kang hesitated, wondering whether to report on work to distract his boss from his complex feelings of disappointment, which he didn’t want to show.
“Let me use your phone.” This was the second time Yan Heyu asked Kang Bo for his phone.
“Okay.” Assistant Kang quickly unlocked and handed over his phone.
Yan Heyu stared at the screen for a moment, lost in thought, then sent a message to Wen Di: [It’s me. What you wanted, I signed for you. It has nothing to do with Jiang Yunxing. In the future, if you want to threaten me, you’re enough; you don’t need to bring up anyone else.]
The message sank like a stone; Wen Di didn’t reply even after half an hour.
Yan Heyu deleted the line of text in the chat box and returned the phone to Kang Bo.
At almost the same time, Wen Di had also just deleted that message.
Tossing her phone aside, she went to the walk-in closet to pack her suitcase. Tomorrow, she was going to film the fourth episode of “As If in Shadow.”
The theme of this episode was “Mountain City,” with filming locations in three different mountain cities.
In previous recordings, because Qi Mingche had a misunderstanding with her, they usually went their separate ways. Just now, Qi Mingche uncharacteristically took the initiative to contact her, asking: Go together?
She replied: Okay.
Together, they spoke five words, plus two punctuation marks.
The director learned that she and Qi Mingche had resolved their differences and decided to reshoot footage of them traveling to the airport together.
The other three groups of guests had finished filming in the first episode; they had dragged it on until now.
Qi Mingche wasn’t a man of many words. He was only somewhat cordial with her when facing the camera. Once on the plane, he leaned back in his seat, put on an eye mask, and slept, not making another move until they landed.
So, the so-called “going together” was just for the director’s sake, to get filming material.
Upon arriving at their first filming city, Qi Mingche drove himself. He had Wen Di sit in the passenger seat. “I’m not your driver.” But taking her around to explore was fine.
Wen Di liked mountain cities. She had visited all the mountain cities in China and lived in each for a period to experience life, even writing a script related to mountain cities.
Leaving the airport, Qi Mingche didn’t turn on navigation, and he still didn’t turn it on even when they reached the city.
Wen Di saw him navigating with ease. “Do you come here often?”
Qi Mingche looked at the uphill road ahead and replied, “I lived here until I was twelve.”
Wen Di nodded. She remembered that Ming Jianjun was from Beijing, so this must be his maternal grandmother’s home.
Their conversation was sporadic.
Wen Di wasn’t in the mood to chat.
Qi Mingche was actually very talkative, but he didn’t like forcing conversation with people who weren’t in the mood, like Wen Di currently.
So, most of the time, the car was silent.
“Did you break up with the Yan family one?”
“...”
Wen Di was caught off guard by the question, but it wasn’t surprising that Qi Mingche guessed she and Yan Heyu had broken up. Qi Mingche had bought that apartment and knew that both her name and Yan Heyu’s were on the deed.
Without special circumstances, who would sell an apartment in that location?
“If you’ve broken up, I’ll find time to take you to an old hotpot restaurant. If not, forget it.” If the media caught them, he didn’t care, but she would have to explain to Yan Heyu, and he didn’t like getting involved in that mess.
Wen Di asked, “When will you treat me?”
This meant she had broken up.
“Whenever you like.” Qi Mingche’s treat was an apology for misunderstanding her earlier.
The car stopped in front of a guesthouse, which was where the film crew was staying.
In previous episodes, they also stayed in guesthouses, which had more character than hotels, and booking the entire guesthouse made it convenient for filming.
The other three groups of guests had already checked in and were chatting idly in the lobby on the first floor, with tables piled high with local snacks and various treats.
Xin Yuan saw them enter and enthusiastically called out, “We were just waiting for you two! Come and try these earthly delights.”
No matter the time, Xin Yuan was always full of energy, with a constant smile on her face, always smiling at everyone. Her public appeal had always been good.
Xin Yuan handed Wen Di a warm snack. “No spice added. If you think it’s bland, I can add more seasoning for you.”
Wen Di thanked her. “I don’t eat spicy food.”
Xin Yuan then prepared a spicy snack for Qi Mingche.
After spending some time together, she knew all the guests’ tastes and preferences, and she kept them in mind.
“Here, Little Qi, yours.”
“Thank you.” Qi Mingche didn’t like overly enthusiastic people, but he somewhat accepted Xin Yuan’s type of enthusiasm, which was universal rather than showing favoritism.
There was only an empty seat next to Xin Yuan, so he sat down to eat.
They ate delicious food and chatted amongst themselves.
Xin Yuan seemingly casually mentioned, “Did you finish filming the airport footage with Wen Di?”
Qi Mingche nodded, “Yes.”
“That’s good. I was worried about you two before, afraid you wouldn’t get along. You might not know our Wen Di very well; she seems difficult to talk to, and sometimes her words can be quite blunt, but she’s a really good person. I’ve acted in her scripts before, and we had conflicts, but later I realized she was doing it for my own good.” Xin Yuan spoke highly of Wen Di, considering Wen Di had been her shield.
Because of Wen Di, she had narrowly escaped detection, preventing Qi Mingche and his mother from discovering her existence.
Her feelings for Ming Jianjun were complex. There was admiration, but not love. After all, who would genuinely fall in love with a man the same age as their father?
But she couldn’t leave him either.
She couldn’t bear to leave.
Her current boundless glory came from the resources Ming Jianjun provided.
On the second day of filming, Ming Jianjun came to visit the set and treated everyone to a meal.
His arrival was surprising, yet also understandable, as he was a sponsor of the variety show.
Ming Jianjun said he came to visit his old in-laws and heard the production team was filming here, so he came along.
During the meal, Xin Yuan looked at Ming Jianjun several times, exchanging silent glances with him a few times.
No one noticed anything unusual about them.
Wen Di occasionally spaced out during dinner and paid even less attention to who Xin Yuan, sitting next to her, was looking at.
After the meal, she called Qi Mingche to walk together.
“Aren’t you going to treat me? Let’s do it now.” She hadn’t eaten enough earlier.
Qi Mingche rejected her request. “If you didn’t eat enough the first time, you still won’t eat enough the second time. Your mind isn’t on the food.”
It was raining outside, but not heavily.
Wen Di opened her umbrella. “You talk as if you understand me well.” She walked into the rain.
Qi Mingche didn’t open his umbrella. He held it in his hand, following behind her.
The ground reflected the neon lights on the rainy day, as he and Wen Di moved through the quiet, colorful world.
Even after the filming of the fourth episode of “As If in Shadow” ended, Wen Di still hadn’t eaten at that old hotpot restaurant Qi Mingche mentioned. She doubted if that old restaurant even truly existed.
Qi Mingche said, “I’ll treat you when you’re not so heartbroken anymore, otherwise it’s a waste of food.”
What he said was truly something. What did “not so heartbroken anymore” even mean?
________________________________________
After finishing the recording, Wen Di flew directly to Jiangcheng. Her mother had asked her on the phone which apartment she wanted to move into, and she had someone clean it up.
Her mother had been asking since the fourth episode was filmed, and now that the filming was over, she still hadn’t decided where to live, so she simply went home for a while.
Her mother was not in Jiangcheng; she was on a business trip in Shanghai.
Her grandparents had gone traveling again, revisiting places and cities they had been to when they were younger.
Only her father was in Jiangcheng.
Wen Changyun learned from his wife that his daughter had broken up with her boyfriend and sold her apartment.
Upon picking up his daughter, he didn’t mention the apartment at all.
“How many days will you stay at home?”
“Two weeks, maybe three weeks, hard to say.”
Wen Di clasped her hands behind her head, pretending to be relaxed, “I’ll pick you up and drop you off from work then.”
Wen Changyun chuckled, “Okay, I’ll pay you a salary, five thousand a month, and lunch is included.”
Wen Di hadn’t been to her family’s company in almost a year. Her first concern was, “Is the cafeteria food good?”
“About the same as before,” Wen Changyun said. “A new riverside restaurant just opened in Jiangcheng, and it has a few dishes you love. I was busy during the New Year and didn’t get a chance to take you, so I’ve booked a table for tonight.”
After dropping off her luggage at home, Wen Di changed her clothes and went to the riverside restaurant with her father.
The restaurant had been open for almost a year, yet it was still difficult to get a table.
Wen Changyun booked the best viewing table upstairs.
Knowing that Wen Changyun was having dinner there tonight, the restaurant owner personally came over to greet him. “Director Wen, long time no see, thank you for honoring us with your presence.”
“I came because of its reputation.”
The two shook hands, complimenting each other.
They had only spoken a few words when they were interrupted.
“Brother Wen, I finally caught you! How long has it been since we two brothers had a drink? Come, to my private room. You and your niece too.” Fan Zhisen clapped Wen Changyun’s shoulder, more enthusiastic than seeing a relative.
Wen Di had known Fan Zhisen since childhood and smiled lightly, calling out, “Hello, Uncle Fan.”
“Niece, when did you get back?”
“Just arrived home.”
“In my private room, there are quite a few young people. You’ll get along well.”
Given the warm invitation, Wen Changyun didn’t refuse Fan Zhisen.
Fan Zhisen told the restaurant owner, “Put the dishes ordered for Director Wen’s private room on my tab.” He and Wen Changyun chatted as they walked upstairs.
Wen Changyun glanced at him and asked in a low voice, “What kind of social engagement is this?”
Fan Zhisen answered truthfully, “It’s still about that factory construction, it hasn’t been finalized yet. A few people from Beijing are here. Help me out and join them.”
This afternoon, he had accompanied Yan Heyu and Tian Qinglu on a tour of the old factory area. Yan Heyu said that among Jiangcheng’s entrepreneurs, he only knew Director Wen.
The “Director Wen” that even Yan Heyu knew could only be the richest man in Jiangcheng, and Wen Changyun also had a partnership with a subsidiary of Jingyue Group.
Just now, his secretary told him that Director Wen was also having dinner here tonight. He saw Director Wen’s car enter the parking lot, and Director Wen and his daughter got out of the car, so it should be a family dinner.
It was as if heaven was helping him. He quickly went downstairs to find Wen Changyun.
He had specially invited a few people to accompany them tonight, and two were still stuck in traffic. Anyway, Yan Heyu wouldn’t know that he had called Wen Changyun last minute to show support.
“They’re playing cards right now. Mr. Yan is the kind of person who doesn’t like to talk business during dinner. We’ll just drink and chat later. His fiancée is here with him, and his niece isn’t developing in Beijing? Mr. Yan is a famous advertising sponsor, so your niece will have plenty to talk about with them.”
Wen Changyun didn’t know that his daughter’s ex-boyfriend was Yan Heyu, and he even echoed Fan Zhisen’s words.
Wen Di walked behind them, at a distance, and their voices were low, so she didn’t hear what they were talking about.
At the private room entrance, Fan Zhisen stopped and turned to wave at Wen Di, “Niece, come along.”
Wen Di nodded slightly and quickened her pace.
The waiter opened the door for them. Inside the private room, the conversation was lively.
“Brother Yan, that’s not fair! How are you still feeding cards to Sister Qinglu?”
The voice sounded familiar. Wen Di was particularly sensitive to the name “Qinglu,” yet she felt it was impossible to encounter Yan Heyu in Jiangcheng.
Fan Zhisen stood in front of her, blocking her view of who was inside the private room.
Fan Zhisen went forward to greet them. Suddenly, the person in front of her was gone, and her surprised gaze met Tian Qinglu’s.
Wen Di didn’t look around anymore. Only when she briefly met Tian Qinglu’s gaze just now, her peripheral vision caught that silhouette.
Qin Xing was dumbfounded. He looked at Tian Qinglu next to him, then at Yan Heyu, finally settling his astonished gaze on Wen Di.
He had been dragged to Jiangcheng by Tian Qinglu to help her mend fences with Yan Heyu.
He had planned to enjoy eating and drinking tonight, but in this situation, he feared he wouldn’t even be able to eat his fill.
Wen Di was just a minor character at tonight’s banquet. Her not coming over to greet others didn’t matter much.
Fan Zhisen was entirely focused on his business and didn’t pay any attention to her.
She asked the waiter for a glass of warm water and quietly sat there looking at her phone.
A message came in on her phone, from a contact saved as Assistant Kang.
[Miss Wen, we didn’t know beforehand that General Manager Fan also invited Director Wen.]
He was explaining for Yan Heyu, saying that no one expected Wen Changyun to be there, and no one anticipated this awkward situation today.
Wen Di never made things difficult for Assistant Kang. She politely replied: [It’s okay.]
What could she do even if it wasn’t okay?
She was already here.
She had her back to the card table, yet she felt a scorching gaze piercing her back.
She didn’t know if it was Tian Qinglu or Yan Heyu.
“Niece, come.”
Fan Zhisen, the busy man, finally remembered her.
This was not an occasion for Wen Di to be willful, nor would she allow herself to lose composure in front of Yan Heyu and Tian Qinglu. This was something she absolutely would not permit.
Wen Di responded to Fan Zhisen, walking calmly with a smile.
“I’m just a small fish among the big ones, here to freeload. Do I really need such a grand introduction?”
Fan Zhisen said, “In business, you might be a small fry, but when it comes to writing scripts, my dad and I combined aren’t even one ten-thousandth of you.” He turned to Wen Changyun, then joked, “I remember when we were kids, it was hard enough for us to write a two-hundred-word self-criticism essay after being punished by the teacher.”
Wen Changyun said, “I didn’t see you struggling that much. You always copied mine, even the typos.”
Laughter filled the private room.
Fan Zhisen got down to business, introducing Yan Heyu to Wen Di. “This is Mr. Yan from Jingyue Group.”
Yan Heyu held his cards, his gaze fixed directly on her face.
Wen Di: “Mr. Yan, pleased to meet you.”
Yan Heyu nodded. He knew she wouldn’t shake his hand. He said, “I’ve heard much about you.”
There was an extraordinary politeness between them, no different from strangers meeting for the first time.
When it was Tian Qinglu’s turn, Wen Di took the initiative to shake her hand.
Tian Qinglu had one good quality: in social settings, she never showed her private emotions on her face. She smiled and said, “Scriptwriter Wen, you’re even prettier in person than on TV.”
“Thank you.”
Fan Zhisen stood by, enthusiastically saying, “Ms. Tian is Mr. Yan’s fiancée. They just got engaged this year. They are a talented and beautiful pair, a perfect match.”
Wen Di followed up, “Indeed, a perfect match. Congratulations.”
Tian Qinglu smiled faintly.
Assistant Kang glanced at his boss, wondering what he felt hearing that.
Lastly, Qin Xing was introduced.
Wen Di remembered that name well. When she couldn’t drive on the road, Qin Xing had offered to call an ambulance for her, and later even asked the traffic police to check on her.
She also took the initiative to shake Qin Xing’s hand.
Only Yan Heyu was treated differently.
But no one paid it any mind, simply assuming it was because Yan Heyu himself had a distant aura, making him difficult to approach.
Someone at the card table stood up, offering their seat to Wen Di, “You young people can play.”
Wen Di shook her phone, making an excuse: “Unlike you bosses, us common workers don’t have off-hours. My boss just sent me an email; it’s urgent, so I’ll reply to it first.”
Fan Zhisen helped her out, “Work is important.”
Wen Di went to a quiet corner and sat down. The card game continued.
A group of people sat around the card table. Yan Heyu played cards while chatting idly with Fan Zhisen and Wen Changyun. He was perfunctory with Fan Zhisen, but his attitude changed when speaking with Wen Changyun.
“I hear Director Wen’s family has quite a collection of books, almost like a library.”
He had heard Wen Di mention it before.
Wen Changyun thought Fan Zhisen had told him. His father’s “little library” was quite famous locally in Jiangcheng, having been featured in TV and newspapers many times. His father had also donated many books to schools.
He chuckled, “My father loves reading, and he loves buying books.”
Yan Heyu played a card casually, yet it made Qin Xing unable to find any pattern in his plays.
Qin Xing complained, “Brother Yan, why are you playing so randomly?”
Yan Heyu spoke ambiguously, “Because you talk randomly.”
Others didn’t understand what Yan Heyu meant, but Assistant Kang did.
Yan Heyu then simply threw down whatever cards he could play, regardless of what others had. Even Fan Zhisen noticed he was just playing along, not seriously playing cards, and half-jokingly said, “Mr. Yan is playing blind.”
Yan Heyu gave a half-smile and said, “Everyone else can see I’m playing randomly, but Qin Xing has bad eyes and says I’m feeding cards to Tian Qinglu.”
Kang Bo glanced at Yan Heyu. His boss finally found an opportunity to defend himself. This sentence was deliberately said for Wen Di to hear, to let Wen Di know that he wasn’t feeding cards to Tian Qinglu just now.
When Wen Di came in, Qin Xing had said: “Brother Yan, that’s not fair, how are you still feeding cards to Sister Qinglu?”
His boss was afraid Wen Di would misunderstand, so he went to great lengths to clarify.
The round ended, and naturally, Yan Heyu lost.
He stood up and offered his seat to Fan Zhisen. “Mr. Fan, you play. I’ll make a call.”
Kang Bo followed him out.
He deliberately took a slightly longer route, passing by Wen Di. Yan Heyu paused, wanting to tell her not to be sad. But the waiter was nearby.
The time and place were not appropriate.
Wen Di buried her head in her phone, but she seemed to be spacing out.
After the familiar scent faded away, Wen Di called the waiter, “Give me a glass of iced fruit juice.”
The waiter told her to wait a moment.
Tonight was Uncle Fan’s event. To secure the partnership, he had invited many prominent people from Jiangcheng to show their support. She couldn’t mess it up.
Nor could she be willful and leave abruptly; that would make her father lose face.
Business had to be done; people could not be offended.
Before everyone arrived, she considered if there was a way to gracefully excuse herself.
At the card table, Fan Zhisen received a call. He said, “Only you two are left. You can make it in ten minutes, right? Okay, no rush. We arrived early and are playing cards. Ms. Tian said for you to drive slowly; they’ll play a few more rounds.”
Wen Di heard it was only ten minutes and realized she didn’t have much time left.
She took a sip of iced fruit juice, forcing herself to calm down. She opened her family group chat, trying to think who’s connection could be useful right now, and still look seamless.
A reasonable excuse to leave. For now, she could only think of the TV station.
She messaged her second aunt: [Auntie, emergency.]
[Darling, what’s wrong?]
Too late to explain much, she asked her second aunt to find someone she knew at the TV station to get her out of the dinner.
[Your dad, too, why would he take you to such a social event? Don’t worry, Auntie will sort it out for you right away.]
Less than two minutes later, Fan Zhisen received another call. He addressed the person as Director Zhao.
The call was very short. Fan Zhisen was only heard saying, “Don’t be so polite, saying that is too formal.”
“Niece,” Fan Zhisen hung up the phone and looked at Wen Di, “Director Zhao heard you were back in Jiangcheng and asked for you. He said he finally looked forward to your return, and he happens to be with people from the Culture and Tourism Bureau tonight. He wants to discuss Jiangcheng’s tourism promotion with you in person. I’ll have the driver take you.”
Wen Di was startled. So fast, Second Aunt is incredibly efficient.
Given Wen Di’s image,气质, and current fame, it wasn’t surprising for her to become Jiangcheng’s tourism ambassador.
No one present, including Wen Changyun, found anything amiss.
By the elevator corridor, Yan Heyu stood with one hand in his pocket, waiting for someone.
Two things today had gone beyond his control: first, Qin Xing acting as a peacemaker this afternoon, saying that since he and Tian Qinglu were engaged and soon to be married, they should try to get along well.
Who knew Fan Zhisen would return and just happen to overhear Qin Xing’s words?
Fan Zhisen couldn’t pretend not to hear and quickly offered his congratulations.
Second, he never expected to see Wen Di and Wen Changyun here.
He had planned to specifically visit Wen Changyun in Jiangcheng at some point, but not today, and certainly not in such a passive situation, with such a passive identity.
After today, he would be even more passive in Wen Di’s eyes.
Assistant Kang hurried over.
Hearing the footsteps, Yan Heyu turned his face.
“Mr. Yan, Director Zhao has already called Fan Zhisen.”
“Where is she? Why is she still in the private room?”
Assistant Kang paused, “Miss Wen went around to the other side and took the stairs down.”
Yan Heyu was silent for a moment, then said, “Got it.”
He knew she was uncomfortable in the private room, so she found a way to leave.
He waited here wanting to see her, but she avoided him at all costs.
Kang Bo sighed inwardly, “Mr. Yan, you need to be mentally prepared.”
Yan Heyu looked at him. “For what?”
Kang Bo cautiously said, “Later, during the toasts, Director Wen might toast both you and Ms. Tian, wishing you happiness and longevity, and so on.” He wondered how his boss would swallow that toast from Wen Di’s father.
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