QKYJ - 14

Ding Yaocai came over, and Shen Zhi received her in the living room downstairs. The sofa sank softly. Shen Zhi sat in it, dressed in loungewear, holding a thermos cup, blowing on the steaming hot goji berry tea to cool it down.

“It’s nothing major, but I thought I’d inform you anyway. We recently dealt with a post.” Ding Yaocai sent her the information.

Shen Zhi read it casually.

The title was a very common rhetorical question on contemporary social media—meaning it clearly wasn’t asking a question, but used an interrogative tone regardless.

“Are that couple with the same surname each doing their own thing?”

The square brackets at the beginning even seriously added the outdated popular phrase “with pictures and truth.”

After clicking in, the anonymous poster compiled some of Shen Zhi’s candid or street photos, as if to prove their credibility. They also released many photos of Shen Zhi with other men, with whom she had legitimate reasons to interact.

Then, they revealed internal information: Shen He and Shen Zhi went to the same restaurant one day, but they went one after another, each with different companions.

It was simply a baseless rumor.

We can’t go to that restaurant anymore, Shen Zhi thought.

Such content alone couldn’t change the reputation the Shen couple had built over the years. But since it had become a hot topic, it would still have some impact. To prevent future troubles and to avoid Shen He’s side becoming dissatisfied, Ding Yaocai stepped in to handle it.

Shen Zhi acknowledged it, saying, “Did I stand out too much again?”

“That’s what I thought too. But they’re truly useless, can’t even come up with anything reliable. I really want to ask him ‘how dare you’,” Ding Yaocai seemed calm, but in reality, she wanted nothing more than to wring the necks of anyone who stood in their way. “But people like that are common. Don’t worry. If you’re doing well, you’ll naturally block others’ paths.”

Shen Zhi actually wasn’t too worried.

She and the company had always been harmonious, and the staff had enough cohesion from working together until today.

The two had chatted enough, and Ding Yaocai was about to move on to the next topic.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing noise came from upstairs.

Ding Yaocai jumped, briefly startled, then looked at Shen Zhi with a gloomy face.

Shen Zhi, however, was very calm.

She unhurriedly took a sip of hot tea: “He might be reviewing the cello he learned yesterday.”

“That sounds like a viola.”

“I couldn’t even learn vocal music well in college,” Shen Zhi calmly excused herself, and then urged her to continue over the noise, “Just ignore him.”

However, the sound of the viola stopped for a while, perhaps the perpetrator was also frustrated by his lack of rhythm, and simply started randomly pressing piano keys. The brief presses, however, revealed gloom and sorrow in their power.

Even Ding Yaocai couldn’t help but smile faintly: “He’s preparing for that script Chongyu bought, isn’t he?”

“Hmm,” Shen Zhi said, “He’s very keen on that role, so he’s planning to give it a try.”

It was a musical prodigy with savant syndrome. Once an instrument was in his hands, he could skillfully play it within five seconds, and conducting an orchestra was also effortless for him. Thus, naturally, there would be many scenes showcasing his musical talent.

He might not get this role, but he still started learning. Precisely because he might not get it, he needed to be even more prepared and gain as much advantage as possible.

Half a month ago, Shen He entrusted someone to hire a highly authoritative teacher specifically to learn instruments, and he also made a point of observing orchestra performances. Thanks to him, Shen Zhi also had several opportunities to attend classical music concerts.

In fact, Ding Yaocai greatly admired Shen He. Just as she admired Shen Zhi.

“I heard many people are competing,” she said, “but I think he can do it.”

Shen Zhi replied, “I hope so.”

If he did well, she did well too.

Anyway, they were both in the same boat.

“Have you read your script?” Ding Yaocai asked, “You’ll be in the crew for half a year as soon as you join. Pay attention.”

“Got it,” Shen Zhi said.

The script she had in hand was a period drama about family infighting. She’d vaguely heard that she’d be competing with many other female actresses of similar age.

After dealing with official business for a while, Ding Yaocai leaned over and whispered to her, “Have you two decided whether to divorce or not?”

Shen Zhi, rarely, reacted as startled as a goldfish. She frowned, retreating into her seat, and said, “Not yet.”

“You…”

“I’ll talk to him,” Shen Zhi said.

Her firm attitude clearly indicated she didn’t want to discuss it.

Ding Yaocai didn’t want to make things difficult for her, but she stared at her with considerable doubt, finally saying, “Alright then.”

She added, “Do you remember that reality show called ‘Married Couples’? They contacted us again. I know you two aren’t interested. But the money they’re offering is simply too much, and the connections are deep, so both our higher-ups and your husband’s higher-ups have given instructions. Please prepare for it. Nothing else. Remember your esteemed teacher’s birthday this weekend. I’m leaving now.”

Shen Zhi didn’t go out to see her off.

Her lips pressed against the rim of the cup, she quietly thought, It really is Zhang Jiangnan’s birthday soon.

________________________________________

Shen He came downstairs and went straight to the refrigerator for water.

Shen Zhi, without turning her head, said, “Teacher Zhang’s birthday, what gift should we get him?”

Shen He finished his water, thought seriously for a moment: “Macarons?”

Shen Zhi was silent for a few seconds.

“Teacher Zhang would like them, he doesn’t like us spending too much money anyway,” she said. “But his wife would twist his ear.”

“It’s fine, I’m used to getting my ear twisted,” Shen He said. When he was a student, he was known as a problem student.

Shen He took out his phone and promptly arranged for his assistant to order macarons from Zhang Jiangnan’s favorite shop.

It was Shen Zhi’s turn to cook today.

She prepared two portions in advance, sending one to him and putting the other in the refrigerator, reminding him: “Take it out and heat it up before eating.”

He never picky, always giving the impression that he could enjoy eating even dog food with rice. Shen Zhi was different; she was much more particular, and thus good at dieting. However, Shen He was the type of person who would secretly bring her snacks during her diet.

It was truly not easy for this marriage to last until today.

Shen Zhi finished her workout, read for a bit, then took a shower. After finishing her skincare routine with a face mask, she returned to the bedroom, only to see another adult male, over 180cm tall, sitting on the Simmons bed where he should have been quietly waiting for her.

Her steps didn’t falter; she walked gracefully into her own room, found her hairdryer, and then turned back. Shen Zhi said expressionlessly, “What are you doing?”

Shen He was flipping through a book, reading as he said, “My bed is covered in scores; I’m borrowing your bed to sleep for a bit.”

Shen Zhi passed by his bedroom door on her way out.

She saw sheet music spread all over the floor and bed, with many annotations, probably not convenient to tidy up anytime soon.

________________________________________

Upon entering the room again, Shen He was still engrossed in reading something. Shen Zhi moved closer to the pillow with her knees and realized it was her script.

He solemnly commented, “You’re playing a widow? That’s quite interesting.” He then tossed it aside and picked up another book from the bedside table. She didn’t know what he was reading, but a slow smile spread across his face.

She sat down sideways, leaning tiredly against his shoulder, her gaze drifting over.

“My guts poured out of my body.”

—That was the sentence that met her eyes.

Shen He read on as if nothing were amiss. Shen Zhi remained motionless in that position.

He chuckled softly and said, “Someone actually puts Palahniuk’s Guts on their nightstand as bedtime reading.”

The selling points of this book were horror, disgust, and nausea.

The distributors even used its grotesque nature as a gimmick, promoting it over and over again.

And Shen Zhi, who had been mocked, simply closed her eyes, then heard the person beside her ask, “Finished reading? I’m turning the page.”

Logically, after reading such a novel before bed, one shouldn’t be in the mood for anything else.

Shen Zhi slowly lay down, and Shen He reached out to turn off the light.

The bedroom was plunged into darkness.

The bed was wide and soft. She didn’t rush to close her eyes, only feeling her little finger on the side closer to Shen He being lightly brushed.

After a while, Shen Zhi slowly turned over. Hooking her hand over his shoulder, she leaned close to his ear, saying nothing, doing nothing, merely breathing. The next second, she was pressed down, lying flat, decisively, resolutely. No words were needed, not even eye contact.

________________________________________

On December 24th, Shen He and Shen Zhi registered their marriage.

When Shen He received his first truly prestigious Best Actor award, an actress he had worked with previously revealed that they had developed feelings for each other during filming. She even posted a misleading social media update on Christmas Eve, leading to a media frenzy and widespread discussion.

The TV series starring Shen Zhi was currently popular, and during promotions, she was inevitably questioned by reporters.

It was perfectly normal for a wife to have any emotions when her husband was under public suspicion. However, facing the camera, Shen Zhi merely smiled, saying very easily and naturally, “My husband and I never celebrate Christmas.”

Afterward, Shen He’s management company issued a public statement, along with a lawyer’s letter and relevant legal regulations, presenting a very strong image.

And the news screenshot of Shen Zhi’s slight smile when answering questions also went viral. It’s worth mentioning that someone added the text “正妻の餘裕” (The composure of the legitimate wife) below it, making it one of the popular emojis among netizens for specific occasions.

Everyone believed that the Shen couple didn’t celebrate Christmas because of their wedding anniversary.

Before they got married, Xixi, who was not yet Shen He’s agent, warned him: “This tactic can help you, but there are also many disadvantages. Both of you need to be mentally prepared.”

In the agreement between their respective agents, they were supposed to minimize any negative impact on each other.

And when the parties involved received those two red certificates, they also made a brief but firm agreement.

He would fulfill his duties as a husband, and she would fulfill her duties as a wife.

Shen He was indifferent to love. To him, it was akin to rest, rote education, and all other meaningless activities—things he wasn’t interested in.

To others, his decision might seem hasty, but it was very much in Shen He’s style. A clean cut, eliminating future worries under the guise of not being accustomed to foresight.

Shen Zhi had no expectations for love. She knew that marriage could not be perfect, and dating and marriage were completely different matters. Passion would eventually dissipate, yet passion was, in a sense, the essence of love. Therefore, she didn’t need it.

________________________________________

As he put on the wedding ring chosen by his agent, Shen He casually said, “I don’t have many demands on you, but I still hope you won’t publicly commit physical infidelity—”

The ring was just the right size, the diamond wasn’t large. Shen Zhi said, “I hope you don’t have any spiritual infidelity either.”

Shen He examined her closely.

He didn’t think she would be foolish enough to misunderstand that they had truly become a couple, so there must have been a reason for her saying that.

“Given your personality, if you ever found someone like that, you’d definitely betray me without looking back. So, it’s better not to have one,” Shen Zhi said unhurriedly, pouring out her thoughts. “If you do, don’t choose someone who will cause trouble, don’t make them a regular partner, and don’t get caught.”

Shen He pondered for a moment, finding deep truth in her words, yet remained silent. Not until a staff member came to greet them at the door.

They walked out, and outside, there was an uninterrupted flurry of flashing lights. He held her shoulder tightly, as if afraid she would fall, and also as if responding to her request.

They had no partners in spirit; they were both completely and utterly alone.

And their physical partners could be each other.

Both individuals were disciplined about the frequency, but when they did let loose, it was earth-shattering.

After shattering a set of twelve glass goblets, breaking the bathroom mirror, and knocking over an entire desk plus three rows of shelves, Shen He, having treated his wounds, came out of the bathroom smoking, and saw Shen Zhi sitting on the carpet reading her script.

He walked closer, sat on the bed opposite her, and couldn’t help but stare at her knees, red from friction. She looked up from the pages, then suddenly reached out, took the cigarette from his lips, and placed it at the bottom of the ashtray that had lost a corner in the chaos.

His gaze followed her, silent and still. Shen Zhi said, “Quit smoking.”

Shen He smiled unconsciously: “Me?”

“Me too,” she said, “I hope to live longer than you.”

“Alright,” he agreed readily, “Let’s see who wins.”