QKYJ - 40

After the reality show Married Men and Women finished filming, Shen He was lectured for a very, very long time by his manager, Xi Xi.

There were three main points of dissatisfaction recently.

First, he was too willful during the variety show, which damaged his reputation. Although the production team specifically said it was fine, and he also accidentally damaged one of the wheels when he returned the electric tricycle and had to compensate them; second, he swore during a reporter’s interview because the reporter asked about Zhang Qingyue; and third, he absolutely refused to talk about the divorce.

Shen Zhi’s request for a divorce was no longer a secret.

The divorce agreement was sent to Xi Xi, who read it over and over again. It was watertight and well-considered for herself without harming the other party’s interests.

It was just a contract.

Xi Xi asked Shen He if he had any complaints, and he said no. Xi Xi asked if he was going to sign it, and he said, “Not yet.” He was basically banking on her not suing for divorce.

They had lived together all this time, and their concern for each other was limited to the realm of casual interest. They didn’t consider each other’s feelings or need to know each other’s thoughts. They were colleagues and considered each other good partners.

However, when a partnership expires, ending the contract only requires following the established procedure, but continuing it means facing new problems.

And he also had to explain something to her that he couldn’t even figure out himself.

Shen He suddenly remembered a certain person.

Someone who would suddenly appear in his life and then suddenly disappear. That person would always refer to him as “this child” and would often comment on Shen He’s maturity in an irritating tone. However, the one who was truly the most immature was clearly himself.

Xi Xi said, “She really wants to get out of this fake marriage, doesn’t she?”

“I want to, too,” Shen He said. “Maybe neither of us can meet the other’s requirements.”

Xi Xi realized something and said, once and for all: “So, will continuing to maintain the status quo solve the problem? You can only retreat or move forward. Women are very complex, and the more perfect a woman is, the more complex she is. One wrong step and you’ll be eliminated.”

She went to apologize to the other manager, but Ding Yaocai replied with an indifferent expression, “I know, it’s fine.” It was as if she had expected it all along, and only Xi Xi was left out of the loop.

She also lightly hinted at the impending storm on their side.

After so many years of working together, Xi Xi was very unhappy with Ding Yaocai’s unannounced actions this time. But her accusations were fruitless, and the termination of the partnership was indefinitely postponed, so her anger was naturally directed at Shen He.

Xi Xi’s opening line was always, “I suspect you were sent by God to annoy me,” then she would escalate it with, “If I had a son who was half as mischievous as you, I’d get high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol,” and finally, she would conclude perfectly with, “If you keep this up, I’m not going to take care of you anymore.”

Shen He let it go in one ear and out the other, keeping his headphones on and reading a book.

The male lead for Huang Zhengfei’s new film Black Dog had pretty much been finalized as Shen He.

The news had not yet been made public, but it was said that the producers were very satisfied with this casting choice. It was probably related to the ample hype they could use for promotion.

He loved to read, especially novels.

So he was also flipping through the original novel as he prepared for the role.

Black Dog tells the story of an undercover anti-drug police officer.

In terms of appearance, Shen He didn’t need to deliberately gain or lose weight. The important thing was the chemistry between the character and the actor’s own temperament.

He had to go to a Hong Kong acting teacher who had just arrived in the mainland for a while, so he decided to stay in a hotel. This happened to be a way to avoid Shen Zhi, so they didn’t have to see each other.

Unconsciously, he developed a habit of taking out his phone to check his messages at regular intervals.

It wasn’t that he expected anyone to message him; he was just worried that he wouldn’t be able to reply immediately if she contacted him.

Ding Yaocai said, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Zhi stared at her phone screen. She had so many message notifications, but she was just looking at the contact that had sunk to the very bottom.

She shook her head and replied vaguely, “Nothing.”

Unnecessary schedules were never reported between them before.

They were like two roommates who didn’t interfere with each other’s lives.

But now, while Shen He was still silent as usual, Shen Zhi felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

She had demanded “I love you” from him.

It damaged her self-esteem, and it was far from a point of pride.

After finishing the filming of Married Men and Women, before getting into separate cars, she put on her sunglasses and said to him one last time, “Let me know when you’ve made up your mind. Once you’ve signed the agreement, we can just go to the registry together.”

To be honest, this time, the sincerity in her words seemed to have diminished even more than before.

Even if they got divorced recently, it couldn’t be made public anyway. They had to wait until after Liang Yi’s scandal, so there was no rush.

She had heard that most big and small things in the world fall apart because of procrastination. Shen Zhi didn’t want to fall victim to this conclusion, but she had to admit that her resolve was insufficient.

She admitted that she was probably putting pressure on Shen He.

But in the end, the worst that could happen was they would go their separate ways. It was better than wasting each other’s time.

Shen He and Shen Zhi got married for their own interests. Therefore, six years ago, they decided on the foundation of their current home. This was not a good home, nor was it a good relationship.

And no one knew this except for the people involved in the show.

The reality show Married Men and Women aired at 9 PM every Friday.

Before its premiere, the promotion and cast had already attracted a large amount of attention, and its first broadcast naturally set a new viewership record.

Shen Zhi wasn’t very enthusiastic about variety shows, so she didn’t plan on watching it. But she still received a timely reminder from her assistant.

“Shen He and Shen Zhi fighting” immediately soared to the top of the trending searches.

In the clip edited by the production team, in the last second, Shen He and Shen Zhi were still saying they were going to let everyone see how amazing a real couple was. In the next second, Shen He left Shen Zhi alone in the tomato field and walked away.

Shen Zhi faced the camera, with a smile that said she was just trying to survive, and said helplessly, “I’m sorry, just pretend I’m on this show alone.”

Paired with a straw hat and a light purple sun-protective shirt, Shen Zhi seemed to ask very seriously, “Sometimes I really wonder, how can there be such an incomprehensible animal in the world called a husband?”

Shen Zhi said, “We don’t need to have a pet at home because one Shen He is enough.”

And many female viewers also erupted with a sense of shared sentiment.

It was obvious that female friends who were not on the same wavelength as their significant others were not an isolated case.

Then, when the show aired the part where Shen He was helping the villagers, the real-time discussion was almost entirely, “This toxic man,” “What are you doing, male teacher Shen, what are you doing,” and “Do you still remember your wife in the tomato field?”

The parts with Qu Xiao and Wang Ruilan caused a lot of people to feel nostalgic.

Older viewers related to it, and younger viewers either envied such a stable relationship or were reminded of their own elders.

Whenever the show got to Cheng Ruiyi and Ji Luoluo’s part, the comment section would be filled with uniform praise and excited cries. Amidst comments like “Brother is so handsome,” and “Mama loves you, Luoluo,” there would occasionally be messages like “Seriously though, am I the only one who thinks Brother is forcing himself?” and “Don’t ruin the beautiful woman, JLL is perfect on her own,” but they would quickly be covered up by new comments like “Then just follow the beautiful/handsome person’s work.”

But there was no doubt that the Shen couple had the highest discussion rate.

The part where Shen He and Shen Zhi argued at home reached a new height in viewership ratings.

Some people sided with Shen Zhi.

“Shen He is too selfish, isn’t he? He does whatever he wants. They’re supposed to be completing a task, okay? And they lost so badly in the end.” “He has time to help others and make his wife suffer? What kind of scum is he? [smiley face][smiley face][bye]” “‘I’m sorry for what I did to you’ is a terrible thing to say. It must be so tiring to live with a husband like that. It feels like Shen Zhi is truly speechless.”

Some people also sided with Shen He.

“Shen He is so interesting. In my opinion, I just want to watch his parts now.” “To be honest, didn’t Shen Zhi do anything after she got to the house? She just kept telling Shen He to clean up. You should move a little yourself.” “Why did the female Shen throw things? Her quality is so low. Ugh. Does she need someone to beg to put medicine on her?”

This naturally led to arguments.

“To those siding with Shen He, I wish you all find a husband who doesn’t consider your feelings at all!”

“With a handsome husband like that, I would be waking up smiling every day, okay? What more could I ask for? I’d worship him every day.”

Then, unconsciously, the tone changed.

“If you want a husband like male Shen, you first have to be on the same level as female Shen.”

“[bye]”

“Life is already so difficult, let’s not expose some things [crying][bye]”

And in fact, most people were more emotional about something else—

“Am I the only one who found some sweetness in their argument? Today, I am a crying cat emoji. I’m not cursing at people; I’m just crying. The fighting is fake; the sweetness is real.”

“Even when her idiotic husband brought back a carload of lumber, she only complained a few times. Our female teacher Shen has a sharp tongue but a soft heart.”

“‘Yes, yes, I hate it’ is such a doting phrase. Shen He, you dog! Stop being so charming!”

In the end, even “sweetness in the knife” was trending.

And it also gave a bunch of relationship bloggers a chance to ride the wave.

The first episode ended at just the right moment, leaving everyone wanting more for the second episode.

The record-breaking viewership of the first broadcast meant half the battle was won.

People are inevitably curious and gossipy.

In the following episodes, almost all the viewers were more or less concerned about the marital disputes between Shen He and Shen Zhi.

The part where the two of them cooked together was edited to be very funny, almost like a comedic sketch.

The part where Shen Zhi got sick and Shen He took care of her made the audience incredibly emotional.

In the end, they worked together to figure out the meaning of the clue, which made people think, “They’re so clever,” and at the same time, they were emotional and thought, “They’re a match made in heaven. I love them.”

Because of the massive success of Married Men and Women, Shen Zhi received several job offers.

However, she didn’t plan on giving a response to any of them at the moment.

She wasn’t surprised by this situation.

Actors need a sense of mystery, but when you get down to it, this mystery is also for making more money. So, when breaking that mystery can make more money, it’s not wrong to give up a part of it.

The most important thing is not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. It’s okay to do it once in a while, but not for the long term.

Shen Zhi wasn’t worried about this.

She never liked filming variety shows in the first place.

Once, during a casual chat in bed, Shen He didn’t seem to have any strong feelings about it. He didn’t particularly like it, but he wasn’t particularly against it either.

Shen Zhi was home alone, and recently, Sun Mengjia and Ouyang Sheng would call her to go to lectures with them. Besides them, there were often many socialites and celebrities. Looking around, there were always many familiar faces.

Unfortunately, Shen Zhi had no interest in these talks about relationships. She barely managed to stay awake and just kept her head down, reading the autobiographical novel of the original author of Not a Good Person at All.

After leaving the venue, the three of them went to a vegetarian restaurant together.

Ouyang Sheng said, “I really want to get married.”

Sun Mengjia said, “You won’t want to after you’ve been married once.”

Shen Zhi had been busy with work recently and was in a bad mood, so she didn’t have the energy to participate in their topic. She just maintained a smile and walked beside them without a word.

“The most important thing about marriage should be love,” Ouyang Sheng concluded solemnly. “With love, many difficulties can be overcome...”

Sun Mengjia scoffed at this theory and interrupted mockingly, “The problem is, love has a shelf life. Can you be a little more realistic? To make a marriage last, you have to rely on money. Interests come first, do you understand?”

The two people, who didn’t get along, couldn’t convince each other.

In the end, their gazes fell on the third person.

Shen Zhi was lost in thought and was suddenly pulled into the whirlwind. “What about you, Shen Zhi?” they said. “What do you think is the most important thing in a marriage?”

Love, interests, the future, the present. Everything became ethereal. Shen Zhi silently recalled a long time ago, on the day they got married. She and Shen He were both exhausted, and they fell asleep the moment they closed their eyes on the bed, without even having time to take off their outfits.

She couldn’t help but say to herself, “I’m never getting married again.”

She had expected Shen He to laugh, but he looked serious and agreed in a very formal way: “I absolutely don’t want to do it a second time.”

Many years later, the scene was still vivid in her mind.

What is the most important thing in a marriage?

Perhaps any answer is correct, and perhaps any answer is wrong.

Shen Zhi said, “Not wanting to get a divorce.”

Whether it was Ouyang Sheng or Sun Mengjia, whether it was someone who was driven by love or someone who was only interested in profit, they all looked at her without exception.

Between a couple, the most important thing to maintain a marriage can be love, or it can be interests, or it can be anything. However, for Shen Zhi, what she believed in was a feeling of not wanting to get a divorce.

Because she didn’t want a divorce, she was willing to spend time, contribute energy, and make sacrifices to live with the other person.

The only weakness was trust.

Trusting that the other person had the same feeling as her.

However, the period of intense trending topics for Shen He and Shen Zhi did not reach its peak when Married Men and Women aired.

If their popularity during the “sweetness in the knife” trend was a trending topic and a social media takeover, then the news that “Shen He and Shen Zhi are in the process of a divorce” caused the server to crash.

The plot took a complete 180-degree turn.

Last week, everyone was reluctantly saying goodbye to their source of joy.

This week, they were stimulated by the truth of their shattered dreams and were crying and wailing.

Everyone’s concern for them had not expired, and this revelation was so shocking that it not only forced the social media site to maintain its trending topics, but it also caused countless discussions.

“Shen He and Shen Zhi are getting a divorce?”

“I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it no matter what you say. It must be a rival company stirring things up.”

“I can be fake, but the Shen couple must be real!”

“No way, no way? Are there still people who really believe that celebrity couples have a good relationship?”

“These dogs are still barking at their masters. Be careful what you wish for.”

“I said before that they seemed a little fake...”

“If you’re going to divorce, do it quickly. Stop taking up public resources, okay?”

Even though most people didn’t know them, their status as public figures still attracted a lot of attention.

Their marriage and divorce were no longer just a matter for the two of them.

It was about their careers, their companies, and the many fans who drew strength from them.

Both Shen Zhi and Shen He’s sides, of course, denied the claims.

However, Liang Yi was well-prepared and not so easy to deal with. Fortunately, Ding Yaocai was also calm, as she had long known that a tough battle was coming and had told Shen Zhi not to worry. It seemed that Chongyu had received some compensation and was only doing the bare minimum in response, currently waiting to see what would happen.

This was the public matter, and the private matter was the same.

Friends and relatives. The number of people who called to ask Shen Zhi about the situation was endless. Among them were probably some who had the potential to become a “knowledgeable source” in a certain report. Unfortunately, Shen Zhi never gave people that chance.

Her cousin, Lan Qiao, was surprisingly well-behaved, and Shen Zhi ignored the calls from her aunt and uncle. Instead, her parents, for the first time, took the initiative to contact her: “Humanity is weak. As long as we sincerely repent...”

The front of their home and Liang Yi’s were packed with people. She turned off her communication devices, and Shen Zhi just gave up, staying at home and reading the first eighty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber.

She didn’t even have to think about it to guess that Shen He’s situation was probably similar to hers.

According to Ding Yaocai, the ratings for the final episode of Married Men and Women with the Shen couple were unusually high, making one wonder if all the cable TVs in the country had been infected with a virus.

A couple’s private matters could cause such a big stir, which was both dangerous and embarrassing. Everyone was incredibly interested in Shen He and Shen Zhi’s private lives. Was the news of the divorce true or false? What were they doing and thinking right now—

Shen Zhi was sleeping.

She woke up naturally for the first time in a while. The room was warm and comfortable, and she opened her eyes to the shattered sunlight. Suddenly, Shen Zhi couldn’t move.

She met the eyes of the man sitting on the side of the bed.

She had no idea why Shen He was there, what he planned to do, or what he was thinking. She could only subconsciously raise her hand and pretend to be calm, wiping her face. “You—”

“Want to go on a date?” he asked honestly.