Chapter 3: The Most Familiar Stranger
– The next day –
Xu Cheng woke up, finding himself in a completely unfamiliar environment. Being vigilant, he immediately sat up straight and looked around.
Lin Chuxue was in a green home dress, and her hair was tied into a ponytail. She poured a gla.s.s of water, placed it on the table, and softly said, “You were here once before, remember?”
“Oh, it’s you.” Xu Cheng finally let out a sigh of relief and lightly ma.s.saged his temple, “I’m sorry to disturb you.”
Then, he got up and prepared to leave.
“Drink some water first,” Lin Chuxue said indifferently, then walked to an independent room that was designated for her to create music. She sat down in front of the piano, and her 10 slender and snow-white fingers began playing the repertoire from her new alb.u.m.
After Xu Cheng drank all the water and was prepared to leave, Lin Chuxue spoke without even turning her head around, “If you leave right now, you will be caught by the paparazzi, and then our relationship will no longer be a secret.”
Xu Cheng pouted as he walked downstairs and sat on a sofa. On the other side sat Lin Chuxue’s a.s.sistant Lan. Xu Cheng asked Lin Chuxue, “Do you mind if I smoke?”
She didn’t reply, just continuing to play her piano.
The music was very gentle and soothing.
With the music plus the cigarette, Xu Cheng’s mood was much better.
After Lin Chuxue finished playing, she turned around, glanced at him, and asked, “You are out?”
Xu Cheng nodded, “Yeah, couldn’t get in, so I got out. I’m going to be working in Shangcheng for now, but don’t worry, we will live our own lives. I will stay by my promise before to not walk into your life.”
“No need for the reminder, you’ve done well for the past 3 years.” Lin Chuxue asked again, “What are you planning to do?”
“My higher-up arranged something for me,” Xu Cheng replied. “It will start with just small patrolling police matters, but I won’t give up on my dream.”
“I envy that you still have your dream.”
Xu Cheng knew that this woman was making an oblique accusation. It was unfair for Lin Chuxue to have to marry Xu Cheng just because it was arranged by their parents before they were even born. This also interrupted a lot of her previous plans for her own life, leaving her no choice but to come to Huaxia to be his wife.
“I’ve tried to convince Uncle Lin many times in the past few years, and I’m really sorry that you had to marry me. But don’t worry, I will give you enough freedom and respect, and you can even disregard this whole marriage thing to look for your true love. I know that our marriage will sooner or later be exposed, which could harm your career, but give me some time to convince Uncle Lin and then we can immediately divorce,” Xu Cheng sincerely said.
Lin Chuxue didn’t say anything and just quietly looked at her sheet music.
a.s.sistant Lan on the side clearly made a subtle scoffing sound after hearing about Xu Cheng’s job. In her eyes, Sister Lin’s potential marriage choices should be either the rich or the powerful, instead of a little policeman who doesn’t have the looks nor the background. It was no wonder that Sister Lin was talking to him in such an indifferent tone. But speaking of being indifferent, Sister Lin seemed to act this way towards all the men they came across.
Originally, she was planning to suck up to Xu Cheng a bit, thinking that he might be from a stunning background. However, after finding out what he really did, Lan suddenly took it upon herself to think that she must evaluate the risk this guy could pose to her boss’s career. It was known that Lin Chuxue’s fame was still on the climb, and each minute of her daily schedule could be compared to the value of gold. In terms of both net worth and pay, she was top tier in the celebrity circle, and Lan couldn’t help but suspect whether the little policeman Xu Cheng would blackmail her later. So, after suppressing her intention for awhile, she finally took out an agreement and placed it onto the table.
Xu Cheng looked at the table and asked, “What is this?”
Lan replied, “Sister Lin, this is from your agent, Sister Lei.”
Lin Chuxue frowned, and so did Xu Cheng.
Lan looked at him and said, “Mr. Xu, although it’s very rude, but for the sake of Sister Lin’s acting career, we want you to sign a confidentiality agreement to keep all of your relationship with Lin Chuxue confidential. It also outlines that in the future, you cannot interfere both in her career and personal life.”
“Lan!” Lin Chuxue was a little dissatisfied.
“Sister Lin, I have no choice… Right now you are the signature of our company, our number one celebrity. If news of your marriage leaks out, it will be a major blow to your acting career, You are now in the ascending slope of your career, and we must eliminate all possible risks that could bring a detrimental impact,” Lan bitterly smiled and then said in a concerned tone.
Xu Cheng laughed, and then his face sank, “You don’t have to point fingers in the matter between me and her. I’m always very conscious about it and I stand by my words. In the past three years, I wasn’t interested in anything that was related to her, and this is only my second time coming to this apartment. You and the company behind you can relax, I won’t be stepping into her life.”
Then, he stood up and left the condo.
Lan was very p.i.s.sed, and she immediately spoke to Lin Chuxue, “He’s clearly feeling guilty. We can’t leave things like this, Sister Lin! If he’s not signing this, he might come back to blackmail you when you are at the peak of your career.”
Lin Chuxue didn’t speak, as she continued on with playing her piano.
She wasn’t worried, but her a.s.sistant Lan couldn’t be more worried. If there was one thing that the celebrity circle didn’t lack, it would be men like this.
“Sister Lin, I don’t know what to say… Why would you not tell the company about your marriage? And if he doesn’t sign the agreement, how will the company be confident to continue investing resources in you for you to grow?”
Lin Chuxue was peacefully playing another new song, just letting Lan going off as if the world was about to come to an end. She was enchanting herself in her own music, as beautiful as silent fireworks.
After she finished the song, she looked up at her a.s.sistant and asked, “Lan, do you think I’m pretty?”
“Of course, Sister Lin is the most beautiful woman I’ve seen. Even in the mixed-blood circle, you are high-up on the international list. Which man with status or wealth doesn’t want to meet you? Right now, the offer to have a candlelight dinner with you has increased to 20 million! The headhunter companies directly contacted our company already, and Sister Lei rejected them all. It’s obvious how high your net worth is for just one meal. Some of the A-List female celebrities don’t even get paid 10 million for a movie.”
Lin Chuxue smiled gently. “Oh right, didn’t you hear what he said before he left? For three years, he promised that he will not step into my life. He did it, he didn’t put his nose in any matter related to me. He’s been here once, and he doesn’t care about me to the point that he doesn’t even remember his last visit. Lan, I believe that he is a man of his words. Let me ask you, how many men can marry me and still respect me like a guest and treat me like a stranger after three years?”
Lan was speechless.
That was also true. If it was someone else, they would indeed lose their calm and try to force things with Lin Chuxue.
“But Sister Lin, I’m scared that he might come back to ask for things when you are at the peak of your career.” Lan frowned.
“He won’t, don’t worry.” Lin Chuxue didn’t seem nervous at all. She closed the cover for her piano, stood up, and said, “Do you know why you, the reporters, and the media couldn’t find my marriage status information?”
Lan shook her head.
Lin Chuxue slowly said, “In fact, it was him that pulled some strings and made it confidential. He seemed like he really doesn’t have any feelings for me. When we first got married, he also didn’t force anything. I thought he was playing the trick of loosening the reins only to grasp better, so I chose to enter the entertainment business to probe him.”
Speaking of this, Lin Chuxue bitterly smiled. “But it turned out that he really doesn’t care. In the past few years, he was in the army but even when he did come out occasionally, he had never called me once. We were like the most familiar strangers. But that’s also good, at least we won’t hate each other, and that’s good for both sides.”