Chapter 2: Entanglement of the Three
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
The moment Hua Xiangrong posted in her Weibo, the whole entertainment circle was in chaos.
This news shocked more people compared to the news of Lu Huanong and Ruo Feiqun’s marriage, because her tone was obviously not only deciding to quit the firm but also full retirement!
Who was Hua Xiangrong? One of the most popular celebrities in the entertainment industry!
She was not even thirty years old, and she had only just entered her prime. She rarely had any nasty rumors, and she barely had any scandals. Her presence was a guarantee for TV show ratings. After ten years, even if her show had ratings lower than average, her skills were beyond reproach, with her filmography consisting of five or six critically acclaimed movies.
The media immediately attempted to contact her, but whether it was Hua Xiangrong or her a.s.sistant, both their numbers had been suspended. The manager of the Huan Yu Century Entertainment industry and Wen Lan both released the same statement, acknowledging that Hua Xiangrong wanted to permanently withdraw from the entertainment industry due to health issues. They did not disclose anything else.
Other than Hua Xiangrong’s most trusted a.s.sistant and herself, only He Zhen and Wen Lan knew about her getting advanced gastric cancer.
He Zhen and Wen Hao didn’t want her to be disturbed any more, and they told the hospital to reject visitors. The nurses and doctors who knew about her condition were very sympathetic toward her.
But the media was nothing if not persistent. They managed to locate the hospital where Hua Xiangrong was staying. However, she had already antic.i.p.ated this, and so preemptively left the hospital before they arrived. The higher ups in the hospital refused to release any news regarding her health condition.
It was as if Hua Xiangrong had vanished. Her Weibo account was also deleted overnight. The official accounts of all platforms had disappeared too. She also personally chatted with the president of the official fanclub. Her fans were crying for her, but they could only mourn for her sadly.
Just when everyone thought that the fans of Hua Xiangrong would definitely tear apart the relations.h.i.+p between Ruo Feiqun and Lu Huanong, her fans were surprisingly quiet. The fanclub released the last Weibo statement on it’s account as well.
[Hua Xiangrong Fanclub V: If you love her, let her retire in honor, and leave with peace. We can only accept those who are quiet as fans of Hua Xiangrong. Whoever attempts to tear apart their relations.h.i.+p, whoever condemns, whoever causes trouble, please leave her fanclub immediately. We won’t accept you. Thank you!]
The Hua Xiangrong fans silently shared that Weibo post, which also made people who wanted to appeal to the fanclub share it as well. Unknowingly, this turned into a trend. Everyone, whether they were a fan of Hua Xiangrong or not, started forwarding this post. The post ultimately got the most shares on Weibo in a short span of time.
Everyone started to notice that Hua Xiangrong’s retirement was not because of her throwing a tantrum, or because she was a sore loser. Otherwise, she could have just left Huan Yu Century Entertainment. With her popularity, many companies would be fighting to recruit her. Naturally, everyone’s thoughts began to take a more morbid turn.
The atmosphere of joy in the morning suddenly died off.
Other than the fans of Lu Huanong and Ruo Feiqun who were still giving their blessings and congratulating them in a small-scaled manner on Weibo, this good news was overshadowed by the news of Hua Xiangrong’s retirement.
Everyone’s heart was itching to know the reason for Hua Xiangrong’s retirement. However, as Hua Xiangrong said, she had disposed off all methods of contact, seemingly planning to disappear. It was as if she couldn’t be found anymore.
However, one person could still contact her.
Hua Xiangrong had four mobile phone numbers, one of which she left aside after breaking up with Ruo Feiqun. This number was also not registered using her ID. This mobile phone number had also been specially designed. Other than him, no one else knew the number. Hence, no one would be able to reach her by accident.
When the phone rang, Hua Xiangrong picked up the phone without hesitation.
The other end of the phone was an endless silence.
Hua Xiangrong spoke first, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you want to say something, say it quick. This phone number will be invalid after five minutes.”
“Rongrong, what happened to you?” He sounded eager, anxious and worried. His voice was not as clear as it used to be, but it was rather hoa.r.s.e.
“I’m feeling fine. It has nothing to do with the two of you.” Hua Xiangrong said calmly, “I have not had the time to bless you. Congratulations on your wedding.”
Ruo Feiqun was silent again. He was breathing in a chaotic manner. He should be in a quiet place; Hua Xiangrong could clearly hear that he was depressed, and he was even in agony.
Raising her hand to look at the watch on the wrist, Hua Xiangrong remained silent until five minutes was almost up. “You have thirty seconds left.”
“Rongrong… I’m sorry…” The voice trembled weakly.
When the time was up, Hua Xiangrong immediately hung up the phone, pulled out the sim card, and proceeded to throw the phone into the trash can. The sim card was thrown into the toilet bowl, which was then flushed away.
She didn’t need an apology. Whoever let her down, she would personally take her revenge.
Ruo Feiqun, the only man who had made her heart flutter. She loved his voice; she loved his personality which was able to remain pure untainted by the fame. She loved his sense of responsibility, his tenderness, and his kindness.
Most probably, in the celebrity circle, every woman who struggled and suffered before would be enamored with such a man.
Hua Xiangrong was one of these women… and so was Lu Huanong.
Ever since the talents of these three started to s.h.i.+ne, it was like they were tied together by fate because all three of their names coincidentally originated from the same poem. Luo Huanong and Ruo Feiqun were outstanding talents who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy [1], while Hua Xiangrong was just a normal girl without any professional training who was scouted by the agency. She ended up in the same company with Lu Huanong, and they started competing with each other. No matter if it were fame, rankings, resources and even partners, they were rivals for a whole ten years.
She knew that Ruo Feiqun really loved her, but he did not trust her.
She told Ruo Feiqun more than once that Lu Huanong had a thing for him, and wanted him to stay away from her.
He always felt that she was acting like this because of the bitterness she acc.u.mulated through her rivalry with Lu Huanong. Due to this, they argued a lot. She always ended up disappointed by him until the feeling of despair hit her when she discovered that she had advanced gastric cancer.
She stopped arguing. Even after she knew that Lu Huanong had deliberately tried to create another relations.h.i.+p numb Ruo Feiqun, she decided to help make this relations.h.i.+p possible.
Since you believe her so much, I will let you see clearly. After all, I don’t want you anymore.
Maybe it was a marriage that came by destiny. Hua Xiangrong wasn’t in a platonic love with Ruo Feiqun. Although they spent more time apart than together, she never managed to get pregnant. However, Lu Huanong was found pregnant shortly after they had s.e.xual intercourse.
Ruo Feiqun was a responsible and tender man. Since there was a child, he could not step away anymore. Even though he had now seen Lu Huanong’s true colors, he could not bear to ask her to abort the fetus.
Just let them be in love with each other. However, I, Hua XiangRong, am not so kind.
Grabbing their headlines and destroying their happy atmosphere is just the beginning.
She would let them know that living was the ultimate pain.