Chapter 424: The Secret About the Past (42)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“She’s such a brave girl,” Mrs. Bu remarked while cutting the vegetables.
“She came to look for her brother by herself? Isn’t she afraid of getting lost or b.u.mping into crooks?” Bu Xianxian commented.
“Exactly. But she said she has combat skills.”
“She’s one of those brainless women,” Bu Xianxian scoffed apathetically.
“The topic of searching for one’s kin really gets on my nerves. Just think about how worried his parents must be. When are you going to take him to find his family?” Mrs. Bu asked softly.
“What’s the hurry? I don’t think it’s the right time yet.”
“Xianxian… you may not be in a hurry, but his parents must be worried and anxious. You can’t be so selfish, spare a thought for others. Return him to his family and we’ll get five million dollars, isn’t that great?” Mrs. Bu said solemnly.
“Mother, you seriously don’t have foresight. Why are you so enticed and satisfied with just five million dollars?” Bu Xianxian scorned, rolling her eyes at her mother.
“Isn’t five million dollars more than enough? Why do you have to be so greedy? It’s enough to last us a lifetime.”
“This concerns my lifelong happiness. How could you say that I’m being greedy? It’s called striving for my own happiness.”
“I don’t care what you call it, I just think we’re being unfair to his parents.”
“Mother, that’s enough. He’s eagerly looking for his family and you’re eagerly wanting to get your hands on those five million dollars you’ve been eyeing. You two are seriously getting on my nerves,” Bu Xianxian snapped, getting a little infuriated.
Noticing the sullen expression on her face, Mrs. Bu did not continue to speak.
—
The sky began to pour heavily at about eight o’clock in the evening.
Holding his mobile phone in hand, Ling Ciye stood on the balcony and stared into the distance, only to realize that there were no signs of Song Yan’s return.
He turned around quickly to pick up a box of cigarettes on the table before leaving the house.
He drove towards the artiste management agency in charge of Song Yan. Upon arriving, he alighted from the car and strode towards the entrance quickly with a black umbrella in hand.
The puddles of rainwater made his shoes wet.
“Is Song Yan in?”
“She’s shooting some publicity photos. She should be in the studio now.”
Ling Ciye cast his umbrella into the umbrella holder and entered the elevator alone.
Having been in a relations.h.i.+p with her for years, he was more than familiar with the layout of the artiste management company office.
He pushed the door of the studio open quietly.
Ling Ciye stood behind the staff and gazed at Song Yan, who was in the midst of shooting some publicity photos. She was hopping and jumping about, completely unbothered about the fact that she was already two months pregnant.
Ling Ciye stared on with an icy cold glare in his eyes. He stepped forward and dragged Song Yan down from the stage.
“Ciye!” Song Yan exclaimed in shock, startled and fl.u.s.tered by his unexpected visit.
“Let’s go home.”
“I’m almost done. Give me five minutes, I promise I’ll be done in five minutes. Will you wait a while?” Song Yan pleaded.
Not wanting to embarra.s.s her in front of so many crew members, he decided to let go off her hand and stood there to wait for her.
To his dismay, the shoot continued for more than ten minutes.
Ling Ciye’s expression grew sullen and stern, which Song Yan had noticed as well. Yet, the more she yearned for it to end, the longer it dragged on. At last, it finally ended fifteen minutes later.
Song Yan changed out of her clothes and scurried towards him before even removing her makeup. “Let’s go.”
Noticing that she was scantily clad, he removed his windbreaker and draped it across her body.
The crew members were not surprised at the sight of his action since they had long gotten used to it.
The two of them left the office together. Holding the umbrella in one hand, Ling Ciye opened the car door for Song Yan before closing it again after she got into the seat. He then returned to the driver’s seat.
A silence filled the air in the car throughout the journey back.
Song Yan took a glance at him every now and then. Noticing that he was visibly upset, she asked, “Are you angry?”
“Don’t you know that you’re pregnant? Why are you still hopping and jumping about? Seriously, have you been taking care of yourself properly?”
“Of course I have. Those actions don’t require much effort. I’ve been very careful.”
“What photos were those for?”
“A variety program.”
Ling Ciye stepped onto the brakes immediately and asked, “A variety program?”
“Huahua was the one who took on the job for me. The contract has already been signed, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Breach the contract then. I’ll pay the compensation fees.”
“Are you out of your mind? The compensation fees for breaching the contract are triple of what I’m getting paid. It’s alright, I’ve looked through the schedule of the program, it’ll be fine. I’m only two months pregnant, I’m not that fragile yet. Once this variety program is over, I’ll stop taking on any jobs. I mean it. I’ve already told Huahua that I won’t be accepting any more offers after this one. Okay?” Song Yan said with a look of sincerity.
“Song Yan, a woman is no longer strong and independent if she doesn’t know her limits. Do you understand?”
“That’s what makes me stand out from other women. I don’t wish to rely on men and I have my own established career. Besides, I’m in my prime and at the peak of my career now. If I go missing from the screens all of a sudden, the audience and viewers are definitely going to forget me.”
“If they could forget you so easily, that just means you haven’t performed any works worth remembering. Reflect on my words thoroughly,” said Ling Ciye as he began driving again.
Song Yan was upset by his snide remark and remained silent while staring out of the window at the pouring rain.
She did not alight from the car despite having arrived home.
“Get down.”
“No.”
Ling Ciye glared at her and admonished, “Don’t be stubborn and willful.”
He held the umbrella and walked towards the door of the pa.s.senger seat. “Get down, quick.”
“I refuse to.”
Ling Ciye had no choice but to grab her wrist and drag her out of the car.
They then returned inside the house.
“Do you want to eat anything? I’ll get Auntie to prepare it for you.”
“I want to eat the dishes you cook. Will you cook for me?” asked Song Yan.
Ling Ciye put on an ap.r.o.n and walked towards the kitchen.
A smile finally formed on Song Yan’s face as she sat on the couch and began scrolling through Weibo.
After browsing through Weibo for a while, she was served by Ling Ciye with a plate of noodles tossed in tomato sauce with a sunny side up on top.
“Eat it while it’s hot,” he said, handing her a pair of chopsticks.
“Place the chopsticks there, I’m going to take a photo and upload it onto Weibo.”
Ling Ciye placed the chopsticks on top of the bowl. Song Yan adjusted the chopsticks before taking several photos of herself posing with the bowl of noodles. She then gave the photos some finis.h.i.+ng touches using a photo editor app on her phone.
She uploaded the photos onto Weibo before picking up the chopsticks to begin eating.
Noticing that she had moved the egg to the side of the plate, Ling Ciye asked, “Why aren’t you eating the egg?”
“Eggs are fattening. I’ve always disliked eating them.”
“The noodles are starchy and full of carbohydrates. Those are fattening too. Don’t eat them then.”
Song Yan put the chopsticks down and retorted, “Fine, I just won’t eat then.”
“You’re pregnant now and you need the nutrition. Does it even matter if you’re plump or thin?” Ling Ciye scoffed.
“I’ve been having a larger appet.i.te recently, precisely because I’m pregnant now. If I lose control of my diet and begin binging on food, I’m definitely going to pack on a huge amount of weight. Who knows how the tabloids are going to ridicule me when the paparazzi manage to snap some photos of me appearing chubby.” After some consideration, Song Yan said, “I’d better not have any. Eating at night is going to make me gain weight easily.”
“…”
“You’re really not going to eat?” Ling Ciye asked.
“No.”
Ling Ciye picked up the chopsticks and began eating the noodles himself.
Song Yan stood there and watched as he polished off the noodles before bringing the empty bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen.
She was a little infuriated all of a sudden.
However, she did not know the reason for her anger.