After Appearing On A Marriage Reality Show, The Top Star Cried and Says She Doesn't Want a Divorce - Chapter 50

Rain pelted the taxi roof as the vehicle sliced through the thick curtain of rain.

Inside, Yan Mengyi, unable to hold back the effects of alcohol, slumped against the seat, her head turned to one side.

Acen let her rest her head on her shoulder and asked the driver how much longer it would take.

“About ten minutes,” the driver replied, turning on the radio.

A listener called in to request Li Tang’s signature song, dedicating it to his beloved girl.

Yan Mengyi frowned, perhaps dreaming of something.

The air conditioning was cranked up high. The two women, still damp from the rain outside, now felt even colder. Yan Mengyi hugged herself, shivering.

“Driver, could you please turn off the AC?”

The driver switched off the air conditioning and chuckled, “You’re so good to your girlfriend. How long have you two been dating?”

Yan Mengyi, drunk, didn’t react.

Acen didn’t correct him. “We’ve known each other for six months. Do you think we’re a good match?”

“Absolutely! You two really look like Jiang Zhou and her wife.”

When they got out of the taxi, Acen gave the driver an extra-large tip.

******

Acen supported Yan Mengyi, guiding her through the night until she safely returned to her room.

“I got you a glass of water and put it on your bedside table. You can reach it easily, okay?” Acen said.

Yan Mengyi’s eyes were unfocused from the alcohol. She nodded vaguely, her smile uncertain, and mumbled something indistinct.

Acen’s mind exploded with confusion. She couldn’t understand what Yan Mengyi was saying.

All she knew was that the sister she’d only known for two days was breathtakingly beautiful.

Back in her own room, a complex emotion, difficult to describe, settled on Acen’s face.

The light was dim and yellow, the corners of the walls mottled with green mold, and the ceiling paint cracked.

This wasn’t the smell of decay or dampness—it was the smell of poverty.

Acen sat at her desk, her fingers gently sliding over the surface. She opened her laptop, the screen’s glow illuminating her face.

She began searching for two people: Yu Zhen and Li Tang.

The rain continued outside.

Acen’s brows furrowed as her gaze darted between the lines of text. As the night deepened, distant car engines roared outside, a reminder that this world was fractured.

Before meeting a certain person, Acen only felt her life lacked excitement. She believed that if she could just get drunk enough, she could forget all her pain and troubles.

After meeting that person, she regretted how carefree and shallow her life had been. How could she, with nothing to her name, dare to let such a person slip through her fingers?

Acen’s gaze shifted from the computer screen to her phone.

A notification light flashed, breaking the room’s silence.

The message was simple and direct: a dinner invitation for tomorrow.

Acen frowned slightly, a sense of reluctance stirring within her.

But her debt list, with its staggering numbers, felt like invisible shackles binding her tightly.

Yes.

Acen replied curtly and tossed her phone aside.

The sender continued to bombard her with messages, their overly solicitous facade hiding ulterior motives that were painfully obvious.

Acen turned off the light and lay down. The darkness was complete, the lightbulb like an invisible eye staring at her, and she glared back with equal ferocity.

Working at the bar wasn’t a long-term solution. She needed to find a more lucrative way to make money.

******

The first rays of dawn peeked through the window curtains, casting their light on Yan Mengyi’s face.

She jolted awake, groggily reaching for her phone. The time on the screen instantly sobered her.

She had missed her flight.

A barrage of unanswered calls and messages flooded her phone, each notification pricking her nerves.

There were calls from Li Tang, Jiang Zhou and her wife, and even staff from the production team.

For the first time in her life, she was late. The lingering effects of alcohol made her nauseous, and the sense of her life falling into disarray left her feeling utterly wretched.

After confirming with the production team, they arranged for her to take a later flight.

She quickly texted Li Tang and Jiang Zhou and her wife, hoping they’d see the messages as soon as they landed, so they wouldn’t worry about her.

******

Yan Mengyi sprang out of bed, washed up, got dressed, and rushed straight to the airport.

On the plane, she slept soundly and had a wonderful dream.

In the dream, it was a snowy day, and she was in a small wooden cabin on a mountain.

Outside, snow fell thick and fast, but inside, a fireplace blazed with warmth, its logs crackling and popping.

She was curled up in someone’s arms, sleeping peacefully and contentedly.

A flight attendant came to serve the meal, waking Yan Mengyi.

She ate the bread, her lips turning pale.

The person in the dream was blurry and indistinct, but she was certain it was Li Tang.

That sense of calm, that massage—only Li Tang could provide it.

Those hands that could strum a guitar and captivate crowds could also willingly serve as a slave.

Yan Mengyi couldn’t deny it: she missed Li Tang.

But today, Hua Jingyan would also be on the show.

She couldn’t deny her fear either—the fear of seeing how Li Tang and Hua Jingyan interacted.

******

The plane taxied slowly down the runway before coming to a stop.

Yan Mengyi unbuckled her seatbelt, took a deep breath, and tried to shake off the fatigue from the long flight.

As she exited the cabin, she was immediately overwhelmed by the familiar hustle and bustle of the airport. Before she could even turn on her phone, a staff member from the production team spotted her, waved enthusiastically, and confiscated her device.

They handed her a new phone, its screen lighting up to reveal her surprised face. The phone was preloaded with WeChat and logged into a newly created account, but it contained no contacts.

The account balance showed 500 yuan—her entire budget.

The staff member handed her a slip of paper with an address written on it, instructing her to go there on her own.

“Is this where it begins?” Yan Mengyi immediately went on high alert. She’d seen similar reality shows before. The production team always provided insufficient funds, and spending too much at any stage would trap you in a financial bind.

“Yes, it begins now. We’ll be filming you covertly throughout the entire process.”

Yan Mengyi exited the terminal, where a group of young girls holding banners waited to greet the arrival.

They were there to welcome the Korean superstar Hua Jingyan.

Yan Mengyi pulled her cap lower and hurried past.

She knew that everything she currently knew about Hua Jingyan was based on fragmented imagination.

She was trying to get a taxi, but people kept approaching her along the way, asking if she needed a ride.

“Little sister, are you alone? Need a taxi?”

“Want a ride? It’s very cheap.”

“The taxi line is full right now. You’ll have to wait at least an hour. Get in my car. No sharing, we’ll leave right away. I’m heading into the city anyway, dropping you off is no trouble.”

Yan Mengyi lowered her head in refusal and hurried toward the taxi line.

Halfway there, she saw another girl, who looked like a tourist. Even with her hat and mask, it was clear she was young.

This girl was also going to the same place as Yan Mengyi.

But their destination was a famous five-star hotel, so Yan Mengyi didn’t think much of their shared destination.

“Little sister, you’re here on vacation, right?” A black car driver grabbed the girl’s suitcase, putting on a friendly act.

“I’m here to meet a friend. No thanks, I’ll just take a taxi.”

“You don’t know? The taxi line is really long right now. At least an hour’s wait. It’s too hot out there. Two people got heatstroke yesterday while waiting in line and had to be taken to the hospital. That’ll really mess up your plans.”

“An hour? That’s too long,” the girl said, looking up thoughtfully. “I can’t wait to see my friend.”

“What are you waiting for? Get in the car, sweetheart.”

“How much will it cost to get there? I’m worried I don’t have enough money.”

“Hmm…” The driver tilted his head in thought. “Normally, it’d be 500 yuan, but since I’m just dropping you off on my way, 300 yuan is fine! I feel like we’re destined to meet. Anyone else, and I’d charge the full price.”

The girl hesitated, clearly unfamiliar with the local prices. But the driver was so persistent, she half-heartedly gave in and followed him.

Yan Mengyi, though she’d always lived a sheltered life—seven years of chauffeured rides and housekeeper escorts whenever Li Tang wasn’t around, still had a good grasp of local prices.

She wanted to step forward and stop the girl from being taken advantage of, but as an introvert, she found it difficult to just grab her arm.

Her gaze locked onto the girl, her mind racing.

Finally, the girl sensed Yan Mengyi’s stare and yanked her suitcase from the driver’s grip. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

Yan Mengyi stepped forward, standing beside the girl. As they walked away, she turned and waved at the driver, who jogged after them.

“We have a friend coming to pick us up. Thanks anyway.”

It was a polite refusal, designed to avoid provoking the driver’s temper and potential retaliation.

The taxi queue was long, but the line moved quickly.

They waited less than ten minutes before reaching the front.

The girl pulled out some alcohol wipes to clean her hands and handed one to Yan Mengyi.

As they discussed their recent experience, Yan Mengyi exclaimed indignantly, “It should have cost no more than fifty yuan! How dare she charge you three hundred?”

“I don’t know either,” the girl replied, scratching her head. “Maybe I looked like a clueless tourist.”

Only then did Yan Mengyi realize why the girl’s Mandarin sometimes sounded a bit stiff. Ah, she’s a foreigner. That explains it.

“But your Mandarin is really good. How long have you been studying it?”

“Three years. I have a great Chinese friend who’s helped me improve, but Chinese is so hard. I still get confused a lot. Oh, right!” The girl turned to Yan Mengyi. “At the airport just now, I saw a lot of people. Do you know who they were?”

“Probably fans. They were probably there to greet Hua Jingyan.”

“Really? No one told me they were coming to pick me up. I didn’t use the VIP lane, so they came all this way for nothing.”

“You…”

The girl took off her hat and mask, revealing a face that left Yan Mengyi speechless.

“Sister Xiao Yi, hello.”

Yan Mengyi was stunned.

At that moment, Hua Jingyan suddenly realized that Yan Mengyi hadn’t helped her because she recognized her identity, but simply because she was that kind of kind-hearted person who would help even strangers.

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