After Divorcing the Scummy Alpha Movie Queen, I Became Extremely Popular - Chapter 30

Jingyun, We Are Not Getting Divorced

“Luo Jingyun, what do you mean?” Hearing that Luo Jingyun wanted to team up with Park Soo-ah, Tan Jizhu seemed to lose her mind. Disregarding the fact that they were currently filming a program, she questioned her directly, “You are currently in a group with me. Why do you want to teach music with Park Soo-ah?”

Luo Jingyun spread her hands. “I already stated the reason just now—because both of us have a foundation in music. Do you?”

“I…” Tan Jizhu was momentarily at a loss for words. She indeed had no accomplishments in the field of music. During the filming of a previous movie, the director and the music director had consulted her, intending to have her sing an interlude for the film as a promotional track. In the end, everyone in the recording studio was subjected to torture. Ultimately, the idea could not be realized, and the director hired a professional singer to record it instead.

“I… I can learn!”

Luo Jingyun sneered. “I beg of you, we are going to teach children. If we have to resort to ‘cramming at the last minute’ for this, it would truly be too ridiculous.”

Tan Jizhu remembered that back when Luo Jingyun found out about that incident, she had comforted her very patiently, saying she could find a vocal teacher to give her guidance—though Tan Jizhu had refused at the time.

Now, Luo Jingyun’s former tenderness was long gone, replaced only by coldness and mockery.

But Tan Jizhu could not blame anyone else, because the culprit responsible for all of this was none other than herself.

Tan Jizhu murmured, “But, we are the ones in a team.”

“Senior, it’s not like there are no people here who know music; there’s no need for you to learn on the fly.” Park Soo-ah walked over and stood beside Luo Jingyun. “I agree with Jingyun’s statement. Let the two of us teach music. Professional matters should still be left to professional people.”

“What does this have to do with you?” Tan Jizhu was full of rage, and Park Soo-ah’s appearance gave her an outlet for her anger. “Is it your turn to speak?”

Seeing the situation getting more and more chaotic, Chen Shidong quickly stepped forward. “Don’t fight, don’t fight. Everyone, please calm down.”

Luo Jingyun said pointedly, “I am very calm. Don’t include me in that.”

“…” Chen Shidong glared at Tan Jizhu. “Jizhu, you calm down.”

“I am also very calm,” Tan Jizhu began to argue her case, saying, “Certain people are deliberately breaking the rules, and I am simply maintaining order!”

Luo Jingyun countered, “Rules are dead, but people are living. I think this is unreasonable. Has raising an objection violated any laws?”

“Stop shouting at each other across the room!” Chen Shidong couldn’t stand the debate-like dialogue between the two. “Since there is no consensus, then we will continue to vote!”

Liu Yuqi was also extremely speechless and said, “Then let’s do as Shidong said; we’ll vote.”

The other four people said weakly, “Director, can we abstain from this vote?”

“No matter what the voting result is, it doesn’t matter to us.”

“Yeah, yeah, we will follow whatever the arrangement is. There’s no need for us to vote.”

“Mm, we abstain.”

Having experienced the trip to the market and various events like Tan Jizhu choosing Luo Jingyun as her teammate, the four of them had also discerned the turbulent undercurrents between these people. They decided not to wade into these muddy waters; it was better to play it safe.

Liu Yuqi had originally thought the one causing trouble would be the eldest miss, Luo Jingyun, but during recording, she had not only been very cooperative but had also proposed some novel ideas. Instead, it was Tan Jizhu—this supposedly “reliable” person strongly recommended by Chen Shidong—who had become somewhat frenzied. If not for her status as a director, she wouldn’t want to get involved in the emotional entanglements of these two. In utter helplessness, she said, “Fine, the four of you vote.”

Luo Jingyun immediately stated her position, “I support not dividing by groups!”

Park Soo-ah followed closely behind, “I support Jingyun!”

Tan Jizhu said furiously, “I want to divide by groups!”

Chen Shidong looked left and right. “I abstain.”

“Now it’s a tie, we—” Tan Jizhu didn’t react for a moment. “Wait, Senior, you’re abstaining?”

“Yeah,” Chen Shidong said with great helplessness, “Divide it however you want to divide it. It doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

Tan Jizhu questioned, “Chen Shidong! How can you be like this?”

“Even if I voted for you, it would still be a tie. Jizhu, let it be.”

“If it’s a tie, we’ll just keep looking for people to vote.”

Chen Shidong was speechless. “Jizhu, stop delaying the filming progress.”

Luo Jingyun mocked with full firepower, “Tan Jizhu, this is the result of everyone’s vote. Can you please stop making a scene for no reason?”

Left isolated and without help, Tan Jizhu had no choice but to compromise. She figured that since the class schedules weren’t the same anyway, she could just go and audit the class when Luo Jingyun was teaching. At any rate, she simply couldn’t let Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah stay together all the time.

The final result was that Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah would teach music, while Tan Jizhu and Chen Shidong would teach physical education. The remaining four were divided into groups to teach art and science.

After the results came out, Park Soo-ah was very happy. “That’s great, Jingyun! We are in a group again!”

Luo Jingyun was also happy. “That’s great. I don’t have to be in a group with Tan Jizhu. That’s really great.”

“Jingyun,” Park Soo-ah caught the underlying meaning and asked, “Am I just a tool for you to escape Tan Jizhu?”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“Jingyun, to you, as long as you don’t have to be in a group with Tan Jizhu, does it not matter who you are grouped with?”

“Of course it matters!” Luo Jingyun said, “After all, among these guests, you and I are the most familiar. Of course, it’s most comfortable to be in a group with you.”

“True. After all, we are the most familiar.”

Park Soo-ah wasn’t entirely satisfied with Luo Jingyun’s answer, but she also knew she had no right to make demands of Luo Jingyun. However, since Luo Jingyun had already acknowledged that their relationship was not ordinary, then what she needed to do next was to continue making that relationship even more “extraordinary.”

Once again, Park Soo-ah felt Tan Jizhu’s hostile gaze. This time she wasn’t afraid and stared straight back.

Tan Jizhu, since you don’t know how to cherish her, don’t blame others for snatching her away.

…

Because the young and middle-aged labor force of Tongxi Village had gone out to work for money, most of the children had become left-behind children. The village’s location was remote, leading many teachers to be unwilling to come here to teach. Over time, teaching resources became scarce, and the children could not get a sufficient education. Old-fashioned parents then believed that education was useless, feeling that children wasting time on studying was inferior to helping with farm work at home.

Fortunately, there were people like Peng Yi, who were willing to give up working in big cities to come here and diligently teach the children so they could receive a better education.

“Teacher Peng, how many teachers are there in this school?” Because of the friendship formed at the small commissary, Luo Jingyun asked whatever was on her mind.

“There are four teachers. I am responsible for teaching the sixth grade, while the other teachers are responsible for teaching the first through fifth grades, as well as handling other aspects of the students’ situations. Once the children graduate from primary school, those who study well will go to the county to continue their junior high school education.”

“Will all the children go to the county for junior high?”

Peng Yi stopped her pace and looked at the naive Luo Jingyun.

“No. It’s possible that half of the children won’t go to school anymore after this.”

“Ah? How can it be like that? Stopping school at such a young age.”

Peng Yi said calmly, “That is how unfair educational resources are. That is why we have to work hard so that more children can attend school.”

“…” Luo Jingyun didn’t know how to respond and was left in silence.

“Come, this is the music classroom.” Peng Yi opened the door and led Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah inside.

To call it a music classroom was an overstatement; it was actually a bare concrete room. The front area had been built up to serve as a podium, and in the middle sat a dust-covered piano.

“We used to have a music teacher here, but they retired a few years ago. Neither I nor the remaining teachers know how to play the piano, so the children’s music lessons have become much duller. Hearing just now that you can play the piano, I was actually quite happy. Jingyun, if it’s convenient for you, teach me a few pieces so that I can continue to teach the children in the future.”

“Okay, leave it to me.” Luo Jingyun patted herself and then patted Park Soo-ah beside her. “And her, too. We will definitely bring the children an interesting music lesson!”

“Then I thank you in advance!” Peng Yi walked to the door. “Then you two familiarise yourselves with the environment here first. I’m going to see the other groups.”

After she left, Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah began to calculate what to teach the children. The former walked over to the piano and, with a slight look of distaste, lifted the dusty lid. “I didn’t expect there to be a piano here.”

“I heard it was donated by someone before.”

Luo Jingyun suddenly put on an air of performance, circling her hands in the air a few times. “Now then, allow me to perform a piece for you.”

Park Soo-ah had a smile on her face as she clapped her hands. “I’m looking forward to it immensely!”

Sitting on the piano bench, Luo Jingyun’s fingers flew across the keys. A burst of noisy sound emerged from the piano, as if someone were scratching glass with their fingernails, or like a ghost screaming in one’s ear.

Luo Jingyun’s movements froze. “Heavens, the tuning of this piano is far too inaccurate.”

Park Soo-ah had never studied piano and asked, “Then what should we do? Does it need to be tuned?”

“It definitely needs to be tuned. Are there tuning tools here?” Luo Jingyun searched around and announced, “There’s no way to tune it without tools! I can’t stand this sound!”

Park Soo-ah asked weakly, “Can’t we just make do?”

Luo Jingyun gave a huff. “Although I am not some top-tier pianist, I still have a certain level of musical literacy. This kind of piano is not worthy of me playing it!”

“Then how are we going to give lessons to the children later?”

“We’ll just teach them to sing directly.”

Park Soo-ah said nonchalantly, “That works too.”

Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah flipped through the only available music textbooks. As there happened to be no music class today, they selected the songs they wanted to teach, and their task was considered complete.

As the two were walking across the playground to head out, they happened to see Tan Jizhu and Chen Shidong tidying up sports equipment. Chen Shidong also saw them and greeted them from across half the playground. Just as Park Soo-ah was about to go meet them, Luo Jingyun grabbed her and bolted.

After running out, Park Soo-ah asked, “Jingyun, what’s wrong with you? Why did you grab me and run?”

Luo Jingyun put on a look of disappointment. “You’re silly! Wasn’t Tan Jizhu right there next to her? If you greet Chen Shidong, do you or do you not greet Tan Jizhu? I don’t know what kind of illness that person has been suffering from lately; of course we should stay as far away as possible.”

“That makes sense.” Park Soo-ah realized and said, “Jingyun, from now on we should try our best not to communicate with Tan Jizhu. It’s best to act like we don’t know her.”

“That’s more like it!”

The idea was good, but it was difficult to execute. Some people are not simply gone just because you don’t want to see them. Tongxi Village wasn’t large to begin with, and the guests didn’t live far from each other. When Luo Jingyun was carrying her toiletries to the bathhouse to wash up, she encountered Tan Jizhu once again.

“What bad luck!” Cursing inwardly, Luo Jingyun turned around and ran.

“Luo Jingyun, stand still!” Tan Jizhu had also spotted Luo Jingyun, and she hurriedly gave chase.

Disregarding everything else, Luo Jingyun ran blindly and fast. However, Tan Jizhu’s speed was faster than hers, and she was caught by the other woman after only a few steps.

“Tan Jizhu, let go of me! Don’t pull me!”

“If I don’t pull you, you’ll run away!”

“Tan Jizhu, are you a psychopath!”

Tan Jizhu only asked, “Jingyun, why do you run when you see me?”

“You chased me first, that’s why I ran!”

“You have toiletries in your hand. You were clearly going to the bathhouse, but then you saw me and turned around to run. You ran first, so I chased.”

“Who said I was going to wash in the bathhouse? I’m going to wash by the river!”

Tan Jizhu laughed at that. “Fine, then the two of us will go wash by the river together.”

With that said, Tan Jizhu dragged Luo Jingyun toward the river.

“Let go of me!” Luo Jingyun thought to herself that things were going south, and she scolded, “Tan Jizhu, are you sick! Can you please stay away from me! The two of us are a lone Alpha and a lone Omega; you dragging me like this is already harassment!”

Tan Jizhu frowned; she hadn’t expected Luo Jingyun to be so repulsed by her now.

“Jingyun, the two of us aren’t divorced yet, you don’t have to…”

Having almost forgotten about this matter, Luo Jingyun used all her strength to shake off Tan Jizhu and said, “Speaking of that, when do you have time after we finish filming this program? Let’s go and quickly process the divorce procedures.”

“I don’t have time to do it!”

Luo Jingyun’s face was full of disbelief. “Is your schedule really that full? You don’t even have time to go pick up a divorce certificate? If you can’t go in person, then sign a power of attorney and let someone else go pick it up on your behalf.”

“I won’t sign a power of attorney either!” Tan Jizhu said word by word: “Jingyun, we are not getting divorced.”

“Tan Jizhu, you are sick.” This sentence from Luo Jingyun was no longer a simple insult but a conclusion she had reached about Tan Jizhu.

“I am sick—sick for failing to discover my own heart,” Tan Jizhu no longer hid it, speaking the truest thoughts from the depths of her soul, “Luo Jingyun, I have discovered that I have already fallen in love with you.”