After Divorcing the Scummy Alpha Movie Queen, I Became Extremely Popular - Chapter 43

“Hurry up and take the two of them away!”

After driving those two away, Luo Jingyun no longer had the heart to meticulously pack her things. She stuffed everything she owned into her bag, not even caring if the zipper could close. Lying on the bed, she realized this was the first time she was sleeping alone in Tongxi Village. The room was bare with exposed concrete, making it feel exceptionally hollow. Her mind constantly replayed the information she had received; she didn’t know whose words to believe, or if she should believe any of them at all. Her thoughts were a chaotic mess, and she eventually drifted into a heavy, groggy sleep.

When she woke up, Luo Jingyun’s emotions and rationality had recovered significantly. With the help of the Journey of the Cultivating Heart staff, she began moving her woven sack outside. This time, without Park Soo-ah’s extra space, and because she hadn’t packed carefully, things kept falling out.

A staff member asked, “Jingyun, is it just this one bag?”

“Yes, just these.” Luo Jingyun put the fallen items back in. Her foot was almost fully healed, and she no longer needed her crutches.

“Alright, let’s put the bag into the car together.”

After handling the luggage with the staff, Park Soo-ah approached from the side. She spoke tentatively, “Jingyun, about yesterday…”

After a night of reflection, Luo Jingyun had calmed down. She said softly, “Come in and pack your things first.”

“Okay,” Park Soo-ah hurried into the room. “Jingyun, I still need to explain yesterday’s events to you…”

Luo Jingyun cut her off, “I was in the wrong yesterday. I shouldn’t have driven you out in a fit of impulse. Where did you stay last night?”

“Sister Yuqi had an extra bed; I made do in her room for the night.”

“As long as you had a place to sleep,” Luo Jingyun gestured for her to come inside. “Pack up and get ready to leave.”

Park Soo-ah found her woven bag and said while packing, “Jingyun, I was indeed sent by your mother. The aunts were afraid you couldn’t handle the hardship, so they asked me to look after you during the show. In the beginning, I took the initiative to greet you just to complete the task smoothly. I didn’t expect that because of that, you would choose me as your teammate. Later, after spending time with you, I was drawn to your personal charm, and then I realized…”

“Enough,” Luo Jingyun hurried to interrupt her. “Don’t say anymore.”

“No, I must say it.” Park Soo-ah put down her things and walked over to Luo Jingyun, taking her hands. “Jingyun, I realized I like you. When I go back, I will make it clear to the aunts. I don’t want any of the resources they offered me. I want to pursue you openly and honorably.”

“Soo-ah, don’t be like this,” Luo Jingyun shook her head, holding Park Soo-ah’s hands in return. “Last night, when I found out you approached me with a purpose, I was indeed very angry. But I’ve carefully thought back on the time we’ve known each other; everything you did was helpful to me. You were willing to take on more work and willing to cheer me up when I was in a bad mood. I can’t pretend I didn’t see all of that.”

“You put in the effort, so you should get the reward. Don’t refuse the resources and opportunities my mother give you; these are the returns you deserve.” Luo Jingyun said, “I won’t mistreat my good friend, and neither will my mothers.”

“Jingyun, are you still willing to consider me a friend?”

“Yes, you will always be my good friend.”

Park Soo-ah knew that Luo Jingyun was rejecting her. She desperately wanted to ask if the reason for the rejection was Tan Jizhu. But Luo Jingyun had given her the most dignified way out; she couldn’t push her luck any further.

“Alright, I understand.” Park Soo-ah asked, “Then before we leave, can you give me a hug between friends?”

Luo Jingyun stepped forward and embraced Park Soo-ah.

“Soo-ah, don’t give up on your own future for someone else.”

Luo Jingyun was saying it to Park Soo-ah, but also to herself.

Outside, Liu Yuqi approached with Chen Shidong and some staff members. “How’s the packing going? Things are really hectic here; how about we send you to the transit hotel first?”

“We can leave right away.” Luo Jingyun helped Park Soo-ah stuff everything into her bag, and the two of them moved everything to the car and left first.

Chen Shidong continued to help after they left, only to see Tan Jizhu dawdling absent-mindedly in her room.

“Jizhu, hurry up and pack. The next car is coming soon.”

“Oh.”

The reply was listless. Chen Shidong recalled how, when she and Liu Yuqi had just walked up to Luo Jingyun’s door, they happened to see Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah hugging. She had long seen that Park Soo-ah liked Luo Jingyun, so did this mean Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah had successfully coupled up? What about Tan Jizhu? Was she just out of the game?

“Jizhu, how are things between you and Jingyun? You were fine yesterday; why are you so withered today?”

Tan Jizhu gave a rough account of yesterday’s events. “Everything was about to succeed, but Park Soo-ah suddenly barged in.”

“What? You’re saying they suspected you couldn’t catch up with me anymore, so you went back to chase Luo Jingyun? What kind of logic do those two have? Why didn’t you know how to explain yourself?”

“I did explain, but Jingyun didn’t believe me.” Tan Jizhu was inconsolable with sadness. “It’s all my fault. I blame myself for overdrawing Jingyun’s trust in the past, so she doesn’t believe me anymore.”

“Fine, stop crying!” Chen Shidong sighed. “Why are you two like characters in an angst-filled romance movie, misunderstanding this and that? Should I play some sad BGM for you right now?”

“Senior, I really don’t know what to do.” Tan Jizhu crouched down and hugged herself. “Jingyun no longer trusts me. No matter what I say, she won’t give me another chance.”

“How about this, since the misunderstanding started because of me, I’ll go explain to Jingyun once we get to the transit hotel.”

A spark of hope flickered in Tan Jizhu’s dim eyes. “Senior, will that… will that work?”

“I don’t know. It’s the only thing I can do. The rest still depends on your own efforts.”

Tan Jizhu immediately pulled herself together. “Right, everything depends on my own effort. Senior, after you finish explaining, I will definitely go to Jingyun again and make her believe me.”

“Alright, alright, hurry up and pack your things. This is the last time; after this, Yuqi and I will absolutely not get involved in your ‘sadistic’ love story again.” Watching Tan Jizhu pack up and leave, Chen Shidong continued to help Liu Yuqi direct the work. While moving some expensive equipment to the car, she saw Luo Jingyun’s figure walking back from a distance.

She went to meet her. “Jingyun, why are you back?”

“I only realized after getting to the hotel that I left my phone behind, so I came back to get it.”

“That’s such a small thing. You could have just called me, and I would have brought it for you.”

Luo Jingyun gave a polite smile. “Thank you. It’s not anything too important anyway, so I’d rather get it myself. I don’t want to trouble a senior.”

Chen Shidong decided to help Tan Jizhu one last time. After all, fundamentally, she was the one who had invited Tan Jizhu to participate in this show. At the time, she only thought about helping Liu Yuqi’s show gain more viewership, so she personally invited Tan Jizhu, who had never participated in a variety show before. Before that, they hadn’t been in contact for a long time. However, as soon as they got in touch, they were photographed by reporters, who gave it the disgusting headline “Secret Meeting.”

Predictably, it caused a lot of trouble, and luckily Tan Jizhu and Luo Jingyun helped her clarify it. But one wave followed another; the words Tan Jizhu said at the Houtu Awards ceremony pushed the three of them into the eye of the storm. She thought that was the peak of it, but the next day, the news of their divorce announcement and the official guest announcement for Journey of the Cultivating Heart clashed. It was said that the hot search servers were paralyzed for a long time. While helping Liu Yuqi prepare Plan B, she blamed the responsibility on herself.

After the official recording of the show began, she saw Tan Jizhu’s concern for Luo Jingyun, so she stepped in to point it out. Besides not wanting Tan Jizhu’s “wife-chasing” plan to tire out Liu Yuqi, she also wanted to clear the slight sense of guilt in her heart.

“Jingyun, I’ll go with you to get it.” Without waiting for Luo Jingyun to refuse, Chen Shidong directly pulled her toward the courtyard where they had stayed.

“No, senior, what are you doing? I can go by myself.” She was led all the way to the courtyard. The place that was bustling with people just a moment ago had become exceptionally desolate.

Chen Shidong explained, “Those rooms will be demolished later to build better quality houses.”

Luo Jingyun gazed at the room she had lived in for so long. Although it was dilapidated, it had recorded her growth.

“That’s good. If it can bring substantial help to the village, that’s truly wonderful.”

Chen Shidong guided the conversation, “Yes, the purpose of Yuqi’s show is to bring help to Tongxi Village. What we did wasn’t a waste of effort. Yuqi also said that when the wheat is ripe next year, she will send a portion to all of us. Let us remember the days we spent farming and the people we worked with.”

“Yes, working with Soo-ah during this time was indeed very happy.”

“…” Chen Shidong spoke plainly. “Jizhu also helped you farm that plot of land back then.”

“It’s not like I asked her to help me.”

“Exactly. You didn’t even ask, and Jizhu proactively helped you. This is enough to show your importance in her heart.”

Luo Jingyun knew what Chen Shidong meant. She asked, “Senior, are you saying these things to me because you’re afraid Tan Jizhu will ruin your relationship with Liu Yuqi? If so, you’ve found the wrong person.”

“Jingyun, I’ve heard about that matter, but you’ve really misunderstood Jizhu. Think about it carefully. Jizhu only started acting jealous and crazy after you chose Soo-ah as your teammate. At that time, she didn’t even know that Yuqi and I were together. And after she found out, she didn’t have any jealous reaction. This proves that the person she likes is you, and only you.”

During this time, Luo Jingyun had received too much information. Tan Jizhu had left early during a dinner with her mother just to see Chen Shidong, and later she heard Tan Jizhu thanking Chen Shidong at the awards ceremony. Her mothers, as well as the online comments, all claimed that Tan Jizhu didn’t love her. Thus, she chose divorce.

As fate would have it, after the divorce, she participated in the same variety show as Tan Jizhu. She avoided her in every possible way, not wanting to have any relationship with Tan Jizhu, but the other party took the initiative to approach her, repeatedly saying she liked her and didn’t want to divorce.

Just as she was about to agree, another piece of explosive news hit.

Does Tan Jizhu love her or not? Based on the existing information, she could no longer analyze it. Everyone had different motives, and everyone was feeding her different ideas; she had lost the ability to judge.

“Senior, you don’t need to persuade me anymore.”

“Jingyun, don’t miss out on something that should belong to you because of a misunderstanding.”

The two happened to reach the doorstep. Luo Jingyun said, “Senior, I’m not a child. I know what belongs to me and what doesn’t. Because I once held too much obsession for things that didn’t belong to me, it led to the current situation.”

“I am just here to take back my phone, which belongs to me.” After saying that, Luo Jingyun walked into the room. She found her phone on the bedside cabinet. As she walked out, she found Chen Shidong, who had been standing at the door, collapsed on the ground for some unknown reason.

“Senior?” Luo Jingyun hurried to check on her. “Chen Shidong, what’s wrong?”

Since the guests had left, there was no one else in this area. Luo Jingyun didn’t know what had happened to Chen Shidong and hurried to find help. However, as soon as she stood up, she was struck on the back of the head and fell to the ground.

“Why are there two of them?”

“Don’t worry about it so much. Hurry up and take the two of them away!”

Her head was buzzing. Luo Jingyun vaguely heard two men speaking. Before she could see their faces, she was dragged up and thrown into a vehicle. Afterward, she completely lost consciousness.