After Encountering My Deceased Wife, I Became the Male Lead's Love Rival - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Bitter Meat Strategy

The day after Fang Ziyue rebutted Lin Mengyan, the trending topics on Weibo were flooded with a massive wave of posts attacking her. Many singers and actors, famous and obscure alike, stepped forward to criticize the lack of upbringing and manners in today’s youth, accusing them of being arrogant, disrespectful to their seniors, and rude.

This actually provoked a rebellious streak in some netizens.

If you want to curse Fang Ziyue, curse her directly. Is it appropriate to launch a “map cannon” (blanket insult) at an entire generation just to act superior? Such topics were pushed to the top.

That day, various factions on Weibo fought a chaotic battle, while the woman at the center of the storm having received permission from the program team was leisurely using her phone to talk to a friend.

“Something wrong?” Fang Ziyue picked up the call, teasingly asking, “The busy lady actually has time to call me?”

“Hmph, I didn’t, but I saw you’re having another episode.” The woman on the other end was ruthless, blasting Fang Ziyue without mercy.

“I said you could just beat Lin Mengyan up in secret, but you had to act up in front of the camera, making Mumu stay up all night to handle the PR for your black material.” The woman, draped in a white lab coat far across the ocean, looked piteously at the person sleeping soundly beside her. Look at this poor girl, she’s been worked into a national treasure (panda/dark circles).

“Does having an episode follow a schedule? Chen Ermao, how did you become a psychiatrist? Did you buy your certificate?” Fang Ziyue narrowed her eyes and shot back at Chen Yueyu.

“Buy your head!” Chen Yueyu let out a cold snort. “You absolute disaster. If it weren’t for the fact that Mumu suffers whenever you act up, I wouldn’t bother calling you.”

Doctors’ orders are meant to be followed. This person named Fang didn’t listen, ran back to the country without permission, and even dared to act wild in front of Ling Qiu!

“Damn it, why didn’t the waves drown you!” Chen Yueyu was furious, sounding like she was grinding her teeth in frustration.

She and Fang Ziyue had met at a banquet. She had been harassed by a drunken second-generation rich kid who insisted on tearing her clothes off. Chen Yueyu was no pushover and had started beating him with her bag. However, she wasn’t as strong as the thug and was nearly stripped to her undershirt when Fang Ziyue happened to pass by and helped her.

At that time, Fang Ziyue was skin and bones, gloomy and terrifying. She had uttered a cold, hollow “Annoying,” then kicked the nearly 200-pound drunkard away before throwing a card at him for medical expenses and leaving.

Chen Yueyu remembered the drunkard went to the hospital with several broken ribs. His family tried to cause trouble for Fang Ziyue, but she dealt with them and kicked them out. Since Fang Ziyue had powerful backing they couldn’t touch, they took their anger out on Chen Yueyu.

Back then, Chen Yueyu was a fresh graduate with no fame or backing—an easy target. She had been so furious she wanted to go down with that family, but Fang Ziyue stepped in again to settle the trouble and took her in.

“I need a psychiatrist. If you have value, stay; if not, get out.” The woman sitting in the darkness had no human warmth, looking like a misanthropic anomaly. Fortunately, Chen Yueyu proved her value and became good friends with Fang Ziyue during the process of treating her. Chen Yueyu was inherently capable, and with Fang Ziyue’s help in building connections, she was now someone no one could easily oppress.

“Haha, having some emotional fluctuations after a rejected confession don’t be so strict.” Fang Ziyue smiled helplessly.

She hadn’t expected to have a sudden episode either. Her emotions were fluctuating wildly, and her rationality had plummeted. Originally, she could have dealt with Lin Mengyan privately, but yesterday she couldn’t steady herself and suddenly exploded. The result was her poor manager abroad being kept busy day and night.

Speaking of this capable manager, she had picked her up from a “trash heap.” At that time, she was very ill and couldn’t integrate into crowds, yet she needed to attend various banquets and award ceremonies. She needed an assistant. Luckily, while throwing out the trash, she encountered Zhao Mumu, who was penniless and starving.

Zhao Mumu’s former boss had been framed into bankruptcy, and she herself had been framed by a friend and colleague who was jealous of her performance, leading to her being cleared out of her new company. She had even been suppressed by that friend to the point where she couldn’t even find a job handing out flyers.

Fang Ziyue recalled the stray dog Ling Qiu had once adopted in their previous life its fur was matted and it looked pitiful, but its eyes were clear and transparent. So, Fang Ziyue took her in. She hadn’t expected Zhao Mumu to be a great manager with excellent skills; her only flaw was being too trusting, a trait Chen Yueyu had since helped her correct.

“She is my manager; I pay her to work for me,” Fang Ziyue snorted, displeased. “Not to serve you in bed.” If it weren’t for the fact that Zhao Mumu wouldn’t marry anyone but Chen Yueyu, she would have brought her back to the country long ago. Chen Ermao, that pig, was constantly thinking about “rooting up her cabbage.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I see your illness is quite serious; you even have two faces.” Chen Yueyu let out a cold laugh and gave Fang Ziyue a strict order: “Starting today, a one-hour call every night, starting at 9:00 PM. If you don’t want to die, don’t make me nag you.”

Chen Yueyu’s expression was solemn. She still remembered the time Fang Ziyue’s episode was at its worst—she nearly jumped from a 27th-floor balcony. After she was finally pulled back, she fell into hyperventilation. That time, Fang Ziyue was hospitalized for a whole month, suffering from anorexia and lethargy; all the symptoms that had once appeared on Ling Qiu had manifested on Fang Ziyue.

But strangely, according to Chen Yueyu’s investigation, Ling Qiu had never suffered from those illnesses; she had grown up healthy and safe. Yet, Fang Ziyue’s subconscious insisted that Ling Qiu had suffered from many mental illnesses in the past. She had even transformed these imagined symptoms into physical manifestations on her own body, using this extreme method to remember her lover.

This was also the reason Chen Yueyu had tried to stop Fang Ziyue from returning to find Ling Qiu. She didn’t want Fang Ziyue to treat Ling Qiu as a substitute for her hallucinatory lover. She didn’t know Fang Ziyue was a transmigrator; she just felt doing so would be a disservice to Ling Qiu.

“Alright, alright, I’ll call on time,” Fang Ziyue agreed readily. “I haven’t chased my wife yet, so I cherish my life very much.” Although Chen Yueyu was a psychiatrist an angel who guides and saves patients—her temper was incredibly foul. Fang Ziyue didn’t want to be scolded into a daze every night or have her fly back to the country to forcibly drag her out of the show.

“Rein in your temper; being reckless won’t win over a wife,” Chen Yueyu emphasized before briefly guiding her through some emotional regulation on the phone. In front of the camera, an artist’s emotions and state are magnified countless times; the slightest abnormality could be noticed.

Chen Yueyu didn’t want the efforts of Fang Ziyue’s past four years to go to waste, nor for her to be called “sick” or a “lunatic” after returning home. Even though she herself got angry enough to ask if Fang Ziyue was having an episode, she wouldn’t allow anyone else to insult her. Their “family cub” was meant to be protected by them!

“Clear those messy thoughts out of your head. I’m the one who pays your salary,” Fang Ziyue bit her teeth upon noticing Chen Yueyu’s silence. “You unfilial child.” Don’t blame her for the outburst; that “brat” Chen Ermao was actually half a month younger than her, yet she spent every day looking at her with a kind, motherly gaze. Did she really not know that the “Gold Master Papa” was not to be trifled with? If she got annoyed, she’d cut her salary to zero!

Chen Yueyu curled her lip in disdain. Look at her acting tough. Cut the salary then; at worst, she’d just marry into Mumu’s family and be a “soft-rice eater.” Hmph, who doesn’t love eating soft rice? Chen Yueyu’s skin was thicker than anyone’s; Fang Ziyue never won an argument with her. In fact, most of the credit for Fang Ziyue being able to defeat Lin Mengyan with a “bright green tea” posture belonged to Chen Ermao’s excellent teaching.

“Fine, I won’t talk to you anymore. Have some sense.” Seeing Zhao Mumu about to wake up, Chen Yueyu tossed the boss who paid her salary to the back of her mind and focused on her “cabbage.”

Caught at a time of emotional instability, Fang Ziyue no longer calm let out a cold laugh and sent a message to Zhao Mumu, telling her to return to the country in two days. I haven’t even chased my wife yet, so why should Chen Ermao get to have a wife, kids, and a warm bed, acting so smug she forgets her own name? Still want a two-person world with Zhao Mumu? Hmph, in your dreams!

When Fang Ziyue had an episode, she was incredibly unreasonable. She threw her phone aside and gazed at the forest leaves rolling like ocean waves after a floating cloud passed. One day she would also become a fallen leaf, turning from vibrant to withered and decayed. She only hoped she could follow behind Ling Qiu and live just a little bit longer than her.

The camera recorded this scene faithfully. The photographer, full of awe, captured a photograph titled Loneliness. Like an inhuman anomaly dropped into a sea of people surrounded by bustle and noise, yet unable to speak or integrate.

The tall, slender figure was draped in the faint golden light of the morning. In the sunrise, where the darkness had not yet faded, a disease and pain called “Love” filled the entire frame. In the photo the photographer took, positioned between the high blue sky and the emerald sea of trees, a lonely monster struggled to leap toward the morning sun, both fragile and stubborn.

He was 100% certain that if this picture were posted, it would absolutely go viral!

“Hello? Can I see the photo?”

The woman who had been leaning against the railing watching the sunrise had walked up beside him at some point, leaning down to look at the picture. The photographer excitedly swiped to show her, saying with admiration, “This photo will definitely make you famous!”

Famous?

Fang Ziyue brushed back a strand of long hair falling by her ear, appearing indifferent. Empty fame mattered little. Although this photo was shot in a very “melodramatic” way full of the kind of sentimental groaning that made one’s teeth ache it was quite valuable.

“Could you please send me a copy of this photo?”

“Of course! Ah… then, can I post this photo on Weibo?” the photographer asked nervously. Honestly, such a great photo was rare; sometimes the most beautiful moment slips away in a flash, and even with the same person, it’s hard to capture the same “flavor” again.

“Sure,” Fang Ziyue’s eyes curved; she was in a good mood. “Of course you can”

Tomorrow was Sunday, and Director Chang would return the phones to the guests for one hour as a holiday relaxation. If this photo weren’t posted, how could her wife see it? And if her wife saw it, how could she not overthink, or find her resolve shaken?

The Bitter Meat Strategy might be shameful, but it is effective.

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