After the Divorce, the Whole World is Waiting for Us to Get Back Together - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A car drove in from a distance, its headlights slicing through the darkness. Cheng Xi’s face was briefly illuminated before returning to the shadows.

Over the years, Cheng Xi had heard the name “Chen Zhuoying” countless times right before signing a contract. Time and again, opportunities were maliciously sabotaged by her. She had assumed Chen Zhuoying wouldn’t be interested in a non-satellite romantic variety show, yet here she was.

Outside the window, a passerby lit a cigarette. The flickering flame struggled in the cool night breeze, looking as if it might be snuffed out at any moment.

Cheng Xi frowned, her face full of disgust. “What does Sister Ming say?”

“Sister Ming said they are lobbying the director, but haven’t succeeded yet,” Xiao Wu reported honestly. “The fact that Teacher Meng is joining Our Romantic World was highly confidential, but people found out anyway. Everyone wants to hitch a ride on this train. After what happened today, the production team hasn’t been able to reach Teacher Meng’s side, so no one dares to finalize anything yet.”

It wasn’t the worst-case scenario. Cheng Xi’s brow relaxed slightly.

Chen Zhuoying was a double Best Actress winner. Naturally, the production team wanted as many high-level figures as possible. However, all of that was contingent on Meng Zhijin’s agreement. Everyone in this industry chased maximum profit, and in terms of status and current popularity, few could rival Meng Zhijin. Backed by her mother’s company, she was someone no one dared to offend.

The night sky was lonely. The moon was missing a sliver, hanging solitary in the sky. Without the bars of the police station separating it, it actually looked quite full.

Cheng Xi didn’t know how much of what Meng Zhijin said earlier was true and how much was false. That cool, detached tone made it seem as though their future relationship would truly be nothing more than a mutually beneficial partnership.

Mutually beneficial…

Standing in the public eye again. Making capital recognize her value again. Ensuring Chen Zhuoying could no longer reach out to block her path.

The wind suddenly stopped. The swaying branches froze. In the quiet night, the sound of growth was restless. Cheng Xi’s silhouette reflected on the window; her once-flattened spine grew a new bone of rebellion.

She pulled out her phone—its screen cracked from hitting a railing during her flight—and dialed Qi Ming.

“Xi-jie, Xiao Wu told you, right?” Qi Ming’s voice came through after a few rings. She had planned to talk that afternoon, but the urgency had shifted. “Xi-jie, since you know, I have to say it: Since Meng Zhijin has the intention to cooperate with you, we cannot give up…”

“I know.”

Cheng Xi cut her off. The “laying flat” attitude that had covered her like dust was suddenly blown away by a fresh wind. Her eyes were firm as she spoke with a polite but undeniable resolve: “Please do your best to secure this for me, Sister Ming. I must have this opportunity.”

It wasn’t just to spite Chen Zhuoying. It was to truly seize her own life. The same hunger she had during the Daylight audition surged back.

Meng Zhijin was right. She wasn’t the person she used to be. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be obsessed with a goal.

“Good!” Qi Ming exclaimed, her voice filled with fighting spirit. “With those words from you, I’ll take this opportunity down even if I have to physically eliminate the competition!”

The sun broke through the darkness, climbing to the zenith as the world awoke.

A black car rounded a sharp turn, rustling the leaves. An elegant luncheon was being held in a courtyard hidden deep within the forest. Meng Zhijin had a morning engagement and arrived late, but no one dared to blame her. Today’s lunch was a social battlefield; no one wanted to offend the most sought-after actress in the circle.

To match the theme, Meng Zhijin wore a 1920s-style dress. The drop-waist gown was encrusted with symmetrical gemstones, silvery light flowing with her every step, ending in swaying tassels at the hem. She returned the greetings of those around her with polite smiles, but she maintained a “safe distance” of coolness that kept people from approaching too closely.

Led by a servant, she entered the main hall. The host was Director Lu Jun, a leader of the previous generation’s film industry. Though retired, his network remained immense. Meng Zhijin’s mother, Shen Shan, had been made famous by him.

“Zhijin is here! I was just looking for you,” Lu Jun smiled warmly. “Are things busy now that you’re back?”

“They’re alright, Uncle Lu,” Meng Zhijin smiled thinly.

“Don’t run off for another two years this time. Your mother might not miss you, but I do. When you’re gone, playing chess isn’t half as fun,” Lu Jun teased.

“I knew Miss Meng was a great actress, but I didn’t know her chess skills were so high?” a bystander chimed in.

“I just accompany Uncle Lu,” Meng Zhijin replied with modest humility.

After chatting a bit more, Lu Jun gestured toward the veranda. “The circle hasn’t changed much in the two years you were gone, but it hasn’t stayed the same either. You still need to adapt.”

Meng Zhijin understood his meaning and nodded. “Then, Uncle Lu, please excuse me for a moment.”

Meng Zhijin moved away from the crowd, having no intention of socializing further. She stopped at a pavilion over the water. A breeze skimmed the lake, creating ripples. She took a sip of her drink, looking at the winding path, when she heard the rustle of bamboo. Someone was approaching.

The newcomer wore a black slip dress with a smoky pink scarf draped over her wrist. Though it was a new runway piece, it looked entirely different on her than on a model. Meng Zhijin glanced at the attire and took another sip of her wine.

“Zhijin, I heard you were here. So this is where you were hiding,” the woman smiled as she approached.

“Teacher Chen,” Meng Zhijin nodded politely.

The woman was Chen Zhuoying.

“How is Teacher Shen’s health lately?” Chen Zhuoying asked with a tone of familiarity, as if she and Shen Shan were close friends—even though Shen Shan had retired before Chen Zhuoying even debuted.

“Very well,” Meng Zhijin replied concisely, offering no further details.

“Teacher Shen is truly amazing. I always feel that if she were still active today, she would be another kind of legend,” Chen Zhuoying lamented. She glanced at Meng Zhijin and added pointedly, “Our circle is much more accepting now. In Teacher Shen’s era, many actors who came out publicly just vanished. A waste of talent.”

“They didn’t all vanish, did they?” Meng Zhijin countered coldly. “Teacher Zhang, who won the Jade Award for Best Actor last year, came out years ago. And Teacher Wang Chunfeng, who has a movie coming out soon—I saw her wife promoting it for her just yesterday.”

“That’s only recently. Back when the laws weren’t in place and you weren’t in the circle yet, you wouldn’t know,” Chen Zhuoying said, adopting the air of a seasoned senior.

“I’ve been on sets with my mother since I was six years old,” Meng Zhijin replied flatly.

Chen Zhuoying froze, momentarily embarrassed. She realized the “senior arrogance” she usually used didn’t work on Meng Zhijin, regardless of the age difference. Seeing that path blocked, she changed tactics.

“Zhijin, I heard the first thing you did upon returning wasn’t picking a script, but negotiating a variety show? A dating show, no less?”

Meng Zhijin wouldn’t answer unconfirmed rumors. She turned to Chen Zhuoying and asked softly, “Teacher Chen seems very interested in my affairs?”

Her eyes were calm, but there was a palpable wall of distance. Chen Zhuoying laughed it off. “Don’t misunderstand. That show invited me too. I talked to the team yesterday and heard you might be coming.”

The air seemed to settle. Meng Zhijin remained unreadable. Chen Zhuoying couldn’t grasp her temperament but didn’t give up. “I also heard your partner is an actress named Cheng Xi?”

“That kid has talent. I met her once at an awards ceremony. Talent is good, but she has no manners. Arrogant. Doesn’t respect her seniors. But then, who can be like you, Zhijin? Talented and good-tempered?”

Chen Zhuoying offered this “sincere” critique, flattering Meng Zhijin in the process. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “I recall you worked with her before? Because of her, the wrap party ended quite unpleasantly, didn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

After all that, Meng Zhijin finally gave an affirmation. Chen Zhuoying felt a surge of secret joy. She thought Meng Zhijin was easy to handle after all.

But as the corners of Chen Zhuoying’s mouth curled up, Meng Zhijin continued: “Cheng Xi has her own set of principles. She treats people exactly the way they treat her.”

The smile on Chen Zhuoying’s face froze. The sarcasm was blatant.

The meaning was: You have a bad character, which is why Cheng Xi treats you with no respect.

That “Indeed” she had been so happy about turned around and slapped her in the face. These years, Chen Zhuoying had leaned on her status as a double-award winner to be arrogant toward juniors. Now, being rebuffed by Meng Zhijin, she struggled to maintain her composure.

“Zhijin, what do you mean by that?” Chen Zhuoying’s tone took on a warning edge. “You’ve been abroad; you don’t know the situation at home. It’s better not to stay stuck in the past. Among the directors I know, not one is willing to work with Cheng Xi.”

She was reminding Meng Zhijin that she, Chen Zhuoying, held a great deal of power in the industry now.

Meng Zhijin looked down at her glass, her voice faint. “Actually, our country is quite large. It doesn’t mean those who stay here necessarily understand each other well.”

Chen Zhuoying’s face fell for a second before her professional mask snapped back. If one road was blocked, she’d take another.

“Cheng Xi has talent, but she has no popularity and no works. Newcomers are popping up like bamboo shoots after rain. Any one of them could replace her. Why bother working with her?” Chen Zhuoying urged. “Instead of struggling with someone so difficult to cultivate, find a more stable partner. That would be truly mutually beneficial.”

Since she couldn’t blacken Cheng Xi’s name through “praise,” she threw out a larger bait. Her acting was truly good; she sounded exactly like a concerned elder.

The pavilion fell silent. Meng Zhijin didn’t speak for a long time, her lashes lowered as if in deep thought. Chen Zhuoying was satisfied. She finally decided to play her trump card, leaning in with a hint. “Besides, I heard that in your ‘Sapphic circle,’ don’t you all have a thing for ‘older sisters’ (jiejie)?”

The calm water was stirred by a sudden wind. After a moment of silence, Meng Zhijin finally spoke thoughtfully. “I think I understand what Teacher Chen is getting at with all these circles.”

The sun slanted, gilding Meng Zhijin’s glass with a brilliant, bold light—like a fox’s tail. A rare trace of amusement appeared in her eyes as she looked up at Chen Zhuoying in the cool breeze.

“So, Teacher Chen is complaining to me… that you’re jealous Cheng Xi is younger than you, has more potential, and gets to call me ‘Jiejie’?”

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