I Love Her Because She’s Dim-Witted And Filthy Rich - Chapter 56

Summer had arrived.

For these past two months, aside from returning to school to pick up her graduation certificate, Su Miao had hardly stepped foot outside her door.

Her mother urged her to continue going out to film, but she didn’t want to see anyone at all. She only wanted to stay in her own room; that was where she felt most at ease.

Two of the dramas she had filmed previously were released one after another. Su Miao didn’t have much public buzz, her acting skills were insufficient, and her roles weren’t particularly striking, so she remained lukewarm in terms of popularity.

On the other hand, Duan Bainian had become a hit once again.

When Su Miao had nothing to do, she would watch anime or variety shows. Then, she saw Duan Bainian in a very popular reality show.

She seemed even thinner. When wearing a formal gown on the red carpet, the ribs on her chest almost protruded.

By catching a ride on the momentum of this reality show, Duan Bainian finally became a regular fixture on the trending search lists. Her endorsements and advertisements began appearing everywhere.

Thus, Su Miao knew that Duan Bainian was truly famous this time.

Occasionally, she would still scroll through Duan Bainian’s Friends Circle (Moments), but for some reason, since returning from Dunhuang, Duan Bainian’s page had not been updated.

On July 3rd, Nanyang Entertainment’s official Weibo released a statement announcing the termination of Duan Bainian’s contract. Duan Bainian reposted the Weibo, expressing gratitude for the journey they had shared.

On July 13th, Duan Bainian announced the establishment of her personal studio.

On the day she saw the establishment of the studio, Su Miao’s heart first felt a sudden explosion of emotion, followed by a long sigh of relief.

There was some loss, and some sense of release.

That’s good, she thought, this time, the connection is completely severed.

Habitually, she clicked on Duan Bainian’s Friends Circle. Even for such a celebratory occasion, the page remained un-updated.

She scrolled down through Duan Bainian’s past posts. It felt like time was flowing backward; countless fragments of memory became vivid in her mind, tugging at her heartstrings.

Languidly, she exited the page and gave it a casual refresh, only to find that Duan Bainian had finally updated.

[The sunshine is lovely today. I hope I… can have my heart’s desires fulfilled.]

The attached photo was an old picture of Ergou.

Su Miao couldn’t help but hug her blanket and sob for half the night.

After she finished crying, she felt she was “sick.” Duan Bainian had treated her like that, yet she was still pining for her.

She felt she should take the initiative to say goodbye to the past. So, she used her blanket to wipe away her tears and snot, and while still whimpering, she deleted Duan Bainian’s WeChat and phone number.

Just as she finished deleting them and was about to watch an anime to soothe her “sick” heart, an unfamiliar number called.

It was the very number whose contact information she had just deleted.

The phone rang with startling persistence. Su Miao jumped in surprise and immediately hung up.

The other party was relentless and called again.

Hang up again.

Call again.

After seven or eight consecutive times, Su Miao was beyond annoyed. All her sadness and fear were cast aside as she picked up and snapped, “Are you sick or something?”

The other person was stunned for a few seconds, clearly not expecting Su Miao to speak to her in such a manner.

After a moment of silence, Duan Bainian regained her composure and chuckled softly. “If you had picked up my call, I wouldn’t have had to be like this, would I?”

Hearing Duan Bainian’s voice, Su Miao’s heart couldn’t help but twitch. She felt she was truly beyond saving; this person had looked down on her so much, yet the moment she heard her voice, she still couldn’t help wanting to get closer.

She pinched her own thigh hard and said in a stiff tone, “Is there something? If not, I’m hanging up.”

Duan Bainian weighed her words, took a deep breath, and said, “Are you free tomorrow? Let’s have a meal together.”

Su Miao thought Duan Bainian was truly “sick.” The two of them hadn’t been in contact for so long—what did asking for a meal now even mean?

However, Duan Bainian being “sick” wasn’t the scary part. The scary part was that she actually really wanted to agree.

She couldn’t agree.

She had cried so many times over these two months; she had to learn her lesson. To trip in the same spot twice would make her a total fool.

Thus, she refused. “I’m not free. Don’t call me again in the future. If you call again, I’ll block you.”

With that, Su Miao hung up.

Listening to the dial tone, Duan Bainian let out a long sigh.

…This was truly an inauspicious start.

As for “having her heart’s desires fulfilled,” she had clearly been overthinking it.

She had been very busy these two months. Busy finding people to pull strings, busy negotiating resource exchanges, busy recording reality shows, busy filming advertisements, and busy setting up her studio.

The reason she was so busy was that she hoped to prove herself in front of He Aizhi.

The day she returned to Beijing from Dunhuang, she hadn’t slept all night. The first half of the night was spent in a chaotic mess of thoughts, but in the second half, things began to take shape.

She was certain she wanted to spend her life with Su Miao. She also knew that someone like Su Miao was someone she should cherish; after all, you only meet someone like that once in a lifetime.

Having been in the entertainment industry for several years, everyone praised her for her high emotional intelligence and her impeccable way of handling things. She had believed that herself.

It wasn’t until she met Su Miao that she realized how immature she actually was.

Even Su Miao knew that if you like someone, you should treat them well and not say things that break their heart.

Yet she, who prided herself on being mature and sensible, hadn’t even done as well as Su Miao, repeatedly uttering harsh words and hurting her.

That night, she had planned to find Su Miao the next day to apologize. But when dawn broke, she took back the idea of apologizing.

Because she realized she had focused on the wrong point.

It was certainly wrong of her to say things that hurt Su Miao, but the key did not lie there. The key was that as long as she remained humble and submissive in front of He Aizhi, she would never be able to interact with Su Miao on equal, peaceful terms.

So, what was the point of a temporary apology? Would it solve the problem? No.

Therefore, she made a new plan.

First, after leaving Nanyang Entertainment, she needed her career to reach a new level. This step was less about proving herself to He Aizhi and more about—overcoming the hurdle in her own heart.

In fact, once she truly became a nationally recognized goddess, she felt her former self was somewhat laughable. “Judging the heart of a gentleman with the mind of a petty person” probably described her perfectly.

Looking at it now, although this step was exhausting, it was going smoothly.

Then, she would proceed to the second step: winning Su Miao back. After gaining Su Miao’s consent, she would have an open talk with He Aizhi.

She had it all figured out. As long as Su Miao reconciled with her, when it came time to talk to He Aizhi, no matter how harsh He Aizhi’s words were, she would accept them with a smile—until He Aizhi was willing to entrust Su Miao to her.

But… how did a problem arise right at the start of step two?

Seeing how decisively Su Miao had hung up, Duan Bainian felt a momentary tremor of fear. She felt that Su Miao seemed different somehow.

After a while, she sent Su Miao a WeChat message: [How has Ergou been lately? I want to see him.]

…The system prompted that she was not the other person’s friend.

Duan Bainian froze for a moment, then redialed Su Miao’s number.

This time Su Miao answered very quickly. “Didn’t I say not to call again?”

Duan Bainian forced a smile. “How has Ergou been? I want to see him.”

Su Miao was silent for a moment. “You didn’t want him anymore, what does it have to do with you?”

Duan Bainian said awkwardly, “I bought him some freeze-dried treats and canned food. Are you free to come to the apartment to pick them up?”

After a long wait, there was no response from the other side.

Duan Bainian tested the waters. “Hello? Are you listening?”

What responded to her was the sound of the call being disconnected.

She hung up on her again.

Duan Bainian sighed and called back.

“Hello, the number you have dialed is currently busy.”

Duan Bainian: “…” She was blocked.

Duan Bainian felt a massive headache coming on. After thinking it over, since she couldn’t get her out via phone, she would have to go and intercept her in person.

Early the next morning, Duan Bainian went to the entrance of Su Miao’s home.

Unexpectedly, she didn’t catch Su Miao; instead, she ran into He Aizhi.

Seeing He Aizhi coming out of the main gate, Duan Bainian felt a wave of inexplicable panic. In her plan, He Aizhi was the “final boss” to be tackled last. Seeing her prematurely now made her incredibly nervous, and she hurried to hide around a corner.

Only after He Aizhi had gone far away did Duan Bainian emerge from the corner. She couldn’t help but mock herself—she was supposed to be a national goddess, yet look at what she had become.

After confirming that He Aizhi wouldn’t return, she decided to ring the doorbell.

It was the nanny who opened the door.

When the nanny saw it was Duan Bainian, she remembered He Aizhi’s instructions: “If you see Duan Bainian coming for Su Miao, do not let her in.”

So, the nanny said awkwardly, “Miss Duan, I cannot let you in, otherwise the homeowners will be unhappy.”

Duan Bainian didn’t know if “the homeowners” referred to He Aizhi, Su Miao, or both. Since she was being refused like this, she felt it wasn’t right to force her way in, so she retreated to the small path.

To make herself more appealing to Su Miao, she had worn a lace dress and high heels today. She hadn’t expected the stakeout to go so poorly. Duan Bainian shifted her feet; wearing high heels was truly exhausting.

As she was shifting, she caught a glimpse of He Aizhi returning out of the corner of her eye. Duan Bainian’s heart hammered against her chest. She hurriedly jogged back toward the previous corner.

Just as she turned the corner, Duan Bainian stepped on a small stone, twisted her ankle, and fell to a half-kneeling position on the ground.

Then, she saw Ergou appear in front of her.

Following the leash attached to Ergou, she saw a Su Miao with a very peculiar expression on her face.

Duan Bainian let out a silent sigh.

Fine. Her “goddess” image was officially completely gone.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Duan Bainian, as if nothing had happened, reached out a hand toward Su Miao and smiled.

“Could you give me a hand?”