We Are Filthy, Born From Mud - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Yes, She is Honest. There is No One More Honest in the World…

Zong Yougu should be panicking. She should be heartbroken.

In this situation, she should allow herself to break down and wail; she even had every reason to scream at the top of her lungs. She ought to be venting her emotions.

But no, she did none of that.

Pale gold champagne swirled in a petite glass held in Zong Yougu’s hand. Her slender fingers cradled the glass loosely. Suddenly, her wrist jerked in the opposite direction; the champagne splashed, the transparent liquid colliding with itself. A droplet landed on her wrist bone, resembling a single tear.

“Little Zong, I was just saying it was a pity you weren’t coming!” Wan Chunming said beside her.

“Exactly, exactly! We all came to celebrate your win, but if you don’t show up, isn’t this banquet missing its protagonist? It’s quite backward for us to be here eating and drinking without you,” the actor playing Wang Huai joked while picking at the dishes in his bowl.

Zong Yougu set down her wine glass. She repeated the name in her mind.

Wang Huai.

Forget (Wang Huai).

Forget.

How could she possibly forget?

Zong Yougu drained the champagne in her glass in one gulp. She didn’t like drinking, nor did she do it often. The bitter, sour liquid entered her mouth, the bubbles charging ahead recklessly. Her mouth and throat felt a slight burn.

“Today, you hugged me, but I did not give you a hug in return. Only this way will you remember me for a lifetime.”

Zong Liangu’s voice surfaced in Yougu’s mind once more. She had embraced Liangu, but Liangu hadn’t returned the hug as she usually did. Closing her eyes, she could perfectly reconstruct every minute expression Liangu had worn and replicate the contemptuous, mocking tone of her voice. Everything felt like a thorn in her throat.

How could she let go? How could she forget?

The sounds of laughter and chatter surrounded her. Looking around, there wasn’t a single face without a smile. Not one person wasn’t laughing; not one person looked sorrowful.

Wait, where was Ge Ya? Did Ge Ya not attend? She clearly saw Ge Ya backstage.

“Little Zong, what are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought—surely you haven’t failed to snap out of it yet?”

Zong Yougu finally returned to reality, displaying a flawless smile: “Isn’t that the truth? I feel like I’m dreaming.”

Wan Chunming burst into laughter, the corners of her eyes crinkling into several long wrinkles that made her look kind and peaceful. She kept patting Yougu’s back, her eyes full of expectations for the young actress.

Zong Yougu found that gaze somewhat piercing.

She pursed her lips and asked, “Director Chunming, did Teacher Ge Ya not come today? I wanted to see her. After all, she helped me a lot and I learned so much from her. She is the senior I admire most.”

Wan Chunming looked confused. “Eh? Did she not go find you? Just as you went up to accept the award, she told me she was going backstage to wait for you, saying she had a few words to say. I figured she always thinks deeply and always likes to be a ‘wet blanket,’ so I guessed she wanted to give you a private talking-to so you wouldn’t get too ahead of yourself.”

“Mm… I saw her. Yes, yes… but she didn’t say anything to me.”

“That’s strange. But then again, she’s always been eccentric. It’s no big deal. I’ll just call her right now—”

Wan Chunming’s phone rang at that exact moment. The ringtone mixed with the noisy voices and the restaurant’s background music.

“Oh? What a coincidence. She’s calling me.”

Wan Chunming answered the phone.

“Hey, yes, yes. We were just mentioning you, and here you are calling. Yes, she seems very eager to get some praise from an old senior like you.”

Zong Yougu listened intently to their conversation. Ge Ya’s words weren’t clear, but judging by Wan Chunming’s reactions, Ge Ya didn’t show anything unusual.

So why exactly did Ge Ya go to the dressing room? What did she say to Zong Liangu?

She had to find out.

Suddenly feeling a light tap on her shoulder, she turned around. Wan Chunming smiled and handed her the phone, letting her take the call. She took the device. She had a premonition that the ensuing conversation was not meant for other ears.

Turning around, she gave Wan Chunming a slightly apologetic nod, indicating she was going out to take the call. Wan Chunming had no reason to refuse.

Zong Yougu clutched the phone and opened the door to the private room. Walking along the corridor, she passed one room after another, the sounds of joy and laughter brushing past her ears. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.

She finally crossed the corridor and reached the terrace. The terrace was sultry, but she was oblivious to it, even feeling a bit of a chill around her. She exhaled and finally unmuted the microphone. Her lips, flushed from the wine, aligned with the receiver. The corners of her mouth twitched into a perfect smile.

“Hello, Teacher Ge Ya. I stepped out to a quiet place specifically to take your call. Director Chunming told me you went looking for me specifically; I wouldn’t let anyone interrupt our conversation.”

Silence fell on the other end of the line. Zong Yougu didn’t know the meaning of this silence, and she couldn’t help but panic. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that every beat sounded like thunder.

Ge Ya seemed to sigh. She asked, “Zong Yougu, what do you think is the most important thing for an actor?”

Zong Yougu didn’t hesitate: “Talent.”

Ge Ya sighed again, longer than the first time, and paused even longer.

Zong Yougu began pacing in place, every step landing exactly on her heartbeat. The buzzing in her ears and the suffocating feeling in her throat made her restless. She wanted to vent the suppressed anger in her heart all at once.

“It’s being down-to-earth. The most important thing for an actor is to be grounded.”

Zong Yougu laughed. Her laughter was sharp, her raspy voice sounding like it had burrs: “Teacher Ge Ya, do you think I used dirty tricks to win the award? Are you implying I used the back door? I’m not afraid to make a fool of myself—I’ve stolen and robbed in the past, and I’ve been destitute. But no matter what situation I was in, I only ever relied on myself. I never have, and never will, accept charity from others. I have never depended on anyone. Never.”

“Relied on yourself?” This time, Ge Ya laughed.

Her next sentence left Zong Yougu frozen in place.

“Then, what is the deal with Zong Liangu?”

In that instant, Zong Yougu nearly lost consciousness. She had never imagined Zong Liangu would tell anyone about what was between them. She thought it was their permanent secret. The resentment of betrayal outweighed the panic of being exposed.

Zong Liangu. Zong Liangu.

She practically squeezed the name through her teeth. Even though she had once drugged Zong Liangu, even though she hadn’t let the world see Liangu’s existence, even though she sometimes teased her on purpose… she couldn’t say she had mistreated her. She had even let Zong Liangu move freely recently.

How could Zong Liangu just leave like that? How could she betray her like this?

Zong Liangu, you really don’t know what’s good for you. You really don’t appreciate a good heart.

Zong Yougu suddenly amused herself. She covered the receiver and began to laugh. Thinking about it, she, Zong Yougu, was indeed selfish to the extreme, never having considered Zong Liangu’s feelings for a second. She always thought Liangu was her and she was Liangu, taking their love for granted and constantly consuming it. Now that the love between them was exhausted, it was only natural for Zong Liangu to leave.

She, Zong Yougu, was just such a loathsome person. No one would like her true self; even she loathed it.

“Are you listening?”

“Of course. I’m certainly listening. There has never been a more focused moment than now.” As she spoke, Zong Yougu reached out and briskly wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.

“Good. Zong Yougu, your actions make me look down on you. They make me feel your character is base. But even so, I cannot deny your ability. Perhaps, as you said, you are very talented. But you shouldn’t have used such devious schemes.”

“Devious schemes?” Zong Yougu sneered. “Teacher Ge Ya, every word I just said was true. I have only relied on myself. Only myself. Is that also wrong?”

Ge Ya sighed yet again. This time, Zong Yougu keenly sensed the emotion in that sigh: disappointment.

Ge Ya didn’t pause; she continued: “You shouldn’t treat your sister this way. You are two independent people. You are practically enslaving her. You are obstructing her better development. You say you have talent? Well, she has talent too. You shouldn’t hinder the growth of a good actor.”

“What?”

In truth, Zong Yougu didn’t hear a word Ge Ya said after that. The moment she heard the word “sister,” she knew instantly: Zong Liangu hadn’t told the whole truth. That secret was still only known to the two of them. Only they knew that they were fundamentally the same person.

Zong Yougu almost wanted to burst out into manic laughter right then, but she couldn’t. She struggled to hold it in, her face turning red, her shoulders shaking involuntarily as if she were trembling in the wind. She took a deep breath, and tears accumulated in her eyes at the right moment. The muscles in her throat tightened, and her voice carried a slight sob:

“Teacher Ge, you must be very disappointed in me right now. But… but what choice did we have? What choice did I have? Do you really think we didn’t want to walk proudly on a smooth path? I don’t know if Zong Liangu told you, but our background is not good. We grew up in an orphanage. Poverty and hunger plagued us constantly when we were young. We both desperately wanted to escape that past life. To quickly achieve the life of our dreams, we decided to start working under one person’s name. She always had a better physical constitution than me, and my constant illnesses as a child gave me a delicate perception of emotions. Zong Liangu and I used that point to begin our collaboration.”

“Collaboration?”

Zong Yougu sniffled theatrically. “Yes… we collaborated. And it was her idea. I had reservations, but she told me a name is just a label… Teacher Ge, I will proactively give up the February Orchid Award. I know I don’t deserve it… I can take responsibility for every word I’ve said. You can go ask Zong Liangu directly. I haven’t told a single lie.”

“No, no. Don’t do anything yet.”

Hearing this, Zong Yougu began to laugh silently. The exaggerated movement of her facial muscles made up for the absence of sound.

Everything she said was the truth. She hadn’t told a single lie. There was no one in the world more honest than her.

“Don’t do anything yet. Don’t.”

Ge Ya murmured to herself, and shortly after, she hung up the phone.

Zong Yougu looked at the dark screen and smiled. She would force Zong Liangu back. When Zong Liangu had nowhere else to go, she would naturally understand that the only person she could rely on in this world was Zong Yougu—only themselves.