When I Woke Up, I Had Three Romantic Partners - Chapter 69

Carrying her things out of the police station, Duan Xu took a deep breath, her heart still feeling a little sore and swollen.

She touched her chest, wondering why she was now experiencing a subtle sense of regret.

Passing a clothing store on the street, she looked up and saw herself reflected in the glass, her face flushed red, her eyes filled with tears she hadn’t noticed accumulating.

She raised a hand to wipe her eyes, the cool tears feeling foreign.

“I… cried?”

After a long moment, she pulled out the burger from the bag—her favorite double cheeseburger, complete with tangy pickles to cut the grease, allowing her to enjoy it without worry.

Back when they were together, neither of their families was wealthy. They were also young and very rebellious, insisting they should be together and could overcome anything.

But the truth was, they couldn’t even afford the cheapest set meal at KFC, let alone the freshly-made double beef patty burger Duan Xu had always dreamed of eating.

At that time, streaming content had made her mouth water daily. She dreamed of going once to eat a freshly-made beef burger and experiencing true happiness.

However, as they both became busy later on, this wish remained unfulfilled, even after they had money.

Eventually, she became wealthy and could afford to eat a genuinely freshly-made, pan-fried beef burger. Yet, the taste wasn’t as good as she had imagined, nor was the experience as anticipated.

That time, she went alone.

Every time after that, Su Yunhui would promise to go with her, but each time, she was tied up by one of her artists.

It wasn’t until their conflict became completely irreparable that they finally put down their busy careers and went to eat a beef burger together. That time, too, was when she had contemplated breaking up for a long time.

And it was during that meeting that Su Yunhui apologized to her.

So, Su Yunhui remembered all this.

Duan Xu stared silently at the burger for a moment, then tossed it into the trash can.

It was too late. Everything had come too late. They couldn’t go back.

Not only could they not go back, but they shouldn’t even continue to be entangled. Why didn’t Su Yunhui understand this?

Her purpose in coming back this time was never to reconcile with her.

In the hospital, when she heard the news of Su Yunhui’s imprisonment, Chi Jinqing was somewhat bewildered, in a trance, hardly daring to believe that the other woman was truly imprisoned.

“She confessed?”

“She had no choice but to confess.”

He Ming was furious when she saw her sister was injured.

She had looked over the evidence Xia He had gathered and knew what was contained within. Since Su Yunhui wanted to self-destruct, she didn’t mind adding fuel to the fire.

Within two days, the police station received new evidence. This evidence directly cemented Su Yunhui’s place in prison, leaving her no room to turn back.

Simultaneously, the past between Chi Jinqing and Si Jiamo was also dug up. The past that had been tightly hidden was unveiled, exposing everything to the sunlight.

Netizens, drawn by the gossip, began to discuss it heatedly.

I thought too little of it. These two actually have such a dramatic past. The entertainment circle is truly chaotic.

They kept saying they didn’t know each other. Tsk, tsk. They were girlfriends, yet they didn’t know each other? This is knowing each other too well.

I really didn’t expect that Chi Jinqing was the one who dumped Si Jiamo back then. And yet, Si Jiamo is still willing to be with Chi Jinqing?

Before everyone could finish digesting this, the next bombshell dropped: Chi Jinqing had been financially supported by Si Jiamo, and during that time, she was also ambiguously involved with Su Yunhui and Zhuge Wei, even going to Su Yunhui’s apartment weekly. This news stunned a whole group of night owls.

Holy sh*t, I don’t even know what to say anymore.

This gossip is going to be the death of me.

I’m choked. This circle is too messy. I thought Chi Jinqing was one of the good ones.

Stop, I feel like the Cha (the creature who eats melons) crushed by the weight of all this gossip. My idol is falling apart.

As everyone was confused about which rumor to believe, Si Jiamo contacted Chi Jinqing and asked her what she thought of the situation.

Chi Jinqing lowered her eyes, unsure how to respond.

After a long pause, she asked in a hoarse voice, “All the things they’ve exposed are true. What is there to explain?”

What part of what these people said was wrong?

She was indeed Si Jiamo’s ex-girlfriend, and she was the one who dumped her.

Later, she accepted Si Jiamo’s financial support for money, and she also acted as a stand-in for Su Yunhui for money. These things were also true.

Only the connection with Zhuge Wei was minimal; she never had much entanglement with him. He was innocent.

Si Jiamo fell silent on her end. She didn’t know how to speak, just as Chi Jinqing said, these were all things she had done.

If she could, she would definitely stop her past self from making such an irreversible mistake.

But there were no “if onlys.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I can come out and clarify. Don’t worry, it won’t implicate you.”

Si Jiamo wanted Chi Jinqing to trust her one more time, but Chi Jinqing didn’t want to. She was tired.

“Si Jiamo, I’m tired.”

If it weren’t to repay her debt, if it weren’t for this debt that didn’t belong to her, she would have already left the entertainment circle.

Now, regarding her father, she didn’t want to continue either. She had carried this debt for so many years, for something that had nothing to do with her.

She was truly exhausted.

“Don’t give up, Chi Jinqing.”

Si Jiamo desperately wanted Chi Jinqing to hold on, but Chi Jinqing didn’t even have the strength to continue the conversation. She didn’t want to go on.

“I will talk to my father about the debt. After I finish filming these projects, I will retire from the industry.”

This wasn’t a sudden impulse, but a decision she had contemplated for a long time.

Si Jiamo choked, wanting to say more, but Chi Jinqing had already hung up the phone.

Although Chi Jinqing didn’t want to continue, Si Jiamo still issued a public clarification.

Si Jiamo V: This matter has nothing to do with Chi Jinqing. She was only repaying her father’s debt. Many details of what happened back then are unknown to everyone, leading only to the most malicious speculation.

But I must state that the breakup back then was because we both felt a relationship that started with deception would inevitably have a rift, so we decided to separate and cool down. It was not her unilaterally dumping me.

As for my financially supporting her, that is even less true. Although my reputation hasn’t been great these past years, I have never crossed the line.

Because I love her and wanted her by my side, that is all.

As for the so-called evidence, it is all false.

The past misunderstandings and my petty jealousy—everything is my fault and has nothing to do with anyone else.

You are free to criticize me, but please don’t disturb others.

Si Jiamo’s clarification was immediately met with ridicule, as everyone mocked her for taking the blame upon herself at such a time.

When Si Jiamo and Chi Jinqing signed the contract, there was no indenture agreement, and even the debt repayment agreement only stated that she should repay the debt slowly with her film wages, containing no words to humiliate Chi Jinqing.

Even if these people dug up the details, they would only say Si Jiamo was a pathetic figure.

Chi Jinqing’s situation these past years hasn’t been easy either, being bullied within the company. Some people claimed it was at Si Jiamo’s instruction, but looking at the contract, everyone felt it was impossible for Si Jiamo to do such things; at most, she just didn’t prevent it.

Following this wave of revelations, Chi Jinqing’s reputation underwent a massive shift, moving from being universally scorned to universally pitied in just half a day.

Seeing they could gain no benefit, those who initially broke the news promptly deleted their posts and began discussing how Si Jiamo was genuinely a wronged fool, and the innocently implicated Chi Jinqing was an even greater poor victim. This instantly attracted a large wave of fans.

When Xia He called Chi Jinqing over to watch this unfold, she felt nothing in particular. But the next moment, Xia He hid her phone, her face turning pale as if she had seen something unbelievable.

Even Chi Jinqing, slow as she was, reacted: “What’s wrong?”

Xia He shook her head repeatedly: “It’s nothing…”

Chi Jinqing naturally didn’t believe her. She picked up her own phone to check, but Xia He immediately stopped her, hugging her and tearfully shaking her head: “You can’t look, you really can’t look. Sister, you can’t look…”

Seeing Xia He’s attitude, an idea formed in her mind. She tried hard to steady herself, her voice husky: “Is it about… Qin Song?”

Qin Song had left her for a while, and she had spoken to her earlier in a strange, inexplicable tone—a tone that clearly suggested a problem.

Now, only news concerning her could cause such a dramatic change in Xia He’s expression.

Xia He’s body stiffened, and Chi Jinqing knew she had guessed correctly.

It really was Qin Song.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath: “Let go.”

Xia He refused, pleading: “Sister, don’t look. Sister Qin wouldn’t want you to see her news.”

“She left because of me. I must see.”

Chi Jinqing opened her eyes, very insistent: “Only I can help her now, Xia He.”

While Xia He was hesitating, she opened her micro-blog. At the top was the news of Qin Song’s surrender and arrest.

Chi Jinqing’s hands trembled as she clicked into the post.

Well-known Industry Manager Is Actually a Thief Who Stole Someone Else’s Identity and Murdered Her Biological Father?

Chi Jinqing’s head spun, her vision went blank. She couldn’t comprehend what this meant.

What did the headline say?

What did they dig up?

Who?

Who was the thief?

Who was the murderer?

Qin Song?

“Impossible, impossible. It can’t be Qin Song.”

Chi Jinqing shook her head repeatedly, but her voice was so shaky that she herself couldn’t hear what she was saying.

Xia He hugged Chi Jinqing, her eyes red: “Sister, Sister Chi, Sister Qin… she can’t be that kind of person. Impossible.”

Qin Song’s words echoed in Chi Jinqing’s numb mind: [You must take good care of yourself from now on.]

So, that was her farewell?

It turned out that at that time, Qin Song had already prepared to sacrifice herself for this moment.

Qin Song had already foreseen this scene, so she chose to actively surrender and confess everything about her past. Then, at the very peak of this storm, she used her own past to suppress Chi Jinqing’s scandal.

Chi Jinqing covered her mouth, her eyes, which she thought would never shed tears again, felt wet warmth.

“Qin Song…”

These two words suddenly felt like a mountain pressing down on her heart.

She had always chased after Si Jiamo, ignoring the people around her, and yet, the first person she saw when she opened her eyes was someone who had sacrificed so much for her.