"I was just looking for you, and here you come on your own," Ju Zisheng said.
"What's with this attitude? What are you so angry about, big star? Tell me. Are you that busy with work? You didn't even go to your friend's gathering. Didn't you say that Meng Nianchu is your best friend?"
Ju Zisheng hadn't been looking at her. At this point, he suddenly threw down his chopsticks, turned around, and said to Bailing, "Do you know how much they missed you that night when you didn't go? Do you know how disappointed they were? They were worried something had happened to you, so they asked me. They asked, 'Is there something wrong with Bailing? How are the two of you?' Of course, I said you were fine. I said you were busy with work, and that our relationship had been discovered by the company. We were afraid of being photographed, so we had to avoid suspicion, which was why you didn't come."
Hearing this, Bailing felt a bit sad. She asked in a low voice, "They weren't angry, were they?"
"How could they be angry? You're their best friend. When we were sending each other blessings at the end, they even wished that the two of us could get married and have children soon and be as happy as them."
Hearing this, Bailing's eyes welled up with tears. She also regretted very much that she had said such things that night and actually didn't go.
"So, can you tell me how busy you are with work? You couldn't even go to such things."
"I'm not that busy. I just happened to be too busy to get away. Plus, I was a bit tired and didn't want to go..." Bailing lowered her head. She didn't look at Ju Zisheng and said softly.
"Can you look at me? Can you really look at me, Bailing..." Ju Zisheng asked.
"What's there to look at? You still look the same anyway. Can't you just say what you want directly? Do I have to look at you?"
Ju Zisheng couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and grabbed Bailing's shoulders. Bailing felt herself stagger and almost lose her balance. "What are you doing?" she said nervously.
Ju Zisheng held Bailing's shoulders and shook her body. He said excitedly, "Aren't we a couple? You weren't like this before. What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing..." Bailing replied.
"Liar! Look into my eyes. Didn't we say that we'd never be separated? Didn't we say that we'd always be together? Didn't I say that one day I'd propose to you, you'd marry me, and we'd go to live abroad together?"
"Come on, stop joking, okay? People of our status can't do those things."
"I'm not joking. I'm telling the truth. You have to believe me!" Ju Zisheng said.
"I love you. This is true!" As Ju Zisheng said this, he pulled Bailing into his arms, just like before.
Normally, when the two of them hugged, Bailing would also hug Ju Zisheng tightly. But this time, Bailing lifted her hands slightly but then put them down.
"Is there anything else? If not, I have to go back to work."
Ju Zisheng pushed Bailing away and looked at her. "Work, work. Is work really that important?"
Bailing sneered. "Humph, isn't work important? When you were busy, didn't you also ignore me? You just kept apologizing. When I needed you the most, you weren't there to accompany me. Does an apology... does an apology really work? An apology is useless! I'm still lonely when I should be lonely, and I'm still sad when I should be sad. But when I should be happy, I can't be happy... because you're not there. You're not there. Do you know that?"
Bailing shouted angrily. She pushed Ju Zisheng away forcefully, and the two of them stood there awkwardly.
Hearing what Bailing said, Ju Zisheng was also a bit shocked. He realized that he himself hadn't done many things well but had instead been demanding of others.
The two of them adjusted their emotions. Ju Zisheng said first, "Okay, I admit my mistake. I'm sorry. Can we start over? I promise that one day, I'll give you the answer you want."
"You always say that," Bailing said with a bitter smile.
"Bailing..."
"If there's nothing else, I'll leave first." Bailing interrupted Ju Zisheng. Then she turned around, opened the door, and was about to leave.
"Bailing!" Ju Zisheng called out again.
Bailing suddenly said, "Oh, right..."
She didn't turn around. She just faced away from Ju Zisheng. "Mr. Ju Zisheng, let's break up."
After saying that, she left the room and closed the door behind her.
Ju Zisheng stood there alone, completely stunned. He didn't expect that Bailing would say such a thing. They had clearly said that they'd never be separated, but now she wanted to break up with him.
At this moment, the wonderful times they had spent together kept playing back in his mind, like a carousel.
In his memory, this was the first time the two of them had argued like this. Before, they had always felt that they had a great understanding of each other.
"What on earth happened?" Ju Zisheng said to himself.
He didn't know, and he didn't want to know. At this moment, his heart was like dead ashes. His mind was blank. He couldn't think of anything, say anything, or do anything.
He slumped into a chair, recalling everything that had happened before. He began to wonder if he really wasn't considerate enough, if he was too busy with work and didn't have time to accompany her, which had led to this situation.
The food had gotten cold, time had passed, and she didn't come back.
Actually, Bailing was in a good mood before she came today. She was working actively and living seriously.
At noon, she received a call from an assistant at the company, saying that there was something important at the company. They had already informed Ju Zisheng and asked him to tell her. The assistant asked if she knew about it.
Bailing was completely confused when she heard this. Ju Zisheng hadn't mentioned anything to her. So she said she hadn't received the notice. The company said it was a confidential matter and asked her to go to Ju Zisheng to find out about it.
She sighed. Did Ju Zisheng want to cut off her means of livelihood just because she didn't go to the gathering? Why didn't he tell her? Bailing was a bit angry.
So she went to the place where Ju Zisheng was resting. She originally wanted to clarify some things with him. But unexpectedly, as soon as she entered, he started asking questions aggressively. Bailing could only feel helpless. She had never felt so powerless before. She thought that people in the entertainment industry were supposed to be extremely strong.
She was so tired that she decided to break up with Ju Zisheng. After saying that, she turned around and left Ju Zisheng's studio. She walked towards her own workplace and continued her work.
When she returned to her lounge and sat down, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. Just as she was about to burst into tears, her phone suddenly received a message.
It was a photo. The angle of the shot made it look as if she was kissing Ju Zisheng. There was a message below it: If you don't want this to be exposed, call this number.