In this era of entertainment to the extreme, the waves of public opinion keep surging. Netizens' discussions and gossips are like a carnival, not caring at all how the truth is demonized.
Right after that, another piece of entertainment news came along -
"The first love of the Xiao family heir has returned to the country. There are suspicions that the old flame has reignited and sparks have flown!"
Putting these two news items together makes it quite interesting.
The two people who had always appeared in the same headlines before are still there, but now they each occupy a separate news banner. In a way, they're still side by side.
There's an indescribable sense of tacit understanding.
When Jiang Li saw this news, she was sitting in a Western restaurant with Chen Siqi.
At the sight of the words "first love", she was slightly in a daze.
So it turned out that Xiao Yanzhi had a first love.
"Do you need me to cut your steak?" The voice of the man opposite pulled her back from her thoughts. She locked her phone screen and said with a smile, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
She had asked Chen Siqi out today because she had something to say.
Chen Siqi was very gentlemanly. He cut the steak on Jiang Li's plate into small, evenly - sized pieces that were just right for biting, and then put the plate back in front of her.
"Do you want to drink some red wine? The red wine in this restaurant is very authentic."
Jiang Li shook her head. "No, I need to stay sober. I have something important to talk to you about."
Seeing her suddenly serious look, Chen Siqi couldn't help but laugh. "What's so important? You've really piqued my curiosity."
Jiang Li lowered her head and thought for a moment before slowly saying, "Zhou Ningyun is my mother."
...
After she finished speaking, Jiang Li wasn't too surprised to see the obvious cold look on Chen Siqi's face.
With such a complicated relationship, he really needed to think it over.
"I originally wanted to tell you that day right away, but I had just found out, so I was really surprised. I needed some time to digest it."
Jiang Li said very frankly, "To be honest, I had no idea that the man my mother remarried would be your father. Otherwise, I would have made everything clear from the start."
Chen Siqi looked solemn and nodded slightly. "I believe you, but I also need time to digest this."
Jiang Li could understand.
After all, what Chen Siqi needed was someone who could withdraw from this circle at any time. If she was related to his step - mother, then he wouldn't be able to control how things would develop later.
Businessmen like them most want to have everything under control.
And variables mean there's a possibility of failure.
After this meal, Jiang Li assumed in her heart that Chen Siqi would definitely cancel the agreement. All the things they had said before would probably become invalid.
Although it was something she had expected, Jiang Li still felt a bit annoyed.
She turned on her phone. The gossip headline she hadn't finished reading in the restaurant popped up on the screen. The news about Xiao Yanzhi's first love immediately caught her eye.
After scrolling through hundreds of comments, she finally found the name of that first love, Yu Wan.
It was a very unfamiliar name.
So unfamiliar that in the past few years, she had never even heard it from Xiao Yanzhi.
It had been several days since the news was released, and there had been no clarification announcement. Generally speaking, this could be considered a real piece of gossip.
Come to think of it, when she got into his car that night, his actions weren't the least bit unfamiliar.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but mock herself.
No wonder when she pretended to kiss him skillfully on the lips, he had let out a low laugh.
It turned out he was laughing at her for pretending to be experienced.
Since that day, Chen Siqi hadn't contacted her again, but he also hadn't mentioned canceling the agreement. Coupled with the temporary suspension of her work, she had nothing to do.
One day, she received a call. It turned out that the rent for her apartment in Beicheng was about to expire, and the landlord called to ask her to move out all her things.
Thinking of the things that belonged to her in the room, Jiang Li immediately booked a flight back to Beicheng.
She hired a moving company. Moving the things wasn't too difficult. They were mostly the trophies and certificates she had won in the entertainment industry over the years, filling several big boxes.
After moving out, she looked at the empty apartment, took a photo with her phone, and casually posted it on her private WeChat Moments.
"Empty out everything in this city and start from scratch."
As soon as she posted it, Xu Yansen quickly left a comment below: "So unrestrained. Have you struck it rich? Come out for a drink."
Jiang Li smiled.
The relationship between some people is like this. Even if they haven't been in touch for a long time, when he suddenly appears, it still makes people realize that this friendship has never faded.
Jiang Li made an appointment with Xu Yansen at the bar where they first met.
"Jiang Li, have you read too many romance novels? You're also playing the game of falling in love after marriage and having a flash marriage?" After Xu Yansen downed a glass of wine, he started to speak without any formality.
Jiang Li shrugged and continued along with his joke, "It's a contractual marriage. Doesn't it sound even more exciting?"
"Awesome." Xu Yansen gave her a thumbs - up. "I never thought that our charming and sexy beauty, Lili, would one day have to cook for a man."
When saying this, Xu Yansen sounded a bit sad. "My most satisfying clothing line was still waiting for you to be the spokesperson. I never thought you'd step into the tomb of marriage so soon..."
Jiang Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After a few rounds of drinks, the two of them had pretty much told each other everything that had happened recently.
Xu Yansen was still the chief designer of Swire. Several of this year's big hits had seen a sharp increase in sales, which had also multiplied his worth several times.
After hearing about Jiang Li's recent situation, Xu Yansen sighed and asked her, "Have you really let go of your former boss who loves green tea?"
"I've really let go." Jiang Li said in a calm tone, with no trace of emotion on her face. "We've settled all our debts. He didn't treat me badly, and I don't owe him anything either."
"Tsk tsk, you guys really know how to have fun." Xu Yansen said this out of the blue. Then he took out a USB drive from his pocket. "Since you've given up, it seems this thing is useless now."
"I was originally waiting for you to become a big - name movie star in the future so that I could blackmail you with this audio recording. It seems I won't need it."
Jiang Li couldn't help but laugh. She knew what was on it. "Why do you carry this around with you all the time? I'll help you throw it away."
She held the USB drive in her palm, walked to the trash can in the bar, and casually threw it in.
When she walked back to the bar counter, she asked with a bit of a warning, "You don't have a backup, do you?"
"Don't worry, miss. That recording only exists in this one copy in the world." Xu Yansen said with a smile. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Jiang Li didn't say anything, just smiled.
As she was smiling, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
She could finally say goodbye to her past self, to that self who had fluttered towards the flame of love like a moth.
...
In the garbage truck at the back door of the bar.
Xue An was wearing plastic gloves and rummaging through all kinds of wine bottles and garbage, sweating profusely. He was in such a bad mood that he wanted to curse.
The man behind him was very calm. He crossed his arms in front of his chest leisurely and said in a soft voice, "If you find it, your bonus will be increased by 100,000 next month."
Xue An's face immediately brightened.
He'd search. He'd search even if it meant dying.