“When I came around, my manager hurled abuse at me. I’ve lost my most important role and even my future has become unknown now. I lay on the hospital bed every day without being able to move, feeling anxious every day. Now that I’m finally discharged and returned home, I can only watch the news and find out that your screen time as a second female lead will be more than the female lead, while I’m disabled. However, I kept telling myself that I didn’t regret it, I didn’t regret it…”
Changqing had already forgotten what she should say, only feeling her heart ache when she saw Guan Ying like that.
In her memory, Guan Ying had never cried like that before. She rarely cried at all.
“Xiaoying, I’ve never wanted to snatch anyone away from you…” she said hoarsely.
“Yeah, who have you thought about snatching away? You’ve only snatched Fu Yu away and when I wanted to be with Song Chuyi, you snatched Song Chuyi away again.” Guan Ying scoffed softly. “Don’t tell me you couldn’t tell that I really liked him during that period of time in the hospital.”
Changqing couldn’t reply. She could tell, so she had wanted to give him up. However, when Song Chuyi decided to get a divorce, she was afraid. She took the initiative to make him stay shamelessly.
If she hadn’t done that then, would their friendship come to this state?
“Xiaoying, what must I do for you to forgive me?” Changqing said as she choked up. “We were once so close; I really treated you as my good friend.”
“Is this the way you treat your good friends?” Guan Ying smiled. However, her smile looked uglier than her crying. “Unless… you let me have Song Chuyi…”
Changqing was in a daze and said, “He’s a living person. I can’t just let you have him because I say so.”
“You just can’t bear to part with him, right?” Guan Ying scoffed. “In the end, Yan Changqing, you’re just a selfish person. I’ve finally seen through your true colors today. I’ll just take it that I’ve been blind these past few years. From today onwards, we won’t be friends anymore.”
She turned around and got into the car after saying that.
Changqing felt her heart aching as though it was about to be ripped apart and went up to stop her. “Guan Ying, don’t do this. I can’t lose a friend like you. Have you forgotten how we said that we would be friends forever? Have you forgotten all the memories we made together?”
Guan Ying took a look at her hand then at her face. A sense of coldness seeped through the corners of her lips. “I wouldn’t dare and will never be your friend ever again. From today onwards, you’ll go your way and I’ll go mine.”
She got in the car and left without turning back.
Watching as Guan Ying left, Changqing couldn’t even believe that she was about to lose this friend.
It felt like she was being ripped apart alive.
When they just entered university, she was a little late and the lower bunks were all taken. Guan Ying gave up hers for her.
She was very sloppy and Guan Ying would always help her tidy her bed. Every time it was her time to do the cleaning, she would take her time and Guan Ying would also take the initiative to help her.
Her results weren’t good nor was her acting. Guan Ying would always be patient and practice with her the longest.
Among the four of them, whoever got bullied, the other three would always stand up without hesitation.
They went to class together and after class, they would play together.
After their eighteenth birthday, they would be around for each other’s birthdays every year.
They went on a graduation trip together, encouraged each other and on the way, they also bickered and fought but they would always make up within two days.
However, now, Guan Ying said she would no longer be her friend.
Changqing cried as she called Ruan Yang. Ruan Yang was filming and her assistant picked up the call.
That night, Ruan Yang returned the call and after hearing Changqing out, she was silent. The thing she was the most afraid of had happened. Was their friendship going to fall apart? Every friendship, once a man got involved, would always change. Even if it healed forcefully, there would still be a knot. Besides, Guan Ying wasn’t generous. She was very extreme. She might seem weak, but in fact, it wasn’t easy to become friends with someone like this.
“Ruan Yang, what should I do? What should I do now?” Changqing said as she was at her wit’s end. “Could you persuade Guan Ying?”
“I can’t, Changqing,” Ruan Yang said helplessly. “If I were to persuade her, Guan Ying would know that I was the one helping you. She wouldn’t only not forgive you but hate you even more. Not only would she hate you for snatching the person she likes, but she would also even hate that we’re on your side.”
Changqing was at a loss.
Ruan Yang said, “Let some time pass. She’s still in a fit of anger right now and won’t forgive you. I would talk to her about this again after she cools down.”
“But… will she forgive me?” Changqing said finally.
“Also, will Duoyao blame me?” Changqing was uneasy.
“I’ll give her a call later.”
After her phone call with Ruan Yang ended, Changqing was restless and couldn’t even carry on with her television show.
That night, Song Chuyi didn’t return either. There were several times Changqing wanted to call him but she held it in.
When it was past midnight, Changqing’s phone rang. However, it was Duoyao who called. Her heart was in a mess and after Changqing picked up the call, it was silent over at that side for a while before Duoyao began, “Changqing, how could you do something like this?”
Changqing felt like she got slapped on the face. What did Ruan Yang tell her? Even Duoyao misunderstood her now. “Duoyao, we’ve known each other for so long. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
“It’s precisely because I’ve known you for too long that I can’t believe it.” Jiang Duoyao sounded a little angry. “We’re good friends; is it worth it to let a man affect our friendship? Is that Song Chuyi that good? Is there no other man on this earth? Besides, Fu Yu liked you so much. In this kind of situation, even if Guan Ying was the one who dumped Song Chuchu, you shouldn’t have gone after him.”
“So… you’re standing on Guan Ying’s side?” Changqing asked hoarsely.
“There’s no such thing as standing on whose side. I only feel that you’re in the wrong this time.” Jiang Duoyao said, “Just now, Guan Ying called me. Changqing, from when we were studying, Guan Ying has been like a nanny to you. Although some things she did weren’t right, she was so good to you. We’re friends and you shouldn’t have treated her like that.”
Changqing buried her face in her knees. Today, she was reprimanded by two of her good friends at the same time. She felt so terrible like she was about to suffocate.
“I’d rather believe you were cheated by a man.” Jiang Duoyao said angrily, “When I get back, I must find this Song Chuyi and give him a piece of my mind. I used to think he was pitiful and he might not have known that Guan Ying was your good friend. Perhaps he was just playing the two of you…”
Changqing bit her lip. At this time, the room door suddenly opened. Song Chuyi walked in. There was no band-aid on his lip. However, there was a scab.
“… to think he’s a doctor. What a two-faced man. However, you never dated before. It’s normal to be cheated by men. I shouldn’t blame you too much, but…” The call which was on speaker mode continued. Changqing quickly switched off the hands-free function. However, Song Chuyi still heard it.
An air of chilliness spread across his eyes. “Did someone say I was two-faced just now?”
“No…” Changqing quickly said to Jiang Duoyao guiltily, “I have something to do, so I’ll hang up first.”
“Aye, I think I just heard a man’s voice. Is Song Chuyi back? F*ck, you two are really staying together.” Not only did Jiang Duoyao not hang up, but she even became more agitated.
Changqing closed her eyes and hung up straight away.
“Who are you on the phone with?” Song Chuyi took a step forward. His dark eyes were locked on her. “Are you talking bad about me to your friend?”
“No, I’m talking about someone else.” Changqing lowered her head unconfidently.
“Don’t take my IQ to be the same as yours. Two-faced. How am I two-faced?” Song Chuyi was really furious. He had finally decided to come back and the moment he came back, he heard her friend scolding him like that. “Yan Changqing, how did you describe me to your friends privately? I don’t think I’ve abused you?”
Changqing felt mentally exhausted and didn’t speak.
Song Chuyi went up and grabbed her arm, pulling her up.
Changqing was forced to look up. From such a close distance, her face with a pair of red eyes washed by tears was revealed.
He was stunned.
Changqing pushed him and walked to the computer room without a word.
Song Chuyi was baffled. She was so out of it that it made it weird to both argue and not to argue.
However, they were still arguing over Fu Yu previously and he was still angry. Now that he heard her friends badmouthing him, he thought about it and decided that he shouldn’t jump to conclusions. She might’ve been crying because of Fu Yu.
Song Chuyi thought about it and took his clothes to go for a shower. When he came out from the shower, Changqing hadn’t come out from the computer room.
He went ahead to sleep.
It wasn’t early and he was obviously very tired. Maybe it was because the light wasn’t switched off, but when he closed his eyes, he couldn’t fall asleep even after a very long time.
He looked at the time. It was one. She still had to go to work tomorrow. Was she going to sleep?
He sat up and switched off the room lights frustratedly.
It was her choice.
Not long after he lay down, a soft sobbing sound came from the computer room.
His head hurt and he climbed up once again, switched on the lights and walked to the computer room. Changqing was lying slouched over the computer table with her face down. She was crying so much that her body was shaking up and down.
He watched for a while and went up to stop her.
Changqing tensed her body with her might and refused to get up, like a little child throwing a tantrum. The crying went from bad to worse.
“What on earth is wrong with you?” Song Chuyi felt helpless. He would bow down first in this cold war. Would that suffice?
Changqing sniffed hard and said while choked up, “Don’t worry. Anyway, I’m not important to you at all. I’m the only stupid one who would lose my most important friend because of you.”
“Who are you talking about?” Song Chuyi finally understood a little. She was indeed not crying about him.
“Guan Ying.” Changqing finally lifted her head while crying. “She came over today and saw Robben. She found out that we’re married…” She sniffed and her crying became uncontrollable, as though all her emotions which were suppressed for a night finally found an outlet. She said… that she didn’t want to be friends with me anymore.”
Song Chuyi thought, “What trivial matter is this?”
He was really innocent. Now, it seemed like he had to take responsibility for their friendship.
And about Guan Ying, what was the matter? Was she sick?
However, looking at the woman in front of him crying until all her fluids were mixed together, he found a piece of tissue for her to wipe herself with resignation. In the end, not only did she not wipe herself clean, but Changqing’s crying got even worse. “Duoyao… also blamed me. This is all your fault. If you didn’t make me fall for you, I wouldn’t have let my friends down…”
His hand holding the tissue paused. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so angry. He felt better and was more willing to say more comforting words. “Alright, this isn’t your fault. It’s Guan Ying herself who couldn’t understand that even without you, I wouldn’t reconcile with her.”
Song Chuyi bent down and picked her up from the chair.
Changqing’s small face stuck to his lower abdomen and she could feel the endless stream of warmth emanating from his body. Her little heart felt a little better but she still couldn’t let it rest and said, “Yes, it’s your fault. All your fault. You don’t know how close I was with Guan Ying. I don’t want to lose her as a friend. Now, because of you, even Duoyao thinks that I value sex over friendship…”
“You mean you want to value friendship over sex?” Song Chuyi frowned and wasn’t very satisfied with that.
Changqing was stunned. Seeing Song Chuyi’s expression, no matter how stupid she was, she also knew not to admit it and say that he wasn’t as important as her friends. Therefore, she pressed her lips together and said, “In any case, you aren’t as dependable as my friends. You even reprimanded me relentlessly yesterday and didn’t care about my feelings at all, making me cry. You didn’t even comfort me…”
“And you didn’t even think about what you did to me,” Song Chuyi said unhappily.
“Serves you right for hitting on other women on the plane, joking with her and pretending that I didn’t exist,” Changqing said hoarsely.
“When did we joke together? I simply chatted with her casually.” Song Chuyi frowned. “You, on the other hand—what did you do? Did you remember that you had a husband sitting in the back?”
“You’re the one who didn’t remember that you had a wife.” Changqing lifted her moist eyes and pouted grudgingly. “That woman must’ve been very beautiful; you couldn’t even take your eyes off her.”
Song Chuyi’s head hurt. It seemed that he would never be on level ground when arguing with a woman. “Are you jealous right now?”
“Who’s jealous?” Changqing pushed him away while squirming, turning her back towards him.
“You seemed to have forgotten that you said I couldn’t be compared to Fu Yu, that he was way better than me.” Song Chuyi sighed gently in his heart. “I even thought that I really disturbed the two of you by going to Yangzhou.”
“Nonsense. You knew I said that in a fit of anger,” Changqing said dejectedly.
Song Chuyi watched her silently for a while before caressing her head, warning, “If you ever dare to walk away with another man…”
He paused after that. Changqing turned around to look at him curiously and captured the darkness in his eyes. Her heart shrank and she mumbled, “I thought you were going off with that beautiful woman so I walked faster so as to not disturb you two…”
Her words were quite exasperating. If not for her hoarse voice which made her sound like she was about to cry, Song Chuyi might’ve blown up again. Now, although he was a little gloomy, he could still swallow it down.
In Li Shaobin’s words, both of them were just saying things in a fit of anger.
That would also let Fu Yu have his way.
He had to curb his temper and not let Fu Yu get away with it.
“If I wanted to, I would have long ago, why would I have waited till today? With someone like that? My taste isn’t that bad.” Song Chuyi turned around and walked towards the bedroom.
Changqing was in a daze and followed him with small steps. “What do you mean? You didn’t find her pretty enough?”
Song Chuyi let out a deep sigh. Why was this woman so daft? “What I mean is, I have someone so much prettier at home. Why would I want her?”
Changqing blinked. He said he had someone so much prettier at home—could it be her?
Suddenly, she felt a sense of honey-like sweetness emerging from the melancholy. She broke out into a smile and squirmed to him, tugging at the corner of his shirt. “Are you referring to me?”
That proud look made Song Chuyi’s heart soften and he pinched her tender little cheeks. “Silly. Go to sleep quickly.”
“No, you haven’t answered my question.” Changqing pouted, twisting her little waist.
Song Chuyi looked at her face. Her lips were pouted high and her pinkish face was puffed up like a ball of soft cotton candy, making him develop the urge to bite it and wait for it to melt in his mouth.
“Sleep.” Song Chuyi simply carried her up and walked towards the bed.
When they reached the bed, Changqing crawled up again and pestered him. “Is it me or not? I’m really stupid and I can’t guess the answer.”
Song Chuyi: “…”
She was stupid normally, but she was now resorting to petty tricks.
He tapped her butt and suddenly felt like teasing her, saying, “I was referring to myself.”
Changqing was stunned and stared blankly at his clean and elegant face under the moonlight. Indeed, Song Chuchu’s features were very chiselled. If you were to say he was beautiful, he was indeed beautiful. If he were to wear a wig…
However, all this wasn’t the main point, alright.
She quickly hugged his arm tightly and shook it. “I don’t believe that. You’re a man. You can’t be narcissistic like that.”
Song Chuyi raised his brows with interest.
Changqing said earnestly, “I read a story before that in ancient Greece, there was a God who was very beautiful. One day, he happened to come across his reflection while he was standing by a river and the reflection was very beautiful. He felt that no one on earth could be even more beautiful than this reflection. Therefore, he became deeply smitten by the reflection and would sit by the river every day without moving to look at his reflection without eating or drinking. Therefore, he died by the river.”
The corners of Song Chuyi’s lips twitched. “What are you trying to say with this story?”
Changqing said, “This reflection was actually the God himself. He had fallen in love with himself. Therefore, Chuchu, you should never have these thoughts. These thoughts will only make you fall in love with yourself and no one else ever.”
She was quite worried. After all, she was his wife. A husband that looked too beautiful was also trouble. “Do you know why so many handsome men are gay nowadays? It’s because they think they’re too handsome and women don’t deserve them, so they go and look for other men.”
“…” Song Chuyi pressed his brows hard. He really wanted to shoot her.
“Are you sleeping or not? If you’re not going to sleep, I’ll throw you out.” Song Chuyi warned softly.
Feeling the chill from the darkness, Changqing shrank for a few seconds before lying obediently. After a while, she tossed and turned in the darkness and got up again, using her index finger to poke his cheek. “Song Chuchu, say, was it you or me?”
Song Chuyi opened his eyes helplessly.
“Little fool.” He pulled her in and said softly at last, “Who else could it be if not you?”
That sentence felt as sweet as honey.
Changqing pounced on him and hugged his neck sweetly. “I knew it was me; I’m way prettier than you.”
Song Chuyi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and reached out to embrace that octopus-like person, coaxing softly, “Quick, go to sleep.”
Changqing lifted her head from his chest and stared intensely at him with her amorous eyes.
Song Chuyi also looked at her. Could she not look at him so alluringly in the middle of the night? The collar of her pyjamas revealed half of what it was supposed to cover.
Half a minute later, Changqing suddenly dug into his embrace unhappily, grumbling softly, “You didn’t even kiss me.”
Her voice came from his chest area and she dug into his embrace again. His heart froze.
Song Chuyi caressed her little ear lobe while looking at her intensely. Women looked the most alluring when they didn’t mean what they said.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want her; it was just that it was the most unbearable when he did but couldn’t kiss her.
Therefore, he should just not do it.
“Go to sleep quickly,” he said softly.
“Mm,” Changqing became obedient now. However, after sleeping for a while, she climbed up and kissed his cheek.
Song Chuyi was surprised. In the darkness, he saw her cheeky expression. “You can’t kiss me but I can kiss you.”
He smiled, caressing her hair and hugged her to sleep.
Instinctively, while he was about to fall asleep, he thought to himself groggily that he would also hug his daughter to sleep if he were to have one in the future.
In the future, would he have to hug one on the left and one on the right?
Forget it. If they were to have children, they should have boys so that he could train them to be stronger.
With two daughters, it would be difficult to love them.
The next morning, just when Changqing was enjoying her slumber, she was woken up by Song Chuyi.
“Get up. Your assistant just called to say that there’s going to be a meeting with the variety crew at nine-thirty.” Song Chuyi pushed her.
Changqing rubbed her eyes. She slept too late last night and now she was tired.
She opened her eyes a little and pouted childishly. “What’s the time now?”
“Seven-forty.”
Changqing rolled on the bed with frustration. She didn’t want to go to work. She wanted to sleep in.
She peeked at Song Chuchu who was putting on his shirt at the side and reached out towards him. “Pull me up.”
Song Chuyi turned back and pulled her. Changqing sat up and kicked the blankets, reaching out to him again. “Carry me to the toilet.”
“Do you want me to carry you to work?” Song Chuyi’s voice in the morning had a thick sense of languidness.
“Sure.” Changqing bit her bottom lip cheekily, oblivious that her pyjamas had rolled up to her waist.
While walking, he cursed in his heart.
Little vixen, Little vixen, torturing him early in the morning.