Chapter 87

Fang Xun was given a difficult task by his boss, Jiang Chen. He had to investigate Ji Wenlun, including his family background, relationships, and business operations. Jiang Chen’s attitude suggested he wanted to take action against Ji Wenlun.

However, Ji Wenlun is Fang Xun’s cousin. Although Fang Xun didn’t know why Ji Wenlun might have angered Jiang Chen, as Jiang Chen’s assistant, he couldn’t refuse the task.

Fang Xun called Ji Wenlun to ask if he had recently interacted with or offended Jiang Chen.

Ji Wenlun was quiet for a while before revealing, “Shen Mingyou is in my crew now.”

Fang Xun was confused and asked, “I know, but what does this have to do with Mrs. Jiang?”

Shen Mingyou’s recent film, “Homeward Journey,” was produced by Ji Wenlun’s company, and Ji Wenlun was the producer. Fang Xun knew Jiang Chen had been absent recently to visit Shen Mingyou on set. 

But now, Jiang Chen wanted Fang Xun to investigate Ji Wenlun with a grim face. Could it be related to Shen Mingyou?

After a long silence, Fang Xun asked, “The person you’ve been looking for is Shen Mingyou?”

Fang Xun knew Ji Wenlun had liked a girl for a long time, but never imagined it was Shen Mingyou.

Ji Wenlun didn’t deny it, which made Fang Xun angry: “Are you crazy trying to compete with Jiang Chen for a woman?”

“I don’t want to compete. I just want a chance if they get divorced,” Ji Wenlun replied softly.

Fang Xun calmed down and advised, “Jiang Chen loves his wife very much. With his personality, he will never divorce Shen Mingyou. You won’t have a chance.”

Fang Xun had always had a good relationship with Ji Wenlun, who had advised him when he started working for Jiang Chen. Fang Xun trusted Ji Wenlun to keep confidential information secure.

Fang Xun remembered standing up for Shen Mingyou in front of Ji Wenlun many times. He had once told Ji Wenlun that Jiang Chen was like a robot, focused only on work and neglectful of his wife. Even on special occasions, he only bought her a bag without any thought. 

Recently, Shen Mingyou and Jiang Chen were about to divorce, and Jiang Chen had asked Fang Xun to find an expert to help save his marriage. Fang Xun knew Ji Wenlun could help with that, so he sought his assistance.

Fang Xun is almost regretting his decision now. Who would have thought that Mrs. Jiang, whom he had mentioned to Ji Wenlun many times, was actually the person Ji Wenlun had always liked.

His comments might have led Ji Wenlun to believe that Mrs. Jiang Shen Mingyou had an unhappy marriage.

Ji Wenlun had always been obsessed with Shen Mingyou, and now that he knows she might be unhappy, he definitely doesn’t want to let her go.

“Maybe you misunderstood what I said before; I was just joking, and my words were biased. In reality, although Mr. Jiang didn’t manage the family affairs in those years, he never did anything to let his wife down. In fact, he loves her very much. Recently, he has made many unexpected changes to save their marriage.”

“So what if he changes?” Ji Wenlun retorted. “Since he didn’t cherish her before, he should let Shen Mingyou go now.”

Fang Xun said tiredly, “Even if Shen Mingyou gets divorced, how can you be sure she will be with you?”

“That’s my business.”

Seeing Ji Wenlun was still stubborn, Fang Xun sighed. “I’ve been with Jiang Chen for so long; I know how powerful he is. People who offend him never end well. I advise you to take care of yourself!”

After hanging up, Fang Xun thought for a long time and finally drafted a resignation letter. The next day, he took the letter to the company and confessed to Jiang Chen about his relationship with Ji Wenlun. He also admitted he was the one who revealed that Jiang Chen and Shen Mingyou were going to divorce. Then Fang Xun handed the resignation letter to Jiang Chen.

_

Shen Mingyou noticed that Jiang Chen seemed a little strange these past two days.

A few days ago, Jiang Chen often contacted her using a special number, but now, this number hasn’t been in touch. They have been using the same number for the past two days. Although everything seemed normal on the phone and Jiang Chen asked about her well-being before hanging up after video chatting with Xiao Xi, Shen Mingyou still felt something was off.

It seemed like Jiang Chen was avoiding her.

This is interesting. He had come to the set a few days ago and played some “underground lover” game with her. Only two days have passed, and now he seems tired of it?

Just as Shen Mingyou was wondering about this, Shen Mingzhang, who was also on the set, finally told her the reason.

It turned out that Jiang Chen somehow found out about her illness and even went to Shen Mingzhang to confirm it.

“When he left, he specifically asked me not to tell you he knew about this. I thought he needed time to process it, so I agreed.” Shen Mingzhang paused and said, “I think he seemed deeply affected. I’m worried something might happen, so it’s safer to tell you.”

Shen Mingyou sat on a chair on the set and asked, “What might happen?”

“It’s not a big deal, but I’m afraid he’ll get stuck in negative thoughts, which could harm his mental health.” Shen Mingzhang teased, “At this time, what your Mr. Jiang needs most is counseling and encouragement from his girlfriend.”

Shen Mingyou: “…”

When Jiang Chen was here two days ago, Shen Mingzhang somehow discovered that this couple, who had been married for five years, were actually playing the boyfriend-girlfriend game. Shen Mingzhang often watched them with an amused expression.

Shen Mingyou said, “I don’t think you’re a psychologist.”

“What do I look like?”

“You look like Hongniang^[1]refers to a character from classic Chinese literature..” Shen Mingyou said, “If you wore a pretty dress, you’d look even more like her.”

Shen Mingzhang: “…”

Taking leave from the set requires the director and producer’s consent.

Shen Mingyou found Ji Wenlun and asked for leave. Ji Wenlun said, “The filming schedule is very tight. If it’s not urgent, try not to take leave.”

“Sorry, my husband has been in a bad mood these past two days, so I need to go back and comfort him.” Shen Mingyou said, “This is indeed very important to me.”

Shen Mingyou hadn’t noticed before, but when Jiang Chen visited the set two days ago, she saw Ji Wenlun was obviously concerned. She paid more attention to him and discovered Ji Wenlun treated her very differently.

For such complicated love affairs, it’s better to end them quickly.

After hearing her words, Ji Wenlun clenched his fists and asked, “Aren’t you going to get a divorce?”

Shen Mingyou chuckled, “I don’t know where you heard this, but it’s not uncommon for couples to quarrel and think about divorce. My husband and I will not divorce.”

“You won’t get divorced,” Ji Wenlun murmured softly.

When Shen Mingyou returned to China to participate in “Super Mom”,Ji Wenlun couldn’t help but watch the show. Gu Aifei invited him to participate, and even though he should have refused, he went because of Shen Mingyou. When he appeared on the show, he hoped Shen Mingyou would recognize him, but she didn’t. She looked at him as if he was a stranger.

Although Shen Mingyou didn’t remember him, seeing her bright and healthy on the show and her smile with her daughter made Ji Wenlun happy. He knew she had recovered from her illness.

Ji Wenlun had no intention of interfering in other people’s marriages. But when he learned that Jiang Chen from Lingyu Capital was Shen Mingyou’s husband, his hope was rekindled. From what Fang Xun had told him before, Ji Wenlun knew Shen Mingyou’s marriage was unhappy and that she was preparing to divorce Jiang Chen. Soon, she would be free.

Ji Wenlun wanted to act quickly. He invited Shen Mingyou to star in the movie “Homeward Journey”.

As an actress, he believed Shen Mingyou would find the role impossible to refuse.

_

Ji Wenlun had some selfish reasons for inviting Shen Mingyou to perform, but he had to admit she was the best fit for the role, both personally and professionally. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until he found out that Jiang Chen and Shen Mingyou were not planning to divorce. Suddenly, all his efforts felt like a joke.

Lowering his head, Ji Wenlun said with a self-mocking tone, “It seems you really don’t remember me at all.”

Shen Mingyou replied, “Your performance style and skills are still the same as before.”

Ji Wenlun looked up in surprise, a bitter smile on his face. She didn’t remember him, but she could recall his acting. That’s how much Shen Mingyou loved acting.

“Congratulations, you’ve really become an excellent actor.” Shen Mingyou hadn’t recognized Ji Wenlun the first few times they met. But when they worked together in the movie “Homeward Journey,” she began to feel he was familiar. It wasn’t until their first scene together that she remembered him as the extra she’d met on set before.

Their acting styles were very similar. But for Shen Mingyou, it didn’t matter whether she remembered him or not.

Ji Wenlun smiled bitterly. “You were the one who recommended me to the director back then. That’s why he cast me as the second male lead in his next project. Without your help, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

At that time, Ji Wenlun was just a minor actor in a play starring Shen Mingyou, performing for only a day. Shortly after, the director invited him to audition for a lead role. That opportunity helped him reach his current success. He always wanted to thank her but never got the chance.

“It was just a small favor,” Shen Mingyou said. “You would have succeeded without my recommendation.”

Realizing there was no chance for a romantic future, Ji Wenlun asked, “Can we still be friends?”

“Sorry,” Shen Mingyou shook her head.

Watching her walk away, Ji Wenlun couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

**

Jiang Chen had been reading a lot about depression and autism over the past few days. After dropping Nian Nian off at kindergarten, he headed to his office and immersed himself in the material, forgetting the time. Suddenly, a text message from his wife appeared on his phone.

【Youyou: I’m downstairs at your company.】

Jiang Chen rushed downstairs and immediately spotted Shen Mingyou’s car in front of the building. It was easy to notice—the red Ferrari was her favorite, although she rarely drove it because she usually had to take Nian Nian with her. The family driver normally took care of transportation.

Touching the ring on his finger, Jiang Chen hurried over, opened the passenger door, and saw Shen Mingyou sitting in the driver’s seat, looking like a young college student.

Her long wavy hair was now cut short, just above her shoulders, with bangs. She was dressed like a student too.

Jiang Chen bent down and asked, “Why are you here?”

Brushing her bangs back, Shen Mingyou said, “I’m here to pick up my boyfriend from work.”

Jiang Chen: “…”

Shen Mingyou smiled and added, “Stop standing there. Get in the car. If someone from your company sees CEO Jiang with a young, pretty college student, it’ll be front-page news tomorrow.”

Jiang Chen looked at her bright smile and responded, “Sure, let them talk. Dating a young, beautiful student? I couldn’t ask for more.”