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BDB Chapter 19
There was no need to hide the fact that she had been on the phone with Madam Bai; concealing it only seemed suspicious.
Jiang Rao turned her phone around, the screen bright for the man in front of her to see.
Li Jueyan glanced at her phone, seeing that the caller ID displayed “Mom”. He curled his lips.
Interesting. It seemed that the “mother and daughter” pair must talk frequently.
Did Bai Yurou know that her daughter had been swapped, or was everything somehow connected to Bai Yurou?
Thinking this, he met her gaze and said, “Stop the call.”
After a pause, he added, “I was very satisfied with your performance last night. This is a reward for you.”
He placed a tray with a bowl of porridge on the table.
Jiang Rao’s eyes widened in surprise.
He had brought her a meal as a reward, and that had been enough to keep her from saying anything further. However, what on earth was this talk about her performance last night…
Was the male lead crazy?
Jiang Rao’s lips quivered as she tried to say something, but at that moment, she noticed that the call had been cut off by the other party.
This left her in a difficult situation.
If she called back to explain, Madam Bai might think she was innocent and genuine. But given her understanding of the other party, who often had dark and suspicious thoughts, she might instead feel Jiang Rao was guilty and that any explanation was just a cover-up.
On the other hand, if she didn’t explain, who knew what Madam Bai might think? She might believe she was innocent, or she might think she was secretly trying to seduce the male lead…
Forget it, no matter what, she would be misunderstood. It was better to let things take their course.
She calmed herself and looked back at the man in front of her.
She mentally cursed him for being a lunatic. It was baffling how the male lead could twist something straightforward into such a mess. Yet, if she put herself in Jiang Tang’s shoes—if she were truly Jiang Tang—she would just give him a cold look and move on.
After all, the male lead didn’t do anything wrong. He just suddenly said something flirty, almost like he was in heat.
Although the two were only a “plastic couple”, they were still labeled as husband and wife. If she got upset over this, it would seem a bit unreasonable, no matter how you looked at it.
The morning light was just right.
He saw her expressing her displeasure with a small, disgruntled expression as she faced the light.
Perhaps knowing how stunning her real appearance was beneath the makeup, he, who usually had a bad temper, did not feel anger but instead found her… cute.
Jiang Rao felt extremely uncomfortable under his stare.
Although she didn’t think her makeup could reveal much, she still wasn’t used to a man staring at her for a long time.
She asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
He replied, “We’ll go back to the compound1 together in the evening.”
Both of them spoke at the same time, causing Jiang Rao to pause in surprise.
The compound likely referred to the military district compound2 assigned to the male lead’s grandfather after his transition from the military to politics. The male lead’s grandfather and Jiang Tang’s grandfather knew each other, which was why their younger generations had been betrothed to each other by these elders when they were young.
Since playing the role of Jiang Tang was her duty, and despite not understanding why the male lead suddenly mentioned going back to the compound, Jiang Rao had no reason to refuse the suggestion.
Li Jueyan’s eyes softened the moment she agreed.
How quickly could a person’s principles and recently made decisions change?
He thought it was just a moment.
She was so well-behaved.
At least ten times more obedient than she was in his dreams.
Although he didn’t know what her purpose was for being near him, if she could stay this well-behaved, he would be willing to never expose the lie.
They could become a true and everlasting couple.
But this required the help of the elder.
The elder’s urging for a child was perfectly timed.
…
After finally sending the male lead away, Jiang Rao felt completely exhausted both physically and mentally.
She had eaten the preserved egg and lean meat porridge that Li Jueyan had brought and then lay down on the bed for a nap.
When she woke up, she found that she wasn’t as dizzy or thirsty as she had been in the past few days, which made her feel much more energetic.
With renewed energy, she naturally recalled the issue raised by Madam Bai’s call that morning.
She casually opened a few random gossip forums. Just by clicking on the #Celebrity# section, she could find many posts on the front page with titles like #818 Jiang Tang: Did She Rise to Fame Through Looks or Connections#, #Shocking: How an Anti-Trafficking Film Can Be So Lighthearted#, #The Insider’s Guide to Entertainment Industry Connections: Jiang Tang is on the List#, and so on.
Opening the web version of Weibo and checking the comments in the backend made her realize the severity of the issue even more.
【Hehe. With your acting skills, just stick to playing concubine and female immortal roles on TV; why sully the film industry? And it’s a serious film adapted from real life? Don’t you ever look in the mirror while honing your skills? #Jiang Tang Get Out of the Entertainment Industry#】
【No wonder current TV dramas are getting worse and worse, with so many people using connections to get ahead, like a certain Tang who rose to fame through special means. How will talented newcomers with good acting skills ever get their chance in the future?】
【My heart goes out to the actors who auditioned that day. I don’t know how many nights they practiced or how long they prepared their performances, only to hear some were told the auditions were over without even performing, while others, with their heavy makeup, were cast in five minutes? #Jiang Tang Get Out of the Entertainment Industry#】
【I haven’t watched a single episode of “Legend of Concubine Yu”, but if it turns out she played Yanyan, I wouldn’t buy a ticket to see it in the cinema. Let’s see how you’ll use dirty tricks to secure roles when you’re old and yellowed. It’s disgusting!】
At this time, Weibo, although still in its early stages, had already outgrown its infancy and entered its growth phase.
Weibo was populated by many stars, with little difference between the future and the present, as small celebrities managed their personal accounts while big stars had their teams manage theirs.
Previously, Jiang Tang could barely be considered a third-tier star, and that was based on the popularity of “Legend of Concubine Yu”.
However, although her status was not high, she had not focused on the entertainment industry for half a year, so her current Weibo account was managed by Sister Wang.
Jiang Rao clicked into Jiang Tang’s Weibo homepage.
The most recent post was from a week ago and was very simple.
It contained only three words—‘So nervous.’
Jiang Rao felt helpless.
Nervous about what?
The post was clearly made when she was auditioning in her room at that time. She wasn’t acting or performing any special scenes, just reciting lines as scripted. After she finished, the director insisted she would have to remove her makeup and do it again if she wanted to collaborate.
Although she had long anticipated her acting wouldn’t be recognized and wasn’t too perturbed, if she had to label her emotions, it would be happiness, not nervousness.
When Jiang Rao opened the post, she found that almost all the malicious comments and those with the hashtag #Jiang Tang Get Out of the Entertainment Industry# were concentrated under that post.
If she had been the target of the attacks, Jiang Rao would have ignored the haters. Although she valued her appearance, wealth, and future, she didn’t care much for her reputation. It was the most intangible thing—unseen and untouchable, and being overly concerned about it would only cause herself pain.
But the Jiang Tang who was being targeted was being unjustly attacked because of her.
She couldn’t just stand by.
After some thought, she copied a portion of the comments into a Word document and added her own responses.
Five minutes later, she pasted the content from the Word document into the reply box and hit the confirm button, then she stopped paying attention to the Weibo comments.
She had done what she could. If the public opinion continued to ferment despite her efforts, then she would… just have to accept a lower final payment as compensation?
…
As the lights began to glow and neon lights spread across the sky, Li Jueyan walked out of the company building, and the sky had darkened enough to see the stars.
Before getting into the car, he suddenly remembered something and instructed Xiao Zhang to retrieve the oval USB drive from the third shelf of his storage locker.
Xiao Zhang complied.
When they met, Xiao Zhang sat in the car and was about to hand him the USB drive when he suddenly sensed that Li Jueyan’s mood seemed a bit off.
Despite their different statuses, Xiao Zhang dared to speak up after work hours, “Are you… happy?”
Li Jueyan turned and looked at him, “Want to hear a fairy tale?”
“Sure,” Xiao Zhang replied.
Li Jueyan’s interest was genuinely piqued.
He reached forward as the driver handed him a freshly lit cigar.
Amid the swirling smoke, he slowly began, “Once upon a time, there was a big bad wolf that was going to eat a little lamb.”
His voice was gentle, and a smile lingered on his lips.
“The little lamb was so cute that the big bad wolf thought he should reward the little lamb before eating it.”
“Just thinking about how happy the little lamb would be receiving the reward made the big bad wolf incredibly happy.”
After this, Xiao Zhang waited for a long time but heard no continuation.
He blinked in confusion, “That’s it?”
Li Jueyan glanced at him sideways and said, “It’s quite perfect, isn’t it?”
Xiao Zhang: “…”
Which writer would dare to write a fairy tale like this? They would surely be criticized to death, right? They would, wouldn’t they? Absolutely!
“President Li, the little lamb is…?”
Li Jueyan pressed his lips together, “Your president’s wife.”
The car’s interior lights were a warm yellow.
Xiao Zhang quickly glanced at Li Jueyan’s profile.
He was handsome and captivating, but the smile on his lips made Xiao Zhang feel somewhat uneasy.
It was not for nothing that he was a person who blindly likes a celebrity just because of their good looks. After some thought, Xiao Zhang advised, “Although the public opinion has somewhat shifted, the intense backlash Madam faced recently must have caused her considerable emotional distress. You…”
Before he could finish, Li Jueyan turned his head, “Shift in public opinion?”
In the car, there was a computer. Xiao Zhang opened the Weibo page and navigated to the [Jiang Tang] homepage.
Xiao Zhang said, “This is the response Madam posted on Weibo this afternoon.”
Without needing to be told, Li Jueyan had already been reading.
【Response to netizens.
— Thank you for complimenting my appearance.
— Thank you for acknowledging my capabilities.
— Thank you for not only praising my looks but also implying I have money.
Response to the incident.
I wasn’t given a role, believe it or not.】
“There are few stars in the entertainment industry who respond to fan comments like this. I thought Madam would definitely be attacked by the masses, but surprisingly, except for a few haters trying to stir things up, most comments praised her for her clever replies. Even though she didn’t use any harsh language, it felt like she was saying, ‘Stop talking nonsense!’” Xiao Zhang joked when he noticed that the atmosphere was not right.
As the twilight deepened outside the window, Li Jueyan crossed his legs and extinguished the cigar, casually placing the USB drive into his pocket.
He was rarely inclined to play the hero saving the beauty, but he decided to see how she performed tonight before deciding whether to hand over the audition footage.
He hadn’t expected her to have made progress on her own.
He felt irritable and out of breath, leaning against the back of the car and pretending to doze off.
It was meant to relieve his thoughts, but instead, he effortlessly slipped into a nightmare.
It was a vivid and haunting nightmare.
In the dream, both of them were in bed, their shoulders exposed outside the silk quilt.
He was gently playing with her hair while holding her slender, slightly bony back.
Her earlobes remained small and cute, but as he looked at her profile, he noticed that her eyes had lost much of their brightness. It was as if all their liveliness had vanished, leaving only an overwhelming sense of pain behind.
He heard her say, “Li Jueyan, let’s talk.”
In the dream, he was indifferent, still playing with her hair, “You tell me.”
She turned her head, her eyes devoid of warmth. Slowly, her eyelids became wet with tears, turning the area around her eyes a deep red.
She finally spoke again, “Let’s separate.”
The season in the dream might have been just like reality.
He felt his body chill instantly.
“Reason.”
“I will never be able to have children in this lifetime.”
After saying this, tears finally fell from her eyes. “It’s impossible to have children now; we will never be able to have any children in this lifetime…”
Her voice echoed with despair, repeating endlessly, as she struggled to break free and escape from his embrace in a fit of hysteria.
His heart ached sharply. He wanted to ask why, but even as the nightmare ended, he only heard the dream version of himself trembling and calling out to her, “Raorao.”
He woke up quickly, feeling unusually dizzy despite his usual good health.
But he didn’t forget her name, nor did he forget everything that happened in the dream.
He slammed his fist against the car window.
What the fuck.
What the hell was that all about!
…
When Jiang Rao woke up, she was nearly drenched in sweat.
Although she had no control over the actions in her nightmare, she had experienced every sensation vividly. She could feel her despair and her unwillingness.
Even worse than that… it seemed she had sensed a trace of hatred from her emotions.
Jiang Rao had heard that fairy tales always ended with “And they lived happily ever after”, but life was so long that when the beautiful ending concluded and reality began, the prince might not be as attentive as the knight in fairy tales, and the princess might not be as beautiful as the prince imagined once she removed her makeup.
After such a heart-wrenching and physically tormenting CEO novel concluded with a happy ending, could it be that all of this was not a true ending after all?
Perhaps that was why she had dreamt of the female lead losing her ability to have children, while the male lead was no longer indifferent but filled with heartache.
Unfortunately, none of this concerned her. She didn’t want to act out any more heart-wrenching scenarios with the male lead, nor was she interested in seeing him perform any dramatic repentance before her.
The male lead would probably remain this twisted unless he went through some significant experiences.
Madam Bai wore that expression as if she had calculated everything.
She just wanted to wait for the real Jiang Tang to return, then leave this place of troubles with the remaining payment from Madam Bai and the proceeds from selling five houses!
Thinking this, she finally calmed down from the influence of the nightmare.
Perhaps due to the sweat, she felt her body was already half-recovered during the day, and at this moment, she felt completely fine.
Glancing at the wall clock and seeing that it was past seven, she remembered her promise to return to the compound in the morning, so she hurried to the table to freshen up her makeup.
By the time Butler Gu’s call notified her that the male lead had returned, she had perfected her makeup.
She was very conscientious. Since she had promised to do something, there was no need to hide or avoid it.
Furthermore, although the male lead often displayed his neurotic tendencies in front of her, he hadn’t actually done much to cross the line in reality. The only time his expression and tone mirrored that of the twisted version in her dreams was when he handed her a card with millions in savings as compensation.
So she wasn’t really afraid of him in reality.
Whether it was her illusion or not, when she walked downstairs, she noticed his brows furrowing for a brief moment.
However, this frown disappeared from his face in less than a second.
Then she heard him say, “Come here.”
Jiang Rao walked up to him and stopped at a safe distance of one meter, her expression indifferent, perfectly showcasing the estrangement between plastic spouses.
In fact, except for the time she acted somewhat passionately during the “catching cheating” incident, she remained as distant as possible when facing the male lead. This distance was sometimes disdainful, sometimes speechless, sometimes indifferent, …
It was clear to anyone how much she didn’t want to deal with him, but he still sought trouble.
This might be the extraordinary attraction between the male and female leads.
Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly found him stepping forward. Before she could retreat, she felt a sudden lightness and a tightening around her waist.
His large hand covered her waist, pulling her from her spot to stand in front of him.
Jiang Rao’s heart raced like a drum.
The rapid heartbeat was partly due to the fear from the sudden suspension of her body, partly due to her anxiety about the male lead’s unclear intentions, and the final part was due to his hot breath against her earlobe.
The sensation was simply…
She placed her hands against his chest, trying to create some distance, “Li Jueyan, what are you doing!”
Her earlobes turned a frightening red.
Even the area near her cheeks appeared as if it were bathed in a red glow.
However, it seemed he didn’t understand her resistance.
Instead, he tightened his hold, drawing her further into his embrace.
“I’ll treat you well from now on, okay?”
Jiang Rao felt completely out of sorts.
What had she done wrong? Why did the male lead suddenly act so flirty?
And was he really treating her well? The strength he used to pull her over and to hold her against his shoulder was so intense; was he trying to crush her?
She was too scared to struggle further. Calmly, she detected a faint smell of alcohol and smoke from him. Although the scent was faint, it was definitely there.
She swallowed hard and turned to Butler Gu, who was tactfully staring at the ceiling, “Do we have any hangover remedies at home?”
Before Butler Gu could reply, the man holding her snorted, “Do you think I’m drunk?”
She rarely looked him in the eye, but through his thick glasses, she saw his eyes were hazy and lacking in light.
It wasn’t just a feeling; his appearance clearly indicated he was drunk.
At that moment, Butler Gu said, “Yes, we do. I’ll go get it for you.”
She nodded and watched Butler Gu leave.
Suddenly feeling a weight on her shoulder, she looked back to see the male lead had rested his head on her shoulder without her noticing.
She turned slightly to glance at his face.
Seeing his eyes tightly shut, she nudged his head, “Li Jueyan, can you speak properly?”
He didn’t respond but made some grumbling sounds as if in reply.
Jiang Rao’s shoulder was sore from the pressure. “Li Jueyan?” “Li Jueyan?” “Young Master Li?”…
After calling several times with no response, Butler Gu returned with the remedy.
“Don’t keep calling, Madam. Young Master Li is like this when he’s drunk. He might have been talking seriously with you one second and completely out of it the next.”
Hearing this, Jiang Rao’s tension eased a bit. “How much did he drink?”
She was merely expressing her surprise, but Butler Gu thought she was inquiring and thus cleared her throat awkwardly, “He probably just had a sip.”
Jiang Rao was stunned.
No way, what kind of president is this? Did he drink some fake alcohol?
But she somewhat believed Butler Gu’s words. After all, if they weren’t so close, and if her senses weren’t so acute, she might not have detected the smell of alcohol.
The ancient castle was filled with servants.
Outside the ancient castle, there were guards and bodyguards.
Jiang Rao, with her minimal strength, was naturally not suited for the task of supporting or carrying the domineering president upstairs. However, when the guards arrived to take him from her, she found that her wrist had been firmly gripped by him.
The harder she tried to pull away, the tighter he held on.
Given her strength, she predictably failed.
She wanted to ask the guard for help, but they said, “Madam, if we hurt Young Master Li, we’ll be out of a job.”
Jiang Rao was infuriated!
What kind of absurd attraction was this between the male and female lead? Was it some kind of magnet?!
No matter how annoyed she was, there was nothing she could do. She could only follow the guards upstairs.
Once he was placed on the bed and the guards had left, Jiang Rao noticed that the part of her wrist that had been gripped was starting to turn red. She smacked his hand with her free hand, shouting, “Let go of me!”
Returning to the compound was clearly out of the question.
But while she couldn’t return to the compound, she could at least go back to her own room.
Seeing that her strike had no effect, she hit his hand even harder. Her palm hurt from the impact, and his hand turned red as well. “Li Jueyan, let go of me!”
As soon as she spoke, she suddenly felt more pain in the wrist he was holding. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already been pulled onto his bed.
The curtains were left open.
Dusk had fallen, and the bright moon hung half in the night sky.
She stared at the half-hanging moon for two seconds before barely managing to hold back the tears that had sprung up from the pain.
At that moment, she heard him say, “So brave? You dare hit me?”
Her throat tightened, and she turned to see him staring at her with wide eyes.
Then he said, “Forget it. I said I’d treat you well. It’s like a cat scratching—it doesn’t hurt.”
Jiang Rao: “…”
He really remembered to treat her well?
Forcing back tears was, after all, an unscientific act. With a blink of her eyes, a single tear rolled down the corner of her eye.
Just as she was about to use a pillowcase to wipe away the tear, his hand touched her eye. “Why are you crying? I’ll give you a child.”
——
TL/N:
eness[Translator]
Aiming to share all the good things~
