Chapter 4
Edward Quan ·
After the children were born, he became even busier. That was the year he won Best Actor. His career soared.
Mine had stalled with pregnancy and childbirth. The gap between us widened.
Everyone who knew about us thought I wasn't good enough for him.
I felt abandoned. His agent kept hinting that I should stop holding his career back.
Disheartened, I decided to divorce him.
“It isn't a matter of blame. It's all in the past.”
It had happened so long ago. I no longer wanted to pick apart who had been right or wrong.
Then I remembered something.
“Aren't you dating Wen Tang?”
“Our film is coming out soon. The producers want us to interact more. That's all.”
“Oh? But last night, you were planning to take Ningning to meet her.”
His gaze softened.
“I only wanted to see whether you'd be jealous.”
“How childish,” I scolded softly.
He moved toward me and admitted, “I've waited for you for three years since our divorce. There hasn't been another woman.”
“Really? That's rare.”
I was a little surprised. With his looks and status, he was popular in the industry. Plenty of women would pursue him.
It was a chaotic world. Those who appeared single and discreet were often putting on an act, with private pleasures outsiders could never imagine.
Three years wasn't so long. Still, if he had remained faithful in the entertainment industry, honestly, that wasn't easy.
As for me, there was nothing to say. There had only ever been him.
He was my first love.
12
When the livestream resumed the next morning, the audience had doubled.
As soon as people joined, the comments appeared.
“Ning Wanning, what did he say to you last night?”
“I'm here to see whether he stayed over.”
“He did stay at her house.”
“Did something happen while we weren't watching?”
Last night, I had told him I'd consider it and see how he behaved.
While we dressed the children, he took the initiative.
“Ningning, Qi'an, shall we go to the seaside for a few days?
“Mommy and Daddy will take you together.”
They clapped and cheered.
“Hooray! A seaside holiday with Mommy and Daddy at last!”
I was taken aback. He hadn't discussed this with me.
He turned to ask my opinion.
“Is that all right, Wanning?”
The children held my hands.
“We want to go, Mommy. Can you say yes?”
“All right.”
I smiled and nodded.
In truth, I was looking forward to traveling with him and both children too.
He told me he'd booked a flight leaving in three hours.
I went into the bedroom to pack. His phone rang, and he stepped onto the balcony to answer.
Once our bags were ready, the driver took us to the airport.
In the car, he played with the children.
A message arrived from his agent, Xia.
“Wanning, his film with Wen Tang is coming up for awards. He's won Best Actor twice. With another Best Actor award, he'll become one of the three greatest actors of all time.
“He told me he wants to remarry you. I wish you both the best, but at this point you should hold back. Wait until the film's run is over before announcing your relationship.
“I just called him about it, but he won't listen. That's why I'm telling you. I'm doing this for his sake. I hope you understand the effort I'm making.”
“All right. I understand,” I replied.
Fu Yanzhou asked who had messaged me.
“No one.”
13
There was no livestream on the plane.
The four of us sat in first class. The children were in the row ahead, gazing curiously up at the clouds outside.
Fu Yanzhou sat beside me. I closed my eyes to rest.
He reached over and took my hand.
We hadn't had any close physical contact since the divorce.
The long-forgotten warmth made my heart tremble. I tried to pull away, but his fingers tightened around mine.
I lowered my voice.
“Fu Yanzhou, what are you doing?”
“Nothing. I just miss you.”
He held my hand tightly. One look was enough to know what he was thinking.
“I haven't agreed to marry you again.”
I whispered it, then freed my hand.
After we landed, the cameraman switched the livestream equipment back on and resumed filming.
Fu Yanzhou had booked the hotel in advance. They sent a private car to collect him.
On the way, my agent Ling called, telling me to check the trending searches.
I opened Weibo and saw a well-known paparazzo's teaser.
“Next Monday at eight p.m., I'll reveal an A-list actor's relationship on my livestream. Guess who?”
There was a silhouette too. Fans might not recognize it.
One glance told me it was Fu Yanzhou and me.
The point was to hint that we should pay to have the story suppressed. If the payoff was settled before Monday, the paparazzi would take the money and distract the public with some minor story instead.
If not, the threatened revelation would go ahead.
Fu Yanzhou was looking at Weibo too, but with cameras filming, we couldn't discuss it.
We exchanged a look. He signaled for me to check my phone.
He'd sent a message.
“Don't be afraid. Let them find out.”
14
The next few days would be our last leisurely stretch of holiday.
Our treehouse hotel suite cost 9,999 yuan a night. It was designed for families and very comfortable.
From the window, we could see the forest. The wind carried the sound of waves to us.
Breathing the air, rich with negative ions, lifted our spirits.
It had been a long time since we'd relaxed like this.
In the mornings, we took the children sea fishing, caught crabs, collected conch shells, and watched the sunrise.
Seeing us so calm, the paparazzi grew restless.
They had received word from Fu Yanzhou's agency.
The agency wanted the story suppressed and was pressuring him.
He refused, leaving them at an impasse.
His rivals hired paid commenters to steer the discussion in our livestream, hinting that he was the star about to be exposed.
His fans quickly fought back.
“He and Wen Tang are a couple. Go on, paparazzi, reveal it! We're not scared, haha!”
“He's twenty-nine. What's wrong with dating?”
“Everyone break up! He can't have a scandal, nooo!”
“He got where he is on talent. A relationship won't affect him.”
Almost everyone was discussing him, and everyone assumed the woman in the story would be Wen Tang.
“Once their relationship is confirmed, Ning Wanning can stop dreaming of using him for publicity.”
“A little disappointing, actually. He and Ning Wanning look good together.”
“Especially these past few days. Their little family is so warm.”
“If only this weren't a reality show.”
“Please. She isn't good enough for him. Don't be fooled by a few days of artificial sweetness.”
…
The sixth day of the child-swap show was Ningning and Qi'an's fourth birthday.
We celebrated together in the treehouse they loved.
At first, I'd meant to order two cakes. But both children wanted one two-tier cake to share.
The big tier would be the older brother, the small one the little sister.
They would only be happy together.
We agreed and ordered a very large two-tier cake.
After lighting the candles, we sang Happy Birthday.
The children closed their eyes, clasped their hands, and made their wishes.
Ningning said, “I hope Uncle Fu will always be my daddy.”
Qi'an said, “I hope Mommy will be my mommy forever.”
The comments suddenly turned sorrowful.
“Poor babies. Only six days together, and they're closer than real siblings.”
“Tomorrow's the last day. I don't want to say goodbye to them.”
“I really want them to live happily ever after. What do we do? I'm so sad.”
“If only those two really were their parents.”
After the cake, that day's livestream finally ended.
The rest of the evening belonged to the four of us.
The children bathed, played for a while, and went to bed.
Fu Yanzhou and I stood by the treehouse window, enjoying the breeze.
We'd drunk a little red wine during the birthday celebration.
The night wind was cool.
The paparazzi had put up three Weibo posts in succession, giving us an ultimatum.
If we didn't pay to suppress the story, they threatened to reveal a great deal.
“Are you really not going to manage this?” I asked.
He was calmer than I'd expected.
“Why should I? I'm hoping they'll publish it soon. I've waited a long time for this.”
“Xia says the film with Wen Tang is important to you. Will exposing us hurt your chances?”
“Whether the film succeeds depends on the film itself. I never wanted to promote a romance with Wen Tang in the first place.”
“All right. Let's get some sleep. We have to take the children to see the sunrise tomorrow.”
I turned to go inside.
“Wifey…”
He caught my hand and drew me into his arms.