Chapter 393: Chapter 355: Where Is It?
Zhuo Yuqing watched TV for a while when Aunt Tian said, "Madam, why don’t you eat first? Don’t wait for your husband anymore. The dishes will get cold."
Zhuo Yuqing turned off the TV and walked to the dining table. Since Bai Chengxi wasn’t coming back, she might as well eat the dishes herself.
This was her first time cooking, and the taste really wasn’t good. As she ate, she thought to herself how lucky it was that Bai Chengxi hadn’t come back. Otherwise, he might have been upset eating such unpalatable dishes. It seems that cooking also requires talent, and it’s not something you can do well just by following a recipe book.
After dinner, Zhuo Yuqing went back to her room to go online. For people in the entertainment industry like them, the most important daily task was to keep up with various entertainment news.
Just as she opened the webpage, she received a call from Liu Lian, "Yuqing, Yuqing, there’s big news."
"What news has got you so excited?" Zhuo Yuqing casually clicked on a webpage.
"A friend of mine has some insider information. Chi Ming might be getting a divorce. It’s true, absolutely certain. Come stake out with me tonight. If we really capture it, tomorrow’s headline will be ours."
"Last time you said the information was reliable, and I ended up feeding mosquitoes all night," Zhuo Yuqing said, even as she was already getting dressed.
"This time, I guarantee it on my personal integrity," Liu Lian promised, thumping her chest.
"Do you even have integrity?"
"Hey, is that any way to talk down to a friend?"
"I got it, I’m heading over now."
Zhuo Yuqing had just packed up and was about to leave when Aunt Tian came out wearing a coat, looking puzzled, "Madam, are you going out so late?"
"Aunt Tian, I’m going to stake out with a colleague, I won’t be back tonight," Zhuo Yuqing bent down to put on her shoes.
Aunt Tian was taken aback, not knowing about Zhuo Yuqing’s profession, and asked with wide eyes, "Stake out what? How deep is it?"
Zhuo Yuqing couldn’t help but laugh, "It’s taking photos of celebrities, not actually squatting in a hole. Aunt Tian, I’m leaving now."
"Then, be careful."
"I know."
Zhuo Yuqing went out and took a taxi to meet up with Liu Lian. The Chi Ming Liu Lian mentioned was a top male star of the present. He and his wife had been married for five or six years and had always been seen as a loving couple in the industry, so Liu Lian’s claim that they were getting divorced, if confirmed, would be explosive news, headlining material in minutes.
Zhuo Yuqing and Liu Lian had already been staking out in front of Chi Ming’s house for a long time, but deep into the night, there was still no movement. The gates of the Chi family remained firmly shut, the house dark.
Liu Lian yawned with some disappointment, "Looks like there might be no scoop tonight, I’ve dragged you here for nothing again."
"It’s not even that late yet, let’s wait till dawn," Zhuo Yuqing said, taking out a piece of chocolate from her bag and handing it over, "Have some."
Liu Lian took it and bit into it fiercely, "Yuqing, with your dad being so rich, and your mom being a designer, why don’t you just stay at home comfortably as a rich girl, or learn some design from your mom, instead of doing entertainment news, staying up all night and day, sitting here like a fool, often for a whole night or several days."
Zhuo Yuqing said with a smile, "Everyone has their own ambitions. I’m not interested in my dad’s company, and I didn’t inherit my mom’s talent for design. I’ve loved celebrities since I was young, so if I can’t become one when I grow up, I might as well be a star chaser. It started as a hobby, but now I’m getting more and more addicted to it."
"Sigh, really. All the entertainment companies your dad’s money could buy, and you don’t even realize the luck you’re in," Liu Lian shoved all the chocolate into her mouth.
Zhuo Yuqing handed half of her own chocolate to her.
～
In the end, Bai Chengxi still managed to shake off those curious onlookers. They had been playing mahjong at the vineyard and switched to playing Truth or Dare when they weren’t winning money. When he left, it was just as Mu Shuoqian lost and Leng Shaoqing actually asked him:
Everyone was very interested in the question since they’ve known each other for many years and knew that he was a man of few desires. But even a man of few desires couldn’t possibly be without a woman in his thirties.
Therefore, everyone perked up their ears to listen to the answer.
Mu Shuoqian remained calm and took a look at Gu Qili first. Gu Qili, in fact, wanted to know more than anyone. During the thirty-plus years before he met her, had he ever been intimate with any other woman? If that was the case, it would be awkward for her to ask normally.
Mu Shuoqian appeared unfazed, rubbing the back of her hand lightly, "It’s nearby."
The first thing Leng Shaoqing thought of was the vineyard outside and pointed unbelievingly, "In the vineyard?"
"I’ve already mentioned the place, as to where exactly, you guys guess," Mu Shuoqian said before no longer paying attention to the stunned group, continuing to play mahjong with his wife.
Others might not know, but Gu Qili was clear on the matter. What he referred to as nearby was that villa that caught fire.
For some reason, he felt uneasy about standing her up today, as if he had done something wrong.
Returning home, he opened the door to find the lights off; she must have fallen asleep.
Turning on the kitchen light, he poured himself a glass of water and drank it slowly.
When he put down the glass, he noticed a pink porcelain cup nearby with a pattern of a big-mouthed monkey, which she seemed to like very much; almost all her belongings had this same ugly monkey on them.
Bai Chengxi stared at the cup for a while, then held it in his hand, still getting used to the feeling. Usually, only he and Aunt Tian lived here, and Aunt Tian’s belongings were never left out; she had her own room. But she was different. She liked to leave her things wherever she wanted, and often, she chose his favorite spots too. As a result, his space was increasingly being encroached upon by her.
After drinking the water, Bai Chengxi placed his cup alongside hers and smiled as he looked at them for a while, feeling inexplicably better.
Having a lady of the house made things feel somewhat different.
Just as Bai Chengxi was about to go to bed, Aunt Tian, who was a light sleeper, came out upon hearing a noise, thinking Zhuo Yuqing had returned. Seeing the tall and handsome man in the dining room, she exclaimed in surprise, "Sir, you’re back?"
"Mhm." Bai Chengxi walked out of the dining area. "Has the madam gone to bed?"
"The madam went out," Aunt Tian thought it best to inform him, concerned about a young woman leaving the house alone late at night—it didn’t feel safe.
"Went out?" Bai Chengxi subconsciously glanced at his watch. "Where did she go?"
"To stake out," Aunt Tian repeated the words Zhuo Yuqing had said.
Aunt Tian didn’t understand, but Bai Chengxi did; it was something they in the entertainment industry often did. To break big news, they would have to follow celebrities around, sometimes for half a day, other times for several days—it was a tough job.
"I see, you go back to sleep," he said.
Just as Aunt Tian was about to return to her room, something occurred to her, and she turned back to say, "Sir, today the madam personally cooked for you, but she burnt her hand and got a big blister."
"Cooking?" Bai Chengxi paused for a moment.
"Yes, the madam even had a recipe with her. She was clearly inexperienced in cooking, but she took it very seriously. After finishing cooking, she waited for you, but when you didn’t return, she ate by herself," Aunt Tian babbled on, and Bai Chengxi could roughly imagine the scene.
She had cooked and waited for him, probably to fulfill the duty of a wife. Although they had no feelings for each other and scarcely knew one another, she was aware that once married, it was a responsibility. And so, she tried to learn how to play the role of a wife.
Thinking of this, Bai Chengxi took out his phone and dialed Zhuo Yuqing’s number.
Zhuo Yuqing and Liu Lian were bored to death, on the verge of falling asleep outside Chi Ming’s home, which showed no sign of activity.
When the phone rang, the two of them were startled, given that it was already past 1 AM— who could be calling at this hour?
Zhuo Yuqing squinted her eyes when she saw the number and hesitantly answered,
"Where are you camping out?" Bai Chengxi asked bluntly.
"Outside Chi Ming’s front door," Zhuo Yuqing bit her lip, "You’ve gone back, huh?"
"Yes, just got home," said Bai Chengxi as he pushed open the bedroom door,
"I probably won’t come back tonight; you should rest early."
There was silence on the other end for a moment, followed by the sound of running water. Bai Chengxi placed the phone on the shelf while he turned on the shower.
Zhuo Yuqing could tell what he was doing just by listening, and her cheeks flushed involuntarily. She was about to say it was fine and hang up, but through the sound of water, Bai Chengxi’s voice came through:
"Yes."
"There’s no use waiting there. Go to building number 30 in Shengjing District."
Zhuo Yuqing almost forgot; Chi Ming was an artist under Xingdong Media, and it was not surprising that Bai Chengxi knew his residence. She never expected that Chi Ming, claiming to live here, actually used it as a front.
"Got it, I’ll head there now," Zhuo Yuqing happily stood up but groaned involuntarily as her legs had gone numb from sitting too long.
"What’s wrong?" Bai Chengxi turned off the shower.
"It’s nothing, just numb legs." Zhuo Yuqing massaged her legs and softly added a "Thank you" before hanging up.
Liu Lian was completely astounded; as soon as the call ended, she eagerly asked, "Yuqing, spill it, who was that?"