The Secret of Second Marriage

Finally, Mr. Jiang couldn't keep up anymore. He sat down by the roadside, panting, and watched in despair as the taxi I was in drove away.

President Jiang called me many times.

When I was almost home, I finally answered his call.

Mr. Jiang said, "Man, let me explain. Xia Weiwei and I are really over. Please don't be angry, okay?"

"I'm not angry."

I said, "Mr. Jiang, let's go back to being friends for now. I don't want to put you in such a difficult position. If you can't forget that woman, go after her. Don't let yourself regret it later."

She wants to see you; she might be interested in you. You can go see her; I won't bother you anymore.

After I finished speaking, I hung up the phone.

My tears fell, falling incessantly. It would be a lie to say I wasn't heartbroken.

I have been through life and death with President Jiang, and we have even slept together and had physical intimacy. Psychologically, I have feelings for him.

But so what? He fainted after just one glance at the figure of that white moonlight. Although he was stubborn, I knew that the woman must still be in his heart.

I don't want to live in another woman's shadow. Whatever, I'm willing to let him have his way.

I called Juan and said, "I've broken up with my boyfriend, can you come out for a drink with me?"

Juan said, "Oh, you're heartbroken? President Jiang found another woman so quickly? He's such a jerk, he just wanted to play with you and doesn't want to take responsibility. Should I call him and give him a piece of my mind?"

"Need not"

I said, "I was the one who suggested breaking up, so let's part amicably. President Jiang has helped me a lot. When I was with him, I was down, and so was he. Two lonely and lost people came together because they cared for each other and sparks flew, but it was all fake in the end."

Forget it, I don't want to talk about him anymore. Come out and have a drink with me, I'll pay!

Juan said, "Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony. It seems we sisters have both met the wrong people. Send me your address and wait for me. I'll come drink with you right now. My mom's been in a bad mood these days."

I sent Juan the address; it's a bar hidden deep in Cultural Alley.

In the afternoon, there weren't many customers in the bar.

Juan and I chose a booth by the window and ordered a few drinks.

Before long, a man came over and struck up a conversation, saying sweet nothings, "You two are so beautiful, it's a pleasure to meet you. Would you like to have a drink together?"

"So, who's prettier, me or Man?"

Juan teased him.

The middle-aged man had a sweet tongue and darting eyes. He said in a way that offended no one, "They are equally beautiful. One is like a peony, and the other is like a peony. They are both beauties."

It's my honor to meet such a beautiful woman. My treat today! What would you like to drink? Order whatever you like!

"You've probably used this approach with different girls before, right?"

My tone was somewhat cold.

To be honest, I have a slight aversion to men who are overly enthusiastic in striking up conversations with me. I feel that they are not serious and just want to use sweet talk to deceive women.

Unfortunately, Juan and I have already experienced marriage and men; we are no longer naive and ignorant seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls.

The man said with conviction, "I swear I've only ever said that to you two girls, because you are the most beautiful girls I've ever met, and I meant it from the bottom of my heart."

Juan said, "Thank you for your kindness, but my best friend and I would like to chat alone for a while. Our husbands will be coming to pick us up later."

When the man saw that we weren't interested in him and only heard that we already had husbands, he left and went to seduce his next prey.

Juan took a sip of wine and said, "Man, I invited Ju Xiaoya to our house for dinner this weekend. This morning at breakfast, I deliberately brought it up in front of my husband."

But my husband is such a good actor. When he heard this, he pretended that nothing had happened and even told me to prepare more dishes to treat Kexin's English teacher well.

He looked so serious; you'd never guess he was having an affair with that woman. Aren't men really good actors? How come I never realized my husband was such a good actor before!

It's such a waste of his talent that he doesn't go into the entertainment industry and win a few Oscars!

I said, "Man, I think your husband is actually quite amazing. He looks refined and gentle, but he is actually very shrewd. When he was pursuing you, he treated you so well and kept saying he loved you deeply. Now that I think about it, it was all fake."

Men, sometimes they really are too calculating!

Juan said, "That's why I won't be like those silly women on TV, putting all my heart into a man who doesn't love me at all, and being jealous all the time. That's so petty."

The idea that if I treat him well, he will treat me well in return is just self-deception and nonsense.

I used my family's connections and resources to help my husband grow his company so big. He was always grateful and said he would never forget what I had done for him. But what did I get in return? He cheated on me, had an affair, and kept a mistress.

I've figured it out. Instead of investing in men, I should invest all these resources in myself.

My dad hasn't retired yet, my brother's business is huge, and my family can still help me get revenge. He's so obsessed with his mistress, isn't he? Well, I'll expose him, bankrupt him, and see if he'll still be so head over heels in love with his mistress!

I only realized then that Juan had been holding back, not wanting to alert her husband, all in order to get revenge on him.

Juan and I were drinking when, unexpectedly, we ran into my ex-husband and his mistress, Yang Yufei, at this popular bar in Cultural Alley.

Xue Fan was stunned when he saw me there.

When Yang Yufei saw Juan and me drinking together, she deliberately led Xue Fan to sit next to me. A look of surprise flashed across her face as she said to Xue Fan, "Honey, your ex-wife is here too. See, she doesn't have that President Jiang anymore. He must have gotten tired of her and dumped her!"

Haha, he deserved what he got!

Xue Fan looked at me with a hint of nostalgia and said, "Where's President Jiang? Why isn't she with you? Leaving you here drinking alone. Jiang Man, I thought you found a better match after your divorce, but it seems you're not doing as well as I imagined..."

"Even if I break up with President Jiang, I will never remarry you. Xue Fan, you and your mistress are like a persistent ghost; I feel disgusted just looking at you two."

I rolled my eyes at the two of them.

Yang Yufei walked straight over, picked up a bucket of crushed ice from the bar counter—ice used for chilling cocktails—and poured it all over my head. I felt a bone-chilling cold.

The crackling ice cubes scratched my face.

Juan, furious, shoved Yang Yufei aside and protected me, saying, "Xue Fan, you better control this woman. She's a lunatic! Man, if anything happens to her, I'll make you regret it!"

Xue Fan grabbed Yang Yufei and asked her, "What are you doing?"

Yang Yufei was pregnant, but she still stared at me with jealous eyes and sneered: "I told you to stay away from Xue Fan. Don't try to seduce my man while I'm pregnant! Jiang Man, that bucket of ice water was meant to wake you up!"

So what if you're a social media influencer now? So what if you're making money? So what if men are chasing after you? You're still my defeated foe!

Not to be outdone, I raised my hand and slapped the mistress across the face.

The mistress covered her face; her lip was swollen from my slap.

Xue Fan immediately protected the mistress's belly and said to me, "Jiang Man, what are you doing? Are you crazy? Why are you arguing with a pregnant woman?"

"You two, get the hell away from me!"

After I finished hitting Yang Yufei, I wasn't in the mood to drink here anymore, so Juan and I went to the bar to pay the bill and then left.

I developed a high fever the night I got home.

When I was delirious with fever at night, I thought of President Jiang and kept calling his name, but the only person by my side was my daughter, Tangtang.

Tangtang poured me a cup of hot water from the living room and handed it to me. She also found a piece of candy somewhere and said, "Mommy, drink some water and eat some candy to replenish your sugar and fluids, and get better soon!"

I said, "My darling daughter, Mommy will get better."

I had a fever all night and my head was spinning. When I finally came to, I couldn't help but curse myself in my heart, "Jiang Man, why are you so pathetic?"

The person President Jiang truly loves is his ex-girlfriend, his "white moonlight."

You've already broken up with him; you're just friends now. You don't actually think you can end up with Mr. Jiang, do you? He's handsome, wealthy, mature, and refined. He owns his own company, drives luxury cars, and lives in a mansion.

Why do you think you can marry a rich man and live a life of luxury without putting in any effort?

Let go of this unrealistic idea. Once things get better, you must work hard. Every penny you earn is real money when you have it in your own hands.

Around two or three in the morning, my phone rang.

I took my phone out of my bag and glanced at the caller ID. It was Shen Xing calling.

I answered the phone: "Hello, is there something you need?"

Shen Xing asked, "Jiang Man, where are you?"

"Where I am is none of your business!"

Although I am a little weak, my emotions are still somewhat unstable.

Who can be in a good mood when they're sick?

"Shall I come see you? How are you feeling? Do you need to go to the hospital again? You have to be strong. Tangtang only has you as her mother. What will happen to your precious daughter if something happens to you?"

Shen Xing comforted me.

I said, a little annoyed, "I'm fine, I'm okay, I don't need your help. Just focus on filming."

"I've finished filming part of my movie, so I'll come find you."

Shen Xing said, "I canceled my rental in Beijing. I've been staying here for the past few days, so I'll stay at your place and see if you've died of illness."

"Do you think you'd rather I die of illness?"

I was speechless, but still said very weakly, "I'm not joking with you anymore. I'm really not feeling well. Don't come. I won't have the energy to entertain you. Why bother?"

"Don't worry about me, just wait for me at home! Remember when you paid for my stomach surgery? Have you forgotten?"

Shen Xing said.

I suddenly remembered his stomach test results; the surgery results were in, so I asked him, "Is the result good or bad?"

"Don't worry, I don't have cancer, just some gastritis. The doctor prescribed some medication; I won't die."

Shen Xing said to me, "Jiang Man, you must be an angel sent from heaven to save me! Thanks to you, I had the courage to go to the hospital for a check-up that day. Luckily, I'm fine, and I can rest assured now."

"That's good"

I say.

I fell asleep right after hanging up the phone, and when I woke up it was almost 10 a.m.

I can't believe I slept for so long, my head is still spinning and my throat is sore.

When I opened my eyes, I found that Shen Xing had already come to my house.

He said, "I took the earliest flight here this morning. I've already taken Tangtang to school. It's just the two of us at home. Man, I've made you some medicine. Drink it while it's hot."

As he spoke, he brought over a bowl of dark-colored Chinese medicine, saying it was for dispelling wind and cold.

"Are you crazy? This medicine is so bitter, how can you drink it?"

I took a bite and said.

"Jiang Man, I've been boiling this for hours. The doctor said this medicine is more effective the more bitter it is. Can't you be a little considerate of my hard work? Drink this bowl, and I'll reward you with a candy!"

Shen Xing choked up as she spoke.

He was probably really afraid that I was too weak and would just die.