The Secret of Second Marriage

On Friday night, after filming all day, we finished work early.

At 8:30 p.m., I finished work and returned to the hotel to take a shower and change into some casual clothes.

My doorbell suddenly rang.

I thought it was President Jiang, but when I opened the door, I found Shen Xing standing there.

I opened the door and asked him if something was wrong.

Shen Xing smiled and said to me, "How about it, surprised, right?"

"Is there something you need?"

I said it casually.

I was genuinely surprised by him. I didn't expect him to come at this time. I thought he was busy with business activities out of town and probably wouldn't be back until tomorrow.

Shen Xing said to me, "I came to find you as soon as my event ended, Man. Let's go shopping together later."

"I'll think about it."

I stood at the door for a moment and suddenly remembered that last night when I checked President Jiang's WeChat Moments, I saw that President Jiang was also attending a banquet, along with his first love and ex-girlfriend.

After thinking about it, I realized that Shen Xing and I are just friends, so it's normal for us to go shopping together.

I nodded in agreement.

Even though it was past 8 p.m., Hangzhou was still bustling in springtime.

The last rays of sunset slowly faded away on the horizon.

The spring breeze carries a gentle scent.

Shen Xing was wearing sunglasses and a mask, a white shirt, and a black jacket. His legs were long and thin, and he looked incredibly handsome walking next to me.

He already has the aura of a star.

I walked with him along the moat of Hangzhou. The willows along the road had sprouted new buds and were hanging down, which was especially beautiful.

The peach blossoms are in bloom, a few trees, each blossom unfolding in vibrant red.

We walked along the moat without any hesitation, then strolled into a small street in the old city and found a restaurant to have dinner.

Shen Xing and I weren't very hungry, so we just ordered two bowls of Lanzhou ramen.

I suddenly remembered that when my ex-husband and I were dating, we were both poor students with little money. Every time we went on a date, we would go to the Lanzhou noodle shop near the school gate and order the cheapest bowl of noodles, which cost 6 yuan.

My ex-husband's family was too poor, and he had to scrimp and save to attend university.

When I was in college, I was very pretty and would work part-time as a model at car shows. Although standing all day was tiring, I could earn several hundred yuan a day.

I felt sorry for my ex-husband. Every time we went out, I paid for everything, and I always added beef slices to the meal for him.

I took great care of him and felt sorry for him from the beginning of our relationship, and I thought he would treat me well for the rest of his life.

But the result was that he changed his mind after he became rich.

After many years, I went to eat Lanzhou ramen again. Shen Xing and I randomly found a seat, ordered two bowls of the specialty ramen, and asked for two liang (100 grams) of beef.

The steaming hot noodles arrived, topped with a thick layer of thin slices of beef, along with chili oil and vinegar.

As I was eating noodles, my eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

Please forgive me, I am a sentimental woman. Occasionally, I still shed tears for that silly girl who was once as innocent as a blank sheet of paper.

I loved someone so deeply, but it ended in heartbreak!

I swear I will never again put all my love on one man. Rather than fulfilling a man's wishes, I will support myself.

Shen Xing added some beef slices from his bowl to mine and said, "Why are you crying? Have you been too tired from filming lately? Do you want some beef? I'll ask the boss to give you more."

"No, I was just thinking about my past self. To save money, I gave all the beef in my bowl to my ex-husband... I was so stupid back then... I swear from now on... I'll never do anything so stupid again!"

I say.

Shen Xing looked at me with a rare serious expression and said, "Sis, your relationship with Uncle must have been very difficult, why do you always have to wrong yourself? A man who truly loves you will cherish you, not take advantage of you!"

"That sounds nice! But will you take advantage of me?"

I was silent for a while before asking him.

Shen Xing said very seriously, "I won't take advantage of you."

"Stop acting! You're such a good actor... I almost believed it for a second just now."

My heart skipped a beat. I looked closely into his eyes, and they were sincere and warm.

Just as I was about to be moved, I suddenly realized that he was an actor. No wonder his words, expressions, and actions were so touching.

"Did they figure it out?"

Shen Xing's tone had a hint of joking.

I said, "We're just friends. Maybe one day you'll become a big star, and then our relationship will gradually fade away... No matter how good the relationship is in this world, it will slowly fade away once the connection is lost."

Shen Xing, I will always be grateful to you for helping me again and again during my most difficult times!

We're siblings for life. If you ever need anything from me, just ask, and I'll do everything I can to help!

That being said, I feel that the distance between Shen Xing and me will only grow further and further apart in the future.

Celebrities are really busy, with extremely tight work schedules. They spend most of their time filming on various film sets, and they can't even go home, let alone have a normal romantic relationship.

Shen Xing said, "Man, even if I become a star one day, you will still be the older sister I like..."

"Perhaps."

I never expected that I would fall in love with Shen Xing.

Hearing the word "like" suddenly still feels so empty and lacking.

I don't know when it started, but I've been covered in a thick layer of armor from the weariness of life, and I no longer have the mood to talk about romance and love.

All I want to do right now is love myself.

After we finished eating, we fell into silence, experiencing the helplessness of life.

Although he's a minor celebrity now and I'm a minor actor, we're both filming in the same production crew.

But we're going down different paths. He's pursuing popularity, while I'm aiming to become a veteran actor. One day we'll go our separate ways and develop our own futures in different circles.

After finishing most of my bowl of Lanzhou noodles, I said to him, "Shen Xing, let's not continue like this... Otherwise... it'll just become a tangled mess, and it won't be good for either of us."

Shen Xing looked at me seriously and said, "Man, can't we really be together? I can elope for you, I don't need to be a celebrity anymore. Let's go to a small town, open a coffee shop, you be the proprietress, I'll be the barista, and we'll bring Tangtang along. We'll leave this empty and lonely city and return to the countryside. Are you willing?"

"I'm not willing. I'm not like you. I can't afford to waste time."

I didn't know why Shen Xing suddenly asked that question. I was silent for a while before answering him: "We are from different worlds. You are young and youthful, while I am already over 30 and approaching middle age."

I missed out on the passionate, impulsive years of my youth, when I dared to dream and fight. Now I just want to live a peaceful and uneventful life.

Your future is bright, youthful, and full of hope.

My future is already suffocating under the burden of my own life and my daughter's. All I want to do is focus on acting and work.

Your current affection for me might be more about physical emptiness and loneliness. Perhaps... there's someone very important waiting for you in your life!

Shen Xing was stunned.

I could feel the last glimmer of hope in his eyes had been extinguished.

He must have mustered up a lot of courage to want to elope with me, giving up his future, his acting career, and all fame and fortune, just for a peaceful and happy life.

But I can't give him that kind of peaceful and happy life.

I went over to pay the bill, and Shen Xing suddenly hugged me from behind at the store entrance. After a long silence, she said calmly, "Sister, why is your heart so cruel?"

He held me tightly in his arms, but I didn't feel much desire or passion. I was more interested in talking about the first half of my life and how I met a scumbag.

I'm raising my daughter alone now, and all I want is a stable and reliable man... Where is he? Could he be President Jiang?

We hugged for about two or three minutes. The shop owner and many other people were looking at us, probably thinking we were crazy.

I felt embarrassed and coughed, and Shen Xing let go of me.

He should know my choice.

I thought we would all go home after dinner.

Shen Xing suggested that I go shopping with her.

We walked together along the ancient city and saw roadside stalls paved with bluestone slabs. At one of the stalls, many gifts such as embroidery, fans, and screens were being sold.

I recognized it; it's Suzhou embroidery, an intangible cultural heritage craft.

The young proprietress brought her daughter to set up her stall, saying that all the Suzhou embroidery pieces were made by her grandmother, a veteran Suzhou embroidery master in Hangzhou with decades of experience. She explained that her grandmother's silk embroidery was incredibly lifelike.

Shen Xing glanced at the stall and chose a light blue handkerchief embroidered with an orchid.

He said, "It has very elegant taste. It's a gift for a mature man like President Jiang, and he would definitely like it very much."

I saw that light blue handkerchief; it was really beautiful, and I liked it very much.

I asked about the price, and they quoted 180.

I managed to cut the price down to 80 yuan.

The proprietress even joked, "Beautiful lady, you really know how to manage your money. If everyone bargains like this, I'll lose money."

"Boss lady, I'll take it for 80 yuan."

I say.

The proprietress finally said, "80 yuan for a handkerchief? I'd really lose money. How about you pick two? I'll charge you 160!"

"All right"

I let Shen Xing choose one himself, as a gift from me.

Shen Xing carefully selected a pure white handkerchief embroidered with lotus flowers.

He said, "Sister, I admire the lotus's character—rising from the mud unsullied, cleansed by the clear ripples without becoming seductive, just like you."

I said, "I'm already past my prime, I'm not as beautiful as you say."

"Yes, you are actually very beautiful, you just don't realize it!"

Shen Xing said with a smile.

I paid 160 yuan by scanning the QR code.

The proprietress gave me a pretty, delicate cardboard box, wrapped the handkerchief in it as a gift, and then put it in a bag before handing it to me.

Shen Xing said, "Give this gift to your boyfriend; he'll definitely love it."

How do you know he'll like it?

I asked.

Shen Xing smiled mysteriously and said, "Because, I'm a man just like him! Sister, you have to believe me, every man loves receiving a handkerchief from his sweetheart! Don't you know that's how men and women in ancient times loved each other?"