The Secret of Second Marriage

Shen Xing and I walked out of the movie theater at around 5 p.m. It seemed like we had a pretty relaxed and enjoyable afternoon, without much anxiety or pressure. Instead, we went shopping and watched a movie together.

However, we unexpectedly encountered President Jiang and Zeng Wanwan along the way.

Seeing the two of them made me realize even more that the world is divided into classes. The world of the rich is strictly hierarchical, and an ordinary woman like me with no background really has no chance of squeezing into a wealthy family.

I don't want to daydream anymore.

My phone rang countless times, but I kept it on silent and didn't answer.

I glanced down at my phone and saw that the caller ID showed it was Dr. Xiao.

Dr. Xiao called me but I didn't answer. In the end, she simply sent me a text message saying: "Jiang Man, please come back as soon as possible. The hospital has its own rules and regulations. I am your attending physician. If the hospital cannot find you, I will be disciplined."

I think Dr. Xiao probably has a pretty bad impression of me.

Patients like me who escape from the hospital are really reckless.

A helpless smile curled at the corner of my lips.

I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to bother others with my problems, so I took a deep breath and said to Shen Xing, "It's getting late, the hospital has started looking for people, I have to go back."

"Sis, I want to buy you flowers. I've read some tips, and a proper date and relationship, besides going to the movies and having dinner, also needs a bouquet of flowers."

Shen Xing said.

I thought about it for a moment, and then my stomach started to rumble with hunger, so I sent a text message to Dr. Xiao Shui saying, "I'm sorry, Dr. Xiao, I haven't been in a good mood lately. I finally managed to escape and relax for half a day today, so please let me go back a little later."

I promise I'll be back before 8 PM ward rounds.

Have fun out there, and be careful!

Dr. Xiao Shui replied to me with a series of short messages.

I've always been a law-abiding woman. I never skipped a class or missed an exam when I was in school. I never thought I'd start to rebel in middle age.

Fortunately, the doctor was quite understanding.

I said to Shen Xing, "Let's go have dinner, it's on me, I'm a little hungry."

"What do you want to eat?"

Shen Xing held my hand and we strolled along the pedestrian street. On both sides were various boutiques, snack shops, and restaurants serving hot pot and skewers.

I saw a Hunan-style hot and sour rice noodle shop on the corner of the pedestrian street. I used to love eating rice noodles when I was in school. Adding a poached egg, some lean meat and lettuce made it especially delicious.

But now, when I see that store, I think of President Jiang, and tears keep falling.

Seeing this, Shen Xing hurriedly tried to comfort me: "Sis, why did you suddenly cry? Did that rice noodle shop upset you and bring back some sad memories?"

Let's not eat rice noodles, let's go get something else.

He led me through a winding alleyway until we arrived at the entrance of a restaurant.

Opening the restaurant door, you find an old house that has been converted into a garden. The yard is filled with all kinds of flowers, and tables, chairs, beautiful white gauze curtains, candles, and lights are placed on the flowers and lawn.

The courtyard alone is already beautiful. The house has been completely renovated. It's a two-story old building with red walls and white tiles.

This restaurant has a fresh and artistic vibe, and its name on the large screen is particularly beautiful: "Love in a Fallen City Restaurant".

There was an open-air restaurant in the courtyard, and at the end of the garden was a stage with professional sound system and DJ equipment. When we went in, a young band was playing a romantic song called "Fairy Tale Town".

The lead singer at this restaurant was also a beautiful woman in a white dress, holding a microphone and singing very earnestly on stage.

She wore a red rose hair clip, had fair skin, and particularly delicate features. She looked a lot like the younger version of Zhao Mosheng from the TV series "My Sunshine." She was a very pure and beautiful girl.

I recognized her; her name is Bai Mei, and she is Shen Xing's cousin.

Bai Mei doesn't seem to be short of money. The rent and utilities for this restaurant in Beijing alone must cost over 100,000 yuan. To be able to open such a restaurant and manage it so beautifully and romantically, she must be no ordinary person.

Shen Xing pulled me inside and we found a seat in the garden's open-air restaurant. We were surrounded by blooming roses and rose bushes. At the end of August, the flowers were in full bloom, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

Shen Xin and I sat on rustic wooden chairs. Soon, the waiter brought us the menu. Their restaurant is known for its artistic garden setting with a photogenic atmosphere.

This restaurant offers several set meals priced at 388, 588, 688, and 988, each with different ingredients. The more expensive the set meal, the more expensive the ingredients, such as imported steak, sea cucumber, and shrimp.

Shen Xing and I ordered two steaks, orange juice, and a seafood porridge.

We just came here for a quick meal. After we finish eating, I need to go back to the hospital. Shen Xing's agent is probably frantically trying to find someone right now.

Shen Xing is already a minor celebrity, and he has a lot of gigs.

But I was actually quite touched that he still managed to squeeze out half a day to spend with me on a date today.

Shen Xing didn't disturb Bai Mei. Instead, she went to the front desk and asked for a pair of scissors. In a corner of the yard, where a large patch of red roses was planted, she snipped and picked up a large bunch of roses.

Other diners found this scene amusing and asked, "Handsome, who did you cut such a big bouquet of roses for? These roses were all grown with great effort by the proprietress. You just cut them like that, won't she be unhappy?"

"It's for my girlfriend."

Shen Xing said, "No, because I have a very close relationship with my boss."

How could their relationship not be strong? They grew up together. Bai Mei's mother and Shen Xing's mother are sisters. After Shen Xing's father remarried, he often abused Shen Xing.

Shen Xing's aunt, who is also Bai Mei's mother, once went to see Shen Xing and found him covered in bruises and hadn't eaten for several days.

His small body was huddled inside the wardrobe, holding a tattered rag doll in his hand. The rag doll was sewn for Shen Xing by his mother before she passed away.

His rag doll was his best friend in the world.

My aunt is a very kind woman. The moment she saw Shen Xing, tears streamed down her face. She slapped his stepmother a few times, freeing him from that family, and has been taking care of Shen Xing ever since.

Bai Mei's voice is very pleasant, with a melancholic and ethereal quality. Her singing voice is similar to Faye Wong's, but sweeter and with a touch more girlish sorrow.

I think her rendition of "Fairy Tale Town" is really good; she could debut right away.

Shen Xing said, "My cousin is a talented woman. She sings very well. She won first place in the Voice of China competition when she was in school. Many record companies wanted to sign her and debut her, but unfortunately, she rejected them all because of that man."

I immediately guessed that Bai Mei was just a recent college graduate. Where would she get so much money to open such a high-end restaurant? The renovation alone must have cost millions, not including rent, staff, and so on.

After Bai Mei finished her performance on stage, the applause was intermittent.

She stepped off the stage and greeted us. Almost at the same moment, she took out a cigarette from her pack, took a puff, and exhaled the pale white smoke with a jasmine scent into the air next to me. I could sense a heavy sadness emanating from her.

Bai Mei saw Shen Xing pick a large bouquet of roses and give it to me. She told the waiter that she would pay for our table, then glanced at me a few times and said, "Miss Jiang, my brother is so stubborn. I told you he loves you very much. Look... even after all this time, he still likes you. He brought you to dinner and gave you roses!"

"We just came out for a simple meal."

I say.

"Miss Jiang, I can tell you're a very experienced woman. My brother is no match for you, but I still hope you can show mercy and not abandon him so heartlessly. I don't want to end up like before, calling him in the middle of the night, drowning my sorrows in bars, drinking until my stomach hurts, and muttering your name..."

Bai Mei wasn't the type of woman to gossip. She just smiled casually and then told a story I didn't know.

I was shocked when I heard this. I didn't expect that Shen Xing, who was so sunny and cheerful in front of me, also had a painful side of heartbreak.

Shen Xing would sneak out of his busy schedule every day to take me on dates, but I didn't expect my cousin's words to be so heavy. He picked up a soup spoon from the table and ladled a bowl of seafood porridge in front of me, then changed the subject and asked his sister, "Mei, are you still waiting for him?"

"Yes, he promised me. He said he loved me, that he had many things he couldn't control, but that one day he would be with me."

Bai Mei said.

She stopped bothering us while we ate, and instead made herself a cup of tea, sitting alone in a corner of the garden restaurant, enjoying the view.

Shen Xing said, "Ignore her. My cousin has a crush on a man she's had for a long time. He's her senior from high school, and they secretly dated back then."

That man is very handsome, and he excels in his work and career. After graduating, he passed the civil service exam.

When my cousin was in college, she would go over to do his laundry and cook for him every week. She also used the money she earned from performing in a bar band to buy him expensive clothes, shoes, suits and ties. She even helped him find out about the most popular civil service exam courses and helped him reserve seats in them.

I heard that later...

"What happened next?"

I asked.

Shen Xing said, "Man, today is our first date, and I don't want to talk about such a heavy topic, but since you asked, I'll tell you anyway."

After graduating from Tsinghua University, the boy passed the civil service exam. The first thing he did after getting the job was to break up with my cousin. He said that his boss had introduced him to a rich girl from the boss's family, and that he had worked very hard to get to where he was today, and that the gap between them was now enormous.

Moreover, if he doesn't agree to the marriage, he might lose his job.

He said he loved my cousin very much, but this society is very realistic; he needed connections and networks to climb the social ladder, so… he had no choice but to break up with my cousin.

When I first heard this story, I felt disgusted. What's disgusting is the scumbag in the story. Haha, his first act after getting ashore was to kill the woman he loved.

No matter how high his education, how handsome he is, or how knowledgeable and profound he is, he is still an absolute scumbag.

I said, "And then what happened?"

"My cousin's house was later demolished, and she used all the money to open this restaurant in Beijing."

The government office building across from this restaurant, the one with armed police standing guard at the entrance, is where that man works. He passes by this restaurant every morning and evening.

I know my cousin can't forget him; she's still waiting for him!

Shen Xing said.