The Secret of Second Marriage

After Shen Xing and I finished work, we went to a late-night street barbecue stall together. We ordered grilled fish, beef skewers, and an ice-cold beer, and sat under a tree to enjoy our skewers.

I poured myself a glass of beer, ready to drink it, but Shen Xing snatched it away and had the waiter replace it with a pitcher of room-temperature freshly squeezed orange juice.

He said, "The beer is too cold, don't drink it."

I said, "Leave me alone, I just want to have a few drinks today."

"If I don't care about you, who will?"

Shen Xing said, "You're not in good health, you can't drink cold drinks."

How do you know I can't drink cold drinks?

I was a little surprised.

Shen Xing said, "I already knew when I was tutoring at your house. Sister, you caught a chill during your postpartum period after giving birth to Tangtang, and ever since then, your stomach has been upset if you drink anything cold."

I was quite touched.

"Little brat, trying to boss me around?"

I laughed.

Suddenly I received a call from my agent.

I hesitated. Why would my agent, Xie Xue, call me?

She had long regarded me as a thorn in her side, wishing she could freeze me out of the industry. She even had my colleagues isolate me and kicked my WeChat account out of the work group, leaving me sitting on the sidelines at the company and not giving me any acting opportunities.

Even if other companies think I have good acting skills and want to cast me in movies, she refuses them all because she thinks I'm arrogant.

Shen Xing asked me what was wrong?

"It was my agent calling. I have a feeling it's not good news!"

I say.

"Then I won't answer."

Shen Xing said, "Sis, whether you answer this call or not, your agent won't treat you well. Why are you indulging her like this? She can give you the silent treatment, and you can give her the silent treatment too."

Yes, Shen Xing's words suddenly made me realize something.

Why would I answer a call from an agent like that? She looks down on me, and I look down on her just as much.

I've made up my mind to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit to terminate the contract as soon as possible; I don't even want to drag it out for a year.

Shen Xing and I finished eating barbecue.

Shen Xing, hands in his pockets and humming a little tune, walked me home. He said, "Sis, this is our second date, isn't it?"

I laughed: "What kind of date is it to just walk around on the street like this? At the very least, you should hold hands."

"You said it, sis."

Suddenly, Shen Xing boldly grabbed my hand on the street and walked all the way from the barbecue street to the parking lot of the mall's main road. He very casually took out his car keys from his pocket and pressed the ignition button on the black sports car.

He took me for a drive around the streets late at night. After a whoosh, the luxury car came to a smooth stop in front of my house in just over ten minutes.

Shen Xing said, "Sis, we're home."

"Okay, goodnight."

I was getting ready to get out of the car when Shen Xing suddenly grabbed my hand and said, "Isn't there one more step in our date that we haven't finished?"

"What date? We're just friends meeting up for dinner."

I say.

I really don't want to get involved in another relationship.

The light in Shen Xing's eyes quickly dimmed and went out. Then she smiled and said, "Sis, you wouldn't let yourself be hurt by that kind of scumbag once or twice, would you? You don't believe there really is a man in this world who truly loves you, cherishes you, protects you, and wants to spend his life with you, do you?"

"Shen Xing, thank you for liking me."

I said, "But I really don't have much confidence in relationships right now. I'm sorry, could you give me some time to stabilize my career and regain my confidence, okay?"

"Okay, sis, I can wait."

Shen Xing suddenly leaned down and planted a kiss on my cheek.

My face burned bright red, and I fled home from his luxury car as if in a panic.

When I got home, I received a WeChat message from Shen Xing that only said "Goodnight".

I replied to him with just two words: Goodnight.

I couldn't help but think, Shen Xing is truly a master at flirting, no wonder he's the younger brother.

When I got home, the nanny had already picked Tangtang up from school.

Tangtang is sleeping, and the nanny has also gone to sleep.

This is the third nanny I've hired for Tangtang.

Unable to sleep, I made myself a cup of coffee and sat at my desk. I picked up my phone and did some calculations. My salary and commission at the counter totaled just over ten thousand yuan. After deducting rent and nanny fees, there was almost nothing left.

I earn some income from selling products online, in addition to the copyright fees I received previously.

Although I have several million in savings, I still feel very anxious.

Shen Xing is right. Maybe I should go back to the entertainment industry and continue acting. That's my main battlefield.

But my agent played dirty tricks behind my back and my company sidelined me. As a middle-aged actress who has just debuted, my path is really difficult.

For the first time, I realized that without connections and influence, it's practically impossible to get by in the entertainment industry.

But I won't call Mr. Jiang for help. I believe I can overcome any difficulty on my own.

I did some calculations and didn't fall asleep until two or three in the morning.

The next morning, I got out of bed, washed my face and brushed my teeth, and took Tangtang to school as usual. After school, I went to the mall to clock in for work.

To my surprise, as soon as I arrived at the counter, the shopkeeper gave me a document saying that the parent company of our cosmetics brand had been acquired by a listed company, and the president of the listed company was the person in the document.

I heard he's coming to inspect our counter today.

I was shocked when I saw the information. I never expected that the president mentioned in the document was actually my former president, Mr. Jiang.

That was a man I knew intimately, more than anyone else.

I gave a wry smile. Jiang Hui, CEO of MK Shopping Mall!

These two names caught my eye.

My colleagues around me were all talking about it, saying, "That company has acquired our entire shopping mall. Wow, that was fast! I heard they negotiated for half a month, and it was officially finalized today."

The CEO is said to be quite young, a second-generation rich kid. His father passed away recently, and he's now inherited the family business—a true scion of a wealthy family!

"My God, I never thought we'd run into such incredibly wealthy men while working here!"

"But why would he want to acquire our shopping mall?"

Colleagues were talking about it, and the female colleagues were all putting on makeup and carefully tidying up their appearance.

I read through the resume. These materials were specially sent to us by the boss so that we could better familiarize ourselves with the new president and avoid mistaking him for someone else or neglecting him when he came to inspect!

I never imagined that my ex-boyfriend, with whom I had broken up, would become the president of the shopping mall where I now work.

Is it really true that enemies are destined to meet? I thought we had broken up and would never cross paths again in our daily lives.

But I didn't expect to meet you so soon.

When the female store manager, Li Qi, saw me lost in thought, she came over and asked, "Man, what's wrong? Do you know this newly appointed president?"

"I don't know him. How could I possibly know him?"

A wave of panic washed over me, but I quickly masked my unease and calmly lied, saying, "My status is worlds apart from this CEO's. How could someone like me, an ordinary employee, possibly know someone so wealthy?"

"I just thought he was pretty handsome, and I wanted to take a few more glances."

"Forget it, it's hopeless."

Li Qi seemed surprised that I, who was usually the most composed, shrewd and capable person in the store, would have a moment of infatuation. So she couldn't help but remind me, "I heard that he already has a fiancée. You know how business marriages are. She's a rich and beautiful woman! People like us are unlikely to be so lucky as to be chosen by a rich man and become a phoenix on a branch."

Do you think rich people are all fools? The reason rich people are rich is because they are more shrewd, ruthless, and cold-blooded than us!

"Manager, I'm not feeling well, can I take the day off?"

I asked suddenly.

Perhaps it was the store manager's realistic words that shattered my sensitive heart, but I didn't want to see President Jiang. Every time I saw him, I was reminded of the reality of being dumped!

Breaking up is a very sad thing for me.

I don't want to see President Jiang and his fiancée being all lovey-dovey anymore.

I don't understand why President Jiang wants to acquire this shopping mall. Is it just because I work here? But what's the point of meeting him?

The more I thought about it, the paler my face became.

Out of concern, the store manager was prepared to approve my leave and let me come back tomorrow.

But the boss wouldn't approve it.

The boss replied on WeChat: "Today is the new president's first day of inspection. No one is allowed to take leave. You must do a good job of receiving him!"

I gave a wry smile. It's really tough being a working person; you don't even have the freedom to take time off.

The store manager asked me, "Are you feeling better? Are you having period cramps? Why don't you go and rest for a bit? I'll take over for you for a while."

"Thank you, manager. I'll treat you to dinner after we're done."

I say.

I am indeed feeling a bit unwell, but not physically, it's more psychological.

"It's alright, I'll let you know when they come to inspect. Go sit in the lounge first!"

The female store manager asked me to sit in the lounge for a while.

I sat in the lounge for more than half an hour, thinking a lot. What I like most is still filming.

I may have to pay my first tuition fee in life: I have to go to court to terminate my contract with the company.

I asked Shen Xing on WeChat, "I want to terminate my contract with my agency."

"Sis, I support you! You should terminate your contract with that unscrupulous agency. I'll introduce you to an agent later."

Don't worry, I definitely won't cheat you, Ye Zimeng. You know what? She's a very capable female agent in our entertainment industry, and she's made many artists famous.

I recently attended an awards ceremony and met her there. Let me introduce her to you!

Shen Xing said.

"Thanks"

I say.

Shen Xing said, "Sister, oh, right, there's a really popular show, it's a dating reality show. It's on Hunan TV, and there are a lot of ordinary people on it."

But there are a few celebrity couples I'd like to go with you. Would you agree?

"Me? A dating reality show enthusiast?"

I asked the question with some surprise.

I always thought that these kinds of dating reality shows were only for idols and for young people.

I didn't expect that after Shen Xing explained it to me, I would realize that this was a dating show for middle-aged people, with guests in their 30s and 40s, all of whom were adults.

However, each episode features a special guest.

Shen Xing was the special guest.

He recommended me to the program team.

I know that many Hunan TV programs are edited haphazardly, and I don't know if I'm good at making dating shows, which focus on personal relationships.

I told Shen Xing that I'd think about it.

Shen Xing said, "Sister, why don't you join this show? I heard it's filmed in Yunnan, where there are forests, mushrooms, and lots of beautiful scenery. It would be a good way to relax!"

I asked, "Are you going to participate?"

"Look at your sister, this dating reality show! If she participates, I'll participate too! If she doesn't participate, I won't participate either!"

He said.