The Secret of Second Marriage

"I understand, Attorney Guo. Thank you so much for your help with Mr. Jiang's matter. I'll go with you to the detention center tomorrow morning. Goodnight."

I said goodnight to Attorney Guo and then hung up the phone.

The next morning, I dressed smartly and professionally in a white shirt, jeans, and a black blazer, and drove with Attorney Guo to the detention center to wait outside.

Around 6 o'clock, President Jiang was released without charge.

He took out a package from inside, containing only a few changes of clothes.

When I stood outside the detention center watching Mr. Jiang come out, I felt a deep sense of estrangement. Mr. Jiang and I were almost at the point of discussing marriage, but I never expected that this case would make me feel that our fate was over.

After waiting for a while, I was surprised to find that President Jiang's mother had also arrived.

She was still dressed as stylishly and beautifully as ever. The woman who used to be eager to get rid of me now felt a little awkward when she saw me.

She said, "Jiang Man, I misunderstood you before. My son was able to get out of there thanks to you. Thank you so much..."

"You are welcome"

I say.

President Jiang glanced at his mother and said, "Ignore her, Man, that's just how my mom is."

"Son, Mom really knows she was wrong this time..."

Jiang's mother cried and shed a few tears.

Mr. Jiang, however, grabbed my hand with a cold expression, turned around and left without saying a word to his mother.

He glanced at the sky, then at me, his voice trembling slightly, and said to you, "I missed you so much in there, Man, did you miss me?"

"At first I really wanted to, but then I stopped thinking about it."

I say.

President Jiang's expression changed, as if he had been greatly shocked.

He said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted the relationship between you and Shen Xing..."

"President Jiang, I don't want to hear you say 'I'm sorry.' I want to know, when did you stop trusting me?"

I took a deep breath and asked.

President Jiang walked up to me, looked at me, and said in a low voice, "Do you really want to hear the truth?"

"I hope you're not lying to me about this."

I say.

President Jiang remained silent for a long time before realizing that this was a topic that should never be discussed between us.

Instead of making excuses or avoiding the topic, he said softly, "I suspected you of betraying our relationship. I was too selfish. I'm locked up inside and can't see anyone except my lawyer."

I've entrusted you with all my savings, but I'm afraid you'll be like those other women, running off with the money and abandoning me... I don't feel safe, especially since you're getting so close to Shen Xing.

The lawyer came to see me and said, "You plan to sell all the cars and RVs under your name and elope with that boy named Shen Xing."

I'm so scared! I'm scared that you can't see any hope in me, scared that you think I'll lose the case, scared that in a moment of impulse you'll take all the money I left you and go keep that young lover...

I listened quietly, unable to describe the feeling in my heart.

President Jiang continued, "Man, we're not young anymore. We've seen the cruelest side of society and the most realistic side of human nature, so I'm afraid."

Ten years ago, if we had just graduated from school, I would have been willing to gamble anything with you, but now I am 29 years old.

I'll be 30 after the New Year. You're 34. I know how tempting money can be for a woman!

I selfishly doubted you. That day in prison, I signed the documents to replace you and your lawyer. My fingers were trembling. I cried so bitterly for the first time in my life. At that moment, I felt like a petty person, doubting you based on just a few words from the lawyer and a few photos!

They lost the first trial.

I knew I'd been tricked by that lawyer. Later, during the second trial, seeing how hard you and Attorney Guo were defending me, I instantly regretted it.

You've always had me in your heart, and you've always thought of me. You and Shen Xing are innocent.

You never wanted my money. You are the only woman in this world who cared about me, helped me hire a lawyer, and rescued me.

"You are the woman I love most in this life, Jiang Man, I was wrong!"

At this point, President Jiang was already in tears.

He reached out to touch my face, but I subtly avoided him.

I took the engagement ring out of my bag and solemnly placed it in Mr. Jiang's hand, saying, "Mr. Jiang, let's break up. This time, let's say goodbye properly and gracefully. I wish you all the best for the future! Let's not entangle ourselves any longer."

Having gone through so much hardship and your distrust of me, I feel scared. All I want is to live a peaceful and stable life.

Seeing you emerge safe and sound is enough to fulfill my wish; as for the rest, let fate decide!

"You came to pick me up from prison just to break up with me?"

President Jiang was visibly shocked.

He reached out and grasped my hand, placing it against his chest and stroking his pounding heart. Through his teary eyes, he said, "I love you, I truly love you, really. I want to have a home with you, just like we always have. I'm not lying to you, you can feel my love for you, right?"

"President Jiang, please have some self-respect."

I abruptly pulled my hand back and said something.

It has been almost four months since I last saw President Jiang when he was imprisoned at the beginning of the year. Seeing him again, I felt inexplicably moved, and also somewhat relieved.

I suddenly realized that President Jiang said he loved me very much, but in every crucial moment, he actually loved himself the most.

He's a big boss, surrounded by too many temptations. If I marry him, I'll live in constant fear. Besides, the power struggles within a wealthy family are dangerous; a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.

They didn't even know how they died!

I'm just an ordinary person; I'm afraid I won't be able to get involved, that I'm not destined for it.

The inner conflict makes it impossible for me to see my own heart clearly.

I apologized and said, "I'm sorry... Mr. Jiang, I don't know what I was thinking, but we need to separate for a while. I need to calm down... You need to calm down too. Perhaps you really love me, but every time you face the difficulties of reality, you choose to give me up."

Loving too deeply comes at a high price.

Right now, I just want to focus on filming. Oh, by the way, if all goes well, I'll be joining the crew next week. We're filming in the mountains, so the signal is bad. We can talk later if anything comes up!

After I finished speaking, I prepared to get in the car, closed the door and windows, and resolutely stepped on the gas and drove away.

At this moment, President Jiang's driver's luxury car also came to pick him up.

Mr. Jiang watched me drive away alone, looking utterly dejected, his eyes filled with tears.

Attorney Guo watched from the side with a sigh on his face.

I know that Attorney Guo and President Jiang have other business to discuss, so I'm just here to meet with President Jiang and clarify things.

At noon, I was actually feeling quite down, so I called Juan and asked her to eat out with me. I ordered Haidilao hot pot.

Juan arrived quickly…

She told me to go to Haidilao hot pot restaurant and took me to a high-end restaurant.

We ordered a private room for the two of us. The ambiance was beautiful, and the waiter brought out one private dish after another, along with a bottle of red wine.

I didn't look at the price, but it looks quite expensive.

Juan and I chatted over dinner. I told Juan about President Jiang's suspicions about me, my breakup with him, and my ambiguous entanglement with Shen Xing.

Juan asked me a particularly painful question: "Man, do you actually like President Jiang or Shen Xing?"

"I have no idea"

I said, "Juan, but one thing is certain: neither President Jiang nor Shen Xing is as important to me as my own career."

I have experienced betrayal in marriage and relationships, tasted the coldness of human nature, and also felt the despair and humiliation of being kicked out of my home by my husband, ending up on the streets penniless.

Therefore, if I could live my life again in middle age, I could live without a man, but I absolutely cannot live without a career.

Juan said, "Man, you're becoming more and more like a leading lady. As for this matter... I think Shen Xing was also at fault, and President Jiang was also at fault."

Shen Xing said she loves you very much, but I feel that this boy has a poor sense of propriety and boundaries. He knows that you have a boyfriend, but he still tries to seduce you again and again!

I always felt that his love was too intense and would burn you!

As for President Jiang's excessive maturity and composure, this might just be a momentary lapse in judgment on his part. I think... why don't you observe President Jiang some more?"

I gave a wry smile: "Juan, you're here to act as an intermediary for President Jiang, right?"

"Of course not, it's just that I feel it's a bit of a pity that you and President Jiang have been in love for so long and are breaking up like this."

Juan poured herself a glass of red wine, took a small sip, and said...

I said, "Let's not talk about President Jiang and Shen Xing anymore, Juan, how have you been lately?"

"I've driven my ex-husband and his mistress to the point where they can't survive in Beijing anymore. They're drowning in debt and have gone to Shenzhen to try and make a living. But my ex-husband is still up to no good and is contacting his old business friends in the south, trying to borrow money to start a business!"

But he doesn't seem to realize that his business was built largely on my family's connections and resources... Now that we're divorced, who's going to care about him?

Juan said, "I blocked my ex-husband's and his mistress's phone numbers, and I sent my two children abroad. My ex-husband can't even see them anymore."

He and his mistress aren't doing well in Shenzhen either. They argue about money every day. I heard they recently opened a sausage shop to sell sausages and pay off their debts.

The mistress regretted it. In the middle of the night, she somehow found my old QQ account and left me many messages, saying that she really regretted it now. They argued about money every day and she felt that she could no longer live with Liu Peng...

I only replied with two words: "Serves you right!"

"Juan, you are truly a very capable woman!"

I said, "I think you have a lot of courage. Once you've made up your mind, you do it without hesitation or regret. You never give yourself a chance to be soft-hearted!"

Your ex-husband was a scumbag, and he deserved to be taught a lesson like that. It's a pity I don't have your family background or your business acumen.

However, my ex-wife was laid off from her company in middle age, and his mistress ran away. Now he's sold the house and opened a barbecue restaurant in Wanda Plaza, earning a little over ten thousand yuan a month. It's like he got his comeuppance; he's not doing well, but he's not exactly poor either!

"Man, you're amazing too! A woman with no background, you managed to create a new spring in your career after getting divorced and even become a star."

I admire you a lot too. From the first moment I saw you, I felt you had an artistic flair. My judgment was spot on; you're definitely cut out for the entertainment industry…”

Juan said.

Juan and I chatted for an entire afternoon and drank some red wine, which made me feel a little better.

When we left, Juan had already paid.

I noticed that she had changed drivers. The honest-looking young man, Hei Zi, was gone, replaced by a clean-cut and efficient female driver who also served as a bodyguard.

I asked Juan, "Where's Heizi?"

Juan said, "I fired him. Man, I'm a heartbroken woman, I don't believe in love anymore... That day he drank too much, grabbed my hand and said he admired me and wanted to be with me, but I was scared."

He might be after my money, but I'm afraid he's after my feelings. I really don't want to be deceived emotionally again.

Hei Zi felt that it was painful for me to be with him every day, to see him, but not to be officially with him in a formal sense. He didn't want to be sneaky; he wanted to be with me openly and honestly... I refused.

He resigned, and I didn't try to stop him. I gave him some money; he should go back to his hometown to start a business.