The Secret of Second Marriage

While we were having dinner, Xia Weiwei, who was heavily pregnant, pulled her husband Yang Nan to sit at the same table as Su Mixue, and put on a fawning and obsequious face towards the movie star Shen Yi.

I hadn't seen Zeng Wanwan for a long time. The two sisters sat on one side eating and chatting. Gu Jian sat next to her, constantly putting food on her plate. He had a serious expression, but his eyes revealed his concern.

I asked her, "How far have things progressed in your relationship?"

Zeng Wanwan blushed slightly, smiled, and whispered to me, "Man, I want to thank you this time. When my dad blacklisted me and I couldn't find a job, you took me in."

I'm doing pretty well now. I passed the civil service exam, but it's too difficult to get a civil service job in Beijing. So I got a job in another province, in Xinjiang.

Gu Jian plans to work in Xinjiang after his military service, where there are many desert afforestation projects.

Did you know? There's a charity event going on in our area where we're planting sand trees in Alashan, Xinjiang. We're planting one tree of each kind, and after 30 years, they'll grow and turn the desert into an oasis.

Gu Jian and I came back to participate in this program to promote this event, so that more people can learn about Xinjiang, poverty alleviation, and the construction of our beautiful motherland!

Man, look, I opened a Douyin account to help villagers sell their products, such as Hami melons and raisins from Xinjiang... Actually, it's a very beautiful place, especially in May and June, with grasslands, colorful flowers, and blue skies and white clouds.

You can come visit me then.

On the face of this aloof and clean-cut young lady, I unexpectedly saw a hint of shyness.

I said, "But you're a respectable young lady from Beijing. Can you really give up everything to go to such a remote place as Xinjiang? Will you regret it in the future?"

"No, at least not for the next 5 years."

Zeng Wanwan said, "After I passed the civil service exam, I received a salary every month. Only then did I truly feel that I was living in this world on my own, instead of relying on my father."

Although my father is rich, he doesn't care about my life or death at all, except for making me sell my happiness to marry a rich man and pave the way for my younger brother.

Man, I've been suppressed for too long, and I want to change my way of life.

My husband and I are very happy together. Although I can only see him when he's on vacation, I feel that we are doing something beneficial for society and the people, and we both think it's worthwhile.

Gu Jian and Zeng Wanwan plan to get their marriage certificate at the end of the year. They will just invite their relatives and friends from both sides to have a meal together, and then take advantage of Gu Jian's vacation to go on a trip together, officially become husband and wife, settle down in the grassroots of Xinjiang, and create a beautiful homeland for the motherland.

Zeng Wanwan secretly told me: "Actually, Xinjiang has developed very well now. There are night markets, hotels, tourist resorts, and all kinds of fruits, grapes, roasted mutton, and more. The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps is rooted in the most difficult place in the country. After turning the desert into an oasis, they also planted rice. Actually, it is quite prosperous there now."

Having lived in Beijing for a long time, surrounded by towering skyscrapers made of steel and concrete, I feel like a bird with clipped wings, wanting to fly away but unable to escape.

But it was in Xinjiang that I felt like I was in a paradise.

You must come visit me after the New Year! I'll take you on a trip there!

"it is good"

I say.

I actually admire Zeng Wanwan and Gu Jian quite a bit. They fell in love, got together, and stayed in a remote city to develop and build it up.

Their love was passionate, idealistic, born under the national flag and raised in the red flag, a melody of positivity and progress.

I'm far inferior to them.

Deep down, I'm a pretty pragmatic woman. I'm ambitious; I want to stay in Beijing, in a big city, and make my way in the entertainment industry. My goal is to become a Best Actress!

During the dinner, I chatted with Zeng Wanwan, and President Jiang also came.

He walked in with his assistant and bodyguards, exuding an aloof and unapproachable aura. He was wearing a black suit and sat down next to me. I could feel the temperature drop a few degrees next to me.

He's starting to look more and more like a big business owner.

I haven't seen President Jiang for several months. I've been busy filming, and he's been busy handling the group's business. Apart from sending a bouquet of flowers to my company, home, or film set every day without fail, we have no other contact.

I almost forgot, Mr. Jiang is also one of the regular guests on this dating reality show.

The production team must have invited him.

Mr. Jiang sat down next to me and said calmly, "Man, long time no see. How have you been?"

"fine"

I kept a polite distance from President Jiang and gave a modest smile: "No need for President Jiang to worry about it."

Mr. Jiang didn't say anything, but while perfunctorily serving the food, he put on gloves, peeled some Australian lobster meat, and placed it on my plate, saying, "Man, let's meet privately later and talk. I have something I want to tell you."

"Mr. Jiang, we've already broken up, there's nothing more to talk about."

I rejected his ambiguous advances.

Mr. Jiang asked me, "Are you really not going to reconsider? You're such a heartless woman. I've been sending you flowers every day for almost three months now, and you're not even a little bit tempted!"

"Mr. Jiang, I can afford to buy flowers myself; you don't need to send them."

I say.

Zeng Wanwan seemed to have realized that President Jiang and I had broken up.

Privately, she quietly asked me, "Didn't President Jiang like you quite a bit before? If I remember correctly, you two almost got married last time."

"There was a huge crisis of trust between us, so I broke up with him."

I smiled faintly. Although I felt some regret, I accepted the reality.

I am a woman with high standards when it comes to relationships. If the other person doesn't trust me, doesn't genuinely like me, and doesn't want to spend their life with me, I won't force it. Besides, I feel it's too dangerous to stay by President Jiang's side; all sorts of unexpected things are bound to happen.

After the celebratory dinner that evening, the entire production team went to a karaoke bar—a proper karaoke bar, where all the guests were present.

At the karaoke bar, Xia Weiwei and Yang Nan monopolized the microphone the whole time, singing one song after another. They even sang love songs together, as if they were deliberately trying to disgust me.

I don't care. Xia Weiwei chose this path herself. No one can help her if she's not thinking clearly.

Mr. Jiang and I sat on one side, drinking one glass of red wine after another until we were slightly tipsy.

As the song was nearing its end, President Jiang suddenly walked to the song request station, took the microphone from Xia Weiwei, and requested a song: "I'd like to dedicate a song to the one in my heart, a song I don't want to miss out on. The song is called 'A Heart That Has Been Hurt, Who Will It Love Again?'"

He sang with great emotion, his voice hoarse. The lyrics were roughly about who a broken heart can still love.

The feeling of having no one to care about you~

The love I gave you has been buried.

I can't bear to let go like this~

Who can a broken heart still love?

The feeling of having no one to keep you company~

Your love is not in my blank space.

Love really makes you feel so helpless.

The sincerity I once gave you was abandoned by you.

If a promise is a matter of right or wrong for you...

So why do I keep making the same mistakes?

I'm so disappointed that your tears weren't for me.

Give me one more look of genuine love in my eyes~

If making a vow was an impulsive mistake for you...

So why do I keep falling into this state?

It's so hard to know if leaving would be a relief... I can't bear to let go like this...

He sang with great emotion, and President Jiang, holding the microphone, frequently looked at me with deep affection, as if there was no one else in his eyes but me.

Xia Weiwei was so angry when she saw this that her face turned black.

I felt a pang of regret deep down, but more than that, I was consciously letting go.

We sang karaoke until after 10 p.m., and the production team's wrap party had already ended. The photographers took a lot of behind-the-scenes footage of us, which was featured on the production team's official website. The video that day was trending, and the wrap party and other related topics were trending on Weibo.

After everyone celebrated and received their gifts from the program team, all couples who successfully paired up could receive a pair of gold rings. When it was Mr. Jiang's and my turn, neither of us went on stage to receive them.

I was a little tipsy after leaving the KTV. I made a phone call, and Lu Xiao, dressed in uniform, came to pick me up in his car. When he helped me leave the KTV, I saw President Jiang.

A hint of jealousy and disappointment appeared in President Jiang's eyes.

He still walked over to greet Lu Xiao, introducing himself: "Let me introduce myself, I'm Jiang Hui. May I ask what your relationship is with Miss Jiang?"

"He was a blind date my mom introduced me to."

I say.

Lu Xiao was very polite and shook hands with President Jiang, saying, "Hello, I am Jiang Man's fiancé. Ms. Jiang and I want to settle down and develop a long-term marital relationship."

Please take good care of me.

A black luxury car pulled up beside them. President Jiang merely snorted, his face dark, and without saying a word, he got into the car and had the driver drive away. The atmosphere at the scene was extremely gloomy...

I could tell that President Jiang was very uncomfortable.

Lu Xiao said, "Man, who was that man just now? He was quite handsome, with an elite air about him. I consider myself one of the more handsome men in my workplace."

However, compared to him, I still think he's too aloof and handsome, he's practically one of the very elite.

"He is my former boss."

I say.

I don't want to put too much pressure on Lu Xiao.

Because not everyone in this world has an extraordinary background, family connections, and immense wealth like President Jiang, who is already the chairman of a listed company at a young age.

Lu Xiao and I are just ordinary upper-middle class. I'm a celebrity, and he's a policeman. Our families are in business. We're not super rich, but we're more than enough to live a comfortable life in Beijing...

I feel a bit nauseous.

Lu Xiao held my hand and we strolled along the street. When we reached the flower bed, he helped me up, but I still threw up. He took out a tissue and gently and patiently wiped my mouth.

I said, "I'm fine, let's go back."

He released my hand, pulled me into his arms, and walked towards the car by the roadside, stepping in the shadows cast by the streetlights. At that moment, we nestled together, like a young couple who truly wanted to settle down and build a life together.

Mr. Jiang's car drove away, then drove back and parked not far away. Seeing Lu Xiao and me, he became jealous and went berserk, punching the car window. The glass didn't break, but his knuckles bled.

The driver quickly bandaged his wound: "Boss, are you alright? Should we go to the hospital?"

"Jiang Man, you've really broken my heart this time."

President Jiang's words were filled with deep sadness and exhaustion.