Chapter 64: Not Pretending
The underground parking lot of the hotel was bathed in a cold, white light, and the air was filled with the smell of engine oil. Just as Jiang Mi opened the door of her nanny van, another sleek black nanny van slid to a silent stop beside her.
The window lowered, and a strange face with a standard smile poked out. “Miss Jiang, Sister Zhao, the company has arranged a new car and team. We’ll be responsible for your daily commute and schedule from now on.”
Zhao Jia’s brow instantly furrowed, and her lips had just parted—
“I see.” Jiang Mi’s voice sounded first, so steady it was as if nothing had happened. She patted Zhao Jia’s arm and, without even looking at the assistant, directly opened the heavy door of the new car and bent down to get in.
The smell of leather, mixed with the unique chemical scent of a new car, instantly enveloped her.
The wheels rolled over the concrete floor, making a low, grinding sound. Zhao Jia held her breath, her body leaning slightly towards Jiang Mi, and she asked in a suppressed voice, “…You’re just going to accept it? You’re really not upset at all?”
Jiang Mi’s gaze swept over the new assistant and driver, who were sitting bolt upright in the front row, and their tense necks. The corners of her lips lifted very slightly, the arc so fleeting it was almost gone. Her voice was so low that only Zhao Jia could hear, “What’s the use of being upset? Can it get my freedom back? It’s just a change of boss. You and I are still under contract.”
The car fell into a dead silence, with only the hissing of the air conditioning vents.
Zhao Jia’s chest heaved a few times, and then she leaned back heavily against the seat as if she had been deflated. She thought to herself that after so many years of struggling in this industry, she had seen her fair share of storms, but in the face of capital, she was still powerless.
There was nothing she could do.
She looked at Jiang Mi. Jiang Mi was more open-minded than she had thought. Her words were not wrong. It was just that the boss had been changed to Yan Wei. But was this really a good thing for them?
Probably not. Zhao Jia’s gaze swept over the front row. From the looks of it, it was said to be a resource arrangement, but in fact, it was more like surveillance, which made her feel a little panicked.
For the next few days, Jiang Mi and Yan Wei were as if they had cut off all contact.
On this day, they were also in the car.
Since they had changed to the nanny van and had a new driver and assistant, Zhao Jia and Jiang Mi’s days were indeed much easier. Especially the smoothness of their work. In the past, when they had no backer, no matter how strong Zhao Jia’s work ability was, the other party was never so easy to talk to.
The news of Jiang Mi changing studios had been on the hot search for two days. The “Shenhai” work team seized the opportunity and posted a few more in-depth hot searches.
Jiang Mi’s popularity soared for a while, and her number of followers was approaching one million.
They had discussed with Jiang Mi and asked her to post on Weibo. She had smiled and, without another word, directly reposted it. Her cooperation was so good that even the “Shenhai” contact person showed a look of—see, no one can escape the nourishment of money and power. No one will refuse a pie that falls from the sky.
It was as if Jiang Mi was not passive in the matter of changing companies.
But only Zhao Jia knew that in the time Jiang Mi was silent, she was undergoing self-consumption and healing. Jiang Mi must have been angry in her heart. There was no doubt about that.
This made Zhao Jia’s heart ache more than a direct outburst.
In the car, there was a suffocating silence. Only occasionally would Zhao Jia whisper to Jiang Mi, chatting about things other than work.
Zhao Jia’s mother had gone to the hospital again and still needed to rest. She had hired a nanny but still felt that she was not being well taken care of, and there was no one of her age to talk to, so she had found a nursing home with excellent facilities.
She also mentioned that Jiang Youshu had called and scolded Jiang Mi for not keeping her word.
She mentioned that Jiang Hu was coming to Huai City, but because the car shop had taken a last-minute order, it had been postponed.
She also mentioned apple. The photos on her Moments recently were very beautiful, full of life.
“She also won the lawsuit. She can finally relax now,” Zhao Jia said.
Jiang Mi nodded. Not knowing what she was thinking, she said, “We have to thank President Yan for this.”
“Hmm? Oh, oh… yes.” Zhao Jia belatedly remembered that Jiang Mi had asked Yan Wei for help in this matter. It was just that she was not used to the sudden change of address.
She looked at Jiang Mi’s expression.
The two of them hadn’t been in contact for a while, but Yan Wei’s actions were very clear. From her perspective, it was impossible to break up. If she had this idea, she had to weigh her current situation.
Jiang Mi’s palm vibrated slightly. The phone screen lit up in the dim car. The two words “Mo Xi” were flashing, like a small thorn piercing her vision. Jiang Mi’s fingertips hovered for a moment before she swiped to answer.
“Sister Jiang Mi…” The voice from the receiver carried the unique empty echo of a hospital.
“Go ahead.”
“I’m at the hospital. My mom just fell asleep.”
Jiang Mi’s gaze fell on the rapidly receding streetlights outside the car window. The halos of light were stretched into long lines in her eyes. It was strange. When the name “Mo Yun” was mentioned again, her heart didn’t stir with the usual softness.
“Thank you for that night,” Mo Xi’s voice was tinged with a timid flattery. “Thank you for taking my mom to the hospital. Really. My sister, she was just in a fit of anger. Don’t think that she…”
“I never thought so.” Jiang Mi interrupted her, her voice not loud, cutting off the careful whitewashing that was to follow. The other end of the line was clearly taken aback, and her breathing became short.
After a brief silence, Mo Xi’s tone carried a hint of a tremor. “Sister Jiang Mi, can I see you? Just for a little while… I’m now…” she choked, her words coming out in broken pieces, “the hospital is full of people, so many things, it’s suffocating me… no one will listen to me, and no one will tell me what to do. And I can’t find my sister. Her phone is always busy. The house near the university has also been canceled by my sister…”
The smell of leather and aromatherapy in the car became thick. Even though Jiang Mi knew that this girl was helpless at this moment, the sympathy she once had was stuck deep in her chest, and she couldn’t muster any of it. She didn’t know why, but those words just now made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
“Your sister doesn’t agree to me seeing you,” Jiang Mi stated the fact, her tone showing no emotion.
“I know! I know I shouldn’t trouble you again…” Mo Xi hurriedly defended herself, then her voice lowered, “…is it okay if she doesn’t know? Sister Jiang Mi, I’m begging you. I just want someone to listen to me… just listen to me…”
The sound of her breaking down crying finally couldn’t be suppressed and overflowed from the receiver, with a desperate saltiness. “She doesn’t want us anymore… she doesn’t even want me… anymore…”
An indescribable feeling of stagnation was stuck in Jiang Mi’s throat.
It wasn’t pity, it wasn’t annoyance, but more like an instinctive discomfort. She suddenly didn’t want to comfort that crying voice. Her fingertips unconsciously pinched the cold edge of her phone. Her gaze lifted and swept over the top of the front seat—the new assistant’s impeccable back of the head was like a warning sign.
The air was frozen for a few seconds, and the only sound in the car was the low hum of the engine.
“I’ll send you the address.”
Jiang Mi finally spoke, her voice as flat as a taut string, without any fluctuation.
How to put it?
Seeing Mo Xi was not her own will. It was more like a kind of resistance. She knew that this assistant would definitely tell Yan Wei about this.
The soft light box on the studio ceiling cast an ivory-white halo, and the air was filled with the chemical smell of hairspray.
Jiang Mi had just finished touching up her makeup and was looking down to adjust the belt of her long dress when a clear voice pierced the air, “Teacher Jiang? Oh, it’s really you!”
Jiang Mi looked up at the sound. The person had crossed over to her in a few steps, with a head of neat short hair that was plated with a silver edge by the lights. There was a little bit of un-wiped gold powder on the tip of her nose, and her slightly raised fox eyes were full of a smile. She reached out her hand without any unfamiliarity, “Qi Wenxi! I’m about to play your sister! God, what a coincidence—my manager just said this morning that you were coming to the next studio to shoot a jewelry commercial!”
She shook her phone, which was showing a QR code. “Can I add you on WeChat? I’ll be relying on my big sister for the next drama!”
Jiang Mi was taken aback by this barrage of enthusiasm.
The smile on the person’s face was without any impurity, simply full of vitality. Qi Wenxi was one of the female leads in the next drama, Blessing. Because they hadn’t started the script reading yet, they hadn’t officially met. Her impression of this person was still from the screen. She only knew that she was a good actress. Zhao Jia said that the other party had also been on a variety show and had a very good personality.
She was indeed very good. Jiang Mi also breathed a sigh of relief for the next drama. At least she was a relatively easy-going actress.
Her fingertips slid over her cold phone case and unlocked the screen. “Okay.”
When she scanned the code, she touched the other party’s cool fingertips, and the strange touch made her recoil.
Qi Wenxi took a half step closer and lowered her voice a little, but she couldn’t hide her excitement. “How much longer for your group? My side just finished the last shot.” She tilted her chin towards the west side of the studio. “I heard from the production team that there’s a stir-fry restaurant hidden in the alley around the corner—the owner used to be a state banquet chef! The steamed shad is to die for.”
Her eyes lit up. “If we finish early, want to share a table? Just as… a way to cultivate our sisterly bond in advance?”
Jiang Mi’s gaze swept over her shoulder.
The floor manager was waving at Zhao Jia, who was beside her. The invitation was so direct it was almost reckless, but Jiang Mi didn’t dislike it. Getting familiar in advance was only beneficial for joining the group.
“Sure,” the corners of her lips curved up, and she smiled, “just to avoid the boxed lunch.”
The phone screen in her pocket lit up and then went dark.
Jiang Mi and Qi Wenxi parted for a while. During a break for makeup touch-ups, she finally had time to look at her phone.
It was a text message from Mo Xi: [Sister Jiang Mi, something urgent came up… I’ll contact you later.]
Jiang Mi was silent for a moment, then turned off the screen. She said to Zhao Jia, who was looking at her with a questioning gaze, “Mo Xi is coming later.”
“What?” Zhao Jia asked.
It was just simple curiosity. To say something she shouldn’t, why was it that every time she said she was sorry and shouldn’t trouble her, she would still call Jiang Mi the next time?
Her Jiang Mi was not some kind of saint. She didn’t have to meddle in her family’s affairs, and in the end, she would be the one who was meddlesome, and it would also increase her workload.
She felt that this little girl was sometimes “annoying.”
Jiang Mi didn’t speak, her gaze on the glaring spotlights on the ceiling. She pushed aside the choppy hair that had been fixed with hairspray. “It’s fine. Let her be.”
Perhaps she wouldn’t come either, because it was uncertain whether the words in the car would reach Yan Wei’s ears. In this situation, it was also difficult for her to avoid Yan Wei and meet with Mo Xi.
She was just confirming if the situation was like this.
But if Mo Xi was really in trouble, she would also help. But any more than that, she really couldn’t do anything. After all, it was impossible for a person to unconditionally and unlimitedly provide emotional and physical value for another person.
Besides, she didn’t like the way Mo Yun, and even Mo Xi, mentioned Yan Wei… their tone, or their state.
Zhao Jia leaned against the door. “Are you really going tonight?”
“Of course,” Jiang Mi pursed her lipstick in the mirror.
“You and Teacher Yan just had a falling out.” Zhao Jia took a step closer, her voice even lower. “Are you sure she won’t be angry when she finds out?”
Having dinner with another woman right after a fight.
“Let her be,” Jiang Mi’s tone was calm.
Zhao Jia was silent for a few seconds. Looking at the excessively calm face of Jiang Mi in the mirror, her voice was almost a whisper, “…Are you really thinking of breaking up?”
Jiang Mi’s movements paused. She didn’t answer, but just threw the cotton swab she had used to adjust her makeup into the trash can.
Dinner was at a secluded Chinese courtyard restaurant. There were quite a few people.
The private room was filled with the fragrance of tea. A group of four, Qi Wenxi’s manager and Zhao Jia were chatting about industry gossip, and the atmosphere was relaxed. Qi Wenxi was enthusiastically asking about interesting things that had happened during the filming of Jiang Mi’s last drama. When she got excited, she suddenly asked, “By the way, when is your birthday?”
“February 20th,” Jiang Mi took a sip of tea.
“Tsk!” Qi Wenxi’s eyes lit up, and she slapped the table. “Really? I’m February 21st! Just one day younger than you! Sister!”
Jiang Mi was amused by her and picked up the sake by her side. “No problem, no problem. Then this cup is to my ‘little sister’?” The two’s wine glasses clinked lightly, and their laughter melted into the warm yellow light.
The two were about the same age. Qi Wenxi loved to talk and had a lot of jokes. Jiang Mi also took them all, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
At this moment, this lively scene, separated by the private room door, had long since been captured in several high-definition photos and sent to the top floor of a private club on the other side of the city.
Yan Wei was sitting on a high stool, her back straight, holding a glass of whisky in her fingertips. The ice ball reflected a cold light.
Tan Zhaoxin was sitting opposite her, saying something.
Yan Wei’s gaze was fixed on the phone screen. In the photo, Jiang Mi’s smile at Qi Wenxi was unguarded, and even carried a hint of a liveliness that she hadn’t seen in a long time.
This smile was like a needle, accurately piercing another image in Yan Wei’s memory—that night, when those eyes had looked at her, they had been full of fear. The knuckles of her hand, holding the wine glass, silently tightened, and her knuckles turned pale.
“Anything you do now will only push her further away.” Tan Zhaoxin swirled her wine glass, her voice calm but sharp. “Or do you really want a completely obedient marionette? Obviously, this little lover of yours doesn’t have such soft bones.”
It was unclear which word had hit a nerve, but the coldness in Yan Wei’s eyes suddenly congealed, so thick it couldn’t be melted.
Tan Zhaoxin put down her wine glass, her voice sinking a little. “Mo Yun’s side… if you’re really ruthless, be careful of things backfiring.”
Speaking of Mo Yun, Tan Zhaoxin’s face was also cold. She had seen her fair share of human nature, but Mo Yun still refreshed her worldview time and time again.
Yan Wei narrowed her eyes, and a layer of ruthlessness appeared in them. “I’m just trying to force her.”
Tan Zhaoxin paused. Looking at Yan Wei’s face again, there was a kind of reckless madness. Whether it was her attitude towards Mo Yun and Mo Xi, or the series of actions she had taken against Jiang Mi…
“And Jiang Mi? She’ll be afraid of you. Don’t you care?”
The moment her words fell, she saw Yan Wei finish the last sip of wine and her lips twitched without any emotion.
“Actually, it’s quite interesting.”
“What’s interesting?”
“The look of fear in her eyes.”
Yan Wei’s fingertips turned off the screen. She let out two low laughs, and when she looked up, perhaps because she had been drinking, the corners of her eyes were stained red, and her long eyelashes cast another dark shadow in her dark pupils.
She muttered word by word, “At least I don’t have to pretend anymore.”
After she finished speaking, she had already stood up and, under Tan Zhaoxin’s surprised gaze, walked out on her high heels.
