Chapter 17: Freedoms Price

The year the Ming family’s business went bankrupt, Ming Li was twenty-two years old, halfway through her senior year of college.

She remembered that spring as a particularly cold one. As the Tomb-Sweeping Festival approached, rain mixed with icy sleet hammered down on pedestrians, cold and merciless.

In truth, Ming Li had sensed something was wrong a year prior. Her father, who had always been home on time, began attending endless banquets and social dinners. He would return home reeking of cigarette smoke and alcohol—vices he had never indulged in before. He had never even been one for much social networking.

For as long as Ming Li could remember, they had eaten dinner together three hundred days out of the year.

Her mother was the type who loved to be pampered. Others might have called her high-maintenance or dramatic, but she refused to eat dinner until her husband came home. Consequently, no matter how late it was, her father always made it back.

But that final year, the frequency of those family dinners dwindled to almost nothing. Her mother’s face was perpetually clouded with worry.

Ming Li had once quietly asked her father if there was trouble with the family business.

He had merely smiled, patting her shoulder with practiced confidence. “Just a minor hiccup. It’ll be resolved soon.”

“You’re not lying to me, are they?” Ming Li had asked, her suspicion lingering.

“When have I ever lied to you?” His expression had been serene as he shifted the focus to her future. “You’re about to graduate. Do you want to start working? If not, have you thought about where you’d like to go for your Master’s?”

“How about the Netherlands? Ireland? Germany?” He listed several countries in quick succession, only to dismiss them before she could even answer. “Forget it. They’re all too far away.”

Ming Li had hugged his arm, shaking her head. “I’ve already decided. I’m going to join the Jing’an Grand Theater as soon as I graduate.”

“Won’t the theater be too grueling?” Her father frowned, his heart aching at the thought. “Working isn’t as easy as being a student.”

“I don’t mind the hard work. I love dancing. As long as I can stand on that stage, it’s worth it.”

Back then, Ming Li’s eyes had been filled with nothing but dreams and anticipation.

She never imagined that the collapse of her world would happen overnight.

After her father jumped to his death, the Ming family underwent bankruptcy liquidation. The debts totaled over a billion yuan. Even after selling every asset and mortgaging every property they owned, nearly four hundred million yuan in debt remained.

While Ming Li was struggling under that crushing weight, staring into a bleak and uncertain future, it was Gu Qingshuang who stepped in and cleared every cent of it.

So, what did a little lost freedom matter in comparison?

She had no right to feel wronged, and she shouldn’t feel wronged.

“Hey!” A hand waved in front of Ming Li’s face. Slender fingers snapped sharply, the sound cutting through the din of the crowded barbecue restaurant. Ming Li finally snapped out of her trance to see Zhu Hanxing leaning her chin on her hand, staring at her intently. “Li, you’ve been out of it since we walked in. What are you thinking about now?”

Ming Li’s eyes gradually regained focus, her thoughts pulling back to the present. She hadn’t heard a word Zhu Hanxing said, so she lowered her head to take a sip of water to hide her embarrassment.

Zhu Hanxing’s eyes lit up with a grin. “You aren’t actually considering the feasibility of my plan, are you?”

Ming Li: “…”

“In your dreams,” Ming Li replied, giving her a pointed look. “Not a single serious word comes out of your mouth.”

Zhu Hanxing placed a piece of grilled meat onto Ming Li’s plate. “Then what else could you be thinking about? Don’t tell me it’s Gu Qingshuang.”

“Why can’t I?” Ming Li didn’t want Hanxing to know she had been dwelling on her father again, so she decided to follow the lead. “She did get injured because of me, after all. Is it so wrong to be a little worried?”

“The Gu family is so strange. Gu Qingshuang gets hurt, and they don’t let you, her legal wife, take care of her. They won’t even let you see her.” Zhu Hanxing clicked her tongue. “Do you think she has some kind of hidden illness or something?”

Ming Li: “…”

She remained silent, taking a bite of the grilled meat. Zhu Hanxing slapped the table, the idea gaining traction in her mind. “Seriously, are you really not suspicious?”

“Just eat.” Ming Li wrapped a piece of meat in a lettuce leaf and stuffed it directly into Hanxing’s mouth. “Stop talking nonsense.”

Zhu Hanxing swallowed and pouted. “Are you really not going to consider a divorce?”

Ming Li’s movements paused. She shook her head, then nodded.

“What does that mean?” Hanxing asked, confused.

“I will. But not right now.”

“You’re really going to wait until the contract ends?” Hanxing argued. “Whether it’s two years early or two years late, Gu Qingshuang still has to go back, doesn’t she? Why keep yourself trapped there?”

“This is the path I chose for myself.” Ming Li offered a small smile. “A person has to keep their word.”

With that, Zhu Hanxing could only shake her head in resignation. “You… you’re too much.”

Ming Li urged Hanxing to change the subject, wanting to stop focusing on her own life. To distract her, Hanxing began gossiping about her film set, mentioning that the extra who had caused a scene yesterday had been replaced, and their scenes had to be reshot.

Just as she finished speaking, Hanxing’s phone began to blare.

Her manager’s voice erupted like a megaphone. “My dear girl, you are trending again! Again! Again!”

Zhu Hanxing reflexively opened Weibo. “I’ve only been out for half a day, is it really—”

The word died in her throat as she stared at the screen, stunned.

The top trending topic was: #Zhu Hanxing Relationship Exposed#

The second was: #Zhu Hanxing and Same-Sex Girlfriend Visit Hospital#

The third: #Zhu Hanxing Brings Girlfriend to Set to Bully Cast#

Zhu Hanxing: “…?”

An even more terrifying hashtag was climbing the ranks at an unnerving speed: #Zhu Hanxing and Girlfriend Surrogacy#

Zhu Hanxing: “%￥##@”

Son of a—!

These gossip accounts were even more vicious than she had imagined.

Fortunately, she had given Ming Li a mask earlier that morning, so no high-definition photos of Ming Li’s face had surfaced online.

Ming Li quickly checked Weibo as well, her jaw dropping. Even though the rumors were based on nothing but shadows and guesswork, the netizens were discussing it with such conviction that it sounded like objective truth.

If she weren’t one of the people involved, she might have believed it herself!

As Ming Li listened to Zhu Hanxing frantically discussing a PR strategy with her manager, she found she could no longer enjoy the meal.

A few minutes later, her own phone rang.

It was a call from Elder Madam Gu’s assistant. Ming Li put on her headphones before answering to block out the restaurant’s noise.

“Miss Ming,” the assistant said, getting straight to the point. “How does your friend intend to handle the situation on the trending searches?”

Ming Li hadn’t expected the Gu family to receive news so quickly. Since Hanxing was the protagonist of this drama, Ming Li didn’t want the Gu family involved. “I’ll let my friend handle it. She’s going to issue a clarification.”

“Information related to you has already begun appearing online,” the assistant noted. “We have already had it scrubbed. I am just calling to inform you.”

“I see. Thank you.” Ming Li paused, then asked hesitantly, “How is… how is Gu Qingshuang?”

The assistant sounded pleasant. “I was just about to mention that. Miss Gu is awake. She mentioned that you have her phone. Would you like to bring it over, or should I come to your location to pick it up?”

“I’ll bring it,” Ming Li said, standing up abruptly from the table.

“I appreciate the trouble, Miss Ming.”

By the time Ming Li hung up, Zhu Hanxing was leaning lazily against her chair, typing out a post: [Not dating. No girlfriend. That is my absolute best, best, best, best friend in the whole world.]

Netizens immediately swarmed the comment section.

[But do you actually like women? Knock knock!]

[Why were you at the hospital then? Is our baby sick?]

[Acting like a diva and bullying extras is disgusting!!]

[Our Sister Chunliu is so unlucky to have to work with her.]

Zhu Hanxing rarely replied to comments, but today she felt particularly vocal.

[Not sure. I just like people who look good.]

[Is it not normal to get sick? I had a migraine, so I went for a checkup.]

[You weren’t there when she was bullying me, but you suddenly have eyes when I hit back?]

[Sister Chunliu told everyone on set she was delighted to work with me.]

Ming Li had already touched up her lipstick and packed her things.

Even though she was busy fighting off trolls, Hanxing heard enough of the phone call to understand. “Gu Qingshuang is awake?”

Ming Li nodded. “Yeah. I don’t think we’ll be able to finish this meal. Let’s do it another time.”

Zhu Hanxing sighed. “Go on, then.”

Ming Li offered a faint smile and walked out, car keys in hand. Zhu Hanxing stared at her back for a long time.

She watched until her eyes burned—a stinging heat that felt like it might turn into tears.