Zhongli Shi pricked up her ears to listen, but finding the business talk boring, she closed her book. “Sister Ming, now that you’ve divorced… what’s-her-name… is the company your personal property or the Gu family’s?”
“Half and half,” Ming Li answered honestly, without elaborating.
Zhongli Shi sighed. “You were doing so well together. Why did you divorce?”
Zhongli Shu glared at her and reached down to pinch her arm.
Zhongli Shi immediately added, “You don’t have to answer! I was just thinking out loud.”
Ming Li gave a gentle smile, said it was fine, and returned to her seat.
Zhongli Shi whispered, “Is she mad?”
“You have no manners,” Zhongli Shu said coldly. “Apologize before we land.”
“It was an accident!” Zhongli Shi tried to defend herself, but she withered under her sister’s gaze.
Before the plane could even take off, she went to Ming Li to apologize. Ming Li was genuinely surprised. Zhongli Shi’s words hadn’t upset her; after her family’s bankruptcy, she had heard far worse. This was nothing. But the fact that she came to apologize showed the Zhongli family had raised her well.
Ming Li didn’t take it to heart. Instead, she started a conversation about the book Zhongli Shi was reading. The younger girl was stunned for a second, then launched into a passionate discussion, treating every book by “Snowy Mountain” like a precious treasure.
Zhu Hanxing, sitting nearby, listened in. She didn’t recognize the name at first, but she knew Night Walker. Her manager had just sent her the script for it, though she hadn’t had time to read it yet. Deep down, she still wanted to do the film for Geek, but since she hadn’t been chosen, what could she do? In her manager’s words: keep filming, and opportunities will come. The entertainment industry was a small circle.
When Hanxing asked about Night Walker, Ming Li knew nothing, but Zhongli Shi knew everything. She spent the flight dissecting its strengths and weaknesses with Hanxing. At one point, she sighed, “The author’s mental state was a bit rough when she wrote that. She was affected by some personal stuff, otherwise it could have been even better.”
She sounded as if she were personally close to the author. Then again, being such a hardcore fan, it made sense.
The group chatted like old friends the entire way. Before deplaning, Zhongli Shi and Zhu Hanxing even exchanged WeChat contacts.
After parting ways, Hanxing whispered to Ming Li, “Are those two ‘Elite Young Misses’?”
“Essentially,” Ming Li said. “You know Huajing Plaza? That belongs to their family.”
Hanxing whistled. “They really are loaded.”
With the trip over, Ming Li’s life returned to its usual rhythm. However, the following day, she received a sudden call from Gu Fei.
Gu Fei mentioned that the Matriarch was planning a family banquet. It was likely the occasion where the new leader of the Gu Group would be announced. Currently, the internal power struggle was becoming a bloodbath, and the Matriarch wanted to end the farce while she still had the strength.
Ming Li had completely severed ties with the Gu family, so this had nothing to do with her. She listened idly, but it became clear Gu Fei had an ulterior motive. After a lot of circling around the point, Ming Li cut to the chase. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Gu Fei paused. “Have you seen Shuangshuang since the divorce?”
“No,” Ming Li said.
Gu Qingshuang was indeed a woman of her word—or perhaps Ming Li was truly just a contract partner whose role had ended. Since the divorce, they hadn’t spoken a word.
Gu Fei let out a visible sigh of relief. “Did she say anything to you when you split?”
“No.” Ming Li didn’t understand the line of questioning.
“Oh.”
“Is there something you need to tell me?” Ming Li’s intuition flared.
“Are you free tomorrow?” Gu Fei asked softly. “There are some things I want to say to you in person.”
Ming Li checked her schedule, and they agreed on a time and place. For some reason, Ming Li felt a sense of looming danger. But she didn’t push Gu Fei for answers.
Curiously, as if she had a monitor installed on Ming Li, Gu Qingshuang sent a message that very night: Are you there?
Ming Li wanted to reply with a string of ellipses. That kind of greeting was incredibly awkward. But she replied: I am.
Gu Qingshuang: Busy?
Ming Li: Not really. Something the matter?
Gu Qingshuang: How much do you know about Gu Fei planning to embezzle funds and flee the country?
Ming Li: …
The question came out of nowhere, catching Ming Li completely off guard. Fortunately, it was a text message; if Gu Qingshuang had been standing in front of her, she would have seen Ming Li’s flustered expression.
Ming Li feigned ignorance: What? Gu Fei is fleeing the country? With how much money?
Gu Qingshuang: …
A moment later, Gu Qingshuang called. Her voice was solemn. “You really didn’t know?”
“Should I have?” Ming Li shot back.
Gu Qingshuang fell silent. She was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window of a cold room. “Don’t get involved in Gu Fei’s affairs. It’s complicated.”
“I have nothing to do with the Gu family anymore,” Ming Li said. “Complicated or not, it has nothing to do with me.”
Plainly put, the Gu family’s relationships were the mess.
Gu Qingshuang suddenly asked, “Do you like her?”
Ming Li frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Gu Qingshuang let out a soft breath. “So you don’t.”
“Have you been drinking?” Ming Li felt the woman was talking in circles.
“No,” Gu Qingshuang said. “Ming Li, I fixed that string of beads you gave me. I can explain the story behind them now.”
Ming Li froze, unsure of what Gu Qingshuang’s angle was. After a beat, Gu Qingshuang’s voice turned low and heavy. “How have you been lately?”
Confused, Ming Li answered honestly. “Quite well.”
Gu Qingshuang stood in the shadows, letting the wind hit her, her expression unreadable.
Because she… had been doing quite poorly.
