Chapter 6、Played so quickly?

The divorce agreement on the coffee table still remained unsigned. She couldn't understand why Chu Yuxuan was so resolute, with not a trace of reluctance. Moreover, he insisted on leaving with nothing—no property, no money.

It seemed she had truly broken his heart, she thought.

Before long, Gao Ning, who had been out shopping with Xia's mother all morning, returned home. She placed the fruits she was carrying on the shoe cabinet and said while changing her shoes, "Auntie went to play mahjong with her friends. She asked me to come back and keep you company."

"Mm..." Xia Zhu softly responded.

Gao Ning sat on the sofa, glanced at the divorce agreement on the coffee table, and noticed that Xia Zhu seemed to be in low spirits. In a gentle voice, she asked, "Xiao Zhuzi, what's wrong? You're not...thinking about him, are you?"

Feeling a bit guilty, Xia Zhu forced a smile and said, "No... I was just thinking about work. You've probably heard, right? The Zhao family is in trouble. Our company is under the Zhao family's control. Although it hasn't been greatly affected, I've heard that the company's boss might be changing. I don't know who it is or if they'll be easy to get along with. Given all the recent controversies, I'm worried they might give me a hard time."

"Don't stress over these things," Gao Ning said, holding Xia Zhu's hand with a gentle smile. "Worst-case scenario, we break the contract. I'll have someone file a lawsuit."

"Ning-ge, you know me. Acting is my dream. I won't leave the industry unless I absolutely have to."

Gao Ning's lips moved slightly. "I just don't want to see you suffer... I know how much your dream means to you. You used to tell me everything. Even during those three years when you were abroad, you treated my WeChat like a diary and a trash bin. I saw all your messages, but back then, I wanted you to forget about me, so I didn't reply... You have no idea how much I wished I could have been there with you every time you poured your heart out to me."

Gao Ning's words were just the right amount of sentimental, making it hard to feel disgusted; instead, they conveyed a deep and genuine affection.

Xia Zhu blushed, remembering how she had often treated that top contact as a diary, sometimes using it as a place to vent her frustrations. A sense of embarrassment welled up inside her.

Suddenly, as if a thought struck her, she grabbed Gao Ning's arm and asked, "Ning-ge, a year ago, I was just a small-time actress struggling to get noticed. I remember I finally got a chance but then got replaced. That night, I drank a lot and poured out my feelings to you on WeChat... Not long after that, Director Wang Long, who's quite famous in the industry, contacted me and offered me a lead role. I won the Best Actress award because of that role and shot to fame... I've always wondered why Director Wang would choose me. I asked him, but he never said. Now that I think about it, was it you who helped me from behind the scenes?"

Considering Gao Ning's wealthy background, it wouldn't be surprising if he knew the renowned director. Moreover, given the situation at that time, Gao Ning might have wanted Xia Zhu to be unaware of his assistance. Everything made sense now!

Gao Ning hesitated for a moment before smiling. "Xiao Zhuzi, I didn't want you to know about this..."

Xia Zhu's eyes welled up with tears, and she lightly slapped his arm, playfully scolding, "You're always so silly! Don't do that again in the future!"

...

At noon, the wedding at Phoenix Manor started right on time.

As the saying goes, "clothes make the man." Chu Yuxuan, already handsome with a height of 183 cm and a well-proportioned physique, had legs that were particularly striking. After being meticulously dressed and donning a brand-name outfit, he became the center of attention among the guests.

The Western-style wedding was simple and devoid of complicated procedures. Friends and family gathered on the lawn by the lakeside. The musicians were dressed in uniform formal wear, seated by the lake in a row, with their cellos and violins by their feet. In the chilly wind, they kept rubbing their hands to avoid stiff fingers that might cause them to play out of tune.

Once everything was ready, the bride finally made her appearance.

The title of the most beautiful woman in Jiangcheng was well-deserved—

Her skin, smoother than the white wedding dress she wore, was as flawless as jade. Her wine-red hair cascaded down in soft waves, giving her a somewhat languid and rebellious look. Her expression was cold as ice, her eyebrows more like narrow blades than willow leaves. Her hazel eyes, hidden beneath long lashes, were distant and cold but concealed a hint of sorrow, deeply buried beneath her icy exterior. Her high and narrow nose exuded elegance tinged with aloofness, and her rose-colored lips were tightly pressed, giving her snow-like complexion a faint pallor.

Her waist was slender, her legs were long and graceful, and her swan-like neck bore a pair of undulating peaks.

All the guests, male and female alike, were captivated by her beauty. Even Chu Yuxuan, who had earlier boasted in front of his father that he wasn't interested in women, couldn't take his eyes off her, especially as he stared at her ample bosom. He couldn't help but mutter, "That's quite the... asset. She's bound to be a good mother."

Zhao Yanan stepped onto the stage and, noticing the lecherous look in Chu Yuxuan's eyes, couldn't help but feel a twinge of disdain.

How tragic it was that a dignified daughter of a prominent family had to marry a b*st*rd child?

Not that she particularly cared about his status. After all, it was a loveless marriage, a three-year charade for appearances' sake, so who she married didn't really matter.

But Zhao Yanan had done some investigating into Chu Yuxuan's past and discovered that he had been "off the radar" for over seven years, which led her to suspect—had he been in prison for some crime?

As the illegitimate child of Chu Zhijiang's mistress, he had been looked down upon his entire life. After middle school, his mother was heartlessly abandoned by Chu Zhijiang, and she had to raise him alone. Given such circumstances, it would be understandable if his psyche had become twisted.

If he turned out to be a despicable scoundrel, wouldn't that mean she was doomed to a life of misery?

The more Zhao Yanan thought about it, the more troubled she became. But now that things had reached this point, there was nothing she could do, no matter how unwilling she was.

The elderly priest with graying hair recited a short invocation before proceeding with the usual ceremony, asking if both parties were willing to marry each other, followed by the exchange of rings.

However, after asking three times, "Mr. Chu Yuxuan, do you take this woman to be your wife, to love her, to be faithful to her, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" Chu Yuxuan simply smiled without answering.

Sensing the awkwardness, Zhao Yanan finally looked at Chu Yuxuan, her eyes filled with confusion.

Chu Yuxuan smirked and turned to the priest, saying playfully, "Old man, I just don't get it. Why do you foreigners have to be so somber with your words? This is supposed to be a joyous occasion, but you keep talking about sickness and death. Let me ask you, if your wife died, would you still marry her? In our country, that's called a ghost marriage, you know?"

The entire audience fell silent...

Zhao Yanan's mouth twitched as she wished she could just disappear.

The priest, dumbfounded, stammered, "What I meant was... until death, not that she's going to die right now!"

"See? There you go again, talking about death! Are you people in this line of work always hoping for someone to die? What's your monthly death quota? How's your performance evaluated? Is the commission good?"

The priest, trembling, made the sign of the cross over his chest. "Lord, please forgive this young man..."

The guests below started to murmur among themselves. Who would have thought that the son of the mighty Chu family would be so lacking in manners? To make a scene like this in public—how could Chu Zhijiang hold his head up after this?

At this moment, while Chu Zhijiang maintained a stern expression, inwardly he was laughing, thinking, "You little rascal, already putting on an act?"