5 – Shock
Chi Wanwan changed her clothes, grabbed her handbag, and stepped out of the house in a pair of black high heels.
She stood at the entrance of the residential complex for a moment before spotting a dark green Mini Cooper slowly pulling up in front of her.
It was Xu Xinyi’s car. The passenger-side window rolled down.
Xu Xinyi called out from behind the window, “Wanwan, get in.”
Chi Wanwan opened the passenger door, bent down, and slid into the seat.
“Xinyi, when did you get back? Did you finish filming?” Chi Wanwan turned her head to look at Xu Xinyi and asked.
“Finished. I just got back early yesterday morning, and here I am, coming to see you today.” Xu Xinyi kept her eyes on the road, turning the steering wheel. “Hey, enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What’s up? Did you finally come around and find yourself a sugar daddy?”
In the capital city, where land was worth its weight in gold, Yingcui Huating in the city center had an opening price that broke into six figures per square meter.
With Chi Wanwan’s financial situation, she couldn’t even afford to rent there.
“There’s no sugar daddy.” Chi Wanwan paused, then said slowly, “I got married…”
The car let out a sharp screech of brakes. Xu Xinyi was so shocked she nearly drove the car into the greenery by the roadside.
Chi Wanwan leaned forward, worried. “Xinyi, focus on the road. Maybe I should drive?”
“No need, I can drive.” Xu Xinyi took a deep breath. “Wanwan, did I hear that right? You said you got married?”
“You heard right. I did say I got married.”
“Wanwan, we’ve known each other for eight years. And you got married without inviting me?”
Xu Xinyi was both shocked and furious. She had always considered Chi Wanwan her best friend, and yet Chi Wanwan hadn’t even told her about getting married?
How was that acceptable?!
“Xinyi, let me explain. It’s a bit complicated.”
“Fine, I’ll listen to your excuse.”
Afraid that Xu Xinyi would get distracted again, Chi Wanwan said, “Let’s talk about it once we sit down.”
Xu Xinyi pressed her lips together tightly and stepped harder on the gas.
Even without words, Chi Wanwan could tell that Xinyi was angry with her.
The car turned into a parking lot. This place was familiar to Chi Wanwan—it was the Sichuan hotpot restaurant they often visited.
After parking, the two walked in with practiced ease, sat down by the window, and ordered some of their usual dishes.
Xu Xinyi crossed her arms over her chest and said, “Alright, go ahead and start your excuse.”
“I told you before that my grandfather once saved a comrade’s life on the battlefield. Because of that, the two families agreed to a marriage arrangement. The day before yesterday… I went to meet Grandpa Shen’s grandson.”
“Oh my god, you can’t be that reckless. You just met him for a blind date the day before yesterday, and you went and got the marriage certificate with him within two days?”
After hearing Chi Wanwan’s explanation, Xu Xinyi’s anger subsided a little. As close friends for years, there were no secrets between them.
She had heard Chi Wanwan mention the marriage arrangement their grandfathers had wanted to make.
“He…” Chi Wanwan thought for a moment. “He’s decent-looking. My type.”
Well, for now, Chi Wanwan couldn’t think of any other good qualities about Shen Yu.
Or rather, she hadn’t discovered any yet.
On the day they got their marriage certificate, Shen Yu had flown abroad. With him not even around, how could she get to know him?
“Seriously, Chi Wanwan, I never realized you were such a looks person before.”
Xu Xinyi frowned. “There are plenty of handsome men in the entertainment industry, you know? You could just pick any male celebrity to date.”
Chi Wanwan propped her chin on her elbow and blinked at her friend. “Like who, for example?”
“Like… Li Mu, for instance.”
“Every time he films a drama, he invites female fans over.”
What he did with those fans went without saying—Chi Wanwan didn’t need to spell it out.
“Oh, forget Li Mu then. What about Chen Minghui?”
“The tabloids say he changes girlfriends more often than ordinary people change clothes.”
Xu Xinyi was left speechless. Indeed, the entertainment industry was a big dye vat—it was hard to tell who was human and who was a ghost.
Some who paraded their pure and innocent image actually had several sugar daddies behind the scenes.
Chi Wanwan took the red marriage certificate out of her bag, opened the cover, and handed it to Xu Xinyi.
“Here, this is Shen Yu.” Chi Wanwan’s eyes curved into crescents. Although she had no feelings for Shen Yu, she was still satisfied with this marriage.
Xu Xinyi looked at the photo on the marriage certificate and widened her eyes in surprise, then laughed. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said you were hasty. I should have moved the marriage registry office right in front of you the day before yesterday and made you two get married on the spot!”
In the photo, the man was steady and cool, while the woman was gentle and beautiful.
They really did look like a perfectly matched couple.
“Hahaha…”
What Xu Xinyi said was quite amusing, and Chi Wanwan covered her mouth with a few giggles.
Their hot pot base and side dishes were all brought to the table. Once everything was out in the open, they started cooking their hot pot and eating.
Chi Wanwan was overwhelmed by the spiciness—she actually couldn’t handle spicy food very well, but she loved the way chili stimulated her taste buds.
It was the classic case of being bad at something yet stubbornly insisting on doing it anyway.
She took a sip of iced cola to slightly ease the burning sensation in her mouth.
Chi Wanwan spoke up. “But honestly, what I did was a bit impulsive. My family doesn’t even know yet.”
Xu Xinyi gave her a thumbs up. “Sister, you’re truly brave!”
Thinking about how Chi Wanwan’s parents were also kept in the dark, the anger in Xu Xinyi’s heart completely dissipated at that moment.
“It’s better to tell them in person. Since tomorrow is the weekend, I’m planning to go home and talk to them then.” Chi Wanwan said softly.
The night before they got the certificate, Chi Wanwan had called and asked her mother for her opinion, and her mother had approved of her being with Shen Yu.
“That works too.” Xu Xinyi scooped up a few pieces of shrimp paste and placed them in Chi Wanwan’s bowl. “The shrimp paste you love—eat more.”
“Mhm mhm.” Chi Wanwan stuffed the shrimp paste into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out.
After finishing the steaming hot pot, Xu Xinyi saw that it was still early and suggested they find a quiet bar to sit in for a while.
But Chi Wanwan firmly declined. “Give me a break. I just finished moving today—I’m completely exhausted.”
“Alright, we’ll save it for another time. I’ll drive you home.”
The two got into the car, and Xu Xinyi drove her back to the entrance of the residential complex.
After returning home, Chi Wanwan immediately smelled the hot pot base scent lingering on herself.
She quickly grabbed a bath towel and rushed into the bathroom to shower.
Even though she was in a completely unfamiliar environment, the moment Chi Wanwan lay down on the bed, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
She had been busy all day and was utterly worn out.