Ling Wei’s consciousness floated in a haze. She could not feel her breathing, nor her limbs. Everything outside had been swallowed by darkness, without a single glimmer of light. Her thoughts flickered on and off, working at times, falling silent at others.
The experiences of her life drifted through her mind like worn black and white film strips, appearing and disappearing in fragments.
“Carpet star Ling Wei went to Cannes again just to mooch off the red carpet. Look at what she’s wearing, she’s an embarrassment to the country…”
“What carpet star? More like a lying down star. In Director Liu Yu’s film she was just a decorative vase from beginning to end. Who knows how many people she slept with to get that role.”
“No real ability, but quite the attitude. Insider sources say she was half a day late on her very first day on set.”
“Ling Wei is box office poison. Any film that casts her is doomed. Even big name directors can’t escape the curse.”
…
“Xiao Wei, I heard you’re joining Director Liu’s crew. Help me ask if there are any small supporting roles left, we’ve been best friends for so many years. You wouldn’t refuse to help with something this small, right?”
“Don’t ask me. I may be Xiao Wei’s best friend, but there are many things about her private life that even I don’t know.”
…
“Wei, we’ve been together for over ten years. Don’t you trust me? I only love you…”
“Wei, I really can’t take it anymore. I can believe you once, but I can’t keep believing you over and over again.”
…
“Sister Wei, the news reports are already out. Why won’t you believe it? There must be something going on between Ye Zichu and Qi Qi!”
“Sister Wei, if you don’t believe it, hire a private investigator.”
…
“Ye Zichu and Qi Qi were already lovers in high school. After graduating from university, they had a son together. The child’s household registration is under Qi Qi’s brother’s name. He is eight years old this year.”
…
Scene after scene from the past stabbed at her heart like sharp poisoned thorns. Her heart bled, yet she could no longer feel the pain.
She must be dead. Her last memory was that horrific car accident. Several cars crashed into one another in a chain collision, flames roaring into the sky, lighting up the night. She could even smell the nauseating scent of flesh being scorched.
She had been born with a face beautiful enough to arouse envy, yet it ended in such a disfigured death. If the news spread, it would become yet another piece of gossip for onlookers after meals and tea. The ones laughing the loudest would surely be Ye Zichu and Qi Qi.
How unwilling she was. The one who had been hurt met a tragic end, while the ones who caused the harm could rise to fame and live freely and happily.
She truly could not accept it!
The last trace of her consciousness was finally swallowed by endless darkness. In the eternal night, only a thread of resentment and a helpless sigh remained.
On a midsummer afternoon, the heat outside was like a giant steamer. All living things struggled to survive inside it, except for the cicadas in the trees, which seemed especially brazen.
The air conditioner hummed dutifully, producing a low muffled sound. The curtains were drawn tightly, not a ray of light penetrating through. The room lay in dimness.
In her sleep, Ling Wei suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. She sucked in a sharp breath and woke up.
Slowly sitting up, she immediately noticed that the furnishings in the room were both familiar and unfamiliar. She rubbed her eyes and looked again to confirm.
This really was her home. It was the earliest home that Mother Ling had left to her. Later she had moved to a more spacious place, and this old house had been left vacant ever since.
Overwhelming memories surged in and drowned Ling Wei, nearly suffocating her.
Her heart pounded like a drum. Trembling all over, she rolled out of bed and began rummaging through the room in a frenzy. In the end she grabbed the outdated phone on the bedside table and turned it on. The screen lit up brightly in the dim room, and she was stunned by the glaring string of numbers displayed on it.
June 10, 2018…
Judging by the date of her car accident, she had actually gone back ten years?
Was this a dream, or had she been reborn?
Thinking back on everything she had gone through in the following decade, Ling Wei sincerely hoped it had all been a nightmare. But the searing pain of the flames burning her body had felt so real, it could not possibly have been just a dream.
Ling Wei took several deep breaths to calm herself and slowly sorted out her thoughts. She had died in a car accident, then somehow returned to ten years earlier with the memories of the next decade intact. This year she was twenty two, at the peak of youthful beauty, fair skinned and radiant. It was also the year her acting career began to gain momentum, and the year she officially moved in with Ye Zichu.
Ye Zichu!
At the mere thought of that name, her vision darkened with hatred and her chest ached.
Like a blind fool, she had loved that scumbag for ten whole years. Only before her death had she belatedly realized that the sweetness and happiness she believed in had merely been a thin coating of sugar. Beneath that sugar coating lay vicious schemes, deception, and betrayal.
The surging tide of negative emotions pressed down on her until she could hardly breathe. Although she had miraculously come back to life, the excruciating memories from the brink of death still lingered. Even though she had returned to her jade like youthful beauty, her heart was already riddled with scars.
Ling Wei let out a heavy sigh. Whether this was a dream or a rebirth, heaven had ultimately taken pity on her and given her another chance.
She looked again at the date on her phone. It seemed familiar. After thinking carefully, she realized this should be the day after Ye Zichu’s birthday.
Why had she awakened on this particular day? Did it hold some special meaning?
Holding the phone, she sat back down on the bed and lowered her head, trying hard to recall. Many significant events had happened to her that year. She still had some impression of them, but too much time had passed, and she needed time to piece them together.
The previous day had been Ye Zichu’s birthday. She had planned to celebrate with him, but he said he had work and could not make it back.
Ling Wei remembered that at this time Ye Zichu had not officially debuted yet. He only occasionally took on print modeling jobs, and such work was not available every day.
A thought flashed through her mind. Ling Wei clenched her phone tightly, fury bursting from her eyes.
She abruptly stood up and strode to the wardrobe. Without hesitation she picked out a thin white tracksuit and put it on, casually tied her hair into a ponytail, pulled on a baseball cap, then grabbed her phone, wallet, and keys before hurrying out.
Somewhat unfamiliar with the process, she used her phone to call a DiDi. By the time she reached the entrance of the residential complex, the car had just arrived.
It was the hottest time of the day. By the time Ling Wei walked from her building to the gate, she was already drenched in sweat from the sun. After confirming the destination with the driver, she quickly got into the car. The air conditioner was on inside, cool and comfortable.
Her destination was near a sports stadium. Seeing her in athletic wear, the driver assumed she was heading there to exercise. “It’s too hot to work out right now,” he remarked.
Sitting in the back seat and looking down at her phone, Ling Wei replied lightly, “I’m not going to exercise. I’m going to catch someone cheating.”
Driver: …
After that, the driver stopped making small talk. Judging from his flickering gaze, it was obvious he had already imagined an entire melodramatic drama in his head.
Perhaps understanding her urgency to catch the affair in the act, the driver sped up. Before long, they reached the destination.
When Ling Wei got out of the car, the driver raised his right fist in front of him and, with great enthusiasm, cheered her on. “You can do it!”
Ling Wei nodded, feeling that his service attitude was commendable, and casually gave him a five star rating.
The residential complex in front of her was relatively old, housing originally allocated to employees of a certain work unit. Before moving in with her, Ye Zichu had lived here. It was a property left to him by his grandfather. Ling Wei had visited a few times before. She remembered that the lighting inside was not very good, but the area was fairly spacious. After Ye Zichu moved into her home, she never came back here. Not long after they started living together, she heard him say he had sold the place.
Now that she thought about it, whether he had truly sold the apartment or used it to hide a mistress was hard to say.
However, the answer would soon be revealed.
The old residential complex had a high turnover of residents. The security booth was little more than a formality. As Ling Wei walked in, the security guard sat inside his small room fanning himself, not even bothering to look up.
As she walked, Ling Wei called Xiao Ruo. At this time Chen Xiaoruo was still her assistant and had been following her all along. Later she naturally became her manager. Ling Wei trusted her completely.
Xiao Ruo sounded drowsy on the other end, apparently having just woken from an afternoon nap. She sweetly called out, “Sister Wei.”
“I might send you a video in a bit. Don’t make a fuss, and don’t overreact. I’ll explain later,” Ling Wei instructed.
“Huh? Oh… what video?” Xiao Ruo asked in confusion.
“Don’t ask. We’ll talk when we meet.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Ling Wei followed the route from memory and quickly found Ye Zichu’s apartment on the fourth floor. There was no elevator in the building. She climbed up in one go and was slightly out of breath, so she paused to steady her breathing and calm her emotions. Then she opened WeChat on her phone, pulled up her chat window with Xiao Ruo, and opened the camera. Only after everything was ready did she reach for her keys.
Back then, to show intimacy, she had given Ye Zichu a key to her home. In return, he had given her a key to his. However, although Ling Wei had kept the Ye family key on her keychain, she had never once used it.
Today it would finally serve a purpose, to catch him cheating.
The moment she gripped the key and moved to unlock the door, her hand trembled slightly. Old grudges and fresh hatred regarding Ye Zichu surged into her mind. Tension, anger, and resentment intertwined into a smoldering flame that silently enveloped her. Like a phoenix rising from fire, she clutched the key of revenge, waiting for the explosive moment when the door would open.
The door was not locked from the inside. She was certain Ye Zichu had to be in there.
However, after opening the door, the emotions she had carefully built up had no chance to erupt. The apartment was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.
Ling Wei froze in place, somewhat dazed as she surveyed the dimly lit living room. Finally, her gaze settled on the half closed door of the master bedroom.
This time she did not hesitate. Striding forward, she pushed the door open in one swift motion. A blast of cold air hit her face. The coolness against her exposed skin instantly raised goosebumps.
The bedroom was just as dim as the living room, yet the scene inside was clearly visible. The two people on the bed were taking a nap, covered with a thin air conditioning quilt, holding each other intimately.
It was as if an invisible hand had slapped Ling Wei hard across the face. From her cheeks to her heart, everything burned with pain.
The faintly smoldering fire in her chest suddenly exploded. Pressing her lips together, she stepped forward and immediately raised her phone, recording the people on the bed. Then she yanked away the light quilt and tossed it into the corner of the wall. Two naked bodies were instantly exposed before her eyes, a truly jarring sight. Narrowing her eyes, she stood by the bed and recorded another clip from above.
Both people on the bed woke up at the same time. Qi Qi screamed and sat up, but the moment she saw Ling Wei clearly, she abruptly cut off her own scream. Flustered, she scrambled to find something to cover herself with, while casting pleading glances at Ye Zichu.
Unfortunately, Ye Zichu was also stunned and in no state to help her.
Tilting his head back, face drained of color, he shouted, “Stop filming! Stop filming! It’s not what you think, listen to my explanation!” As he spoke, he tried to get up and snatch the phone.
Ling Wei barked, “Don’t move. I’m recording through WeChat. If you dare move even a little, I’ll send this video to the class group immediately.”
The threat worked instantly. Ye Zichu froze stiffly on the bed, not daring to make another move.
Ling Wei glanced at the trembling Qi Qi, then at the panicked Ye Zichu, and let out a cold snort. In a few quick steps she walked to the wardrobe and flung it open. Inside, it was crammed full of women’s clothes.
Just as she had expected, Qi Qi had already moved in and was living here with Ye Zichu.
Author’s note: This is a pseudo sugar daddy story.