Wouldn’t This Totally Charm Your Ex-Husband to Death?
Zhuang Fuyao slept straight through to noon. Madam Ji and Old Zhuang had signed up for a European tour group and had gone out to purchase things, so they had no time to mind her. She was woken by the vibration of messages on her phone.
The three of them had drunk themselves into a high the day before, added each other’s contact information, and created a group chat.
While she was still sleeping, the other two were already chatting actively in the group. The more dashing one was called Song Qing. The other one’s name was unknown. Song Qing called her Beiguo[1]“Beiguo” is a nickname. In Chinese, 貝果 (Beiguo) literally means bagel (the bread) and is commonly used as a cute, casual nickname. It is not the character’s formal name. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1565428_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1565428_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
After getting out of bed, she replied in the group with a message: [Just woke up and want to eat someone.jpg]
She rarely blacked out when drinking, so she still remembered everything they had talked about yesterday. One thing was indeed very right. People still needed to have their own careers.
Her creative inspiration over these past years seemed to have stagnated and dried up. Her works were not even as inspired as when she was in university. After spending money to hold art exhibitions for many years with little result, she had simply given up and gone slack. So now, although Zhuang Fuyao carried the title of “artist,” in essence, she was a genuine wealthy idler. Her daily routine consisted of shopping, drinking afternoon tea, and doing beauty treatments with other wealthy wives.
But the soul inside Zhuang Fuyao’s body now was her twenty-two-year-old self, an age full of passion and vitality. She did not want to start living a retirement-style life so early.
She spent a week visiting stores and conducting market research. In the end, it was Bagel’s Moments posts that gave her inspiration.
Bagel had posted a set of photos in an ancient-style aesthetic, which sparked in her the idea of opening a Chinese-style restaurant.
In recent years, there had been no shortage of restaurants with antique-style decor, but the dishes were still the same old fare. This time, she wanted to start with scene construction. The interior design, makeup, hairstyles, and clothing would all imitate ancient styles. She would not serve home-style dishes, only non-heritage cuisine that required complicated processes.
This could be considered, to some extent, turning an interest into a profession.
Once the direction was set, she began looking for a location. It just so happened that an owner of a film and television city was transferring its operating rights.
It was a small film and television city in the suburbs. Due to limited scenes, it had been operating at a loss for many years. If she took it over now, the approval procedures would not be difficult, and there was no need to worry about the price.
It was no exaggeration to say that what she lacked the least right now was money.
After hearing her idea, both Ji Lan and Zhuang Shaoping were extremely supportive. One wanted to transfer her private savings to her, and the other wanted to transfer his accumulated retirement funds to her.
Ji Lan had been in the entertainment industry for many years and had won several Best Actress awards. Her film fees, along with various miscellaneous investments, were extremely considerable.
As for Zhuang Shaoping, before retirement, he had been a high school principal. Although he could not compare to Ji Lan, his assets were still very substantial by ordinary standards.
Zhuang Fuyao smiled and shook her head. “Alright, I really don’t lack money. If I ever do fall short, I’ll definitely come to you.”
After finishing the discussion about starting a business, Madam Ji asked, “How did things go with Xiao Qin? I didn’t get the chance to ask you last time.”
Zhuang Fuyao thought to herself, we didn’t even add each other on WeChat. How was there anything to talk about?
But she did not dare say that in front of Madam Ji. After brushing it off with a few words, she hung up the call.
At that moment, a message popped up at the top of the screen: [Miss Zhuang, would you like to go watch a movie tomorrow?]
There was no remark, only a username that read “Green Waters and Lush Mountains.”
Zhuang Fuyao looked baffled and asked who it was.
[Qin Zhenglin 😊]
Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.
After transmigrating, she had been taught the hidden meanings of many emojis. She could no longer look directly at this expression.
She had not expected that Qin Zhenglin was already on her friends list. However, she had no feelings for Qin Zhenglin. Going on the blind date had only been a momentary whim to satisfy her curiosity.
In order not to waste anyone’s time, she felt it was still necessary to give a formal reply: [Sorry, Mr. Qin. Actually, the last blind date was not my personal intention. I don’t have plans to remarry for the time being, and having children is not part of my future plans either. You are an excellent person and will definitely find someone more suitable for you.]
She phrased it politely, but adults should all be able to tell that this was a clear rejection.
…
In fact, after finishing the blind date with Zhuang Fuyao, Qin Zhenglin had met five other blind date partners, but none of them were very satisfactory.
Those who were younger did not have good economic conditions. Qin Zhenglin felt that type was clearly after his money, and might even use his inheritance to keep a young lover after he passed away.
As for those around his own age, most of them were also divorced. In short, after looking around, he still felt that Zhuang Fuyao was the best.
Unable to make up his mind, he went to consult a friend.
After seeing Zhuang Fuyao’s photo, his friend was stunned and said that he did not know how fortunate he was. “With her conditions, and with a child who doesn’t need you to support, does having a child even matter? On the contrary, if you miss this chance, there won’t be another.”
People were sometimes just that easily influenced by their friends’ thinking.
Over the past few days, when Qin Zhenglin thought of her, he also felt faint, intermittent stirrings in his heart. Their last meeting had been hurried, with no follow-up at all.
That was when he decided to take the initiative and invite her to watch a movie.
So what did her reply mean?
His friend had said that blind dating was, in a sense, a kind of business negotiation.
Was she saying this to negotiate terms with him?
After thinking it over for a while, Qin Zhenglin replied: [Miss Zhuang, I don’t mind that you have a child. Although I’ve never been a father, I can learn. I’m confident that after we get married, I can be a good stepfather to your child.]
“……”
Zhuang Fuyao could not understand his seemingly self-indulgent train of thought. She was also worried that continuing to argue back and forth would be misunderstood as “playing hard to get.”
She swiped left on her chat window with Qin Zhenglin and tapped “Do Not Display,” deciding that out of sight was out of mind.
*
After signing the transfer contract for the film and television city and completing a series of approval procedures, renovation could begin.
Zhuang Fuyao chose a recent auspicious date to start construction.
Renovation was a major matter. She was not at ease leaving everything entirely to the construction team and needed to keep a close eye on things herself. This brought up the issue of where to live.
The place she currently lived was too far from the film and television city, and the commute would waste too much time. Renting a place, on the other hand, made it hard to find something suitable on short notice.
When the three-person group went out to hang out, Song Qing heard her troubles and suddenly asked, “Does your ex-husband have a house near there?”
“The place he lives now is quite close to the film and television city.”
“Then you can rent his place.”
“That’s not very suitable…”
The words had barely left her mouth when Zhuang Fuyao reacted.
What was unsuitable about it? It wasn’t like she wouldn’t pay rent. There was simply no better idea than this.
Not only would it solve the housing problem, but it would also let her live together with Liang Huaixu. Seeing each other every day, would there really be no chance for old feelings to rekindle?
She immediately called Liang Huaixu.
Liang Huaixu pondered for a moment.
Zhuang Fuyao wanted to rent his place. He would not go so far as to refuse, it was just that—
“The only place I have in Jiang City that’s close to the film and television city is the one at Boya Bay, but I’m currently living there myself.”
“I’ll only take one room. I’ll pay double the rent and definitely won’t disturb you,” Zhuang Fuyao thought he was unwilling. “Since when did you become this stingy?”
When she called, Liang Huaixu had just arrived at the conference room. A whole table of people was waiting for him to discuss a bidding project worth tens of billions, and on the phone, he was being called stingy by his ex-wife.
A layer of helplessness surfaced between Liang Huaixu’s brows. “That’s not what I mean.”
Whenever Zhuang Fuyao spoke to him, she unconsciously slipped into how things used to be. At this moment, she was already a little angry.
“Then what do you mean? You don’t want to rent the place to me? Or you think I’ll affect you?”
It had been a long time since Liang Huaixu had heard her lose her temper at him. The familiar feeling left him momentarily dazed. “It’s nothing. If you think living at Boya Bay is convenient, you can move in anytime.”
Zhuang Fuyao said coldly, “Oh.”
Liang Huaixu wanted to say something more, but there was a “beep,” and the call was hung up.
……
With her goal achieved, Zhuang Fuyao continued shopping with her sisters.
The three of them walk together in completely different styles. Song Qing favored a Maillard-style outfit, Shu Run was a forest-style sweet girl, and Zhuang Fuyao wore something straight from her wardrobe. Compared to them, she looked much more like a wealthy madam.
She actually did not like this kind of style very much. Since everyone happened to be free today, she went to buy some new clothes.
After shopping, when they passed by a cosmetics store, Shu Run stared at Zhuang Fuyao for a while.
Zhuang Fuyao smiled. “What are you looking at?”
Shu Run said, “Sister, I always thought you were wearing makeup before. Looking at you today, I realized you’re actually just wearing lipstick.”
Song Qing also leaned over to take a look. “If Beiguo hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t have noticed either. Another day of envying people with strong features.”
Hearing their conversation, the sales assistant came over with good timing and promoted enthusiastically. “Hello, miss. Our store is running a promotion. With any purchase, you can enjoy one free private custom makeup session.”
Both Song Qing and Shu Run wanted to see what Zhuang Fuyao would look like with full makeup. “Try it~”
Zhuang Fuyao could not resist the two of them acting cute and laughed. “Alright.”
As she watched the makeup artist work on her face, she also observed and learned.
When she was in university, she had worn makeup for a period of time as well, but back then, the popular makeup styles were all very heavy. On her face, they looked overly flamboyant. After the novelty wore off, she felt that just wearing lipstick looked better.
This era was different. Makeup techniques and styles were far more diverse. A good makeup artist knew how to discover beauty and amplify it. Once the result came out, Song Qing and Shu Run praised her nonstop.
After she finished selecting cosmetics and walked out of the store, Beiguo was still saying, “This is even more star-like than celebrities!”
Zhuang Fuyao also felt it was quite amazing. They were all just colors applied to the face, yet makeup nowadays simply looked better than before.
“Beiguo, please restrain yourself. You people who are obsessed with looks are really hopeless,” Song Qing said with a deliberately serious expression. Then she turned around and hugged Zhuang Fuyao. “Ahhh, you’re really so beautiful!”
Shu Run: “……”
Song Qing said without exaggeration, “On the day you move, you absolutely have to do a full face of makeup. Wouldn’t this totally charm your ex-husband to death?”
*
In the 1960s and 1970s of the last century, the Liang family went abroad to develop, leaving only a small portion of their assets in the country.
It was not until Liang Huaixu took over the domestic business that the core industries began to shift back. The Liang family’s strategy for the next hundred years was all focused on returning to develop domestically.
Liang Huaixu had cultivated trusted aides to help him handle the group’s affairs, but the group’s matters were intricate and complicated. Many decisions still required his final approval. Therefore, aside from returning to the university once a week to teach, he spent most of his time working at Changting Group.
Today was an extremely ordinary workday, yet the secretarial office noticed something slightly unusual.
Secretary Cheng was called into the president’s office. When she came out, her expression was strange. She shook her head in disbelief. “Let me tell you, it’s too strange.”
“The moment I went in, President Liang praised my taste. I even thought President Liang was hinting that my work attire was inappropriate.” At the crucial moment, she leisurely took a sip of water.
The others were anxious. “Sister Cheng!”
“What’s the rush?” After finishing her water, Secretary Cheng smiled mysteriously. “Turns out he asked me to go pick out bed linen sets and other household items. I asked what style he wanted. President Liang said he wasn’t sure either, only that the other party was female, and to get several sets of every style.”
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath. They all knew that President Liang had divorced five years ago. Given the current situation, could Changting be welcoming a new Madam?
They mulled it over and felt it was highly likely.
If it were a relative or something like that, these kinds of household items could simply be arranged by the aunts at home. There would be no need to involve an executive secretary.
Someone beside them said, “According to reliable information, President Liang took a phone call during a meeting a few days ago. That tone was also very suspicious.”
“Really?!” They asked Secretary Cheng.
No one knew the boss’s gossip better than the secretarial office.
Since this matter had already spread and was no longer a secret, Secretary Cheng thought for a moment and said, “…It was probably that kind of tone that was indulgent, helpless, and slightly frustrated at the same time.”
“Wow~~”
They actually preferred discussing entertainment industry gossip. They did not care that much about their leader’s private life. There were several vice presidents under President Liang, and they could not be bothered to inquire about them.
But President Liang was an exception.
On the one hand, as the top authority at Changting, President Liang was always special in the eyes of the employees.
On the other hand, they looked at faces.
Privately, they described President Liang as having a movie star’s face, a male model’s physique, and the bearing of an official.
And all these years, President Liang had always been alone. He never brought a female companion, even when attending events.
They were extremely curious about President Liang’s love life and very eager to gossip about it.
After work, Liang Huaixu brought the items Secretary Cheng had purchased back home.
He had originally planned to personally tidy up Zhuang Fuyao’s room, but he suddenly received news that Old Madam Liang was unwell and needed to go to the United Kingdom. He had no choice but to hand this matter over to Aunt Yuan.
“Clean up the second-floor guest bedroom. Recently, we need to pay extra attention to mosquito prevention at home. Put a few more mosquito-repellent sachets by her bed.”
“When she arrives, if there’s anything else missing, just buy it according to her needs. There’s no need to come ask me specifically.”
“She doesn’t eat cilantro. She prefers sweeter flavors. You can add an appropriate amount of sugar when cooking.”
After giving these instructions, he glanced around. This house had been newly renovated the year before last.
The design adopted the currently popular black, white, and gray minimalist style.
At the time, he had not thought much of it. Looking at it now, he felt that the house was overly cold.
Zhuang Fuyao liked warm color tones. Their previous marital home had also been decorated in warm, cozy colors.
Renovating again was unrealistic at this point. They could only start with decorations. He told Aunt Yuan, “Be more proactive over the next couple of days. Find ways to arrange things and make the house feel warmer.”
Aunt Yuan froze slightly. She had not expected Master to make such a big fuss. This was either a younger relative by blood, or else—
Thinking of this, she immediately became highly alert. “Yes, Master.”
After cleaning through the night, early the next morning, she took several other aunts out to shop.
“How to make a house feel warmer” was an open-ended question.
They brainstormed together and decided to start from the details, arranging it as if it were their own home. First, they ordered many green plants and fresh flowers, then bought tablecloths, throw pillows, and even prepared refrigerator magnets.
Once everything was arranged, the same house gave off a completely different feeling, transforming from cold luxury into warm liveliness.
Everything was ready. All that remained was to tidy up the room.
When Aunt Yuan took the freshly washed and dried bedding sets and prepared to go upstairs, she suddenly asked uncertainly, “Yesterday, which floor’s bedroom did Master tell me to clean up?”
The others did not know either. “Sister Yuan, Master spoke to you alone at the time. We were too far away and didn’t hear clearly.”
Aunt Yuan felt embarrassed to ask her Master about such a thing, so she could only reason it out step by step.
She recalled that Master had originally planned to personally tidy up the bedroom.
And this level of treatment was something even Young Master Chaoluo did not receive.
So it was unlikely to be a younger relative by blood.
If it was not a younger relative…
Then perhaps she should go clean up the third-floor room?
References[+]