Chapter 13: Subs…titute

Meng Ying couldn’t find Xu Dian, so she drove home. By the time she got back, it was late. She grabbed a magazine and placed it on the bedside table. Afterward, she went to take a shower. When she came out, she stretched and lay down. After a whole day’s work, she was exhausted. But her dreams were restless, filled with images of two people in a mirror, both looking identical.

Then one of them suddenly ripped off their face, revealing white bones underneath. Meng Ying was startled awake, and when she opened her eyes, it was already dawn. The sound of water dripping could be heard outside. She moved to the side of the bed, put on her shoes, and threw open the window. Fresh air rushed in.

Her phone on the bedside table rang. She turned and answered. It was Liu Qin, who reminded her, “The ‘Insterstellar’ production team is having a meeting today. Are you awake?”

“I’m up.” Meng Ying opened the wardrobe and started looking for clothes.

Liu Qin sighed with relief. “Alright, I’ve bought breakfast. The company car will pick you up soon. Get ready.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Meng Ying casually placed the phone down. It accidentally bumped against the table, but she paused and stared at the phone for a few seconds.

Xu Dian.

He didn’t return her call.

Was he really busy last night?

She thought he must have been.

She stood up straight, grabbed her clothes, and went to the bathroom. She washed up, did her makeup, and when she was ready, she came out and adjusted her clothes. She chose a pair of jeans with a black top, a V-neck, added a hat and mask, and grabbed a small bag. Inside the bag was a tablet containing the original novel of Interstellar.

Inside the elevator, she still felt a little tired and lazily leaned against the wall.

When the elevator reached the first floor, she saw the car waiting outside the building. She walked over, opened the door, and got in. The smell of breakfast filled the car, and Liu Qin handed it to her with a click of her tongue.

Meng Ying took the food, removed her mask, and started eating.

Liu Qin spoke from behind, “The Interstellar contract came. The company has stamped it. You just need to sign it, and the pay is great. You can buy another house now.”

Meng Ying smiled, chewing on some dumplings. “Great.”

After finishing breakfast, she rinsed her mouth, used a breath freshener, and applied lipstick. By the time she finished, the car had reached the building’s entrance. The meeting for Starship was scheduled at the place of the last audition, which was part of the Huaying company’s property. As they saw the stairs of the building, both Meng Ying and Liu Qin thought of the woman who had had a miscarriage, but whose face they never saw.

They entered the building and instinctively avoided that spot. Liu Qin suddenly remembered something and grabbed Meng Ying’s hand, smiling, “By the way, I heard that Senior Gu will also be starring in Interstellar, and he’ll be the male lead. You two will be in the same crew again.”

Meng Ying paused for a moment, then smiled, “That’s great.”

Just then, her phone rang. It was a message from Gu Yan.

Gu Yan: I can’t attend the meeting today. Can you take my place?

Meng Ying: Do you want me to copy your ideas for you?

Gu Yan: Sure.

Meng Ying smiled, put the phone away, and got out of the elevator. Interstellar had quickly assembled the cast, most of whom were big names or seasoned actors. As soon as she stepped off the elevator, she ran into them and greeted each one humbly.

They were all quite easygoing.

After chatting briefly, the assistant director came out to call everyone in. In the large conference room, one by one, the actors entered. Meng Ying walked behind, and Liu Qin, seeing so many big names, nearly fainted from excitement.

She could barely resist the urge to rush over and ask for WeChat, contact details, or even an autograph. She mumbled, “This movie is definitely going to be a hit, for sure. Yang Tong is so enviable, having all these big names supporting her. She’ll probably win the Best Actress in a couple of years, right? Damn, Huaying really favors her.”

Lately, Meng Ying had been somewhat overshadowing Yang Tong, and her emotions had been much smoother. She had stopped thinking about such issues as much. Liu Qin’s words reminded her, yes, right now, it seemed like their popularity was on par. If Interstellar succeeded, Yang Tong would climb another level that Meng Ying wouldn’t be able to reach.

From then on, there would be no more comparisons between them, because there would be no competition—different positions in the industry.

Meng Ying smiled bitterly, refocused her mind, and walked into the conference room.

The seats were arranged according to the roles. She sat in the fourth position. After she settled down, an older veteran actor asked, “Why haven’t the female lead and male lead arrived yet?”

Director Liu chuckled and said, “Yang Tong is almost here, but she’s stuck in traffic. As for Gu Yan, you might want to ask Meng Ying.”

Instantly, everyone’s eyes turned to Meng Ying. Feeling a bit helpless, she officially responded, “Gu Yan went to Paris today.”

“Oh, I see. Looks like we needed to ask you to know,” everyone said, laughing and breaking the tension. The atmosphere became light. At that moment, a man with his hands in his pockets, holding a cigar, glanced into the meeting room. His gaze lightly landed on Meng Ying, whose face was still flushed from laughing.

He then turned and entered one of the elevators.

After a brief exchange, the sound of high heels clicking echoed, and Yang Tong entered. The moment she stepped in, her eyes immediately found Meng Ying. A smile spread across her face as she apologized to everyone, “Sorry, I’m late.”

Several older actors smiled and reassured her it was fine. Director Liu nodded toward Yang Tong, “Come sit down.”

“Okay.” As Yang Tong walked over, she asked, “Where’s my sister? Is she not coming? Oh, right, she’s not feeling well. What will we do?”

Director Liu replied, “She’ll join the meeting via video later.”

At this point, a few actresses who were closely connected with Huaying laughed and said, “Yang Tong, I heard your sister is a screenwriter. Didn’t expect it to be true.”

“Ah, so she really is your sister? I heard she got married a couple of years ago, and the Li family didn’t let her work. But now they’re letting her out, and her first project is Interstellar?”

Yang Tong propped up her chin and nodded. “Yes, Li Yi has been with my sister for two years. Interstellar is the first project my sister took on after her comeback.” When mentioning the Li family, she didn’t refer to him as her brother-in-law, which felt somewhat casual. She even glanced at Meng Ying, who was quietly listening without speaking. Yang Tong smiled even brighter and asked Meng Ying, “Meng Ying, have you met my sister?”

This question was so out of the blue that Meng Ying couldn’t have possibly met Yang Tong’s sister. She smiled and shook her head, “No.”

Yang Tong smiled and leaned back.

At this point, Director Liu signaled for the two screenwriters present to begin. One of them started a video, and everyone turned to watch. They were curious about Yang Tong’s sister, but all they saw was a black screen with the indication that a voice call was in progress. Then, the red dot lit up.

On the other end, a gentle female voice said, “Sorry, I’m not feeling well, and my face looks bad. I’ll just join the meeting via voice.”

The voice was very familiar. Meng Ying felt like she had heard it before. The image flashed and suddenly jumped to the day of the audition, the door being pushed open.

That voice.

Yes, it was this one.

The scene quickly rewound further to a phone call that Xu Dian received. He mentioned a screenwriter, and Meng Ying was momentarily dazed. By this time, Director Liu had already started the discussion.

The main focus was on character development, as most of the others had already signed their contracts, while Meng Ying hadn’t. Naturally, she didn’t have as strong an opinion on the roles. She didn’t speak much, instead making notes in her script, highlighting the character that interacted with hers and adding brief annotations.

There were two screenwriters in the room, but it was clear that Yang Tong’s sister was the lead screenwriter. The other two followed her lead, and when it came to script adjustments, they always consulted Yang Tong’s sister. Her voice was always soft, and occasionally, she would cough. Liu Qin had mentioned before that she needed to take a little “post-miscarriage recovery” time.

Yang Tong’s sister seemed very dedicated, continuously making adjustments to the characters and their actions. Meng Ying glanced at the script, then noticed the lead screenwriter’s name—Yang Rou.

Yang Tong’s sister was called Yang Rou.

Not long after, someone else joined the voice call—it was the original author of Interstellar. The voice was rough, and it seemed like she had just come from seeing Yang Rou. As they whispered, Meng Ying could faintly hear Yang Rou asking the author, “Did you drive here?”

The author’s voice came closer, “No, I ran into Xu Dian, and he gave me a ride.”

“Didn’t he come up?”

“No, he dropped me off downstairs and left.”

Yang Rou responded with an “Mm,” then spoke into the mic, “Sorry for the delay, Lan Qin has arrived. Shall we start the discussion?”

The room chorused a response of agreement. Yang Tong leaned back, her gaze sweeping over Meng Ying. Meng Ying quietly doodled with her pen. But in her mind, she thought to herself: He drove the original author over to Yang Rou. He really has too much time on his hands.

After discussing for a while, the meeting was about to end. Many revisions were made to the script. At this point, someone asked Director Liu with a smile, “During the auditions, who stood out the most?”

Director Liu paused for a moment, clasped his hands together, thought for a bit, and glanced at Meng Ying before saying, “It’s not about who stood out the most, but who left the deepest impression. Meng Ying’s portrayal of the parasitic flower hybrid really struck me the most.”

Everyone was likely surprised that it was Meng Ying. They all turned to look at her. Meng Ying was a little stunned but smiled. She had little makeup on today, looking clean and beautiful.

The actors all sighed, “To be praised by Director Liu, you must have done really well.”

“I still need to work harder,” Meng Ying said modestly.

Yang Tong’s look of pride instantly faded. She shot a glare at Meng Ying, then turned to look at the screen, which had turned off at some point. Her sister had stepped away from the computer.

By the time they left the conference room, it was already afternoon. Due to the rainy weather, the outside was dark, as though a heavy downpour could begin at any moment. Liu Qin bought bubble tea, and when she saw Meng Ying coming out, she handed a cup to her. Meng Ying accepted it, took a sip, linked her arm with Liu Qin’s, and prepared to leave.

As they walked to one of the offices, Meng Ying overheard Yang Tong on the phone. It was supposed to be private and something she shouldn’t hear, but she caught a snippet of Yang Tong talking about Xu Dian.

“Sis, what’s so great about Li Yi? Look at you now—it’s all because of him. Xu Dian doesn’t have a girlfriend right now, and hasn’t he been waiting for you all these years? You should just divorce him; Xu Dian is the one who’s right for you…”

Meng Ying almost tripped when her high heels wobbled, nearly falling over.

Liu Qin quickly reached out to steady her and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Meng Ying, her ear still straining to hear Yang Tong’s conversation, felt weak in the knees. She instinctively grabbed her phone, but the screen was blurry from the tears filling her eyes. Liu Qin wanted to continue listening, but Meng Ying, her head lowered, shakily walked towards the elevator.

Liu Qin had no choice but to follow her. Once inside the elevator, she saw the tears on Meng Ying’s face and was shocked. “What happened? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”

She quickly handed Meng Ying a tissue. Meng Ying took it, forcing a smile despite the tears, and shook her head. “Something happened at home, I need to handle it.”

“What happened? Do you need help? Do you need money?”

Liu Qin’s concern only made Meng Ying’s tears flow harder. She bit her lip, not saying anything, just shaking her head. Liu Qin felt even more distressed. She immediately drove Meng Ying home, wanting to help but not knowing how. Meng Ying asked her to go back first, wanting some time alone. Liu Qin hesitated but eventually left.

Once the door closed, Meng Ying leaned against it, staring blankly into the room.

---

On the couch in the billiards room, several men were sitting and chatting. Zhou Yang, turned to the side, held an unlit cigarette between his fingers. His shirt collar was open, exuding an air of casual indifference. Smiling, he began, “Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a man who fell in love with a woman, but this woman was imprisoned. The only thing visible of her was her shadow in the mirror. The man was trapped on the other side of the mirror. He couldn’t touch her, but he could spend time with her shadow, communicating with gestures and expressing love through actions. Then one day, the imprisoned woman was finally freed, and he could speak to her without the need for gestures or movements. But he had become unaccustomed to it. His feelings had changed. All he wanted was to go back to that time, to the shadow that only communicated through gestures and actions…”

Everyone listened quietly, and after a few hissing sounds, someone said, “Isn’t this self-inflicted?”

Curled up on the sofa, flipping through a magazine, Xu Dian glanced at his phone, noticing an incoming call from Meng Ying. He stared at the screen for a few seconds before rejecting the call.

Then he looked up and asked Zhou Yang, “What did you just say?”

Zhou Yang turned his head to look at him, then laughed in exasperation.

Meng Ying watched helplessly as the call ended, the screen went black, and the sound of the line disconnecting echoed in her ears. She gritted her teeth, letting her hand fall. Then her phone vibrated.

She looked down.

Xu Dian: “Busy. What’s up?”

It was as though he had reverted back to his previous indifferent self. Meng Ying held the phone, staring at it for a few seconds before she began typing.

“Did you take part in the sci-fi project because of Yang Tong’s sister?”

“Have you been waiting for Yang Rou all along?”

“Are you keeping our relationship a secret because you’re afraid Yang Rou will find out?”

“I always thought you were helping Yang Tong, but actually, it’s to promote Yang Rou. This is her first work after her comeback…”

“How much do you love Yang Rou?”

You, a man like this, the young master of the Xu family in Licheng, invested a huge sum of money into a sci-fi film just to give her a dignified comeback work, even though she’s married and pregnant with another man’s child.

That day at the building entrance, Yang Rou had a miscarriage—was that dark figure you?

She typed out several more messages, one after another, then deleted them. In the end, the only message in the chat box was the one Xu Dian had sent, quietly lying there.

“Busy. What’s up.”

No wonder he had been so hot and cold, no wonder he didn’t get jealous, no wonder he never replied to her texts, never initiated anything. It was all because there was another woman in his heart.

Xu Qing was right. He didn’t love her. He had no feelings for her.

Meng Ying slowly stood up from the floor, gripping her phone tightly as she walked to her room and collapsed onto her bed, wiping away her tears before falling asleep. She slept until late at night, awoken by the cold. She grabbed the blanket, instinctively reaching for her phone. The loneliness of the late hour pressed on her. She unlocked the screen—no WeChat, no calls.

None of them came from him.

The hope that had once flared inside her instantly shattered, and it hurt deeply. She got up, took a hot shower, then went to the kitchen to make some noodles. Seeing the wontons in the fridge, she pulled them out and threw them into the trash. A few seconds later, she bent down, retrieved them, and shoved them back into the fridge. Meng Ying thought, maybe she was still holding onto a little bit of hope…

Not long ago, their relationship had been progressing. The look he gave her that night—she couldn’t forget it.

After finishing the noodles, Meng Ying gathered her spirits and returned to her room to rest.

There was a lot of work tomorrow. She lay down, quickly falling asleep, but had restless dreams that she couldn’t remember. When she woke up the next morning, her chest felt heavy. Liu Qin knocked on the door early. When Meng Ying opened it, Liu Qin was holding breakfast and stared at her.

She was in a white nightgown, with red, puffy eyes, and her hair was in disarray.

With a sense of exhaustion and pale weariness from the tears, Liu Qin’s voice faltered. “Are you feeling better?”

Meng Ying tugged at her hair, forcing a smile. “I’m better, it’s nothing. Everything was resolved last night.”

“Alright,” Liu Qin knew she wouldn’t say more if she didn’t want to, so she didn’t press further. She entered and placed the breakfast on the table. Meng Ying went into the bathroom, washed up, brushed her teeth, and changed into a light-colored dress before sitting down on the sofa to eat. Liu Qin stood nearby, going over the schedule for the day.

“‘Nine Heavens’ is done filming and moving into post-production. We’re rushing the timeline, so there’s an interview today. In a few days, we’ll start the promotion for ‘Nine Heavens.’ You handle your Weibo, and I’ll remind you when it’s time.”

“Also, today there are two endorsement shoots and a company meeting. There are some scripts I’ll show you—see if you can immediately jump into the next project after ‘Interstellar.’ The production for ‘Interstellar’ will take a long time, so we can’t afford to sit around.”

“Okay,” Meng Ying nodded.

With plenty of time in the morning, she had breakfast at home. However, once in the car, Meng Ying began to feel drowsy, so she pulled her mask on and fell asleep. Liu Qin and the others, seeing her like this, were very careful, making sure she got her rest. Though her makeup was done, with eyeshadow, her face still looked pale.

But Meng Ying didn’t sleep soundly. Each time the car jolted, she would subconsciously take out her phone to check.

The phone screen was empty.

It was just like before. She decided not to sleep anymore and picked up the script for Interstellar, flipping through it. When she saw the name “Yang Rou,” she froze.

She would run into Yang Rou while filming Interstellar… she would see what she looked like…

Xu Dian would probably visit Yang Rou on set…

The thought of this made her uncomfortable. She even considered rejecting Interstellar. The WeChat messages from last night, she hadn’t sent a single one because she was too scared of confirming her fears. She simply didn’t have the courage to send those accusatory messages.

The car quickly arrived at the filming location for the endorsement shoot. As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Yang Tong hurriedly leaving through a side door and jumping into a business car. Before the door closed, Yang Tong noticed Meng Ying and smiled at her.

That smile, at that moment, was so glaring to Meng Ying. It was the first time she didn’t return Yang Tong’s smile and turned to enter the building. Liu Qin stopped a staff member and asked, “I saw Yang Tong rush into the car earlier. Did something happen?”

“Ah? Oh, Yang Tong’s sister is being discharged from the hospital today. She’s going to pick her up,” the staff member replied with a smile.

Meng Ying froze in her tracks. She looked back at the outside, where only the greenery swayed in the wind. Then she turned around, took out her phone, and typed.

Meng Ying: What are you doing? Should I come see you tonight?

She then put the phone down and entered for the shoot. Because everything was scheduled tightly, the shoot lasted longer than expected, finishing around 8:30 PM. After dinner with the crew, Meng Ying picked up her phone and opened WeChat.

There, no reply.

The hand holding the phone trembled slightly, and he had returned to that indifferent attitude of not replying to WeChat messages. It was the first time Meng Ying felt like a fool. After finishing work and going home, Meng Ying didn’t go out again or look for Xu Dian. She stayed at home by herself and kept herself busy for the next few days.

She once again lost contact with Xu Dian.

That afternoon, Liu Qin handed Meng Ying an invitation card with a smile, saying, “The author of Interstellar is having a birthday tonight. Are you going?”

The author of Interstellar?

You Lanqin.

She had been at the script meeting that day as well, but was sitting beside Yang Rou. The two of them clearly knew each other.

“I think you should go. Besides her works, You Lanqin is said to be a rich, and beautiful woman, and she knows a lot of people. Many directors from the industry are likely to attend. This is a great opportunity to network,” Liu Qin said, tapping the card.

Meng Ying paused and asked, “Do you think people from Huaying will go?”

“Of course! Anyone related to Interstellar will go. Yang Tong will be there too. But don’t worry, you’re the fourth female lead. Hey, even the president of Huaying might go. They spent such a huge amount to buy the rights, maybe she and You Lanqin are personally acquainted. Some even say the president of Huaying and You Lanqin are in a relationship,” Liu Qin analyzed confidently.

What Meng Ying wanted to know was whether Xu Dian would be there.

She took the invitation card. “Then I’ll go.”

“Great, let’s go. I’ve ordered a dress for you—a red one. You’ll steal the spotlight.” Liu Qin thought to herself that it would be great if Meng Ying could make it onto the trending searches again. She dragged Meng Ying to the company’s exclusive makeup room.

During this time, due to Gu Yan working abroad and the time difference, Meng Ying hadn’t interacted much with Gu Yan on Weibo, so she hadn’t made it onto the trending searches. It had been quite a while, and Liu Qin was naturally anxious.

In the makeup room, a red off-shoulder slit dress hung on the wall. Liu Qin said, “Yang Tong will wear a white dress tonight. You’ll definitely stand out more in red.”

Meng Ying went in to change and came out, leaving the makeup artists in awe. She rarely wore such bright colors, but it really suited her.

Glamorous, full of feminine allure.

After sitting down, the makeup artists started on her makeup. Her hair was curled and left hanging down her back, her shoulders as white and smooth as jade.

The dress was very vibrant, so the makeup was kept natural. The final touch was her eyebrows, but then Meng Ying suddenly tapped the outer corners of her eyes and said to the makeup artist, “Make the eyeliner a bit longer here…”

The makeup artist paused for a moment, then took the eyeliner pencil and bent down to adjust it. Liu Qin smiled and said, “You know you look gorgeous with this makeup, right? It’s simply amazing. Knowing how to show off your beauty is definitely the right thing to do.”

Meng Ying smiled. She looked at the woman in the mirror, watching the eyeliner gradually elongate. She thought of Xu Dian’s fingers pressing on the corner of her eyes. He really liked it.

After the eyeliner was done, Meng Ying pointed to the jewelry box and said, “The big red ones.”

“Okay.” The makeup artist took out the large red gemstone earrings and put them on her, then tidied up her hair. The woman in the mirror looked stunning, with an aggressive kind of beauty.

Liu Qin, watching, clapped her hands excitedly.

“Tonight, you’ll definitely outshine the other actresses, especially Yang Tong. If you trend again, your popularity for the year will be secured.”

Since she had to attend the banquet, Meng Ying had eaten a light meal earlier. When the time was about right, she stood up and left. The black business car drove toward the banquet venue.

The venue for You Lanqin’s banquet was arranged quite discreetly, but the environment was beautiful—mountains and water, with a classical charm. There were many cars. As the vehicle turned off the main road, Meng Ying saw a lot of business cars and luxury vehicles in line, all presenting their invitation cards. Liu Qin was excited, pointing out the cars and naming who was inside.

But Meng Ying’s attention was entirely focused on a Hummer.

Xu Dian liked to drive those kinds of cars. But she didn’t find it. Meng Ying stared at the cars, her eyes getting sore. She picked up her mirror again to check her makeup—long eyeliner, red earrings.

Everything he liked.

The car soon arrived at the entrance of the banquet. When the door opened, Liu Qin reminded Meng Ying to get out. Meng Ying lifted her dress, and with the help of a security guard, she got out of the car. She walked in high heels through an archway, which led to a small wooden path. Lanterns hung along the path, and at the end of it was the entrance to the banquet hall.

A vast amount of light shone through the entrance. As Meng Ying’s high heels clicked onto the light, the skirt swayed with her movements. She raised her head slightly.

And there, not far away, stood Xu Dian. He was wearing a black shirt and black trousers, the sleeves rolled up and the collar slightly open, holding a wine glass. He smiled, lowering his head to take a sip.

Just then, he raised his head, and their eyes met.

Their gazes collided in the air. Meng Ying instinctively bit her lip. From a distance, she couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. At that moment, a beautiful woman in a white long dress turned her head toward Xu Dian.

In that instant.

Meng Ying felt disoriented, as though she were seeing another version of herself.

Then she saw the woman’s elongated eyeliner, red earrings, and the graceful, alluring way she stood next to Xu Dian. The two of them were so close, separated by just a fist’s distance. He could kiss her ear with a slight tilt of his head. Meng Ying instinctively reached up to touch her own red earrings.

Behind her, Yang Tong chuckled softly, leaning closer and saying, “Did you see that? You’ve always been my sister’s substitute…”

Substitute!

Sub…stitute.

Meng Ying bit her tongue, and the pain spread through her. She took a few steps back, staring at the two people standing not far away. The woman in the white dress looked at her with an innocent, confused expression.

Meng Ying looked at Xu Dian. He was too far away, and all she could see in his eyes was coldness.

“Hey, suddenly realized that Meng Ying really looks like the eldest daughter of the Yang family.”

“Yeah, both of their makeup looks really similar tonight…”

“Meng Ying is trying to imitate the Yang family’s eldest daughter?”

Stop talking.

Stop talking.

Xu Qin said, “Meng Ying, you’re such a fool…”

With a forceful motion, Meng Ying ripped the red earrings from her ears, her hands covered in blood. She wiped the eyeliner off her eyes, her gaze fixed on Xu Dian with a burning intensity.

A few seconds later, she smiled faintly, her face pale, and walked away, her high heels clicking sharply on the floor. Stumbling out the door, the wooden floorboards creaked loudly under her steps as she swayed and made her way outside. In the banquet hall, everything went silent for a moment. The others, as if noticing something, instinctively looked toward Xu Dian and Yang Rou. Yang Rou looked at Xu Dian.

A second passed.

Bang—

The sound of a glass crashing onto the bar echoed loudly.

Xu Dian took a few steps forward, then stopped, quietly watching the door as the red figure gradually disappeared from view.

Gone from sight.

“Xu Dian?” Yang Rou called out softly from behind.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Where are you going?”

Xu Dian didn’t say a word, then turned and strode out the door. Outside, no one was left. The night breeze rustled, bending the willow branches. Zhou Yang leaned against the wall, smoking, and glanced at him with a smile.

“Did things go south?”

“She got into a business car. It’s probably from their company.”

“My God, what happened?” Liu Qin tightly held Meng Ying’s hand, carefully looking at her ear. She was still trying to pull at another earring, but Liu Qin quickly pressed her hand down and helped her remove it. Chen Jie’s eyes were red, continuously wiping the blood off Meng Ying’s ear.

Meng Ying kept her eyes closed, saying nothing, just dazed. Her eyeliner was a mess, her face smeared, and there was blood on her neck.

“Take her to the hospital,” Liu Qin instructed the driver. Meng Ying had pulled too hard, cutting a small wound on her earlobe, and it was still bleeding.

Meng Ying shook her head hoarsely. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

“You have to go! Meng Ying, your ear…”

“No need. I don’t want to go.” She just wanted to go home. Liu Qin saw how determined she was and felt helpless. “Then… I’ll help you disinfect it.”

Meng Ying nodded and continued to keep her eyes closed.

In this world, there will always be fools who, for the sake of love, give everything without expecting anything in return, endlessly giving. The more they give, the more others take it for granted. Her mother once said, “You’re the older sister, you have to take care of your brother, help him until he gets married and has kids. We’ll have money for your brother’s education because he’s a boy. But you’re a girl, and once you get married, that’s enough. You don’t need to study so much. If you really want to, you’ll have to earn your own tuition.”

So she worked hard to pay for her tuition and sent herself to university. There, she met Xu Dian. At first sight, she was lost. She knew they weren’t a good match, but she thought that if she didn’t ask for anything and just stayed with him, it would be enough. Every response from him would make her happy for a long time, savoring it.

She thought that if she gave more, others would see her goodness. Xu Dian felt the same way.

In the end…

She was just a substitute.

The woman standing by his side was fragile and beautiful. Even married, she could still catch his attention. And all she could get from him was indifference, no initiative, no jealousy, coldness, and warmth in turns…

Ha.

Ha.

What’s wrong with being a substitute?

She was too honest in this life, so everyone could bully her. 

She hadn’t cultivated enough, so she had to be a fool who kept giving and giving.

Xu Qing once said:

“Without ruthlessness, you can’t stand firm.”

She was simply too weak, not ruthless enough.

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