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Chapter 3
23:00.
Zhuang Jiang stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of red wine.
She gazed at the scenery outside, her private phone still ringing incessantly.
Not many people knew this number; aside from her assistant An Mian, only Li Shu, Gu Yu, and Sister Huo had it.
And tonight, in these short few hours, there were already hundreds of missed calls.
An Mian looked at the phone and let out a soft sigh. She took a shawl and draped it over Zhuang Jiang’s shoulders, then spoke gently, "Weibo and the media have completely exploded right now. Sister Huo says you must go to the company tomorrow. If you don't, she... she’ll come straight here to find you."
Zhuang Jiang knew that her departure from the Hundred Flowers ceremony and that single sentence—
Would surely keep the entire media industry awake tonight.
She had checked Weibo. There were hundreds of thousands of comments under the live-stream video of the ceremony, and someone had even edited a standalone clip of her, asking why she was leaving.
And her rarely used Weibo account had been bombarded tonight as well, gaining tens of thousands of comments, all asking her... if what she said at the awards was true? Asking her why she wanted to leave? What exactly had happened?
"What? The goddess is leaving the entertainment industry??? Why!!!"
"Leaving right after winning the award, what on earth happened?"
"What is it for? Is the goddess getting married? Does she have a child? Otherwise, I really can't figure out... why the goddess would be so shortsighted as to leave."
"I... I worked so hard waiting for the goddess to win the award! And now she’s abandoning us like this?! I don't care, I don't care, I don't care—I want the goddess back."
"Do any sisters know what’s going on with the goddess? I have a feeling something happened."
"From Lady Yun, Jianghu, Groom’s Embroidery to The Female General... the goddess has never let us down. I think all the sisters are like me today, doing nothing but squatting in front of the computer or TV watching the live stream. Doing nothing, just wanting to see the goddess win. We waited, we saw her win, but we also heard her say she's leaving—I don't understand why she wants to go, but I believe she has her reasons. I will support her as always, and I hope she can come back so we can see even better works. PS: Please upvote me so the goddess sees this."
"Even though I don't know why, I still support the goddess! Goddess, keep going!"
What exactly happened?
In reality, this was originally just a premeditated plan.
She was just sorry to them.
Zhuang Jiang took a sip of wine and spoke, her voice clear and level: "You should go back."
"Sister Jiang—"
An Mian looked at her back and opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she stopped when she saw the reflection on the window.
She turned to pour a glass of warm water and placed the sleeping pills on the table.
Then, she looked at that lonely, proud silhouette and ultimately let out a soft sigh.
Just what was the reason?
Why push herself so hard? Why be unable to sleep every night? Why make such a decision—
Just what secret did Sister Jiang have?
She didn't know.
She only knew that Sister Jiang was lonely.
Regardless of her glamorous exterior, how many exquisite clothes she had, or how much praise and titles others bestowed upon her...
She was lonely, and she was dismissive of it all.
Zhuang Jiang closed her eyes, her coldness pushing people away: "Go."
An Mian complied. She took one last look at Zhuang Jiang’s back and left a final sentence: "Sister Jiang, whatever you want to do, just do it."
"I, I will stay by your side."
After saying this, she didn't look back, closed the door, and departed.
Zhuang Jiang opened her eyes. Looking at the reflection on the window, she curled her lips into a faint smile and murmured softly: "Silly child."
In this night where no one was around, her smile actually carried a touch of warmth. She raised her wine glass and lightly clinked it against the reflection.
The ringtone chimed.
Zhuang Jiang glanced sideways. It was a long time before she set down the glass and answered the call.
On the other end of the line, a man's voice sounded: "You finally picked up."
"Is something the matter?"
The man's voice went silent for a moment before speaking again: "It’s fine if you want to quit the entertainment industry. After all..."
Zhuang Jiang spoke first, cutting him off: "I think you've misunderstood. I didn't do this because of you or your family or whatever..."
She paused for a second and closed her eyes, appearing somewhat exhausted: "Do you still remember Yan Man? She was supposed to be able to win this award at twenty-five, too."
The other end of the line was silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing revealing that the person was still there.
The man's voice rose, wanting to say something: "Jiangjiang, I..."
But Zhuang Jiang didn't want to listen anymore. She pressed the end button and turned off the phone.
Then, she opened her eyes—
Looking at the person in the window, she saw a deep exhaustion hidden between those brows and eyes.
"What you’ve sacrificed..."
"Is truly worth nothing."
Zhuang Jiang was awakened by a strange ringing sound.
She opened her eyes, propping her hand against her forehead, still looking quite fatigued.
Then, she looked toward the place the sound was coming from and frowned slightly.
"You're awake?"
Someone pushed the door open and entered, carrying a few bags of breakfast. The person smiled at her and said, "Then let's eat breakfast first."
Zhuang Jiang didn't speak. She just stared at the person who was talking.
Then, her eyes scanned her surroundings—
It was actually the university dormitory where she had lived for four years.
What was going on?
Zhuang Jiang didn't know. She stood up unsteadily, ignored the others, and walked straight to the bathroom... through the mirror, she saw her twenty-two-year-old self.
Although her complexion looked a bit pale due to a lack of sleep, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
She was still much more vibrant than her twenty-five-year-old self, who, even with the most exquisite makeup, lacked this current liveliness.
Zhuang Jiang pressed her hands against her face—
There were questions in her heart. Why did a single night's sleep return her to the age of twenty-two?
She had never expected anything from the heavens, nor was she such a failure that she needed to live again to fulfill what she hadn't possessed.
Someone was speaking outside: "It's not like you don't know her temper. In our four years of university, she hardly even spoke to us. Why bother sticking your warm face to someone's cold backside?"
"It's nothing. We're all from out of town; looking out for each other... is only right."
Zhuang Jiang could tell that the person saying this was the girl she had just encountered... she thought carefully for a moment before remembering her name was He Ye, and she was from C-City.
"Besides, we won't be seeing each other much longer."
He Ye found a few clean plates and plated the breakfast before speaking again: "Very soon, all of us will be going our separate ways."
"That's true."
The other girl let out a soft sigh and stepped forward to help.
Standing inside, Zhuang Jiang turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face. Since she was here, she might as well see what was happening.
She wanted to see what the Heavens were actually trying to do.
After washing her face, she grabbed a towel to dry it and walked out. The two girls outside looked at her in unison. It was He Ye who spoke first, handing her a pair of chopsticks: "Let's eat."
Zhuang Jiang didn't refuse. She took the chopsticks He Ye offered, sat down beside her, and added a "Thank you."
He Ye and the other girl looked at each other, both appearing somewhat incredulous. Once Zhuang Jiang started eating... they followed suit, accompanied by their shock.
After the meal, Zhuang Jiang took it upon herself to wash the plates.
Although she used to have people helping her manage her life, clean the house, and do chores, she wasn't some precious young lady who didn't know how to do anything.
Cooking a few simple dishes and washing plates was still within her capabilities.
When she came out, the two girls were still staring at her. The girl with round eyes spoke hesitantly: "Are you... really Zhuang Jiang?"
Zhuang Jiang raised an eyebrow: "The real deal."
The three of them chatted for a while. It was mostly He Ye and the other girl talking; Zhuang Jiang listened... occasionally chipping in a few words.
Zhuang Jiang learned that the round-eyed girl was named Yuan Yuan and was from B-City... and the current time was 2014. They had just graduated. The two local girls had already gone home, and the three of them were about to leave soon as well.
Yuan Yuan looked at Zhuang Jiang, tilting her head to ask: "Is Jiangjiang going back to her hometown after graduation?"
Zhuang Jiang shook her head. There was no one left in her hometown; there was no need to go back.
Yuan Yuan let out an "Ah": "But it's really hard to find a job here, you know? Food, clothes, and rent are all very expensive."
After saying this, she asked again: "What does Jiangjiang plan to do?"
"What to do?"
Zhuang Jiang was momentarily stunned. In her previous life, she only had eyes for entering the entertainment industry.
But now—
What should she do?
Zhuang Jiang paused for a second before saying, "I don't know either."
"Huh?"
Yuan Yuan wanted to say more, but He Ye interrupted her: "Alright, we're leaving soon. We haven't even had a meal together in our four years of university. Let's go out for a meal together at noon today; tomorrow we'll have to say our goodbyes."
Yuan Yuan was forgetful of previous topics and immediately started talking about this: "Yes, yes, yes, we have to sponge off Little Ye. Jiangjiang, it's super rare for Little Ye to treat us—hahaha, we must have a feast today."
He Ye gave her a mock glare: "You talk too much for someone getting a free meal."
Zhuang Jiang smiled as she watched them play around. After a while, the three of them tidied themselves up and headed out.
There weren't many people left in the school now, but it wasn't empty either.
As the three of them walked along, they drew quite a few looks because of Zhuang Jiang.
Yuan Yuan giggled: "Jiangjiang, you're so attractive. Did really no one confess to you during these four years?"
"No."
Yuan Yuan looked at her suspiciously, but then she laughed. If even Jiangjiang didn't have anyone, then it was perfectly normal that she didn't either.
Zhuang Jiang’s expression was calm, her eyes fixed ahead as she continued walking.
Then, she saw that pair of warm, smiling eyes.
Zhuang Jiang stopped her pace, the corners of her lips turning up slightly into a smile: "However, there’s about to be one."
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