Chapter 4

Chapter 4

At the dinner party.

The atmosphere reached its peak with the arrival of one man.

Director Liu, the internationally renowned filmmaker who had only recently returned to the country.

Sister Liu leaned close to my ear and reminded me, “Director Liu is here too. His new film is currently casting its female lead. Haven’t you always admired him? I heard he’s admired you for a long time as well. You have to fight for this chance.”

“Okay.”

Holding a glass of champagne, I was just about to walk toward Director Liu when I saw Shen Wudu leading Ming Yan by the hand over to him.

“Director Liu, this is Miss Ming Yan, the person I wanted to introduce to you.”

Ming Yan glanced at me, smugness brimming in the corners of her eyes.

With Shen Wudu making the introduction, Director Liu quickly began discussing the film’s story with Ming Yan.

For a moment, I pressed my lips together, at a loss.

But in the end, I still wanted to try, so I walked over to him. “Director Liu, hello.”

“And this is?” Director Liu asked, puzzled.

Before I could introduce myself, Shen Wudu suddenly spoke.

“She used to be my lover.”

Lover.

The word lingered, intimate and suggestive.

My heart gave a soft, painful thud.

I turned to look at him and met his provocative gaze.

He had done it on purpose.

He knew I couldn’t accept those words.

Yet he insisted on pinning that label on me.

I looked away, and his smile turned cold.

“Her acting is average.”

Four words.

Just like that, he effortlessly defined ten years of my hard work.

Hearing that, Director Liu never looked at me again.

In that moment, I understood.

The opportunity I had waited years for was gone.

Something inside me went hollow, as if something vital were rushing out of me too quickly to catch.

I turned and left.

But at the corner backstage, I ran into Shen Wudu.

He was leaning against the wall, head tilted as he watched me. Brilliant, shifting lights reflected in his eyes, yet there was not a trace of warmth in them.

He asked me, “He Xiaoyao, do you regret it now?”

After leaving me, you’ve lost so much.

Do you regret it now?

“Come back to me. Everything you want can still be yours-”

I lifted my head and looked at him.

My gaze was clear and gentle.

But there was not the slightest hint of regret.

I smiled softly.

“Shen Wudu, I never regret anything.”

I don’t want it anymore.

I simply don’t want it anymore.

Because of Shen Wudu’s interference, all my endorsement contracts and scheduled appearances were canceled. Unexpectedly, it gave me a rare vacation.

I had been in the industry for ten years, and I had always been busy.

Now that I was suddenly idle, I found I didn’t know what to do with myself.

While cleaning my room, I unexpectedly found a shirt in the wardrobe.

There was a cuff link set into one of the sleeves.

Black crystal.

At the very center was a single character from his name: Du.

I thought about it for a while, but I couldn’t remember when he had left this shirt behind.

I had planned to throw it away.

But then I remembered Shen Wudu once mentioning how valuable the cuff link was, so I set it aside.

I didn’t want to owe him anything anymore.

I informed his secretary and asked him to come pick it up.

Over the phone, his secretary said in a low voice, “Miss He, President Shen has been mentioning you a lot these past few days. He still loves you. It’s just that the Shen Family has been very firm about the marriage alliance, so President Shen had no choice but to use this desperate measure and ask you to be his lover. That wasn’t what he truly wanted.”

He chose his words carefully.

But he couldn’t hide the casual indifference in his tone.

To them, being someone’s lover, being the other woman, was never anything shameful.

I gave a quiet hum.

“I understand.”

Hearing this, his secretary cautiously asked, “Miss He, as long as you understand. When will you come back? I can come pick you up-”

I cut him off.

“I’m not going back.”

“He and I ended a long time ago.”

I had said it before.

I didn’t like myself when I was in such a miserable state.

And I never regretted anything.

The moment my words fell, I heard the sound of something heavy crashing to the floor on the other end of the line.

Boom.

Then Shen Wudu’s hoarse, low voice came through the phone.

“Then get lost. Get as far away as you can!”

So he had been standing beside the secretary all along.

Still so childish.

Every time he did something wrong, he always had his secretary test my attitude first.

But this time, I would not soften.

After hanging up, I looked at the shirt stuffed into the trash bag, and all of a sudden, I wanted to go back to my hometown.

I missed Mom and Dad.