C16 Not So Fast

Yanxi froze, shocked by this revelation.

“Wait, you’re saying that he went out of his way to come here so early in the morning in order to meet up with my sister, and have her sign the endorsement contract for the department store?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Xiaolu scoffed. “Your sister is rather thick-skinned, too. Imagine, the president of the Bai Group personally coming to see her. Why, anyone who didn’t know better would have thought that she’s the one married to him!”

Yanxi got the impression that her friend might have been holding on to these opinions for a while now. Xiaolu certainly wasn’t mincing her words at the moment.

The picture she painted left a sour taste in Yanxi’s mouth, but she tried to brush it off.

“Just forget about the department store deal. That decision wasn’t ours to make in the first place. Isn’t it a good thing that they chose my sister instead of some other celebrity?”

“Still!” Xiaolu huffed. “They could have handled this matter more professionally, and you and I both know it!”

She caught sight of the helpless look on Yanxi’s face then, and had to sigh herself. “Oh, all right. Let’s just forget all about it. I know you must be feeling even worse than I am.”

Of course it didn’t sit right with Yanxi. The parties involved in this issue was her own husband and her own sister after all.

How could they have settled a deal without so much as a courtesy call to her? Instead, they had arranged everything behind her back.

Even so, it was precisely because Tiancheng was her husband and Yanfei was her sister that Yanxi had no choice but to let it slide.

Later during that afternoon, Yanxi was tidying up her wardrobe in her dressing room when Yanfei pushed her way inside and locked the door behind her.

“Sister?” Yanxi turned and asked in astonishment.

The older woman gave her a small smile. “Let’s talk, Yanxi.”

“Is this… Is this perhaps about the endorsement with the Bais?”

“Oh, no.” Yanfei shook her head. “I know you don’t really care about that sort of thing. Your topmost priority has always been your marriage after all.”

Yanxi stopped short. “Then… Sister, do you already know about it?”

“Well, yes. Tiancheng mentioned it to me earlier, saying that… well, that he wants a divorce. Is that right?”

Yanxi smiled sadly and shrugged. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel aggrieved at the way things were developing. “Yes, he did ask for a divorce.”

A glint of emotion flashed in her sister’s eyes, but it was too quick for Yanxi to discern. “And?” Yanfei asked. “What is your stand on the matter?”

Yanxi hesitated again, but eventually bit the bullet. “Sister, did he ever mention that he’s in love with another woman?”

Yanfei blinked several times, as though surprised at the sudden question. She quickly recovered, however.

“No, he said nothing like that at all. But I mean… Well, Yanxi, he’s told you this much and yet you still haven’t pursued the divorce proceedings. Why?”

Yanxi turned to look at herself in the mirror. Pain and struggle were lurking in the depths of her eyes. Then she glanced at her sister’s reflection.

“The truth is, I don’t want to just…” she drifted off and sighed, mustering the energy for the words that followed.

“I know I should have given them my blessing since I love Tiancheng. It’s not like I’m totally unwilling to grant him his wish, but…”

But he had been utterly cruel to her. He had brought his woman inside and locked his wife out of their own home.

He had humiliated her in ways she had never imagined she would have to experience in all her life. For these transgressions, she had realized that she could not just stand by so easily.

In the end, all she said was, “I will not be agreeing to a divorce.” Then to herself, she silently added, ‘At least not for the time being.’

Because she couldn’t just let her bastard husband’s leash go after all the suffering he had inflicted on her.

Yanxi refused to just let him run off with his woman and let them live a happy life together after doing what they had done to her.

At first, she thought Yanfei had stiffened at her reply, but the reaction had been so subtle and so fleeting, she decided she must have imagined it.

Her sister gave her a smile then, although it clearly didn’t reach her eyes. Her tone, as well, was oddly curt when she said, “Do as you wish then!”

And before Yanxi could respond, Yanfei was already strutting out of the room in her seven-inch high heels. Just before she completely disappeared through the door, she swiveled back as if she had remembered something in the last minute.

“Oh, Yanxi. I am very sorry for taking your endorsement, by the way. You do understand how these things work, though, right? Projects come and go based on one’s talent and charm.” Cue a pointed grin. “Well, I’m leaving now. Take care!” And she sashayed out of sight.

Yanxi stared after her, nonplussed. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but their interaction just now had a strange vibe, and it left her feeling uncomfortable.

She couldn’t say she disagreed with Yanfei though. Endorsements are just like acting roles. They indeed came and went according to the celebrities’ caliber versus the project’s qualifications.

With that thought, she squared her shoulders. ‘And that’s why you, Qin Yanxi, will do your best and soar to the top once the shackles of love and marriage no longer bind you!’

Meanwhile, while it made no headlines, the salacious, public kiss still gained a lot of traction, especially from netizens.

Even Tang Zhengxun’s table did not escape the presence of such reports. He flipped through the tabloids with an outraged expression, his eyes glaring daggers at the front page and the subtitle that read:

“Gentle and Innocent Female Star Qin Yanxi Successfully Hooked Up with the Youngest Bai CEO, Bai Tiancheng. The daring couple decided to play a hot kissing game out on the streets first thing in the morning.”

The article included a snapshot of the couple in question, and Tang Zhengxun stared at the photo with an insidious smirk.

“Big brother,” the little boy glanced up at him with a cheeky grin. “It looks like your pet isn’t being totally honest with you.”

Tang Zhengxun set the paper aside and diverted his attention to his meal.

He picked up his cutlery and sliced a piece of beef; then he put it in his mouth and leaned back on his chair as he slowly chewed. He swallowed, sipped his wine, and dabbed on his lips with the napkin.

“Apparently, the little cat’s wild nature still hasn’t gone away,” he murmured quietly. Then he continued to eat like it was just any ordinary, boring day.

Tang Jiqing eyed his brother. There may not be any change in the man’s expression, but the boy knew very well that his brother’s favored pet is going to be in trouble again, very soon.