Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The corner of Yun Zhangâs lips curled up slightly into a disdainful smile as he stood watching at the side. âWhy didnât I notice Yun Liuâs clumsy pretenses in the past?â he thought. âOur whole familyâs blind. Weâre all fools, getting played around by trash like her, and we nearly lost everything to her, too. We brought it on ourselves, really.â
Gu Wei looked at her son and coldly asked, âWhat about you two? When are you guys planning to get married?â
Yun Zhangâs expression was serious as he told her, âThat can wait, Mom. Everyone outside already knows Yun Liu and I are together, so thereâs no rush. Yun Liuâs an artiste of Yun Entertainment, so when the hype about our relationship dies down, we can put out news of our wedding and use it to increase her publicity. Itâll also be a good thing for Yun Entertainment.â
Gu Wei was startled, not understanding what her son meant. Yun Liu asked in a trembling voice, âAre you trying to use my reputation to benefit Yun Entertainment?â
Yun Zhang gave her a smile that didnât reach his eyes as he said gently, âCome now, donât put it like that. Youâre also a member of the Yun family, arenât you? Yun Entertainment was once handed to you before, too. Itâs our familyâs business, so shouldnât you contribute?â
Yun Liu couldnât help but stand up and scream at Yun Zhang, âAnd then what? What do you want to do after that, huh?â
Gu Wei immediately frowned. âYun Liu, is that any way to talk to your brother? Is this how the Gu family taught you to behave?â
Yun Liu turned around to glare at her, and snapped back, âThe Gu family didnât teach me my manners; the Yun family did!â
Gu Wei slapped Yun Liu hard on the face, and Yun Liu fell onto the sofa. She brought a hand to her stinging cheek as she stared at Gu Wei in disbelief. âMom, you actually hit me!â Yun Liu stated, voice quivering, and tears of grievance dripped from her eyes.
However, Gu Wei turned a blind eye to it. After all, Yun Liu normally acted the cute silly girl before her. She would be coquettish or whine, but sheâd never behaved so imperiously or arrogantly to her. In addition, Yun Zhang had often brainwashed Gu Wei, saying that she, as a mother, had let down her biological daughter, Yun Nan, by always taking Yun Liuâs side even when Yun Liu was bullying her. Therefore, Gu Wei had already accumulated quite the disappointment in Yun Liu in her heart, and Yun Liuâs current actions were the last straw.
âWe never taught you to behave like this! We, the Yun family, have never been lax in our care for you! You, of all people, have no right to say that our family have done wrong by you! You have no call to shout and yell here! We raised you for more than twenty years and weâve never asked for repayment!â
Gu Wei went on, venting her entire anger on Yun Liu, âWe were the ones who brought you out of the Gu family when you were spurned and bullied there! My son sacrificed his reputation, declaring you two are romantically involved, to help you smooth things over, and you still feel that you were wronged?â
âYun Zhang! Show some manly spirit and control your own wife! Donât let her be an embarrassment to the family!â With that, Gu Wei turned around and headed upstairs.
Smiling, Yun Zhang stood up and raised his voice to say, âDonât worry, Mom. Iâll definitely have everything well-handled, and Iâll work hard to make you proud so you can hold your head high amongst the other madams and ladies!â His words were like magic to Gu Wei; they instantly made her feel better and had her in a good mood.
Yun Liu looked at Yun Zhang in horror. âYou did that on purpose, didnât you? You purposefully mentioned Yun Nan to make Mom angry, and then let her vent her anger on me, didnât you?â
Yun Zhang sat back on the sofa, not sparing Yun Liu even a side-glance, and said lightly, âYouâre overthinking things. Iâm not you, so donât judge me by your standards. You were the one who insisted on coming home to see Mom, Iâm just accompanying you. Arenât you the best at coaxing Mom? This is the first time Iâve seen you make her angry.â
Yun Liu was both furious and depressed at that. Yun Zhang crossed his legs, clasped his hands together and put them on his knees. He gazed at Yun Liu calmly as he said, âDonât do useless things, and enjoy the benefits that your status brings you. After all, fame is fame, good or bad. Your life-story has become a legend, you know, and all the dramas and movies youâve acted in are being re-released. Theyâve got quite high hits, too. Isnât this what youâve been hoping for the most?â
âNext, weâll show our faces in public occasionally, be a little romantic and intimate, and give the paparazzi some material to work with. Youâll get a lot of exposure that way. Thereâs nothing bad about that; in fact, itâll only do you good.â
Yun Liuâs heart was filled with fear as she asked tremulously, âAnd then what? Whatâs next? What do you plan to do after that?â
âNext?â Yun Zhang smiled. âWhat do you mean?â
Yun Liu bit her lip and tried to calm herself down, but tears fell down her cheeks in spite of herself. âI mean, where are we going with our ârelationshipâ in the future?â she reiterated. âAre weâare we going to get married, for real?â
Yun Zhangâs smile was unchanged as he replied, âOur future? Why donât we leave the future alone until it comes. After all, things change; you never know what can happen. We never expected we would be where we are today in the past, did we?â
âDonât think so far ahead. Letâs take things one step at a time. So far, youâve got the fame you wanted, and Iâll be getting the benefits and profit I want, too. We both get what we want; whatâs so bad about that?â