Xu Qingyan was utterly baffled, though not out of fear.
In fact, he had never intended to hide anything.
He had taken time off from the film crew to return to Xinghai specifically for Pei Muchan and Lin Wanzhouâs new album. He had contributed to both albums, so it was only natural for him to attend the release party.
Giving flowers and gifts was nothing wrong. On such an important occasion, one naturally spends some effort to show their importance. You wouldnât want to give a gift thatâs both awkward and tacky, right?
That would be like a calf attempting to practice Taoist magic artsâutterly incredible.
He was shocked because the event had only just started a few minutes ago. Couldnât they talk about something related to the album? Of course, this was Lin Wanzhouâs release party, so it wasnât his place to interfere.
Fortunately, order was restored to the venue a few minutes later, which allowed Xu Qingyan to breathe a sigh of relief.
While browsing WeChat, he received a message from Wei Wufeng.
The director, full of melancholy, inquired what was going on with the brother Xu Qingyan brought along.
Xu Qingyan was confused for a moment, then after some thought, he realized that Wei Wufeng must be talking about Zhou Mian.
âWhatâs up with him?â
Wei Wufeng: âNothing much, just acting a bit strange⦠Working non-stop in the middle of the day, no rest. I even suspect he owes you money.â
âWorking is fine, saving a bit of the budget is also good. Iâm just afraid heâll die on set and add frost to our already tight budget.â
Xu Qingyan replied, âNo worries, Iâll ask him.â
He found Zhou Mianâs phone number and dialed it directly. Ten seconds later, the call was answered.
âHello? Brother Xu, whatâs up?â
âWhat are you doing on set, working without a break all day?â Xu Qingyan got straight to the point, âDonât overdo it, even if you intend to numb yourself with work, this isnât the way to do it.â@@novelbin@@
From the other end of the phone, Zhou Mianâs sigh could be heard, followed by the flick of a lighter as he presumably lit a cigarette.
âAh, I just canât figure it out.â
âThereâs nothing to figure out, just get it over with.â Xu Qingyan was somewhat speechless, then suddenly he had another thought, âWait, havenât you already made a decision?â
âShe contacted me again this afternoon, saying she wants to talk again.â Zhou Mianâs voice hesitated, âIâm really angry, but then I think about my parents andâ¦â
âIs it just a quarrel, or are you guys not getting along?â Xu Qingyan asked directly.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, then Zhou Mian said with difficulty.
âNo, she cheated, and I have proof. But I spoke with a lawyer, and the evidence is not very useful; it only proves she is morally deficient.â
âBecause we donât have children, it doesnât cause substantial financial harm. If she presents evidence that our feelings donât align, the judge wonât consider giving me a larger share of the property.â
âShit, Zhou, youâre really too tolerant.â Xu Qingyan was shocked, âSo youâre working yourself to death because you canât figure it out? Is this some new type of self-torture?â
âI really donât know what to do. My parents keep advising me.â Zhou Mian kept sighing, âShe changed her tune and wants to talk to me, but I really donât want toâ¦â
âBut I really donât know what to do now, Brother Xu, what can I do?â
Xu Qingyan was silent; he initially didnât want to get involved. But given how far things had progressed, it would seem a bit cold-hearted not to say anything at all.
Zhou Mian was able to make a rational decision before, proving heâs not a fawning, whipped man. Itâs just that his mind wasnât making the shift, and he needed someone to prick his conscience.
Ordinary comfort was useless, and he couldnât be too harsh. Besides, Xu Qingyan, currently at the event, wasnât in the best position for a lengthy lecture.
After a moment of thought, Xu Qingyan said,
âI have a line I donât know whether I should cross.â
âItâs fine, Brother Xu, you can scold me. I can take it.â Zhou Mianâs voice was low, seemingly struggling.
Xu Qingyan didnât believe a word he said. The words of Schrödingerâs whipped man were as credible as those of a gambler. The only thing to do was to shatter his delusional hopes.
âAh, itâs not a matter of scolding or not scolding. Anyone in your position wouldnât know what to do. After all, your parents are getting on in years, and they surely hope you will settle down.â
âBesides,â he said calmly, before jabbing Zhou Mian in the heart with his words, âWhen it comes to marriage, the groom only needs to save up for the bride-price, but the bride has a lot more to consider.â
âThe same goes for making mistakes after marriage. The victim only needs to turn a deaf ear and continue to make money, while the person who cheated has a lot more to consider.â
Zhou Mian was smoking, absorbed in his emo atmosphere when suddenly he heard this and nearly choked to death on his cigarette. He coughed violently for a minute, tears streaming forth.
âBrother Xu, thisâ¦â
âAh, I was just saying, donât take it to heart,â Xu Qingyan began the reverse psychology, âItâs nothing, whatâs the big deal, life is short, just endure it and itâll pass.â
âIf youâre not afraid to suffer, thereâll be no end to your suffering. Sometimes, life is like this, just endure, and then leave it for the next generation to endure, and so on until itâs like playing Fruit Ninja.â
âBrother Xu! Brother Xu! Stop!â Zhou Mian finally broke down, âI got it, I wonât endure, Iâm going to deal with this now.â
âWhat? What are you talking about?â Xu Qingyan pretended not to understand, âIn such matters, you still need to consider your parentsâ feelings. Theyâve eaten more salt than youâve eaten rice.â
âTheyâve walked over more bridges than youâve walked on roads. Just listen, go after happiness.â
Zhou Mian felt like vomiting blood; a month or two of being emo wasnât as penetrating as Xu Qingyanâs words. Sharp or not, the words were aggressive to the core.
He thought to himself that he must have been blinded by lard, still thinking about taking her back. Friends had given advice, like saying the cheating party never regrets cheating itself, only getting caught.
There was also advice like life needs tolerance, and every family has its own hard-to-read scriptures⦠Old Li from xxx village, none of his three children are his own, but in the end, isnât he still the one they call Dad?
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