Divorce Is An Absolute Must! - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: First Meeting

◎You were drunk.◎

Seeing that she wasn’t speaking, Li Lan asked again.

Zhu Qing came back to her senses, let out a light cough, and held her phone up straight to make sure her face was in the most standard position on the screen.

“I’m fine. It’s just that I’ve forgotten her, so Xiao Bao is a little unhappy.”

Zhu Qing was a little excited that Li Lan had taken the initiative to video call her. “What about you? Why are you by the sea?”

“I canceled an exhibition. I can go home after I finish the cover shoot this afternoon,” Li Lan said casually about her work for the past two days. After a two-second pause, she asked, “What about you?”

Zhu Qing said, “I went to the kindergarten, chatted with the foreign teacher for a bit, and spent half the day studying the camera you gave me.”

Li Lan nodded slightly. “Speaking of the camera, thank you for those photos you took. I gained over 400,000 followers.”

“My photography skills are just the icing on the cake. It’s because you’ve never explored other styles,” Zhu Qing said sincerely. “Mainly, you just have a great appearance.”

Li Lan said gently, “I still have to thank you.”

Zhu Qing was skilled at using any opportunity to her advantage. She said with a smile, “How are you going to thank me?”

Li Lan was stunned for a moment, then laughed. “You tell me.”

Zhu Qing immediately sat up straight.

“Can you tell me,” Zhu Qing cleared her throat, raising her voice to hide her nervousness, and tried to keep her tone calm, “how did we meet?”

She finally said it!

Zhu Qing mentally set off a string of firecrackers for herself. Because of her timid little thoughts, she had been too scared to ask Li Lan about their relationship.

Especially after knowing that she had physically assaulted Li Lan, which led to their relationship breaking down, Zhu Qing didn’t dare to bring up their past, fearing that it would cause Li Lan to reject her and shatter the current harmonious situation.

But Zhu Qing was still curious, or rather, she couldn’t help but want to know more about their memories.

Li Lan was visibly stunned. Her expression was a little lost, and her eyes were unfocused for a moment.

“Li Lan?” Zhu Qing swallowed, urging her nervously.

Li Lan’s gaze refocused, landing on Zhu Qing’s face.

When she spoke again, her throat was a little dry. “Why do you want to know all this?”

Zhu Qing said with a serious expression, “We’re about to go on a variety show, right? We’ll definitely be chatting on the show. If someone asks about us, I can’t just not know anything, can I?”

The reason was very grandiose.

A hint of hesitation appeared in Li Lan’s eyes.

Zhu Qing continued, “Even if I say I fell and hit my head and lost my memory, the director probably won’t agree. If I act like a stranger to you, it would affect the audience’s viewing experience, wouldn’t it?”

Li Lan lowered her eyes and thought for a few seconds before saying, “There’s no need to pretend to be a loving couple. The audience is very sharp, and a fake relationship can be easily spotted.”

Zhu Qing saw that she was misunderstanding and quickly said, “I’m not trying to act. I genuinely want to know about our past!”

As soon as she said that, both of them were stunned.

Zhu Qing was thin-skinned, and her cheeks instantly turned pink.

Li Lan stared at Zhu Qing blankly, as if she didn’t understand what she was saying.

Zhu Qing’s mind raced as she tried to make up for it. “Anyway, you have to be considerate of me. You have no idea how terrifying it is for me to have lost my memory.”

The more she spoke, the more wronged Zhu Qing felt. “Xiao Bao said I used to spoil her a lot and wants me to go back to how I was before. I also really want to go back. I don’t know how to get along with any of you. I don’t know anything.”

Li Lan’s eyes softened, and she instinctively comforted her. “You’re fine now.”

This was the truth. Zhu Qing had only lost a year of her memory. Her personality hadn’t changed drastically. The current Zhu Qing was no different from the person she had known before.

If there was any difference, it was only in her attitude towards her…

Li Lan lowered her eyes. Since Zhu Qing and she had a big fight more than two months ago, they had never gotten along so peacefully.

Thinking about this, Li Lan felt as if her mouth was sealed with cement, and it became difficult even to open it.

Zhu Qing looked defeated and pleaded in a low voice, “Just tell me. I just want to know how we met and how we, ahem, fell in love.”

Li Lan said with difficulty, “Is that all?”

Zhu Qing nodded like a little chick pecking at rice. “Yes, yes!”

Li Lan couldn’t find a reason to refuse. She was defeated by her own internal struggle and finally spoke.

“A large film studio opened in City B. It had everything from ancient Chinese residences to modern villas and Western European castles. The variety was complete, and the quality was excellent. Many film crews booked their shoots two years in advance, so it was very popular. The investors of the studio held a banquet, and many people from the entertainment industry went. I was just starting to get a little famous in China at the time. My studio received an invitation, and I went to the banquet with them,” Li Lan’s gaze drifted into the distance, and a gentle smile appeared in her eyes as she recalled the memory. “You and Qian Cancan were sitting at the same table as me. Qian Cancan was busy taking photos with female celebrities, and you were busy pulling her away. It wasn’t until Qian Cancan walked up to me with a wine glass that you pinched her, pulled her away, and apologized to me.”

Zhu Qing followed Li Lan’s description, imagining the scene at the time.

Zhu Qing had an impression of that film studio. Qian Cancan’s family liked to buy land everywhere. She had heard from Qian Cancan back in college that a piece of land in City B was going to be used to build a film studio. A part of that land was forestry land that Qian Cancan’s family had contracted. The studio wanted to designate it as an outdoor shooting location, but Qian Cancan’s family felt that there were legal risks and didn’t think they could get the government to change the nature of the land. After a lot of haggling, Qian Cancan was sent by her parents to City B to inspect it several times before it finally went through.

The investment in this film studio was huge. Half of the entertainment industry had come, and that’s where Zhu Qing and Li Lan met.

That made sense to Zhu Qing.

She had said that Li Lan and she were from two different worlds, so how could they have had a chance to meet? This explanation made sense now. The wealthy were all in one circle, and as long as you had money, you could invite celebrities.

The banquet must have been magnificent, with handsome men and beautiful women everywhere. Qian Cancan would definitely have been like a butterfly in a flower garden, having a great time. It was not surprising that she would have been mesmerized by how beautiful Li Lan was.

And Zhu Qing herself was probably no better than Qian Cancan.

Based on Zhu Qing’s understanding of herself, for a woman like Li Lan, who every single cell of her was exactly what she found attractive, she would definitely have a strong reaction. Just admiring her beauty from a distance wouldn’t be enough.

Zhu Qing was a doer. No one had ever managed her since she was a child. While other children could get what they wanted by just asking, whining, or crying, she was completely different. She had to fight for what she wanted, and over time, that’s what shaped her personality.

She would definitely take the initiative to get what she wanted.

Zhu Qing’s eyes were full of anticipation. “What happened next? Did I approach you, we had a nice conversation, and then we exchanged contact information?”

Li Lan’s expression was a little subtle. She shook her head. “You had a red face and didn’t even dare to look up. After apologizing softly, you pulled Qian Cancan away.”

Zhu Qing was instantly choked up. What happened to taking the initiative? Why was she so timid?!

Zhu Qing coughed lightly. “Then what happened next… How did we, you know, get together?”

Li Lan’s gaze softened, and she said softly, “I was busy socializing. I didn’t eat much at the banquet and was just busy toasting, and I ended up a little drunk. There was a hotel next to the banquet hall that the organizers had arranged. Our invitations also had room key cards, so I went to the room to rest.”

Zhu Qing’s eyes lit up. She knew she would have been proactive! “I knocked on your door!?”

Li Lan nodded helplessly. A hint of a complex expression flashed across her face. “You probably went to the wrong door. I was a little hypoglycemic at the time, and I thought you might have an emergency and wanted you to help me order some food, so I opened the door.”

Zhu Qing’s heart beat faster and faster, almost racing. She held her breath and said, “And then?”

Li Lan turned her head slightly, no longer looking at the screen. After a long time, she said, “You… you were drunk.”

After saying those three words, Li Lan fell silent.

Zhu Qing could hear the strong, unspoken meaning in the tone of those three words.

She was drunk!

What does a drunk person do?

A thousand dramatic scenarios instantly flashed through Zhu Qing’s mind—did she pin her against the wall? Did she kiss her by force? Or did she just pin her down on the bed and do things like that?! Oh my God!!!