Divorce Is An Absolute Must! - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Departure

◎The first stop of the variety show.◎

“I… had a reason for what I did that day.” Qian Chu spoke with difficulty, not as smoothly as she wanted, but once the words were out, she continued. “Be reasonable, what could I have said in that situation?”

Qian Chu tried to grab Qian Cancan’s hand, but she was slapped away.

Qian Cancan said sarcastically, “You’re so precious that I can’t even say your name. I’m putting myself out there for you, so of course you can say whatever you want.”

Qian Cancan was always good at being sarcastic. Qian Chu had never been treated with such an attitude before. Her mind was buzzing, and it took her a while to find her voice.

“Then what do you think I should have done?”

Qian Cancan sneered, “You didn’t have to do anything. You didn’t have to before, and you don’t have to now!”

Qian Chu’s patience was wearing thin. She held back her frustration and tried to explain. “First of all, you showed up at… that kind of bad party. You knew some of those people were scumbags, but you still went. What was I supposed to think?”

This time, Qian Cancan didn’t fight back. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Qian Chu. “Then why did you go?”

Qian Chu was silent for two seconds. “I was there for work. There was an agent I wanted to meet. She had some resources she was selling…”

“Then how do you know I wasn’t there for work!” Qian Cancan suddenly flared up like a firework, spitting sparks. “There was also a boss I wanted to talk to about a collaboration!”

Qian Chu said with a headache, “The way you were acting… it didn’t look like you were there for work…”

Qian Cancan said coldly, “So it’s my fault again?”

Qian Chu said, “No, it’s my fault.”

The angry Qian Cancan immediately fell silent, looking at Qian Chu with suspicion.

Qian Chu was finally being looked at directly. She said seriously, “I shouldn’t have been so quick to assume that you were there to mess around and not work. I also shouldn’t have said what I said to you when you called out to me for help. I didn’t handle it well.”

Qian Cancan stared at Qian Chu as if she had seen a ghost.

“Are you possessed? Why are you so easy to talk to today?” Qian Cancan said weirdly.

Qian Chu frowned. “I’m not joking.”

Qian Cancan just stared at her, not reacting.

Qian Chu’s tone changed. “But you also have a problem. In that chaotic situation, you lost a game and had to kiss someone. You shouldn’t have come up to me without saying a word and pretended to be drunk. If it had been anyone else, I would have called the police.”

Qian Cancan: …

“I didn’t even touch you! The moment I walked up to you, I wanted to explain,” Qian Cancan said angrily. “But why did you start scolding me without listening to anything!”

The situation at the time was quite chaotic. Qian Cancan owned several stores, including a flower shop and a flower cake shop. She wanted to get a deal to sell her products at a big shopping mall. The person in charge of the first floor of the mall was at that party, so that’s why she went.

As soon as she arrived, she saw Qian Chu and excitedly greeted her, but Qian Chu had a cold face and didn’t show her any kindness.

Qian Cancan didn’t care at first. Later, when they started playing, she and the person in charge played a game, and she deliberately lost a lot of money and also a “truth or dare” challenge, where she had to kiss someone.

The lighting in the room was dim. Qian Cancan wanted to ask Qian Chu for a favor, but the moment she walked over, before she could even open her mouth, Qian Chu started scolding her.

“Qian Cancan, your behavior tonight is very inappropriate. ‘Truth or dare’ is not an excuse for you to take advantage of people. And I’m not some club princess for you to mess around with.”

“If you just want to mess around with someone, I suggest you find another place.”

“A woman who truly respects herself wouldn’t approach people in this way.”

“Your behavior will only make people look down on you.”

“Please be mindful of your actions and don’t embarrass everyone.”

As expected of a civilized person, she didn’t use any foul language when scolding her. But Qian Cancan would have preferred it if she had used a bunch of emotional swear words. She would rather not have to listen to her cold accusations, her expressionless condemnation of her being inappropriate, and her saying she didn’t respect herself.

“Those words weren’t intentional. I said the wrong thing,” Qian Chu said, lowering her head. “Please don’t take it to heart.”

Qian Cancan really wanted to say, “Go to hell,” but she knew it was no use. That was just Qian Chu’s personality. She only dealt with things factually, and she was especially biased against herself.

“I do take it to heart,” Qian Cancan insisted, but she was also tired. “I also hope you don’t take it to heart that I take it to heart. Let’s just leave this matter as it is. You don’t have to explain anymore, and you don’t have to look for me anymore. I won’t be mad at you anymore, but it’s impossible for me not to take it to heart. Do you understand?”

Qian Chu had never dealt with something like this before. Her personality was very orderly. She rarely made mistakes, and she had never been in a situation where she apologized for doing something wrong but wasn’t forgiven.

But Qian Cancan didn’t want to talk anymore. She closed her eyes and lay down in the passenger seat. “I’ve already called a designated driver. You can go now.”

Qian Chu didn’t know when Qian Cancan had called the driver, but soon someone came on a small bike, took the keys from her, got into Qian Cancan’s passenger seat, and drove her away.

Qian Chu stared at the car as it left, narrowing her eyes. Her expression was one of confusion and obvious displeasure.

She stood there for a long time, until a voice suddenly came from behind her.

“What are you doing?” Li Lan said.

Qian Chu turned around, was silent for a moment, and said blankly, “Qian Cancan and I had a fight.”

Li Lan said, “She can fight with you?”

Qian Chu felt that Li Lan’s words were ambiguous. “Why not?”

“She’s always looked up to you. She tries to get along with you as much as possible,” Li Lan said, pushing her sunglasses up and walking into the garage. “Stop standing here like a lamppost. Come here, I need to talk to you.”

Li Lan’s dinner meeting in the afternoon seemed to have gone well. She was in a good mood and looked noticeably relaxed.

For the other three couples on the variety show, traveling was just a busy job, but for her, it was an opportunity to spend time with Zhu Qing, a honeymoon away from the cameras.

“Why wouldn’t Qian Cancan fight with me?” Qian Chu pressed.

Li Lan said, “Qian Cancan seems to be a very open and carefree person, but she’s a very good person. She’s loyal and forgiving to her friends and basically has no temper. She’s not the kind of person who would fight with a friend.”

Qian Chu frowned and thought deeply.

“You’re very sharp about other things, but when it comes to your own business, you’re clueless,” Li Lan said earnestly. “A harsh word hurts more than a cold winter. You need to be nicer to people.”

Qian Chu silently reflected. She was indeed a bit too direct and blunt. No, to put it nicely, she was direct and sharp. To put it bluntly, she had a venomous tongue that could easily hurt people.

“You’re right.”

Seeing her looking remorseful, Li Lan patted her again. “But it’s not all your fault. Zhu Qing is different. She has a better temper than Qian Cancan. She’s not easily angered about small things, so I rarely even get a chance to comfort her.”

Qian Chu: …

Why are you bragging and acting so proud of it?

Qian Chu thought to herself, Zhu Qing really doesn’t get angry about small things. Or rather, she doesn’t get angry about petty things. When she does get angry, it’s a big deal that could lead to a breakup.

Perhaps sensing what Qian Chu was thinking, Li Lan cleared her throat and returned to her cold and serious expression.

“Your main job now is the variety show tomorrow. Have you contacted the production crew? Have you done the research? Have you scouted the locations?”

Qian Chu respectfully said, “I’m on my way.”

That night, a team from the production crew arrived. They first went to film a pickup video of Li Lan getting off the plane. Then the camera moved to the car, where they asked Li Lan many questions about her recent work.

When they got home, Li Lan went to the door and knocked. “Xiao Qing, we’re here.”

She didn’t use her fingerprint to open the lock, but let Zhu Qing open the door. Zhu Qing stood behind the door, saw a crowd of four or five people on the smart monitor screen, and the anxiety she had finally suppressed was revived.

Zhu Qing took a deep breath and opened the door.

In the camera, the metal smart door slowly opened, and a warm orange light poured out. A young and delicate girl poked her head out and smiled at them, then opened the door completely.

The girl had a very pleasant look. She had a pair of round and bright apricot eyes under thin single eyelids. It was rare to see such beautiful single eyelids, and it immediately attracted their attention.

Zhu Qing was a little nervous. Her eyes kept darting towards the camera, and her beautiful, doe-like eyes repeatedly appeared on screen.

“The footage we’re filming tonight will be aired tomorrow as a teaser,” Li Lan said softly from the side. Her clear and pleasant voice was like a clear spring, calming Zhu Qing’s anxiety just in time.

Zhu Qing came back to her senses, smiled awkwardly at the camera, and lowered her head to get slippers for Li Lan. She also took out a box of shoe covers for the staff and said sweetly, “Come on in.”

Zhu Qing walked in front to lead the way. Li Lan deliberately gave the camera space and went to the pantry to prepare drinks for the staff.

The staff stopped, and the camera filmed a panoramic view of the living room. Zhu Qing stood there for two seconds and said in a low voice, “Do I need to introduce the place?”

The camera moved up and down.

Zhu Qing looked around, thought for two seconds, and honestly said, “This is a house I used to share with someone, and later Lan bought it. It’s our marital home now.”

Li Lan, who was trying the water temperature, sputtered.

Zhu Qing turned her head. “Huh?”

Li Lan, with her back to the camera, waved her hand in a choked cough, motioning for her to ignore her.

Zhu Qing turned back and continued to introduce the place. “The decor is in a creamy style that I really like. This is the master bedroom, next to it is Xiao Bao’s children’s room, and this is the second bedroom.”

“The location is pretty good. There’s a big shopping mall and a school district nearby. The floor is not too high, so there’s no noise at night, and the property management is also good…”

She was like a real estate agent, giving a detailed introduction of the entire layout of the house, as if she could say, “If you sign a one-year lease now, you’ll get a 5% discount on the processing fee” at any moment.

Li Lan came over with drinks, handed them to the staff in charge of scheduling, and then came over with a cup of iced tea to interrupt.

“Go open your suitcase.”

Zhu Qing felt as if she had been granted a great pardon. She felt that her vocabulary was running out. She quickly turned around and pulled the suitcase out of the bedroom.

When she came out, the camera was focused on Li Lan.

She stood by the kitchen with a faint smile and opened the fridge. “There’s an island here. We usually sit together to eat. Xiao Qing likes to cook, but because she’s busy with work, she might be cooking when I’m on a business trip. When I get back, she wants to eat out, so I don’t get to eat her cooking very often.”

“I feel like this variety show is a good opportunity. It gives us a stable space to be together. Being with someone who has to travel frequently like me means we don’t get to see each other often, and it always makes her feel sad. Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since we traveled together.”

Zhu Qing listened to Li Lan quietly. She was completely different in front of the camera than she was in private. She was the same person, but when she stood there, her demeanor, her eyes, and even the feeling she exuded through her movements all became more attractive. The charm in her every move was almost overflowing.

And what she said was exactly what needed to be said in front of the camera, not a dry introduction, but something with interaction and affection.

The camera finally noticed Zhu Qing and came over to her suitcase.

Zhu Qing looked up at Li Lan, her eyes soft.

Li Lan nodded gently. “Go ahead.” She knew Zhu Qing was a bit nervous, but she wasn’t scared. She was just trying her best to learn how to be on camera.

Zhu Qing’s earnest and cute look, especially the way she looked at her, was very endearing.

When she was in an unfamiliar environment, she would subconsciously look at the person who made her feel the most secure.

Li Lan stood next to Zhu Qing, squeezed her shoulder, and silently encouraged her.

“I prepared two sets of warm windbreaker suits for hiking in the mountains. I also prepared two sets of light windbreaker suits for wearing in Africa. I also bought straps to tuck my pants into my socks.”

“These nice clothes were bought by Lan, and I haven’t worn them yet, so I’m bringing them along to try them on.”

…

“That’s all the stuff. Since we’ll be carrying our own luggage, and the mountain roads are a bit difficult, I didn’t prepare too much. Half of Lan’s luggage is in my suitcase, too. She likes to look pretty, you know.”

Li Lan coughed softly and said in a low voice, “You don’t need to say that in front of the camera.”

Zhu Qing looked at Li Lan, blinked, and then looked at the staff behind the camera. She also lowered her voice and said quietly, “Can you cut that out?”

The staff laughed. “It’s fine. We’ll handle it in post-production.”

Zhu Qing naively thought that post-production would cut out her “inappropriate” comments. It wasn’t until the teaser aired the next day that Zhu Qing realized that what the production crew meant by “handling it in post-production” was to enlarge and bold her words and add all kinds of special effects.

[Lan] became a small bomb that was thrown at Li Lan, who was only seen from the back of her head.

The moment Li Lan choked on water was magnified. The dignified person suddenly looked flustered, and the show instantly became more entertaining.

The screen was filled with a dense shower of laughter.

[Whose idea was that nickname? I bet they don’t call her that in private.]

[Lan, it’s so funny hahahaha. Why does Li Lan look like she’s hearing it for the first time?]

[Everyone’s laughter is too loud. Didn’t you see that Zhu Qing was very shy at the beginning? You’re laughing so much that you’ll scare her, so you should laugh quietly like me ha (100 times) ha.]

[If she called her ‘wifey,’ or ‘baby,’ you would be unhappy about that, too.]

Li Lan and Zhu Qing were watching the teaser on their way to the airport. When Zhu Qing saw the comments, she looked embarrassed.

Li Lan asked curiously, “Why did you call me ‘Lan’ like Qian Chu does?”

Zhu Qing scratched her head. She had her hair in a low ponytail today, and she looked very gentle. Her smile was very endearing. She told the truth. “It feels very interesting. Only Qian Chu calls you ‘Lan.’ Everyone else calls you ‘President Li.’ I was also curious why she calls you ‘Lan’ and not something else.”

“That’s because you haven’t met enough people,” Li Lan said with a chuckle. “Everyone is different when they call someone by their last name or first name. ‘President Li’ sounds terrible. It sounds the same as ‘President Lee.’ Qian Chu calls people by the name that sounds good.”

Zhu Qing wasn’t sensitive to words and hadn’t developed that social skill. She said suspiciously, “Is it automatic?”

Li Lan nodded and said as a matter of course, “Yes. Look at Xiao Bao. She automatically calls you ‘Zhu Zhu’ instead of ‘Qing Qing.’ Children like to use reduplication when they call people. ‘Qing Qing’ is hard to say. The ‘ing’ sound is nasal, and it’s in the first tone. It’s easy to say ‘kiss kiss.’ She said it twice, and when she saw that others misunderstood her, she changed it herself. ‘Zhu Zhu’ is in the fourth tone and has a vowel ending, which makes it easy to say. Of course, she’ll say what’s easiest to say.”

Zhu Qing felt like she had learned a lesson again and immediately became a little nervous. “Then is it okay if I just call you by a random name?”

Just like the comments said, they didn’t have that nickname in private.

The main reason was that their relationship was in an awkward stage. Zhu Qing didn’t have a special nickname for her. What could she call Li Lan?

‘Wifey’ or ‘baby’ was definitely not an option.

‘Lanlan’ was too cheesy.

In a flash, Zhu Qing could only think of the nickname “Lan.”

But she also wanted to call her something else. It was the same as Qian Chu’s nickname, which wasn’t special enough.

“It’s nothing,” Li Lan said generously. “You can call me whatever you want.”

Zhu Qing looked at her.

Li Lan smiled. “What do you want to say?”

Zhu Qing felt a surge of excitement.

“Is that really okay?”

Li Lan nodded gently.

“Then can I call you… Little Lanzi?”

Li Lan: …