Lin Qinghan seldom checked Moments. However, sometimes, he would unintentionally come across Warm's Moments—either she was reading by the French windows in the afternoon, baking pastries, arranging flowers, painting, or elegantly dressed attending plays, musicals, and other similar events. He scrolled through Warm’s previous Moments, and the last post was from the time they attended an auction.
The post before it was from a private banquet.
All the posts showcased her exquisite and elegant life as a noble lady.
So, after leaving him, Warm had actually deteriorated to this extent? How could her taste drop to the point where she would go eat spicy hot pot and drink Coke? Wasn't she the one who disliked these things the most?
Lin Qinghan's brows were furrowed tightly, almost as though he could squash a fly with them.
This was the first thought that came to his mind, but soon, he silently dismissed the thought, and then another thought arose—
She was happy.
It wasn't forced smiles or pretense.
Warm was genuinely happy.
Lin Qinghan looked at the symbols following the post: [Rainbow][Sun][Sun], along with the phrase, "New life, new look." They all exuded hope for the future. So, after leaving him, Warm didn't feel as hurt and sad as he had imagined. Instead, she seemed to be joyously breaking free from herself?
"Boss," Li waited for Lin Qinghan's voice for a while but couldn't hear anything, so he whispered on the other end of the phone.
Lin Qinghan looked at the post, remaining silent.
Just as Li hesitated whether to call out again, he finally spoke, his voice low and heavy, as he held his phone, staring at the post without blinking. After a while, he continued, "Is she really planning to leave me?"
Li understood the subtle message in Lin Qinghan's words, hesitated, and carefully replied, "From what I see, Madam is resolute this time. She seems to have genuinely thought it over."
It wasn't a joke, nor was it a tactic. Warm was seriously planning to leave him, but Lin Qinghan said nothing. After a while, he closed his eyes, and uttered, "Noted."
"Then," Li hesitated, "Boss, do you still want to look for Madam?"
"No need."
Lin Qinghan's voice was faint. After speaking, he hung up the call.
The phone screen had turned black, and he stood still, holding onto his phone, not making any movements. It was as if he had been transported back to that day, with Warm sitting in the car, presenting him with the prepared items.
At that time.
His mood was the same—suffocating, filled with anger, frustration, and some incredulous astonishment.
He had never thought that Warm would divorce him. Even today, although the two of them had indeed divorced, and the divorce certificate was still in his pocket, he firmly believed that Warm loved him.
She was just temporarily upset and thoughtless, which led her to decide to leave him. But not long after, she would come back.
But now?
It was as if he had been slapped hard in the face. Lin Qinghan finally realized the reality—Warm had left him and hadn’t considered returning. Not only that, she was enjoying her present life, to the extent that she didn’t care about her dignity.
The room was brightly lit, and under the chandelier's reflection, Lin Qinghan's shadow on the French windows appeared somewhat desolate and forlorn. He tossed the paper bag in his hand back in place and threw his phone as well. Annoyed, he loosened his tie and sat on the bed, with his hands supporting his head.
Lowering his head, he suddenly remembered Warm from a few years ago.
At that time, he was eighteen, in his last year of high school, and Warm was sixteen, just starting high school.
That day, he won first place in the city's math competition, and Xuzhi insisted they should go out to celebrate. After their late meal, when passing the snack street of the school, Xuzhi, grabbing his arm, looked surprised and said, "Isn't that your little girl?"
Glancing sideways, he indeed saw Warm and Ji Xi walking and chatting on the road.
This was a side of Warm he had never seen before—her hair was messily tied into a ponytail, with a few strands scattered, and she was holding a pile of things she wouldn't have touched before. Her mouth was covered in sweet bean sauce and puffed up.
Certainly not expecting to run into him, she stood still, then without waiting for him to speak, she grabbed Ji Xi and ran away.
That day, Xuzhi and the others laughed for a long time.
They had never seen Warm like this. In the past, the darling of the heavens, wherever she went, she held her head high. Even when their family declined, the Lin family still protected her. In everyone's eyes, she was still the little princess in the ivory tower.
He didn't laugh.
It was just a bit unusual.
After school, on the way home, he inexplicably passed by the snack street, and inexplicably bought the fried rice cakes and fried potatoes that he had never touched before. But before he could send them out, the little girl had already changed back into her own dress, pulling his clothes with red eyes, and promised him that she would never eat those things again in the future.
She even said she didn't like to eat them at all.
That day, the snacks he bought were never sent out in the end, and he indeed never saw Wensoft eat those things again.
Lin Qinghan thought of the photo of the spicy hot pot before, with a slight curl of his thin lips, somewhat mocking. So she didn't really break through herself, but left him, finally able to find herself again?
What a joke.
Since she was really so happy, let her go.
The next day, Lin Qinghan seemed to return to his former self, quiet and reserved, not one to mince words. When he saw Lin Xue'e sitting at the dining table, nodding to people with a flat tone.
"Qinghan, you're up," Lin Xue'e somewhat nervously greeted him, still somewhat afraid of her nephew.
"Yeah."
Lin Qinghan nodded, not saying anything else, sat on the chair, and started eating breakfast.
She also had no idea about their divorce. Lin Xue'e scrutinized Lin Qinghan's expression and cautiously asked, "Qinghan, what happened between you and Wensoft? She came back home yesterday and took everything, even the paintings in the studio."
"You really separated?"
Lin Qinghan furrowed his brows, didn't look up, and replied in an ordinary tone, "Yeah, we did."
He didn't look happy, nor unhappy.
Lin Xue'e gradually relaxed. It's good as long as he wasn't upset. It seems that he really has no feelings for Wensoft, no feelings are good, she never liked this niece-in-law anyway.
If that girl from the Su family could marry into their Lin family.
As she was thinking about this, Lin Qinghan frowned.
The breakfast was the same as before, both Chinese and Western styles, but he just felt something was off. The taste was wrong, the atmosphere was wrong, everything was wrong, even the coffee. He took a sip of the coffee in his hand and frowned deeply.
"Sir, what's wrong?" Aunt Li asked.
"The taste of the coffee."
"Oh." Aunt Li looked at the coffee in his hand and hesitated, "I made it according to madam's method, is the taste not right?" After a pause, she whispered, "When you were at home, madam used to make breakfast, especially the coffee. She knew you liked to drink hand-ground coffee. She would get up an hour earlier every time to prepare it for you."
"She said machine-ground coffee wasn't good, it had to be hand-ground to be fragrant."
Lin Qinghan looked at the coffee in his hand, looking a little puzzled; he didn't know about this, Wensoft never told him.
Seeing Lin Qinghan's expression, Lin Xue'e's eyelids twitched.
She didn't like Wensoft, not at all. This woman had finally left, she couldn't let Qinghan remember her goodness. She quickly interrupted Aunt Li's words, "It's just a cup of coffee, what's so difficult about it?" She turned to Lin Qinghan and smiled, "Qinghan, if you like it, Auntie will grind it for you tomorrow."
"No need."
Lin Qinghan furrowed his brows, put down the coffee cup, and his expression returned to its usual state. He didn't have breakfast anymore, got up and walked out. When he saw the corner with several pots of green plants, he thought of the pots of gardenia on the balcony, and hesitated for a moment.
A while later.
He spoke, instructing Aunt Li, "Remember to water the gardenia pots in my room every day."
After saying that.
He left.
Aunt Li laughed and responded, understanding that the gardenia pots were Madame's favorite. Now that the gentleman asked her to take care of them, she knew that he couldn't let go of Madame.
"This..."
Lin Xue'e sat in the chair, watching Lin Qinghan's departing figure, looking a little dumbfounded. "Does Qinghan really like Wensoft?" He didn't seem upset just now? Why is he now taking care of those pots of flowers?
***
Ji Xi picked up Wensoft early in the morning. Allegedly, she was taking her to experience the daily breakfast of ordinary people, but she was actually shocked by Wensoft's circle of friends yesterday.
Although it was she who had Wensoft order takeout yesterday.
But she always thought Wensoft was an ethereal fairy who doesn't partake in earthly pleasures. Who could have imagined that she actually got down-to-earth, ordering spicy hot pot and greasy geek water? Yesterday, a few acquaintances all privately messaged her, asking, "Is Wensoft so hurt by the divorce that she's starting to self-indulge?"
She didn't know.
She didn't dare to ask either.
As the two were sitting face to face, surrounded by a group of old men and women, Ji Xi, drinking soy milk, stole a glance at Wensoft across from her. "Soft, is it delicious?"
"Delicious." Wensoft held a hand grab pancake in one hand and a soup spoon in the other, smiling so much that her eyes disappeared. Probably seeing through Ji Xi's thoughts, she finished her hand grab pancake, wiped her lips with a tissue, and said, "I know what you want to ask."
She is really happy, not pretending.
Seeing Ji Xi still hesitating, she smiled, "Really, I'm not lying to you." After a pause, she asked, "Do you remember that after the last time we were seen by Lin Qinghan at the snack street, did I ever go out with you again?"
Ji Xi nodded, "I remember."
温软 lowered her head and slowly scooped the soy milk, smiling as she said, "You know Lin Qinghan, that person, acts like an old stickler. He has standards for every meal. I actually don't like those nutritious meals at all, but I'm worried that Lin Qinghan won't like me, so I can only say that I like them."
"After being caught that time, I was afraid he wouldn't like it, so I really didn't touch it again."
"Now that I've left him, I don't have to worry about whether he likes it or not. How could I not be happy?"
As she spoke, she raised her head, and her fair and beautiful face, under the morning light, with her crescent-shaped eyes slowly forming a better and brighter smile than ever before. She said, "So, I didn't lie to you. I'm really happy, and I really look forward to the days to come."
Ji Xi looked at her bright smile and finally let go of his worries, smiling too. She patted Warm's shoulder and said, "That's right. Let that big oaf go as far away as possible. He'll regret it in the future."
After breakfast, Ji Xi still had things to do today. Warm did not have anyone to accompany her. The place was not far from where she lived, so she planned to walk there herself and also get to know the environment around the neighborhood, so that she wouldn't get lost when buying things in the future.
When passing by a flower shop, she stopped for a moment. She liked flowers, and there were quite a few vases in her house. She could buy some to decorate her room.
"Little girl, are you buying flowers?" the auntie at the flower shop smiled and greeted her, "These were just delivered today, still fresh, take a look and see what you like. You're so pretty and doing business, I'll definitely give you a discount."
Warm smiled and thanked the auntie in a soft voice, "Okay, thank you, auntie."
She picked the flowers and found quite a variety. Just as she had picked a bouquet of sunflowers, Warm felt like someone was taking a picture of her. She was naturally sensitive to the camera, and she raised her eyes in surprise. Outside, there were several high school girls holding phones and taking pictures of her.
They probably didn't expect to be caught. Their faces turned red, and they apologized to her, "Sorry, we were just taking some random pictures."
Warm smiled and shook her head, indicating it was okay. She had been photographed at school before, so when they stayed in place, she said, "Aren't you going to school?"
"Oh, yes, yes."
The girls blushed and ran away. After running a few steps, they came back and said to her, "Sister, you are really pretty."
Warm smiled as she watched them leave, bought a few bouquets of flowers, and went home. She didn't take this incident to heart, but in the evening, Ji Xi called her in a hurry, with an excited tone, "Darling, you're trending."
Trending?
Warm was taken aback, she stopped what she was doing and asked, "What's trending?" As she spoke, she opened Weibo and saw that it was the top trend, labeled with [Burst], #Billionaire Divorce#.
Seeing this trending topic, Warm couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration. Although Lin Qinghan was not a person from the entertainment industry, he was a billionaire. It was normal for news of his divorce to trend. She had already guessed it on the day of the divorce. She had no interest in it and said helplessly as she sat on the couch, "Darling, is this trending really worth your excitement?"
"That's not it," Ji Xi realized he hadn't made it clear and then said, "What's the matter with Lin Qinghan? Look at the 18th post."
Eighteen?
Warm then switched to speakerphone and scrolled down on the trending page. The 18th trending post was labeled with #Have you seen the prettiest smiling girl#. What did this trending topic have to do with her?
Although she found it strange, she clicked on it. The first Weibo post was from a well-known account named [South Wind]. Warm had seen the account before when she was at home with nothing to do. This account often posted questions like #Who is your favorite idol# and #What does the prettiest amateur you've seen look like#.
This famous account had 6 million followers, and whenever they posted such questions, there were countless comments and even led to a lot of popularity. This time, the post about the prettiest smiling girl was made at 3 p.m. and had already received over 20,000 comments and nearly 10,000 reposts.
Ji Xi on the phone reminded her, "Did you find it? Open the first comment on the Weibo post."
"Okay." Warm gently replied and opened the comments. The first comment read, "[Early to bed and early to rise - Little Flower Road: This is a photo I took when I passed by the flower shop today. When I took it, I thought, is this young lady a fairy?]"
The attached picture was her at the flower shop today, holding a bouquet of sunflowers and smiling gently with her eyes lowered.
Just this comment alone had garnered thousands of replies. As Warm listened to Ji Xi's voice on the phone, she looked confused as she read the replies.
"Ah, my goodness, who is this little fairy, I'm in love!"
"In less than three minutes, no, I can't even wait three minutes, immediately! I want all the contact information of this young lady!"
"Before looking at the picture, I was wondering who this goddess was that could beat all the popular idols. After opening it, I just want to say - I can!!! So, sister @Early to bed early to rise - Little Flower Road, do you have any contact information?"
The person [Early to bed and early to rise - Little Flower Road] probably didn't expect that the photo they took would cause such a stir. In addition to those expressing affection, some people questioned whether this was just another internet celebrity trying to gain attention. They replied to several of the comments, and then had to post an explanation on their own Weibo.
"Don't message me anymore. I really don't know this young lady [crying while covering face] This was taken today on the way to school. But the young lady is really gentle, she didn't say anything when she saw us taking her picture, and she even asked us why we weren't going to school. Anyway, I'm in love!"
The post was accompanied by three pictures. In addition to the original picture that had become a trending sensation, there was another picture of her holding the sunflowers, raising her head, her face fully exposed to the public, with a slightly tilted head and a hint of confusion in her eyes. The third picture showed her holding the sunflowers, gently smiling with her eyebrows bent.
Ji Xi laughed on the phone as he said, "When I saw that Weibo earlier, I was shocked. But they didn't even take a good picture of you. Dear Soft Warm, how does it feel to trend? Well, not the first post though."
Warm put down her phone, smiling as she rubbed her sore eyes, "It's, quite interesting, isn't it?"
When she was in school, she occasionally visited the school forum, but this was her first time appearing in public in this way, or rather, it was the second time if she remembered that trending hot search.
She didn't take this matter seriously.
It was Jixi who suddenly shouted and startled her.
"You're so easily startled," Jixi said, covering her heart with a helpless expression. "What's wrong again?"
"Ruānruǎn, have you ever thought of entering the entertainment industry? With your looks, you could easily overshadow others in the entertainment industry. That Su Lanlan, with her demeanor, she's now a popular actress. If you were to enter the entertainment industry, wouldn't you just overshadow everyone?" Jixi became more impassioned as she spoke. "I think it's a good idea. Since you don't know what to do anyway, why not experience the entertainment industry?"
Experience the entertainment industry?
Ruānruǎn sat on the sofa, completely stunned. She had never even thought about it.
***
Jixi is a woman of action. She writes novels and scripts herself, and has some connections to the entertainment industry. Besides, her cousin Jǐ Yán is a popular idol, one of the top influencers in the entertainment industry.
So she was able to make contacts quickly.
That night, she brought Jǐ Yán's manager, Nacy, to Ruānruǎn's place directly.
Nacy is a top-tier manager. She is esteemed in the industry but has shifted her focus to her family in recent years and hasn't taken on any other talents besides Jǐ Yán.
In her thirties, with short hair and a professional yet composed appearance, she smiled when she first saw Ruānruǎn. "When I saw the photo you showed me earlier, I thought it was definitely retouched."
"Now that I see you, the photo isn't even one-tenth as beautiful as the real you." After saying this to Jixi, she extended her hand to Ruānruǎn. "Hello, I'm Nacy, my Chinese name is Gù Nánxī, and I'm also Jixi's senior at school."
Ruānruǎn shook her hand with a gentle and clear voice, "Hello Nánxī, I've heard Jixi mention you before. Please come in and have a seat."
"What a coincidence, I often hear Jixi talk about you," Nacy said with a smile.
Jixi was straightforward and uninterested in their pleasantries. She directly led the two into the house, poured two glasses of water, and handed one to Nacy, saying, "Senior sister, don't beat around the bush, just say it. Can you take Ruānruǎn?"
"That brat Jǐ Yán, you managed to make him famous. My Ruānruǎn is so much better than him."
Nacy looked at Jixi helplessly. "If Jǐ Yán's fans hear you say that, they might come after your home." She said it as a joke, and then turned to Ruānruǎn. After looking at her for a while, she said, "Ruānruǎn, you definitely have what it takes in terms of looks and figure to enter the entertainment industry."
"However—" she looked at Ruānruǎn, her gaze gentle yet sharp, and asked straightforwardly, "Do you want to enter?"
Do you want to enter?
Ruānruǎn held the water glass, her smile froze for a moment, obviously caught off guard by the question.
When Jixi brought it up in the evening today, she neither agreed nor refused. She just felt that it might be worth a try. But does she want to? She wasn't sure. When she was very young, she did have dreams of becoming a star. She thought the stars on TV wearing beautiful clothes and being adored by many people were really lucky.
However, as she grew up.
She was focused on catching up to Lin Qinghan. How could she still think about these things?
Lin Qinghan was academically excellent. At the First High School, he was always the top ranked and went to University A as the top scorer in the science stream, then went to Cambridge University on scholarship. She, in order not to fall behind, focused on her studies.
Later, she became Lin Qinghan's wife.
She was busy with socializing and maintaining relationships, and she had even less time for hobbies and things she liked, except for painting which she had retained.
"You're Jixi's friend, so I won't beat around the bush." Nacy continued, "You are indeed outstanding, but you have no plan for the future. You don't have a clear idea of what to do later. You're walking step by step. With this kind of mindset, it's difficult to survive in the entertainment industry."
Ruānruǎn was struck at the core, her face turning pale for a moment.
Jixi noticed, quickly grasped her hand, and looked at Nacy, frowning softly, her voice quiet with a hint of reproach, "Senior sister."
Nacy shrugged, "Ladies, this industry is not easy to navigate. If I take Ruānruǎn, we must be open and honest."
Jixi wanted to say something more.
Ruānruǎn held her hand, shook her head, put down the water glass, and looked at Nacy. Although her face was still somewhat pale, her tone had returned to normal. "Nánxī, you're right. I indeed have no plans for the future, even though I've always told Jixi that I'm looking forward to the future."
"But—" she hesitated, pursed her lips, "I don't know what to do in the future. I'm really just taking it step by step for now."
Suddenly, it's a life of one person.
No longer Mrs. Lin, only Ruānruǎn, she has aspirations and hopes, but at the same time, she's also confused. She doesn't know what she wants to do, or what she can do.
Nacy held her hand, patting it gently, her tone also becoming gentle, "Ruānruǎn, have you seen the comments on that Weibo post today? With just one photo, nearly ten thousand people have expressed their love for you."
"You have the capital to be liked by others."
She then continued, "But having the capital is one thing, whether you can make people like you for a long time is another. Your face can easily make you popular in the entertainment industry. But in this industry, fame is fleeting."
"In recent years, with the rapid development of society, the turnover in the industry has also increased. You look at the artists who debuted last year, how many of them are remembered this year?"
"So, if you want to be liked by others for a long time, and make everyone feel that you are worth liking, just having a pretty face is not enough."
"Moreover—"
Nacy looked at Wen softly and said slowly, "If you don't even like yourself, how can you expect others to like you?"
Nacy's words rang in her ears.
Wen softly stared at her, not speaking for a long time.