Chapter 46 - 2#
Jing Shun got his approval and curled the corners of his mouth. “Chi Gui, don’t listen to his nonsense.”
“What?”
“The old man was shouting pretty loudly just now. I caught a bit of it.”
Jing Shun explained first, then gave a sincere reassurance: “The deceased old gentleman was quite perceptive. That guy from the West Wing is completely unreliable. If the Chi family business isn’t handed over to you, it’ll probably go bankrupt sooner or later.”
Chi Gui let out a faint smile. “When Grandpa was alive, he secretly told me the same thing.”
He had long known that Chi Renpin was a good-for-nothing, which was why he bypassed him to groom the next generation.
“Today’s the first time I’ve met Chi Renpin.”
Jing Shun looked up at the face before him, already so familiar, and studied it for a moment. “But I think you two don’t look much alike. Your features probably take after your mother more.”
Wasn’t it said that sons inherit their mother’s good looks?
“Chi Gui, your mother must have had beautiful eyes and a high nose bridge.”
“…”
Chi Gui’s steps suddenly stopped.
Jing Shun glided forward a little, stopped, and turned around in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
The path had no streetlights, only hidden lights in the grass patches.
The man’s features were hidden in the shadows, making it hard to read the expression on his face.
But Jing Shun could feel the unexpected pain beneath Chi Gui’s silence. He backed up a little and whispered, “Chi Gui? Did I say something wrong?”
After all, neither the outside world nor Chi Gui himself had ever mentioned anything about his life before returning to the Chi family.
Chi Gui met Jing Shun’s concerned gaze, and a sliver of the loneliness buried deep inside him was pried open. “I never met my mother. She died a day after I was born.”
“…”
“Postpartum hemorrhage. The resources in the small county hospital were limited, and they couldn’t save her.”
Chi Gui was born at eleven at night.
Less than an hour later, just after midnight, he faced the death of his biological mother.
Jing Shun’s breath caught. A sour, aching feeling called “heartache” spread through his chest, but he had no way to vent it.
Even though his own original family had later experienced marital turmoil, when Jing Shun was young, he had enjoyed the love of both Jing Guanhai and Xu Jia.
Jing Shun wanted to ask something but was afraid it wouldn’t be appropriate.
Unexpectedly, Chi Gui himself took the initiative to bring up the topic—
His mother’s name was Song Ningke.
He’d heard that this name was given to her by a fortune teller her father had specially sought out when she was born.
Ningke, Ningke—a name that, just by reading the characters, conveyed strength.
In fact, Song Ningke had lived up to that name, being strong-willed in everything from childhood to adulthood—
From the best county middle school, she entered the city’s top high school with top marks, then from there, she got into a prestigious university in Haishi with grades ranking in the top three. After graduation, she smoothly entered a major corporation that other graduates could only dream of.
Song Ningke was naturally tenacious, rising all the way from the lowest intern to a department executive, until she met the unreliable Chi Renpin in a project.
A disastrous fate.
Chi Gui had always used this word to describe the meeting, the encounter, and the end of his biological parents’ relationship.
“I only found out later that my mother had a habit of keeping a diary while she was alive. It was from her remaining diary that I learned some truths.”
“Back then, to prevent her from regretting things and making trouble, Chi Renpin secretly bribed the higher-ups at my mother’s company, making her ‘accidentally’ get fired.”
What’s more, Chi Renpin used his convenience as the general manager of Chi Corporation to ensure that the vast majority of companies in Haishi dared not hire Song Ningke.
To put it bluntly, he wanted to make it impossible for Song Ningke to survive in Haishi.
“…”
Hearing this hidden layer of the past, Jing Shun frowned deeply, feeling nothing but disgust.
Chi Renpin was a complete scumbag! Not only did he fail to part amicably, but he also pushed the woman to such extremes?
Chi Gui hated Chi Renpin; it was only out of respect for his deceased grandfather that he barely tolerated the former.
“I’m not sure why my mother decided to have me, but she did.”
Chi Gui could also tell from the increasingly happy diary entries that Song Ningke had been looking forward to his arrival with all her heart—
She had him take her surname, Song, and gave him the single given name Yu.
Song Yu—a gift sent to her from heaven.
“My mother was strong-willed. After leaving Haishi, she returned to work in a small county town near Hangshi. She didn’t want to worry her parents, so she didn’t tell my grandfather and grandmother until the last month before giving birth.”
But fate always plays cruel tricks. They were destined to share only such a brief bond.
Chi Gui suppressed the regret and pain deep in his heart and continued, “I was raised by my grandfather and grandmother.”
Jing Shun asked quietly, “Are they…?”
Chi Gui’s answer was brief: “They’ve passed away too.”
“…”
“My mother was their proudest daughter, but unfortunately, they had to watch the younger generation go before the old. Besides my mother, they also had a son—a baby they found abandoned by the river when they were young.”
“The old couple lived their whole lives in a small tea village in Hangshi. They were simple tea farmers who had toiled for most of their lives. Their savings weren’t much, and they worked hard to raise both their children.”
Chi Gui subtly steadied the tremor in his breath, trying to change the subject. “Didn’t you always say my clothes smell like tea?”
Jing Shun followed his lead. “You told me before it was from tea bags?”
“Mm. It’s a trick my grandmother taught me.”
Tea leaves can absorb moisture, so stuffing them into the wardrobe keeps clothes dry.
Over time, Chi Gui had turned this habit into a routine. He didn’t like spraying perfumes or such, but he never expected the tea scent on his clothes to catch Jing Shun’s interest.
“It smells great. Grandma really knows her stuff.” Jing Shun praised, then apologized. “Chi Gui, I’m sorry.”
They say the death of a loved one is the dampness and mud of a lifetime. Chi Gui must be feeling terrible right now.
He shouldn’t have casually brought that up!
“What are you apologizing for? It’s all in the past.”
The dead have passed; the living need to keep living well.
Chi Gui caught the apology in Jing Shun’s eyes and signaled him to continue heading toward the North Residence, quickly changing the subject.
“How was the celebration banquet tonight?”
“Pretty lively.”
Jing Shun remembered the character biography he’d seen not long ago and shared it with him. “I met Brother Ting at the banquet today.”
Chi Gui raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, feigning ignorance. “Fu Changting?”
“Mm!”
Not noticing anything unusual, Jing Shun continued, “His new drama just started filming. There’s a villain character in the later part, and he wants me to take it.”
“…”
“That character was specially adjusted to fit my current condition—they made him use a wheelchair. It’s not a big role; at most, it should take about a week to film.”
Chi Gui frowned. “But you’re about to have surgery.”
Jing Shun added, “It’s after the surgery. Brother Ting said he can arrange the schedule based on my recovery.”
Chi Gui was silent for two seconds before replying, “He’s quite considerate.”
Jing Shun was taken aback. “Huh?”
Chi Gui asked, “Nothing. Do you want to take it?”
“Yeah. If the surgery goes well, I want to take this role.”
Jing Shun didn’t hide his true feelings. “Chi Gui, even though my path as an actor started because of my parents, I actually really want this path to continue in my life.”
He had understood from the very beginning—
In this circle, top-tier actors often face more constraints. Sometimes, smaller actors have more freedom.
Jing Shun never hoped to become a megastar through a role. He only wished to always have the opportunity and possibility to shape characters.
Yu Xiuzhu was right.
If you want something, you have to work hard to grasp it, not shrink back afraid you won’t succeed.
He wanted to stand up, to reappear in front of the camera, and to have more confidence and strength to strive for a chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with Chi Gui.
“Jing Shun? What are you thinking about?”
“About whether you’d agree to let me take this role. Brother Ting said all the filming locations for this character are in the outskirts of Haishi.”
Chi Gui met his questioning gaze. “As long as you want to, go for it—but on one condition—”
Jing Shun finished for him with understanding. “I know—take care of the surgery first.”
The corners of Chi Gui’s lips lifted slightly. “Mm.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, an impatient bark sounded from the brightly lit small courtyard of the North Residence.
“Woof!”
“Woof woof!”
Gou Bao sprinted over, circling Jing Shun, and even spared a friendly tail wag or two for Chi Gui.
After all, Chi Gui had praised him a while back! Gou Bao remembered!
Jing Shun patted Gou Bao, who was getting bigger. The small injury on his back had scabbed over, leaving what would likely be just a faint, shallow scar.
Still, it was a mark of honor for Gou Bao to be proud of.
“Chi Gui.”
Jing Shun called to the person beside him.
Chi Gui replied, “What is it?”
Jing Shun had a sudden inspiration. “Why don’t you give Gou Bao a proper name? I heard dogs become closer to the one who names them. ‘Gou Bao’ is still a bit too informal.”
Chi Gui countered, “Why don’t you name him?”
Jing Shun’s gaze dropped guiltily. “I… I’m just bad at naming.”
If he could come up with a good name, he would have decided long ago. He’d been racking his brain but couldn’t find anything suitable.
Chi Gui saw his dilemma. “Take your surname?”
Jing Shun nodded. “Of course. What should I call him then? Jing something?”
Chi Gui threw out a casual suggestion. “How about Jing Yuan? Reversed, it’s ‘Yuan Jing’—vision or hope.”
“Yuan?”
“Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
“…”
Hearing that wish, Jing Shun’s heart skipped a beat before he responded with a smile, “Chi Gui, I will get better.”
Chi Gui had never heard him express such confidence about his legs before. He, too, lifted the corners of his mouth. “Mm. Then I’ll wait for you to recover.”