Shen Jin gazed at her wrist. She hadn't expected Yun Xiaoran to take the initiative to give her a gift, and the surprise had left her a little dazed.
Without saying a word, she bit her lip, slowly took the box from Yun Xiaoran's hand, and set it on the sofa.
As the beloved daughter whom the entire Shen Family spoiled, she had received countless gifts growing up, from clothes costing tens of thousands to expensive perfumes.
Yet holding Yun Xiaoran's gift brought out a subtle feeling she had never experienced before.
She used to think gold bracelets and the like were tacky. Now, perhaps because she was looking closely, or because its color resembled rose gold and its design was so distinctive, she inexplicably found herself... really liking it.
Yun Xiaoran stood beside her, quietly watching for her reaction.
Shen Jin pressed her lips together slightly. The bracelet looked elegant and beautiful on her fair, delicate wrist, dazzling at first glance. Simply standing there, she could already have been a spokesperson for gold jewelry.
It was the first time she had ever liked a piece of jewelry so much. She gently turned her lovely, slender wrist and looked up at him, her eyes brimming with anticipation and delight, as though asking, "Does it look good?"
Understanding her, Yun Xiaoran immediately smiled and nodded. "It does."
It truly did. The heavy gold bracelet looked so lovely on her wrist that it was a pleasure to behold.
"Thank you," Shen Jin said to Yun Xiaoran. The atmosphere between them felt a little delicate now. Remembering the complimentary card in the box, she couldn't help growing nervous again. She took a deep breath, then slowly drew the card out with the fingertips of her left hand, the gold bracelet still on her wrist. Waving it before Yun Xiaoran, she asked:
"Is this for me?"
Looking at the card the shop assistant had provided, Yun Xiaoran nodded with a smile. "Yes. I was inspired to write a song today, but I needed a female vocalist, so I asked my buddy's cousin for help. I also picked out this bracelet for you with her at the shop."
At the first part, Shen Jin's face darkened, and she nearly took the gold bracelet off.
But after hearing the rest, her expression softened completely. Yun Xiaoran's explanation also greatly satisfied her competitive streak.
Hearing this, Sister Hua nearly spat out the grilled squid she had just put in her mouth. She forced herself to swallow it instead and looked helplessly at Shen Jin.
Who could she possibly complain to about this? His icy wife was the Top Diva of Chinese Entertainment, a National Goddess with a beautiful voice whom countless people admired. Yet her husband had gone to someone else because he needed a female singer...
Wouldn't this make a perfect trending topic on Weibo? Sister Hua had even thought up the headline:
"The Top Diva of Chinese Entertainment Couldn't Satisfy Her Husband, So He Had to Find Someone Else..."
"I really like your gift, but I'll wait until I'm back in my room to open the card. Still, I do have a little skill at singing. You don't need to go to someone else next time." Sitting on the sofa, Shen Jin toyed with the gold bracelet while staring straight at Yun Xiaoran with her beautiful eyes.
It was supposedly a reminder, but it sounded more like a warning.
"Okay."
Meeting his wife's gaze, Yun Xiaoran silently nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally brought the matter to a perfect close. These past two days have worn me out...
After the three finished the squid, they each returned to their rooms. The I Am a Singer competition was tomorrow, and Shen Jin's home had a room for Sister Hua as well.
Back in her room, Shen Jin washed her face. Standing before the bathroom mirror, she couldn't resist raising her hand to admire the bracelet, examining her left wrist from every angle. A faint smile even appeared on her usually icy face.
At work, her subordinates had often shown off the jewelry their boyfriends gave them. Shen Jin had always considered it childish and boring, but now it seemed rather interesting. This strange, tacky sort of competition actually pleased her greatly.
As a diva's husband, his taste was naturally excellent.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Shen Jin put on her slippers and pajamas and sat on her bed. In the dim light, with the pink room around her, a faint fragrance lingered.
This was the part she had been looking forward to most. Even the gold bracelet came second.
When she opened the card.
There was only a simple wish for his wife to be happy and for her work to go well, but Yun Xiaoran had written it by hand.
Having already met someone better, how could I fall for the Mona Lisa?
That bastard!
Shen Jin put the card back in the box and was about to question Yun Xiaoran on WeChat when a video Sister Hua shared caught her interest.
"Jin'er, look. The caption on this video sounds so romantic, and Lone Cloud even commented below."
[If love is a rainstorm, I hope to be the umbrella in your hand, shielding you from all the cold and damp.]
Shen Jin looked closely. It was one of the lines Yun Xiaoran had written that night, yet the lyricist and composer credits clearly listed three names: Yun Xiaoran, Zhou Yanqi, and Zhou Zeyu.
Yun Xiaoran had agreed to let Zhou Zeyu credit him for the lyrics and composition, but he wouldn't attach his Lone Cloud name to the song. He could, however, use his main Lone Cloud account in the comments to draw traffic.
So it had all been for the music.
So she had imagined everything.
With that sudden realization, Shen Jin finally understood that Yun Xiaoran had spent the entire day busy with two things: the song and buying the gold bracelet.
Having figured it out, she lay on the bed looking utterly defeated, her clothes disheveled and her hair a mess, nothing like the way she had looked in front of Yun Xiaoran earlier.
Helplessly, Shen Jin slowly took the card out of the box again and looked at the message Yun Xiaoran had written by hand.
His handwriting was neat, attractive, and very orderly. In a few places, she could tell he had been extremely nervous while writing that little message.
Fine, fine. For the sake of the gold bracelet and your handwritten wishes, I'll let you off this time.
The next day.
Zhou Zeyu told Yun Xiaoran that last night's video had gone viral, thanks to Lone Cloud's boost and the fact that the song itself was excellent.
He invited Yun Xiaoran out to spend the day having fun together.
Since Shen Jin had to attend I Am a Singer that day, she gave her tacit approval.
They had arrived backstage at I Am a Singer.
All five singers were enthusiastically preparing.
Shen Jin hadn't arrived particularly late, but she looked listless and wore a wry smile. Although the backstage area was bustling, she was dressed in the same disguise she had worn to the hospital that day. The same white baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and black mask concealed her completely.
Yet her expressive eyes held remarkable strength. Perhaps because of the little note Yun Xiaoran had written the night before, Shen Jin felt she had performed exceptionally well during both practice runs.
"Qing Xi, have you seen that white scarf Shen Jin's wearing before? Why do I feel like I've seen it somewhere?"
When Shen Jin got out of the car, Liu Yi studied her carefully, hoping to find something she could use to attack and disparage her.
Although Li Qingxi didn't want to admit that Shen Jin was more beautiful and had a more fully developed public persona, the ethereal air she radiated filled Li Qingxi with envy and jealousy.
"That scarf does look familiar. When we were at the hospital that day, wasn't the woman beside Yun Xiaoran wearing one like it?"
Since he was her ex-boyfriend and only two days had passed, Li Qingxi was stunned when Liu Yi pulled up the photograph of Yun Xiaoran and that woman from her gallery.
The woman Yun Xiaoran had tended to so attentively at the hospital that day was Shen Muge, the Top Diva of Chinese Entertainment and a National Goddess. Their matching scarves, figures, and the strands of hair at their temples allowed Liu Yi to be absolutely certain.
"Impossible."
Li Qingxi immediately rejected it in a trembling voice. She stared at the photograph in shock, unable to recover for a long time. She had never imagined that only three days after leaving her, Yun Xiaoran would meet the National Goddess-and Shen Muge was an even better catch than she was.
She began recalling the details of Yun Xiaoran's departure. Just like Shen Muge, who had mistakenly registered her marriage with Yun Xiaoran that day, she fell prey to the Barnum Effect.
From her initial suspicions, she kept guessing and convincing herself:
"No wonder he didn't beg me. He already had a better fallback. No wonder he didn't want the five hundred thousand. He already had someone better!"
Li Qingxi didn't know how Yun Xiaoran and Shen Jin had gotten together, but she was certain of one thing: she now had a photograph that could destroy Shen Jin's public image.
"There's no rush. As long as we have this photograph, Shen Muge won't have a single peaceful day."
"But before that, I can go take my ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend down a peg!"
Now that Li Qingxi had decisive evidence, she was in no hurry to post the photograph online. If she was going to crush them, she would trample both their pride and their reputations into the dirt!
"I couldn't help becoming a stubborn fish, swimming alone all the way to the end..." By the time Shen Muge took the stage, she had already mastered ninety percent of the song, enhanced by the presence unique to a diva.
A diamond necklace adorned her flawless, snow-white neck, and her shimmering pink-and-white mermaid gown made her the center of everyone's attention.
Holding the microphone with her fair, graceful arms, she gave the performance everything she had. Together with her sweet voice, it overwhelmed the entire venue.
Listening backstage, Sister Hua was astonished. She couldn't believe her girl could bring out the song's potential so well.
Still, she had spent the past two days diligently practicing at home. Although her sprained ankle continued to hinder her movement, the mermaid gown only allowed small steps anyway.
Instead, it made Shen Muge move with the grace of a fairy descended from the moon. Her clear, flawless, sapphire-like eyes sparkled beneath the lights.
The song ended.
"Let's hurry home. I don't feel like moving at all right now."
Having stayed up late in the breeze the night before, Shen Jin transformed the moment she left the stage, from a fairy whose song rang through the heavens into a jewel fallen to earth. Holding the railing, she murmured to herself.
Sister Hua hurried to support Shen Muge. As her assistant and manager, she murmured reassuringly:
"Okay, okay, we'll go straight home. We won't waste a moment. Jin'er, you did wonderfully today."
Shen Jin half-reclined weakly in a chair and smiled back, her eyes on Sister Hua.
Just as they supported each other through the back door and into the corridor, Sister Hua and Shen Jin heard a loud, distinctly unfriendly voice:
"Yun Xiaoran!"
Before you continue