These things are easy for anyone with a keen eye to find out; there's no need to hide them.
Shen Qiang: "And what about your father?"
"My father... his situation is similar to my mother's," Chi Li said in a flat tone. "He went to live with his wife's family as a son-in-law, and it's obvious he couldn't bring his son with him."
Shen Xunye frowned, looking unhappy, and asked, "So they're just going to abandon you?"
This was the first time he had heard Chi Li talk about his family situation; he never imagined that Chi Li was a child without parental love.
I felt both anger and heartache.
In school, children without parents to rely on are most vulnerable to being bullied.
"What exactly constitutes 'management'?" Chi Li asked, tilting her head. "Does giving money count as management?"
Shen Xunye immediately replied, "Of course not."
Anyway, whenever he had extra money in his account, he never felt like he was being controlled by anyone.
"Then let's just leave it at that." Chi Li crunched on the crisp cucumber in her mouth. "But the money definitely wasn't short."
[Sob, my wife is such a poor thing. [Poor thing]]
[Sob, you're so little! Do you ever feel envious when you see other kids' parents picking them up from school? [Crying while covering mouth]]
[Honey, we'll make up for the love you're missing!]
[It's okay, honey! Since we're married, there will be two of us in the house. [shy] I'll take good care of you.]
[↑The line of men wanting to marry him stretches all the way to France! Who are you to count on?]
"Poor thing," Shen Qiang said, his face also showing heartache. "You must have been very lonely when you were little, right?"
Chi Li: "..."
That incredibly pitying tone was...?
Okay, he vaguely sensed that something was off about the atmosphere.
If these two brothers continue to show concern for each other, I won't be able to get through this without shedding a couple of tears.
Chi Li didn't want to be labeled as someone who was playing the victim, so she spoke sincerely:
"Actually, it's not so bad... To put it this way, my parents are the kind of people who are all looks but have very poor self-care abilities... When I was little, they took such good care of me that I became thin and pale... By not taking care of me, they were actually doing it for my own good."
That's what he truly believes now, and that's why he said it.
But even as a child, he was once heartbroken over this.
"How did two people with very poor self-care abilities get together?" Jiang Lele asked curiously.
"Because... they thought the other was very beautiful." Chi Li still finds their reason for getting married absurd. "So, they wanted to see if the child born to two beautiful people would be even more beautiful."
"Obviously," Shen Xunye said calmly.
It is indeed more beautiful.
Although he hasn't met Chi Li's biological parents yet.
"With their genes, they couldn't even have an ugly child even if they wanted to," Chi Li chuckled, looking down. "I just happened to be lucky."
My wife is the most beautiful! (Very loudly!)
So it's two silly beauties who gave birth to a sharp-tongued little beauty. [Starry eyes]
[Although, I still want to thank these unreliable parents for bringing my wife to me. [bows]]
My wife takes very good care of me.
Shen Qiang's gaze towards Chi Li softened considerably, losing its previous scrutinizing quality. "A beautiful and independent person is truly hard to look away from."
The longer he spends with Chi Li, the better he will understand why Shen Xunye likes Chi Li.
"Please don't flatter me," Chi Li took a small sip of wine. "If you keep praising me, my lips will curl into the sky."
"Haha." Shen Qiang laughed twice, then asked, "Were you scouted by a talent agent and recruited to Starlight Entertainment because you're pretty?"
"No," Chi Li shook her head, "I chose it myself."
Shen Qiang: "Why did you choose this?"
"Because I really want a lot of people's eyes to be on me." Chi Li didn't hide her 'ambition' at all. "I want to be seen, to be cared for, to hear many, many people calling my name together."
[Waaaa, my wife!!! My wife is someone who longs to be loved but doesn't realize it!! My heart aches!]
[When we meet, I'll definitely shout your name loudly, my wife!! [Crying while covering mouth]]
[I saw it! I cared! I screamed until I was hoarse!! Wife--]
[They told you to call him Chi Li, not "wife"!!]
[Please let Shen Xunye have the right to call me "wife," thank you.]
[Fine, I'll let you off the hook— Shen Xunye, you're dead if you dare betray my wife!!]
"That day might come very soon," Shen Qiang said with a smile.
"I'm waiting." Chi Li smiled as well.
Shen Qiang glanced at Shen Xunye, then quickly looked away, speaking as if he were genuinely on a blind date, "Um... is there anything you want to ask me?"
"No." Chi Li refused without hesitation. "What I want to ask, I should be able to find out by searching. What I can't find... it's probably not appropriate to ask, right?"
Shen Qiang: "..."
That's really true.
He couldn't even be honest about his family situation.
Shen Qiang temporarily calmed down and turned to Jiang Lele: "How about we talk about your family situation?"
Jiang Lele was immediately flattered and hurriedly began to tell her story.
On the other side, Zhou Yang kept chugging wine into his mouth, glancing at Chi Li from time to time, looking dejected.
Wei Xuan couldn't stand it anymore. "You should drink less. Don't blame me if you embarrass yourself when you're drunk."
"I'd rather get drunk." Zhou Yang poured himself another drink and downed it in one gulp.
Xie Weishui seemed reluctant to let it go, and said meaningfully, "People should look forward and not always be saddened by the past."
"I just..." Zhou Yang choked up, "I just felt that we shouldn't end like this."
These words startled Fang Jin, who had been eating silently, and made her look up.
No celebrity would say something so ambiguous and vague in front of the camera.
Unless, it was said premeditatedly.
"When it comes to relationships, one person can't continue alone," Xie Weishui comforted him, patting his shoulder.
Fang Jin: "..."
With Xie Weishui involved, it's definitely a conspiracy.
As for whose conspiracy it was targeting, even a fool could figure it out.
" Chi Li." Fang Jin pushed back her chair and stood up abruptly, beckoning to Chi Li. "Come here for a moment."
Under the gaze of everyone at the table, he added, "I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."
"Okay." Chi Li nodded, got up and walked towards him.
Xie Weishui looked at him with a half-smile, her eyes full of warning. "What kind of favor do you need Chi Li's help with?"
"It's none of your business."
Fang Jin coldly uttered these words and hurriedly led Chi Li to a blind spot.
"What's wrong?" Chi Li asked hurriedly.
He was sitting far away, and with the people around him chatting, he didn't pay any attention to what Zhou Yang was saying.
Fang Jin repeated Xie Weishui and Zhou Yang's conversation to Chi Li.
After he finished speaking, he asked, "What has happened between you two before?"