SM Chapter 42

Chapter 42: What’s the point of saying it?

Chapter 42: What’s the point of saying it?

Ning Yuan’s talk show was trying a live broadcast format for the first time. Ning Yuan and Ye Lai were old partners and still had good chemistry. The first episode was a trial run, so they invited Ye Lai, who wouldn’t cause any trouble.

They had already discussed the questions and topics beforehand, and everyone thought that Ye Lai, who wouldn’t cause any trouble, would be the biggest surprise.

Ning Yuan’s office was filled with smoke, and the light was dim. Ye Lai and Ning Yuan sat at opposite ends of the sofa, each smoking a cigarette. The office door was tightly closed. The Director sat in the corner, wringing his hands. Unable to sit still, he stood up and paced back and forth in the room, wringing his hands as he walked.

Compared to the Director’s excitement about the estimated ratings, Ning Yuan was more worried.

“Ye Lai, are you sure you want to change the questions to these later? You want to talk about Sheng Mingqian…”

Ye Lai lowered his head, took a puff of his cigarette, and clenched his fingers on his pants. His voice, raspy from the smoke, didn’t hesitate as he caught up with Ning Yuan’s words, “Yeah, let’s talk about this.”

“I saw the news about Sheng Mingqian. At the time, I thought it looked a bit like you, but I didn’t dare to believe it. Then the topic was removed, so I didn’t take it seriously.”

“It was me. The ratings for the interview tonight will definitely explode.” Ye Lai raised his head slightly, his eyes half-hidden in the smoke.

“You know I invited you here not because I care about that.” Ning Yuan said.

“Of course, I know,” Ye Lai stubbed out his cigarette, his tongue licking his lips that were bitter from the smoke, “Just consider it a favor.”

Ning Yuan didn’t hide anything from him and said directly, “Ye Lai, if you want to increase your popularity, you don’t need to do it this way at all. You should be able to imagine the results. There will be good and bad sides. Of course, if you want to, I definitely have no problem here.”

Ye Lai said the same thing, “Brother Yuan, let’s just do it this way.”

Five minutes before the show started, Ye Lai posted two messages on Weibo.

The first: Five years of marriage and companionship, thank you, Mr. Sheng. Grateful for the encounter, we will still be friends in the future. @Director Sheng Mingqian.

A standardized, formulaic divorce statement. This was still Ye Lai’s summary after searching online.

The second: Tonight at 8 PM, Ning Yuan’s live interview, we’ll see you there.

These two messages of his were like depth charges, exploding in the entertainment industry.

Ye Lai had already anticipated what the results would be, so he turned off his phone and went to the studio with Ning Yuan.

–

–

At 10 PM, Sheng Mingqian was sitting in Lin Han’s office chair, looking at the forwarded messages on his phone one by one.

#Ye Lai reveals his five-year secret marriage with Sheng Mingqian#

#Sheng Mingqian and Ye Lai divorce#

#Sheng Mingqian’s marital affair#

The computer screen showed the live broadcast content, mixed with Lin Han’s hurried voice.

“Mingqian, my phone has been ringing off the hook. I’ve even unplugged the landline. I don’t dare to turn on my cell phone. Everyone is asking me what’s going on between you and Ye Lai. I really didn’t expect Ye Lai to take the initiative to break the news.”

“Tell me, what is he trying to gain? He’s been married to you for so many years and hasn’t gotten anything. Has he figured it out now? Is he trying to use you to increase his popularity before it’s all over?”

Lin Han talked to himself for a long time. Sheng Mingqian didn’t blink and never took his eyes off the phone screen. Until he hung up on the sixth unfamiliar call, he directly pulled out the SIM card and continued to browse the news online.

The comments below, except for a small number discussing him and his messy private life, the remaining 80% were directed at Ye Lai. Even though he usually only filmed and didn’t pay attention to public opinion, he could feel that someone had hired internet trolls to control the comments behind the scenes.

In the end, a new topic emerged, #Ye Lai get out of the entertainment industry#. The popularity of this topic once rose to the top of the list, and the number of reposts and comments was astonishing.

“Mingqian, have you thought about how you’re going to respond?” Lin Han asked.

Sheng Mingqian opened a comment and then closed it, opened another one and closed it again. He put his phone on the table without enough force, and it heavily hit the table. The expression on his face was unfathomable, “Why are these comments all scolding Ye Lai?”

Lin Han hissed, walked to the desk, and tapped his finger on the surface, “So, after I’ve been talking to you for so long, you haven’t listened to a word.”

“Can these comments be deleted?” Sheng Mingqian’s expression was serious and solemn, with a hint of barely perceptible agitation and anger.

Lin Han widened his eyes, “Do you think I’m a god? How can I delete comments?”

Sheng Mingqian frowned, not giving Lin Han time to retort, “Then think of a way about the trending topics.”

“The popularity is already here. New ones will replace it tomorrow morning. Ye Lai’s side has already exploded. I think the best way now is for you to respond too. Be grateful for the encounter, the rest of your life is long, bless each other, and then @ Ye Lai. Don’t respond to any other questions. Anyway, you’re not in front of the camera. The popularity will naturally decrease.”

After Lin Han muttered to himself, Sheng Mingqian didn’t listen at all. He had already pinched the SIM card, grabbed his coat, and left.

“Mingqian, did you hear what I said, huh?”

The only response to Lin Han was the deafening sound of the door closing.

–

–

Sheng Mingqian knocked on the apartment door for a long time. A few minutes later, a strange couple in their early twenties opened the door for him. They were clearly woken up by the knocking. The woman looked resentful, and the man had messy yellow hair.

“Who is it? What’s with all the knocking in the middle of the night?”

Sheng Mingqian thought he had knocked on the wrong door. He took a step back and looked up at the door number. It was correct. The beige velvet carpet behind the door hadn’t changed either. There was a black hole burned in the upper right corner.

It was Ye Lai’s apartment.

“Where is the owner of this apartment?” Sheng Mingqian asked directly, without any nonsense.

“I’m the owner. I bought this house with cash…”

Before the man could finish speaking, the woman blinked hard, recognized Sheng Mingqian, and pointed her finger in the air for a long time, “You, you, you, are you that Sheng, Sheng Mingqian, Director Sheng…”

Sheng Mingqian didn’t stay any longer. He nodded, “Sorry, I bothered you.”

After he said that, he turned around and left. The woman was still muttering loudly, “Honey, honey, that person is Sheng Mingqian. The trending topics are still up…”

Ye Lai’s phone was off. Even if it wasn’t, Sheng Mingqian knew he couldn’t get through. He had been blacklisted.

Sheng Mingqian drove directly to the orphanage. As soon as the car drove to the gate, the headlights illuminated the chaos in the yard.

Sheng Mingqian saw Ye Lai next to the wutong tree, supporting the director as she walked to the backyard. A large and a small figure stood by their sides.

“Sun Ayi, watch the children. Don’t let them run around. I’ll take the director to the hospital.”

“Okay, okay, we’ll help the director into the car first.”

Xiao Yu cried beside her, “Director Mama, are you okay?”

Ye Lai didn’t have time to coax her, his tone was urgent, “Xiao Yu, be good, don’t cry.”

Sensing the headlights behind him, Ye Lai turned around, squinting at the person in the car against the glaring white light.

He knew it was Sheng Mingqian. Although he couldn’t see anything clearly, he could still feel the extremely penetrating gaze. The heat of the two gazes was higher than the light shining on his face.

This second was very long. Extending forward were those humble-as-dust nights before the final decision, and extending backward was an unknown black forest. Ye Lai stood in the middle, and in a trance, he remembered everything before this second.

He couldn’t remember how he hung up the phone last night after receiving that call. He couldn’t remember how he fell asleep either.

After finishing Ning Yuan’s show that night, he had dinner with Ning Yuan. As soon as he came back, he heard an abnormal noise in the director’s room. The curtains weren’t drawn, and Ye Lai peeked inside through the glass. The director was propped up on her arms, half-lying on the ground, covering her chest and coughing, breathing painfully as she coughed, with bloodstains at the corners of her mouth.

The door was locked from the inside. Ye Lai took a brick, smashed the glass window, and climbed in. The commotion was loud, and everyone else woke up.

He helped the director out, and just as he was about to go to the car, Sheng Mingqian arrived.

Sheng Mingqian also realized that the director was unwell. He quickly turned off the headlights, parked the car, and stood outside the iron gate, grabbing the bars with one hand. He didn’t have time to worry about anything else right now, “Ye Lai, bring the director out. I’ll take you to the hospital now.”

Ye Lai didn’t have time to think. His car was parked in the back courtyard, and it would take a while to get there. He directly helped the director turn around and walk out of the gate.

“Sorry for the trouble, Director Sheng.” Ye Lai opened the door.

This was the choice after anxiety. Ye Lai’s tone was distant and polite. Sheng Mingqian opened the back door and helped the director sit in the car. His eyes swept over Ye Lai’s bloodless face, and he frowned slightly when he smelled the faint smell of alcohol on him, “Fasten your seat belt. I’ll go to the front to drive.”

The low air pressure in the car surrounded them all the way. Sheng Mingqian held the steering wheel with both hands, the force under his fingers alternately loosening and tightening. His eyes looked at the back seat from the rearview mirror.

The director closed her eyes and leaned against the seat, speaking weakly. She didn’t seem to be in good condition. Ye Lai kept talking to comfort her.

Ye Lai kept his head down, his whole face hidden in the dark night. The neon lights outside the window slid over his face intermittently, like an overturned palette.

The nearest hospital wasn’t close. Now wasn’t the time to talk about personal feelings. Sheng Mingqian concentrated on driving. After the car stopped steadily at the hospital entrance, he turned his head, “Take the director to the emergency room first. I’ll go park the car and come over right away.”

Ye Lai didn’t look at him. He nodded and hoarsely said thank you. After he finished speaking, he realized that he hadn’t made any sound at all. He swallowed and didn’t speak again, helping the director get out of the car.

After pushing the director into the emergency room, Ye Lai told the doctor about the director’s basic situation. The nurse urged Ye Lai to go register and pay the fees first.

He had come out too hastily and didn’t wear a hat or mask. His face wasn’t covered at all. Although there weren’t many people in the emergency room at night, he still felt the burning sensation on his face. Some people were talking, and some were taking pictures of him with their phones.

Ye Lai quickly registered and put money in. He turned up his collar to cover his chin, grabbed the registration card, and turned to leave, keeping his head down and not looking at anyone else.

A black shadow suddenly bumped into his shoulder. Ye Lai was pushed back a few steps by the force, and his lower back hit the corner of the wall next to him. The pain made his vision go black, and he leaned against the wall to steady himself.

“Sorry…”

Although the other person was apologizing, their tone was undisguisedly sarcastic. After speaking, the person squeezed the newly opened milk carton in their hand hard, and the cold milk inside splattered all over Ye Lai’s head and face.

Ye Lai closed his eyes and exclaimed. Although he had been keeping his head down, the white liquid that splashed on the back of his head immediately flowed down to the bottom, quickly soaking his collar and flowing down his neck into his body.

A nurse heard the commotion and ran over to look, handing Ye Lai a tissue, “Are you okay?”

“Thank you.” Ye Lai Panic,Rush, barely opened his eyes, the tissue was already wet, and he Rush.

The person who bumped into him had already walked away. Ye Lai couldn’t even tell if the person was male or female.

–

–

Sheng Mingqian was talking to the doctor in the emergency room. The doctor had already done a preliminary examination. The director’s condition had worsened and she needed to be hospitalized.

Sheng Mingqian heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Ye Lai’s wet, red eyes. Ye Lai looked very disheveled. There was still residual white liquid on his hair and cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Sheng Mingqian asked. In just a few minutes, he had become like this.

“I accidentally bumped into someone, and the milk spilled.” Ye Lai said, picking up something that didn’t matter, and walked to the bedside, “Doctor, how is my mother?”

“It is currently estimated to be a deterioration, and further examination by the oncology department is needed. Let’s be hospitalized first.”

Sheng Mingqian followed back and forth several times, and the hospitalization procedures were completed. It was already the second half of the night.

The nurse hung the director up with fluids. After the director lay down, she fell asleep due to exhaustion after a while. The medical monitoring equipment at the head of the bed made a beeping sound.

Ye Lai sat by the hospital bed, his numb body and brain restarting. The events of the evening spun around in front of him.

In Ning Yuan’s interview, he was still trying his best to act, saying a few words about his relationship with Sheng Mingqian over the past five years and the reasons for their divorce.

They fell in love because of the drama, got married for five years, had a bad relationship, so they chose to separate, broke up peacefully, blessed you and me, and they will still be friends in the future.

Not a word was true.

It wasn’t because of drama that they fell in love, it was his threat. It wasn’t marriage, it was a marriage agreement. A bad relationship was true, but it wasn’t the main reason. A peaceful breakup? Obviously not peaceful. Can they still be friends in the future? How can they do it? What direction and position are they standing on as friends?

Ten years of time, the originally doomed peaceful and waveless ending, has now been turned into a pool of muddy water by him. Revealing his divorce made him blacklisted by the entire network, ugly and Unbearable.

What about friends?

Thinking of this, the traces of milk flowing through his hair just now were like being cut by a knife, and the skin wherever it went was No one is lucky.

Feeling the weight of Sheng Mingqian’s gaze pressing down, the bloomed skin began to hurt faintly.

The person who bumped into him obviously did it on purpose.

This may be the backlash result of occupying something that doesn’t belong to him.

He had been thinking about it for so many years, and he had to get close to taste it. He thought time could turn everything into sugar. In the end, he found that it was bitter from the inside out. Ye Lai reluctantly swallowed those bitter tastes, but the bitter aftertaste could last so long.

“Are you here to find me? Do you want to ask me why I said the divorce?” Ye Lai’s voice was small, and you had to listen carefully to hear it.

Sheng Mingqian stood behind him, his eyes seeing Ye Lai’s wet hair and the white milk stain on the back of his neck.

Before Sheng Mingqian could ask, Ye Lai asked and answered himself, “Now that we are divorced, of course I have to grab something. This is the fastest way to increase popularity. Later, I will definitely be able to Take on many shows. Of course, the premise is that Director Sheng will not completely block me.”

Ye Lai said with a wry smile. He thought Sheng Mingqian would ask him something, but Sheng Mingqian didn’t ask anything. He looked at the medical equipment on the bedside table and changed the subject, “How long has the director been sick?”

Ye Lai’s One breath that had just bulged up was punctured again, leaving only a soft skin, wrapping a Dry down core.

“It’s been a few months,” he said.

“Why didn’t you say so?”

Ye Lai raised his head, his Adam’s apple rolling with the blinking movement: “What’s the point of saying it?”