Still Frame Chapter 40

Chapter 40: True or False (1)

[According to an insider, a certain model couple who have been married for over five years, whose deep affection was always on display for the cameras, was entirely scripted. The insider stated bluntly that the two have zero private communication, have slept in separate rooms for years, and rarely made eye contact during anniversaries and private dinners. Their so-called “childhood sweethearts” narrative was merely a carefully packaged persona. In reality, the time between meeting and walking down the aisle was only a few short months. One party needed a stable marital relationship for public relations, which is why they went to such great lengths to find an “actor.” However, the editor must admit admiration for how flawlessly they managed to keep up the act for so many years, especially one of them! —Behind the Curtain]

Hearing Zhang Qiannan’s name, Zhang Liuxin felt a chill run through him, nearly blacking out. He struggled to steady his voice. “Yes, I know.”

Duan Chengzhi stopped pursuing the topic. Zhang Liuxin understood that Zhang Qiannan was essentially Zhang Jiming’s biggest piece of evidence. If Zhang Jiming exposed the truth, the Wen family would undoubtedly become the subject of ridicule in Yinzhou.

However, Zhang Liuxin had one major question. “Then the person who proved the hijacking also knew these things. Was it someone from the Wen family or… the Zhang family?”

He did not believe the Zhang family would dare to do such a thing to the Wen family. Zhang Jiming was greedy, yes, but he wouldn’t be foolish enough to provoke the Wens.

Duan Chengzhi spoke cautiously. “I personally lean towards the Wen family, but Zhang Jiming certainly has impure intentions. In recent years, the Ren family’s support for the Zhang family has weakened, and the Zhang family is not as prosperous as before. Causing trouble at this juncture is not impossible, especially since the Zhang family owns the media company Caliber. If something truly breaks out, blocking the news will be quite difficult.”

Hearing this, Zhang Liuxin fell into contemplation.

His marriage with Wen Jin was never a simple, mutually independent alliance from the start. Wen Jin, as the heir to the Wen family, chose to remain in the Academy of Sciences to pursue research, which disappointed the public to some extent and consequently affected the Wen Group. As the only son of the Wen and Yue families, Wen Jin needed public exposure. Since he couldn’t achieve it through his career, he needed a stable and harmonious marriage to compensate. Therefore, rather than a simple political marriage, they were more like a brand promoted by the Wen family. The public, of course, preferred to see him gain some “popularity” and become a perfect husband. Unlike other aristocratic alliances where couples openly led separate lives, they promoted themselves together, engaged in charity work, and attended various interviews and academic conferences hand-in-hand. Thanks to the Zhang family’s marketing, their image as a model couple was deeply ingrained in people’s minds, successfully achieving the so-called one-plus-one-is-greater-than-two effect over the years.

The Zhang family had handled all the publicity and marketing over the years. Naturally, malicious speculations about their relationship would occasionally surface, but the Zhang family always dealt with them immediately.

So, if Zhang Jiming truly had intentions of betrayal now, it would indeed be tricky.

“Impossible.”

Wen Jin spoke, his voice cold and slightly forceful. “Zhang Jiming doesn’t have the guts to burn his bridges, unless he has a death wish.”

Zhang Liuxin was speechless.

Duan Chengzhi was speechless.

“Wen Jin,” Duan Chengzhi gasped. “This is a society governed by law, and that’s your father-in-law. You can’t just talk nonsense just because this is a secret call.”

Wen Jin’s eyes were calm. His attention was on Zhang Liuxin’s fingertip, which had been scratched by a splinter. He pinched it, and seeing Zhang Liuxin frown, he said with slight dissatisfaction, “This is dirty.”

Duan Chengzhi was annoyed. “Wen Jin, are you even listening to your brother?”

Zhang Liuxin pulled his hand back and gave a sheepish laugh. “Colonel Duan, please continue.”

“Forget it. Aunt and Uncle are very worried about you two. Is your current location safe enough?”

“Yes, very safe. The people here have little contact with the outside world. No one recognizes us.”

“That’s good.”

Duan Chengzhi said, “Recently, many small gossip agencies have sprung up in Yinzhou, trying to dig into your relationship. Usually, these posts are easily detected by the backend and deleted immediately, but I don’t know if they’ve gotten smarter. They’ve started speaking in riddles and submitting messy articles to small newspapers in other states, and they’re quick to disappear. Coupled with the Zhang family deliberately leaking information, people online are starting to discuss it. But don’t worry, the rumors will die down once you return home.”

Wen Jin took the phone and asked, “What exactly does Zhang Jiming want?”

“Land, the area in Xihai,” Duan Chengzhi lit a cigarette. “He’s making exorbitant demands. Isn’t relying on the Wen family enough for him?”

He realized Zhang Liuxin was still present and, since this was Zhang Liuxin’s father after all, he fell silent.

“He won’t have the money to build even if he gets the land,” Wen Jin seemed unconcerned about the Zhang family matter, asking lazily, “Do you have anything else? If not, I’m hanging up. If this call gets traced, you’ll be locked up in the Security Bureau waiting for interrogation.”

Zhang Liuxin tugged at the edge of his apron. “Wen Jin, speak nicely to Brother Duan.”

Duan Chengzhi took another drag from his cigarette, slowly exhaled, and sincerely lamented, “What kind of feng shui does Bernlin State have that it cured your mute husband? Oh, right, as far as I know, Bernlin State has noticed that plane. They should have dispatched an investigation team by now. If they find out it’s not from Bernlin, they’ll likely hand it over to the State Federation, and then there will be more investigations. I’ll try my best to buy you time here. You two also need to be careful not to get caught. I’m very busy lately and don’t have time to come to Bernlin to bail you two out.”

“Got it.”

“Also,” Duan Chengzhi added, “Be safe. I’ll call again within five days. I’ll try to send someone to pick you up as soon as possible.”

“Okay, if anything happens, contact Sixun.”

Duan Chengzhi snapped, “Fine, I know. Sixun is much more reliable than you.”

Wen Jin decisively hung up the phone.

“Zhang Liuxin?”

A light tap landed on his shoulder. Zhang Liuxin snapped out of his thoughts. “Hmm, let’s go out.”

As they left the room, he lagged half a step behind Wen Jin, watching his back. He thought about how Duan Chengzhi had said he would arrange for them to be picked up soon.

He should have been happy. No one would want to be stranded penniless and without communication in an unfamiliar place.

But why did his heart feel so heavy? Did he truly want to go back? Back to Yinzhou, where they were constantly under scrutiny? Back to Yinzhou, where he and Wen Jin had to pretend to be affectionate?

Yinzhou didn’t have air this fresh, didn’t have the soaring Birds of Paradise, didn’t have the uniquely fragrant Wright lemons, and didn’t have a Wen Jin who needed to rely on him to communicate normally with others.

“Liuxin,” Wen Jin called him this way when they were alone, tilting his head slightly. “We have a customer.”

Perhaps it was the way Wen Jin looked at him when he said this, a look very similar to the one he used during interviews in Yinzhou, but without a camera present, it was more moving.

Zhang Liuxin immediately realized that he was quite selfish; he didn’t want to return to Yinzhou at all.

Thanks to his recent experience assisting Tu Huisha, Zhang Liuxin could now bake some ladyfingers and egg tarts himself. Dorphy had tasted them and said they were delicious.

“Thank you, Fifi.” Zhang Liuxin was very happy. Here, his cooking skills received unprecedented recognition.

Especially the flavor. During lunchtime, he, Tu Huisha, and Dorphy all ate with gusto. Meanwhile, he would see Wen Jin expressionlessly pushing the food around his bowl, slowly picking out the things that didn’t taste too strange to eat.

However, Zhang Liuxin’s feelings were complicated. While he found it rare to see Wen Jin discomfited, he also worried that he would lose weight. So, he would cook a separate meal for Wen Jin while Tu Huisha took Dorphy for a nap. Although Wen Jin didn’t particularly enjoy the taste of the special meal either, he ate it all without any other choice.

In the afternoon, Feng Xi returned. His emerald green eyes curved into a smile. The first thing he did was speak in Yinzhou dialect, greeting them without any noticeable accent, surprisingly.

Zhang Liuxin hadn’t expected Feng Xi to go back and specifically learn a few phrases in Yinzhou dialect after leaving that morning. He sighed, marveling at how persistent young people were these days.

He felt that Feng Xi gave him a sense of familiarity, but he hadn’t known anyone from Bernlin State before coming here, so he couldn’t quite place it.

He asked as usual, “Hello, what would you like?”

Feng Xi seemed to have exhausted his entire repertoire, rattling off greetings in Yinzhou dialect, only to receive a very faint glance from Wen Jin. He raised the tray in his hand, looking purely professional.

Feng Xi looked a little disappointed. He casually ordered two items, leaned on the counter, and started chatting with Zhang Liuxin. “How long have you two been married?”

Zhang Liuxin found him persistent, the kind of energetic, naive college student who had never been rejected. But considering they were in the same small town and Tu Huisha was likely familiar with him, he didn’t want to offend him. So he said, “Many years.”

Feng Xi pouted, clearly dissatisfied with such a vague answer.

“Do you need it sliced?”

Feng Xi looked at Wen Jin, who was wearing an apron, and his eyes lit up. “Of course.”

Zhang Liuxin sighed softly and asked, “How many slices?”

Feng Xi gestured to Wen Jin with his hand. “Five slices.”

While Wen Jin sliced the bread, Feng Xi watched him intently with a serious expression. Zhang Liuxin detected a hint of intense affection in his face. He thought perhaps he was getting old and had a generation gap with young people, unable to understand why Feng Xi was so infatuated with someone he had only met once or twice.

However, his gaze shifted to Wen Jin’s face—the way he slightly pursed his lips and lowered his eyes—and he conceded that this face was indeed the main reason for instant infatuation.

After the bread was sliced, Zhang Liuxin packed it and handed it to Feng Xi, hoping that more customers would arrive quickly so Feng Xi would leave sooner.

Unexpectedly, whether intentional or accidental, Feng Xi didn’t grip the bag tightly, and the paper bag fell to the floor, the bottom tearing open.

Zhang Liuxin stepped out to help him, crouching down to pick up the pieces of bread one by one. Just as he was about to stand up, he heard Feng Xi’s slightly puzzled voice from above. “Your leg… are you disabled?”