Chapter 113: Renew the Contract? I Refuse

After much effort, Bai Chenxi finally accepted the fact that her beloved ship had been broken up. Yet she still clung to Tang Ziyu, pleading, "Sister Tang, you know what I want to ask. Just tell me, please?"

Tang Ziyu took a few steps back, keeping her distance. "Don’t try to act cute with me—it won’t work. You should ask Chu Muyun."

"Why ask our Chu Ge?" Before Bai Chenxi could even enter, Jiang Jize’s voice floated in.

Chu Muyun followed behind, casting a questioning glance her way.

Bai Chenxi hurriedly said, "Nothing, nothing."

Tang Ziyu looked at her, mouthing silently: "Such a coward!"

Bai Chenxi shot back confidently with her eyes: "So what if I am?"

Chu Muyun clearly didn’t want her to know, as if she’d be foolish to ask.

"Sis-in-law, are you feeling better? Is it comfortable staying here? Should we switch rooms? No, change hospitals!" Jiang Jize rattled off a stream of suggestions, earning only helpless looks from the others.

"Enough, we’ve visited enough. You can leave now," Chu Muyun finally began to usher everyone out.

"Don’t go yet! I haven’t said a few words to sis-in-law. Just a little longer!" Jiang Jize protested.

Chu Muyun shot him a glare. "What else do you want to say?"

"Nothing, nothing. I’m leaving right away. Goodbye, sis-in-law!" With that, Jiang Jize vanished.

Tang Ziyu stood up. "Alright, I should go too. You?" She glanced at Chu Muyun, "Take care of yourself."

Once they left, the ward returned to its usual quiet. But it wouldn’t last long—Xia Yan came by daily, punctual as ever.

Whenever the two met, Bai Chenxi felt like a mere speck of dust, invisible and unnoticed.

Coming downstairs, Tang Ziyu saw Jiang Jize leaning against her car, calmly watching her.

She ignored him and went to open the car door, but he stopped her hand.

"How long are you going to play hard to get? My patience isn’t unlimited."

Tang Ziyu leaned against the car, though under his pressure, she refused to yield.

"I'm not playing hard to get. Have you not woken up yet? I made it clear when I left—it wasn’t a joke."

Her tone was serious, leaving Jiang Jize stunned. How could this be? She was just throwing a little tantrum.

Before, Tang Ziyu would have shyly thrown herself into his arms by now.

But now, leaning there with eyes he’d never seen before, it was as if she had never truly seen him.

The realization struck Jiang Jize with sudden panic. He reached out and held Tang Ziyu tightly.

She didn’t resist, easing his tension somewhat.

Then, unexpectedly, Tang Ziyu’s cold voice broke the silence: "Can I take this as you’re reluctant to let me go now?"

Jiang Jize said nothing, thinking any interpretation was fine, as long as she stayed.

Buried in Jiang Jize’s arms, Tang Ziyu felt a pang of bitterness, fighting back tears and the urge to reach up.

"Had enough hugging? Can I let go now? I don’t want to make headlines."

Hearing her frosty words, Jiang Jize felt as if he was losing her.

"I hug my woman—what’s it to them?" As if anticipating her next words, he added, "You are my woman, now and forever."

"Forever? We only have three years, don’t we?"

At her words, Jiang Jize loosened his grip, studying her for a long moment before replying, "If you’re willing, it could be..." (It could be a lifetime.)

"We could renew the contract, for as long as you want."

Tang Ziyu answered without hesitation, "I don’t want to. I’m tired of pretending to be understanding, gentle, and generous every day."

She clenched her hands tightly, nails digging into her palms without care.

"I’ve always thought of myself as an honest person. If I took your money, I’d do my best to play the role you imagined."

Tang Ziyu spoke deliberately: "Now the contract’s over, I don’t want to act anymore. The person standing before you now is the real me—the true Tang Ziyu."

Having said that, she ignored whatever Jiang Jize thought, opened the car door, and walked away without a trace of reluctance.

Jiang Jize stood there alone for a long while, then chuckled bitterly, "It’s not like I can’t live without her."

Far away, Tang Ziyu parked and lay on the steering wheel, crying.

"Tang Ziyu, how pitiful you are. Three years just to hear ‘renew the contract.’"

"Suppress your own nature, become the person he likes, always think of him. Yet he never sees any of it."

"Maybe he never placed you on equal footing—how could he have seen all that?"

After a while...

"Jiang Jize, you bastard. If you don’t want me, that’s your loss. I don’t want you anymore. Go wherever you please."

"Go find your white moonlight. After this cry, you’re out of my life for good."

In the ward, Bai Chenxi looked at Chu Muyun and finally couldn’t help but speak, "Chu Ge, though I love eating, you really can’t keep feeding me like this!"

Chu Muyun glanced at the food on the table: "Not bad. Balanced nutrition."

"The doctor said you need to eat more nutritious food."

Bai Chenxi pinched her face, "Don’t you think I’m already over-nourished? At this rate, I won’t take any more roles."

Chu Muyun reached out and squeezed her cheek, "No way! This is good. A little chubbier is cute."

"You said you wanted xiaolongbao, right? Here’s from your favorite place."

At those words, Bai Chenxi’s eyes subtly glanced over, and her hand obediently picked up the chopsticks.

Under Chu Muyun’s indulgence, Bai Chenxi noticeably gained weight. Wang Ling glanced over and disdainfully said, "Are you planning to compete with pigs?"

Bai Chenxi immediately shifted the blame, "It’s all Chu Muyun’s fault for making me eat."

Wang Ling frowned, "Chu Tianwang, if you insist on staying here, I can’t say much. But you can’t feed her like this. How can she act if she goes back so heavy?"

Bai Chenxi found it amusing to see Chu Muyun just standing there taking the scolding.

After a while, Bai Chenxi couldn’t bear it anymore and said, "Sister Wang, it’s not really Chu Muyun’s fault. I can’t control my mouth. I promise I won’t eat so much anymore. I’ll slim down for sure."

Wang Ling glared and motioned for her to shut up: "You haven’t even started, and you’re already defending him."

Looking at Bai Chenxi, so deeply infatuated yet unaware, Wang Ling had nothing more to say. If she tried to persuade her now, she might just open her eyes to reality.

Finally, under Wang Ling’s strict supervision, Bai Chenxi gave up her daily feasts.

After several days of bland, tasteless meals, Bai Chenxi began to long for rich food again.

She looked at Chu Muyun with pleading eyes.

Chu Muyun covered her face with his hand, "Don’t look at me like that. Your agent said if I feed you like that again, she’ll immediately throw you back on set."

[Short Scene]

Bai Chenxi sat there, dejected. "Chu Ge, did you know? I just found out Wang Wu and Li Ge broke up."

Chu Muyun raised an eyebrow. "You know them?" Such a reaction.

"No, but I’m a fan of their ship. They looked so perfect together—my Ying Ge Yan Wu ship. How could it just end?"

A fan of ships? It seemed to stir a memory in Chu Muyun. Tentatively, he asked, "Do you know you have fans shipping you too?"

Bai Chenxi didn’t answer but looked at Chu Muyun in surprise. "Wow! Didn’t expect you to know about ship fans."

Chu Muyun awkwardly said, "I just happened to find out."

"I know, for example, my spiritual connection ship with Lin Yue, and my daylight ship with Lan Tian. I prefer the spiritual connection ship—it sounds so lovely."

Counting on her fingers, Bai Chenxi continued, while Chu Muyun’s expression completely fell. "And?"

Bai Chenxi scratched her head. "There’s more. I have a ship with Jiang Jize called the White Ze ship—it’s an ancient mythical beast, pretty cool."

The only response was the door slamming shut.

Bai Chenxi: Got it, Chu Ge doesn’t like gossip. I’ll say less from now on.