AiLin beca rather curious. She didn’t know who was after her today as she had quite a lot of people who wanted to find her weakness and stomp over her peaceful day. She considered if it was Elder Hua considering how she had disrespected her so out in the open last ti, but thinking about that old woman, she didn’t think that she would stoop so low.
It wasn’t because Elder Hua thought that it was beneath her to harm others by ruining their reputation but rather because the woman thought that there was an easier way to get rid of those who annoyed her, for example, by killing them in an "accident".
So if this wasn’t Elder Hua’s people, who else could it be? Su HaiTan? Or... Jiang NianNian?
She thought about the two, falling her suspicion more on the second choice as Su HaiTan seed like soone who wanted her, so ruining her reputation would also harm him. Such a calculated man wouldn’t do it.
Perhaps they all would, AiLin then thought. She sighed as sotis bad people would close their eyes and use all the cards they have in front of them if it ans destroying their opponent’s life. No plan is too evil that would make them stop, so she could consider all her enemies being behind this as that would be playing the safest.
She would have honestly tried to look at the situation by using herself as a decoy, but knowing how if she hurt herself again, Li ZiChen would be devastated, she couldn’t help but resign from the idea, deciding to play it rationally.
She looked back at Xiao Mu Chen, nodding her head at him, "Thanks for telling about this."
Xiao MuChen seed to take her thanks with a surprise as he awkwardly scratched his head, "I just don’t want the movie to be delayed. I have to finish this as soon as possible."
"Why?" She asked curiously, "Have you gotten yourself into another movie project?"
"Yes," he answered, and she wondered what kind of movie that he had accepted, as most of it was known to be romance movies. "I am going to film a movie in the US."
"US?"
AiLin was taken aback as she unwound her hands from her elbow and then she furrowed her eyebrows, "What about LiAi? Are you going to leave her alone here?"
"Of course not," he sighed as he saw her worried expression and felt that he couldn’t look at her eyes anymore, turning his gaze away and heavily told her the truth, "LiAi will be coming with to the US. I have decided that for the three years that it will take to film the movie, I will be schooling her there."
AiLin felt an itch in her heart. She suddenly thought of hugging Li ZiChen, sothing she often does now whenever she feels terrible. It was as if his hug had replaced the need for her calming dicines and her sleeping pills. Upon thinking about her own coping chanism, she realized that she must have been too attached to LiAi. So much so that hearing she would be going to the US hurts her heart.
She couldn’t help the slip of emotion in her voice that had asked Xiao MuChen, "Have you really thought about this?"
He could see her worry and that sense of loneliness, but after closing his eyes, he nodded, "I have, and I have thought it very well. She would be having a great ti there with my distant family and besides I have seen the primary school there, it would give her a better studying environnt. Plus, she could learn English as her second language earlier than other children, which would help her along the way. She is so much smarter than her peers, and I think putting her in an advanced location would make her flourish even more."
"I see... that’s true, studying abroad would give her a lot of rits," she muttered and though her mouth had agreed, her eyes were filled with the sense of sadness as she thought about not getting to et LiAi again, "Would she co back ti to ti for holiday?"
Though Xiao MuChen had planned to run away to the US for a good three years until everything about LiAi was forgotten, he couldn’t help but give her a nod upon seeing the heartbreak that crossed her face.
"Don’t dwell too much on it today," Xiao MuChen then said, walking off with a pat on the shoulder, "You have more problems to face while LiAi will simply be moving to a better environnt."
But AiLin didn’t say anything, she couldn’t. Her heart breaks when she thinks that she couldn’t see the young girl who calls her "mama" with her loudest and brightest voice. The last night she t with LiAi also beca so dear to her as she could envision the future of a young baby calling Li ZiChen as papa, making her realize that she still wants to live.
Now that the girl was gone, AiLin’s thoughts beca a ss. It was as if she had been robbed of her baby again, which shouldn’t be as LiAi was soone else’s child. Just thinking about her selfishness of wanting LiAi to stay near them makes her ashad.
AiLin gripped the hem of her cardigan, shaking her head from the horrible thoughts haunting her.
She decided to continue going to the set, putting on a smile even when her head was still a ss. The first person she saw was FangMin, who was chatting with InRan, and upon seeing Ailin’s dark face, the girl smiled. She walked toward her, putting on a smile and speaking aloud so everyone could hear her words, "You look terrible AiLin, are you ill?"
AiLin steadied her breath, forcing the corners of her lips upward. FangMin’s voice, laced with fake concern, grated on her ears, but she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
"I’m perfectly fine," AiLin replied, her tone light, almost airy, as if FangMin’s attempt at needling her had gone completely unnoticed.
FangMin tilted her head, pretending to scrutinize her. "Are you sure? You seem... a little pale. Maybe overwheld? It must be difficult keeping up with so much pressure."
AiLin t her gaze with unwavering calm. "Pressure builds diamonds, doesn’t it?" She smiled sweetly. "But I wouldn’t expect you to understand that."
A flicker of irritation crossed FangMin’s face, but it was gone in an instant. She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "It’s funny, isn’t it? One mont, everything is within reach, and the next, it slips right through your fingers. You never know what life might take from you next."
It was a warning. A quiet, veiled threat wrapped in the guise of an innocent remark.
AiLin’s grip on her cardigan tightened. She knew FangMin wasn’t just talking about her career; she was hinting at sothing deeper, sothing personal. Li ZiChen. She doubted that FangMin even knew the man she was dating is Li ZiChen, the illusterous Mr Li, yet she was this fired up to take him from her.
What if she knew? FangMin would be more unbearable. Usually she would be fine with FangMin’s presence but maybe because she just heard that LiAi was leaving, she had beca more sensitive than usual.
But AiLin still refused to let her see any cracks.
She tilted her head with a soft laugh, "Oh, I don’t worry about that. You see, what’s truly mine always finds its way back to . No matter who tries to take it."
FangMin’s smile stiffened. AiLin had turned the ga back on her, and they both knew it.
AiLin exhaled slowly.
She wasn’t sure what was coming next, but one thing was certain, her enemies were moving, and she needed to be ready.
"Haha," FangMin muttered aloud as the staff’s chatter suddenly beca even louder from the corner of the set which made AiLin to be distracted even though she had heard FangMin well, "Nothing is ever eternal AiLin. Especially the thing that’s called love-"
"MR LI!"
The one who had shouted was Director Chu who had found Li ZiChen’s presence too startling that he had almost choked on the nuts he was nibbling at. He quickly rubbed his hands together, stunned as he spoke, "We were not aware that you would be here. If we had known we would have prepared a little sothing for you- i-is there a reason why you are here? Sothing you are unsatisfied with from the scenes we have sent to the company?"
"No," though Director Chu was still talking, his eyes had curved gently as he looked at AiLin, the only woman that could be seen by his house. "I am here simply to watch the production. That shouldn’t be a problem right?"
"O- Of course!" Director Chu however was sweating. Everyone knows how much of a perfectionist Li ZiChen was. If he was here to watch the scene it would take them days to finish considering last ti he had watched a production, he had told the scene to be repeated seventeen tis until the actor ran away crying as he felt he didn’t do well enough to impress Li ZiChen. "We will bring you so refreshnt."
"No need, just a chair," he said, "I need to have a place while admiring the view," and his eyes lingered on his most beautiful view who was as shocked as a rabbit caught by the floppy ears upon seeing him in her workplace.
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