Chapter 97: Spring Is Warm, Flowers Bloom

This translation was originally posted on

https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

In the warm spring of March, the two held the wedding as scheduled. The venue was chosen on a small island near the border of China. Only a few close relatives and friends were invited, together witnessing the promise of the couple to be together for a lifetime.

Originally, the wedding was semi-private, but still, some sporadic leaks surfaced online, causing a wave of excitement.

At that time, “Heavenly Beings" had already secured the box office championship for this year's Spring Festival. Despite a few waves of fan and anti-fan clashes affecting its reputation, with more and more passersby joining, the final Douban score settled at 8.8, from nearly a million people.

For a commercial-oriented historical movie, this is considered an all-around success.

Needless to say, Gu Jinrong returned to China with honors and achieved great success in her first battle. Now in China, not to mention actresses of the same age, even those several decades older, she can be considered invincible.

As a result, Shen Qingzhi rose to great heights, from a small traffic floret she directly rose to the top among the new generation of actresses in terms of actual achievements.

In the past, there seemed to be many people online who were dissatisfied with her and slandered her, making her fans tirelessly engage in battles to defend her reputation.

Now, in the face of real achievements, her popularity has improved dramatically.

The news of their marriage had already been publicly disclosed online, causing the Sina servers to crash several times. Choosing this timing for the wedding can also be seen as a strong union, fulfilling the expectations of many.

This originally evil CP which even dogs wouldn't bother with has now become the model official couple in the public's eyes. In the Rong Shen Zhi Di CP Chaohua, hundreds of friendly blessings from fans, CP fans, and passersby can be received every day.

Of course, not everyone is happy with the fact that they are together, and some people are very unhappy, such as toxic die-hard fans of Shen Qingzhi and Gu Jinrong.

They both have stunning looks, but very different styles, so, inevitably, some people will only prefer one over the other.

In addition, the early grudges between the two fans have always existed. Although most people have let go, there are still some who are still resentful.

Originally, the proportion of these more extreme fans was not high, but now their fan base has become too large, so such a grand situation occurred.

Now, on multiple platforms such as Douban, Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin*, every place has become the battleground exclusively for the fans of Shen and Gu's relationship.

*China's TikTok 

However, these two individuals don't really have any real black material, or perhaps fans are afraid of criticizing too harshly and hurting their idols' feelings. So, they've initiated a rather novel battle mode: flooding the other party's timeline with beautiful pictures of their respective idols.

The general mentality is: Since you're not happy with my idol, let's make you see more to understand who is the most beautiful. We won't lose in terms of momentum!

At first, Shen Qingzhi was speechless about this strange phenomenon, but then she collected a bunch of beautiful pictures of her wife in her square.

Not to mention, these fans still have a good sense of aesthetics.

Especially in the red carpet picture of the Star Festival, with her black hair cascading off her shoulders and her fishtail skirt trailing to the floor, her temperament and figure are shining brightly as she stands in the crowd. She is indeed her wife!

Ah~

Shen Qingzhi enlarged the photo, admired it for a moment, and couldn't help but sigh.

Originally, it was said that now that the two are married, they can openly display their affection in public without the need for underground battles.

But life seems to have not undergone significant changes from before, even to the point that after marriage, the time they spend together has become shorter.

Shen Qingzhi is busy, and Gu Jinrong is busier. In just this month, she has traveled to five different cities, dealing not only with filming but also with many other matters.

Shen Qingzhi roughly knows that the other party should be busy with the domestic studio's affairs. Gu Jinrong and Alice seem to be planning to nurture a group of new talents.

She isn't very concerned about the specific details; she's more concerned about when her wife will be able to come home.

It's been three days, three whole days since she went to S City. As a newlywed wife, she can only stay at home alone, looking at photos and missing her.

The WeChat chat interface is still stuck at three hours ago. Originally, Gu Jinrong had promised to return to H City today, but due to unexpected matters, it had to be postponed.

Shen Qingzhi lay on the bed, absentmindedly fiddling with her phone for a while. Unable to resist, she dialed a number, only to hear the busy tone with no one picking up.

So infuriating!

Shen Qingzhi angrily grabbed the gray plush rabbit lying at the head of the bed and delivered a series of heavy punches.

After a while, she carefully straightened out the disheveled fur of the rabbit, hugged it close, and went to sleep.

In spring, one sleeps without realizing the dawn, hearing the cries of birds everywhere.

Initially, the birds of spring chirped and climbed on trees, searching for food with their lively calls. Shen Qingzhi also followed suit and climbed out of bed.

She pushed open the door, discovering that light was filtering through the corridor. Following the light, she found Gu Jinrong, who had returned home at some point, sitting at the dining table, leisurely sipping soy milk.

Shen Qingzhi felt a pleasant surprise and suddenly remembered that she hadn't freshened up yet. Just as she was about to turn back, she was called.

This translation was originally posted on

https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

"Qingqing, come over and sit, have breakfast."

The voice was warm and gentle, soothing to the soul, yet it also made one feel that the winter chill had not completely dissipated.

If it were usual circumstances, Shen Qingzhi would insist on freshening up before having breakfast. This time, however, almost involuntarily, she followed the words, pulled out a chair, sat down, and took the soy milk handed by Gu Jinrong.

It's a bit cold; it must have been sitting for a while.

Shen Qingzhi drank half of it, surveying the living room. "When did you get home, and where's your luggage?"

Gu Jinrong looked up, her gaze soft. "I just got home. Go ahead and have breakfast. I have something to tell you after you finish." The tone left Shen Qingzhi with a subtle sense of unease. In a rush, she stuffed all the soy milk and pastries into her mouth, eagerly looking up, awaiting the continuation.

Gu Jinrong pulled out a tissue and wiped away the traces at the corner of Shen Qingzhi's mouth, her fingers carrying a hint of coolness.

Shen Qingzhi wanted to hold her hand to warm it up, but Gu Jinrong quickly withdrew her hand.

"Qingqing, my studio is facing some trouble. I need to go to M Country to handle it. I'm leaving today, and I came specifically to say goodbye to you."

Seeing the serious expression on Gu Jinrong's face, Shen Qingzhi became worried as well. "What trouble is it? Is there anything I can help with? Are you going alone? How long will you be away?"

"It's not a minor trouble. There's nothing you can do to help. Wen Qi will accompany me. Probably... two or three years. It's a long time, and I'll have Wen Qi with me."

Shen Qingzhi felt an uncomfortable tightness in her heart, but not wanting to make things difficult for her wife, she endured the bitterness and said,

"Then bring more clothes. The climate in M Country is colder than here. Also, the time difference between our two sides should be eight hours. Can I call you at noon? It should be night on your end..."

In the past, Shen Qingzhi had once found fault with Gu Jinrong's naggy demeanor. Now, without realizing it, she had become just like her. At this moment, she was still incessantly talking, but suddenly, someone interrupted her.

"Qingqing." Gu Jinrong placed the now-empty cup on the table, locking eyes with her.

"This time, the future is uncertain when I go to M Country. Plus, I'll be extremely busy, and I don't know when I'll have time, so...

"Let's get a divorce."

Divorce?!

For a moment, Shen Qingzhi thought she must be hearing things, until that person repeated it, looking into her eyes.

Just a month into their marriage, her newlywed wife suddenly says she wants a divorce. In the past, Shen Qingzhi would have exploded.

But now, seeing her wife with a somewhat weary appearance, she couldn't bring herself to attack her.

"Ah, it's just a two or three-year long-distance relationship, not that long. Anyway, I've been busy lately. If you don't want me to disturb you, we can contact each other less. But..."

"Qingqing." Gu Jinrong's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable force.

"What I mean is, the uncertainty over the next two or three years might be on my side. So, I'm sorry."

After saying this, she stood up and walked towards the door.

Wait!

Shen Qingzhi wanted to chase after her, but her feet felt as heavy as a thousand pounds as if being dragged down by a swamp, desperately pulling her downward.

She exerted all her strength, but couldn't break free from the restraint.

"Don't!"

Shen Qingzhi's consciousness returned in the struggle, realizing she was back on the bed. The chill around her faded, replaced by a long-lost warmth and fragrance.

"Qingqing."

The familiar face appeared again before her eyes. Shen Qingzhi looked at her returning wife, a moment of gratitude mixed with grievance.

She hugged a pillow and cried, "I don't want a divorce! We've only been married for a month, and you're talking about ending it already! Irresponsible!"

Gu Jinrong who secretly rushed back home to prepare a surprise for her wife:?!

She struggled to pull the pillow away from her face, only to find her little wife crying. Without dwelling on the reasons, Gu Jinrong quickly reached out, embracing the emotionally stirred person.

"Qingqing, did you have a nightmare?"

A nightmare?

Shen Qingzhi hesitated, turned her head, and pinched Gu Jinrong's arm. "Does it hurt?"

"Ah~ It hurts a lot."

The person beside her still had the same face, but now it seemed to carry much more warmth and seem more real than before. She realized she had already awakened from the dream.

Shen Qingzhi quickly lifted Gu Jinrong's pinched arm, rubbing and comforting it.

"Um, I've been working on a script at home these past few days, and the impromptu performance just now went quite well. But I might have gone a bit too far at the end, I'm sorry."

Dreaming of being abandoned by her wife is such an embarrassing thing, she shouldn't have said it.

Impromptu performance?

Gu Jinrong saw through it but didn't expose it, instead, she followed along: "You did very well. It's just that I didn't catch on. Do we need to rehearse it again?"

"No, no, no." Shen Qingzhi shook her head vigorously like a rattle. She didn't want to experience that heart-wrenching discomfort again.

Gu Jinrong reached out and smoothed her lightly golden hair, pulling her closer with the quilt.

"It's seven o'clock. Do you want to get up for breakfast?"

Breakfast!

An alarm bell instantly rang in Shen Qingzhi's heart, and she frowned slightly, "It's not cold soy milk, is it?"

"Ah?" Gu Jinrong was slightly puzzled. "It's not soy milk. If you want, I can make it fresh. But given the weather, it shouldn't be too cold."

"No, I hate drinking soy milk!"

Shen Qingzhi held onto the hem of Gu Jinrong's clothes, and looked a bit pitiful, "How long are you staying this time?"

Gu Jinrong chuckled, "What do you mean by 'how long'? This is my home. You make it sound like a hotel."

After just a month of marriage, didn't you treat our home like a hotel?

Shen Qingzhi complained silently in her heart, writing all her thoughts on her face.

Gu Jinrong noticed and leaned in, placing a kiss on her tear-stained cheek.

"The business trip is over, and most of my work will be in H City from now on. I'm sorry I didn't pick up your call on the plane last night. I was planning to come back early and surprise you."

Her gentle words made Shen Qingzhi feel a bit melodramatic.

She rubbed her face with both hands, displaying a generous demeanor. “Hey, what's there to be sorry for? Isn't it normal?

"My Qingqing is truly magnanimous."

Gu Jinrong's compliment made Shen Qingzhi feel a bit floaty, but the next sentence made her feel uneasy.

"But what can I do? I'm not that magnanimous. Qingqing just told me about divorce, and it hurt my feelings."

Shen Qingzhi: Huh?!

"So, you have to make it up to me."

As she spoke, Shen Qingzhi felt a warm breeze on her neck.

Hey, last time you gnawed on this side. Can't you switch to the other side?!