novelThe Secret About the Past (125)
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
"Mother, I do believe in the existence of supernatural beings, but isn't this a little too far-fetched?"
"There are many things in this world that you can't assume don't exist simply because you haven't seen them with your own eyes. Everything we've learned about since the day we were born are merely concepts and ideologies conjured by the human mind. There are many uncertainties in life that humans have yet to discover. Nonetheless, we ought to be kind-hearted and do good deeds in order to accumulate merit for ourselves and our family, " Mrs. Gu said, smiling.
Her words sent a shiver down Xu Youran's spine.
"Yes, I agree with you."
They smiled at each other courteously, each having different ideas of their own deep down.
From Mrs. Gu's perspective, Xu Youran and Gu Dongcheng definitely did not matter as much to her as An Xiaoning and Gu Beicheng did. It was merely a genuine feeling of emotional distance she felt towards the former.
On the other hand, Xu Youran did not even consider Mrs. Gu to be her mother-in-law and did not treat her like her kin at all.
Both of them had always been harmonious only on the surface.
In fact, they each had their own precautions and thoughts about each other.
"Mother, what did Xiaoning call you and Father to go to her place for?"
"She just wanted me to meet her two sets of godparents and have a casual chat to know each other better over a meal, " Mrs. Gu answered.
"Oh, I see. Xiaoning is really fortunate to have three sets of godparents. I'm really envious of her."
"What's there to be envious about? Don't you have three sets of parents yourself too? You have your biological parents, your adoptive parents, and your parents-in-law. You say that you're envious of Xiaoning, but maybe Xiaoning envies you too?" Mrs. Gu said earnestly.
"Me? What's... there to envy about me?"
"You always have your family to defend and clean up after the mess you've created whenever you stir trouble, " Mrs. Gu replied.
A sullen look formed on Xu Youran's face at the instant that she heard her answer."Um, Mother, I'm going upstairs first."
"Okay, go ahead."
Mrs. Gu did not change her tone throughout and her smile only vanished after Xu Youran had made her way upstairs.
—
"Hey, isn't this Ms. Sun?" Bai Duocai gibed with a sheepish grin while stroking his bald head.
Sun Weiwei was working as a waitress at a restaurant and did not expect to bump into Bai Duocai there.
"That's right, it's me."
"Why have you resorted to becoming a waitress here? Your life is in such a sorry state... what's the point of suffering here? Are you willing to leave with me? I promise you'll lead a better life than this, " Bai Duocai gloated.
Sun Weiwei had had no choice but to take on the job as a waitress. After all, life has to go on.
Having grown accustomed to being a spendthrift and having a ton of money to lavish away, her current life of struggling to make ends meet was indeed a torture for her. She was surprised to hear the offer he made.
"Mr. Bai, how much are you willing to pay me a month?"
Bai Duocai looked her up and down before answering, "Based on the state you are in now... you're at most worth this much."
He stuck a finger out.
"100 thousand dollars?"
"Do you really think you're worth that much? I meant 10 thousand dollars. Don't you remember how haughty and arrogant you were when I tried to ask you out for a meal back then? Didn't you end up being raped by me anyway? My decision is final. I'm willing to offer you 10 thousand dollars only because you used to be a famous celebrity, " Bai Duocai scorned.
"I'm willing to go with you, but you have to provide for my meals and accommodation as well as my clothes and cosmetic products, " Sun Weiwei agreed, thinking that 10 thousand dollars was still better than the peanuts she was making as a waitress now.
She had been struggling with her drug addiction because she could not afford to keep up with her doping needs. Yet, she was not willing to become a prostitute to earn quick money for drugs. Thus, she had no choice but to suck it up and cope with the withdrawal symptoms. Although life was a living hell during her period of staying clean, she managed to pull through in the end.
She successfully kicked her addiction to drugs.
"Sure, " Bai Duocai agreed straight away, not bothered by the meager sum of money.
Sun Weiwei thus left with him.
Once they got inside the car, Bai Duocai could not contain his eagerness and reached out to squeeze her bosom."I haven't seen you in way too long. Didn't expect to see you ending up in such a pathetic plight. Ye Xiaotian must've condemned you severely back then."
Smiling wryly, Sun Weiwei answered, "Yeah, life is torturous for me now."
"Do you want to continue being an actress?"
"Can you help me with that?"
"Of course I can, it'll just depend on whether you're willing to do it or not. Are you willing to star in erotic films?" Bai Duocai asked.
"Those... how much will I be paid per film?" Sun Weiwei asked.
"On account that you're living so pathetically now, I'm willing to offer you 200 thousand dollars for each film."
"Only 200 thousand?" Sun Weiwei asked with furrowed brows. If it was in the past, she would never agree to star in such films even if she were offered 100 million dollars.
"I won't force you if you're not willing to, " said Bai Duocai, knowing that she would definitely agree given how sorry of a plight she was in now. Thus, hiring her to star in the film would be value for money since it would surely become a hit due to the fact that she used to be an A-lister.
Sun Weiwei was indeed in desperate need for cash because life was way too arduous now that she was penniless.
"Brother Bai, could you offer me a little more?"
"220 thousand dollars. That's the highest I can offer."
"Okay, I'm up for it."
Bai Duocai caressed her hair and said, "Sure, it's a deal, then. Come here, baby."
Sun Weiwei leaned into his embrace reluctantly. However, she still forced herself to comply since he was going to become her cash cow very soon.
In fact, Sun Weiwei felt rather uneasy every time she saw anyone from the Bai family, mostly because she was afraid that she would be exposed for indirectly causing Bai Ranran's death.
She was terrified and dreaded it, although it had already been years since the incident had taken place.
In hindsight, Sun Weiwei actually regretted killing Bai Ranran, for Mo Li would not have stood a chance with Ye Xiaotian if Bai Ranran were to have married him back then. Yet, she ended up gaining nothing while Mo Li benefited from Bai Ranran's death.
The more she thought about it, the more foolish she felt.
"I'm a little curious, why did Ye Xiaotian destroy your career back then? Weren't you his godsister?"
"I did something wrong so I was punished for my mistake." Sun Weiwei recalled the past where Ye Xiaotian supported her and shot her to fame. During the peak of her career, she would be signing film contracts one after another and taking on offers to film variety programs and reality shows continuously. Money was flowing freely into her pocket non-stop. Back then, it had never occurred to her that she would ever be reduced to a life of rags. Had she known earlier, she would have saved more money instead of lavishing them away, thinking that money would never be a problem for her since her career would only continue to improve in the future.
She could not help but feel overwhelmed with misery and regret at the thought of her glorious past. Yet, there was no one to blame for she had brought all these upon herself.
Bai Duocai was pleased to see the had-been A-lister, whom he used to put on a pedestal, trying to butter him up and bring him pleasure.
In the evening, Bai Duocai brought her to the nightclub.
As soon as they entered, they were greeted with the sight of Ye Xiaotian.
"Look who's there."
Sun Weiwei immediately stopped in her tracks at the instant that she saw Ye Xiaotian.
"I see him here rather often without his wife. Do you think he's stopped paying attention to her?"
Shaking her head, Sun Weiwei said, "I don't know."
"Would you like to go chat with him?"
"No." Sun Weiwei was too embarrassed to bring herself to face Ye Xiaotian and talk to him.
"What are you afraid of? Come with me."
Bai Duocai dragged her towards Ye Xiaotian.
Despite not seeing Sun Weiwei for ages, Ye Xiaotian managed to remain cold and aloof at the sight of her and Bai Duocai.
"Long time no see, Mr. Ye."
"Yes."
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