Chapter 43 - 42: Contradiction and Entanglement

Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Contradiction and Entanglement

Hearing it wasn’t about her, the girl relaxed a little.

"I know."

"If you knew, why didn’t you try to talk her out of it?"

The girl pouted. "By the time I found out, they were already divorced. Besides, you know my sister’s personality better than anyone. How could I possibly convince her?"

Yan Xici’s voice was thick and nasal, making her sound very innocent.

"Sigh!"

Mrs. Yan sighed.

It was true. Yan Li’s personality wasn’t one that Yan Xici could persuade.

She changed the subject. "Right, I heard from your sister that you’re still living with your brother-in-law. That’s perfect. Don’t be in a hurry to move out. Have a good talk with him, and convince him that your sister just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. It would be best if they could get back together!"

As a mother, Mrs. Yan had her own difficulties. To be honest, she felt she had truly let her eldest daughter down.

For years, Mr. Yan’s health had been poor, leaving him unable to do any heavy labor. To survive, she had to run a small fruit wholesale business in their small county town. Even so, the little money they made was barely enough to get by.

When Yan Li started college, the family truly had no money. They barely managed to pay her tuition. Just like that, Yan Li went to Shanghai all by herself without a single cent for living expenses.

To make money, at only seventeen, she started selling books and notes in the dorms.

She even took on part-time jobs.

Not only did she never ask them for living expenses, but she also sent any extra money she earned back home, saying it was for her younger sister.

Later, she even started her own company, bought her parents a house in a city like Shanghai, and covered all of her sister’s living expenses and tuition.

However, it was also around that time that Yan Li, while becoming more independent, also grew more and more assertive.

As her mother, watching this truly pained her. She felt that a large part of the reason lay with herself and Mr. Yan.

It was their failure to provide a good life for their child that caused her personality to become increasingly peculiar.

They felt guilty toward her.

This guilt was also why she had become somewhat submissive to her daughter, always thinking she should just let her have her way.

She never expected that after letting her have her way time and again, her daughter would now not even consult the family on something as major as a divorce.

Hearing this, the girl’s eyes widened slightly, and she let out a subconscious, "Huh?"

’She wants me to convince Brother Xiao Ran to get back together with my sister?’

She swore her reluctance wasn’t because of the little crush she had on Xiao Ran!

’If they still had feelings for each other, not only would I not get in the way, I’d even wish them well.’

But that clearly wasn’t the case.

For years, all she had seen was them giving each other the cold shoulder, or her sister storming out and slamming the door.

Even setting aside who was right or wrong, at least neither of them was happy. Living like that every day wasn’t good for either of them.

Besides, it wasn’t like getting back together was his decision alone. Given her sister’s attitude toward him, there was no way she would agree to it.

Hearing this, Mrs. Yan on the other end of the line snapped, "What do you mean, ’huh’? Are you daft? Your sister and your brother-in-law are divorced. Don’t tell me you think that’s a good thing? I ask you to talk to him, and all you can say is ’huh’?"

The girl pouted reluctantly and mumbled, "You’re just putting me in a tough spot. You couldn’t even convince her, so what makes you think I can...?"

This was no small task.

Mrs. Yan probably didn’t expect her younger daughter to say such a thing, and a fire of frustration ignited within her.

"How can you say that? That’s your sister and your brother-in-law! Don’t you forget, without your sister, you wouldn’t be where you are today. How do you know you can’t do it if you don’t even try?" Mrs. Yan’s tone was filled with accusation and bewilderment.

Yan Xici: "..."

She couldn’t deny that her mother was right. For all these years, her sister had paid for basically all of her tuition. Even setting that aside, she was still her sister, wasn’t she?

She sniffled, silently lowered her head, and didn’t know what to say.

When the girl fell silent, Mrs. Yan continued, "You listen to me. Keep living at your brother-in-law’s place and do a good job convincing him, you hear?"

With that, Mrs. Yan hung up.

The girl was left sitting on the sofa, feeling lost and dejected. After being stunned for a full three minutes, she finally sighed and tossed her phone aside.

Then she wrapped her pale arms around her long, bent legs, burying her head between them like an ostrich and curling into a ball.

Only her small feet were left, resting on the sofa cushion.

A sudden wave of guilt washed over her. Her mom wanted her to convince her brother-in-law, but here she was, secretly crushing on him.

’If Mom and my sister found out I had these kinds of thoughts, then...’

The naive girl was now completely lost in her troubles.

「...」

Meanwhile, after leaving the residential complex, Xiao Ran saw Liu Min’s car parked on the side of the road.

He walked over with a smile, opened the car door, and got in.

Liu Min smiled at him and handed him a bottle of water. "It’s been hot lately. You should drink more water."

Xiao Ran took the water and said, "Thanks."

Liu Min turned the car around and drove toward a restaurant on Nanjing Road.

By now, the director and vice director were already waiting in a private room at the restaurant. Their main purpose in coming was to discuss the characters with Xiao Ran and see who he envisioned as the lead actors. After all, as the author, no one understood the characters better than he did.

After they arrived, Liu Min parked the car in the lot, and the two of them headed toward the restaurant.

As soon as they entered the private room, they saw two middle-aged men of similar age sitting together. Seeing Xiao Ran and Liu Min enter, they politely stood up and smiled at him.

Liu Min made the introductions enthusiastically. "This is our Director Zhang, and this is Vice Director Liu."

Then she turned to the two directors. "This is Xiao Ran, the author of the book."

As directors, they had, of course, read the entire book.

It had to be said, the book was brilliantly written, and all the emotional aspects were handled perfectly.

Although they had heard from Liu Min that the author was very young and handsome, they couldn’t help but be slightly surprised upon meeting him in person.

Director Zhang politely extended his right hand. "I never expected you to be so young. It’s true what they say, each generation brings forth new talent."

Vice Director Liu also nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Exactly! I thought the author had to be at least thirty to be able to write about the business world with such insight."

Xiao Ran smiled warmly and shook Director Zhang’s hand.

"You’re too kind. I’m really just a struggling writer."

Seeing everyone still standing, Liu Min quickly said, "Alright, let’s not just stand here. Let’s sit down and talk."

She then gestured for Xiao Ran to take the seat of honor.

Xiao Ran didn’t refuse and walked over to the indicated seat, which happened to be next to Director Zhang.

Director Zhang was fifty-eight this year, and his twenty-eight-year-old daughter was still unmarried. Seeing such a handsome young man, he couldn’t help but ask, "I was wondering, is Mr. Xiao Ran married?"

’After all, he’s a talented person and very handsome. If by any chance he could become my son-in-law, that would be a pretty good thing.’