On the Wedding Night, I Transmigrated to After the Divorce – Chapter 76
by Little PandaA Richer Life
My Dream Is to Become the Film Emperor
It was just a tiny red dot. Yu Yan tapped on it before she was ready, only to be greeted by a massive wall of text. Stunned and thoroughly taken aback, she had to take a moment to compose herself before she could actually start reading what the other woman had written.
Furrowing her brow, she read through it carefully, feeling even more lost as to how she should respond.
What did Director An… mean by this?
It had to be because of how Yu Yan used to brag in her livestreams about wanting to be financially kept1 by some rich lady2. That must have given the director a completely wrong impression of her current situation.
Did she think Fu Yunqing was keeping her?
The relationship between her and her jiejie was a far cry from being kept. They were practically on the verge of remarrying! How could Director An think that?
Even though she shouldn’t have cared about such things, Yu Yan’s mood grew inexplicably heavy. She pulled up her keyboard but had no idea what to type.
How annoying…
When Fu Yunqing pushed the door open and walked in, Yu Yan gasped and looked up. She didn’t manage to smooth out her furrowed brow in time, and Fu Yunqing caught the expression. But she didn’t ask what was wrong; she simply set down a plate of freshly cut fruit beside her. “Have some fruit.”
Gathering her emotions, Yu Yan replied, “Okay, thank you, jiejie.”
Probably to hide her guilty conscience, she immediately skewered a piece of peach and popped it into her mouth. She ate one piece, then another, her cheeks puffing out as she mumbled, “So sweet.”
“Let me see your forehead.”
“Hmm?”
Before Yu Yan could register her intent, Fu Yunqing sat down beside her. Cupping her face, she gently swept aside the bangs that had grown a bit longer, inspecting the scar near her temple.
Thanks to the scar-removal cream, the mark had faded so much it was barely visible, as if it had never existed.
The ripples and pain that usually stirred in Fu Yunqing’s heart whenever she looked at the scar had also faded. This brought her a measure of comfort, and she felt deeply grateful that Yu Yan was standing before her, whole and unharmed.
“On your birthday, shall we go see the sea?” Fu Yunqing suggested. “Let’s go see the snowy sea.”
Yu Yan was a little surprised that Fu Yunqing would take the initiative to suggest this. In the past, Fu Yunqing had always left the decisions to her.
Yu Yan was curious. “Why do you want to see a snowy sea?”
Why did she want to see a snowy sea?
A snowy beach was freezing cold—that had been Fu Yunqing’s sole impression of it. But then a deeply romantic person had swept into her life. Bundled up in a thick down jacket, a cream-colored scarf, and a cotton hat that covered her ears, she had handed her phone to Fu Yunqing and taken a few steps back. Standing at the edge of the roaring waves on a snowy evening, she had flashed a brilliant, smiling gaze at the camera, throwing up a peace sign, radiating unparalleled vitality.
That was the first year they had met.
Back then, she had said she wanted to visit every romantic place in the world with Fu-jiejie.
Fu Yunqing suddenly felt deeply nostalgic.
But she was the only one reminiscing.
“I just want to go,” Fu Yunqing said, a trace of melancholy in her voice, though she didn’t offer a deeper explanation. She merely asked softly, “Can you keep me company?”
Spend your birthday—a day that belongs only to you to celebrate your birth—to keep me company.
“Of course,” Yu Yan agreed without a second thought.
There was no reason to refuse. She had been agonizing over where to go anyway, and besides, she rarely had the chance to fulfill one of Fu Yunqing’s wishes. It felt rather novel.
“Then let’s go to Hokkaido! The snow by the sea there is bound to be heavy, but it’ll be freezing, so we have to wear enough clothes. We can also soak in the hot springs together.” At the thought of this, Yu Yan’s mind began to wander. Lowering her voice, she murmured, “How about I scrub your back for you?”
She pursed her lips and looked at her coquettishly. Fu Yunqing couldn’t help but laugh. She cupped Yu Yan’s cheeks and teased, “Why are you looking at me so lecherously?”
Lecherously?
No way! How was she being lecherous? Yu Yan felt she was being wrongly accused, but she couldn’t really argue. Her head was currently filled with images of a steaming hot spring where she and Fu Yunqing bathed together—Fu Yunqing with her hair pinned up, her bare shoulders and back exposed…
Yu Yan grew giddy with excitement. She buried herself in Fu Yunqing’s embrace, nuzzling her chin against her chest.
“I can’t wait, I can’t wait…”
“I wish you could start your break right now…”
“I don’t want to paint walls for beautiful homeowners anymore. I just want to scrub your back…”
A back-scrubber wasn’t a bad job either, right?
However, compared to the simple question of where to spend her birthday, the much thornier issue on Yu Yan’s mind was how to turn down An Qiu.
During a quiet, leisurely afternoon, the television played an old movie that Yu Yan had been recommended long ago but had never had time to watch. Fu Yunqing’s arm was wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close. But even as Yu Yan leaned against her shoulder, her thoughts were elsewhere.
Her mind kept spinning with thoughts about the message An Qiu had sent her.
Honestly, when she first read it, she had felt a bit annoyed. On what grounds did An Qiu get to lecture her on her life? Why did An Qiu think she could self-righteously dictate how Yu Yan should live based on her own values? This kind of unsolicited preaching was genuinely off-putting. Yu Yan’s philosophy had always been to live as freely and comfortably as possible. Even if she depended on someone else, so what? They had only flirted for a few days—did An Qiu really think she knew her that well?
What did she mean by a “supporting personality”? Yu Yan was never going to lose herself. Her willingness to depend on someone was always predicated on whether that person made her happy. If they made her unhappy, she could walk away at any moment without looking back.
But…
Yu Yan suddenly began to worry about another aspect.
The weather was lovely today, and they had booked a tennis court for later. Fu Yunqing knew how much she loved the sport. But as Yu Yan recalled why she had picked up tennis in the first place, she was reminded of a girl she had once crushed on years ago—the daughter of one of Yu Lan’s business clients.
She had been a mere freshman back then. The jie3 had just returned from studying abroad—an exceptionally sexy, tanned beauty. With just a single glance of her trailing behind Yu Lan, Yu Yan had been utterly smitten. She had gone to find out which tennis courts the girl frequented, scoped out the place beforehand, and then staged a “chance encounter.” The girl was as kind as she was beautiful, making her easy to approach and even easier to flirt with. Yu Yan had effortlessly gotten close to her. Perhaps driven in part by the calculating motive of her being Yu Lan’s client’s daughter, she had volunteered to be her free coach, teaching her tennis from scratch, occasionally patting her head and praising her for being a fast learner.
And then? There was no “then.” Yu Yan did end up genuinely liking tennis, but she had quickly grown tired of the tanned beauty. She had fallen for someone else and moved on to plan her next game of flirtation.
Back then, she had been truly free. She had a massive circle of friends, with endless dinners and parties to attend every day. It would be a lie to say she didn’t miss it.
But now, it seemed her entire life revolved around Fu Yunqing…
An Qiu wasn’t entirely wrong. She had no career of her own, and she was no longer a carefree, wealthy heiress who could play around at her own whim. Consequently, she had lost her old, vibrant social circles. Living under Fu Yunqing’s wing and depending on her financially, Fu Yunqing was the only person she had left.
In the past, such a lifestyle would have been completely unimaginable to Yu Yan.
Right now, they were in the honeymoon phase, so she found it perfectly acceptable. But what about the future?
She wanted to be with Fu Yunqing in earnest. Having realized her hot violence4 was useless, she had made up her mind. Therefore, she had to consider the potential risks they might face. Yu Yan didn’t have much confidence in her own fidelity. If her entire world continued to consist of only one person day after day, what would happen once the honeymoon phase ended? What if Fu Yunqing didn’t tire of her, but she herself grew bored?
If that happened, they would inevitably end up fighting and breaking up, which she absolutely did not want.
The entertainment industry sounded incredibly colorful and exciting.
She would be able to meet all kinds of new people, and her life would become as lively and bustling as before. Yet Fu Yunqing would still be there, accompanying her through her vibrant life, staying by her side for a very, very long time.
In an instant, Yu Yan’s mind became a bit disorganized, and she felt herself wavering even more. Acting was a path that truly offered her a sense of novelty.
Unable to make up her mind after pondering it for a whole day, she waited until the next day when Fu Yunqing was away at a meeting. She took a screenshot of the text and sent it to Lu Yu.
Lu Yu: 【What are your thoughts?】
Yu Yan: 【Do you think she has a point?】
Lu Yu texted back that she was taking a compensatory day off today. Too lazy to type, Yu Yan immediately dialed her for a video call.
Lu Yu answered almost instantly. She was indeed at home, the background showing the living room of her old, broken, small5 apartment. It didn’t take a genius to guess she was lounging on her sofa, either reading a book or watching a movie.
As for Yu Yan, she was sprawling on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor of the duplex apartment. Her hair was a messy nest, and she propped up her chin with her hands, her face a portrait of sheer conflict.
“You don’t need to care if she has a point,” Lu Yu told her. “Her logic is just her own logic. It’s the same no matter who tries to lecture you. There are no fixed standards in this world. You’re free, and you only need to follow your own will.”
Yu Yan couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Lu Yu truly understood her better than anyone else in the world; she always felt the most free around her.
Still, Lu Yu found it a bit puzzling. “You used to absolutely detest this kind of preaching. Why are you suddenly considering whether she has a point? Don’t tell me you’ve started to think Fu Yunqing is unreliable too?”
Of course not.
Fu-jiejie was basically her mommy. She wouldn’t get tired of her because of her hot violence, nor would she abandon her for being mischievous or throwing tantrums6. She would love her forever, just like a mother would.
Yu Yan laid bare all her thoughts. “I just feel like I’m pretty bored every day. Aside from staying by her side, I have nothing to do except circle around her all day calling her jiejie, jiejie. It’s better to find something to do. That way, I won’t get tired of her out of sheer boredom, and we can stay together for longer, don’t you think?”
The more Yu Yan spoke, the more she convinced herself she was right.
She was simply mitigating risks in advance.
Lu Yu sounded highly skeptical. “Do you actually like acting?”
“Well…” Yu Yan thought for a moment. “I can’t really say if I like it or not, but I think it should be pretty fun? Besides, I don’t really have any practical skills. If I had to actually paint walls for a living, I wouldn’t be able to handle the hardship. I don’t know how to do anything else either, so all I’ve got going for me is this face of mine. Who knows, maybe I have a natural talent for acting? Once I win a Film Emperor trophy, I’ll have to wear a mask and sunglasses just to meet up with you on the sly.”
Lu Yu was truly in awe of her bizarre logic. She was already starting to fantasize and show off.
Lu Yu didn’t bother to critique her messy, chaotic reasoning, but as her friend, she genuinely hoped Yu Yan could have her own career and domain.
The relationship between Yu Yan and Fu Yunqing was neither flawless nor completely smooth sailing. They had already reached the point of divorce once before, and the future remained highly uncertain. Losing love wasn’t terrifying, nor was repeating past mistakes. What was truly terrifying was having absolutely nothing left once that love was gone.
Of course, even if Yu Yan lost her relationship, she would still have their friendship. But if she had a career, the proportion of what she lost would be much smaller. It would be easier to let go, and she could treat her love life as something optional rather than essential, couldn’t she?
“Alright,” Lu Yu said. “This bestie of yours supports you.”
Footnotes
- Baoyang means to keep a mistress or sugar baby, or to financially support a romantic or sexual partner in exchange for companionship.
- Fupo is Chinese internet slang for a wealthy woman, often used in lesbian dating contexts to refer to a sugar mommy or wealthy female partner.
- In modern Chinese internet slang, jie (big sister) is used to describe a woman who is cool, mature, capable, and charismatic.
- Modern internet slang playing on cold violence (silent treatment), referring to deliberate over-clinginess as a form of reverse psychology to make a partner tire of the relationship.
- Lao po xiao is common modern Chinese slang for older, poorly maintained, and cramped urban residential housing units.
- Zuo tian zuo di is a colloquial phrase describing someone who acts up excessively, behaving in an extremely dramatic, high-maintenance, or spoiled way to test a partner's limits.
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