Chapter 3 — When Love Runs Dry

I calmly replied:

“No.”

Because incidents of that nature occurred so frequently that I could no longer distinguish which one truly deserved my attention. Feng Chen said nothing further, gracefully steering the conversation in a different direction.

“Shen Ning, I can set aside an entire day for you this Saturday.”

Over the course of three years of marriage, it was exceptionally rare for him to have a completely free schedule. I pressed my lips together and murmured:

“I understand.”

Yet I no longer seized the opportunity to ask him to accompany me to visit my grandmother.

5

Within the film crew, the reasons behind the divorce of Feng Chen and Su Jingnian remained a sizzling topic of conversation among everyone. Speculations flew freely.

“I heard it was because Su Jingnian filmed a romantic kissing scene with another actor, and President Feng grew intensely jealous.”

“Really? Could that be true? Does he care about her to that extent?”

As the crowd debated the matter with utmost seriousness, someone clapped their hands in admiration.

“To be honest, both of them care deeply about each other. Once, when President Feng attended a banquet, another prominent actress tried to strike up a conversation with him, and Su Jingnian stayed angry for a very long time.”

Someone standing not far away let out a soft sigh.

“If they are going to divorce after all of that, it is truly such a pity.”

A colleague stepped forward to offer a definitive conclusion.

“Without a doubt, the two of them are going to remarry.”

“Otherwise, why would President Feng blacklist the actress who dared to suggest he was getting remarried?”

“Su Jingnian must have learned of President Feng’s true feelings through this incident, which is why she finally returned to the country.”

Amidst the lively chatter, Su Jingnian materialized from behind. This time, Miao Miao was not accompanying her. She was carrying a basket of fresh fruit, distributing portions to everyone present.

“The weather is dreadfully hot, so I prepared some fresh fruit for all of you.”

The colleagues eagerly accepted the treats and showered her with endless praise. Everyone agreed that she had grown even more mature and alluring, the very embodiment of an independent heroine in real life. Someone seized the moment to press her with a question.

“Ms. Jingnian, when will you and President Feng be remarrying?”

“Nobody else in this world is worthy of President Feng except you.”

Upon hearing these words, Su Jingnian merely offered a faint, elegant smile. She replied with polite modesty:

“That is all a matter of the past now.”

“We were young and rather foolish back then. Throughout all these years, he must surely have found someone he truly cares for.”

A colleague immediately leaped to her defense.

“Ms. Jingnian, please do not be so modest. There is room for no one in President Feng’s heart except you.”

“I distinctly remember the director asking Ms. Shen Ning and me to go see President Feng last time.”

“A family portrait of the three of you is still prominently displayed on his office desk. Does that not clearly prove that he still holds a place for you in his heart?”

With that, two pairs of eyes turned unanimously in my direction. Su Jingnian curved her lips into a knowing smile and inquired:

“Shen Ning, what are your thoughts on this?”

I forced a reluctant, fragile smile. It was true that a family portrait of the three of them sat atop Feng Chen’s office desk. I had once timidly asked him if he might consider placing a photograph of us beside it. In response, he had simply turned the question back on me:

“How would you expect Miao Miao to feel about that?”

With that single, deflection-laden question, the matter was quietly buried forever. Su Jingnian arched her brows, a look of smug triumph flashing across her face.

“In truth, I suppose I knew that my decision to divorce him back then was somewhat impulsive.”

“Over the years, even though countless beautiful women have swarmed around him, he has never once made any of them public.”

“He boards a flight abroad every single week. On the surface, it is solely for the sake of our daughter.”

“Yet, is there not a saying that a father only truly loves his child when he deeply loves the mother who brought her into this world?”

Those words struck like a sharpened blade piercing straight through my chest. A bitter, suffocating ache rapidly spread through my entire being. I was well aware of how deeply they had once loved one another—to the point where neither could tolerate the slightest sign of indifference from the other. I even knew how fiercely romantic and passionate their romance had once been. In those days, the relationship between Feng Chen and Su Jingnian had faced fierce opposition from their families. Yet that proud man had actually knelt before the elder of the Feng family, swearing a solemn and unyielding oath:

“Aside from her, I will never marry another soul.”

Their wedding, from its sheer scale and extravagant budget to its profound social impact, had long been regarded as the ultimate fairy-tale nuptials of the century.

6

Today, our work on the set concluded a little earlier than usual.