The Byoukidere Is Her Sweetie

Chapter 253: 253: Pregnancy revealed, should the child be kept? (Second update)

Tang Xiang cried for over ten minutes, her makeup smeared, her eyes swollen, but she didn’t feel embarrassed in front of Jiang Xiaolin. He had seen her at her worst before; when she was studying abroad and worked in a bar, getting drunk by customers to the point of vomiting her guts out.

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She sat in the passenger seat, having calmed down: “Do you mind if I smoke?”

Jiang Xiaolin, in the driver’s seat: “If I minded, would you not smoke?”

She shook her head: “I’d step out to smoke.”

Today he didn’t snap at her and rolled down the car window, in a particularly good mood: “Smoke in the car.”

Tang Xiang took out a cigarette and lighter from her bag. She preferred using a flint lighter, finding it satisfying to use, and lit a cigarette with practiced ease, taking a drag: “How much for the suit?”

Jiang Xiaolin returned to his usual banter with her: “It’s custom-made, you can’t buy it.”

His tone was a bit annoying.

Around her, he was always like this, none of the restraint and politeness of the Jiang Family’s eldest son that he displayed outside.

Tang Xiang held the cigarette between her fingers, resting her arm on the car window, looking at him with red, swollen eyes: “Then how should I compensate?”

His lips curled into a smile: “Come work at my company.”

Tang Xiang could hear what he meant: “Seeing me unemployed, you want to take me in?”

He hummed: “Consider it poverty alleviation.”

She laughed.

His eyebrows relaxed, and he finally laughed.

“I’m not joking, come to my company.” His tone grew more serious, but still teasing, “The top student of the whole school working for the second-best, I think that’s not bad.”

Back in school, she was the top of the grade, he was second. On the school’s honor roll, he was always firmly pressed below her. He only beat her once in exams, and she then reported him for stealing underwear, costing him five morality points, which put him back to second place again.

This woman was meant to trump him.

Tang Xiang shook a piece of paper to dust off the ash, holding it in her hand: “I’m a traitor, aren’t you afraid I’ll steal your company secrets?”

“If you manage to steal them, it’s my failing as a boss,” he said, “I’ll take the blame.”

She smoked her cigarette, neither agreeing nor declining, drawing hard on the slim lady’s cigarette until it was quickly spent. She wrapped the butt in two pieces of paper and pinched it out with practiced movements, holding the trash in her hand and then pulling out another cigarette from the pack.

“That’s enough,” he said in a relatively mild tone, “a woman like you with such a heavy addiction to smoking.”

With a flick, she lit the lighter and ignited the cigarette: “Mind your own business.”

Mind?

He couldn’t control her, she was too tough and too wild.

“Just now,” he turned and leaned against the car door, looking at her, “what happened?”

She didn’t answer, grabbed her bag, pushed open the car door and got out, taking the trash with her: “I will compensate you for the suit.” She left him with those words and walked away.

When he first met her, she was eighteen, wearing canvas shoes. Now she was twenty-eight, in high heels. A full ten years.

The first lunar month had passed, and Jiang Zhi’s movie was about to start shooting. The start-of-shooting ceremony was held two days ago; all actors were present except for Su Chan, who couldn’t make it from abroad.

Today, it was Fang Lixiang’s first scene, which required extras, and Zhou Xufang had taken on this job. The movie was a palace intrigue theme, and most of the shooting locations were in the Imperial Palace of the film studio.

Jiang Zhi parked her car quite far from the set, as requested by Zhou Xufang, who also requested, “Don’t come with me; it wouldn’t look good to be seen together.”

Jiang Zhi begrudgingly replied, “What’s wrong with that? We are in a normal relationship, not having an affair.”

Zhou Xufang had her reasons: “If others find out my boyfriend is the director, they will say I got into the group through connections.”

Jiang Zhi teased her on purpose: “Aren’t you?”

“…”

So annoying.

Zhou Xufang corrected him seriously and earnestly: “I rely on my acting skills.” She was now confident in her abilities, feeling she could not only bring the dead back to life but also make the living play dead.

Jiang Zhi revealed a smile with her small canine teeth, no longer teasing her: “Alright, you go ahead.”

How could he refuse his girlfriend who wanted to keep their love under wraps? Just play along with her.

Zhou Xufang adjusted her cap, covered it with a hoodie, and before putting on her mask, she obediently leaned in and kissed Jiang Zhi, then said, “Once we’re on set, you can’t kiss me. We have to act like we don’t know each other.”

Jiang Zhi: “I’ll do my best.” Not kissing her was out of the question; the most he’d concede was to find a secluded place for it.

Zhou Xufang: “I’m going in.”

Jiang Zhi took off her mask and lavished her with kisses before letting her go.

After Zhou Xufang left, the window of a car parked nearby rolled down, revealing a square face: “Hehe,” Vice Director Zhao laughed slyly, “Your girlfriend is really cute.”

Who knows how long this guy had been parked there.

Although the new drama’s cast had changed, and there was some turnover in production and financing, the executive director’s team remained the same. Jiang Zhi had worked with Vice Director Zhao multiple times and was quite familiar with him.

Jiang Zhi instructed him: “Tell those in the know that my girlfriend doesn’t like making a fuss.”

Meaning, don’t talk about what you shouldn’t talk about, don’t spread what you shouldn’t spread, don’t gossip about what shouldn’t be gossiped.

Vice Director Zhao made a cheeky gesture: “I get it.” Role-playing secret romance, huh? Naughty fun.

After Zhou Xufang entered the set, she went to find her good friend Fang Lixiang.

Fang Lixiang sat on a bench, dressed in the attire of a palace guard, and was set to play alongside the male lead, a very capable film actor. Fang Lixiang would play his guard.

Maybe because the lead actor was too famous and his acting too stiff, Fang Lixiang’s face was full of worry.

Zhou Xufang walked over, “Lixiang.”

“Hmm?”

Not only was her face clouded with worry, her complexion wasn’t great either, like an eggplant damaged by frost.

Zhou Xufang sat on the other end of the long bench, and because she had come to the film set, she had wrapped herself up like “a lump of coal”: “Aren’t you happy?”

Fang Lixiang shook her head, “Not at all.” She was listless, “I’ve been constipated recently.”

Assistant Xiao Liu: “…”

This female star is so down-to-earth.

The previous assistant had resigned, Xiao Liu hadn’t been around for long, and was still not accustomed to Fang Lixiang, a star without the airs of a female celebrity. Xiao Liu came over with a bag of breakfast: “I bought you some steamed buns.”

Fang Lixiang asked, “What filling?”

Xiao Liu took the bag of steamed buns out of the bigger bag: “Mixed.”

Fang Lixiang smelled it, and instantly her stomach reacted, she pinched her nose, “Take it away, take it away.”

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Liu held the steamed buns a bit farther away.

“My stomach has been upset recently, I feel sick when I smell meat.” The little brat in her belly was really restless, only so big and already troubling her. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, and couldn’t stand the smell of anything oily.

“Then try some tea eggs.”

Xiao Liu gave all three tea eggs to Fang Lixiang, she only ate a few bites before feeling too nauseated to eat more.

Zhou Xufang took a can of milk out of her backpack, opened it, and handed it to her.

“Xufang, I need to tell you something.”

Zhou Xufang listened seriously, “What is it?”

Fang Lixiang glanced around, no one was paying attention to them here, so she whispered to Zhou Xufang: “Doesn’t your boyfriend’s family run a hospital?”

Zhou Xufang: “They run a hospital.”

Fang Lixiang stuttered with hesitation, “Can you get me in through the back door?”

Zhou Xufang asked, “What kind of back door?”

Again, she stuttered with hesitation, “I need to have a minor surgery.”

Zhou Xufang was very concerned about her good friend: “Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“Just a minor ailment,” Fang Lixiang said, “Hemorrhoids.” She had to lie; Zhou Xufang’s boyfriend and that scoundrel Xue Baoyi were childhood friends, and she feared the word would get out.

With an expression that spelled dilemma on her face, Zhou Xufang: “…”

Fang Lixiang scooted closer to her: “I’m a female star, you know. If people find out I’m having hemorrhoids removed, I’ll lose fans. Get it?”

Zhou Xufang, feeling a bit cold, a bit confused, and a bit dazed: “I get it.”

Actually, she didn’t entirely get it. If her idol also had hemorrhoids removed… she couldn’t imagine what Xiao Yusheng would look like having hemorrhoids surgery…

She digressed far; Fang Lixiang went back to the point: “Can you get me in? The kind where no one will notice.”

Zhou Xufang said, “I’ll get Jiang Zhi to help you out.”

Fang Lixiang clasped her fists, “Thanks, Hero Zhou.”

Hero Zhou said it was a trifling effort, not worth mentioning.

Fang Lixiang took a sip of milk. As soon as she swallowed, her stomach turned tumultuously, and she quickly ran to the side, throwing it all up.

Zhou Xufang fell into deep thought.

“Lixiang.” She brought over a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Fang Lixiang, “Could it be that you are pregnant?” It shouldn’t be hemorroids; it should be an obstetrics and gynecology visit.

“Phew—”

Fang Lixiang sprayed out a mouthful of water, looking at Zhou Xufang incredulously.

Zhou Xufang, always appearing cold, cute, and silly, was actually very astute.

“Ah!” Fang Lixiang sighed heavily, “It looks like Jiang Zhi has already taken you on that ride.”

The Zhou Xufang who had been on that “little train”: “…”

One lie leads to a hundred just to cover it up; it couldn’t be hidden anymore, Fang Lixiang confessed: “I am pregnant.”

Zhou Xufang showed a shocked expression, hesitant to speak.

“You want to know whose it is?”

Zhou Xufang nodded.

Fang Lixiang and she squatted in the “Imperial Palace” corner, looking conspicuous from afar, murmuring and acting sneakily as if conspiring: “You know him, otherwise I wouldn’t have kept it from you.”

Zhou Xufang knew only a few men.

Mr. Xue fancied Fifth Aunt from the Jiang family, Mr. Qiao had Wen Baiyang already, Ah Wan was still obsessed with novels and Korean dramas, leaving only one person.

“Is it Mr. Xiao Xue?”

“Yes.” Fang Lixiang patted her own belly, “The little mongrel inside is from his dog.”

Zhou Xufang was very surprised: “When did you two get together?” She had no idea; not long ago, Mr. Xiao Xue was still making headlines with another female star.