Chapter 15: Memories

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ning Xue’s buzzing phone pulled her out of her thoughts.

“Hello?”

“Good day. How would you like me to handle the photos from the paparazzi? Do let me know. We’ll assure your satisfaction.”

“Delete everything.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Send me a copy of everything before you delete them.”

“Will do.”

Jiang Sheng stopped the car in front of the red light. He turned to his side only to find Ning Xue smiling at her phone. “What are you looking at, honey?”

“The very little Ms. Anne.”

He leaned over, and what was on her screen was a woman with a bruised, swollen face. He winced. “Put it away. It’s nauseating.”

Everyone in and out of the industry knew Lucy for her bad reputation. How funny she thought she could seduce him—she was nowhere as good as Ning Xue. Even if Ning Xue hadn’t stepped up today, he’d have done so in place of her.

His DMs, too, was filled with messages. Weibo, Twitter, Instagram—each of his social media was flooded with notifications, causing his phone to buzz non-stop. His fans were telling him to leave his wife, to divorce her. They thought she was a gold-digger, anything but good. They thought she was manipulating him, interfering with his work when they’d received rumors of her being on set.

But what do they know? Nothing, exactly. It wasn’t Ning Xue but him, who wasn’t good enough for her. In the five years he spent chasing after her before he’d finally won her heart—only God knew how much effort he’d put in.

Rewinding time to 2016, Jiang Sheng was 22, and Ning Xue was 17 then. It was almost springtime, the sky blue. With winter shifting to spring, the green on the streets of New York began budding. When the early spring breeze blew across Manhattan, it caressed the blooming leaves of the ginkgo trees lining the narrowed lanes with the skyscrapers bearing witnesses. Still, the concrete jungle, neatly arranged and gray, seemed inclined on confining the neverending spring warmth among the high-rise buildings.

A young, good-looking man with a lean physique walked among those streets, his features standing out in rarity among the city dwellers.

“Oh, oh, oh! Is that Jiang Sheng? The Oscar winner?”

“He is so, so, so hot! Argh!”

Jiang Sheng’s expressionless face showed how little he cared for the outside world, causing no one to come forward and engage in conversation. He checked his watch—five minutes late.

“Jiang Sheng! Sorry that I’m late.” Came a woman in a bright red dress, her high heels clicking as she hurried toward him. She was his manager, Linda.

“It’s all right.”

Linda stuck her tongue out a little. He was flawless in everything: his looks, his acting, and his job—she never had to worry about anything at all. There was just a tiny flaw about him—he was unapproachable, and he never wanted to speak more than he needed to.

“You have one scene to shoot on set today. If he still nitpicks, the only thing we could do is to make the best out of it. No matter how complicated his relationships or how fretful he is, he’s still your senior. Do you copy?”

Jiang Sheng nodded, shifting his gaze to Linda, his tone serious, “Thanks, Linda.” He knew why she was late—she had to meet the people from the upper management and apologize for his mistakes because he provoked an older actor on set.

Linda could feel the heat of her cheeks flooding when he looked at her with his deep eyes. His intimidating appearance, topped with his superb acting, was irresistible..