NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86 - Eighty-Six: Pleased
Chapter 86: Chapter Eighty-Six: Pleased
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Yun Nan turned to look out the window. Shi Nian thought, ‘I guess she’s still upset that her own flesh and blood don’t care about her.‘ He changed the topic and asked her, “Why did you name it ‘4.30 P.M.’?”
Yun Nan exhaled softly before answering, “My mom told me she was most afraid of the winter sun at 4:30 in the afternoon when she was a kid. It was as red as blood and painted all the mountains and forests crimson. It was a nightmarish scene that filled her with terror—a terror which haunted her like a shadow. It wasn’t until she lived in the city with my dad—where the high-rise buildings blocked the horror of the setting sun and the dense crowd gave her a sense of security—that she finally moved past her sense of helpless fear.”
“After my parents passed away, I lived alone for a few years. During the days I starved, not knowing when my next meal was, I developed the same fear of the sunset my mother had. Ironically, however, I also felt a certain closeness to the blood-red setting sun because of this shared connection with my mother,” Yun Nan divulged with lowered eyes.
“Oh. So, is that why you used Xi Jin as your pseudonym? ‘Xi’ for sunset and ‘Jin’ means beautiful.” Just then, Shi Nian finally understood those two words’ significance.
Yun Nan gently nodded and continued, “When I grew older and had a secure lifestyle, I overcame my fear and was able to face the sunset calmly. However, 4:30 p.m. will forever be a special time for me as it represents the emotional journey both my mother and I have experienced in our difficult times. That’s why I chose this name when I wrote this biography for my mother. Fang Xi and Mika thought it was a unique title, so they unanimously agreed. I know wherever she is up there, my mother will understand.”
Shi Nian’s heart ached for her when he heard her talk about her past. Yun Nan always spoke lightly of her hardships. Despite that, she was clearly a very sensitive person, yet she also showed such strength and independence. ‘How many hardships did she go through to become so polished?‘ Shi Nian wondered.
…
Miss Ding cheerily shooed the assistants who were busy in the room out. Yun Liu glanced at her while doing her nails and waited until everyone else had left before she inquired, “Did everything go well?”
Miss Ding nodded and reported, “She’s just an inexperienced little girl—quite easy to manipulate. On the other hand, that man wanted to refuse because the money was too little. I had to hint all the money gained from selling Gao Bei would belong to him before he agreed. It’s just as well; no one can tie it to us if someone looked into this.”
“Make sure you clean up after yourself,” Yun Liu said detachedly. “You can’t leave any evidence behind. I can’t protect you if this gets found out.”
Miss Ding hastily assured her, “Of course! No evidence whatsoever. It’ll be fine. Don’t worry!”
“What’s the situation like over there?” Yun Liu nonchalantly asked.
Miss Ding’s lips curled as she smugly stated, “There’s not much they can do. Their lead actress ran off—gone with a poof! Haha! Xiao Ya went to the police to file a missing person report, and Fang Xi went with her. They won’t sue Xiao Ya; those bleeding hearts couldn’t bear to do so. Xiao Ya cried her eyes out, and she was swamped dealing with all the people demanding penalty charges for the breach of contract. Fang Xi—the soft-hearted fool she is—naturally wouldn’t ask for their penalty charges seeing Xiao Ya’s plight. It was a lively scene, I tell you!”
Yun Liu smiled when she heard this. “Miss Ding, release the news that they’ve lost their female lead. Make sure to discredit their movie! Hmph, ‘4:30 P.M.‘, what an awkward name! With a name like that, I would be very surprised if that movie is a hit!” Yun Liu coldly remarked.
“No problem! I already released the news a while ago. All we have to do is wait. By tomorrow morning, everyone will know! I guarantee that Yun Nan and Fang Xi will be in a terrible bind,” Miss Ding uttered pridefully, to Yun Liu’s delight.
Miss Ding took out a box from her bag and showed it to Yun Liu, saying, “Oh right, I almost forgot about this most important thing. Your custom ring is done! It cost a lot of money because jewelers are reluctant to imitate Xiang Yang’s work. The Xiang family has very good lawyers.”
Yun Liu held the ring box and once again admired the design. “Everyone has a price. The question is: what is that price, and whether you’re willing to pay it.”
At the thought of the ring’s price, Miss Ding twitched and groaned, “With the price we paid, we might as well have bought the original ring! I don’t know what’s gotten into Xiang Yang; she steadfastly refused to sell her rings!”
‘It’s because she wanted to give them to her brother-in-law and his wife!‘ Yun Liu got angry every time she recalled this fact. She removed the ring from the box to take a closer look at it. “Don’t forget to take a few photos of me wearing this ring and spread them. No explanations or comments needed; the photos are enough of a suggestion.”
Miss Ding quickly consented. “Yes, alright. I got it! We must spread the photos ASAP and be the first to show up with this ring. We can’t let anyone get ahead of us this time!”
Yun Liu gripped the ring in her fist. Gao Bei’s matter had opened up new ideas for her. She would never give up on Shi Nian. She didn’t care if he was married—it’s no big deal. She still had a chance since they didn’t publicly announce their marriage. And it didn’t matter even if they did announce it. She was Yun Nan’s sister! She had her family’s support! She could accuse Yun Nan of being a man-stealer and make it impossible for Yun Nan to explain and defend herself. Who does she think she is, barging in on her territory? She’ll show that country bumpkin a thing or two.