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墨書 Inktalez
This is a privately rented restaurant where almost all the cartoons that appear on screen, including Mickey, Nini, hellkiy, and Crayon Shin, are present.
A man in a yellow outfit with a silly face is busy blowing up balloons in various shapes. Surrounding him is a large group of children eagerly reaching out for the balloons.
Next to the silly-looking man stand two women wearing Mickey Mouse ears and dressed in candy-colored outfits. The women are speaking in high-pitched, exaggerated voices that are quite uncomfortable to hear.
The man is also continuously making various cute gestures, occasionally handing out candies to the children running over. His movements are so stiff that he resembles a failed transformation into a robot.
Then, one of the women asks the man, "I heard you're a lawyer! Which firm do you work for?"
The man nods, "I just got back and haven't found a job yet— I heard you're an artist's assistant? Which artist?"
The woman's voice suddenly becomes rougher: "What are you pretending for? Didn't I just introduce you to Qiu Feng today..." but she is interrupted by the man.
"Isn't it better if we pretend this is our first meeting and get to know each other again?"
That's right; this woman is Autumn Wind, and the "robot man" is Liu Jian.
The scene unfolding is that Autumn Wind and Liu Jian have just been reintroduced by Yao Lizhen.
Of course, Yao Lizhen's willingness to play along with their little game comes with a condition: they must act as the welcoming committee for Quack Quack's birthday celebration.
When Yao Lizhen says this, she looks quite disdainful: "Autumn Wind, make sure not to reveal your auntie nature. Oh, I'm really worried; instead, it's Jian who can entertain those married women!"
Her eyes dart around as if treating Liu Jian as bait. She tidies up his hair and pats his shoulder, saying, "I'm counting on you today!"
Hearing her evaluation of herself causes Autumn Wind's auntie nature to surface momentarily. She puts her hands on her hips and prepares to question Yao Lizhen about why she resembles an auntie.
Yao Lizhen was the first to get into character. She immediately changed her demeanor, placing her hand in the gap at Autumn Wind's waist, and with a gentle expression said, "Come, let me introduce you. This is my good sister, Autumn Wind, currently working as an artist's assistant. And this is my cousin, Liu Jian, a lawyer who just returned from the United States! Sisters and brothers are all family! You two take your time to chat!"
After saying that, she released Autumn Wind's arm, pushed Autumn Wind towards Liu Jian, and then disappeared into the crowd like a gust of wind.
Liu Jian immediately stepped forward and hugged Autumn Wind. The thin shirt clung tightly to his arms, revealing the contours of his muscles. He squeezed too hard, almost making Autumn Wind unable to breathe. "Wow, I'm so happy to see you!"
Autumn Wind struggled to free herself from his embrace. "I've never seen someone so forward on a first meeting. It's a miracle you haven't been labeled a creep!"
Liu Jian looked around with a mischievous grin. "So what should we do then?"
Autumn Wind glanced at the entrance of the restaurant and indeed spotted Yao Lizhen standing there smiling at them. "Let's go stand guard at the door!"
Liu Jian followed behind Autumn Wind, walking toward the entrance while saying, "If I had known, I wouldn't have arranged it this way!"
Yao Lizhen, who was originally a singer with many albums but no major hits, had hosted a popular game show before getting married, though that show had ended five years ago. Nowadays, apart from running a hot pot restaurant, she spent most of her time attending events. Naturally, her friends were a large group of event artists, and today's birthday party would not be complete without the presence of married women like Qiu Feng.
Among this group of married women, Autumn Wind also made some discoveries.
Autumn Wind perked up her ears and soon learned why Liu Jian had caused such an uproar with Chen Shanni. Before returning to Taiwan, Liu Jian had won a substantial alimony settlement for a wife at fault in a wealthy divorce case, earning him the nickname “the glamorous version of Deshaweitz” in the American legal community.
(Deshaweitz, a famous American lawyer known for successfully handling high-profile cases such as the Simpson case, Tyson case, Pentagon Papers case, Clinton impeachment case, and U.S. presidential election case has been heralded as “the most successful criminal defense attorney in American history.”)
Of course, this information came from those gossiping married women and should be taken with a grain of salt.
Autumn Wind also learned about the progress of Zhou Ringuo's divorce case (the married women unanimously recommended that Zhou Ringuo's wife hire Liu Jian as her lawyer).
For example, Autumn Wind knows that Liu Jian has now become the one everyone in the modeling world is chasing after.
"I didn't realize you were so popular! Then why are you still arranging blind dates?" Autumn Wind said expressionlessly.
"You think I want to? If it weren't for my mom assigning me to Sister Li Zhen..." He paused, glancing at Autumn Wind's face. "You don't look very happy; can I take that to mean you're jealous?" He wore a mischievous grin, his eyes sparkling as if he were eager for everyone to know how popular he was.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. What I mean is... there shouldn't be a shortage of girls around you, so there's no need to waste time with me!" Autumn Wind added seriously.
The more Autumn Wind interacted with Liu Jian, the more she felt a growing fear—not just because of Liu Jian's excellence, but because of the many secrets she held within herself.
She was even reluctant to admit that she had started to like Liu Jian. If this feeling continued to grow unchecked, there would come a time when she couldn't control it anymore.
Her entanglement with Qiu Mowen had nearly driven her to collapse. If Liu Jian pushed his way in, it was likely that the mental defenses Autumn Wind had built over time would crumble in an instant.
So she darkened her expression, stubbornly lifted her head, but her eyes dared not meet Liu Jian's and instead glanced aside.
Liu Jian was taken aback by Autumn Wind's seriousness. "Hey, we're just reenacting how we first met; can you lighten up a bit? You’re scaring me... It's my fault; I haven't told you everything about myself. I didn't mean to deceive you..." He slowly moved closer to Autumn Wind, reaching out his arm as if to hug her.
Hearing this from Liu Jian, Autumn Wind felt even worse. She took a few steps back and set down the candy dish. "I need to go to the Toilet... wait for me!"
Autumn Wind rushed to the restaurant's Toilet, but the only door was tightly closed. She turned and stood in front of the sink, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror.
The sound of running water occasionally came from inside the Toilet, but no one emerged.
As her emotions swelled, Autumn Wind felt tears welling up.
She placed one hand on the edge of the pool and pressed the other firmly against her chest. Waves of guilt for Liu Jian surged through her, each wave stabbing at her heart like a sharp knife as she thought of Liu Jian's handsome, radiant face.
What made her feel even more desperate was that she instinctively decided to pull out the knife, yet the wound began to bleed profusely.
Could it be? Could I have fallen in love with Liu Jian? This thought struck Autumn Wind hard in the heart.
No, absolutely not.
With this in mind, Autumn Wind resolved to immediately crush this budding feeling. She did not want to deceive Liu Jian.
Taking a deep breath in front of the mirror, she turned around; she needed to clarify things with Liu Jian.
As she walked out of the toilet and closed the door, she ran into Yao Lizhen's best friend—Ying Mi. Ying Mi was a typical second-generation star; compared to Autumn Wind, who was a hidden second-generation star, and Yao Yao, who was a struggling second-generation star, Ying Mi's status was genuine.
Her father, a top variety show host, had showered her with love and care since birth. However, Ying Mi had also worked hard; since entering the entertainment industry, her performance had been commendable, and she was incredibly well-liked.
But God never treats anyone too well. As the saying goes, "Men fear choosing the wrong profession, women fear marrying the wrong man." Ying Mi belonged to the latter category; ever since Ying Mi got married, her husband had been unfaithful. Yet for the sake of their child, Ying Mi had to endure.
In Autumn Wind's eyes, Ying Mi was like a bank in Taiwan that issued the most forgiveness cards, but she only had one client.
Seeing Ying Mi approach, Autumn Wind hurriedly stepped aside respectfully and nodded slightly. "Hello, Sister Mi!"
Ying Mi was lost in thought when she noticed Autumn Wind greeting her. She snapped back to reality and smiled immediately. "You're the sister who gives out candy at the entrance! My daughter was so happy to get your candy..."
Autumn Wind continued to smile and nodded.
The restroom is not a good place for small talk. Ying Mi felt a bit awkward; she didn't continue the conversation as she pushed open the restroom door and slightly nodded at Autumn Wind.
However, after Ying Mi opened the door, her expression changed instantly.
Autumn Wind followed Ying Mi's gaze, and there it was again—a scene that would require one to repeatedly wash their eyes to cleanse the image.
Ying Mi's husband and a woman who looked like a waitress were adjusting their clothes while passionately kissing.
What had happened before was unnecessary to see firsthand; anyone could guess.
Autumn Wind felt her body stiffen, sensing that the air in front of her was insufficient. She held her breath. Her eyes quickly scanned Ying Mi, and to her surprise, Ying Mi didn't seem angry at all; instead, her face was filled with a look of helplessness.
As Autumn Wind pinched the webbing between her thumb and index finger, regaining her breath in that moment, she immediately fled the scene. Just as she reached the end of the hallway, she bumped into Liu Jian.
"Hey, why did you take so long... What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry..." Liu Jian noticed Autumn Wind's disheveled state. He extended his long arm and placed his hand on her shoulder, asking anxiously, "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing..." Autumn Wind even forgot the decision she had originally made, her mind filled with the sordid scene of Ying Mi's husband and the waitress. She grabbed Liu Jian's hand. "It's fine... Look, there are many friends over there; let's go... come on!"
She didn't want Liu Jian to see Ying Mi's embarrassment; after all, that was their private matter.
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