Before and After Divorce

In the evening, Xia Tingwan found Zhao Nanshu and drove him to Zhang Xueqiao's mansion.

The price TBN offered him was very high, which led to a corresponding increase in the amount of liquidated damages.

In addition, the shooting location is overseas, and the amount of lost wages and publicity fees mentioned in the contract is also a large amount, which is really scary when added together.

Of course, for a star of Xia Tingwan's weight, that amount was theoretically painful, but it wasn't impossible to pay it out.

But Xia Tingwan's financial situation was very difficult long before the filming started.

When he wanted to buy a house in Tianlan Pavilion, he basically didn't have enough money. He took out all the funds that could be used for activities and sold all the cars. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in a hurry to take on the reality show at that time.

Now, in addition to liquidated damages, additional follow-up fees to the public relations company are added, which is really stretched.

From his point of view, apart from asking Zhang Xueqiao for help, there was really no other way out.

Zhao Nanshu's grandmother passed away some time ago, Xia Tingwan gave him a long vacation thinking about nothing to do, but perhaps because of the special circumstances recently, Zhao Nanshu rushed back to City H ahead of schedule.

Zhao Nanshu lost weight, and asked Xia Tingwan while driving: "Can you hold on? Well, these two days, I want to swear as soon as I open Weibo, and I have finished my work in my hometown, and I can't wait for people." Hold on, think about it, why not come back to City H to accompany you."

"fine."

Xia Tingwan looked at the car window.

The weather in City H is getting colder and colder, and a thin layer of frost has formed on the car windows, making the outside world seem a little alien and unreal. He thought for a while and said, "You don't need to come back, you should spend more time with your dad, after all ..."

"Oh, no need. My grandma is over 90 years old. Although she didn't live to her [-]th birthday, she passed away without illness or pain. The whole family can accept it. To be fair, the vacation time you gave me is long enough. It’s over, I really don’t have to stay in my hometown anymore.”

"Yeah." Xia Tingwan said in a low voice: "In fact, after so many years, I always feel that I should be stronger and be more familiar with these public opinions, but I still feel very sad. Being maliciously edited and misunderstood by everyone, Gradually, I also felt that I could bear it, but this time Su Yan was involved again...Su Yan did nothing wrong, but because he was with me, he was always brought out for discussion and teasing. I don't like their consumption for granted Looking at Su Yan, Su Yan is not in the entertainment industry, nor has he made any money from them."

"But I have a lot of mistakes myself, Nan Shu. I can't help but think about the time when I was photographed kissing Li Kaiwen. At that time, I was only concerned about being wronged by myself, but I didn't think much about Su Yan. He He was always implicated by me, and a man of that status came out to help me clarify, and then was ridiculed by the whole network as a green hat, how could he bear it at that time. Sigh, I always recall a lot of things these days, when I think of... I am very sorry, very distressed.”

Xia Tingwan sighed, and smiled a bit bitterly: "Forget it, what you said is useless nonsense."

Zhao Nanshu turned his head and looked at Xia Tingwan with a complicated expression: "Boss, let's let the past go, there will always be a chance to make up for it in the future. Speaking of Mr. Su, don't you live together again? Do you have any questions?" It is impossible for Mr. Su to ignore the difficulties. Regarding the money... Do you really need to go to Auntie? You also know Auntie's personality, it is very difficult to deal with."

While speaking, the car had already parked in the driveway of Zhang Xueqiao's mansion.

Xia Tingwan was not in a hurry to go in, he got out of the car and lit a cigarette, and leaned against the car door side by side with Zhao Nanshu, silent.

After a long time, Xia Tingwan took a deep breath and said softly: "Nan Shu, I want to rely on myself... No matter what the result is, I will try my best."

In fact, he really resisted going in.

After getting married, he would go back to Zhang Xueqiao's house every one or two months. At that time, he would always smoke a cigarette in front of the door to feel more relaxed.

Zhang Xueqiao is his mother, but over the years, when he encountered difficulties and needed help, he always found it difficult to tell her. Even before leaving today, he couldn't help hesitating repeatedly.

He would rather give unrestrainedly and satisfy Zhang Xueqiao's exaggerated demands than ask for anything from Zhang Xueqiao.

Maybe it was because I always felt that I would be disappointed if I opened my mouth, so I didn't say anything at all.

No one knew how tangled and painful he was when facing Zhang Xueqiao.

The thought of asking for money, even if it belonged to him, was even suffocating.

Only this time, he still came.

It is very easy to ask Su Yan for money, because Su Yan loves him.

But this time, he didn't want to take the easiest path for granted.

This is his own battle.

He knew it sounded stubborn, weird, and incomprehensible to outsiders.

But this is indeed what he really thinks in his heart.

He summoned up his courage and walked slowly into Zhang Xueqiao's luxurious and extravagant villa step by step.

……

When Xia Tingwan entered, Zhang Xueqiao was wearing exquisite makeup and a dark blue dress, sitting in the living room waiting for him.

"I thought you never planned to come here after you left here angrily last time." Zhang Xueqiao raised her eyebrows with a sarcastic expression, then pointed to the chair opposite her and said, "OK Come on, sit down. It's cold outside, I asked Mama Zhang to make you a cup of hot milk tea and some snacks."

"Thank you." Xia Tingwan's response was a little blunt, but she sat down obediently.

Of course, Zhang Xueqiao was not completely indifferent to him. In some small matters, Zhang Xueqiao also cared about him.

Xia Tingwan looked down at the small plate in front of him. The exquisite snacks on it were all his favorites, and Zhang Xueqiao also remembered them in his heart.

He suddenly felt a little sour in his heart. He remembered that when he was very young, Zhang Xueqiao had not left him and Xia Zhongyu would kill him, and he would hold him gently in his arms, feed him a piece of peanut cake, and then ask him if it was sweet. .

At that time Zhang Xueqiao also loved him very much.

"How is uncle's business recently?" Xia Tingwan raised his head and asked with a forced smile.

"Yo, I know I care about this." Zhang Xueqiao raised her tone a bit, and then she replied casually: "That's it, the economic situation is not good, and you can't make much money. It's not a problem to maintain it. But you, I have seen a lot of news about you in the past few days, what is going on with you, you seem to have lost weight too?"

"At work... I encountered a little difficulty."

"I told you a long time ago that it's not easy to be in the entertainment industry. After marrying Su Yan, it's better to fade out slowly. To put it bluntly, how much money can you earn from acting for a lifetime? It's not as good as someone else's development A fraction of the ground."

Xia Tingwan opened his mouth, originally wanting to explain his predicament.

But looking at Zhang Xueqiao's brightly colored nail polish overlapping each other, she felt as if she was speechless, and she didn't know how to continue.

"Speaking of Su Yan, didn't I send you a WeChat message last time to ask you to talk to him again? Divorced doesn't mean you can't remarry. You should lower your figure with him, talk about past memories, and apologize. Why is it so difficult? Now that you have just separated, everything still needs to be salvaged, and you don’t do what you should do, but why are you going to Thailand to shoot a show at this moment, I really don’t know what to do.”

Zhang Xueqiao mentioned that Su Yan talked more and more vigorously, and when she was about to have a sip of tea to continue, she was interrupted by Xia Tingwan.

"mom……"

Xia Tingwan tried to calm himself down, he raised his head to look at Zhang Xueqiao, hesitated for a moment, and said softly: "I came today to discuss something with you."

"what's up?"

"The show I signed had a conflict with me. I need to pay a large amount of liquidated damages. I'm not in a good condition now, and I really can't afford the money. I want to discuss it with you, can I Sell ​​this house..."

"What are you talking about?"

Zhang Xueqiao's eyes widened in surprise.

Xia Tingwan held the cup of warm milk tea with his fingers, but his fingers trembled involuntarily, he took a deep breath, and tried to continue: "I mean, I want you to sell this house, I don't want the money All, only half of it is enough. In fact, the people who live in this area are top rich people, and you have said before that you don’t get along well with them, so why don’t you change to a smaller one, and live more comfortably.”

"impossible."

Zhang Xueqiao slapped the tea cup in her hand on the table heavily: "When I bought the house, I made it very clear that you bought it as a gift to us, and the name on the certificate is clearly written in the names of me and your stepfather." , how to deal with it is up to us to decide. Yes, you paid for it, but your stepfather and I have worked so hard to raise you for so many years. You have developed, and you should respect your parents. It makes no sense to regret it afterwards and force your parents to sell the house. .”

"I'm not forcing..."

Xia Tingwan looked at Zhang Xueqiao.

This woman is well maintained. Although she is over 40 years old, she still looks very rich and young, but the sudden sharp voice and excited expression made him feel depressed.

Xia Tingwan's voice trembled slightly, and he paused before continuing: "I'm not forcing you. It's just that I bought your uncle and your car all these years, and the servants, security guards, drivers, etc. of the house also came from me. Go on the account. It's not that I don't want to spend money for you, it's already spent so much."

"Then what's the matter, are you going to settle accounts with your mother?" Zhang Xueqiao asked loudly.

"I'm not settling accounts..." Xia Tingwan put his hand under the table, one hand unconsciously pinched the flesh on the back of the other until it hurt: "It's just that I really need help right now." , If it’s not impossible, I really wouldn’t come to you. I don’t want your money, I just want to get back part of the money I made before as an emergency.”

When Xia Tingwan said this, there was already a hint of pleading in his eyes, and he said softly: "Mom, this time... I, I am really difficult."

He's really tough.

He couldn't speak softer and more touching words, and he already felt that his face was about to burn with shame.

Even if he knew vaguely for a long time, when he and his mother asked for help, the result would be so embarrassing.

But he is really difficult, he is really difficult.

He was scolded by so many people, he was short of money, he didn't know if Zhang Xueqiao could understand, he really wanted her to understand.

Even if it's just a little bit of love and affection for her son.

Zhang Xueqiao was silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "Where's Su Yan?"

Xia Tingwan froze for a moment: "What?"

"Call him," Zhang Xueqiao seemed to have thought of some coup, and said firmly, "Call him now, and tell him that you can't pay the liquidated damages."

Xia Tingwan was speechless for a while, he looked at Zhang Xueqiao in disbelief, "What right do I have to ask him for money?"

"What qualifications are not qualified, you just hit it, I don't believe it, Su Yan still has the heart not to give it to you."

Although Zhang Xueqiao looked at Xia Tingwan at the same level, she seemed to be condescending: "He will definitely give it to you."

Xia Tingwan felt confused for a moment, he murmured: "Are you crazy? Why did Su Yan help her ex-husband lose money?"

"Tch, ex-husband, not ex-husband, it's just a title. He hates you, and he will never leave you alone."

Zhang Xueqiao's tone was very disdainful.

I don't know why, she is obviously such a follower of people, but when she mentioned Su Yan, she almost had a kind of domineering and arrogant without any basis, and she said arbitrarily: "Listen to my mother, call him and ask him to take the money."

Xia Tingwan couldn't believe that Zhang Xueqiao could say such shameful words - "Tell him to take the money."

His whole body trembled uncontrollably, his lips were numb with anger, he was almost unconscious, and shouted: "Zhang Xueqiao, be more sober—since you treated Su Yan like that last time, I think you have Ill. He has already filed for divorce with me, and we have nothing to do with him anymore! He doesn’t owe me anything, let alone you. Why do you boss him around? Even now, you know, you still think he wants to protect me unconditionally What exactly gave you confidence?"

"I'm not sober? I'm sick? How many times have I told you that no matter what mistakes you have made, as long as you are willing to beg for mercy, Su Yan will definitely come back. You just don't believe it, just don't believe it! Holding it in your hands, you can still make yourself into such a mess, how can I raise you, an idiot."

Zhang Xueqiao stood up abruptly, and couldn't restrain herself from screaming: "Let me tell you Xia Tingwan, he, Su Yan, would never be willing to divorce you. If he was willing, he wouldn't have offered to sign in the first place—!"

When Zhang Xueqiao said this, her voice suddenly stopped abruptly, as if she had mentioned something she shouldn't have said, her chest heaved violently, but she suddenly lost her confidence and did not continue.

"Sign what?"

Xia Tingwan looked at Zhang Xueqiao and asked blankly.

Zhang Xueqiao's arrogant arrogance stopped in an instant, she was silent for a while and sat down again.

Xia Tingwan raised his head and asked again stubbornly: "What are you signing?"

"Tell me, what did he sign?" Seeing that Zhang Xueqiao still refused to answer, Xia Ting couldn't help becoming excited: "Say it—!"

Zhang Xueqiao was taken aback by Xia Tingwan's suddenly raised voice. She was a little panicked and uneasy, and said subconsciously: "It's nothing..."

When she said this, she seemed to be suddenly discouraged, and lowered her head to take a sip of milk tea: "It's been so long, and it really doesn't make much sense to tell you these things now."

"Whether it is meaningful or not is not for you to decide." Xia Tingwan said word by word: "I'm divorced, no matter what happened, you should tell me the truth."

Zhang Xueqiao looked at Xia Tingwan, she pondered for a while, as if she was thinking about how to start: "The matter of getting married... Do you still remember what Su Yan told you?"

Xia Tingwan couldn't help being startled for a moment, his memory of that incident was actually a little fuzzy.

Everything happened very quickly back then. After Su Yan talked with Zhang Xueqiao and his wife, he immediately strongly proposed to marry him.

Su Yan said that 3000 million will save Chu Tianlan's business.But he is not buying him.

He remembered that he begged Su Yan at the hotel.

But Su Yan said that only this matter can't be listened to him, and he will spend his whole life to compensate him, but he must marry him.

It was the first time that Su Yan arrogantly disregarded his intentions. Although he told him that this was not a deal, it still made him feel very wronged.

He was not so willing, and there was always a vague complaint in his heart, but he didn't resist for a long time after all.

After many years, recalling that time, Xia Tingwan can still recall the inexplicable turmoil and fear in his heart——

I am like a duckweed that can't grasp my own lifeline, and a lot of anxiety and anger come from this.

He wasn't actually afraid of being with Su Yan.

But he felt an unreasonable fear of Zhang Xueqiao and Chu Tianlan's roles in it.

It's just that he never thought about it.

"He said...you mentioned the marriage first."

Xia Tingwan said softly.

"Oh," Zhang Xueqiao went to a side cabinet a little irritably and took a cigarette for women: "Actually, only you will believe this sentence. Yes, he has been pursuing you all the time, and you always feel that he is you So it seems that he is asking you to chase after you to get married. But in fact, looking at this matter realistically, it is not the case. "

"That's not an ordinary rich man, he's Su Yan from Hengtai Group. How could the marriage of such a wealthy man be decided by others? Even if you are a big star, we didn't dare to ask him to marry you Marriage. Your uncle and I, we never mentioned it at all in the first place—didn't even think about it, what we thought was to use your relationship to ask him for help."

"You didn't mention it, so Su Yan actually proposed the marriage?" Xia Tingwan was very confused. He turned the milk tea cup, but still missed the key point of the matter: "Even if he mentioned it, it's nothing, he Why would you lie to me about such a trivial matter?"

"This...he's not lying. It's just that there are some things, some things, he may not want you to know. "

Having said this, Zhang Xueqiao seemed to find it difficult to continue.

She lowered her head and took a puff of cigarette, then slowly exhaled the smoke as if trying to escape.

Xia Tingwan just looked at her silently. Although he didn't speak, his eyes were firm, waiting for Zhang Xueqiao to continue.

Zhang Xueqiao couldn't hide in the end, and said hesitantly: "You also know that my uncle lost a lot of money that year, not only the business could not continue, but the house and the car were almost sold. Ting Wan, do you remember?" ?”

Xia Tingwan didn't answer.

His eyes were very cold, perhaps because he knew Zhang Xueqiao too well, so he understood that these were just the foreshadowing of what he was going to say later.

"Your uncle is helpless. He really has nowhere to go. He will file for bankruptcy as soon as he can't continue his capital chain. We all knew about Su Yan's pursuit of you, so when we met privately, your uncle just... just I mentioned it to Su Yan—as long as Su Yan is willing to help, he promises to work with me to persuade you to be with Su Yan, and also promises that when Su Yan wants to break up with you in the future, he will never let you mess with him trouble."

When Zhang Xueqiao said this, her voice seemed a little dry.

She lowered her head, fiddling with her nails.

Xia Tingwan sat blankly on the seat like a wooden man, and suddenly seemed unable to understand Zhang Xueqiao's words.

Those few words floated in the air, like a smoke ring of nothingness swallowed up, and finally dispersed into nothingness in the air.

After a long time, he murmured, "So... you guys want to sell me to Su Yan."

"That's not for sale." Zhang Xueqiao retorted anxiously: "It's good for him to pursue you. At that time, I thought about letting you follow him for a while, in fact, I really can't lose you, and there is nothing wrong with it. "

When Xia Tingwan heard Zhang Xueqiao's response, he couldn't help but smiled slightly.

"You and Chu Tianlan never thought that he could be with me forever."

Xia Tingwan lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling, like butterfly wings fluttering weakly in winter.

When he raised his head again, tears welled up in his eyes.

But he still didn't cry, he just looked at Zhang Xueqiao like this: "You just see me as a commodity that can be sold, so you think he thinks that way too. You plan to sell me to him for sex, and then wait until he gets tired of playing I'm done, and the deal is over, right?"

Zhang Xueqiao opened her mouth, but in the end she just nodded her head dejectedly. She said in a hoarse voice, "Su Yan was silent for a long time after hearing this. Later, he said that he had his own thoughts."

"He doesn't want anything else, he wants to marry you."

—He wants to marry you.

When Xia Tingwan heard those words, his fingers suddenly trembled violently.

He suddenly remembered that when he was crying and begging Su Yan, Su Yan had whispered to him that he just couldn't tolerate him staying in that house anymore.

"So we signed an agreement. Su Yan will help us with our business matters. In addition, after we get married, he will send us a sum of money every year. But your uncle and I must also sign a promise that we will never let you know that we have signed an agreement. The process of the agreement. He doesn't want to... well, I think. He probably doesn't want to make you sad."

"I asked him at that time if he could promise to be good to you forever. I know that I have no position to ask this again, but he still signed an additional agreement-as long as he has any infidelity in marriage, or appears For any verbal or physical domestic violence, he will voluntarily donate all the assets under his private name to you. Ting Wan, a man who dares to sign such an agreement needs to have absolute confidence in his feelings. He must have made up his mind to With you forever."

Xia Tingwan looked at Zhang Xueqiao, his chest was suppressed with turbulent emotions like a tsunami, but the more he was like this, the calmer his expression became: "That's why you called Su Yan over to ask him aggressively last time. Do you want to know Did he cheat, right? Because as long as he cheats in marriage, you will find out the agreement and ask him for money, right? "

"Tingwan, I'm doing this for you too."

Zhang Xueqiao replied anxiously, she stubbed out the cigarette in the cup, seemed to be trapped in painful memories, and whispered: "Ting Wan, I know what you will think of me. Really, I am an incompetent mother, I know it myself, but I really don’t want to live the kind of life with your father anymore. I can’t stand being poor, being beaten every day, and seeing people’s eyes every day. My life is too hard, I just want to live well Days, really good days. After I ran away from your father, it was your uncle who gave me the kind of pampered life a woman should have, and adopted you generously. All of this must be rich. You really don't understand how important money is... Mom is getting old, and she is becoming more and more dependent on your stepfather, and she is becoming more and more afraid of having no money. But you are still young, and you still hold Su Yan's heart when you listen to your mother. Don't let your good life go like this, go beg him to come back, okay?"

Xia Tingwan's expression was surprisingly restrained and calm, he didn't refute a single word, until he listened carefully to every word Zhang Xueqiao said, and then slowly said: "The matter of the agreement—I mean Now that the agreement on donating property has been peacefully divorced, I will annul it together with Su Yan. Su Yan does not owe me or you, and the money has nothing to do with you. After this, I will not come again I want money from you. The house is legally owned by you, so I won’t ask any further. But the two Lincolns owned by you and Chu Tianlan belong to me, and I will ask an assistant to dispose of them tomorrow. I will list the wages of all the servants, security guards and drivers in the house to you, and please return them to me within one month from you and Chu Tianlan."

Zhang Xueqiao raised her head in surprise, her lips trembled, but she didn't speak.

"This should be the last time I come to this house. Apart from money, I have nothing else to say."

After Xia Tingwan finished speaking, he stood up and walked out step by step.

Zhang Xueqiao seemed to be frightened, and followed him staggeringly all the way to the porch outside the mansion, but couldn't say anything.

Before Xia Tingwan opened the door, he looked back at Zhang Xueqiao.

His eyes were complicated, and he called softly: "Mom..."

Mom, did you ever love me?

After all, he didn't ask for the second half of the sentence.

In that moment, he thought, he really doesn't care anymore.

Xia Tingwan shook his head, put on his overcoat, pushed open the door forcefully, and strode out.

……

It wasn't until sitting in Zhao Nanshu's car that the tears in Xia Tingwan's eyes finally flowed down uncontrollably.

Zhao Nanshu was taken aback, and secretly observed Xia Tingwan while driving, not daring to say anything.

Xia Tingwan looked out of the car window.

In the night, the first snow of this winter fell quietly.

He opened the car window a crack, and the bitter cold wind blew in a small snowflake, which fell gently on his face.

At that moment, the snow quietly melted on his skin.

Cold and gentle.

Xia Tingwan raised his head and smiled.

The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and with the smile gradually blooming on his face, tears flowed down more and more recklessly, but his eyes became brighter and brighter.

All his life, he has always longed for family affection.

Even though he has grown up for many years, behind the deep-seated hatred and fear, he still has countless shameful dreams of Xia Zhongyu and Zhang Xueqiao holding his hand and walking with him through the spring street with catkins falling.

He wanted Xia Zhongyu to love him, he wanted Zhang Xueqiao to love him, and even later had a shameful extravagant hope, wanting Chu Tianlan to have a little bit of parental love for him.

What he never dared to say to anyone, what a fragile and distorted desire was wrapped in that rebellious behavior.

It is the humbleness of knowing that you can't get what you ask for, but still can't help but want to kneel down and pray.

He is always hating.

He hated that this world never gave him a warm home, and he never let go of that unwillingness and resentment.

But tonight, on this first snowy night.

He suddenly stopped hating.

He was never actually owed anything.

He thought with tears—on the contrary, the world really treated him kindly.

Because this world gave him Su Yan.

It has nothing to do with money, nothing to do with those huge fortunes.

For five years, no matter how many times he accused Su Yan of forcing him to marry, Su Yan was burdened with his complaints and willfulness, but kept silent about the truth of the year.

Zhang Xueqiao once wanted to sell him like a commodity, and Su Yan was the one who saved him.

But Su Yan didn't say anything.

Because Su Yan was reluctant to let him know——

It turned out that he had never been loved by his biological mother, and it turned out that the ray of warmth from his family that he imagined he had was vain after all.

In the cold and snowy night, it was Su Yan who endured the pain of being burned day and night, and always held a burning match for him.

But now, he finally no longer needs the illusion that that point will eventually go out.

He finally faced up to all this, but he miraculously no longer felt the slightest pain and distortion.

He pushed aside the night and fog, and saw the bright morning sun behind the clouds.

At this moment, the torrential river of his life is truly galloping forward and bravely like a free man.

He is whole.

He is full.

The love that Su Yan bestowed on him gave him plenty of strength, enough to make him proudly break out of the ground and be reborn.

In his blood, in his heartbeat, his love for Su Yan whizzed by, like a rose blooming in vain in the night, bursting into fragrance.

He loves Su Yan, his husband.