Chapter 42: This Family is Falling Apart

Just as Liu Jing stepped out of the car, Zhang Min hit the gas pedal and sped away into the night.

Under the moonlight, Liu Jing offered his blessings once more, "I hope you can let go of your burdens and start anew. Wishing you happiness, joy, and peace of mind."

Zhang Min had broken up with a heart full of sorrow.

He, however, skipped and hummed a little tune all the way home, feeling quite cheerful.

"Hearing such tragic cries pierces my heart like a pestle. Why is this fellow traveler wailing so bitterly? Could it be the groom is too ugly to match the bride? Could it be a forced union where a crow occupies a phoenix's nest? Listen, Meixiang..."

Pushing open the door, he could no longer continue his little tune.

The atmosphere inside the room was somewhat strange. Grandma and Sister Li were holding hands and shedding tears together, little Xixi had not yet wiped away her tear-streaked face, and the aunt was sighing heavily as if she had just lost a fortune.

Liu Jing's face turned pale, and his voice trembled slightly, "Sister Li, could Grandma have contracted a terminal illness?"

The one crying stopped crying, the one sighing stopped sighing, and the room instantly fell dead silent.

Liu Jing sighed, "Sister Li, if someone is sick, they must be treated. If Jiangcheng can't cure it, we'll go to Yandu. If Yandu can't cure it, we'll go abroad. I still have two million in my passbook. Wealth is external; you don't bring it into this world, and you can't take it with you when you leave. It should be used where it's needed."

He had originally had over seven million. His third-year contracting fee was four million, and over the past year or so, commercial endorsements had earned him more than two million, plus his previous savings.

Not long ago, he had spent over five million to buy a courtyard house in Yandu and an old Western-style house in Modu.

Even after listening to the master's advice, he still didn't know what to invest in.

He strongly agreed with the notion that money left in the bank would only depreciate.

Money only generates more wealth when it flows. Keeping money in a bank earns interest, but loses principal.

Since he didn't know what to invest in, he might as well buy real estate; at least it would preserve its value.

The houses he bought two years ago had appreciated significantly in price by now, far outstripping bank interest rates.

"You really are a damned filial son." Sister Li glared at him. What an absolute scoundrel of a thought.

Liu Jing chuckled awkwardly. Sister Li, who always advocated for civilization and new social practices, had dropped an oath; it seemed he had guessed wrong.

He couldn't entirely be blamed, though. Grandma had undergone a physical examination two days ago, and the results were supposed to come out today.

During his birthday banquet, he had already sensed that the atmosphere was off. Especially Grandma, whose complexion was not very good and who seemed listless. At the time, he had vaguely suspected whether Grandma had been diagnosed with some ailment.

Once a suspicion formed in his mind, every piece of circumstantial evidence only made him more convinced.

Grandma was caught between laughter and tears. Beneath her touched emotions was utter speechlessness.

The child's heart was in the right place, but...

"I appreciate your sentiment, but if I really had fallen seriously ill, I wouldn't need the money of you juniors. You don't have an easy time earning money, and that acting bowl of rice isn't so easy to eat." Grandma's tears could no longer flow, no matter what.

The mournful atmosphere in the room was thoroughly washed away by Liu Jing's few remarks.

"That's true. Sister Li has been running back and forth for the past half year and has lost a whole circle of weight." Liu Jing said regretfully, noting she wasn't as plump as before, nor as pretty.

And that Zhang Min—today when they embraced, she had been skin and bones, and the tactile feel was quite poor.

Especially her cheeks, which seemed barely able to hold any flesh.

It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to help her nourish herself. She looked much better a bit plump, and felt much better to hold.

For Xiangjiang cinema, 1994 was a bizarre year.

For Liu Jing, it was just business as usual.

But for Sister Li, it was definitely a miraculous year.

She had won the Wenhua Award and the "Five-One" Project Award, making a great name for herself in the dance world.

Then, following the massive broadcast of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, she successfully broke through into mainstream stardom with her role as Sun Shangxiang.

The effect of one plus one was often greater than two.

Consequently, Sister Li was very busy this year, occupied with performances, filming, and commercial endorsements...

Boss Chen and Zhang Min had introduced quite a few commercial gigs—real estate openings, company launches, and advertising endorsements.

After a year of this, she hadn't earned any less than Liu Jing, and she had already paid back a large portion of the money she owed Zhang Min.

Liu Jing had once offered to pay off her debts for her, but Sister Li's attitude was resolute: she would not touch the money he earned unless she was driven to the absolute brink.

The aunt, acting as the manager for both Liu Jing and Sister Li, was even busier, almost forgetting her own business.

"I wish I could lose a whole circle of weight too." The aunt stroked her small belly with an envious expression.

"If you gnawed on fewer pig trotters, you'd definitely lose weight. Keep eating like this, and someone's going to start suspecting you're pregnant out of wedlock." Liu Jing kindly reminded her. With that much fat on her body, the tactile feel wasn't great either.

Plump was not the same as rolling-ball round; those were two completely different concepts.

Zhang Min was thin because of emotional heartbreak; Sister Li was thin because she was too busy; the aunt had no reason to be thin, yet she couldn't control her mouth or get her feet moving.

The aunt's face darkened, "With a mouth like yours, you'll never manage to find a wife in the future."

Liu Jing was unconcerned. I am destined to have a wife and concubines in my future.

Seeing that the atmosphere was still gloomy, he made conversation out of nothing, "Ahem, let me tell you all some good news: Zhang Min broke up. That's good news, right? Everyone crack a smile."

"Haha, Wooden Head, you lost the bet." The aunt was very happy; it truly was good news.

"We have good news in our family too." Sister Li kept a blank expression. This sister of hers was truly thick-skinned and carefree.

"Wooden Head, will you abandon us?" Xixi asked with tear-filled eyes, looking pitiful like a little puppy about to be abandoned.

"Even though you're ugly, and even though... ugh, you're my family, of course I want you." Liu Jing stopped mid-sentence, feeling it wasn't quite the right time to roast the child.

"Daddy doesn't want us anymore." Xixi wiped away her tears.

Liu Jing hadn't thought it through that far and felt deeply distressed, "I really need to have a word with Uncle An. Many things shouldn't be said so casually. Saying them once is a hurt inflicted upon the child. You two can have your cold wars and quarrels all you want, but you shouldn't let it spill over to the kids."

The corner of Sister Li's mouth twitched, "Then go tell him yourself."

"Sigh! Without me, this family is going to fall apart." Liu Jing sighed. For the sake of this fragmented family, he had broken his heart.

Sister Li's work was becoming increasingly busy, and she was frequently away from home.

Teacher An spent most of his time in France due to work commitments.

The two of them saw each other rarely and parted often, making their marital problems increasingly severe. Every time they met, instead of being affectionate, they were endlessly turbulent.

"Hah! This family has fallen apart."

"Huh? What?"

Turmoil, arguments, fights, cold wars...

Liu Jing had anticipated all of these, but he had never expected the couple to actually get a divorce.

In his view, neither of them had committed any principle-based errors. Plus, with him mediating in the middle, divorce was simply impossible.

"This... this... they're getting a divorce?" Liu Jing scratched his head. Could it be that what I said last time was too harsh? But I struck the fifty-fifty balance and kept the scale perfectly even.

"They haven't divorced yet, but it's close. We can't go on like this. He wants me to resign, stay home to raise the children and serve my husband, because he's afraid my career will impact his work. That's impossible, and I will never do it. Since the fundamental contradiction cannot be resolved, everyone might as well go their separate ways," Sister Li explained.

"Well then... what about me and Sister Li?" Liu Jing shrunk his neck back. You two have threatened divorce a few times before; this wouldn't be another 'boy who cried wolf' situation, would it?

"Otherwise?" Sister Li was caught between laughter and tears. I hadn't even gotten to the part about dividing the household assets yet, but you're already declaring your allegiance.

"You should let Xixi go with Teacher An," Liu Jing suggested.

Xixi, who had been wiping away her tears, instantly stopped crying and looked pleadingly at her mother.

Compared to her strict father, she would rather stick with her stern mother.

"Why?" The aunt was puzzled, wanting to hear what twisted logic Liu Jing could possibly come up with.

"If she stays with Uncle An, she'll be surrounded by family. If she stays with Sister Li, she'll mostly be interacting with relatives. As nice as Grandma's house is, she's only a guest there. In a single-parent family, growing up with the mother is clearly not as advantageous for a child's development as growing up with the father. If the two of you remarry later, a stepfather is much more terrifying than a stepmother," Liu Jing analyzed calmly.

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Author's Note: Don't worry, they haven't divorced. Tomorrow, Xixi will turn the tables.