The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 434 The Ex-Wife, the Villain (Part 1)

Love Apartment 3602, evening.

Qin Yumo was watching TV when Lu Ziqiao, who was about to go out but couldn't find his tie, stopped in his tracks after seeing a beauty pageant on TV. Just then, Zhang Wei walked in from the balcony.

Zhang Wei rubbed his hands together, revealing a lewd expression. Although Qin Yumo didn't turn around, she seemed to smell the lewd aura emanating from him.

"Yu Mo..."

"No car, but you can take my life."

Zhang Wei had barely opened his mouth when she cut him off, so he immediately retorted, "Who said I wanted to borrow the car?"

"Not lending your car?" Qin Yumo finally looked up from the TV. "Then what brings you here?"

"Lend me another two hundred yuan."

"..."

Lu Ziqiao, standing to the side, wore an expression that said he had already guessed it, while Qin Yumo turned her head and said irritably, "Why don't you just buy a block of tofu and smash your head against it? You want to get a ticket? Have you lost your mind?"

"Yu Mo, don't say that other people are out of their minds. The premise of being out of one's mind is that one must have a brain," Lu Ziqiao added.

Seeing that both of them were making sarcastic remarks to him, Zhang Wei immediately became unhappy.

He stood up and said seriously, "I swear this is the last time. I've thought it through."

"Then you should call her," Qin Yumo said, glancing at him.

"But I don't have her phone number." Zhang Wei sighed. He had been fined over a thousand yuan and still hadn't gotten her phone number. Thinking about it, it really was a waste.

Viagra usually lives frugally, but when he meets a female guest he's attracted to, his wallet seems to have a hole in it.

Hearing his words, Qin Yumo, who was already prepared, smiled inwardly, turned around and took out a parking ticket from her Chanel bag, saying:

"Who said there isn't? Officer Moran's phone number is on the back of the fourth ticket she gave you."

"Wow, Zhang Wei, that thousand yuan fine wasn't wasted! You've even developed feelings for him after being fined for so long!" Lu Ziqiao couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing this.

Zhang Wei was overwhelmed with joy and, after receiving the ticket, exclaimed incredulously, "She actually left her phone number on the back of the ticket? Really?"

'Of course it's fake!'

With a smile on her face, Qin Yumo thought to herself.

In order to send Zhang Wei away to find a girlfriend, and also to prevent her car from getting another parking ticket, she went to the intersection to ask a traffic policeman for Mo Lan's phone number.

"Life isn't like cooking, where you prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking, and then you have to go all out and ask her out."

"But, but this is too sudden, I wasn't prepared at all." When the moment came, Zhang Wei chickened out again.

"What do I need to prepare for? My car got three tickets from you without me even noticing."

"But I don't understand her!"

“Zhang Wei, the current situation is not bad for you. She doesn’t know you. You just need to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. Mo Lan will never see how sleazy you are!” Lu Ziqiao said with a smile.

"Go away, what shortcomings do I have that I need to avoid?"

"No house, no car, stingy, shabby, talks too much nonsense, has nothing better to do, missed his own wedding, his ex-fiancée ran off with someone else, and..."

"Stop!" Zhang Wei interrupted Lü Ziqiao, forcing a dry laugh. "Let's talk about Yang Chang's problem instead!"

"..."

A long silence fell over the living room. Qin Yumo and Lü Ziqiao looked at Zhang Wei, opening their mouths several times but unable to utter a word.

Zhang Wei's expectant expression gradually turned ugly. After waiting for a while, he said in a deep voice, "Can't you really name one of my strengths?"

“This…” Lu Ziqiao shrugged, the answer was obvious.

Seeing this, Qin Yumo quickly said, "It's okay, since you're not familiar with each other anyway, we can create a style for you, like... cool and elegant, a lot of girls like that nowadays."

"Kuya?"

As Zhang Wei sat down at the coffee table, he muttered those two words, exuding a sleazy aura.

Qin Yumo sighed inwardly, wondering if what she had done was just a waste of time.

……

Late at night, at the Shanghai Broadcasting Building.

"Welcome to 'Your Moon, My Heart.' This concludes this episode. Sweet dreams tonight, everyone. Goodnight."

Inside the recording studio, Nolan spoke softly into her headset.

After the show ended, she took off her headset and breathed a sigh of relief. Turning her head, she saw Zeng Xiaoxian clutching his script, looking troubled, whether from heat rash or constipation.

"Zeng Xiaoxian, what's wrong? Are your hemorrhoids acting up again?"

"..."

Nuolan's voice brought Zeng Xiaoxian back to his senses, but this time he didn't feel annoyed by being teased, especially since the other person's tone sounded like she genuinely cared about him.

Seeing the strange look on Nuolan's face, Zeng Xiaoxian forced a smile: "No, I just..."

Zeng Xiaoxian hesitated for a few moments, then changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Nuolan, I heard from Lisa that you're about to be promoted to deputy director of the channel?"

"Well..." Nuolan smiled slightly, "It hasn't been announced yet, so the result is still uncertain!"

"Don't be modest." Zeng Xiaoxian waved his hand. "Who else but you deserves the position of deputy director of the channel? Congratulations, Nuolan, you'll be my boss from now on."

Nuolan, who was packing up to leave work, regained her composure upon hearing this: "You can't say that. Opening champagne at the halfway point is a big no-no."

She paused, then squinted at Zeng Xiaoxian: "Don't tell anyone about this."

"Of course! I understand, hehe..."

Zeng Xiaoxian raised an eyebrow knowingly, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Also, thank you for giving me your spot on 'Dancing with the Stars.' Actually, it wasn't necessary. I have the ability to earn it myself, and I didn't really want to be on TV, haha..."

Zeng Xiaoxian is always very good at saving face and saying one thing but meaning another.

Nuolan chuckled inwardly, too lazy to expose him. After packing her things, she said lightly, "It's nothing. Anyway, I don't have much time to go. Participating in this program requires rehearsing and practicing beforehand, and I'm already quite busy with work. I really don't have the energy."

After a slight pause, Nuolan smiled and said, "I heard from Lisa that you are actually quite talented, but your talents are usually hidden by the late-night radio show. So why not let you bring glory to our program? Go for it, Zeng Xiaoxian!"

Well... to use Lisa's more apt words, Zeng Xiaoxian looks like gold from afar, but looks like dung up close. As for whether he's gold covered in dung... well, that's about the same as winning the lottery.

Moreover, Nolan knew that participating in this program didn't guarantee a spot on television; there was a preliminary selection process. Although the program for radio hosts had passed the initial public selection, to stand on the final stage, they still had to participate in the elimination rounds.

After all, the TV station broadcast the finals live. If they had started broadcasting from the preliminary rounds, how long would the season have been?

So she felt the process was a bit long, and since she wasn't particularly keen on appearing on television, she simply gave the opportunity to Zeng Xiaoxian.

They're about to move into management positions, so where would they find the energy to think about showing off?

For Zeng Xiaoxian, opportunities have always been few and far between, and he has been able to seize even fewer. So even though the "Dancing with the Stars" competition has a long run, he still wants to try his best.

Hearing Nuolan's words, Zeng Xiaoxian raised his eyebrows smugly: "Don't worry about that. My talent is definitely not just talk. I guarantee I'll bring honor to our station. And let me tell you..."

When it came to boasting about himself, Zeng Xiaoxian's mouth was like a wound-up toy, talking non-stop, while Nuolan, although smiling, had already honestly gotten up, picked up her bag, and walked towards the recording studio.

When she was about to leave, Zeng Xiaoxian realized what was happening and shut his mouth.

But soon he called out again, "Wait!"

Nuolan took a deep breath, turned around, and maintained a polite smile, saying, "Is there anything else? If it's about discussing your talent, perhaps we can save that for before the next program. It's getting late today, and Wensheng is waiting for me at home, so..."

"No, I wanted to say something else."

Zeng Xiaoxian hesitated and struggled, as if he was thinking about how to phrase his words. When he saw that Nuolan looked a little impatient, he mustered up his courage and said, "Um, there's also the matter of the Alashan Desert. Thank you for speaking well of me to the leaders."

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just telling the truth." Nolan smiled, then glanced at her wristwatch. "If there's nothing else..."

"besides!"

Seemingly having gone through a long internal struggle, Zeng Xiaoxian's expression had returned to normal, and he tried his best to keep his tone normal as he said:
"Well, you're Wen Sheng's ex-wife, and Wen Sheng is living with us now. If you have the chance, you can... come and visit Love Apartment."

……

The following day, Friday, at Lonely Corner Bar.

Hu Yifei, Guan Gu Shenqi, Lü Ziqiao, and Tang Youyou sat on the sofa drinking and chatting.

"Huh? Where's Wen Sheng? I haven't seen him much lately."

Lu Ziqiao, holding a bottle of wine and with a long straw in his mouth, suddenly mentioned Wen Sheng.

“I’ve been feeling like I’ve hit a bottleneck lately, and I need his top wingman to help me break through.”

"Stop it, Ziqiao. I heard from Wensheng the other day that he seems to be dealing with some copyright issues and has been busy lately!" Hu Yifei glanced at him and chimed in.

“Exactly.” Tang Youyou chimed in, “Nephew, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Before, when you led Teacher Wen astray, no one said anything, since his ex-wife couldn’t interfere. But now…”

After a pause, the gossip king chuckled and said, "Be careful someone slips an erectile dysfunction drug into your drink one day." "..."

The Sichuan girl's words were so sharp that they immediately silenced everyone present.

And everyone knew perfectly well who the "person" she was referring to was.

Guan Gu Shenqi, who had known Wen Sheng the longest, felt uneasy after hearing their words. He had previously been sincerely hoping that Wen Sheng could reconcile with his ex-wife.

Who would have thought that now... he might be considering changing sides.

"What do you think is going on between Wen Sheng and Yu Mo right now?"

Since the conversation had come to this point, Hu Yifei became interested and continued to ask questions.

After all, one of them is her roommate and the other is her best friend; it's so sweet to think about.

"That's how it is. The man is interested in the woman, no, it should be that the man doesn't know if she is interested or not," Tang Youyou said after pondering for a moment.

“I think they both have feelings for each other, but neither of them wants to admit it,” Lu Ziqiao said after thinking for a moment.

Guan Gu Shenqi looked up and met his gaze; the two veterans of the apartment building simultaneously had the same thought.

Wen Sheng and Qin Yumo are somewhat like a gender-swapped version of Hu Yifei and Zeng Xiaoxian...

Not knowing what these two were thinking, Hu Yifei then said, "But at least from this perspective, the name of our Love Apartment is still useful."

"Come on, Yifei. Ever since you broke up with Shen Linfeng, neither of the two suites has had a boyfriend. I mean, a serious one," Lu Ziqiao sneered.

"Is it my fault?" Hu Yifei rolled her eyes at him. "If you're so capable, go and urge some people to take the initiative again."

"Yes, some people really should take the initiative more."

Lu Ziqiao nodded, then met Guan Gu Shenqi's eyes again. Hu Yifei was definitely talking about the Shengmo combination, but they were thinking of Xianfei... No, Guan Gu Shenqi secretly glanced at Tang Youyou again, and a new combination came to mind.

And perhaps because it was as if Cao Cao appeared as soon as they finished speaking, a familiar, smirking laugh rang in their ears.

"Haha, everyone, I have some amazing news to share!"

Zeng Xiaoxian made his entrance with his signature smile.

Upon seeing him appear, Lü Ziqiao couldn't help but laugh and ask, "What's wrong, Teacher Zeng? Are you going to take the initiative?"

"..."

Hu Yifei glared at Lü Ziqiao with murderous intent, which immediately silenced him.

"What initiative?" Zeng Xiaoxian asked, puzzled.

"Uh, it's nothing," Tang Youyou quickly said. "Teacher Zeng, what's the good news you mentioned?"

"Ha, you guys are so lucky. You're about to become roommates and neighbors with a dance king who's adored by millions." Zeng Xiaoxian raised his chin, staring at the bar's ceiling at a 45-degree angle, and said in a deep voice, "I really envy you."

"..."

An awkward silence fell over the room. Everyone was used to Zeng Xiaoxian's behavior, so they just watched him quietly.

After a long while, Tang Youyou couldn't bear it any longer. Seeing that Zeng Xiaoxian was almost sweating, she asked, "Teacher Zeng, is a big star going to move into the apartment?"

"Of course not!" Seeing someone respond, Zeng Xiaoxian stopped pretending and said directly, "It's because I'm about to become a big star."

The air fell silent again. Guan Gu Shenqi, whether on purpose or not, suddenly realized and said, "I understand, Teacher Zeng told a lame joke."

"Pfft!"

As Hu Yifei burst out laughing first, the bar was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Zeng Xiaoxian stared at them silently with dead fish eyes for a long while before finally speaking, "Have you guys finished laughing?"

"Sorry, I just remembered something happy. I didn't mean to laugh at you." Lu Ziqiao said, trying his best to suppress his laughter.

The others chimed in, "Me too, we remembered some happy things."

Then, Guan Gu Shenqi took the initiative to ask, "Teacher Zeng, is this your good news?"

Zeng Xiaoxian glared at him, then sneered, "You can laugh all you want. After I finish participating in 'Dancing with the Stars,' you'll regret your attitude right now!"

Hearing Zeng Xiaoxian's harsh words, Hu Yifei was stunned: "You're going to the martial arts tournament? I didn't receive any notice that the martial arts tournament was going to be held this year? And are you going there to get beaten up?"

"It's not a martial arts competition, it's 'Dancing with the Stars,' the dance competition," Zeng Xiaoxian explained. "It's that very popular celebrity dance competition show."

"Oh, I've seen this show before!" Tang Youyou exclaimed in surprise, raising her hand. "Teacher Zeng, you're going to be on this show?"

"Of course." Teacher Zeng tossed his hair stylishly, "I am the new dance champion!"

"You?" Hu Yifei looked disgusted, while Lu Ziqiao shook his head and laughed, "Teacher Zeng, two hundred yuan, I'll give you the money right away if you dance a dance."

“You said it yourself.” Zeng Xiaoxian chuckled, and just as he was about to show off his dance moves to everyone, he saw that they all looked at him like he was watching a monkey show, so he stopped and said, “Why should I dance for you? You don’t really want to appreciate my dance moves.”

"cut!"

The group booed in unison, making Zeng Xiaoxian lose face. Just as he was about to argue, Zhang Wei, with his slicked-back hair, sunglasses, tie, and hands in his pockets, walked over stiffly.

When Zhang Wei, who had completely changed his past image as a loser, appeared in front of everyone, the cheerful atmosphere on the sofa froze, and everyone looked at him with some surprise and uncertainty.

"This is..." Zeng Xiaoxian looked him up and down, tentatively asking, "Brother Ma?"

"It should be Brother Fa," Guan Gu Shenqi corrected.

The next second, Zhang Wei, his face turning pale, stuck out his tongue and untied his tie, then fell to the ground, making grunting noises but unable to speak.

"It seems like he's being strangled?" Tang Youyou analyzed.

At this moment, the group stopped joking around, and Zeng Xiaoxian quickly called out, "Zhang Wei!"

Only after they helped loosen his tie did Zhang Wei begin to catch his breath.

"Zhang Wei, what's wrong with you?"

"I...cough...I..."

Before Zhang Wei could finish speaking, Qin Yumo caught up with him in her high heels.

"Zhang Wei, what are you doing here trying on clothes?"

"He came for help," Zeng Xiaoxian said, supporting Zhang Wei. "Yu Mo, did you want to strangle Zhang Wei?"

"What? Zhang Wei is going on a date with a girl this weekend, I was just helping him get ready," Qin Yumo sighed. "That's how he wears those tight shirts."

"Zhang Wei is going on a date? Congratulations!" Hu Yifei said with a smile. "Great job, Zhang Wei! You've finally taken that step."

Tang Youyou thought for a moment and said, "But didn't Zhang Wei always borrow Teacher Wen's suits before? He looked pretty handsome in them!"

“Yes, that’s what I told Yu Mo too,” Zhang Wei said, panting.

Qin Yumo said helplessly, "I can borrow the jacket, but I have to wear my own shirt, right? Besides, I wanted to say this before, doesn't Zhang Wei wearing Wen Sheng's suit look like a child wearing adult clothes? Wen Sheng works out regularly, his physique fills out the suit perfectly, he has defined features and abs, and he even has... well, you know..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yumo immediately realized what she was saying and stopped talking. When she looked up, she saw that several people were looking at her with strange eyes.

……

"Ah!"

On the open-air terrace of a cafe on the Bund, Wen Sheng suddenly sneezed.

"What's wrong? Is the wind a little chilly?"

Nolan, who was sitting opposite him, wearing a coffee-colored ruffled dress and a white shawl draped over her shoulders, asked with concern.

"No," Wen Sheng shook his head with a smile. "Maybe my nose is happy for your promotion?"

"Why are you opening champagne at the halfway point too?" Nuolan scolded playfully, but she didn't need to hide anything from her ex-husband. With a smile on her face, she said, "The station has already told me the results. I'll be officially promoted next week when the results are announced."

"Congratulations." Wen Sheng raised his coffee and clinked glasses with her. "From now on, I'll call you Director Nuo."

However, upon hearing this, Nuolan rolled her eyes at the scoundrel and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Don't call me that at a time like that."

"..."

Wen Sheng was taken aback. Only when he saw her flushed cheeks did he understand the meaning behind his ex-wife's words. He hadn't thought of it before, but now that she had reminded him...

"How could that be? Am I that kind of person?" the scoundrel said righteously.

Nuolan curled her lip and snorted coldly, "I'd never believe you."

Wen Sheng smiled and said nothing, knowing that it was right not to believe him.

At this moment, Nuolan put down her coffee, glanced at her husband, and said gently, "Honey, I'm so happy that I've made progress at work. I'd like to share this joy with more people, what do you think? Do you support me?"

"Hmm?" Wen Sheng raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Of course that's great! I support you. How do you want to spread this joy?"

“I was thinking…” Nolan stirred her coffee with a spoon, paused slightly, then looked at her ex-husband and chuckled softly, “How about I treat your friends at the apartment to a meal?”

(End of this chapter)