After the divorce, my ex-husband's cousin tricked me into getting a marriage certificate.

Zhao Mengmeng bought a house in Heyuan Community, located on the East Fourth Ring Road in northern Beijing.

It's a high-end residential area with a great environment, and many celebrities have bought or rented apartments in this community.

Zhao Mengmeng told Qiao Ran to go through the underground parking garage and taught her to park her car next to the elevator in her building so she could take the elevator directly upstairs.

Qiao Ran parked the car and went around to the back to get her suitcase.

Zhao Mengmeng was puzzled when she saw there was only one suitcase. "Is that all the luggage you have?"

Qiao Ran: "Well, my old clothes, shoes and bags are all kept in the room at my parents' house. At the Lin family's house, I only have some simple clothes to change into. I've been working as a nanny at the Lin family's house for the past two years, so I haven't had a chance to go shopping."

Zhao Mengmeng looked at him in disbelief, "Damn, are they treating you like a maid? Are they paying you a salary?"

Qiao Ran: "When we got married, I gave my mother a million-dollar dowry, which she took and used to invest in my brother's restaurant. It all went down the drain, and my brother also squandered all the money I had earned before."

Zhao Mengmeng put her arm around Qiao Ran's shoulder with concern, "Then I'll transfer you tens of thousands of yuan later, you can use it first."

Qiao Ran: "No need, I still have to pay you rent. I have several hundred thousand yuan in savings, enough for me to live on for a while. Once I get the divorce certificate, I can go to work and earn money."

Zhao Mengmeng pretended to be angry, "We're like family, why are you asking me to pay rent? Honestly, the hundreds of thousands I needed to buy a house were lent to me by you, and the money I paid you back was taken by your mother?"

Qiao Ran: "Yes, I took them all."

Zhao Mengmeng: "Then where did you get the money to save up your secret stash?"

Qiao Ran: "I saved it secretly. Some events didn't go through my mom's hands; she just gave me the money directly, and I secretly saved it."

Zhao Mengmeng: "You're stupid too, why did you let your mom take all the money?"

Qiao Ran: "When I debuted, I was young and had no concept of money. The clients dealt directly with my mother, and the money was transferred to her account. Later, when I grew up, I asked her, and she said she was saving up for my dowry."

Zhao Mengmeng: Did your mother give you a dowry when you got married?

Qiao Ran: "They bought me this car."

Zhao Mengmeng: "This car is only worth a few hundred thousand, right? You've been acting since you were three years old, you must have earned over a hundred million, right?"

Qiao Ran smiled bitterly, "That's right. My mom either uses the money to buy a house or to help my brother with his business. The house is either in her name or my brother's name. I never get a share of it."

"How could there be such parents in the world!" Zhao Mengmeng asked while pressing the elevator button. "You agreed to get married in the first place, wasn't it to escape your mother's and brother's control?"

Qiao Ran smiled, pursing her lips. "You guessed right, that's exactly what I was thinking back then."

Zhao Mengmeng suddenly realized, "I knew it! How could you agree to marry a stranger? Come to think of it, although you wasted two years in the Lin family, it's a good thing that you were able to get rid of your mother and brother."

Qiao Ran: "Well, I'll treat it as a two-year vacation. During these two years, I've been watching movies and studying every day, and reading three or four books every week. The Lin family has a big study with lots of books, and I've read almost half of them."

Zhao Mengmeng patted Qiao Ran on the shoulder, "This is a good thing. I just can't concentrate on reading. To be honest, reading more books is good for our acting skills. It's a process of accumulation, and you will definitely have a breakthrough."

Qiao Ran has a very clear understanding: "In the past, my mother got me roles. She only cared about the money and would give me all sorts of random roles. I hope that in the future I can choose my own scripts. I want to go to international film festivals to broaden my horizons."

The elevator doors opened, and Zhao Mengmeng said while taking out her keys, "Sure, our company also has a lot of movies. It seems that Brother Qi is working on a new script with Director Tang recently. You can ask Brother Qi later if you can get a role."

Qiao Ran watched Zhao Mengmeng open the door with her key and asked curiously, "Why don't you install a smart lock?"

Zhao Mengmeng: "I like keys. I have a spare at home. I'll get you one later. I like traditional things. Come in and take a look. My house is decorated in an antique style."

Qiao Ran dragged her suitcase into the entryway and placed it against the wall. She bent down to change into slippers and followed Zhao Mengmeng into the house for a tour. "Did you move in last year? I've never been to your house before. I really wanted to contact you, but I was afraid you were busy."

"Moreover, my mother-in-law keeps a close eye on me and doesn't let me go out casually."

"Oh my god, so marrying into a wealthy family isn't good at all? I thought life as a wealthy wife was very carefree. It's better to be alone!" Zhao Mengmeng exclaimed.

Qiao Ran: "To be honest, it's better to marry someone you love. The wealthy are just like that, they just live in bigger and more luxurious places. Although there are servants, my mother-in-law still requires me to cook myself."

"There are many rules at home. You have to dress modestly and not speak loudly. It's quite oppressive."

"It's better to cut your losses now," Zhao Mengmeng said, opening the door to the second bedroom with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Ranran, this room is for you. It's just a bit messy. I have too many clothes and nowhere to put them, so I'm using this room as a walk-in closet."

Qiao Ran picked up the clothes hanging on the mobile clothes rack and looked at them. "The tags are still on. Are these all new clothes?"

There were also many shoes, bags, scarves, and other items on the ground with their tags still on.

Zhao Mengmeng chuckled, "You know I love shopping, but I don't like what I buy. You can wear and use any of the clothes, shoes, and bags here as you like. I buy new ones every quarter anyway, so these will just have to be thrown away later."

"Tomorrow I'll have Dingding call a housekeeping service to tidy up and clean the house."

Ding Ding is Zhao Mengmeng's former agent and is also very familiar with Qiao Ran. This time, she signed with Xingyun Entertainment along with Zhao Mengmeng.

“No need to call a housekeeper, I can take care of it myself,” Qiao Ran stopped her. “I’ve been doing these kinds of things for the past two years at the Lin family. Trust me, a housekeeper might not be as good as me. I’m quite good at organizing and tidying up now.”

Zhao Mengmeng: "How can that be? You are my guest, how can I let you do the work? The house hasn't been cleaned in a long time, so I'll call a housekeeping service to do a thorough cleaning so you'll be more comfortable."

Qiao Ran: "No, if you treat me as a guest, then you have to charge me rent. Otherwise, you can give me all the housework. Anyway, I've been idle at home lately, so having some work to do will keep me from overthinking."

"Sister, you're so kind," Zhao Mengmeng came over and hugged Qiao Ran. "Okay then, thank you for your hard work. I have some work scheduled for the next few days, but I'll be back every night. You can order takeout during the day."

Qiao Ran then remembered to check the kitchen. "I want to cook for myself. Is your kitchen usable?"

Zhao Mengmeng laughed awkwardly, "The items are complete, but I haven't used them before."

"Let me see," Qiao Ran said, stepping into the kitchen. It wasn't large, but it was fully equipped with a gas stove, rice cooker, and various kitchen utensils. The refrigerator was a double-door model, but it only contained bottled water.

Qiao Ran chuckled and teased, "Your refrigerator looks like an actress's refrigerator. You might as well buy a small refrigerator to save space."