Return to before death

"What did you say? Oh, sorry, I was working on the show and didn't hear you clearly. Xiao Ran, please say it again." Yu replied with a smile, her tone affectionate.

Yan Ran didn't know whether she felt relieved or slightly disappointed upon hearing this.

After much hesitation, she rejected her previous idea.

"Nothing?... You mean the show? What show?"

"Oh, it's a network news observation room that Shuhai and I co-founded. It's a disguised news program, but the topics and methods are quite novel."

Yan Ran sincerely praised, "You two are doing quite well in your careers now."

"Of course. Speaking of which, Yan Ran, you haven't contacted me these past few days. Has something happened?" Yu Xiaoxiao's tone shifted, becoming serious. "Don't try to hide it from me. You'd better tell me clearly. Has Zong Zhengqing been treating you badly?"

Her tone suddenly rose, and her voice became shrill.

"Is it his mother again? Is she giving you a hard time again? What else does she want? You helped her son back then, and she didn't even say thank you, but she's so harsh on you. Your career was so successful back then, and she forced you to..."

"Smile," Yan Ran interrupted her.

"What? You've suffered so much, and Zong Zhengqing doesn't even try to help you, he just tells you to endure it..."

"Xiaoxiao!" Yan Ran emphasized, saying each word clearly, "I want to divorce Zong Zhengqing."

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the microphone.

Silence as death.

Yan Ran's heart felt as if it had been filled with molten iron, sinking instantly as if it had sunk to the ground.

She dared not think too much, fearing that this last person who truly cared for her was also a liar, that he was with Zong Zhengqing, and that their intimate past was nothing but a joke.

Yan Ran knew that her tears were about to fall.

Finally, as if erupting, an incredibly shrill female curse came from the other end of the microphone.

“That bastard Zong Zhengqing! He…”

Then it was quickly muffled, leaving only sobbing sounds, as if after a struggle, a slightly panting man's voice could be heard.

It is Ji Shuhai.

"Xiao Ran, let's meet and talk about it."

Yan Ran covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face, but not from despair, but from gratitude. Finally, there were still people on her side, people who truly loved her.

“Okay,” she replied.

"Meet me at the noodle shop downstairs from my house at six o'clock tonight. I heard Xiaoxiao mention that you really love their signature beef noodles."

"Okay," Yan Ran replied and hung up the phone.

She slowly wiped away her tears, and her heart, which had been broken and chilled to the bone, gradually regained some warmth.

5:30 p.m., Jinxiu Garden.

Yan Ran arrived at the neighborhood where Yu Xiao and Ji Shuhai lived and found the noodle shop.

Before she was with Zong Zhengqing, she loved eating at roadside hole-in-the-wall restaurants with Yu Xiao. They didn't need to be clean or fancy, just delicious and with plenty of ingredients.

I discovered this noodle shop after I got married.

Two years ago, Yu Xiao and Ji Shuhai moved here together. In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed, but the noodle shop remains unchanged. It is still a small place with dim lighting and crowded customers.

When Yan Ran reached the door, she saw Yu Xiao inside, waving her arms outstretched.

Ji Shuhai stood beside her, a smile on his face, rinsing the tableware that the shopkeeper had brought over.

"Xiao Ran, come here."

Yan Ran vaguely recalled the feeling of her youth, a smile bloomed on her face again, and she walked over with light steps.

"A bowl of beef noodles, no scallions, but lots of cilantro."

"A bowl of beef noodles, no scallions, but lots of cilantro, I knew you'd eat this."

Yan Ran's words were interrupted by Yu Xiao, and she stood there stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Yu Xiao to remember her tastes. Yes, actually, this period of time hadn't been long, but she had experienced so much that it felt like an eternity.

"Yeah," she replied.

Ji Shuhai gave up his seat and went to pick up the noodles he had prepared.

The moment Yan Ran sat down, Yu Xiao hugged her tightly, her arms trembling slightly as she held Yan Ran's back.

"Xiao Ran, Shu Hai and I have been so busy lately that we haven't been paying attention to you. What happened? Did that bastard find another woman? Or did that old woman bully you again?"

Yan Ran patted Yu Xiao's hand to comfort her.

"Tangtang is dead. She was kidnapped and murdered. It was Zong Zhengqing who did it. Zong Zhengqing also had a mistress outside. She was his secretary. This morning, she came to my door with a pregnant belly, begging me to take in her child. I even got scolded by his mother."

After Yan Ran finished speaking, she was surprised to find that she didn't feel the same pain she had when the incident happened. It was as if she had become numb to the pain.

"Oh my god, why am I not here with you?"

Yu Xiao suddenly tightened her arms and murmured.

Ji Shuhai had just returned from getting the noodles when he saw Yan Ran's incredibly calm, even indifferent, expression and sighed.

"Let's get a divorce. I have a friend who's a lawyer who specializes in this."

"Eat first, we can talk after you finish eating." Yan Ran seemed indifferent and urged everyone to eat first.

The meal was tasteless, and although Yan Ran appeared calm on the surface, she felt empty inside.

Yu Xiao was the first to put down her chopsticks, and immediately stared at Yan Ran as if she couldn't contain herself, saying excitedly, "Xiao Ran, this marriage must end! We both absolutely support you. You should move out during this period, and if you have nowhere to go, stay at our house."

Ji Shuhai sighed and put down his chopsticks.

"Don't worry about money. If your savings aren't enough, the two of us will cover the shortfall for you. Your career has been very successful before, so finding a job now won't be difficult."

Before Yan Ran could get a word in edgewise, Yu Xiao rattled off another sentence like a machine gun: "It's all that old woman's fault. You really shouldn't have listened to her back then. Your promising career was ruined."

Yan Ran lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Actually, it was her own fault. She mistakenly thought that love was the most important thing in life, but she didn't know that even a couple as loving as Yu Xiao and Ji Shuhai had many more colorful things in their lives.

Seeing that Yan Ran remained silent, Ji Shuhai glanced helplessly at Yu Xiao, stopping her from speaking again, and asked Yan Ran, "What are your plans for the future?"

"Plans?" Yan Ran thought for a moment. "Divorce, find a job, just enough to support myself."

"Ideally, find a young, strong man who likes children and wants to have twins, a boy and a girl."

Yu Xiao hopped around and muttered under her breath.

Ji Shuhai couldn't stop her and could only smile wryly.

Yan Ran was amused by her, and her hesitation disappeared.

"Xiaoxiao, Brother Ji, please bear with me these days. I might need to stay somewhere else for a while until I find a new place. Also..." Yan Ran paused, "Does your show still need guests?"

Yu Xiao and Ji Shuhai exchanged a glance.

Yu Xiao said, "I'm fine with staying as long as I want. As for the program, we don't lack guests, but we're really short of beautiful female reporters who have been out of the spotlight for many years and are preparing to make a comeback."

Yan Ran nodded, barely managing to hold back her tears, and unconsciously smiled.