ARIBASIEI chapter 48

Chi Yan couldn’t help but say, “Mom, it’s better to get a divorce. I’ll go with you.”

Chi Hongzheng was so angry his face turned green. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

He held back his anger and asked, “Then what do you want me to do?”

“Since Yang Yueyi framed me, it’s not possible she gets away without any consequences, right?” Chi Yan hinted, “She still hasn’t paid me the one million we bet on last time.”

“It’s just a million? I’ll transfer it to you.”

Chi Yan immediately sent her account number to Chi Hongzheng. “You’re not trying to pacify a child, are you? Just transfer it directly. I’ve sent you the number.”

Chi Hongzheng, fuming, sent the money.

When Chi Yan saw the notification of the funds arriving on her phone, her mood brightened considerably.

“This is just what I deserve,” she said. “But this isn’t enough. I heard you arranged a fashion magazine cover shoot for Yang Yueyi. I have the same surname as you, Chi. Don’t I get anything?”

“You do.” Under the gaze of Chi Yan’s mother and uncle, Chi Hongzheng gritted his teeth and said the word.

Satisfied with the answer, Chi Yan started to show him out.

“Words are wind. I need a contract. It’s already late—why don’t you head back now, President Chi?”

Chi Yan’s mother asked, “You’re not thinking of tricking her, are you?”

Seeing her expression, Chi Hongzheng relented. “No. Fine, I’ll go back now and have someone draft the contract.”

After he left, Chi Yan’s mother hugged her tightly. “Mom will never let anyone bully you again.”

“Mom, divorce him,” Chi Yan finally brought it up after weighing it in her mind. “I don’t need him anymore. You saw his attitude. He’s completely biased. Let’s just end it.”

Her mother nodded. “You’re right. In a few days, once you get that contract, I’ll talk to him about divorce.”

Chi Yan felt instantly relieved. Without Chi Hongzheng’s interference, her mother could surely live peacefully.

She looked at her uncle, who was frowning, and said, “Uncle, there’s no problem with divorce. I can earn enough to support both Mom and me. I don’t care about Chi Hongzheng’s wealth. He can give it to whoever he wants—it has nothing to do with me.”

“I’m just worried—where will you two live after the divorce? You can’t rent forever, can you?”

Chi Yan replied, “I’ve saved some money. I won the championship in The Path of an Actor and got 30,000 yuan. I’ve also earned from variety shows and commercials. Once I join Director Huo Yixuan’s crew in October, I plan to buy an apartment in the new city district. The down payment should be doable.”

“Alright, as long as you have a plan. The new district is a bit remote now, but in a few years, it’ll definitely develop.”

That night, Chi Yan and her mother had dinner at her uncle’s place.

When her aunt returned and saw them, she was surprised.

“Yan Yan and Xiaoru, why are you back?”

“Oh, Yan Yan’s birthday is in a few days, but she has plans then, so we came today.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? I didn’t even buy a cake.” Her aunt put her bag down and turned to Chi Yan. “Don’t worry, I’ll cook extra dishes tonight.”

Chi Yan smiled and said, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Dinner was pleasant—probably because no one told her aunt about the divorce, the atmosphere at the table remained harmonious.

Her aunt even complimented Chi Yan’s appearance on camera. “I saw your commercial—it was really well shot!”

The next day, Chi Yan’s commercial with the robot product officially launched. Shen Chen’s company even bought her a trending topic spot.

“Thank you,” Chi Yan said over the phone. “If it weren’t for you all the other day, I don’t know what would’ve happened. And now the trending topic too—I don’t even know how to thank you.”

“No need,” Shen Chen replied. “You’re my… company’s spokesperson, and also my friend. Whether it’s business or personal, I should help.”

“I can promote your other products on Weibo—no charge. How does that sound?”

“That works,” Shen Chen said. “I’ll have them increase your pay.”

Chi Yan laughed. “No need. You’ve already helped a lot. President Shen, surely you’re not doing a losing business?”

Shen Chen gave a faint “Mm.” “Alright then, we’ll leave it at that.”

After hanging up, Chi Yan told Wang Ying about it.

With her approval, Chi Yan reposted some of Shen Group’s other products developed alongside the robot.

Ironically, her repost spree got her back on the trending list again, with hashtags like #ChiYanRobot and #ChiYanDedicatedSpokesperson, which made people laugh.

A lot of casual viewers joined the discussion and discovered her commercial had great concept and styling.

“This makeup really looks robotic—Chi Yan nailed it!”

“Such a hardworking spokesperson, reposting nonstop—I’m in love.”

“I never thought I’d become a fan because of a commercial. Chi Yan’s fans are fun too!”

“Joining her fandom isn’t a loss—Chi Yan is awesome!”

Chi Yan scanned the top comments and finally exhaled. The controversy from the earlier video was settling. With both her company and the police stepping in, no further damage had been done.

Duan Jing had been constantly messaging her asking for forgiveness ever since the police statement. Chi Yan found her annoying and blocked her.

Duan Jing’s team claimed she had been filming in the desert at the time and had no signal. Many people believed it.

But He Min got into trouble.

She had continued recording her show Monday Fun, but didn’t speak up for Chi Yan. After the police clarified the truth, netizens flooded He Min’s Weibo with criticism.

He Min, overwhelmed, approached Wang Ying for help—but was firmly rejected.

Afterward, Wang Ying told Chi Yan, “In this world, if others don’t help you, you don’t owe others anything either.” Chi Yan strongly agreed.

Still, she hadn’t expected to run into He Min a few days later while shooting a fashion magazine spread.

He Min looked haggard, her tiredness visible despite makeup.

When their eyes met, He Min quickly lowered her gaze.

Chi Yan looked away and ignored her.

Only Wang Hui accompanied her that day—Wang Ying had other matters to attend to.

“Big sis, it’s time to shoot. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Though Chi Yan was only shooting an inside page, the editor-in-chief of the prestigious magazine showed up in person, and she didn’t dare be careless.

She shot for two hours straight before the photographer let her rest.

“That should be enough,” the editor-in-chief said. “Chi Yan, good work. Wang Ying wasn’t wrong—you’re really professional. I look forward to working together again.”

Chi Yan gave a polite smile. “Thank you, Editor. It’s what I should do.”

The shoot took all morning. Before lunch, the editor invited her to eat together.

Chi Yan went to the restroom first, and unexpectedly bumped into He Min again on the way out.

He Min looked at her through the mirror and suddenly said, “Are you feeling proud? Chi Yan, I admit defeat this time. But who knows what the future holds, right?”

Chi Yan finished washing her hands and placed them under the dryer. “Senior He Min, you’ve been in the industry longer than me, so I’ll respectfully call you that. But I just want to remind you—it was you who refused to help me first. I don’t think I was wrong not to help you later.”

He Min’s expression turned ugly. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have helped Duan Jing.”

Before leaving, Chi Yan looked back at her once. She thought He Min looked a bit crazy. But whatever drama He Min and Duan Jing had was none of her business, so she quickly put it out of her mind.

“Chi Yan, I originally didn’t want to let you shoot this. One of your competitors was Qi Kerong—I liked her better,” the editor said over lunch.

“Then why did you choose me in the end?” Chi Yan asked.

The editor replied, “Your agent is too sharp—really persuasive. Also, Qi Kerong told me in private that you were better than her, and you needed the opportunity more.”

That Qi Kerong would speak up for her surprised Chi Yan.

“She said I’m better than her? Does her agent know that?”

The editor laughed. “You two are interesting—no wonder you both came from The Path of an Actor. What I said earlier about looking forward to next time—I meant it. This was a great experience.”

Chi Yan figured Qi Kerong was repaying the favor from that time in the dressing room during Monday Fun. After returning to the company in the afternoon, she told Wang Ying about it.

“No wonder the editor agreed to meet so quickly. My coworker even said I got lucky.”

Wang Ying checked her watch. “There’s no time for Jiawen’s shoot—he’s in auditions. I’ll go keep an eye on him. I trust you to take care of yourself—have Wang Cong help too.”

“Okay, Ying-jie. Go ahead.”

With her work done, Chi Yan spent the evening watching her show with her mom.

“I can’t believe my Yan Yan’s on Monday Fun now. If someone told me that a few months ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. You really shine.”

Chi Yan smiled. “And I didn’t expect you to pick up painting again. In my eyes, you’re the one who really shines, Mom.”

“The show’s starting!” her mom exclaimed. “Xiao Ye goes first? Not bad!”

Her mom knew about Ye Jiawen helping her and that they were under the same agent—Chi Yan had told her. Seeing her daughter’s friend on screen, she was very supportive.

Monday Fun mainly involved games and chatting.

After filming, Chi Yan had felt her episode would be boring. She’d been injured, and the crew had to change the game plan last-minute, so she expected the final cut wouldn’t be great.

But the editor was brilliant—the episode was filled with funny moments.

Even Chi Yan hadn’t realized her expressions could be turned into memes. She always thought she had a cold image.

Her mom had planned to just be supportive, but by the end, she couldn’t stop laughing.

“Your expressions with Qi Kerong are hilarious,” she said. “You never look this expressive at home. I haven’t seen you laugh like this in ages.”

Chi Yan replied, “Variety shows are all about being entertaining—you have to laugh first before the audience can.”

Seeing her mom laugh so much, Chi Yan figured the episode would be a hit. Given the past drama with Duan Jing, she suspected many fans were tuning in.

Watching herself on screen, she thought: Qi kerong and her emoticons were probably on trend .

But she didn’t check her phone—she wanted to wait until the episode ended.