His 'death' disheartened her, causing her to gradually become dispirited and resort to drinking.
Many times Tang Wanxing felt that Qing Muye couldn't have died so easily, that it must have been fake.
She often engaged in such 'self-deception,' hoping to escape the shadow of his death.
Then, one day, she suddenly learned he was still alive.
That day, Tang Wanxing rushed over from Dijin and took a distant look at him, but didn't approach.
"I'm sorry. As you know, I only follow political or financial news and am not interested in entertainment."
Qing Muye apologized sincerely, "If I had known Tang Wanxing was you, I would have contacted you long ago."
As he spoke, he looked her up and down again and shook his head, sighing, "But even seeing you on television, I wouldn't have recognized you. Back then, you were a tomboy. I didn't expect you to have become..."
Qing Muye spread his hands and frowned, as if searching for words to describe her.
"Have I become a great beauty?"
Tang Wanxing couldn't help but chuckle, "Can you even do that? You don't even know how to compliment a girl. You really haven't changed at all."
Ding—
At that moment, Qing Muye's phone chimed with a WeChat notification.
He picked up his phone and glanced at it. It was a message from Meng Jingwei, "Lin Meng and Ivan are treating me to dinner. I won't be back tonight."
Because the two had publicly announced their divorce, they had to keep it a secret from everyone except their close relations.
Meng Jingwei certainly wouldn't tell Lin Meng and Ivan, especially since Ivan was a big talker; anything that reached her mouth would be known by everyone within three days.
Qing Muye quickly replied, "Okay, I'll be back later then."
As soon as he sent his message, Meng Jingwei replied with an 'ok' sticker and didn't ask further.
She thought he would be working overtime.
"Who are you texting? You're all smiles. Could it be your beloved?" Tang Wanxing, seeing the gentle smile on Qing Muye's face, asked.
Deep down, she felt a strange sense of envy for the person on the other end of the phone.
Could it be Meng Jingwei?
"There's no beloved. The 'nanny' sent a message about the children's matters," Qing Muye kept his lips sealed.
Mentioning 'children,' Tang Wanxing immediately asked, "I saw on the news that you're divorced?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Incompatible values, perhaps," Qing Muye sighed. "Let's not talk about it. Tell me about yourself, how have you been all these years?"
Seeing Qing Muye dismiss the topic of 'divorce' in just a few sentences, Tang Wanxing was secretly delighted. Did he truly no longer love his ex-wife?
The two sat together, chatting about the past, about everything that had happened eight years ago.
Although they hadn't contacted each other for eight years, their interaction as they sat together felt as close as it had been eight years prior.
In the evening, Qing Muye invited Tang Wanxing to dine.
Tang Wanxing chose Yipinju Private Kitchen.
Meanwhile, Meng Jingwei had originally made plans with Lin Meng and Ivan, but Chu Xue also invited her to dinner, so the four of them decided to dine together.
The restaurant they chose happened to be Yipinju as well.
Seated at a window table in the VVIP floor, the four chatted freely, but the conversation eventually turned back to Meng Jingwei.
Lin Meng: "Qing Zong likes you so much, why did you get divorced? What about your two children?"
Ivan: "He's so rich, how much did you get from the divorce settlement?"
Chu Xue: "How could Qing Muye be so scummy? It's a good thing I liked him so much back then. I was truly blind."
Lin Meng: "Exactly, exactly. He's just too scummy."
Ivan: "It must have been infidelity during the marriage, right? When he faked his death, was he lying to you, and the truth was that he was living with another woman?"