Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Ning Jing was naturally called "Second Sister" by the media. With her personality, could she stand it? She was still a leading actress at Shanghai Film Studio, and she was still arguing about this matter more than 20 years later.

Ever since she married and went to the United States to have children, and then came back to act in TV dramas, she hasn't made much of a splash. When newspapers refer to her as "Second Sister," it's considered a sarcastic remark.

She didn't become truly popular again until "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang". Of course, she was also seen as a TV drama actress by the public. Just when she was at the height of her popularity, she developed lung problems and had to reduce her workload and semi-retire from the industry.

"If you laugh again, I'll kick you! I really will!"

Yang Che's smile faded. "What are you doing here, Sister Jing?"

Ning Jing raised her chin: "I live here."

Yang Che nodded: "I see."

"bye."

Ning Jing said something, took a few more steps, then turned back: "Yang Che, if you're alone, how about we have a meal together?"

Yang Che glanced to the side and saw her lift the plastic bag in her hand with a smile on her face.

Yang Che asked with a smile, "What cuisine is it?"

"Guizhou cuisine"

"If you don't eat sour food for three days, you'll feel unsteady on your feet."

"Your pronunciation is quite standard, isn't it?"

"Go ahead, I'll buy some fruit."

"No need, I have all of those at home."

Yang Che didn't insist any further. After greeting Li Xiangdong, he went over to help her carry the dishes. He glanced at them and saw that there was sour fish soup and spicy chicken, which he quite liked.

"sure."

"That's quite good. Part of the reason I bought this house is because of this store."

"For someone from Guizhou to give you such a high evaluation, it must be quite good."

"Are you here on business?"

I also own a house in this neighborhood.

"real?"

"Really, I just don't come here to stay often."

"You're staying at Wang Fei's house, right?"

I didn't stay at her place very often.

Ning Jing understood immediately and couldn't help but glance at him sideways.

Yang Che said calmly, "She spends most of her time in Hong Kong."

Ning Jing rolled her eyes, looking quite disappointed.

Yang Che chuckled inwardly, then changed the subject: "Has filming for 'Lu Buwei' not started yet?"

"It's open. I'll be joining the crew the day after tomorrow."

"That play was good."

"You know that."

"The one who played Lao Ai..."

The two chatted idly like this, and from the gate of the community to the apartment building, apart from the security guard at the entrance, they didn't see anyone else. The midday in a mid-to-high-end community was terrifying.

Ning Jing's home is in Unit 1 of Building 2, a 149-square-meter three-bedroom apartment. After entering, Yang Che realized that Ning Jing wanted to invite him to dinner; the girl was lonely. He had originally thought there would be children or a nanny, but there were none; it was clearly a single person's residence.

A crumpled towel on the sofa, haphazardly thrown cushions, a black bra on the armrest, jeans on the floor; books and messy script papers on the coffee table... The rice cooker is on the dining table, next to various empty small bags of nuts.

Seeing Yang Che scrutinizing her, Ning Jing showed no embarrassment and said frankly, "Wash your hands, let's eat. There's beer, do you want some?"

The bathroom was alright, with not many cosmetics. Yang Che glanced at the bedroom diagonally opposite... Hmm, it was similar to the sofa, with the pink blankets also crumpled up and unfolded.

Back in the living room, things were a bit tidier, and it was clear that the woman knew it looked a bit messy.

"Could you serve me some rice?"

After saying that, Ning Jing went to the bathroom.

Yang Che looked at the dishes that had been laid out, and on each side were two 640ml bottles of Yanjing beer, which were obviously for serving with the meal.

When Ning Jing returned to the dining table, she had changed her clothes. It was a very loose black and white striped T-shirt—yes, just one, the kind that reached her thighs. When she sat down, Yang Che couldn't help but open his mouth. This woman was a bit too carefree, but she was indeed quite large.

Yang Che wasn't that kind of person. He raised his chin, shifted his gaze from her chest to her face, and said, "Are you deliberately trying to prevent me from eating?"

"Hey little brother, I'm already home, can't I wear something more comfortable?"

Yang Che glanced at him again and remarked, "I'm really curious how you developed this personality."

Ning Jing was very talkative: "It's genetic. I got beaten almost every day when I was a kid, but if I got beaten, I'd find someone to beat me up the same day."

"Wow, are you fighting with your husband?"

"They fought, throwing benches at each other, and the neighbors even called the police twice."

"That's alright, as long as you don't get beaten up in one direction only."

"Beat me up? You're kidding. Can you even stomach that?"

"I'm not used to it, but it's really great, exciting, and refreshing. I haven't had this much of an appetite in a long time."

Ning Jing looked up at him; his lips were even redder than her own. She couldn't help but grin and say, "Come on, let's have a toast. You're a really nice guy, not pretentious at all."

Yang Che picked up his beer and clinked it against hers: "I've never seen this before when I was holding it. It's just that I'm used to saying one thing to one person and another to another."

"How old are you? Don't act so old-fashioned."

"I am a genius, that's also a talent, it's two sides of the same coin."

"Haha, I'm really curious, how did you get together with Wang Fei? Do you think she's pretty?"

"Then tell me first, why did you marry a foreign loser?"

What is a "loser"?

"Uh...it's a dialect from eastern Anhui province..."

"Stop trying to cover it up. You're really saying something awful. He's still my husband, no matter what."

"You've really misunderstood. I was referring to short, poor, and ugly people, as opposed to someone as tall, rich, and handsome as me."

Seeing how earnest he was in explaining, Ning Jing also said earnestly, "Because only he can marry me. Don't even mention me, you've already covered all my little problems. Now, let's talk about you two."

Yang Che paused, then chuckled, "That's true."

"Okay, in my eyes, Wang Fei isn't pretty or not. If I really cared about looks and figure, I wouldn't have pursued her. She's like a goddess to me."

Ning Jing opened her mouth, a hint of disdain in her voice: "To praise another woman like this in front of one woman, you're really something."

"This just proves that I am telling the truth."

Ning Jing popped a chili pepper into her mouth, chewed it, and tilted her head: "Truth...do you have any other women besides Wang Fei?"

"some."

Ning Jing paused for a moment, then nodded: "That's about what I was thinking. At your age, and Wang Fei isn't around often. So, what do you think of me?"

Yang Che looked up, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. Of course, he also swallowed hard and tentatively asked, "Shall we try it in a bit?"

Ning Jing picked up the bowl and shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into her mouth: "Let's give it a try."

"......"

Yang Che was both surprised and unsurprised.

This woman has liked younger men since she got married, and has publicly stated that all her relationships with younger men were seamless transitions. In reality, she and her husband are now each doing their own thing.

One of her admitted boyfriends was the actor who played Liao Sanmin in the TV series "Lurking". She also said she didn't care if her boyfriend cheated on her because she was certain that men would cheat, so she only required him to be hygienic... but she was usually the one who kicked him first.