My Wife is a Big Star

Chapter 12 - Unable to Handle It

Chen Ran took a deep breath to let himself relax.

“Sister Zhizhi, let me lay it out for you. I’m just an ordinary person who works with Uncle Zhang every day; the chance of being exposed if I’m your fake boyfriend is much higher than anyone else. You’re a big star with suitors as numerous as carp crossing a river; anyone you pick would be better than me.”

Zhang Fanzhi thought for a moment and said, “Others have bad intentions.”

Chen Ran laughed out of frustration and said, “Can I understand this as ‘good people are ridden by horses’?”

Zhang Fanzhi corrected him: “It’s ‘good horses are ridden by people’.”

Chen Ran: “...”

He had a cold and his head wasn’t working right; it was normal to say the wrong thing.

But that wasn’t the point. Correcting his mistakes? Did she think she was a language arts teacher?

Chen Ran asked, “And you’re certain I’m different from them?”

Zhang Fanzhi looked him up and down. “You are different. You’re sillier than them.”

“......” Chen Ran choked.

“From where can you tell I’m sillier than them? Is not liking you considered being silly?”

“Pursuing beautiful things is human nature; those without this nature are all silly,” Zhang Fanzhi said calmly.

“Are you insulting me just to highlight yourself?”

“I’m just telling the truth.”

Chen Ran couldn’t think of anything to say.

He, Chen Ran, was not eloquent, and the woman opposite him was sharp-tongued; they really weren’t on the same level.

“You have a good relationship with my parents and don’t want them to be unhappy, so you should agree to my request,” Zhang Fanzhi said.

Chen Ran’s face was full of question marks.

“My parents like you; as long as we are dating, they will be happy.”

Chen Ran emphasized: “But it’s fake!”

Zhang Fanzhi paused, looked at Chen Ran, and said, “If you have patience, you can wait for me until I’m thirty; perhaps we could become real.”

Chen Ran: “Sister, you don’t have a fever, do you?”

“?”

“I’m in the prime of my youth; instead of going out to perform a ‘youthful song,’ I’m going to play out a fake long-distance love marathon with you? Unless my head is broken, why would I do that?”

Zhang Fanzhi: “...”

“And besides, I have no interest in you. A big star—how troublesome,” Chen Ran curled his lip.

Zhang Fanzhi turned her head, completely unwilling to look at Chen Ran.

This was the first time she had suffered a setback since talking with Chen Ran.

A heart-stabbing critical hit.

“I’m going out to tell Uncle Zhang and the others clearly; you can explain slowly yourself.” Chen Ran occasionally gained the upper hand and immediately prepared to retreat.

“You can’t leave,” Zhang Fanzhi turned her head and said.

Chen Ran said, “The legs are on my body; why can’t I leave?”

Zhang Fanzhi bit her lower lip, and her eyes instantly became moist, ripples of tears glistening within them. She sniffled and said,

“If you go out, I’ll cry.”

Chen Ran’s footsteps paused as he looked at her in disbelief.

Could someone even threaten like this?

Threatening people with crying—wasn’t that something only children did?

But right now, Chen Ran truly didn’t move. If Zhang Fanzhi cried and that couple was waiting outside, he would be unable to defend himself.

“I suspect you’re not a singer, but an actress! And your profession isn’t ‘star,’ but a ‘rogue’!” Chen Ran said with some indignation.

Zhang Fanzhi didn’t speak; she just looked at him with tears in her eyes.

The two faced off for a while, and Chen Ran was the first to unconsciously shift his gaze.

What should he do?

Thick skin, black heart—Chen Ran was finding it a bit hard to handle.

Chen Ran sighed and said, “I think this is really not good.”

Zhang Fanzhi didn’t say a word; naturally, she knew it wasn’t good, but being pressured to go on blind dates was even worse.

She could work part-time during middle school vacations to earn money for music prep classes, she could secretly change her college entrance exam preferences after the test, and she could go to auditions behind her family's back and sign with a company.

Marriage was the bottom line; if she went against them on this too, the relationship with her parents would turn cold.

Moreover, her parents were getting older, and she truly didn't want them to worry about these things.

After a long while, Zhang Fanzhi said in a low voice:

"It's just fake. You just help me keep my parents steady; as soon as you find a girlfriend, it will be automatically dissolved."

Chen Ran said: "How will I tell Uncle Zhang then?"

Zhang Fanzhi said: "I'll be the one to speak when it's time to break up; it won't affect your relationship with my parents."

Chen Ran shot a glance at Zhang Fanzhi and said: "I am a person who is a bit chauvinistic."

Zhang Fanzhi looked at him, not understanding what he meant.

Chen Ran said: "I don't like my girlfriend having scandals with others, even if it's fake."

Zhang Fanzhi raised an eyebrow: "Does this mean you agree?"

She was somewhat uncertain.

Hadn't he just been resisting with all his might?

Chen Ran didn't answer, simply asking: "Just tell me if it's a 'yes' or 'no'."

"I can guarantee no scandals; before breaking up with you, I won't have contact with other men."

Zhang Fanzhi nodded.

Not getting married before thirty wasn't an excuse.

As for other men in the entertainment industry, she had never even considered them.

It wasn't just about her parents; the key was that she simply wasn't interested.

Chen Ran only said this because Zhang Fanzhi was a star; if scandals were breaking out every few days, he would feel uncomfortable even if he and Zhang Fanzhi were faking it.

Any normal man wouldn't be able to bear it.

As for why he agreed...

Heaven only knows what else this woman could do later on.

When they first met, he thought she was quite cold and aloof.

This was only the second time they had met...

Chen Ran had realized another side of her; there was a feeling of her "persona" collapsing.

It was a good thing it was fake; if someone actually took a woman like this as a wife, who could handle it?

And who was to say this was her true face?

The scene of the car crash from before was still fresh in his mind—too decisive, too violent.

……

In the living room, Yang Yun bumped her husband and asked in a low voice:

"How do you think it's going in there?"

Director Zhang said: "I'm sitting right here with you, how could I possibly know?"

"Then what is Chen Ran thinking?"

Director Zhang pondered: "I feel like this kid has a bit of interest in Zhizhi, but he's hesitating because of her celebrity status..."

Yang Yun said uncomprehendingly: "Isn't it good to have a star for a wife? Look at Peng Hai's son; he lost his soul the moment he saw Zhizhi."

"That's a common man; Chen Ran is not common!" Director Zhang said.

"Chen Ran has a relatively indifferent temperament and doesn't like the spotlight much. Zhizhi is a star; being with her would definitely involve all kinds of pressure and scrutiny. Moreover, dating Zhizhi is destined to involve spending more time apart than together, which easily leads to relationship issues. It's only normal for Chen Ran to hesitate."

Yang Yun felt her husband's words made sense and sighed:

"I hope it works out. Chen Ran is a good person and is good to both of us. Plus, he works at the TV station, so he has common topics of conversation with you."

Director Zhang opened his mouth to speak but then saw Zhang Fanzhi's room door suddenly open.

Chen Ran walked out sluggishly. Following behind him was Zhang Fanzhi, whose eyes were bright.

The couple knew their daughter very well; when she was in a bad mood, her gaze was cold. Right now it wasn't cold, which meant she was in a good mood.

Chen Ran and Zhang Fanzhi came before the couple and sat down. Seeing the expectant eyes of the two elders, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

This was the first time in his life being a liar; he almost didn't know how to open his mouth to speak.

Zhang Fanzhi was expressionless, but her knee moved slightly, bumping Chen Ran once.

“Cough, um, Uncle, I just discussed it with Sister Zhizhi, and we plan, uh, plan to try dating for a bit first...”

Chen Ran spoke this single sentence with quite an effort.

The couple’s eyes brightened slightly.

Had it worked out?

As for Chen Ran’s behavior, the two of them didn’t find anything amiss.

Having just started dating their daughter, he was a bit uneasy.

With his status having changed, being a bit shy was only normal!