CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: THE SECOND MELON(2)

Silence lingered for a moment longer—then the little melon, ever incapable of restraint, broke it with a gleeful chirp. "But of course, this melon isn’t complete without a touch of romance!"

"We know that Song Qingwan was in love with An Yanming," An Ning said. "But was An Yanming ever in love with her? I don’t think so."

"But they did get married in the original timeline," the little melon added eagerly.

"Sun Qiaolian and An Yanming...." An Ning fell silent, lost in thought for a moment.

"Sun Qiaolian was An Yanming’s first love back in high school," the little melon said. "But it was one-sided—on his side. They never ended up together."

"I see," An Ning said with quiet disdain. "So that’s how it is. An Yanming took over A Group, and then An Group became the backing for Sun Qiaolian?"

"Well, An Group didn’t venture into entertainment business though—"

"They didn’t have to. They just had to sponsor the dramas or invest in whatever Sun Qiaolian was doing—that’s good enough. In the end, it was all for the sake of Sun Qiaolian." An Ning rolled her eyes, her tone laced with scorn.

"But she ended up with Shen Xiyu. She had everything then," the little melon said. As a newly activated system, he still couldn’t quite fathom how humans thought.

"You need to know that Shen Xiyu would give Sun Qiaolian a second glance if she had no value," An Ning scoffed. "True love does exist—but not for people like him."

"But there needs to be some sort of feelings, right?" The little melon insisted.

"I didn’t say there wasn’t," An Ning replied. "But that’s only a very small part of it. This novel is about how an ordinary girl rises in showbiz and wins the love of her life."

The little melon gave a nod, as though An Ning was giving a lecture.

"But you forget—’ordinary’ has no place in the entertainment industry. Ordinary doesn’t attract someone like Shen Xiyu. We see the ending of Sun Qiaolian’s story, but do we ever she what she had to go through to get there?"

"Like?" the little melon prompted, blinking expectantly.

"Like how every disagreement between them always ended the same way," An Ning said. "Sun Qiaolian was the one who gave in—every time."

Her tone was light, stripped of warmth. "When Shen Xiyu was unhappy, she coaxed him. Even when he was clearly in the wrong, she learned to make it sound like it was her fault. That’s how she kept his love—by making herself smaller each time."

The little melon’s eyes widened slightly. "That doesn’t sound like love."

"No," An Ning said quietly. "It sounds like devotion—but only one-sided."

"Shen Xiyu wasn’t the CEO of the Shen Group at the beginning," An Ning continued. "He was just one of the candidates for succession—competent, but not remarkable."

Her voice was steady, her words deliberate. "Sun Qiaolian’s story also changed that. She used herself to open doors for him. Every investor she charmed, every director she befriended, every scandal she endured quietly—it all fed into his reputation. She turned her own influence into his leverage."

[Ding! Major Melon Consumed = + 25 Luck Value]

[Total Luck Value = 80 Luck Value]

The little melon blinked, startled. "So she helped him become CEO?"

An Ning gave a humourless laugh. "Helped? She built his foundation. While the other heirs fought for control within the company, Shen Xiyu was already winning the public. And when the board saw how stable his image was—how profitable—the choice was obvious."

The little melon frowned. "Then why didn’t he treat her better after that?"

An Ning’s lips curved faintly, more mockery than mirth. "Better? He gave her the title of Mrs. Shen, didn’t he? To the world, that was already the best she could ask for."

"She had the name, the status, the house, and the cameras capturing every ’loving’ glance," An Ning continued, her voice cool and measured. "He played the devoted husband so well that even she began to believe it. But behind the scenes, everything was transactional. Appearances for appearances, benefits for benefits."

The little melon blinked, trying to navigate through this messy human’s world. "So...he never really loved her?"

An Ning tilted her head slightly. "Love?" A quiet pause followed. "Maybe he did, once. But it wasn’t her he loved—it was the image she created for him. The perfect wife to complete his perfect life."

The little melon’s tone turned cautious. "They lived happily ever after—in the original timeline, at least."

An Ning gave a soft hum, her gaze steady. "Happily ever after," she repeated, the words edged with irony.

"To the public, yes," the little melon said, gaining confidence as he continued. "They were the model couple—he the devoted husband, she the graceful wife. A perfect picture framed by the flash of cameras."

He hesitated before adding, "And as for Song Qingwan—she was the same. When An Group ran into trouble after An Yancheng’s fall, she pleaded with her family to help An Yanming. Her family invested heavily, together with An Yanming’s profit from his own company, it helped him stabilise the company, and that’s how she finally got to marry him."

An Ning arched a brow slightly. "And then?"

The little melon spoke after a moment’s silence. "But things didn’t end there. After the marriage, Song Qingwan found out who the woman in his heart really was—Sun Qiaolian."

An Ning’s gaze sharpened slightly. "Of course."

"She went to confront her," the little melon said softly. "Tried to expose her for getting close to An Yanming again. But instead of being angry, An Yanming felt guilty toward Sun Qiaolian. He thought Song Qingwan was being petty, jealous."

He went on, his tone dimming. "So he treated Sun Qiaolian even better after that. Song Qingwan became the villainess—the unreasonable wife who couldn’t let go of the past."

An Ning’s expression didn’t change, but her voice carried a quiet edge. "And that’s how the story wanted it to be. The heroine wins sympathy; the villainess earns the blame. People love simple morals—they’re easier to digest."

The little melon looked thoughtful. "So even in happy endings, someone has to play the villain?"

An Ning’s lips curved faintly. "Someone always does."

And sometimes, it isn’t the person written for the role.