The world of film and television begins in the ideal city

Chapter 42 Collapse

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, as the festive atmosphere gradually faded, the return traffic carried people with mixed feelings, heading from remote small towns to bustling Shanghai.

Wu Hongmei traveled alone by long-distance bus and then high-speed rail, enduring a bumpy and arduous journey, and arrived in Shanghai in the evening.

Her parents secretly took all the savings she had accumulated over the years without consulting her, and used it to buy a wedding house for her younger brother.

She found out, but they just didn't care, offering no explanation and showing no remorse.

This endless favoritism, the insatiable demands, and the moral blackmail that transcends right and wrong, all these things kept swirling in her mind. It was as if she, as a daughter, was born to unconditionally sacrifice for her brother and make concessions for the family.

Exhausted from the long journey, she felt utterly cold inside. All she could think about was getting back to the little apartment she shared with Zhang Xiaobei.

She hoped and longed for this: even if the whole world didn't care about her, at least Zhang Xiaobei would. All she wanted to do now was throw herself into his arms and have a good cry.

Exhausted, Zhang Xiaobei dragged her suitcase upstairs and pushed open the door to her rented room. The room was dimly lit, and although it was old and cramped, Zhang Xiaobei had kept it very clean.

Zhang Xiaobei was sitting in a chair, wearing headphones, completely absorbed in a computer game, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

Hearing the door open and seeing Wu Hongmei walk in, Zhang Xiaobei, still in a cold war with her, merely glanced at her casually and said in a flat tone:

"You're back? The journey must have been tiring."

A simple greeting gave Wu Hongmei an outlet for her emotions that had been tense for many days. Her nose tingled, her eyes immediately reddened, and she put down her suitcase and sat down next to him, her voice choked with suppressed sobs.

"Xiao Bei, I feel so sad."

She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and the pent-up grievances she had been holding back could no longer be contained; she began to pour out her heart in a low voice:

"My parents... they used all the savings I had painstakingly accumulated over the years to pay the down payment for my younger brother's house, without ever consulting me once."

"That was money I saved up little by little. I didn't dare buy new clothes for work, and I couldn't bear to spend money on social events. I always sacrificed my own comfort. All the money I had saved up was gone in an instant..."

As Wu Hongmei spoke, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, her heart filled with bitterness and helplessness: "From childhood to adulthood, I've always been the one to give in to my family. All the good things have been given to my younger brother. I feel wronged and miserable, but no one has ever asked me if I'm willing or if I'm suffering. Xiao Bei, I really can't take it anymore."

She thought that by opening her heart and speaking her mind, she would be met with hugs, comfort, and empathy.

To everyone's surprise, after hearing these words, Zhang Xiaobei's calm expression suddenly changed. Instead of feeling any heartache or pity, he was filled with astonishment, annoyance, and then a raging fire.

He slammed the headphones onto the sofa, jumped to his feet, his brows furrowed, his face ashen, and demanded sharply:

"What did you say? All your savings were taken by your parents to buy a house for your younger brother?"

Wu Hongmei was startled by his sudden anger. Her eyes were blurry with tears as she looked up at him and nodded softly.

"Yes... I can't help it, they didn't tell me at all."

"No way?" Zhang Xiaobei laughed angrily, his tone full of accusation. "Why didn't you tell me about something this big beforehand? How could you be so foolish? You gave everything to your brother to buy a house? What about our house?"

Wu Hongmei felt wronged and shocked, unable to believe that his first reaction was to blame her. "I've never wasted a single penny, and I didn't want my family to take it from me, but my parents are completely unreasonable!"

"You've been indulging my unreasonable behavior all along!"

Zhang Xiaobei's voice suddenly rose, and his long-suppressed dissatisfaction finally erupted.

"I told you long ago that your family favors boys over girls. You can't blindly obey your parents and endlessly indulge their demands! You've softened your heart and compromised time and time again. Now look what's happened! What are we going to do?"

"Am I less important to you than that money?" Wu Hongmei cried, trembling all over, her heart filled with coldness. "I've suffered so much injustice, been met with nothing but cold treatment at home, and come back to you heartbroken. I didn't come to hear you scold me; I just wanted a word of comfort!"

"Comfort? How can I comfort you in this situation?"

Zhang Xiaobei showed no mercy, instead growing increasingly irritated and impatient. "Wu Hongmei, you're so clueless! You have no backbone at all! You don't consider our future at all!"

"Don't I consider our needs?"

Wu Hongmei stared blankly at the man in front of her, whose face was contorted with rage and whose words were full of accusations. The last bit of warmth in her heart cooled and dissipated little by little. "From beginning to end, you never asked me if I was sad, you didn't feel sorry for my grievances being forced by my parents, you didn't understand my helplessness in the face of being unable to control my own destiny. From beginning to end, all you cared about was money. You never cared about me even a little bit."

"Isn't money important? Don't we need money to make a living?"

Zhang Xiaobei refused to back down and retorted sharply.

"You're too weak. No matter how your parents treat you, you always give in in the end. If this continues, we'll never be able to turn our lives around!"

Looking at his cold and angry expression, Wu Hongmei felt utterly hopeless.

Her family of origin had drained her of her confidence. Full of grievances, she went to her lover seeking warmth and comfort, but instead of a hug and understanding, she was met with a barrage of angry words, endless accusations and complaints.

At that moment, she suddenly realized clearly that she would always be alone in this world. Neither Zhang Xiaobei nor her parents had ever truly cared about her, Wu Hongmei!

No one stood behind her to support her; no one was willing to take on all her vulnerability and distress.

She recalled how, for the sake of her future life with Zhang Xiaobei, she had worn discounted, out-of-season clothes year after year, and had been humiliated by Maria time and time again; she couldn't even afford slightly better skincare products; she was always careful to calculate the price when eating out, and any slightly more expensive purchase was considered a luxury; she remembered the time she had dinner with Su Xiao, when Zhang Xiaobei lost his temper in public because of the price, embarrassing her; and now, thinking about how her hard-earned savings had been secretly taken by her parents to buy a house for her younger brother, she felt a deep sense of grievance with nowhere to confide in. When she got home, all she could think about was that Zhang Xiaobei would know about her grievances, comfort her, and give her a hug.

But all she received in return was blame.

She slowly stopped crying, tears still clinging to her cheeks. The grievance in her eyes faded little by little, replaced by a deathly stillness of exhaustion and despair.

She stopped arguing and crying. She silently stood up and looked at Zhang Xiaobei, who was still angry. At this moment, the hope for the future and the attachment to this relationship in her heart shattered and collapsed completely.

Zhang Xiaobei's heart tightened at her appearance. The raging anger he had just felt was instantly extinguished by a bucket of ice water poured over his head. However, a more suffocating and chaotic emotion was churning in his chest, making him feel helpless and stubbornly refusing to back down.

What exactly did he do wrong?

They had been together for five years. Since they got together, he had been devoted to her wholeheartedly, never having a wandering eye, and focusing all his attention on their future together.

He lived frugally, scrimping and saving every penny.

He wouldn't even buy items worth a few dollars in the game, and he would make do with whatever he could for three meals a day. For their future, he took on side jobs and worked overtime. He endured all the hardships with gritted teeth, and he wouldn't waste a single penny. He saved it all up, thinking of buying a house in Shanghai that belonged to both of them, giving her a stable home.

Was he wrong? Everything he did was for their future.

Wu Hongmei's family favors sons over daughters. He had warned her countless times: "Your family favors sons over daughters. You can't blindly obey your parents and endlessly indulge their demands! Your repeated soft-heartedness and compromises will eventually ruin our lives. If things continue like this, the two of them will never be able to save enough for a down payment and will forever be crammed into this dark and cramped rented room."

He told her to harden her heart and not to always indulge and give in.

Now look what's happened. I've told her so many times, but she hasn't listened to a word. All the savings I've accumulated over the years have been emptied out without even a word of warning.

This isn't just about a few hundred thousand yuan. Yes, they can save up that money again, but what if Wu Hongmei doesn't come to her senses this time, and her parents take the money they've saved?

He was anxious, angry, and out of control—wasn't that to be expected?

It wasn't that he didn't care about her, or that he didn't care about her grievances. He knew she suffered at home, knew her parents were biased, knew she had lived a stifled and cautious life all these years. Wasn't he the same?

Life is realistic; heartache can't be used as a down payment for a house, and comforting words won't buy a house. The two of them are alone in this vast city of Shanghai, with no relatives, no connections, and no family wealth. If they want to stay in Shanghai, their only option is to save money to buy a house; there's simply no other way.

He thought she understood him—understood his meticulous planning, his helplessness, and the genuine sincerity hidden beneath his rigidity, stinginess, and inarticulateness.

He thought that once she calmed down, she would understand that his scolding and accusations were not because he was upset that she had been wronged, but because he hated that she didn't know how to protect herself, and that she repeatedly exposed her vulnerabilities to others, allowing them to manipulate her, ultimately shattering their future together.

But looking at Wu Hongmei's lifeless and indifferent eyes, he panicked for the first time.

It wasn't the resentment from a regular argument or the sulking from a cold war; it was a thorough, gradual estrangement, as if the person who had shared a bed with him for years had suddenly severed ties with him and completely pushed him out of their world.

He opened his mouth, his throat tightened, and the accusations, arguments, and complaints that he wanted to blurt out all stuck in his throat. He wanted to soften his tone, to explain, "That's not what I meant," to reach out and wipe the tears from her face, just like he had done countless times before after arguments, to coax her and make it all go away.

But his pride and deep-rooted stubbornness held him back tightly.

He did nothing wrong, so why should he bow his head first? It was clearly her who was wrong and confused, and it was her bottomless pit of a family that was at fault.

So he just frowned, his face still looking grim, and forced out a sentence in a stiff tone.

"I'm not trying to insult you, I'm just worried. What are we going to do in the future? Aren't we going to buy a house? Are we just going to spend the rest of our lives crammed into this run-down place?"

But to Wu Hongmei, those words sounded particularly jarring.

Wu Hongmei chuckled softly, a soft, hoarse laugh carrying a sense of endless sorrow and relief.

"The house..." Her voice was calm and without any ripples, "Zhang Xiaobei, in your mouth, I will always be tied to this thing. You have never asked me, Wu Hongmei, if you are in pain, if you are tired, if you are sad."

"I lost all my savings, and I was more heartbroken and devastated than anyone else. At home, my parents scolded me, saying I was like water spilled from a cup, that I was stingy and selfish, and that I had no one to stand by my side. I cried all the way back to Shanghai, thinking, even if the whole world abandons me, at least you're still here."

She looked up at him.

"I was wrong. My parents drained my money, and you drained my emotions. You all just want an obedient, sensible, self-sacrificing, and frugal Wu Hongmei. Nobody wants the real me."

Zhang Xiaobei's face turned pale instantly, and he finally panicked completely. He stepped forward and tried to grab her wrist, his voice trembling with helplessness for the first time: "Hongmei, don't talk nonsense, I didn't mean that, I..."

"You are it."

Wu Hongmei took a step back gently, avoiding his hand.

"For five years, I've worn the cheapest clothes and used the cheapest things. I've been bullied and looked down upon at work. When I get home, I have to listen to you calculate every expense, blaming me for wasting money, for being vain, and for being clueless. I thought that if I just endured it, it would all pass. I thought that once I saved enough money, everything would be fine. I thought that as long as I was sensible enough and accommodating enough, I could have a home."

"Now I understand. Even if I give my life, all you care about is our house, our savings, and our life. You've never loved me, Wu Hongmei, as a person. You just need a woman who's willing to suffer with you, save money with you, and not cause you any trouble."

"I'm tired, Zhang Xiaobei, I really can't take it anymore."

She spoke those words calmly, without screaming or breaking down, but with an undeniable resolve.

"Let's get a divorce."

"divorce?"

Zhang Xiaobei was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning. All the anger, frustration, and stubbornness he had felt earlier shattered instantly, leaving only overwhelming panic. He couldn't believe his ears. Five years of relationship, the hardships they had endured together, how could it all end in divorce because of this one thing?

"Wu Hongmei, haven't you made enough of a scene! So what if we've lost money? We can earn more, we can save up for the down payment. Why can't we talk things out? Why are you asking for a divorce?"

His voice was trembling with anxiety.

"It's not about the money."

Wu Hongmei gently shook her head, her eyes calm and resolute.

"From this day forward, I know clearly that we are fundamentally incompatible. Continuing this will only be mutual torment."

"I didn't not care about you, I didn't not care about you..." Zhang Xiaobei explained incoherently. He wanted to apologize, to try to keep you, to take back all the hurtful words he had said, but the words that came out were just clumsy repetitions, "I was just anxious, I was just worried about our future. Everything I did was for you, for us..."

Wu Hongmei stopped looking at him, turned around and walked to the bedside, silently packing her few belongings. She had few clothes, a handful of skincare products, and a small suitcase containing all the traces of her five years in this rented room.

Zhang Xiaobei stood there, watching her pack her luggage, his body stiff and at a loss. He wanted to go forward and stop her, to close her suitcase, to apologize to her, to tell her that he would never scold her again, never argue with her about money again, and never force her to save money again, but his legs felt like lead, and he couldn't move.

Wu Hongmei zipped up her suitcase, gently opened the door, and felt the cool breeze of a late Shanghai night. Wu Hongmei left, and the door closed softly, separating the two worlds.

Zhang Xiaobei finally couldn't hold on any longer and slumped into a chair, tears falling unexpectedly.