Almost as soon as she asked, Jeanne realized her gaffe—an overly personal question, even provocative, and, above all, in her capacity and position in the matter, she was arguably the least suitable person in the world to ask the question: how could Cesare answer it? Answer don't mind, then you just have no moral bottom line, no humanity, answer mind, then it seems that he is very hypocritical, itself this fake marriage was proposed by you Cesare first, but at that time I wanted to do it in a low-key way, and take advantage without paying the price, now the situation has changed, you have to do it big, Jenny is also trying her best to help you, at this time you say you mind, doesn't that mean that you are just thinking about taking advantage?

Coupled with her preset position, as well as the tone of the question, it is really a hint of her attitude towards this matter, as a person who takes the initiative to marry in a high-profile manner, this is actually very inappropriate, and it is also invisibly putting pressure on Cesare - in any case, it is also Jeanne's responsibility to help him solve this problem, in fact, it is Cesare who benefits in this matter, and Jeanne, as the proposer, expresses any unpleasantness is putting pressure on him, and the most unpleasant also has a feeling of flattery, so she has been very attentive, He didn't want to show the slightest unhappiness in front of Cesare.

However, the question had been asked, and even if the damage had been done, Jeanne could only observe Cesare's expression, secretly wishing that he would feel her sincerity, and the question did not contain much personal emotion, nor was it that she wanted to complain about anything, but it was just a matter of fact, or rather a curiosity, that she really wanted to know what Cesare thought, and that her relationship with him was good enough to talk about such a personal matter—well, they were already standing in the kitchen and cooking dinner together, anyway, That's kind of proof, isn't it?

Cesare paused for a moment as he chopped the vegetables, but he didn't seem angry - he didn't see Jenny's question as offensive, but shrugged, "It's a pointless question, so I don't let myself think about it." If that's what you're asking, then- well, maybe I'm a little uncomfortable. ”

The previous slight embarrassment slipped away, and Jeanne began to find the conversation interesting, and she suddenly realized that although Cesare and she often communicated with each other, this was really the first time in several years that they were discussing his personal emotions—his private life. The man was as closed as a mussel, and apart from the time when he was sick, they talked about his teenage life, and his dislike of his illness, she knew almost nothing about his personal life and preferences, which was a serious information asymmetry.

"It's terrible," she said, as she fished the chicken out of the boiling water and threw some broccoli into the water, "and the marriage was doomed to a sad end before it even began—my husband didn't like me at all." ”

"And the feeling is mutual." Cesare said he put the onions in the pan, stir-fried them a few times, and then walked away to cut the tomatoes, "I notice that you don't like it all that much -- if not repulsively." ”

"Is it that obvious?" Jenny said with a smirk, and she crossed her waist and picked up the spatula to help Cesare turn the pot.

"If you're paying attention, there aren't many signs," Cesare said, "and I noticed the change in your mood this afternoon, before I walked away, and it felt like you almost didn't drive Judy crazy this afternoon." ”

For some reason, Jenny suddenly felt like laughing, she bit her lip and forced herself to laugh, but in the end she failed, so she had to laugh and say, "Ah, what a failed fiancée I am, and what a failed actor, remind me not to enter the acting profession, Cesare, or I am afraid that I will achieve nothing in my life." ”

Cesare raised an eyebrow and looked at her a little speechlessly.

"Ha-ha." He said dryly, "-Beware! ”

He grabbed Jenny's side and turned off the heat, letting the boiling heat sink down, poured out the boiling water, and threw the broccoli into the dehydrator. Startled, Jeanne stood in front of the stove and watched Cesare's movements, until Cesare reached out to her that she suddenly realized that the onion in the pot should be flipping.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She said, returning the spatula to Cesare, walking back to the salad dehydrator and starting to tear the chicken and broccoli.

There was silence in the room for a moment, and then Jenny said, "But, seriously, it's one thing to get married in a fake way, and it's another thing to really start planning a big wedding." I don't know if you feel the same way, if all this is on paper, although it is a marriage in a legal sense, but psychologically - you know -"

"Yes, psychologically, it's like it didn't happen." Cesare said that he went back to cutting tomatoes, and Jenny couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'll cut it for you," she said, walking to the edge of the cutting board, "go to the edge of the pot - go, go, you haven't started cooking the noodles yet, anyway, you can make the salad when the time comes." ”

"Okay." Cesare paused, looked at Jenny for a few moments, and finally reluctantly said, "Anyway, if you cut your hand, the medicine kit is nearby." ”

Jeanne gave him a wide roll of the eyes, lowered her head and slowly but carefully cut the vegetables, determined not to make a mistake lest she fall victim to Cesare, who began to unpack the bacon and found a large bag of pasta.

"—but when you really start talking about weddings, indeed, it all makes a difference." Perhaps it was aroused, perhaps it was to observe Jenny's interest in the subject, and this time he opened his mouth on his own initiative, "You will have a- I don't know, I guess, a feeling of confusion, a little bit of self-doubt, don't you?" It feels like you're selling a part of your private life again in exchange for ...... Well, in exchange for a lot of money, to be exact. ”

"And the future of the company." Jenny added, "Because of washing. Money is risky after all. ”

"But if you were to put it that way, the risk of litigation for the company could still be converted into money," Cesare noted, "so I think it's really human, and it makes you feel like you're not successful enough, and you can say you're still a little poor, because you're still worried about money, and you're still going to sell things for money that you value and at least have some value for." ”

"Are you talking about you or me?" Jenny asked, and she stepped forward to add the tomatoes to the pot and washed the cutting board.

Cesare handed her three pieces of bacon, "Chop—all of them, I think that's what I feel with you." But we deal with it differently – do we like it? No, neither, but since it seems destined to happen, I'd choose to get rid of it quickly, but you're usually inclined to run away from it and not make a decision in the first place. ”

Jeanne had to admit that Cesare had a point, and that he was very observant—a great feature of her personality, and she didn't always have the energy to force herself to make amends.

"So you're yourself, and I'm kind of pampering myself." "Or rather, I'd rather wait and see if there's a turnaround, and your quick approach might sometimes make you lose room for regret." ”

"That's also a point of view." Cesare said that he had set up the pot and boiled a large pot of water over the fire, and when Jeanne stepped forward with the bacon in her hand, he stepped out of the way and asked her to put the bacon in the pot. "I think these are just two styles, I can't say which is better or worse, if delaying for a while can make you more acceptable, then I don't see why you can't procrastinate, in the final analysis, this is your wedding, and of course you are the one who can call the shots. Judy and the rest of the sponsors would love to be the protagonist - but they'll have to bend to your will. ”

"Thank you - you really know how to make people feel good." Jenny said, "Wow, it sounds like I'm so authoritative - I can actually dominate my own wedding!" ”

She couldn't help laughing, "I don't know where the most ridiculous thing about this is, whether it is a luxury to dominate my wedding, or whether this sentence actually makes me feel a real sense of authority, and really makes me feel better." ”

"You have to have the consciousness that you are living in a postmodern way." Cesare said casually, "Again, don't be dominated by the herd mentality, there's nothing wrong with living differently than the masses." ”

He opened the can, added a little stock and tomato sauce to the pot, and then covered the pot and let the sauce simmer slowly, Jenny went back to the edge of the sink and picked up the chicken and teared it absentmindedly.

"What about you? What do you think about the current lifestyle? She said, "-- I guess you don't like it too much." ”

"Of course, I don't like it, but I can handle it." Cesare said, sprinkling a little salt into the pot, grabbing a handful of pasta, and glancing at Jenny, who swallowed her saliva with great difficulty, but still shook her head firmly - she had refused many delicacies, in fact, because of her long-term light diet, many famous dishes were too strong for her, and when she was dining with people, she was really just eating with them, and she didn't even enjoy much fun, and only a few restaurants that paid attention to the original taste of food could make her love, but even so, it was not difficult to shake her head at them, Many times, when she was confronted with the unfamiliar face across the table, she even longed to shake her head at the meal in front of her - but at this moment, she found herself really tempted by the pasta, and the long diet seemed to show its cruelty once again: it was a dinner she had helped to make, but she couldn't let herself enjoy it.

"And if I decide to have a big wedding and make tens of millions of dollars from it, you don't object?" She asked, watching Cesare place the pasta vertically into the boiling water.

"Of course, I don't like it, but I can handle it." Cesare repeated, closing the lid on the pot, twisting the freshly opened timer to a scale, taking a step back, and leaning back on the dining chair with his arms folded, "It should be quite tiring, but considering that in the end you will have to give away most of your profits - it's kind of a kind of help, I'm not a good person, but I'm willing to put in the effort for this level of charity." ”

"Support charity." Jenny couldn't even hold the broccoli with a smile she laughed and shook her head, "Oh, Cesare, my God, you're really good at making excuses for yourself, aren't you?" Supporting charity – this wedding suddenly becomes very sublime, doesn't it? ”

Cesare gave a silent smile, not one of his series of business expressions, he could almost say pleasant, and even twisted his eyebrows at Jenny approvingly, as if boasting of his wit, and Jenny couldn't help but shake her head harder and harder, "You know, you put a lot of pressure on me when I say no--as if I were a cold-blooded man who is not philanthropic if I refused to have a wedding of the century-"

"So, you're going to keep a low profile?" Cesare asked, "Don't accept the highest offer from People?" ”

"It's good to have a few photos, let's do what we originally thought," Jenny shook her head, "Invite only a few people in the know, it will minimize your stress - Valentino for the wedding dress, no additional sponsorship, no tiaras, and of course no jewelry other than rings, it's a complete waste of money-"

"You have a surprisingly indifferent attitude to jewelry," Cesare commented, "not that there is anything wrong with it, of course, but it is quite rare among women. ”

"If a celebrity begins to pursue possession of jewelry, it is tantamount to giving money to a jeweler," Jenny commented, "after all, there is no jewelry other than a wedding ring that you can legitimately wear for more than three months and attend more than six social occasions - considering that it seems too ostentatious and silly to wear these things in everyday life, then all jewelry will be shelved for a period of time after the first three months, and diamonds are so invaluable, and so is the ruby sapphires of jewelry grade - A big chunk of your cash flow is eaten up by jewelry, and by the time you start thinking about monetizing them, you'll find that they don't hold as much value as you think, especially when you cash out your jewelry, and everyone knows you're starting to run out of money – so, to use your logic, I don't buy jewelry other than borrowing some jewelry to wear at the party. ”

"It's ...... Well, a very rational point of view," Cesare looked a little surprised, he thought for a moment, nodded and said, "I have to say, it fits my appetite." ”

Jeanne twisted her eyebrows at him in the same way, opened the bottle of olive oil and fruit vinegar, and carefully poured a few drops of oil into the seasoning bowl, and Cesare said, "No, no, put more—that's too little." ”

"I'll add a little more to your portion later," said Jenny, pouring vinegar and salt into the seasoning bowl, "and to get down to business, do you have a problem with that?" No sponsorship means no income, but on the other hand, the expenses will be very small, and we can have a wedding in that pavilion, as originally planned, Mary will be a witness, only invite four or five guests, and then have a big party, which will be considered a housewarming and a wedding reception, what do you think? ”

"Of course I can't ask for it." Cesare shrugged, "You know, it's going to be a lot less stressful for me, and maybe I could even cancel the wedding altogether and just take some pictures for People - now that everything is in trouble, it's not that difficult for me to use my connections to get City Hall to bypass us a little bit." ”

"Are you saying that you bypass the step of going to the city hall in person, and ask the city hall to give up the witnessing ceremony and go directly to the marriage certificate for us?" Jenny asked, a little excited and worried, "Will this provoke an attack from public opinion?" ”

"There may be some comments about celebrity perks, but there should be nothing Judy can't handle," Cesare said, opening the lid and starting to stir the sauce and the food tempt. "It's also common in Hollywood, and I've thought about it before — but I think you'd rather have a wedding ceremony and make the most of the social and promotional effects of the occasion than to just take a few photos in your wedding dress......"

"Please, please, let's do this," Jenny said eagerly, "God, I thought you'd want to make it a little grander and make the story more credible—"

"With my acting skills?" Cesare raised half an eyebrow at her. "Sitting in front of a room full of friends and family, with my father and mother among them? Do we really know each other, Jefferson? ”

"You haven't told me about your relationship with your parents......" Jenny muttered, but quickly surrendered in Cesare's eyes, "Well, I'll admit, my social intelligence doesn't need you to say it to guess - but your acting skills are pretty good-"

Jenny couldn't help but snicker a few times at the thought of his first appearance, and then continued, "At least it's a lot better than you expected, and it seems that there is still a lot of potential to be tapped - what about yourself, how do you feel?" Did you feel more confident after that night? ”

"It's really not that hard to act." Cesare mused, "But I don't like it—so I can do it, thank you." ”

Jeanne laughed happily, and she picked up a leaf that had fallen on the edge of the pool, and made a gesture to throw Cesare, "--but you were kind enough to arrange for me and Josh--now that you know how hard it is, apologize, apologize to me!" ”

"Didn't the affair with Josh help you?" Cesare defensively lifted the lid of the pot to her, continuing to stir the sauce as he defended himself, "Besides, I'm just as zealous in arranging my own fake marriage, isn't I?" So there's no double standard here, it's just that you don't need the exposure that comes with this kind of news now—"

The timer rang and the conversation was interrupted for a moment, and Cesare walked over to the stove, turned off the heat, scooped up the noodles, and rinsed them under cold water, while Jeanne quickened the process of preparing the dressing, hurriedly took the salad out of the dehydrator, and divided a bowl for Cesare, generously adding some extra olive oil. Cesare quickly prepared a large plate of spaghetti bolognese, took out two plates and a knife and fork, and placed the plate above the table.

"Water?" He asked. Jenny nodded. "Thank you."

At the long kitchen table, where the two men sat opposite each other, Cesare sandwiched some pasta for himself and continued, "However, it does feel a little different to be involved in person than it is to be on the sidelines, and if that's what you want to ask, it's a little harder to do than I thought." ”

"Right? Right? Jenny said with interest, "It's not as simple as you think, is it?" -- Actually, it's mainly a psychological feeling, that kind of loneliness and insecurity."

"Yes," Cesare said as he swallowed his pasta, took a sip of water, and said solemnly, "I did have a better opinion of Chris after really getting involved in the star's personal life, and I did some of my childish actions towards him—"

"Wait!" Jenny screamed, repeating in disbelief, "Chris-why is it Chris and not me-"

"Of course Chris, why do you think it's you?" Cesare glanced at her inexplicably, "You've only been moving in for a day, and you're already showing that you're not comfortable with this lonely life, but Chris has been living in his bay mansion for several years, and come to think of it, it's the same as living on a hill and a mansion, and his terrain is even more closed, and there is no second occupant in his field of vision—"

Jeanne couldn't help but admit that he had a point, but she did feel sorry for Cesare's compliments on Chris, and in her confused expression, Cesare continued, "So I forgive Chris's troubles for those parties, but in essence, he's a pretty middle-class boy, and it's a bit of a stretch to leave him alone in a mansion." ”

"So you think that all the things he had before him were essentially an attempt to distract him and cover up his fear of emptiness?" Jeanne couldn't help but be drawn to Cesare's words - although Chris was a familiar friend of both of them, Cesare almost never commented on his personality to Jenny, and never shared his personal opinions. "In that case, you'll find him pathetic - you know, you can't find friends to distract you, you can only use his fame to attract some companions-"

"It's not necessarily that he doesn't have friends, but you have to admit that friends have their own lives," Cesare shook his head, "and it's not necessarily a helpless choice, after all, his previous life was quite fun and attractive to many people, and Christopher may have really enjoyed it for a while - though, if I had to say, his personality still has a strong family of origin brand, and Chris is still in need of love and attention, and very eager to settle down, as for all the things he had before, There is also some element of attention craving, and he hopes that his actions will attract some discipline and criticism, which will make him feel his true self - obviously, not the created marketing image, the product of the star-making industry - the real him is still cared for, he still has a full life, not completely swallowed up by the external star image. ”

"It's like a little boy who needs the attention of an adult, so he deliberately pushes down the vase." Jenny said, squinting back to Chris's image when we first met, then shook her head, "But it's hard for me to apply such a cute image to him, you know, he's really- annoying, when we first met." ”

"But he can also be very likable, and you definitely have a say in that." Cesare gave Jenny a playful look, and Jenny gave him a blank look, "It's really a common problem of celebrities, imbalance inside and outside, but everyone deals with it differently - this is what I admire about Chris, he is almost completely accustomed to ignoring this loneliness and enjoying the privileges that come with being a star, and you know what kind of life this privilege means - special treatment, influence - where your eyes are set will become a place of abundance-"

Jeanne nodded involuntarily, and Cesare continued, "But he interrupted this pleasure when he realized what he really wanted, of course, he and Mir were on good terms now, but before he met Mir, try to think about how he lived in the mansion, where he was the only one in such a large room—we all know what it was like now—and he could pick up the phone at any time and enjoy the company of more than twenty young girls—"

"Well," Jenny sighed, "you convinced me that Chris is indeed worthy of appreciation, especially since we all know how naïve he was a few years ago. ”

Having said that, she was still haunted by Cesare's choice to be considerate of Chris's difficulties, and as she spoke, she couldn't help but make a strange look, and Cesare - he actually let out a pleasant chuckle, which was a rare real laugh that made him look a lot younger in an instant, even like a freshman who had just graduated from society, and would be overwhelmed by a boring joke -

"You did it on purpose," Jenny glared at him, "and you did it on purpose, didn't you?" Damn, and I'm still falling into your trap—"

Cesare really laughed out loud, and he laughed as he said, "I'm sorry, I just didn't expect you to really need praise so much - you really want to be so much, it seems that in some ways you are as naïve as Chrisby......"

Jeanne glared at him, angrily chewing the lettuce in her mouth, Cesare took a sip of the glass, he glanced at Jenny, turned his head again, and the shoulder line fluttered slightly a few times before returning to his usual expression.

"But, seriously, I didn't expect you to need compliments like Chris," he said, "because you're obviously much more mature and self-controlled than he is, and I think you're well aware of that." In a way, Chris is still a grown-up kid and you're already a social person, and our engagement illustrates that - it's hard to imagine that you can arrange a fake engagement for Chris, and you're worried that he's messed up. ”

"He wouldn't accept that either." Jenny shook her head and said sincerely, "You can say that he hasn't grown up, but you have to admit that he has a better bottom line than all of us in this regard." ”

"That's true." Cesare thought for a moment and took a mouthful of pasta into his mouth, "So he's not as rich as we are - the world is fair." ”

Jenny could only nod wordlessly, and there was a moment of silence at the table, as she watched jealously as Cesare ate the spaghetti with bolognese sauce - seemingly healthy, but undoubtedly heavy salt and sugar, because of the tomato sauce, but it looked really damn delicious - munching on the tasteless salad in her mouth, and after a while, she couldn't help but say, "You know, I found something interesting." ”

“hm？” Cesare was still buried above the plate, holding a fork to his mouth, and he did not lower the fork, but raised an eyebrow at her—Jeanne found that he had a lot of expression in private, or in real home, and sometimes not so proper and elegant.

"We don't like fake marriages, that's for sure," she continued, releasing the realization, "but the dislikes vary, I, obviously, I don't like weddings, and I don't like to sell my private life for money, and in general, I don't like the symbolism, if you know what I mean - but you, the main thing you don't like is acting in front of the camera, and the bodyguards, the paparazzi, what you don't like is the inconvenience caused by this event, But you seem to be comfortable getting married for the first time for money, don't you? ”

Cesare thought as he chewed, and after a moment he nodded his head at Jeanne, picked up a tissue, wiped his mouth, and swallowed as he said, "Your powers of observation have always been appreciated, indeed, I seem to think so." ”

"But—" said Jenny, tucking her incomprehension into a syllable.

"Sounds counterintuitive." Cesare thought for a moment, "But I really don't think it's anything -- it's a purposeful marriage, it's important, it's going to solve a personal and urgent, high-stakes problem, there's no confusion, it's friendly from start to finish, it's not hurting, it's not going to spill over to a bona fide third party -- you have to admit it, it's more constructive than Malibu, Beverly Hills, or even 80 percent of marriages in the nation, isn't it?" ”

For the first time, Jeanne was speechless in the face of a Cesare, and she wanted to find evidence to disprove this thesis, but she couldn't think about it effectively—part of which she couldn't help but think about what Cesare's words revealed: his childhood, his parents' multiple marriages (which she noticed on the side), and the stories implied by 'spilling over to bona fide third parties', which could easily be guessed in the light of what Cesare had revealed.

"Uh...... All right. Eventually, she decided not to touch on the subject, which was a bit too personal for a friend to bring up lightly: "I didn't expect you to think so much about marriage...... Reality, you know, because you proposed to Lillian—"

Jenny regretted it—they had never talked about the night Lillian had run away, and she had privately thought it was one of Cesare's most vulnerable and grief-stricken nights, at least the saddest she had ever seen, and that she had not been invited to witness the scene, so it was ...... to talk about it The feeling of crossing the line, even if the conversation atmosphere is now natural and relaxed.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, lowering her head to drink from Cesare's face, "I didn't mean to...... You just didn't say anything about it. ”

Cesare didn't speak at the first moment, but Jenny could feel that he wasn't angry, on the contrary, the aura he exuded made her feel that he was thinking-

She looked at him boldly, and Cesare did not show anger, sadness, anger, or any reaction to trauma, his shoulder line was not even tense, and it was evident that her question did not offend him, nor provoked his defensive reaction, quite the contrary - if Jeanny's observation was not wrong, under the pale golden eyelashes, Cesare did have a nostalgic look, not sad, but full of remembrance, and it seemed that Lillian was a thing of the past for him. A good old day, but it's a thing of the past after all.

"You're right," he said, eventually, picking up the fork again and starting to roll the pasta. "I didn't really have such a clear understanding - it may make you unbelievable, but I was also young-"

Jenny couldn't help but snort, "You guessed, but I'll say - I can't believe you're ever young." ”

A slight smile appeared on Cesare's lips, as if to say, 'as expected', and he put the noodles in his mouth in a serious manner, and after a few chews, he continued the conversation, "I did have a time when I was young and ignorant, and until now, if I had to say, I have remained relatively hungry. I still have a lot to learn - it's just that my weaknesses and ignorance don't have to be known, let alone my clients. They just need to know how good and reliable I am, and when I get upset, confused, uncertain, messed up - it's my own business. ”

"So when you were acting for me, you often tried while groping, and then pretended to be a veteran to admonish me? Even when Big Dream was first founded, and even now? Jenny shouted exaggeratedly, "So you're a complete liar?" Everyone is deceived by your calm appearance, not knowing that you have no real material, only cheeky kung fu - even cheeky kung fu is pretended? ”

"No matter how many times I've been studying and dealing with problems, when I admonish you, you have to believe, Jefferson, that I must have been very confident," Cesare said with a roll of the eyes and in an unquestioning tone, "because you were such a dish, so stupid—and now, are we going to quarrel or keep talking about it?" ”

Jeanne, of course, wanted to continue talking about it, and she and Lillian hadn't even discussed it much, she hurriedly made a zipper gesture on her mouth, and winked at Cesare obediently and begging for mercy - and Cesare shook his head and continued, "When I was 26 years old, I never seriously considered marriage, it was a chaotic concept in my mind, and since many people get married in the second half of their 20s, and I have a stable girlfriend, it is logical to propose after three years of dating, which is also in line with expectations - at least in line with the expectations of ordinary women, and also responsible. ”

He began to roll his pasta again, "I only have a vague idea of what will happen after the proposal, we should live a traditional white fence life, because Lillian is such a traditional girl - you know her personality. ”

Jenny couldn't help but join Cesare and smile with him, for Lillian was indeed such a girl, a girl who made people think that she would smile.

"And this kind of life is what I expected, and I can be sure that I will never be in a hurry to get married and divorced like my parents, and I do yearn for this kind of white fence life, and I don't know how we are going to achieve this after proposing," Cesare shrugged, "but, since most people do it, I think it should happen so naturally." So, I proposed—and of course you know exactly what's going to happen next. ”

"You can skip this paragraph if you want." Jeanne suggested, but Cesare shook her head.

"It's not a painful memory," he said, "it's not anymore, on the contrary, Lillian's reaction makes me especially glad that if she hadn't stayed awake, we might have fallen into the same mistakes as the previous generation, starting another hasty and thoughtless marriage -- and then ending in great embarrassment, with a profound impact on the children who might have existed at the time -- and entering into a marriage when you haven't thought it through is not the most responsible thing to do, but on the contrary, it is the most irresponsible thing to do, I'm glad that Lillian finally made me understand that, and that I don't have what it takes to have a life like this. ”

"Uh......" said Jenny, feeling a little embarrassed, for it sounded pitiful. Cesare, however, seemed normal, and he didn't seem to think it was something to be sad about.

"It's not something to shy away from." He said, "You know very well that Lillian doesn't like Hollywood, and that disgust has affected her vision of the future for both of us, and she doesn't like it for very good reasons, and I can't ask her to fit in, and the ideal option is for me to leave Hollywood and choose another industry, one that doesn't often cross her line, but I'm just not willing to do that, and I know very well that she loves me very much, and she's probably the best girl I've ever met, and she's been patient for me for years. Now it's my turn to give—but I just don't want to. ”

He took a sip of water and shrugged his shoulders, "A person who can't put his lover before his career can't have a marriage, at least not the kind of marriage that I have longed for in the traditional sense, this is a very simple fact, based on a simple axiom: where you spend your time, you will be rewarded." Actually, after figuring this out, I was much more relaxed, the fog dissipated, I understood how it worked, and I understood that I couldn't do both, and I had made a natural choice. If I had to say, the one who really felt guilty in my relationship with Lillian was, you see, I wasted too much of her time and made her give too much affection before I figured it out. If it weren't for her dislike of Hollywood that saved us, it might have taken us many years of painful and painstaking discovery of the troublesome damage I spoke of earlier. ”

"Oh." Jenny moaned under her breath. "Don't tell me you told her that." ”

"I did tell her," Cesare said, his expression slightly confused, "is there anything wrong with that?" ”

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Jenny weakly, "but I guess she's not happy to hear it." ”

"Indeed, she cried," Cesare gave Jeanne a strange look, as if wondering why she could guess so accurately, "and she said she was sorry for me—she didn't have to, it was purely a matter of choice—and I can honestly tell you that for some reason, knowing that I could give up on such an attempt altogether, made me feel ...... A feeling of relaxation. And that's probably why I'm not averse to the idea of fake marriages, and I think that since I didn't expect to have a holy marriage, or just a marriage, it would be nice to be able to use it to solve a problem for myself, wouldn't it? ”

Jenny felt speechless, and for a moment she couldn't help feeling sorry for Cesare, as Lilian—the more genuinely confused he was, the stronger the feeling of apology, and she knew she shouldn't tell her true thoughts, but—

"I can understand how you feel," said Jenny, and she sighed, mostly to herself—really, she shouldn't have said it. "And it is not for me to tell you this, especially after I have argued that we should continue to fulfill the marriage contract - but I will tell you nevertheless that Cesare ......"

"Maybe you don't think you're capable of loving someone, or maybe you choose not to love someone, or maybe love is a very secondary place in your life—" she said as she looked at Cesare sincerely, trying to convey her emotions to him with a slight frown - and he was even curling pasta, "and I can't promise you that you will have the ability, that you will still meet a true lover, and then you will regret it—I will not tell you these nonsense, but I will tell you, really, you have to believe me, I've told you from the perspective of someone who came before, no matter how indifferent and hopeless you are to normal married life, it still doesn't mean that you can use your marriage as a bargaining chip without any obstacles in exchange for other interests, maybe now you think you can, but the moment you really get married - you will feel the real taste of the idea, and then it will come back and bite you hard on the ass, really, then you will understand that your idea is wrong, no matter what, You shouldn't be slow about your life like this, you shouldn't be slow about yourself like this, the price you pay for doing so is far greater than you think......"

She looked at Cesare, and looked at him with a slow change in her eyes—first with suspicion, then with emotion, then with deep thought—no doubt, no doubt, like Cesare just now, that her words revealed so much that to a listener who knew enough detail, knew her well enough, that the words themselves contained a story that she could imagine logical deductions and constructions—that she had experienced something similar? Has she ever been married in an unknown past? Did all this have something to do with the last time she suddenly looked at a rich kid differently? And after she experienced it once, after knowing how heavy it was, would she choose to repeat it again? Isn't that-

"Isn't that ......," Cesare began, pausing, as if searching for the right words, but finally speaking directly, his dark blue pupils, almost glowing green in the light, staring intently at Jeanne, as if trying to get to know her again through this poignant question, "if you already know this deeply, and choose to do it anyway - isn't that...... Isn't it ridiculous? ”

"yes," said Jeanne, whispering, unable to disagree with Cesare, "isn't that pathetic......