The Female Supporting Actress is Acting Again - 23

☆⁠ Chapter 23 Zhuang Zhou Mengdie ☆⁠

　　

Della suddenly woke up!

She sat on the edge of the bed and breathed heavily, feeling her heart throb again and again.
　　

Turning her head, she saw her husband, Jim, sleeping soundly.
　　

Really, why did he sleep so well?
　　

Della secretly thought that she did not choose to marry him to live a hard life.
　　

In the beginning, Jim could earn thirty dollars a month.
　　

But later, she didn’t know what happened. It might be because of the economic depression, or because Jim himself failed to live up to her expectations, and his monthly income dropped to twenty dollars. What can twenty dollars do? The rent for this small, dingy apartment cost eight dollars a month.
　　

The remaining money has to support the lives of two people, which can only be said to be barely supported.
　　

Tomorrow is Christmas. Every woman deserves a decent gift at Christmas.
　　

Della thought so, glanced at Jim, turned around, lay down, and slowly closed her eyes.
　　

A busy day starts early in the morning.
　　

Della got up from bed early, thinking about the gifts she might receive today, and she was as happy as a little bird. What would Jim give himself? A full set of combs? Della saw that set of combs when she and Jim went shopping together last time. They were so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes away from them.

Della had beautiful hair and thought she needed a comb like that.
　　

She hummed and briskly placed the plate in front of Jim and said, "Merry Christmas, Jim~"
　　

"Merry Christmas, Della."

Jim is a very handsome man, wearing the only crisp suit in his wardrobe and sitting upright at the dining table like a real aristocrat.
　　

Della thought again, wasn't she deceived by his face in the beginning?
　　

But the facts proved that the aristocratic etiquette could not bring them more salary, and this small family was crumbling in the wind and rain. And Jim? Della glanced at her husband.
　　

He didn't notice anything unusual, didn't see his wife's extremely expectant heart, or the estimation hidden in her eyes.

Jim sat upright at the dining table as usual, reading the newspaper.
　　

Like an emotionless machine.

Della began to wonder, does this man really love her?
　　

Even though Della was a little disgusted with Jim's incompetence at the moment, she was still thinking, does this man, her husband, really love her?
　　

Judging from the current situation, it doesn't look like it.
　　

Della murmured and gave Jim a strange look. Jim flipped through the newspaper, ate breakfast calmly, and then went out to prepare for work.
　　

A restrained smile appeared on his handsome face, and he kissed Della gently at the door. His blue eyes looked deeply at Della. Della blushed and her heart skipped a beat, deeply impressed by his charm.
　　

But as soon as the door closed and she saw the cramped apartment, the blush on Della's face suddenly dissipated and turned into a tragic paleness.
　　

She thought again, even if Jim brought her the full set of combs she wanted today, so what?
　　

That set of combs cost a full twenty dollars, Jim's entire month's wages. Buy it, what will they live on next month?

Della stood in front of the mirror, looking at the beautiful woman with a slender figure and flowing long hair, and remembered that she had not seen Jim's gold watch for a long time.
　　

It was a family heirloom passed down from Jim's grandfather to Jim's father, and from Jim's father to Jim. If Della's hair is Della's treasure, then Jim's gold watch is not inferior to Della's hair at all.
　　

Could it be that Jim has sold his gold watch to buy herself a Christmas gift?

Della thought this and felt her heart beat faster.
　　

So she put on her only beautiful coat in a good mood, took the basket and went out. The whole street was filled with the atmosphere of Christmas, and Della's long hair rippled with Della's jumping movements, like soft lake water.
　　

All the passers-by were moved by such beauty. Della was so proud that she raised her head even more, like a proud peacock.
　　

But this arrogance was instantly shattered when she passed by the mall, where Della met a childhood playmate, Olivia, now the wife of a newspaper tycoon.
　　

Olivia is undoubtedly a beautiful woman, but Della has always believed that this superficial beauty is not as good as her own. She really doesn’t understand how she got such good luck to marry a rich and powerful man. She is such a lucky woman.

　　

Della thought jealously, and even wanted to twist an insincere smile on her face, but Olivia seemed to be in a good mood, and her brightly painted nails almost poked Della's face: "Merry Christmas Della!" She smiled, pretending to be affectionate and asked: "How have you been lately?"
　　

Della smiled gloomily: "Very good, thank you for your concern."
　　

Olivia said: "That's good, because Jim is unemployed, so I'm still thinking that you may not be happy during this period..."
　　

Unemployment? What unemployment?
　　

Della's eyes widened instantly and she looked at Olivia in disbelief: "What are you talking about, Jim is unemployed?"
　　

Olivia was surprised: "What, you didn't know?" She yelled: "He has been unemployed for two whole months! Oh my God, you didn't know this all along?"

Jim lost his job, two months ago?

Della trembled. She thought of Jim's unusual home time recently and the gold watch that had disappeared, and her face suddenly turned pale.
　　

Olivia said happily: "Della, if you are willing, I can hire you to be my hairdresser."
　　

Unnecessary!
　　

Della gritted her teeth and glared at Olivia, hating Jim in her heart. If he was already unemployed, why didn't he tell herself earlier and embarrass herself in front of Olivia?
　　

The damn pride of a man is simply disgusting!
　　

Della thought like this, glared at Olivia fiercely, turned around and prepared to leave, not wanting to continue talking to this woman at all. Olivia, however, had no sense at all, and said enthusiastically: "But dear Della, today is Christmas. Aren't you going to the mall to buy Jim a Christmas gift?"
　　

She opened her lips and said seductively: "Jim is unemployed. As a wife, you should buy him a gift to comfort him."

What bullshit? Della felt that Olivia was talking in her sleep. She had worked so hard for Jim for several months to save twenty dollars of personal money. Why should she use it to buy Jim a gift?
　　

She sneered and was about to leave, and Olivia said like an annoying fly: "If you don't have money, you can sell your hair. You can definitely sell it for a big price and buy it for Jim." The gift will surely be enough.”
　　

Della finally spoke, she said: "Olivia, forget about this and go back to being a rich wife."

Then she carried the basket and walked away as proudly as in the beginning.

　　

...


Jim gets off work early today.
　　

When Jim was walking home, he saw a red Santa Claus and a green Christmas tree, and suddenly remembered that today was Christmas.

Yes, today is Christmas, and Della even said Merry Christmas to himself in the morning.
　　

Maybe he should buy Della a gift.
　　

Jim thought that he resigned from his original company two months ago and started a business with his friends. To this end, he even sold his ancestral gold watch. Because he was afraid that Della would worry, Jim never told her about starting a business....
　　

But since yesterday, the new company has started to make money, maybe it can be told to Della.

But there was something very strange. In Jim's heart, he felt that he was in love with Della, but recently, he couldn't think of Della's face outside, as if this woman was just like a paper man.
　　

I love Della. Jim thought to himself, I should love her.
　　

He decided to buy Della a gift.
　　

Jim remembered that the last time Della saw a set of combs in the mall, she admired them. Although Jim had forgotten the appearance of the combs, he remembered the expression on Della's face.
　　

She really wants it, right?
　　

But that set of combs cost a full twenty dollars.
　　

Jim has twenty dollars on him. This is the first money he has received since the company made money. It is not much, but if it keeps going like this, he should be able to earn more every month than before.

A set of twenty-dollar combs is undoubtedly not worth it in terms of value theory. That was a marketing tool used by merchants to attract beauty-loving women. Just looking at the set of combs, Jim thought, they definitely cost less than eight dollars.
　　

If they don't buy the comb, they can find another apartment.
　　

The current apartment is too small, and Della often complains that the kitchen is too cramped and the place to dry clothes is not big enough... If he doesn't buy a comb, and as he makes more and more money in the future, he can change their apartment. From an affordability perspective, it would definitely be better to move to another house.
　　

Della will be happy too.
　　

After returning home, Jim obviously felt that something was not right in the atmosphere.

His beautiful wife was dejected, and even the dinner was very perfunctory. Not only was it not as rich as Christmas, it was not even up to the usual level.
　

Jim asked: "Della, are you feeling unwell?"
　　

Della gave him a strange look: "It's okay, honey."
　　

She was still thinking that Jim was unemployed. In the past two months, they might have been living on the money Jim sold his gold watch. How to continue life next?
　　

Now that the economy is in recession, many people have been laid off and unemployed. Apart from being good-looking, Jim has no other special qualities. It should be difficult for him to find another job.

That's ridiculous, Della thought. She didn't marry Jim just to endure hardship.

　　

Why can Olivia be so lucky and marry a rich man? But she could only marry Jim, save some private money every month, and couldn't buy a comb that she liked. She is obviously no worse than Olivia.
　　

She glanced at Jim again, but Jim didn't notice.
　　

Don't think about Christmas gifts, Della thought to herself, this won't work, she has to find a way out for herself in advance.
　　

She couldn't live with Jim in this small apartment all her life. She had to be like Olivia, or even better than Olivia, live in a bigger house and use a full set of combs.
　　

She couldn't have gotten that with Jim.
　　

She's leaving Jim.
　　

Della made her decision and her gaze hardened.
　　

First, take inventory of her belongings.

In the more than a year since she married Jim, Della has saved a "huge sum" of twenty dollars. In addition, she also has a beautiful coat, a pair of beautiful moccasins, and a bright little red hat.
　　

And her long hair as beautiful as seaweed.
　

After leaving Jim, where should she go?

Della thought that the small town in her hometown was so depressing that there was no point in going back. Perhaps, she could go to a bigger place, bigger than the city where she lived now.

How about the capital?
　

The capital is not bad. There happens to be a train destined for the capital tomorrow.
　　

After making up her mind, Della's mood improved again. She no longer went to see Jim, but immersed herself wholeheartedly in her own world, wanting to escape from this poor apartment and Jim, an incompetent man.

I will never come back to this cramped little place in my life!
　　

...

After dinner, Jim had something to say to Della.
　　

He still has the set of combs in his bag—

　　

Yes, after weighing the pros and cons, Jim bought the set of combs.
　　

There was no special reason, just because Della liked the comb, so even though Jim thought that the comb was not worth so much money, or that it was not a good time to spend money lavishly, Jim bought the comb anyway.
　　

Because Della likes it very much.

As for the house, as long as they work harder, they can change it soon. They can even buy an apartment as Della envisioned, right in the city center, making it easier for Della to go shopping.
　　

Jim was in a good mood, with the corners of his lips raised slightly, and called Della: "My dear, I have a gift for you."
　　

But Della was busy calculating how many things she could take away, so she didn't hear Jim's call at all. After Jim called and got no response, he was a little surprised and turned to look at Della's face.
　　

The wife frowned, as if thinking about something.
　　

Jim probed: "Della?"
　　

Della heard it now, and she was very impatient: "What's the matter?"
　　

Jim paused, surprised at the look of disgust on Della's face. What's going on? It's Christmas today. Isn't Della in a bad mood?

Jim pursed his lips and looked at his bag, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.
　　

Feelings of disobedience surged up like a tide, and Jim thought to himself, strangely, aren't he and Della two people in love?
　　

He suddenly remembered the sweetness of his wedding to Della. What a happy day it was? Every day Della's face was filled with a huge smile, they kissed, hugged, made love -
　　

Before getting married, Jim didn't know that one day he would be able to hug another person as tightly as if he was suffering from skin hunger.
　　

Thinking like this, Jim somewhat understood Della's current indifference.
　　

Maybe she's been under too much pressure lately, he thought.
　　

When he went to bed at night, Jim hugged Della tightly, licked and kissed her hard, and tested her repeatedly. The woman beneath him responded to him as usual, gasping, trembling, and even screaming and crying, wanting hard—

But something still seems wrong.
　　

Jim was sweating profusely and hugged his wife tightly. He was almost full of confusion, thinking, what is wrong?
　　

He didn't get an answer yet.
　　

The next morning, Jim left the house as usual.
　　

Last night's lovemaking did not bring the couple closer. On the contrary, Jim felt a deeper gap. When he kissed Della on the cheek, he felt his wife's absent-mindedness and asked softly: "Della, are you okay?"
　　

Della forced a smile and did not look into Jim's eyes: "It's okay, maybe it's because I didn't sleep well last night."
　　

Jim leaned forward and couldn't help but think of his rudeness last night. He showed a rather apologetic smile, kissed Della's temples gently, hugged her, and whispered: "Wait until I get home, okay?"
　　

Tonight, I will give you a huge surprise.

Then he turned around and stalked away.

The company he and his friends opened is located in an office building on Xinjie. If you are your own boss, you will usually have more freedom in your commuting time, but Jim is different. He is very strict with himself, and facts have proven that this rigor also comes with efficiency.
　　

But today Jim felt a little distracted.
　　

He couldn't help but think of his wife Della.
　　

He first thought of the joy of their wedding, and of Della's indifference during this period. Then he couldn't help but want to recall how he and Della fell in love and got married, but suddenly found that he had no memory of these things...
　　

What happened?

Jim suddenly felt a sense of panic, and his soul seemed to be floating. He thought, did he really love Della?
　　

If he really loved Della, why couldn't he even remember where they first met?
　　

The first time they met, the first secret hand-holding, the first tender kiss, why didn’t he have any impression of any of this?
　　

If you think about it carefully, everything that has happened in the past year is as unreal as smoke and mirrors. He loved Della, there was no doubt about it. But why?
　　

Because she is a beauty?
　　

Jim took a breath, and when the pen fell on the white paper, a black mark appeared, like some ugly totem.

　　

Who am I? Where am I?
　　

Della... There was a trance in his head, almost crazy thinking, who is Della?

His mind was in a mess.
　　

Somewhere in the universe, there is empty space.
　　

"Warning! The "Gift of the Magi" experimenter Wei Sheng's mental energy fluctuated too much and showed signs of awakening. Please activate the emergency plan. Do you want to activate the emergency plan immediately?"
　　

A pair of hands pulled over the panel and looked at the "Gift of the Magi" experimental scene.
　　

Wei Sheng.
　　

This man is neither the hero nor an important supporting character in the novel, but his mental power is extremely strong. He is able to break through the rules of memory infusion and sense his special situation.
　　

The voice said: "Start the emergency plan immediately." She said: "This script will be over soon. The characters of Wei Sheng and Lin Jianqing are not deviant. The so-called [loophole] should not be the two of them."

She—that is, the local rule of "For You"—thought that the more than twenty people currently being tested either did not have personality deviations, or the personality deviations were less than 30%, which was impossible to be that loophole that changes the plot.

Strange, who is it?
　　

Her time is running out.

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