“Inside Tong Yuwu’s heart, it was a tumultuous mix of emotions.
On one hand, she was ranting furiously about Fu Liheng, but on the other hand, her heart felt cold and empty.
Although she always had self-awareness, she never imagined that after the grand wedding they had, this despicable man would still consider divorce. Marriage requires effort, especially with a combination like hers and Fu Liheng’s. She believed she had put in a lot of effort over the past two years. In this circle, no other wife could match her dedication.
Perhaps she used to have some confidence, but now, the room was as quiet as a chicken coop, and the imagined romance had not occurred. She should have understood Fu Liheng’s thoughts.
If she didn’t take measures, he wouldn’t touch her. What did that mean? Pregnancy was out of the question!
From the beginning of their marriage until now, it had been two full years, and every single time, Fu Liheng had taken absolutely secure precautions.
With Fu Liheng’s shrewdness and methods, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to tamper with contraception. She wouldn’t do something as stupid as that in her entire life.
Pregnancy, of course, required mutual acceptance and effort from both parties. She despised using a child to bind a marriage deep down in her heart…
Men and women have different physiological structures. Perhaps other men might return to their families due to fatherly feelings for a child, but not Fu Liheng. He was not someone who could be controlled. He was extraordinarily opinionated.
Even though Tong Yuwu had mentally sentenced Fu Liheng to a cruel fate, she didn’t display any extra emotions outwardly.
While today hadn’t ended yet, Tong Yuwu quickly brought up the details of the novel in her mind. She didn’t have the slightest interest in Qin Yi and the female lead’s affairs.
Every chapter where she and Fu Liheng appeared, she read and reread, firmly remembering every detail. Unfortunately, as a supporting character, she barely received any attention. Almost all of her appearances were in Qin Yi’s memories.
“Can’t sleep?” came Fu Liheng’s deep, masculine voice in the darkness.
Hah.
Did he even realize there was a living person lying next to him?
Tong Yuwu leaned over and nestled against his chest.
Since he didn’t have any intentions, she naturally wouldn’t try to seduce him again. Why not just chat and deepen their relationship?
“Yeah, maybe I woke up too late today. Can’t sleep at this hour.”
Suddenly, a faint citrus scent wafted from Fu Liheng’s nose. “I thought you’d made friends with the bed.”
“Kind of,” Tong Yuwu’s tone softened. “Just a little.”
“You don’t have to force yourself to stay overnight at the old house,” Fu Liheng said.
“It’s not forcing,” Tong Yuwu half-truthfully replied. “I see Mom really misses you. And I do too. You’ve been too busy these days, always needing to go back to the office and work overtime. You’ve been too busy, you should have a good night’s rest.”
Fu Liheng fell silent for a moment, then reached out to embrace her, softly saying, “Hmm, go to sleep.”
Tong Yuwu naturally couldn’t fall asleep. Nights were conducive to wandering thoughts. How rational one is in the morning correlates to how confused they were the previous night.
She still knew a bit about Fu Liheng. He wasn’t stingy by nature. Even before they got married, he spent lavishly on her, let alone after their marriage. He wasn’t frugal with women and was especially generous with his own woman. Why then, during the divorce, did he only give his ex-wife a few million as consolation?
Thinking about the system that claimed to be online 24/7, she mentally summoned a question: [Why does Fu Liheng want a divorce from me?]
Actually, what she really wanted to ask was why he treated her like a beggar?
But to maintain her image, even facing the system, she didn’t want to appear overly concerned about money.
System: [I’m sorry, it wasn’t written in the novel, so I don’t know.]
Tong Yuwu: “…”
Alright, let’s ask in a different way.
Tong Yuwu: [Can I change the outcome of the divorce?]
System: [Changing the plot will be very difficult.]
Does that mean it’s not impossible?
System: [I advise the user to follow the program’s suggestions, become a wealthy beauty, marry a rich and handsome man—it’s not just a dream. Based on data analysis, the possibility of changing the bankruptcy outcome is fifty percent higher than changing the divorce outcome.]
Tong Yuwu: [How can I change the bankruptcy outcome?]
System: [I’m sorry, the program is still upgrading. Please stay tuned for future developments.]
Meanwhile, Liu Yunxi returned to her rented room only to realize she’d left her wallet at the bar.
Life nowadays was convenient. A smartphone could solve most problems, but this also meant Liu Yunxi didn’t immediately notice she’d lost something. Her wallet contained cards and a few hundred yuan. Worried someone might pick it up, she gritted her teeth and grabbed her keys to head out.
Her friend Su Rui came out of the restroom and seeing Liu about to leave, asked, “You’re going out now? Didn’t you finish work already?”
Liu Yunxi looked disheartened. “I think I left my wallet at the bar. I need to go back and find it.”
Su Rui didn’t approve of Liu Yunxi working at the bar. It was a place with mixed characters, and Liu Yunxi was pretty. Who knew if she might encounter someone with ulterior motives?
“It’s late. How about waiting? I’ll accompany you,” Su Rui suggested. Both of them came from a small town and had humble backgrounds. Su Rui knew Liu Yunxi would definitely go back for her wallet, and for safety, she wanted to go along.
Liu Yunxi declined, smiling lightly. “No need. You have an important interview tomorrow. Prepare for it. Don’t worry, I’ll call a cab myself; it’ll be safe.”
Hearing about the interview, Su Rui hesitated, but before she could act, Liu Yunxi had rushed out the door.
Liu Yunxi hailed a ride. The rush hour in Beijing had passed, reducing the usual ten-minute drive to just ten minutes today. Exiting the car and bidding farewell to the driver’s “Remember to rate me, miss,” she quickly entered the bar.
The bar wasn’t too noisy; there weren’t many people dancing. Most were office workers coming in for a drink to unwind.
Liu Yunxi bypassed the bar counter and headed to the lounge, finding her wallet in the cabinet, finally feeling relieved.
As she left the lounge, she passed by the restroom. At that moment, a man reeking of alcohol stepped out. She glanced at him and quickened her pace, but the man cast a malicious smile her way.
Since childhood, Liu Yunxi knew she was beautiful, but without adequate financial background, sometimes beauty was a curse. During her four years in college, she
had worked various jobs, including tutoring, where male parents hinted at harassment.
Even at a bubble tea shop where she worked, the boss would make inappropriate comments.
Some friends suggested she accept the pursuit of wealthy classmates to make her life easier, but her upbringing didn’t allow her to be someone who sought gains without effort. Besides, those rich kids might have plans to ditch her once they grew tired of her.
Qin Yi didn’t drink much. He used to have a low alcohol tolerance, but he’d trained himself in recent years. Sometimes, when he missed Tong Yuwu terribly and wanted to call her, he had to hold back. Holding back until alcohol could temporarily suppress the pain.
As he descended from upstairs, passing by the restroom, he wasn’t interested in what was happening in the bar. He had no inclination to be a do-gooder. Inadvertently, his eyes met the profile of a young woman, and he froze as if struck by lightning.
“Yuwu…”
The two people who were having a dispute felt someone approaching and looked at Qin Yi.
In just that glance, Qin Yi snapped out of it and smirked.
How could he mistake this woman in front of him for her? At first glance in the dim light, there was some resemblance, but upon closer inspection, she was completely different. Apart from facial structure and contours, the eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth… were dissimilar.
He must be losing his mind. How could she be here? And how could Fu Liheng allow her to encounter such situations?
If it were really her, would he remain so calm? He’d want to gouge out the eyes of anyone who dared mistreat her, let alone something like this.
“Please, help me!” Liu Yunxi saw someone approaching and tears flowed uncontrollably. “I really don’t know him!”
Qin Yi felt a bit suffocated. Though she didn’t look exactly like her, in that instant, he felt a pang of sympathy. Perhaps it was because of those tears.
“Get lost,” Qin Yi glared coldly at the man.
Meanwhile, Tong Yuwu couldn’t sleep peacefully at night.
Before falling asleep, she had pondered many things, eventually ending up thinking about her seemingly glamorous yet miserable situation. If her parents were still alive, she wouldn’t need to go through all this. She thought marrying Fu Liheng would bid farewell to her lonely days, but it turned out she might face an even more miserable future…
Tong Yuwu’s state of mind crumbled in an instant. Not entirely, just that this night she dreamt. She dreamt of when she was fifteen, not understanding what had happened. Many people were wearing black clothes, consoling her. When she saw her parents’ tombstones, she fully realized that it was at her parents’ funeral.
Fu Liheng was awakened by a burst of sorrowful cries.
He sat up, and the moon’s radiant light shone through the window. His wife lying beside him had tear streaks all over her face. She seemed to be having a sad dream.
“Don’t… don’t leave me…”
Tong Yuwu’s reddened lips quivered.
Her crying, her sleep-talking voice, were as feeble as a mosquito.
Fu Liheng leaned in, wanting to listen carefully before deciding whether to wake her up.
“Don’t leave me behind…”
Fu Liheng was stunned, remembering that year.
The year he returned from abroad, at the airport, he witnessed a young couple breaking up. The guy was leaving, the girl remained silent. Normally, in such situations, the girl would cry heartbreakingly, but this time, it was the guy. Coincidentally, he knew the guy, a youngster from the Qin family.
The girl’s expression seemed calm.
Later, at the parking lot, the driver arrived late. As the car was about to leave the parking lot, he glimpsed that girl in a red dress and dark hair huddled to the side, shoulders shaking, probably crying.
