Chapter 10

"oh?"

“We can’t go directly… but…” Chen Li’s voice grew even lower, “we can try other methods.”

Lin Ying raised her head, her dreamy eyes glistening with a watery light. "For example?"

You'll find out soon enough.

Chen Li smiled mysteriously, then turned and ran into the room. When he reappeared in front of Lin Ying, he had a small box in his hand.

Lin Ying lay on the sofa, watching curiously as he opened the box, inside which was a pure white feather and a piece of silk fabric.

"This is?"

“The doctor said that tactile stimulation can relieve… uh…” Chen Li sat on the edge of the bed and let Lin Ying take off her clothes and lie on him. He picked up a feather and gently ran it across her skin.

A slight shiver ran through Lin Ying as the feathers sent a shiver through her body.

"Is it comfortable?" Lin Ying nodded with her eyes closed.

"Turn around," Chen Li gave the order again.

As the feather slowly slid down Lin Ying's spine, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, "Lili..."

Afterwards, in the bathroom.

Lin Ying stood in front of the mirror, her fingers gently stroking her slightly protruding belly.

Four months have passed, and this unexpected little life is quietly growing inside her. She turns to face the mirror, observing the changes in her body: her breasts have grown larger, her waistline is gradually disappearing, and her hips…

"Lili, my hips have gotten wider!" Upon seeing her distorted figure in the mirror, the satisfaction she had felt from Chen Li's earlier comfort vanished instantly. "Ah! I've become ugly!"

"Where is the baby ugly? Let me see." Compared to Lin Ying's outburst, Chen Li was much more composed.

His palm naturally covered her lower abdomen, and his chin rested on her shoulder. "I think you are beautiful, more beautiful than ever."

Lin Ying's figure wasn't particularly good to begin with, and now that she's pregnant and has been resting in bed for several months, she's been eating all sorts of supplements, so she's gained weight quickly and her body is swollen. How could she possibly be beautiful?

But Chen Li's praise flowed smoothly without the slightest pause.

I've also experienced a lot.

Chen Li should have been annoyed by the recent chaos at home and outside, but seeing Lin Ying's belly growing bigger every day, he couldn't help but feel joy.

As long as Lin Ying gives birth to the child—

He has been staying with Lin Ying in her luxury apartment for the past few months, and has also taken on the responsibility of taking care of her.

After they actually started living together, Chen Li realized just how domineering and spoiled Lin Ying was.

However, thinking of the Lin family...

Chen Li never showed any impatience or dislike in front of Lin Ying. In fact, in order to coax her to give birth to the child properly, he praised her even more and was even more patient with her in the past few months.

With the mirror reflecting so clearly, even if Lin Ying was narcissistic, she couldn't find solace in the compliments from the car.

She turned around, cupped Chen Li's face in her hands, and asked fiercely, "By the way, did your wife sign the divorce agreement?"

"It'll be soon, she can't hold out much longer."

Chen Li leaned down, his lips replacing his fingers, and began to roam over Lin Ying's skin.

Lin Ying's mind was a complete mess from the kiss, but she was still thinking about urging Chen Li to get a divorce. "If it's inconvenient for you, I can..."

...

That day, Li Chi'an had just woken up from his afternoon nap and was about to make a cup of coffee to go to his study when the phone rang.

"Is this Li Chi'an? This is Lin Ying." A young woman's arrogant voice came from the other end of the phone. "You should know me. I think we need to talk about Chen Li and my child."

Having already made preparations, Li Chi'an was calmer than he had imagined when he received the call.

However, her tone was not calm; it was even filled with anger. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Meet me at the coffee shop across from your apartment complex in half an hour. Don't tell Chen Li, it's better for everyone." The other person hung up the phone after saying that, not giving her a chance to refuse.

Li Chi'an chuckled at the silent phone and turned to go to the dressing room.

She stood in front of the wardrobe, her fingers tracing over each garment, and finally chose a simple white dress.

She was even in a good mood and put on a delicate light makeup.

The woman in the mirror had a slender figure and a calm, gentle face. She was neither haggard nor anxious, nor was she in despair. In fact, because she didn't have to take care of a man recently, she had more time to take care of herself. She ate a lot of nourishing soups to replenish her heart and blood, and her complexion became much fairer and rosier.

Good.

Not at all like a complaining woman!

A hint of a smile flashed in her beautiful almond-shaped eyes. Before leaving, Li Chi'an carried the same Chanel bag as Lin Ying, whom she had sold.

There weren't many people in the coffee shop downstairs.

When Li Chi'an opened the door, he immediately recognized Lin Ying, the young girl sitting by the window, dressed in designer clothes, heavily made up, with a slightly protruding belly.

She was wearing flat shoes, but she was still thinking about the baby in her belly.

Although she lived upstairs, Li Chi'an came down half an hour late, just in time, which led to the scene of Lin Ying waiting for her.

"You actually have a sense of time now, making me wait for so long."

As soon as Li Chi'an walked up to Lin Ying's table, she began to criticize him rapidly.

"I'm already doing you a favor by coming to see you."

Li Chian's unhurried tone made Lin Ying fall silent for a moment.

Her gaze swept over her inch by inch, her attitude casual. "Sit down."

Li Chi'an sat down opposite her with a calm expression.

"Order whatever you like to drink, it's on me."

"Then I won't be polite." Although the coffee shop downstairs was small, the coffee was actually quite good, and Li Chi'an quickly picked out the one he wanted to drink.

Lin Ying crossed her arms and watched Li Chi'an calmly order coffee with a look of anger on her face, her eyes filled with jealousy that she herself was unaware of.

Li Chi'an was nothing like she had imagined.

When they first met, she thought that he could be in such a good state because he was caught off guard. But she didn't expect that several months had passed, and Chen Li hadn't come home and was determined to divorce her. She didn't break down, nor did she look haggard or uneasy. In fact, she looked so good that she didn't look like a housewife who had given birth to a six-year-old boy.

"Miss Lin, are you looking at me like that? Have I disappointed you?" After ordering, Li Chi'an sat up slightly, his bright eyes fixed on Lin Ying's complicated expression.

Lin Ying snorted coldly, finally suppressing the expression in her eyes. She took out a stack of papers from her bag and pushed them over. "This is the pregnancy test report. You're four months along. Lili said she'd handle your matter as soon as possible, but I think it's too slow."

She stroked her swollen belly, "My child can't be without a father, you understand?"

Li Chi'an glanced down at the report, then looked up and said, "What does it have to do with me that your child doesn't have a father?"

"Of course it concerns you." Lin Ying frowned, looking rather impatient. "Just tell me, what will it take for you to agree to a divorce?"

"How long have you been together?" Li Chi'an put down the report in his hand.

“About a year and a half,” Lin Ying said nonchalantly. “Lili said he stopped loving you a long time ago and only stayed in the marriage out of a sense of responsibility.”

Seeing that Li Chi'an's expression remained unchanged, Lin Ying gritted her teeth, moved closer to her, and lowered her voice, "To be honest, sister, you should know your place at your age. What men need are women who can ignite their passion and help them take their careers to the next level, not just old ladies who can only cook and clean."

"Girl, with a face like mine, it wouldn't be too much to ask for me to be the center of a talent show, would it?" Li Chi'an clasped her hands lightly and leaned back slightly. Her clear gaze fell on Lin Ying's face, and a scathing, sarcastic smile curled at the corner of her lips. "How dare you call me an old lady when you look like that?"

Lin Ying suddenly looked up, her eyes blazing with anger. "Li Chi'an, please show some respect!"

“Respect?” Li Chianya sneered. “What decent girl who deserves respect would seduce someone else’s husband?”

"You've done all sorts of despicable things, so don't blame others for disrespecting you." She leaned forward, mimicking Lin Ying, but raised her voice several octaves.

"Lili has already told you she wants a divorce. It's because you can't bear to part with such a wonderful man that you're dragging your feet on it." Lin Ying was so angry that her face turned red. "How can you be so shameless? He doesn't want you anymore, yet you still stay at home and refuse to leave."

"An outstanding man?" Li Chi'an laughed as if he had heard a joke. "Girl, what era are we living in? Have you ever seen a high-quality man who would cheat on his wife and find other women to pave the way for his career advancement? What outstanding man would be married and still have affairs outside?"

"Besides, I paid 70% of the down payment for the house I live in now, so how can you expect me to stay here and not leave?"

"How could that be?" Lin Ying immediately retorted when she heard Li Chi'an say that she paid 70% of the price of the house they were currently living in. "You can't lie like that. How could a housewife like you have the money to buy a house?"

“Girl, you probably don’t know there’s a profession called online writer.” Seeing Lin Ying’s attitude, Li Chi’an sneered. “I think you probably don’t know Chen Li. Although he has a respectable job and a decent income, he’s always been stingy and miserly when it comes to money. In all these years of marriage, whether it’s buying a house, a car, or paying off the mortgage, we’ve always split everything. In fact, because in the years after we graduated from university, he earned very little and I earned more, and I spent more money on the house and on him than he did. If you really think about it, Chen Li has been living off me all these years. Ha, he’s really devoted.”

He is devoted to men who live off women.

Lin Ying gritted her teeth, her face turning pale and then red, but she mustered her spirits and said disdainfully to Li Chian, "What good stuff can a housewife like you write? Lili told me that you have written a few novels, but they are all garbage literature and can't make any money at all."

"Hahaha—" Li Chi'an laughed heartily, "My God, after witnessing Chen Li's moral depravity, greed, and lust, today I've also witnessed his hypocrisy and inferiority complex. It's so funny, he..."

"What are you laughing at?" Lin Ying was confused by Li Chi'an's attitude.

"I laughed at him, saying he's really trying hard to climb the social ladder." Li Chi'an laughed until tears streamed down his face. "Let me guess, he'll definitely tell you that over the years, he's worked hard to improve his education, get a job, buy a house, buy a car, and do his best to take care of his son and wife. But his wife not only can't help him, she also doesn't understand him at all and always makes him unhappy. He's just too tired and doesn't want to continue like this, right?"

"you--"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Li Chi'an took out a tissue from his bag and gently wiped his eyes. "Girl, how old are you? How can you be so naive as to believe such obvious lies from a married older man trying to deceive a young girl's feelings?! Hahahaha—"

"Stop saying that!" Lin Ying snapped, her face hard. "Hmph! Don't try to drive a wedge between me and Lili. Let me tell you, breaking up is impossible! Give up, he doesn't love you and will never come back to you!"

Li Chi'an gradually lost her smile, her gentle and fair face calming down, her expression becoming increasingly composed. Her clear gaze fell on Lin Ying's brow, "I can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep. I wish you eternal happiness."

"Hmph." Lin Ying suppressed the rising agitation within her. "Shut up. I'm here to inform you, not to discuss anything."

Her nails dug deeply into her palms.

She suddenly realized that the conversation was pointless.

Li Chi'an was not as useless as Chen Li said, nor was she as easy to deal with as Chen Li thought. This woman was as cunning as a fox and did not listen to her at all.

She waited downstairs for a long time, thinking that the other person was late because they were afraid and saddened and dared not come to see her.

Unexpectedly, she didn't come to negotiate today; she came to declare war.

She was furious and embarrassed, "Li Chi'an, don't be so stubborn!"

“If you called me here just to say something meaningless, then I’ll be leaving.” Li Chi’an stood up. “My time is precious, and I don’t need to waste it on things or people that aren’t worth it.”

After being subjected to a barbed and sarcastic humiliation, Lin Ying's face also turned pale, but she still held her head high and said anxiously, "Wait."

She called out to Li Chi'an and took out another envelope from her bag. "This is the down payment receipt for the house that Li Li gave me. He said that after the divorce, the house you are living in now will be sold and I will get half of it. I think you have the right to know."

After Li Chi'an took the envelope, he slowly opened it. Inside was a transfer slip for two million yuan, and the payer was none other than Chen Li.

This money was part of their joint savings account, which he said was used for investments last year.

Great, this money has become clearer.

Stepping out of the coffee shop, the sunlight was so bright that Li Chi'an couldn't open his eyes. Knowing that he was going to take revenge was one thing, but being hurt because of what had happened was another.

Lin Ying's belly is so big, the baby should be able to survive.

It's good that you survived, you survived...

She wandered aimlessly and unknowingly arrived at the seaside.

Listening to the sound of the waves, she took off her shoes and sat down on them. Her mind was in a mess, with many images and thoughts flashing through her mind, but she didn't know which one to grasp and think about in depth.

"9313".

Suddenly, she heard a pleasant male voice. At first, she didn't realize that the person was talking to her, until...