Cheng Zhou took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, and tried to make his voice sound calm, even with a deliberately created sense of detachment: "Okay."

This single word seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

Cheng Zhou picked up the agreement, his fingertips trembling slightly, but he didn't open it. "However..."

He paused, avoiding Lu You's gaze, and looked out the window. "My flight is tonight. I'm going abroad to see Coco. It seems like something's come up there, and I'll have to go for a few days. We can talk about getting the marriage certificate when I get back. There's no rush."

Lu You frowned, as if she wanted to say something, but finally nodded: "Whatever you want, let me know when you've decided on a time."

After saying that, she picked up her sunglasses and put them back on, concealing all her emotions. She then stood up and left the private room without looking back.

Shang Wu watched Lu You's resolute back and then looked at Cheng Zhou, who was frozen on the ground like a dead man, and became extremely anxious.

"Cheng Zhou! Why...why didn't you explain to her just now? Why didn't you try to keep her? You clearly didn't want to leave!"

Cheng Zhou forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Explain? Try to win her back? Look at her like that, do you think she'll listen?"

He clutched the agreement tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white. "She's determined to divorce, and I respect her choice."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Shang Wu was left alone in the empty coffee shop, feeling utterly powerless.

She thought that persuading Lu You to meet her would be a turning point, but she didn't expect it to push the divorce a step further.

She chased after Lu You, hoping to persuade her again, but found that Lu You's car was nowhere to be seen. She tried calling, but no one answered.

Left with no other choice, Shang Wu had to go home first.

Cheng Zhou, however, did not go to the airport at all.

His excuse to visit his sister Cheng Keke was just a desperate attempt to delay the divorce for a few days, as if that would leave him with a sliver of room to maneuver.

He drove aimlessly around the city, finally stopping in front of a bar.

He needed alcohol to numb his heart, which was throbbing with pain.

As Cheng Zhou downed glass after glass of strong liquor, his consciousness gradually blurred, but the pain in his heart grew heavier and heavier.

Lu You's cold and resolute words, along with the glaring divorce agreement, kept flashing before his eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, a familiar figure sat down next to him and took the wine glass from his hand.

"Stop drinking." Lu Rang's voice was low and impatient, leaving no room for argument.

After finishing his work at the company, he received a call from Shang Wu and immediately came over.

Cheng Zhou looked at him through his blurry, drunken eyes, recognized him as Lu Rang, and suddenly laughed, a laugh full of bitterness and self-mockery: "Lu Rang brought you here... Well, good, have a drink with me to celebrate my return to single life..."

Lu Rang frowned and pulled him up from the bar stool: "That's enough, I'll take you home."

"Go home?" Cheng Zhou forcefully shook off his hand, staggering slightly. "Where is home? She doesn't want me anymore. Lu told her not to want me!"

His voice was choked with sobs, drawing the attention of many people around him.

Lu Rang forcibly grabbed him and led him out of the bar.

Cheng Zhou, however, was like a firecracker that had been lit, and the anger and grievances that had been building up all night finally erupted.

As I passed a table next to me, the voices of the young people playing drinking games there grew louder.

Cheng Zhou suddenly stopped in his tracks, glaring at them with red eyes: "What's all the noise about! Can't you see I'm annoyed!"

The people at that table were taken aback for a moment, then became displeased: "Who are you? Is it any of your business?"

"So what if I don't care!" Cheng Zhou, emboldened by alcohol, grabbed the collar of the person closest to him.

"Cheng Zhou! Let go!" Lu Rang's face darkened, and he immediately stepped forward to stop them, trying to separate them with force.

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

Seeing their companion being grabbed, the others at the other table swarmed over, pushing and shoving. Lu Rang, while protecting the drunken Cheng Zhou, tried to separate them, shouting, "He's had too much to drink! Don't lay a hand on him!"

In the chaos, someone threw a punch, originally aimed at Cheng Zhou.

Lu Rang subconsciously turned to the side and pulled Cheng Zhou back, and the fist grazed his face solidly.

Lu Rang groaned, feeling a sharp pain in his eye socket. His vision went black for a moment, and he staggered back two steps before regaining his balance.

"Lu Rang!" Cheng Zhou instantly sobered up halfway. He froze when he saw Lu Rang's rapidly swollen left eye and the fine blood vessels seeping from the corner of his eye.