Chapter 164 This marriage isn't something you can just get a divorce from.

Jiang Shiyuan stopped looking at Xie Junheng and Xie Jinghuai, and turned away gracefully.

Xie Jinghuai's thin lips parted dryly, and his large, tightly clenched hands trembled beneath the expensive sapphire cufflinks.

"Sever ties if you want! Who's afraid of who? Who are you trying to scare!"

Xie Junheng finally recovered from his shock, and, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, shouted at Jiang Shiyuan's retreating figure, "From today onwards, we are no longer mother and son!"

"Shut up!" Xie Jinghuai roared hoarsely, his pale, handsome face looking like it was about to crack.

Xie Junheng looked aggrieved. "Dad...why are you yelling at me? She was the one who abandoned us first!"

Xie Jinghuai's vision blurred for a moment. He swayed and staggered back to the sofa, where he sat down, pressing his fingertips hard against his throbbing temples.

"Butler Ning, take the young master upstairs and lock him up. Let him reflect on his actions! He is not allowed to come downstairs without my order!"

Xie Junheng protested, "Dad! Why?!"

When the head of the household gave the order, Butler Ning didn't dare to delay. He immediately dragged Xie Junheng upstairs, and two more servants came over to clean up the mess in the living room.

Xie Jinghuai breathed heavily, rummaging through his hair and loosening the meticulously tied Windsor knot:

"More trouble than they're worth!"

Originally, he wanted to use his grandmother's illness as an excuse to delay the divorce process and take this opportunity to get Jiang Shiyuan to come back and live with him.

But everything he had planned had been ruined by Xie Junheng. How could he not hate him?!

Just then, the phone on the coffee table vibrated.

Xie Jinghuai exhaled a breath of stale air and swiped the screen.

It was a text message from Jiang Shiyuan, concise and to the point:

[Sign the divorce papers quickly. Don't keep your loved ones waiting too long, and don't keep your son waiting too long.]

Every word conveyed an unwavering resolve that left no room for negotiation.

He never imagined that the woman who had once been submissive and acquiescing could one day become so heartless.

Xie Jinghuai sat motionless like an iron statue from day to night, ignoring the calls from Butler Ning for dinner several times.

Until the cigarette butts in the crystal ashtrays were like a jungle, until the entire Guanlan Garden was as quiet as an empty building.

Xie Jinghuai bent down, his stiff back cracking, picked up the pen, gritted his teeth, and signed his name with all his might, penetrating the back of the paper.

"Jiang Shiyuan, this marriage isn't something you can just get a divorce on your own. You'll change your mind within two months."

*

The next day, Jiang Shiyuan received a divorce agreement signed by Xie Jinghuai, which also included a two-month confidentiality clause.

Jiang Shiyuan didn't care much about the two-month confidentiality period. In her opinion, as long as Xie Jinghuai signed the divorce agreement, that would be enough.

The rest, let time do its work.

Two days later, at noon, Ye Yu invited Jiang Shiyuan to lunch at a Cantonese restaurant and told her about some recent events.

“Our law firm has formally charged Guan Na with leaking trade secrets and theft. If she performs well, she could be sentenced to five years or even longer.”

Ye Yu, who is always very clean, peeled the freshwater prawns that Jiang Shiyuan loved to eat and neatly placed the plump prawn meat on her plate. "It's a pity that there is no complete chain of evidence, so we can't add the charge of kidnapping. Otherwise, the sentence could have been longer."

Jiang Shiyuan was preoccupied with her grandmother's illness. She picked at the shrimp with her chopsticks but had no appetite. "She didn't know the inside story. She just wanted to use Lin Zhixin as a stepping stone to switch jobs to Xie's Group. She didn't expect to be played like a fool."

"Actually, that's not the scariest thing. The scariest thing is that Guan Na had a crush on me for so long!"

Ye Yu shuddered and hugged himself. "Luckily, she installed the camera in my office to find my password. If she had been spying on me, wouldn't my integrity have been completely shattered?"

Jiang Shiyuan gave a half-smile, "What? Senior brother, do you often engage in office play?"

Ye Yu was speechless. "Could you use any more imagination? I change my clothes frequently in the office!"

Jiang Shiyuan scoffed, "It's just changing clothes. A man's body is just a couple of ounces of flesh, nothing rare."

"Two ounces of meat? That's a despicable statement!"

Ye Yu raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but raise his hand, imagining pinching Ah Yuan's chubby little face like he did when they were little.

But remembering that things were different now, that they were all adults in a public place, he awkwardly picked up a pastry and placed it on Jiang Shiyuan's plate.

"You, you've been led astray by Miss Su, haven't you? Ah Yuan, you used to speak very elegantly."

Jiang Shiyuan said indifferently, "I've long forgotten what I was like before. Now I'm just Jiang Shiyuan, a divorced woman who has seen through the cruel reality of marriage."

Ye Yu's eyes lit up. "A Yuan, did you successfully divorce Diao Jinghuai? Did he give in?!"

"I……"

Jiang Shiyuan parted her lips slightly, but remembering the two-month confidentiality agreement, she was momentarily speechless and replied perfunctorily, "It'll be soon, it's just a matter of time."

Just then, the phone rang on the table.

Ye Yu glanced at the caller ID on the screen—Xie Jinghuai.

He sighed, his lips pressed together until they turned white.

Jiang Shiyuan was also somewhat surprised. After hesitating for a moment, he still chose to answer the call.

"Jiang Shiyuan, Grandma woke up this morning." On the other end, Xie Jinghuai remained as indifferent to her as ever, not much different from before.

In this marriage, he never showed her any care or passion except in bed.

Now that they're divorced, he doesn't need to be nice to her anymore. He can now unreservedly pour all his care and passion into Lin Zhixin.

Jiang Shiyuan's eyes lit up with joy. "Really?! That's wonderful!"

"As soon as Grandma woke up, she asked me where I was and why I hadn't come to see her."

Xie Jinghuai's voice was low and indifferent, "Since you're not working right now, you should be free for a while. Come to the hospital and see Grandma. It will put her mind at ease."

Without hesitation, Jiang Shiyuan immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll be there in a bit."

Before she could finish speaking, the man had already hung up.

Rude, indifferent, and without warning.

Jiang Shiyuan: "..."

This bad habit of hanging up before someone has finished speaking is something father and son have in common.

In the past, she would have felt uncomfortable. Now, she doesn't care anymore.

Only those who care and love will feel sad.

Lovelessness can destroy a relationship; ruthlessness can destroy the whole situation.

Ye Yu frowned. "A-Yuan, after everything that's happened, do you still have contact with Xie Jinghuai?"

Jiang Shiyuan's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she said casually, "Grandma is sick. Once she has her surgery and recovers, I will naturally distance myself from him."

"Are we still going to wait? If you keep dragging this out, how many lifetimes will you go through? If that old lady doesn't get better, will you still be unable to completely break off your relationship?"

Ye Yu felt a surge of anger, his throat tightening. "A Yuan, the old lady is very good to you, but she is not your real family. Moreover, over the years, you have taken meticulous care of the Xie family father and son and fulfilled your duties as a granddaughter-in-law to her. Really, that's enough!"

If you're going to leave, leave cleanly and decisively. Lingering attachments and hesitation will only lead to more trouble!

“Senior brother, no one understands me better than you. I don’t have a single decent relative by my side. If I had one, I would always do my best to protect and cherish her. Grandma is very good to me, and I really care about her and can’t rest easy.”

Jiang Shiyuan took a deep breath and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Besides, the standard for measuring kinship has never been blood ties for me."

Xie Junheng is still my own flesh and blood. I've watched him grow up day by day, so what?

Thinking of that unfortunate piece of "barbecued pork," Ye Yu choked, speechless.

After a long pause, Ye Yu clenched his fingers and whispered, "A-Yuan, did you realize it? President Fu likes you."

Jiang Shiyuan's cheeks flushed, and she shook her head in a flustered state:

"Senior brother, don't tease me. How could Fu Chenzhou possibly be interested in me? It's impossible!"

Ye Yu shook his head. "As a fellow man, how could I not see through his thoughts? The way he looks at you is the way a man looks at a woman; it's not innocent."

Jiang Shiyuan was completely confused.

She recalled Fu Chenzhou's beautiful and stunning peach blossom eyes, deep and mysterious, like black jade.

It was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything.

“You and Xie Jinghuai are constantly getting along, and I’m afraid you’ll miss out on such an outstanding man as President Fu. After all, opportunities are rare, and not everyone can stand still and wait for you.”

Except for me.

Jiang Shiyuan smiled lightly, "If he's meant to be mine, he'll turn around for me even if we brush past each other a thousand times. If he's not meant to be mine, he'll slip through my fingers no matter how tightly I hold on."

Besides, I'm not in the mood for dating right now; I just want to focus on my career and enjoy the single life. No matter how good a man is, he's not right for me right now. If I miss out, I'll just let it go.

...

At the hospital.

Madam Xie and Xie Yuexi were taking care of the old lady in the ward, showing the utmost filial piety. Outside the ward, Xie Jinghuai was discussing his grandmother's condition with Dr. Zhang.

Dr. Zhang: "Mr. Xie, have you contacted Dr. Shen Min yet?"

Xie Jinghuai said in a deep voice, "Not yet."

"You'd better hurry, because in Beijing, besides Dr. Shen, no one is more suitable than him to perform the heart transplant on the old lady."

Xie Jinghuai frowned and nodded, then suddenly his gaze paused—

At the end of the corridor, a tall and imposing familiar figure slowly pushed a wheelchair past.

It was Fu Chenzhou.

A slender, frail woman sat in a wheelchair; only her profile was visible, making it impossible to discern her features or age.

Xie Jinghuai left Dr. Zhang behind and followed after him with lightning speed.

As he got closer, fearing he would be discovered, he darted away and hid in the shadows around the corner.

“Ah Chen, I’m really glad you came to accompany me for the follow-up examination.”

The woman's voice was gentle but weak, "It's been so long since we last saw each other, mother and son. You've lost so much weight. Are you very busy and tired from work?"

Fu Chenzhou looked ahead, his expression indifferent. "It's alright."

Xie Jinghuai was slightly taken aback.

This woman is actually Fu Chenzhou's mother?

“Ah Chen, I heard from your father that the domestic technology industry is booming, and the Fu Group is also transforming into new energy and AI technology. Right now, they need people.”

The woman turned her face away, smiling as she looked at her son, who had grown into an exceptionally handsome young man. "You've been working too hard all by yourself. Why don't you come back to the Fu family, return to your father's side, and work together with your brothers and sisters to make the Fu family bigger and stronger? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Fu Chenzhou's face was ashen. "Mom, let's discuss this matter more carefully."

Xie Jinghuai's brows furrowed, and his phoenix eyes narrowed sharply.

He remembered her; this woman was the second wife of Fu Lixian, the chairman of the Fu Group. She lived a secluded life, so he didn't remember her well.

It turns out that Fu Chenzhou is actually Fu Chen.

Hidden behind the family's glory by Fu Lixian, that unknown illegitimate son!