Chapter 10 Playing with him again and again

Every word was piercing and sharp, like a nail driven into the eardrum.

Without any preamble, and not by venting her frustrations with the mention of divorce, the agreement in her hand told him that she was serious this time.

The vibrant spring scenery of last night, vivid in my mind, instantly turned into winter snow. She took the initiative to kiss me, her breath as sweet as orchids, and then the next day she threw a divorce agreement at me.

Yu Zeheng believed that he had done nothing to displease her. He might not be a good husband, but he was certainly not at the point of divorce. Holding his phone, his eyes were deep and dark beneath his high brows. He stared at the van, his gaze so sharp it seemed to penetrate the car body.

In the silence, Qiao Shu could feel the chill even through the phone: "Let's talk face to face."

She hung up the phone, held it against her chin, hesitated for a few seconds, then raised her eyelashes again, pressed the door open button, the car door opened, she got out of the car, her back straight, maintaining her usual haughty posture.

Qiao Shu changed into slippers. Aunt Chu came over first and took her bag as usual. She asked if she wanted calming tea or sweet soup today. Qiao Shu smiled and said she didn't want either for the time being.

Yu Zeheng stood behind Aunt Chu, his face expressionless. Beneath his thick eyelashes, his thin lips were tightly pressed together. Only the agreement in his hand was curled up from the force of his fingers, the creases on the paper like cracks. He remained silent, coldly watching her talk to Aunt Chu. He was waiting, waiting for her to walk over.

Qiao Shu walked over and asked in a tone as if inquiring about the weather, "Have you finished reading the agreement? Do you have any questions? The lawyer I hired specializes in this area, so you can rest assured."

"When did this happen?" Yu Zeheng suddenly asked.

Qiao Shu was stunned: "What?"

Yu Zeheng held the document in his hand, his pupils as black as the sea at night, a calm surface concealing dark, damp reefs. He exuded a condescending and oppressive aura as he asked, enunciating each word clearly: "When was this agreement written? Was it before or after I returned to China, or perhaps just yesterday?"

His voice suddenly rose, and Aunt Chu, who came out of the kitchen, changed her expression. Even with her outstanding professional skills, she was somewhat flustered at this moment. She subconsciously looked at another aunt present, who was equally bewildered and had no idea what had happened.

Aunt Chu was on Qiao Shu's side. Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, she took the initiative to walk over and asked if dinner was almost ready and if they could eat anytime. She then said to Yu Zeheng, "The ingredients are fresh today, and Miss specially asked the kitchen to make soup for you."

"We'll talk about it later." Qiao Shu knew that Aunt Chu was trying to smooth things over, so she gave her a gentle smile to reassure her.

"Why don't we finish the soup first..."

Yu Zeheng turned his head, his cold and dark gaze cutting off Aunt Chu's words: "Get out, now, everyone get out."

This was the first time Aunt Chu had seen Yu Zeheng angry. Even though she was extremely restrained in her expression and words, she was still startled. When she heard Qiao Shu say that it was nothing and that they should leave, she held her breath and turned around to tell the others to leave the living room.

The huge living room was now empty except for the two of them; the air was so still it seemed to have frozen.

Qiao Shu lifted her eyelashes and answered his previous question: "Yesterday."

The document was slammed onto the marble dining table with a dull thud. Yu Zeheng took a step forward, his palm pressed against the edge of the table, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure: "Why?"

Qiao Shu pursed her lips, meeting his gaze defiantly: "Tired, don't want to serve anymore, too lazy to act anymore, are these reasons enough?"

"What about last night?" Yu Zeheng followed up with a question.

Qiao Shu lowered her eyelashes, her tone nonchalant: "Do you think I'm drunk and confused? It's not like it's the last time I slept with you before the divorce, it's not like it's the first time. Why are you so angry? Is it because I was the one who initiated it, and then I brought up divorce again?"

It's as if divorce is just a trivial matter; she brought it up, so he should magnanimously agree, otherwise it would seem like he's being petty.

He felt fooled, in a way that was absurd beyond belief.

So Yu Zeheng deliberately asked maliciously, "Didn't I make you feel good?"

Last night, because Qiao Shu took the initiative, they were more in sync than ever before. Her kiss, her bright, watery eyes—he thought that after that night, their relationship would improve, and everything might be different. She reached out to him, and then slapped him hard across the face.

She used her little bit of cleverness to manipulate him time and time again.

Qiao Shu wasn't guilty at all. She smiled gently and said, "Don't you know there's an element of acting involved? How come you took it so seriously after just a little acting? Looks like my acting skills are pretty good."

"Has everything been explained? If there are no problems with the agreement, please sign it. I think neither of us wants to drag this out for too long and waste each other's time."

Qiao Shu turned around to pull out a chair and sit down. She had been running around all day without giving herself any time to catch her breath. She had said all the harshest things and felt exhausted.

The next second, Yu Zeheng turned her chair around, placed one hand on the table, and almost pressed her down onto the table. He leaned down, his gloomy features magnified at close range, his emotions churning in his eyes, and his fierceness almost overflowing from his brows and eyes. He was expressionless, only the veins on his arm supporting the table were faintly visible.

"Qiao Shu, ask yourself honestly, from the time we got married until now, what haven't I given you? What haven't I given you? You were the one who wanted to get married, and now you're the one who wants a divorce. What do you take me for? What do you take this marriage for?"

This was the first time Qiao Shu had witnessed him get angry.

In the hospital room, Yu Zeheng was cold and aloof, mostly silent. After they got married, he was always good-tempered and easygoing in front of her. Sometimes he was sharp-tongued and said unpleasant things, but he had never been like this before.

Her expression softened slightly as she pursed her lips, a hint of apology in her voice. She replied softly, "Like you said last night, we knew from the beginning that this marriage was just a mutually beneficial arrangement. The Qiao and Yu families needed someone to marry into this family. We're like two cute little mascots in front of this commercial building. Even if it wasn't you or me, it would have been someone else. Don't worry, after the divorce, I'll move to Australia. Whether you say we're divorced or separated, it has nothing to do with me anymore, and neither will it with you."

They won't be tied up anymore, and he's tired of it, isn't he?

She not only planned to get a divorce, but also where she would live afterward. She had already decided on the outcome before he even knew it.

Yu Zeheng laughed angrily: "Do you know what you look like right now?"

Qiao Shu was stunned for half a second.

"This will makes you so angry, doesn't it? Because you have no shares or control over the company, while your two cousins, who are inferior to you in every way, got them without lifting a finger. You are disappointed and sad, not only because they took what should have been yours, but also because you were not recognized." Yu Zeheng's words were sharp as needles, precisely piercing the softest and most vulnerable part of her heart.

"Enough!" Qiao Shu's smile vanished completely.

Yu Zeheng’s voice was cold: “After all these years of hard work, it has all become a joke in one day. Qiao Shu, you are like a child who has been rejected and is not loved or valued. You are crying and making a fuss in an attempt to gain that pitiful sense of existence.”

A hint of anger flashed across Qiao Shu's face. The truth is always the most hurtful. She avoided his gaze and tried to get up from the other side, but her chin was gripped by a strong hand. She was forced to raise her head and meet his furious gaze. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her eyelashes trembled slightly with anger.

Yu Zeheng kept a straight face. He couldn't help but move closer to her, but felt disgusted just before touching her. His voice was unusually low because he was trying so hard to suppress it.

"So, I've become a worthless toy in your hands, discarded by you? Even now, I'm still being used by you, Qiao Shu, how dare you? How dare you trample on me like this?"

He had forgotten how long it had been since he had been this angry.

No one had ever been able to stir his emotions as easily as Qiao Shu.

The pain from being clamped caused Qiao Shu to clench her teeth tightly, showing no sign of weakness.

They were so close that their scents and breaths mingled together, and their eyes were filled with resentment and hatred. Neither of them was willing to admit defeat in this duel.

After an unknown period of silence, Qiao Shu parted her red lips slightly, her words dripping with sarcasm: "Yu Zeheng, I don't understand, I really don't understand, what are you angry about? Are you angry that you lost a wife, or are you angry that you were the one who was abandoned? If you feel ashamed about the latter, then you should be the one to file for divorce. I'll be the woman you abandoned. Would that make you feel any better? Or is it that you've really fallen in love with me during these two years of marriage? Yu Zeheng, have you fallen for me?"

She looked into his eyes, her eyelashes fluttering as she smiled gently, her dimples appearing and disappearing, making her beautiful and pleasing to the eye. It was as if her words weren't so malicious: "Otherwise, I really can't think of any reasonable explanation for why you're so angry. Is it because you like me, and I slept with you last night, making you feel deceived, that I, Qiao Shu, have deceived your feelings?"

From her perspective, "like" seemed to have transformed into a sticky, filthy mess.

Yu Zeheng was taken aback by her questioning. Almost simultaneously, he examined himself and tried to determine the extent of the possibility. However, the thought was rudely extinguished as soon as it arose.

Absolutely not!

He doesn't like Qiao Shu, not before, and not now.

Yu Zeheng released his hand, stood up straight, his figure tall and imposing. In that instant, he regained his composure, pursed his lips arrogantly, and returned to his usual superior demeanor. He looked down at Qiao Shu and asked her in an icy tone, "Qiao Shu, who would like you?"

"A heartless, extremely selfish, calculating, and cold-hearted woman like you."

Any liking, however slight, is an indulgence and insult to oneself.

Yu Zeheng made no attempt to hide the disgust in his eyes.

She knew it would be like this.

Qiao Shu's thin back had been stiff and sore since she got off the car, but now she relaxed completely, and even her smile became relaxed and calm: "It's good that you understand."

"In that case, can you sign now?" Her tone was light and airy, as if their tense standoff and harsh words had vanished.

Without hesitation, Yu Zeheng found a pen and signed his name in the blank space as she wished. It was very quiet around him, so quiet that the sound of the pen tip scratching across the paper could be clearly heard. He closed the pen cap, rested his fingers on the agreement, and glanced at her again.

Qiao Shu put away the documents; once they got the marriage certificate again, their marriage would be over.

"When are you free tomorrow?" She had already booked her plane ticket.

Yu Zeheng: "Nine o'clock."

"good."

Yu Zeheng started walking upstairs, stopped at the top of the stairs, turned around, his features were deep and cold, and his expression was indifferent and aloof.

"Qiao Shu, never appear in front of me again. I don't want to see your face, hear your voice, or hear anything related to you again."

A note from the author:

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Emotional outbursts are too difficult to write; I have to rewrite them repeatedly.

The next chapter will be available for purchase and will be updated at midnight. This book is a step out of my comfort zone. In the past, I always subconsciously avoided conflict, but this book is full of conflict. I hope I can do my best to write this story well and create tension. Thank you all for your support.

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As usual, 50 red envelopes will be randomly distributed.