Chapter 60 Do you think he's poor and can't afford to pay?

Qingling looked at him calmly, her eyes showing no fear or longing.

"unnecessary."

Three words were all it took to reject them all.

"Dr. Zhan, the divorce papers list the assets of both parties. However, I also contributed money to the new house. If you have the funds, you can return it to me. If not, I can buy the new house myself."

She didn't try to pull anything further; all she talked about was money and possessions.

All she cared about was the money.

Despite the generous compensation offered by the Grand Princess, she didn't even glance at a single tael of silver.

Men? Feelings? Family?

No, it's not needed.

Princess Deyang frowned slightly. Yao Qingling was talking about money with her son right in front of her, dividing it up so neatly. This showed that she was completely disregarding her.

"You—" Zhan Xingzhuo's fingers clenched so tightly they cracked. Money, money, money! When did she become so concerned about money?

Are you ashamed that he's poor and can't afford to pay?

How could the second young master of the Duke's mansion, a court official, possibly be poor!

He only used his salary for Zhou Zhining and her son; but he entrusted his private property to her management, didn't he?

At this moment, Zhan Xingzhuo didn't feel anything was wrong; he didn't think about how much money he had withdrawn from the warehouse; and he didn't even think that Yao Qingling was his wife. As a man, supporting his family and wife was his natural duty.

He thought angrily, "Yao Qingling is utterly vulgar!"

Ignoring his flushed face, Yao Qingling coldly said, "If Physician Zhan hasn't made a decision, I'll consider it as you taking full ownership of the new mansion. Just add an IOU for the outstanding amount."

To be honest, Qingling didn't want the new mansion.

Although she spent a lot of time and energy renovating the new mansion: the mansion was overgrown with weeds, and she supervised the hired workers to clean every corner and remove rat holes and snake nests; the pillars were rotten, so she called in a carpenter to measure and replace them; when the roof was being renovated, she ignored the dust and the debris that had fallen from it and watched as people turned over the tiles...

I lived there for two years and became familiar with every corner, every brick, every pillar, and every plant and tree.

It is a place she considers home; it is also a place she has decorated to be warm and inviting.

But since someone she disliked had lived there, she no longer wanted it.

I have no regrets whatsoever.

"Enough!" The Grand Princess slammed her hand on the table, revealing her anger.

She has none of the dignity and grace expected of a housewife!

Yao Qingling bowed to her and said, "Mother-in-law, I have said everything I needed to say. I will take my leave now."

She turned and left.

Zhan Xingzhuo watched her retreating figure, his chest heaving violently.

After catching his breath, he turned to Princess Deyang: "Mother, what did she say to you? Did you agree to let her leave?"

The Grand Princess glanced at him indifferently, suppressed her anger, and said sarcastically in a cold voice, "She's leaving, and you can't bear to part with her. You're getting anxious now?"

"Who said I couldn't bear to part with it?" Zhan Xingzhuo flicked his sleeves and denied it outright.

He stood to one side with his hands behind his back, slightly raising his chin. "Mother, don't you understand why I don't agree to a divorce?"

"How you persuaded me to get married back then, that reason hasn't changed to this day."

Princess Deyang took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Back then, I chose the sixteenth day of the first lunar month as your wedding date. I told you that the moon on the sixteenth is rounder than the one on the fifteenth."

"You and Zhou Zhining are not meant to be, but Yao Qingling will be the one to make your life complete."

"But you've humiliated Zhou Zhining to this extent for her sake, how can you not break her heart—"

Zhan Xingzhuo frowned: "Mother, my feelings for Zhou Zhining will not change."

His voice turned cold: "Back then, my mother abandoned me for the sake of the Duke's mansion; although I have the blood of the Duke's mansion in my veins, I am not you, and I will never do the same thing as you."

"Why should Mother put on this act now, using this opportunity to ask me to change? You're no different from someone who treats Yao Qingling like a dog."

He glanced at the dog in the Grand Princess's arms.

She has always been very good to pets, showing them special favoritism.

But it was just a dog.

"...No matter how difficult it is, I will never abandon Zhi Ning."

Zhan Xingzhuo turned and left.

Princess Deyang sat there blankly for a long time before her empty voice rang out: "Granny Jia, did you hear what he said?"

Granny Jia comforted her, "Princess, the knot in the Second Young Master's heart needs to be untied slowly. He is too young and doesn't know that the world isn't always what he wants it to be. Sometimes, choices must be made... When you made that decision back then, how could the Second Young Master know how much pain a mother goes through?"

The Grand Princess clutched her chest: "But he keeps blaming me, and I can't atone for it..."

...

Inside the new mansion.

Zhou Zhining heard that Yao Qingling went to the Duke's Mansion early in the morning, and that Zhan Xingzhuo, even though he knew she wanted to see him, still went to the Duke's Mansion with her.

What was he going there for?

He bowed his head and admitted his mistake to Yao Qingling in front of the Grand Princess, trying to coax her back.

With the Grand Princess around, she wouldn't allow Yao Qingling to get a divorce.

All of this indicates that Yao Qingling has taken root in Zhan Xingzhuo's heart...

Zhou Zhining felt very flustered.

Zhan Xingzhuo was reluctant to part with Yao Qingling. Even though he never admitted it, she could tell that he had gotten used to Yao Qingling.

He entrusted the entire new mansion to her management, placing complete trust in her.

Even when she was confined to her quarters, he never mistreated her and would even try to comfort her.

Yao Qingling embarrassed him several times, but Zhan Xingzhuo didn't hit her once!

—When Wang Xuan hit Zhou Zhining, he didn't treat her like a human being at all.

Despite Zhan Xingzhuo's repeated claims that he was only coaxing Yao Qingling to keep her in the mansion and use her for his own purposes.

Zhou Zhining didn't believe him.

Men can easily change their minds; they had been sleeping in the same bed for three years.

She didn't like Wang Xuan and didn't want him to touch her; Zhan Xingzhuo didn't love Yao Qingling, but he still slept with her.

Yao Qingling said she wanted a divorce, but he didn't tell her anything about it in front of her.

When Yao Qingling announced her intention to divorce him in front of everyone, she saw his anger and nervousness.

If he didn't care at all, why would he be angry or nervous?

His claim that he had to accept Yao Qingling to protect her was nothing but a man's lie...

Zhou Zhining silently shed tears, resentfully thinking about everything.

She lamented her fate, lamenting that she had become an abandoned woman.

Zhiyun came in and served her medicine; the medicine had already been heated once, but the girl refused to drink it.

"Miss, you need to take your medicine to get better. Don't forget, Young Master Xiao'er still needs your care."

Zhou Zhining turned her head to one side, unwilling to drink. She asked, her voice choked with emotion, "Has Second Master returned to the manor?"

Zhiyun shook her head.

Just then, Zhiyue ran in to announce, "Miss, Second Master is back!"

Zhou Zhining's eyes immediately lit up, and she got up to go out and greet them.

But he only stood there for a moment before sitting back down.

She lay on the bed and said, "Go tell Second Master that I'm not feeling well."

Zhiyun and Zhiyue exchanged a glance, knowing that Miss Zhou was trying to win favor, so they went out to inform Zhan Xingzhuo.

"Second Master, the young lady refused to take her medicine after hearing that you went out. Please go and coax her; how can she refuse to take her medicine given her condition..."

Zhan Xingzhuo was feeling irritable, but when he thought of Zhou Zhining's pale, bloodless face, he immediately moved on.

He personally held the bowl of medicine and coaxed Zhou Zhining, but she still refused to drink it.

With tears streaming down her face, she said, "My life has been miserable enough, and you still want me to drink such bitter medicine... Brother Xingzhuo, he divorced me. To be honest, you might as well just let me die."

“I am a sinner. Only when I die can I wash away my sins and the Wang family will take Xiao’er back… Brother Xingzhuo, please help me send Xiao’er there then.”

"You're talking nonsense again." Zhan Xingzhuo sat on the edge of the bed, held Zhou Zhining in his arms, and touched her forehead. "You still refuse to drink your medicine even though it's burning hot."

The medicine bowl was brought to her lips, but Zhou Zhining pursed her lips and turned her head away; her head was turned toward the man's chest, the medicine on her lips was wet and warm, leaving a damp and hot lip print on his clothes.

Zhan Xingzhuo clearly felt the touch on his chest, and his body stiffened slightly.

He was, after all, a man, and had not been intimate for a long time; the woman in his arms was the woman he had been longing for.

The man's mind began to wander.

Zhou Zhining slightly opened her eyes to peek at him, her small hands tightly wrapped around his waist.

Her slender, soft body pressed tightly against him, and she could clearly feel his taut muscles.

"...Brother Xingzhuo, can you...can you..."

Zhou Zhining subtly suggested that he feed her the medicine with his lips.

Zhan Xingzhuo's passion burned even hotter, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the woman.

Suddenly, Yao Qingling's cold face appeared in his mind, coldly saying the three words "I don't need it".

The man felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

He put down the medicine bowl and placed his hands on the woman's shoulders: "Zhi Ning, no, you're sick."

Zhou Zhining was extremely embarrassed. With red eyes, she asked, "Now that I've been divorced, do you also look down on me and despise me?"