Pick up the bowl to eat, put down the bowl and curse

The sky was completely bright, the rain gradually stopped, and only the sound of dripping water from the eaves remained, like the aftermath of this long torture.

Chen Nanxing watched Lin Shanglu take the fever-reducing medicine, and then watched him silently go to the bathroom to change into the clothes he had bought on the spur of the moment and which did not fit him very well.

Lin Shanglu was extremely obedient throughout the whole process, but his eyes were empty, as if his soul had long been extracted, leaving behind a body that could only execute orders.

Both of them are now the focus of attention, so it is obviously not possible for them to go outside like this, let alone they are going to the airport with a huge flow of people. Chen Nanxing took out a mask and gave it to Lin Shanglu, and wrapped the two of them tightly with three layers of masks inside and outside.

The journey back to City B was long and suffocating. Lin Shanglu's head was dizzy, and he trembled slightly from time to time due to the alternation of hot and cold temperatures from the high fever, and sometimes he seemed to fall into a short sleep.

After the plane landed, the driver Xiao Wang, who had been on standby at the airport, took Chen Nanxing and Lin Shanglu directly to the Civil Affairs Bureau with the materials and documents prepared by Qi Feng.

The procedures went extremely smoothly. They had made an appointment in advance, and the property division agreement was clearly written in black and white, with both of their signatures on it.

The staff's routine inquiry received dry but affirmative responses from the two people. The dry response belonged to Lin Shanglu, and the affirmative response belonged to Chen Nanxing.

When Chen Nanxing received the divorce certificate with purple-red background and white-gold font, he clearly heard Lin Shanglu beside him gasp and his suppressed, broken sobs.

She clenched her ID card tightly, the cold plastic cover hurting her palm, and did not look back at him.

Lin Shanglu has already fulfilled her request. In the next period of time, Chen Nanxing should also cooperate with Lin Shanglu to fulfill his request.

The press conference for Hengxing was a grand one. In the backstage lounge, Lin Shanglu forced himself to stay healthy while the makeup artist did some simple makeup to cover up his sick look and the fatigue from not sleeping all night. However, the red bloodshot eyes and the grayness were difficult to completely conceal with makeup.

Chen Nanxing is suffering from a terminal illness and stayed up all night with Lin Shanglu yesterday. She looks no less haggard than Lin Shanglu.

"Are you ready?"

Lin Shanglu had finished putting on makeup and came over. His voice was so hoarse that it was almost just a breath. His eyes fell on Chen Nanxing, with a last faint glimmer of hope that she herself could not explain.

Chen Nanxing refused the long dress prepared for her by the makeup artist and nodded while putting on a warm coat.

She followed Lin Shanglu to the press conference venue. Before going on stage, Chen Nanxing took a deep breath and followed Lin Shanglu's footsteps and walked out.

The lights were blazing, cameras were flashing, and countless cameras were pointed at them.

Chen Nanxing and Lin Shanglu stood side by side on the stage, playing the role of a decent couple who broke up rationally and are living well.

Lin Shanglu's speech was brief. The general summary was that he admitted that their relationship had broken down and that the reason he did not agree to get married was because he was dissatisfied with the division of property. However, he had already made concessions, and they had completed the divorce procedures. In the end, they thanked each other for their years of dedication.

His voice was hoarse due to the high fever, but he pretended to be calm.

The reporters who arrived at the scene were definitely not satisfied with this. The purpose of their invitation was to dig up more explosive news.

Lin Shanglu had been interviewed several times, and his smooth reporters knew it, so they shifted their focus and focused their attack on Chen Nanxing, the wife of the former president of Xingxing.

"Ms. Chen, is it really like what Mr. Lin said between you?"

"yes."

That was their testimony to the good, and of course it was true.

Chen Nanxing raised his eyes, calmly swept his gaze over the reporter who asked the question, and repeated the lines he had rehearsed.

"Mr. Lin and I had long been in a state of disrepute. In the latter stages of our marriage, we didn't interfere with each other, living in a somewhat open relationship. It wasn't until last year, when I learned Mr. Lin's girlfriend, Ms. Su, was pregnant, that I decided to end this relationship and filed for divorce. The subsequent arguments revolved solely around the division of property, and since we couldn't reach an agreement, I decided to release the video, hoping to leverage public opinion to push the divorce process forward."

She tried to minimize the damage to her company and her personal image by blaming the cold division of property as much as possible. Lin Shanglu's private life wasn't flawless, but she couldn't and didn't want to portray herself as an innocent victim. This was the best compromise she could make.

The two spoke with the same voice, seemingly impeccable, but the reporters keenly grasped the key point.

"According to what you said, you were aware of Ms. Su Qiao's existence? Did you condone Mr. Lin's actions?"

The microphone was almost reaching Chen Nanxing's lips.

Chen Nanxing didn't like such an aggressive move. She frowned slightly and quickly denied it:

"No, I don't know, but we agreed not to ask about each other's private lives."

This answer seemed a little pale, and there was a slight commotion in the audience.

Seeing that it was difficult to make a breakthrough from here, the reporter immediately changed the angle and aimed at the most eye-catching yet cruel pain point in the original video.

"Ms. Chen, could you please tell me about those three children? In the video, you mentioned…"

Lin Shanglu suddenly frowned and looked at the reporter who asked the question, then interrupted and answered for Chen Nanxing.

"These three children have always been a source of pain for me and Miss Chen. I'm not in a position to elaborate on this issue. Thank you for your understanding."

His voice became hoarser due to excitement and pain, and even had a barely perceptible tremor.

It had only been an hour since the divorce, and Lin Shanglu was still unable to adapt to his ex-husband's identity and still subconsciously regarded himself as Chen Nanxing's husband.

The atmosphere at the scene became subtle and tense. The reporters who had already received the money immediately seized the opportunity to ask questions, trying to steer the topic back to the theme of "decent breakup". After Chen Nanxing and Lin Shanglu answered one by one, the press conference for clarification ended hastily.

As soon as the announcement of the end was made, Chen Nanxing nodded slightly, turned around without hesitation, and was the first to go backstage.

The backstage entrance was packed with staff, reporters who hadn't left yet, and other people from all walks of life, all huddled together, clearly waiting for the main character to leave or looking for the next opportunity to strike up a conversation. The elevator entrance was even more crowded.

Chen Nanxing only felt a tightness in his chest, and the immense fatigue and emptiness after the hustle and bustle came like a tide.

She didn't want to look at those people again, let alone get caught up in meaningless small talk or arguments. She glanced down the crowded passage and without hesitation pushed open the heavy fire door marked "Emergency Exit" and chose the quiet stairwell.

There were no flashes, no questions, only the cool echo of her high heels hitting the ground, and... a silence that seemed to swallow everything.

She just wanted to get out of here quickly.

Almost at the same moment she pushed open the fire door, Lin Shanglu broke free from the crowd around him and hurried after her. His head was even more groggy from the high fever and long sleep deprivation, and his vision was even a little blurry, but he almost instinctively followed her direction.

When he saw the door slowly closing and the resolute figure behind the door, his heart tightened and he subconsciously put his hand against the door panel and squeezed in sideways.

The heavy fire door closed heavily behind him, instantly blocking out all the noise and light from the front desk.

The stairwell was dimly lit, with only the emergency lights emitting a faint green glow.

The two walked one in front and one behind, and their footsteps were amplified in the empty concrete structure, forming a suffocating rhythm.

However, this brief, almost escapist tranquility did not last long.

Just as they walked down the corner of the first flight of stairs, a sharp, resentful curse suddenly rushed up from below, shattering all the silence:

"Chen Nanxing! You vixen! You jinx! Stop right there! Don't go!"

A sharp curse came from the corner of the stairs. Chen Nanxing actually stopped. She straightened her back and looked up at the top of the stairs. A well-maintained old lady ran down the stairs nimbly.

This person is Lin Shanglu’s biological mother and Chen Nanxing’s ex-mother-in-law.

"Mom, why are you here?"

When he saw his biological mother, Lin Shanglu not only did not look happy, but frowned and took a few steps forward cautiously, quietly blocking Chen Nanxing behind him.

His doubt did not last long, and someone immediately answered it for him.

Su Qiao was wearing a pair of thick-heeled high heels, and the cashmere long skirt that fit her body curves perfectly made her slightly bulging belly particularly obvious.

Lin's mother's physical strength was no worse than that of a young person. Su Qiao held her belly and hurried over to catch up with her.

"Auntie, please walk slowly and be careful."

Although Lin Shanglu had a fever, his mind was still clear. When he saw Su Qiao appear here, he understood everything.

He stared at Su Qiao for a few seconds without saying a word, which made Su Qiao feel scared.

"Shang Lu, I ran into my aunt the last time I came to see you. Today, my aunt sent me a message asking me to bring her to see you..."

Her implication was that she was innocent.

Although Su Qiao was trying to excuse herself, Lin Shanglu knew whether she was innocent or not. He stopped looking at Su Qiao and moved a little to the side.

"Mom, this place is such a mess, don't make things worse. I'll ask Xiao Wang to take you back."

His angle was very clever, as it could cover Chen Nanxing completely and block Lin's mother completely.

However, even the tightest defense could not stop Lin's mother, and Lin Shanglu could not take any real action, as that would bring even greater disaster.

"Chen Nanxing, you're such a jinx! When you were sixteen, you persuaded my son Shang Lu to leave me, his father, and you to come to City B, ruining Shang Lu's future. Now you're making a big fuss about it, spreading some trivial things online, trying to ruin his career! My son has been supporting you for all these years of marriage, and you've been lying around at home enjoying your life without laying an egg. You haven't left any children for my Lin family, and you still want a share of my son's property?! Bah! You little bitch, slut! Dream on!"

Although Lin Shanglu brought his mother to City B to live out her days after he became rich, and sent her to senior citizen university and interest classes to help her better integrate into city life, his mother was essentially a shrew. Even after being nurtured by art and wealth for several years, her sharp and mean nature could not be changed, and it would be revealed as soon as she met Chen Nanxing.

She could only describe Chen Nanxing with hatred. Although Chen Nanxing had a good temper and was infatuated with Lin Shanglu, she could not stand such insults, so the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had always been very bad.

Unlucky star, little bitch, slut, hen that doesn't lay eggs...all the vicious words imaginable are how Lin's mother describes Chen Nanxing.

Chen Nanxing's ears were almost callused from listening to this. Now that she was divorced from Lin Shanglu, Chen Nanxing didn't care anymore. She took out her cell phone from her bag and opened the recording, intending to use those vicious curses to send Lin's mother on a day trip to the police station.

Unfortunately, this plan failed before it was implemented. Lin Shanglu could not stand his mother insulting Chen Nanxing, otherwise he would not have let his mother live alone.

When Lin's mother opened her mouth to say the first sentence, Lin Shanglu interrupted and tried to block her mouth, but Lin's mother's mouth was like a gas projector, and no matter how hard Lin Shanglu tried to stop her, he was powerless.

Seeing that she had finished her long speech and was about to start another round of insults, Lin Shanglu's confused mind no longer dared to be confused at all, and he immediately pushed Lin's mother out.

"Mom, I have a headache. Stop talking and go back."

He took care of both things, pushing his mother up the stairs while turning around to tell Chen Nanxing to stay away from this place.

"Nanxing, you go first. Qi Feng will pick you up on the first floor."

How could Su Qiao accept that a plan that had been planned for so long was thwarted so easily?

It is important to make Lin Shanglu and Chen Nanxing divorce, but what is more important is to eliminate any possibility between them. Su Qiao took great pains to bring Lin's mother here, and he must not let this excellent opportunity slip away.

She walked quickly forward, passed Lin Shanglu, grabbed Chen Nanxing's arm with an anxious look on her face, and said earnestly:

"Miss Chen, after all, your aunt is your elder. She gave birth to Shanglu and raised him. Just apologize to your aunt. You don't want Shanglu to be caught in the middle, right?"

"Su Qiao!"

Before one problem was solved, another one arose. Lin Shanglu gritted his teeth and shouted at Su Qiao to shut up. He used so much force that the veins on his neck popped out.

Chen Nanxing didn't even look at Lin's mother, and calmly pushed Su Qiao's hand away from her arm.

"You also know that she only gave birth to Lin Shanglu, not me."

When Lin's mother heard what Chen Nanxing said, she was furious and even felt less sorry for her son. She pushed Lin Shanglu to get out of the way. It was as if she wanted to tear Chen Nanxing apart and eat him alive.

"Why are you being mean to Xiao Su? Xiao Su is fine. I think Xiao Su is pretty good. She's young, pretty, and sensible. Most importantly, she's a good mother and can leave offspring for our Lin family. Unlike that ungrateful wolf, who eats our Lin family's rice and drinks our Lin family's water, but doesn't recognize his master once he wipes his mouth."

Chen Nanxing used to be tolerant because he didn't want to embarrass Lin Shanglu. Today he was in a bad mood, so he thought of turning a deaf ear and leaving first.

Now that Lin's mother had said such harsh words, Chen Nanxing was in no hurry to leave. He turned around and activated combat mode with one click, a hint of anger showing on his gentle and beautiful face.

"I eat and drink at your house? I'm the founder of Hengxing, and I own shares in Hengxing. Everything I eat, use, and drink, every penny I spend, is mine. But can you even count how much you've spent and how much you've eaten of mine? Back then, your son hadn't started his own company. Did you really think the extra few thousand dollars in your account every month were a gift from heaven? We're all the same family. We eat when we pick up our bowls, and curse when we put them down."

"You! You dirty-hearted bastard!"

Lin's mother was a strong woman. She was the one who scolded Chen Nanxing. But today, Chen Nanxing scolded her instead. She was so angry that her face was twisted. But what Chen Nanxing said was all true.