Chapter 44 Do you want a divorce?
Rain started falling from the sky sometime earlier. The drunken man went outside to sober up, and as soon as he opened the door, he was shivered by the cold wind.
"This is terrible..." the man cursed, reaching into his pocket to take out a cigarette and lighter. After a few tries, he couldn't light it. He turned to the man standing next to him and said, "Brother, can I borrow a light? I'll treat you to a drink when we go inside."
“I don’t smoke,” Shen Huai’an replied after a slight pause, his expression even colder than the rainy night outside.
The drunk man hiccuped, and the cold wind sobered him up a bit. He looked at Shen Huai'an carefully for a moment, then chuckled, "Brother, did your wife run off with someone else or did your girlfriend cheat on you? You look terrible. Come on, don't stand in this cold wind. Come in with me and have a couple of drinks. We're both in the same boat, let's drown our sorrows together."
Shen Huai'an avoided the man's outstretched arm, glanced at him expressionlessly, and turned to walk into the hall.
Just as the doorman opened the door for him, Bai Zhenzhen called. Shen Huai'an answered, and a slightly coquettish and complaining voice came from the other end of the line.
"Shen Huai'an, where are you? Why are you so slow?" Bai Zhenzhen was getting impatient.
"We've arrived." Shen Huai'an lowered his eyes slightly, concealing the coldness in them, and when he looked up again, his expression remained calm and unwavering.
After watching Bai Zhenzhen get into the car, Ren Lina tossed her newly dyed wine-red hair and walked back to the dance hall. On the way, she couldn't help but sigh that Bai Zhenzhen was much luckier than her. Not only did she have a father who always looked out for her, but she also had such an excellent husband. In contrast, she only had a group of family members who were full of scheming and whom she had to be wary of at all times.
After Bai Zhenzhen got into the car, she asked Shen Huai'an why he was so slow to arrive. She didn't notice that Uncle Liu in front of her glanced back. After asking her question, he didn't wait for her answer and started talking about other topics. Uncle Liu didn't say anything.
Back home, Shen Huai'an told her that her older brother had come to the city on business that afternoon and brought them some things, including slaughtered and cleaned chickens and ducks, as well as some local specialties such as fruits and dried fruits.
Brother Shen also brought news that the village has started road construction. In order to save money, the village officials mobilized the villagers to help. Uncle Shen and his brother both signed up.
“Big brother is here, so why didn’t you let him stay for the night?” Bai Zhenzhen casually tossed her bag aside, kicked off her high heels, and suggested, “They don’t come to the city often, and when they did, you didn’t even suggest keeping him for a couple more days or showing him around.”
Shen Huai'an followed behind her, put the bag she had thrown on the shoe cabinet back on, and arranged the high heels she had kicked out. He straightened up and looked at her back with an ambiguous gaze.
'Because of an agreement, we need a child.'
Every time this sentence echoed in his mind, Shen Huai'an couldn't help but laugh at himself.
So now, why is Miss Bai treating his family differently after saying those words?
He didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it anymore.
For the first time, Shen Huai'an, whose mind was usually calm and composed, was unwilling to think any further.
The next day at noon, Shen Huai'an returned home for lunch as usual and told Bai Zhenzhen that he might be quite busy, and if she got bored in the family compound, she could go back to the villa for a while.
He didn't want to continue being sentimental for a while, so he chose to calm himself down through work, perhaps also as a form of escapism.
Just like when he first heard her say those words, Shen Huai'an chose not to expose her, and he still doesn't want to talk about these things now.
But sometimes, isn't running away also a form of fear?
What is there to be afraid of? He is afraid of hearing something even more unacceptable to him, and even more afraid that he is the only one who took it seriously from beginning to end.
Bai Zhenzhen couldn't tell what he was thinking. He told her that he had been very busy lately and had to work overtime every day. Although she was a little annoyed, she didn't say anything.
Anyway, she felt that her relationship with Shen Huai'an had naturally progressed, so there was no need to continue to spend every day together to cultivate their relationship. However, she did not move out of the family compound afterward and continued to live there.
However, from that day on, Shen Huai'an did indeed become very busy. Not only did he have to work overtime until very late every day, but he also stopped coming home for lunch.
At first, Bai Zhenzhen might not have noticed, but as time went on, she gradually began to feel that something was wrong.
Shen Huai'an left very early every morning and returned very late at night. She waited for two nights in a row to ask him why he came back so late, but she didn't see him even after she fell asleep.
If Aunt Wang hadn't told her that she had seen Shen Huai'an leave in the morning, Bai Zhenzhen would have suspected that he had never come back at all.
This situation lasted for several days. Bai Zhenzhen wasn't particularly good at hiding her emotions, and she inadvertently let some slip out when she made an international phone call to her father.
Bai Chuxiong, having been through similar experiences, asked her over the phone, "What's wrong? Did you have another conflict with Huai'an?"
"What do you mean 'again'? I didn't provoke him!" Bai Zhenzhen was furious that her father subconsciously assumed she was the one who caused the trouble. She snorted twice before continuing, "Hmph, I can't even see him, how can I cause him any trouble?"
“Huai’an’s work is indeed often busy. He’ll have time to spend with you when he’s free.” Bai Chuxiong heard his daughter’s complaint and laughed instead. “You’ve always been this impatient since you were little. You have to hold whatever you like in your arms every day. Huai’an is not your toy. His achievements in the procuratorate are all due to his own hard work. Zhenzhen, you have to learn to understand him.”
Bai Zhenzhen only caught one sentence of his long speech, and muttered a rebuttal under her breath, "Who likes him?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she unconsciously touched her cheek, blinking her eyes and looking away.
Despite the poor phone signal, Bai Chuxiong couldn't hear clearly on the other end of the line, but continued to advise her, "Couples need to understand each other. If you really have any conflicts, you should communicate in time and not keep them bottled up inside, otherwise small things will turn into big problems."
He knew his daughter well; Bai Zhenzhen wasn't the type to swallow her grievances. His main concern was Shen Huai'an. His son-in-law might seem cold on the outside, but he was actually sincere and kind at heart. He was afraid that Bai Zhenzhen would bully him.
This time, Bai Zhenzhen didn't rush to refute. She silently recalled what she had done in the past few days, but after thinking it over, she couldn't think she had done anything wrong.
Instead, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. After hanging up the phone, she angrily told Aunt Wang that she wanted to move back to Cuihu Bay.
Aunt Wang noticed something was off these past few days, but since the young couple were just having a little tiff, not a big fight, she didn't know where to begin trying to persuade them, so she just went along with their wishes for now.
After moving back into the villa, Bai Zhenzhen completely abandoned Shen Huai'an. Every day, she would meet up with friends to go shopping and have afternoon tea, and occasionally go to a newly opened bar for a couple of drinks. Time seemed to have turned back to the past.
After she moved out, Shen Huai'an only called on the first day. Bai Zhenzhen didn't answer. He then called Aunt Wang and, after finding out that she had moved back to the villa, only told her to take good care of her, without mentioning that he should move back.
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye. Autumn came early to Shenzhen this year, and the weather is colder than in previous years. When Bai Zhenzhen came out of the dance hall, she couldn't help but wrap her coat tighter when a gust of night wind blew in her face.
She went out for a small gathering with friends tonight and had a couple of drinks. She's feeling a little dizzy now, but she's still quite alert.
Uncle Liu was already waiting by the roadside. When he saw her, he got out of the car to pick her up and opened the back door for her.
After getting into the car, Bai Zhenzhen closed her eyes slightly and leaned against the window. She unexpectedly remembered the last time she came here with Ren Lina, it was Shen Huai'an who picked her up.
With car lights flashing on the road, she casually asked Uncle Liu, "You came so quickly this time, is there no traffic jam on the road?"
Shenzhen has developed rapidly in recent years. While high-rise buildings have sprung up, traffic on the roads is also constantly flowing, and during peak travel periods, traffic jams can even form lines that stretch for hundreds of meters.
Uncle Liu glanced at the rearview mirror, handed over the thermos that Aunt Wang had prepared before leaving, and casually said, "No, the villa area is far from the city center, so it's even slower this time than last time."
"Then why did you and Shen Huai'an come so late last time?" Bai Zhenzhen twisted open the thermos cup, which contained hangover tea. She lowered her head and took a sip.
Uncle Liu asked in bewilderment, "How could this be? Last time it took less than twenty minutes to get here, but this time it took more than half an hour."
"Hiss," Bai Zhenzhen's hand trembled, spilling a little of the hangover tea from her cup. Without bothering to wipe it up, she quickly sat up straight and asked, "Less than twenty minutes? You arrived a long time ago?"
Why did she wait for more than ten minutes? Could it be that Shen Huai'an hadn't been able to find her?
Bai Zhenzhen's drowsy mind suddenly remembered something. That day, Ren Lina asked her why she suddenly wanted to cultivate a marital relationship with Shen Huai'an. What did she say?
She said, "I needed a child at the time because of an agreement."
Could it be that Shen Huai'an overheard this?
Bai Zhenzhen had long suspected that he had been avoiding her lately, and now she understood why.
"Wait, Uncle Liu, take me to the family compound tonight." Bai Zhenzhen hesitated for two seconds, then quickly decided to go and talk to Shen Huai'an.
"Okay!" Uncle Liu replied quickly, a hint of happiness in his voice.
These past few days, he had heard Aunt Wang constantly talking about how the young couple seemed to be having a fight. Bai Chuxiong had been kind to the couple, and now that he saw signs of them finally making up, Uncle Liu was naturally happy for her.
With a quick press of the accelerator, Uncle Liu swiftly and steadily delivered the person to their destination.
After getting out of the car, Bai Zhenzhen waved to him, telling him to go back to the villa to rest, as she would be staying there that night.
She took out her key from her bag and opened the small courtyard gate. With the help of the dim light coming from the room, the garlic sprouts and cilantro that Aunt Wang had planted in the corner of the wall were growing lush and green.
Having only been gone for a few days, Bai Zhenzhen felt a sense of unfamiliarity when she pushed open the door to enter the house.
Behind the desk in the living room, Shen Huai'an had already heard the noise and stood up. When he saw her come in, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Why are you here so late? Are you going home tonight?" Shen Huai'an put down the file in his hand and walked around the table to ask.
He had only taken two steps forward when Bai Zhenzhen strode towards him in her high heels, slapping her bag hard against his chest.
Before Shen Huai'an could ask what had happened, she had already kicked off her high heels, stood on the sofa with her hands on her hips, and looked down at him.
"Shen Huai'an! Do you want a divorce from me?!"
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Author's note: Tell me quickly, isn't that right? [winking emoji]
Who knows, my wife might be gone.
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