Chapter 82 Let's Get a Divorce
Huo Nanchen's silence was like bricks, rapidly building up between him and Lin Xili.
A very subtle flicker appeared in his eyes, like some kind of instinctive reaction to having a taboo touched, which he forcibly suppressed.
That fleeting change ultimately did not escape Lin Xili's eyes.
She looked at him, scrutinizing the man before her.
Look at his tightly pursed lips, the barely perceptible tension in his jaw, and his fingertips hanging at his sides, slightly curled and then relaxed.
Every subtle gesture of his body language silently told her that he was still hiding something from her.
"I'm sorry, Xili!"
"I don't want to hear sorry!" Lin Xili coldly interrupted him.
"Tell me, what else are you hiding from me?"
Huo Nanchen gazed intently at her, but his expression remained the same:
"sorry!"
His continued silence and this meaningless apology completely extinguished Lin Xili's last shred of hope.
She looked at him, the pain in her eyes replaced by a coldness of utter despair.
She raised her hand and forcefully wiped away the tears on her face, her voice becoming unusually calm.
“You don’t love me at all. You gave me warmth and helped me out of the shadows. You saw me regain my sunny and confident self.”
"I'm just like Ning Yu, all because of your guilt towards your mother, you just want to grab a bit of the warmth that belongs to your mother from us."
"Xi Li, it's not like that." Huo Nanchen interrupted her, his voice trembling. "Please believe me, I truly love you!"
"Okay, I'll give myself, and you, and each other one last chance. What are you still hiding from me?"
"Even if you reveal that you have an illegitimate child, I can try to understand, as long as there is no concealment."
Huo Nanchen lowered his eyes and remained silent once again.
Seeing this, Lin Xili gave a wry smile and said, "Okay, it's alright."
"Huo Nanchen, whatever you're hiding is none of my business anymore."
She took a deep breath and said the words she never thought she would say:
"Let's get a divorce."
Huo Nanchen froze, staring at her in disbelief.
Lin Xili did not avoid his gaze, "In the end, I was asking for too much."
"I shouldn't expect any trust, love, or warmth. How could God possibly make up for the good things I've missed for over twenty years all at once?"
"Our marriage should never have started, and our love was nothing but an illusion."
"Don't worry, I won't do anything to hurt myself because of feelings again."
After saying that, she didn't look at his instantly pale face anymore, turned around resolutely, and walked into the bedroom.
The door closed, separating the two into two different worlds.
Huo Nanchen stood alone in the living room, the lamplight casting a long shadow of loneliness and desolation upon him.
He stared at the tightly closed bedroom door, as if he could see the heartbroken figure inside through the door.
He slowly raised his hand to cover his face, his tall body hunching slightly.
sorry!
What else could he say besides "I'm sorry"?
Anything he likes will eventually become broken because of his liking for it.
He gave her warmth with one hand, but then turned around and shrouded her in gloom with the other. What difference would it have made if he had told her about Dr. Lan's identity earlier?
He was destined not to give her the unconditional love and marriage she desired.
In the end, he still hurt her because of his feelings for her.
Just then, his phone vibrated briefly, a sound quite different from the usual message notification tone.
He weakly pulled out his phone, the screen displaying an encrypted, seemingly chaotic overseas number. He entered a long string of complex letters, characters, and special symbols as a password.
The message contained only two words: 【Will】
Huo Nanchen gave a bitter smile, got up weakly, walked downstairs to the dormitory, and dialed Huo Nanyu's number.
Awakened in the middle of the night, Huo Nanyu's voice was still sleepy, but he instantly became wide awake: "Nanchen? What's wrong?"
"Brother, please do me a favor. Grandma is still in the old house. Please don't let her go back to the town. I'll trouble you and your wife to take good care of her."
Huo Nanyu's heart sank: "What do you mean by that? What happened?"
Huo Nanchen did not answer his question, "And Lin Xili, she wants a divorce."
He paused, then said, "I agree. In the future, when I'm not in Hong Kong, my brother and sister-in-law will always be her idols. I'll ask them to keep an eye on her in private."
"She is very capable and brave at work, but she is emotionally vulnerable."
“Furthermore,” his voice turned cold and hard, “find a suitable opportunity, in the name of the Huo family, to warn the Lin family and Xu Yanchi.”
"From now on, they are not allowed to harass her again, for any reason."
"Nan Chen, what are you hiding from me? Where are you going?"
Huo Nanchen didn't explain, but said in a low voice, "It's nothing. I'll be going back to the town in a couple of days. I don't want to come back here."
Finally, still worried, he added, "I'm worried about her, but I still hope she can meet someone who can love her unconditionally."
"Nan Chen, what's wrong with you? These words make me feel like you're..."
"Brother, I'm fine. Thank you for your help. I'll hang up now."
Without waiting for Huo Nanyu to ask any further questions, he hung up the phone.
The next morning, Lin Xili had not slept a wink all night.
With her eyes red and swollen, she pushed open the bedroom door, and Huo Nanchen was still sitting on the living room sofa.
He hadn't slept all night, and his chin was covered in bluish stubble, his eyes were bloodshot, but his expression was strangely calm.
When he saw her come out, he looked up, his gaze falling on her haggard face with mixed feelings, and remained silent for a few seconds.
"I agree to divorce you."
"..."
Lin Xili's body swayed violently, and his face became even paler.
Although it was she who proposed it, she heard him so decisively.
Without even a hint of pleading or saying "I agree," the immense disappointment and pain overwhelmed her like a tsunami.
Tears welled up uncontrollably again, blurring her vision.
Did he agree so readily?
The warmth they shared day and night, the love she believed to be real, could he so easily sever it from his heart?
She fought back tears, wanting to make a final confirmation, "In the Huo family, there are only widows, not divorces?"
Huo Nanchen's eyes darkened, and he avoided her gaze. "I have long since given up my identity as a member of the Huo family, so naturally I no longer need to abide by the Huo family rules."
His words completely severed the emotional bond between them.
The two of them don't talk much, so there's no need for unnecessary arguments or futile explanations.
Between the two, only that damned, tacit silence remained.
That morning, they went to the Civil Affairs Bureau together.
The process is heartbreakingly simple.
Stamped, signed, and received the dark red divorce certificate.
Throughout the entire process, Huo Nanchen remained unusually silent and cooperative.
Stepping out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the glaring sunlight shone down, but Lin Xili felt no warmth whatsoever.
Huo Nanchen stopped and looked at her back. His voice was hoarse. "Don't tell Grandma about the divorce yet. I'll find an opportunity to slowly work on her mindset."
Lin Xili didn't turn around, but simply gave a soft "hmm".
Back in his dorm, Huo Nanchen quietly began packing his meager belongings, his movements as methodical as ever.
Lin Xili stood in the living room, stubbornly staring at the blue snowflake on the windowsill. Now, she found the blue color incredibly glaring, yet she couldn't help but look away.
He finished packing quickly.
Pulling the black suitcase he had brought with him, he stopped at the door and said slowly to her back, "I'm going back to town."
"Lin Xili, I hope you will always remember that it is right to want more good things, but you must first be good to yourself."
After saying that, he didn't linger. He opened the door, walked out, and gently closed it behind him.
The door was closed, and their budding romance ended because of his concealment.
Lin Xili was the only one left in the room.
She slid to the ground, burying her face in her knees, and the sobs she had suppressed all day finally burst forth uncontrollably, her shoulders trembling violently.
Huo Nanchen, you bastard...
Why are you so good to me...?
So good that I've fallen hopelessly in love with you...
And now they're leaving so decisively...
You're such an idiot...
Across the street from the dormitory building.
Huo Nanchen did not leave immediately.
He pulled his suitcase and stood quietly under a tree opposite the dormitory building, looking up as if he could see that familiar window through the buildings blocking his view.
He could almost see the blue snowflakes he had given her on the windowsill swaying gently in the breeze, just like her frail figure as she wept.
That serene blue was once a symbol of all the courage and warmth he wanted to give her.
But now, he has become a witness to this love that ended without fruition, and in the end, he still hurt her.
He stood there from day to night. The security guard across the street recognized him but didn't bother him.
A young man in sportswear who looked to be only in his early twenties was named Leon Lai.
Li Ming walked to his side and whispered, "Brother, are you ready? We should set off."
Huo Nanchen slowly withdrew his gaze, all the emotions in his eyes instantly vanishing, replaced by his usual calm.
As he turned to leave, he looked back one last time before saying, "Let's go."
Finally, he turned around, picked up his suitcase, and together with Leon Lai, they merged into the crowd at the street corner.
The figure quickly disappeared.
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