Simply calling someone by the wrong name isn't enough; if the other person hears it too often, they'll just get impatient and think you deserve it. So, what they need to do at this point is play the emotional card.
"Wanwan, we grew up together. Do you remember your birthday wish when you were ten years old was to marry me and stay with me forever? I've always remembered... We finally got married, and now that something's happened to me, are you going to abandon me again?"
Why "again"?
“When I was eighteen, because we were close, your father looked down on me and thought I would lead you astray. He insisted on sending me abroad. At that time, I was kneeling on the ground begging you, just like I am now. But what did you do? You locked yourself in your bedroom and wouldn’t even look at me. In the end, I was tied up, put in a car, and forcibly sent abroad. Do you know what kind of hard life I had abroad?”
“I couldn’t speak the language, I didn’t understand their language or their culture, I couldn’t get used to the local food, I was scammed out of money and had my phone stolen, and I was even shot on the street. I almost died several times.”
During his high school years, when he was just beginning to experience romantic feelings, he and Xia Wan developed feelings for each other. Xia Qingshan accidentally saw their chat history and, in a fit of rage, sent him abroad, severing all contact between him and Xia Wan.
They were all wrong, but he was the only one punished, just because he was the driver's son and had a bad reputation, so they treated him so badly.
If Xia Wan had been brave enough to stand up and fight for him, he wouldn't have had to suffer so much abroad.
Because of this incident, Xia Wan always felt guilty towards him. After returning to China, she spent money to promote him as an actor, gave him resources, and made him happy. When he was sick, he could call her to his side with just one phone call, even if it was her engagement day.
"Have you forgotten? When you were little, I stayed with you all night when you had a fever. You were afraid of thunder, so I slept on the floor next to your bed. Once you got lost, I found you and carried you home. If it weren't for me, you would have been kidnapped by human traffickers long ago. Your mother died, and your father was too busy with work to spend time with you. I cooked longevity noodles for you on your birthday. We went to school together. I was always by your side. But what about you?"
“You abandoned me because of your cowardice. You didn’t dare to defy your father. You wouldn’t even see me. I hated you so much back then, but when I saw you after returning to China, I felt that none of that mattered anymore.”
“I finally came back, but you got together with Zhuang Yan. You abandoned your promise from back then, and you abandoned me too. But did I say anything to you? I know that my status is not good enough for you, so I filmed one movie after another, trying to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry, trying to be worthy of you, thinking that as long as I stay by your side, you will see me one day.”
Gu Qian's eyes reddened, and his voice choked with sobs. He stopped coughing, and with each cough, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and abdomen.
He gripped Xia Wan's hand tightly. He had originally intended to act out a scene and play the emotional card, hoping Xia Wan would pity him.
After saying all that, he took it seriously. It wasn't just acting; he genuinely felt upset and resentful.
"I finally waited for you to turn back. We got married and registered our marriage. We became husband and wife in front of so many people. But now you want to divorce me because of my carelessness and mistakes. Xia Wan, have you forgotten who made the Zhuang family adopt me? You made the decision with your father without even discussing it with me. I did everything you asked. But when something goes wrong, you treat me like trash. If it weren't for you, would I have fallen into the trap someone set for me and made such a big mistake?"
Cause and effect are a cycle. The so-called cause is Xia Wan's mistake. If she hadn't been resentful of Zhuang Yan's annulment of the engagement and wanted to take revenge by dragging him down with her, would he have ended up like this?
Gu Qian's lips twitched, a smile that seemed to be mixed with tears: "You come when you need me, and you send me away when you don't. What am I to you? Not even a dog. I'm just a tool for you to get revenge on Zhuang Yan."
Xia Wan staggered back a step, Gu Qian's hand gripping her tightly, like a venomous snake coiled around her arm.
Gu Qian's expression was twisted and ferocious as she painfully recounted their past. It's impossible for her not to feel anything; people's hearts aren't made of stone. She couldn't let go of those three years with Zhuang Yan, let alone the twenty years of friendship she had with Gu Qian. Even raising a dog can develop into a family bond, so how could a person be expected to feel the same way?
Xia Wan never refuted anything from beginning to end, nor did she have any reason to refute it, because everything Gu Qian said was true.
She watched Gu Qian's pained expression, watched him talk until his throat was dry, his voice hoarse, and his voice cracked.
Xia Qingshan sensed something was wrong and wanted to hit Gu Qian again, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Sign the divorce papers. I'm trying to talk to you nicely, but you won't listen. Do you want me to hit you?"
Just as Xia Qingshan was about to make a move, Xia Wan suddenly stepped in front of Gu Qian: "Dad..."
"Get out of my way."
Xia Wan shook her head, first glancing at Gu Qian kneeling behind her, then gritted her teeth and knelt down as well.
Xia Qingshan found the scene before him absurd and laughed in anger: "What are you trying to do? Are you going to plead for this good-for-nothing?"
“Dad, Gu Qian is right. It’s all because of me that things have turned out this way. If I hadn’t insisted on being with him and asked you to introduce him to the Zhuang family so they could recognize him as their godson, he wouldn’t have been deceived by Tang Jing.”
"The whole thing was caused by my running away from the wedding." If she hadn't left the engagement banquet and had obediently stayed with Zhuang Yan to complete the formalities, none of this would have happened.
Alternatively, if the Xia family hadn't tried to smear Zhuang Yan after the engagement was called off, out of a sense of face or public opinion, Zhuang Yan wouldn't have retaliated against them.
She's the one in the wrong. She used to deny it to the death, but now that something's happened, she has no choice but to admit it.
"So what? What do you mean now?" Xia Qingshan stared intently at Xia Wan and Gu Qian.
“It was my insistence to marry Gu Qian. Now that he’s in trouble, I can’t abandon him. I won’t get a divorce.”
"Smack—"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Qingshan raised his hand and slapped Xia Wan.
Xia Wan's head was turned to the side after being hit, and she braced herself on the ground. She was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xia Qingshan with a wronged expression.
Xia Qingshan has never hit her in all her life. When she made mistakes as a child, he would make her face the wall to reflect on her mistakes or lock her in her bedroom and not allow her to come out.
Xia Qingshan was strict with her, but at the same time he doted on her. When she missed the engagement party to see Gu Qian, he scolded and lectured her on the phone, but it was for her sake.
After that, she insisted on marrying Gu Qian, and although Xia Qingshan was unhappy, he still gave in.
Xia Qingshan is a profit-driven person, but he also hopes that Xia Wan can marry a man who treats her well. He had Zhuang Yan in front and Gu Qian behind, both of whom Xia Wan could control, but he misjudged them all.
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