14 Ex-husband
◎After all, we've been each other's bedmates for years◎
Wow~ I was only offline for a short time, and you guys are making amazing progress~
Xu Huaihuai was already used to the comments suddenly appearing and disappearing. She glanced at the comments and then looked at the information on her computer screen: "You're quite good at picking the right time to leave your computer running."
[Otherwise, do you expect me, a single person, to be a third wheel in the comments? But if you want to see comments like "Mom and Dad, we're born!" while you're having your turn with Lin Xu, I can set that up in advance!]
"Thank you. There's really no need."
[By the way, why did you two stop? Why did he leave? Wasn't this the time when you were all deeply in love, inseparable, and wanting to make love day and night?]
"Is it possible that he has a job and I have my own things to do? No, are you a legitimate commenter? Who's always acting like a good person?" Xu Huaihuai felt that the silver merchants in this comment section were probably above her.
【Of course I'm posting a legitimate comment! Otherwise, would it even be allowed?! Do you think we commenters don't have our own censorship system?!】
"Congratulations on passing the review system?"
What a hypocritical exchange!
"That's how the adult world is. You've come with me, so you'll have to put up with it," Xu Huaihuai said, staring at the computer screen.
Why should I?! I'm not a submissive character!
The comments section erupted in fury, chattering incessantly. Xu Huaihuai slapped it away, saying, "Don't block my research, go away."
The bullet comments practically stuck the bubbles to the computer screen and twisted and turned.
Wait! Why are your screen full of pictures of other men?! Lin Xu just left! The water in his cup is still warm!
"Look closely, is this another man? This is the male lead, Ling Zhou! But it's really strange, you don't have eyes, how do you 'see' things?"
[Never mind that! I can see it! Wait! Don't change the subject, why are you looking at his photo?]
"Why are you so surprised? Didn't you say you wanted to investigate the reason for the couple's divorce? I need to know if the male lead is a member of the Communist Party or not, right? Otherwise, if I run into this ex-husband on the street, I won't even know who he is. Wouldn't that be strange? We just got divorced not long ago, and you've already completely forgotten about him. Even forgetfulness potion wouldn't work this well."
That makes sense. But where did all these photos come from?
"I glanced at the divorce certificate and then looked up the face from her WeChat Moments and photo album. However, my ex-husband is on my blacklist, so I can't stalk her WeChat Moments."
What is the current progress of the investigation?
"zero."
[...You didn't take it seriously at all! Do you only remember □□?!]
The comments section erupted with sharp accusations.
"..." Xu Huaihuai sneered, "Look at you, getting impatient again. Wasn't it you who told me to enjoy the female lead's life in the first place? Now you're the one who wants to use me as a tool for investigation, revealing your true intentions, aren't you?"
[Waaaaah! I can't argue with you! Someone's bullying the comments!]
"Alright, that's enough, it's impolite to keep pretending." Xu Huaihuai stretched. "I compared photos of the male lead, Ling Zhou. The time span is from high school to now. His appearance hasn't changed much, but his eyes have changed very obviously."
From naivety to maturity?
"No, the earliest photo was taken by 'her'. Ling Zhou's gaze towards the camera was gentle and natural, and that kind of gaze made people feel very sincere."
[The male lead's sincerity towards the female lead is a given! Otherwise, how could this be called a redemption story that goes from school to marriage? *cough* Although the story falls apart five years later in the finale.]
"That's right, the male lead might have been sincere before the finale. But after the finale, not only were there far fewer photos, but Ling Zhou's gaze in the photos also seemed too deliberate."
"Have you ever seen an actor whose performance is too over-the-top? Because they look at the camera and act in front of it, the emotions they express often make the audience feel that they are trying too hard."
[So, does this mean the male lead changed his mind after the finale?]
"Perhaps? After all, the couple is neither broken up nor reversed before the ending, but after the ending, there is no predetermined trajectory, so everything is subject to change."
So what are your plans next?
"Investigate the ex-husband's social connections. Egg, why do you want me to investigate the reasons for the male and female protagonists' divorce? Is this related to the existence of the novel's world?"
What I can tell you is this: the world is in chaos, and we need to find the source.
The comments in the live chat were vague and ambiguous.
Xu Huaihuai was a little confused. "The order is in chaos? But everyone is doing fine now, isn't that right? Divorce might not be a bad thing for the male and female leads. It would be terrible if two people who don't love each other were forced to be together."
Will you regret coming to the world of novels?
The comments section was filled with questions that seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Regret? Of course not. Is transmigrating into a book a common and ordinary thing? Transmigrating into a book is magical in itself, being brought to another world by an incomprehensible force. Although transmigrating into a book is a very common theme in novels, an old trope that couldn't be older, even if someone really did transmigrate into a book and successfully traveled back, telling others about such an experience would only be seen as hysteria, insanity, or mental illness. After all, how can someone prove that they have transmigrated into a book? And why would anyone believe something without any evidence?"
"The idea of a novel protagonist achieving financial freedom without pain, like me, is more like a workaholic going crazy in her final moments. At first, I was a bit lost because it was all unknown, far beyond my comprehension. For a moment, I really wanted to end it all and go back to my own world. Although work is never-ending, it's stable, isn't it?"
"But everything here is so real—human body temperature, heartbeat, and breathing. They aren't weightless paper cutouts. I don't regret coming here. In this world, it seems to make people braver."
Perhaps you were always brave.
"Oh, so your little mouth wasn't poisoned after all?"
Before he could even read the comments on the screen, Xu Huaihuai's phone rang.
A call from an unknown number.
Xu Huaihuai is now highly vigilant about calls from unknown numbers. She had already blocked the unknown number from last night, so could this one be from the same lunatic?
As soon as the call connected, before Xu Huaihuai could even speak, the other end spoke very gently, "Did I disturb your in-depth conversation with others?"
That voice sounds so familiar—it's that lunatic from last night again!
Not only is he a lunatic, but he's also a persistent and endless lunatic!
Xu Huaihuai was about to hang up with a dark face when the person spoke again, "Are you going to block me again? But I really have something to say to you."
Who are you?
"Huaihuai, we've only been divorced for less than a week. What you're saying is very hurtful."
"Ling Zhou?" It's actually her ex-husband?
Ling Zhou sounded pleased, "You've found someone new but still remember your old flame..."
Before he could finish speaking, the phone was hung up.
Ling Zhou: "..."
He sent the text message he had already prepared before Xu Huaihuai blocked the number.
After a while, Xu Huaihuai indeed called back.
What does the text message mean?
The text message contained only a few words: Your parents are at my house.
"You didn't tell your parents about our divorce, did you? They couldn't get through to you on the phone, so they came to me. After all, they are my former in-laws, I can't just kick them out, can I?"
When did they go to your place?
"When you slept with someone else yesterday."
"Ling Zhou, can't you speak properly? You keep bringing it up, are you really bothered by it? Who I sleep with is none of your business."
Ling Zhou sighed softly, "It's not that I mind, I just want to say that even if we get divorced, we can still sleep together. We've been each other's bedmates for years, which is better than some unknown male model, right?"
"?" Xu Huaihuai was certain her ex-husband was a lunatic, and that the divorce was a good thing, a brilliant decision. "You're old. There's no comparison. Send me your address, I'll come pick them up."
After hanging up the phone, the lunatic was relatively cooperative and sent me an address.
When Xu Huaihuai arrived at Ling Zhou's house, her current parents were chatting and pointing around in the living room with their whole family, treating her like an outsider at all.
Looking at the live chat comments, Xu Huaihuai identified each of them: the one smoking was her current father, the one cracking sunflower seeds was her current mother, the one frantically taking pictures of the room's furnishings was her cousin, the one constantly flattering her father was her uncle, and her aunt was feeding fruit to her son, who was playing games with his legs propped up on the table—that was her cousin.
Compared to the room full of smoky, oddly shaped people, my ex-husband next to me is so pleasing to the eye.
Ling Zhou did indeed look quite presentable and well-dressed. Surprisingly, he didn't seem too annoyed by the large group of people in his home. He moved closer and whispered, "Your parents arrived yesterday, and your cousins' families arrived today. Are you sure you want to take them back? You don't seem to be very welcoming to these people. I don't mind if they stay here. Do you need my help?"
"No need. Thank you." Xu Huaihuai politely declined. "Would you like to change your shoes?"
Ling Zhou glanced down at the high heels on her feet. He knew all too well how painful it was for someone to be stepped on by such slender ankles wearing high heels. "No need, I'm afraid it will affect your performance."
His expression was a half-smile, with a hint of nostalgia.
That's really crazy.
Xu Huaihuai didn't call out to anyone. She had no emotional connection with the people in that room, so she couldn't bring herself to do it. Even if she did have an emotional connection, she would want to pretend she didn't know her relatives in this state.
She snatched the cigarette from her father's hand and stubbed it out in the ashtray. "What are you smoking for? Everyone in the room is inhaling your secondhand smoke. You're so old, and you have no manners at all."
Everyone in the room was stunned.
Her father's face flushed red first, and he was furious: "You're the father, and I'm the father? You don't answer the phone, and you don't even call me 'Dad' when you see me. What, you've forgotten your roots after settling down in the big city?"
"Huaihuai, how can you talk to your father like that?" Her mother stopped eating her sunflower seeds and tried to take her hand, but Xu Huaihuai dodged and couldn't reach her, so she could only stand there at a distance.
Xu Huaihuai looked at her coldly, "Why can't I say it? This is someone else's house, why are you putting on airs?"
"What...what do you mean?"
Her father stood up abruptly, but his 1.7-meter height posed no threat to Xu Huaihuai, who was already 1.70 meters tall. She looked at her middle-aged, overweight father, who was still trying to act like a father and wanted to laugh.
[Author's Note]
Ex-husband: Aren't you surprised to see me?
Nobody cares. [heart emoji]
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