Chapter 93 Thank you, ex-husband, you heartless bastard!
The damp, musty smell of the state prison's men's cell hit you right in the face.
Although Shen Rongzhi was also alone in prison, the environment was extremely poor.
He was curled up on a straw mat in the corner, his coarse prison clothes hanging loosely on his body.
Even in such a disheveled state, his naturally handsome appearance could not be concealed; instead, it exuded a poignant beauty reminiscent of a down-on-his-luck young master.
Hearing footsteps, he slowly looked up.
Upon seeing who it was, a complex expression flashed in his eyes, which then turned into a gentle smile, as if he were still the same dashing young man who had captivated Lu Zhaoruo back then.
“Ah Ning…”
He called her by her nickname softly.
His voice was hoarse with a deliberate weakness, and the last syllable trembled slightly, as if it contained a thousand words.
Lu Zhaoruo looked at him coldly, but her fingers clenched slightly.
She still harbors a sliver of love for the man before her; after all, she has loved him for so many years, how could she simply stop loving him? But what she feels most intensely is hatred.
These two emotions intertwined, ultimately transforming into a strange sense of alienation.
She didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore.
On the road to exile, whether one lives or dies is none of one's concern.
"Please call me Lady Lu."
Her face was pale.
Shen Rongzhi stared at her.
The more heartless and indifferent she was, the more certain he became that it was clearly love turned to hate.
He truly let her down.
But isn't all of this her own fault?
If she had remained as vibrant and lively as she had been these past two days, how could he have fallen in love with the fisherwoman?
He even thought that if he hadn't fallen in love with the fisherwoman, even if he had tricked her into marrying into the Shen family to serve his parents, she wouldn't have been so heartless.
The reason she hates him so much is simply because she fell in love with someone else.
Ultimately, it's because they love themselves too much.
He stood up and walked to the railing, his hand trembling slightly as he reached out, his fingertips tentatively touching Lu Zhaoruo through the wooden bars. His voice was choked with sobs, almost breaking: "I know you hate me, hate Yu Niang, which is why you took us all to court. Aning, could you please consider our past relationship..."
"feelings?"
Lu Zhaoruo felt as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
She looked at the pampered hand with disdain, and took two steps back in disgust: "Shen Rongzhi, what kind of relationship did we have before? How dare you say those two words?"
Shen Rongzhi's expression froze for a moment, then he put on his usual gentle expression, his eyes filled with regret: "It's only been three years since I came back. Even if I married and had children, and let you down, why have you become so... cold-blooded and heartless?"
"Cold-blooded?"
Lu Zhaoruo sneered, her cold eyes staring directly at him. "You married me only so I could serve your cruel parents, and that abortion pill..."
Her voice trembled slightly, "Was it you who instructed your mother to do this?"
She suddenly curled her lips into a bitter smile: "I was so stupid, so stupid to be moved by your insincerity, so stupid to feel guilty towards you, that's why I swallowed my anger and endured all the humiliation from your parents."
"Let's leave aside the matter of that abortion pill for now, but when I was so sick that I was on my last breath, you clearly came home, but you didn't even step into my courtyard, and you didn't even spare a word of concern."
"In the past, you were poor and destitute, and I had to provide you with even your writing materials. For three whole years, you lived in my Lu family's private school. In the winter, I personally added charcoal to the fire so you wouldn't get cold. You were of average talent, so I taught you to read and write word by word, and I stayed up with you every night to study hard by lamplight..."
"But all this affection didn't even earn you a shred of pity."
"so……"
Lu Zhaoruo slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the last trace of bitterness in her eyes had turned into disgust: "What face do you have to mention 'past relationships' to me?"
Shen Rongzhi's expression changed drastically, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.
He couldn't deny that he had cruelly told his mother to prepare the abortion pills.
But he just didn't want to carry the bastard child of a lecherous man in his womb; he was doing it for her own good...
It's just that... the dosage was a bit too high, which damaged her fundamental health and made her unable to have children anymore.
But.
He suddenly chuckled softly, a bitter redness rising in his eyes: "In your heart, I've always been a dull-witted good-for-nothing, haven't I? You've never truly respected me."
He clenched his prison uniform tightly, his voice filled with years of pent-up resentment: "Yes, you taught me to read and write, and your knowledge far surpasses mine, but do you know how much my eyes ached from the lamplight that kept me studying all night? How my temples throbbed from reciting those classical Chinese phrases! Ah Ning, I've never liked reading!"
"You've been supporting me all along; you should say you're giving me charity!"
He sneered repeatedly, "Do you know that the neighbors are all pointing fingers behind my back, laughing at me, Shen Rongzhi, for being a spineless coward who relies on women's clothes! Even my classmates from the private school wrote a satirical poem mocking me, 'The Lu family's brothels bind the Kunpeng!'"
Lu Zhaoruo stood there, stunned, the dim yellow light of the prison lamp flickering on her face.
It turns out that all the kindness shown in times of need, the years spent reading together under the lamp, and the fingers that turned red from grinding ink for him all night long, had long since fermented into a deep-seated shame and resentment in his heart.
It turns out that sincerity can also be trampled underfoot and crushed, and people will complain that it hurts their feet.
However, she didn't realize it sooner.
And he didn't show these resentments earlier.
He quickly suppressed his resentment, his reddened eyes gazing at her with tear-filled eyes. His fingers weakly gripped the wooden bars of the prison door, his voice broken and incoherent: "A-Ning..."
Every word was laced with a trembling sob, "Do you... still love me?"
"I don't love it."
Lu Zhaoruo uttered those two words without any hesitation.
"You're lying to me."
Shen Rongzhi shook his head, a confident smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I know you hate me for falling in love with the fisherwoman, but..."
His fingertips traced the rough fabric of his prison uniform, his gaze drifting into the distance, his voice tinged with a husky intoxication: "The fisherwoman... she's different."
She suddenly chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling with the vibrant energy of first love: "She's not as reserved as ordinary women, she..."
"She's shameless and promiscuous?"
Lu Zhaoruo interrupted coldly.
Whether she loved him or not, at this moment, her childhood sweetheart who had made a vow under the moon, the young man she had once admired, and the husband who had said "I will marry no one but you" and insisted on marrying her, were now speaking of another woman's special qualities in front of her with such a captivated expression.
Anyone would feel a sharp pain in their heart, like being stabbed with needles.
In his previous life, he had never said these things to me face to face.
In this life, as he recounted these events face to face... it was even more chilling than when he coldly watched himself being dragged to the woodshed by servants at Lin Yingyu's behest in his previous life.
Lu Zhaoruo let the silver needle prick her heart repeatedly, her tone becoming more sarcastic: "Or is she well-versed in the tricks of a courtesan? Or is she skilled in bed, which is why she has you so infatuated?"
Shen Rongzhi's face flushed red instantly, even the roots of her ears turned a blush of embarrassment and anger.
He gripped the railing tightly: "You! How could you become so... so vulgar!"
"how?"
Lu Zhaoruo raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Your fisherwoman can say what she wants, but I can't?"
Shen Rongzhi's chest heaved violently, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes: "A-Ning, you weren't like this before..."
His voice suddenly softened, tinged with a wistful longing, "You were so gentle and quiet, even your voice was soft and gentle, how could you ever..."
"When have you ever been so aggressive?"
Lu Zhaoruo picked up where he left off, her eyes growing even colder, "Then I really have to thank Mr. Shen. If it weren't for your heartless and ruthless nature, how could I have..."
She paused, then suddenly smiled, "How did I suddenly become so clear-headed and learn to live so freely?"
That smile was as bright as the spring sunshine in March, yet it sent a chill down Shen Rongzhi's spine for no reason.
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