Chapter 29
Tang Chengting saw Chen Huanong through the café's floor-to-ceiling windows. Just a silhouette of her made him feel incredibly at ease. That was the Chen Huanong he had nurtured since she was a teenager. When she was still a little girl, when she knew nothing, when she was still uneasy in unfamiliar surroundings, he was always by her side. He wrote her English homework, helped her with her science problems one by one, taught her tennis, and even her taste in bread and coffee was the same as his. Why should he give her up?
He ascended the stairs to the second floor, step by step, and for the first time, he found them irritatingly long. As soon as Zhang Xingyan left his office, he drove to Shensong Law Firm, where he learned that Chen Huanong had left work early and that Zhao Liangqi had been behaving in recent days. He was momentarily distracted, but his body remained more honest, and he sped all the way to the cafe. The sight of Chen Huanong and Zhao Liangqi together certainly irritated him.
As Zhao Liangqi looked at him, Chen Huanong slowly turned around. Even through the crowd, Chen Huanong's gaze fell squarely on him. Chen Huanong's hands were clasped on the back of the sofa, her chin resting between her arms. Her beautiful eyes were sleepy, and she smiled sweetly. The fleeting smugness on her face was easily caught by him. Tang Chengting realized belatedly that Chen Huanong had expected him to come.
"Mr. Zhao, enjoy your meal. Feel free to order whatever you want. I'll pay for tonight, so don't be shy. Consider it a token of my gratitude for the luxurious lunches you've given me over the past two weeks. My colleagues enjoyed their meals very much, so I wanted to pass on my thanks. My husband is here to pick me up, so I'll be leaving first."
As he spoke, Tang Chengting had already walked to the side of Chen Huanong and naturally took her hand. The latter raised her head slightly, and a layer of moisture unconsciously covered her eyes. The only trace of irritation that Tang Chengting had left was instantly melted away. He realized it so late, and his sun was wronged.
"Let's go home."
"Well, I asked the waiter to pack a bowl of porridge. I'll go get it from the kitchen."
"I'll go with you."
Tang Chengting was slightly ahead, with Chen Huanong, held by his hand, leaning close behind him, as they walked towards the kitchen together, their intimacy oblivious to the surroundings. When their figures completely disappeared from Zhao Liangqi's sight, he felt something was unreal. He couldn't understand the reason, didn't understand Chen Huanong's persistence, and hadn't anticipated Tang Chengting's change of heart. Everything had clearly been going according to his instructions, yet Chen Huanong had clearly signed and agreed. What had gone wrong?
The private chef hired by Chen Huanong at a high price is best at cooking porridge. Because he loves Chinese medicine, he is most proficient in using medicinal food to maintain health. Without damaging the original taste of the ingredients, he uses a variety of Chinese herbs to blend them, and the taste is really superb. The moment Chen Huanong opened the door, a rich aroma filled the entire restaurant. She boasted to Tang Chengting as if she was presenting a treasure, "How is it, isn't the chef I found this time superb? Let me tell you, it took me a lot of effort to find her. Momo and I climbed the mountain for seven consecutive days before we invited her down. Speaking of this, Zhang Xiang, that damn woman, is not as good as Momo. She used the name of purchasing ingredients to avoid climbing the mountain..."
Talking about this matter, Chen Huanong talked incessantly. On the one hand, it was a coincidence that made her feel that opportunity was really wonderful. On the other hand, she was really tired. The tiredness from physical labor and mental activity are really not the same concept. She couldn't help but remember it vividly.
Tang Chengting drank his porridge while listening to her chatter, and couldn't help but think of the time when they first got married, when Chen Huanong was also a chatterbox. He actually liked to listen to her chattering, but he didn't have the ability to discover the beauty in the atmosphere of fireworks like Chen Huanong, so he couldn't respond. Later, he realized that he was becoming more and more dependent on Chen Huanong, and he was terrified. What if Chen Huanong couldn't stand it one day and wanted to leave, how would he deal with it alone? But people, who are used to warmth, how can they let go easily? Being afraid is one thing, and being unable to help getting close is another. He restrained himself from walking towards Chen Huanong again and again, and fell into Chen Huanong's gentle circle again and again. He clearly realized the meanness in his bones, and for the first time he hated the fate that had arranged it this way.
His hesitation, his reversal, and his distrust ultimately buried the last bit of childishness left in Chen Huanong's heart, along with her vitality, her expectations, and her love. From beginning to end, he witnessed it all, but never reached out to stop it. He couldn't say, "My dear, your love is worth looking forward to."
"Chen Huanong, I've torn up the divorce agreement."
Chen Huanong was talking excitedly when he heard Tang Chengting interrupt him. He was a little confused for a moment. After a few seconds, he hummed and heard Tang Chengting ask again, "The story about going to Kenya must be fake, right?"
He used an affirmative tone. Chen Huanong felt a little embarrassed that his lie was exposed, but he still nodded and admitted it.
"First you incited me to sign, then deceived me through Zhang Xingyan. Was it premeditated or a spur-of-the-moment decision? What if I actually went with you to the Civil Affairs Bureau to handle the paperwork?"
Chen Huanong's eyes suddenly widened, and all his dazedness and embarrassment faded away. He spoke with a powerful voice, "A divorce agreement is not binding. What's the point of signing it? If I don't go, you can't handle it alone. At worst, I can wait for the second trial in six months. I won't lose the second trial!"
"You won't. You will let go. The moment you signed, you decided to let go because I said I would be more comfortable without you. So no matter how reluctant you are, you will still let go." Tang Chengting was halfway through his words when he saw Chen Huanong's eyes reddened and his heart ached uncontrollably. "If you were a little more selfish and cruel, I wouldn't have held you captive until now. I've told myself countless times to let you go, but I can't. I'm worried that you won't be happy with me, and I'm also worried that you won't be happy without me."
"Then you put all your efforts into divorcing me, saying harsh words to hurt me, and pushing me onto others. You have been so distant these past five years, and you have been making things difficult for me because of your own frustration. I wanted to let you go, but you came back to catch me. Tang Chengting, you always use this trick every time." Chen Huanong felt more and more uncomfortable as she spoke, crying breathlessly. The depression of the past five years and the entanglement of the past five months all turned into huge tears, dripping into Tang Chengting's heart, merging into a vast ocean.
Tang Chengting half-knelt beside her, gently wiping away her tears. Chen Huanong, still angry, turned her head away and ignored him. Tang Chengting let her temper go, stood up and walked to the other side, continuing to help her brush away the hair stuck to her face, "Qingqing, crying too much will make your body dehydrated."
He spoke seriously and irrelevantly, but Chen Huanong finally couldn't hold it in. The tears on her face were still wet, but she still laughed, "Tang Chengting, is this how you coax people?"
"No, I learned it online. It says that when a girl is crying, you need to make her stop crying first. Telling jokes is the fastest way to make her stop crying."
"This stupid method was taught by Zhang Xingyan, right?"
"How do you know?"
"His last girlfriend was just that bad. Mo Yiyan mocked him for three days because of it." Chen Huanong sobbed and spoke incoherently. "And the fastest method mentioned online isn't this either."
"What is that?"
"If it's a handsome guy, just give him a kiss or a hug." Chen Huanong only realized what he had said after he finished speaking. He looked up and saw Tang Chengting's playful smile. He quickly explained, "No, that's not what I meant. It's really what people say on the Internet. I..."
Tang Chengting leaned over to silence her chatter, and for a moment, her ears were quiet and peaceful. After a while, Tang Chengting stood up. Chen Huanong felt as if her ears were burning. They were an old married couple, so was a kiss really that big of a reaction?
"Ah... Tang Chengting, what are you doing? You scared me." Before Chen Huanong could come to her senses, she was suddenly picked up by Tang Chengting. She subconsciously wrapped her arms around Tang Chengting, and her tone became unconsciously full of anger.
The instigator showed no intention of letting it go. He said calmly and confidently, "Didn't you say that a kiss or a hug would be enough? I kissed and hugged you now. Are you angry enough?"
"Tang Chengting, have some shame! The internet is talking about a handsome young man. Not only have you grown older over the years, but you've also become much more shameless!"
"I've lost my dignity a long time ago. If I had any dignity, I wouldn't have tricked you into staying with me. Besides, isn't it because you're obsessed with my looks that you refuse to divorce? Mo Yiyan told me everything."
"Hehe, that was a joke, you clearly know..." Even though both of them knew it was a joke, Chen Huanong was still embarrassed to continue. He really made a bad choice of friends.
Seeing that she was mumbling and silent, Tang Chengting stopped teasing her and turned serious. He asked the person in his arms very seriously, "Qingqing, do you still feel wronged?"
Five years of marriage, thousands of days and nights, and the grievances endured, could these few words easily offset? Yet, he still had to ask, "My dear, if I were to be honest and reveal everything, to bare my inner world to you, to acknowledge your importance to me, my desperate need for you, my inability to part with you, and my love for you, would that alleviate your grievances? Day and night, year after year, could I, with my wholehearted care for you, offset these thousand days of grievances?"
"I've lived for over thirty years and never suffered a single loss at the hands of others. All the grievances I've suffered are inflicted by you. Don't try to fool me with just a few words. I won't be fooled again."
"Okay, you must hold on to yourself and don't let me conquer you so easily."
"How shameless! You even told me to be more reserved before!"
"I've given you my face. As a girl, you should be reserved. This way, there will be room for men to show their abilities."
"Are you blaming me? You're blaming me for not being reserved enough, so you didn't have room to show your abilities?"
"Qingqing, sometimes being too understanding isn't necessarily a good thing."
Chen Huanong...I want to take the divorce agreement to go through the divorce procedures, no one can stop me!
Mo Yiyan thought that after she warned Tang Chengting, Tang Chengting would quietly let Chen Huanong go, so when Chen Huanong invited her to dinner at the suburban villa, Mo Yiyan naively thought that the celebration banquet Chen Huanong was talking about was the celebration banquet she imagined.
It was Chi Buyu who opened the door, clinging to half a watermelon, a sight Mo Yiyan found truly disgusting. Qin Huai was playing games with Zhang Xingyan in the living room. The two men, in their thirties, were acting incredibly childish, a sight Mo Yiyan continued to despise. An intern and an assistant were washing vegetables in the kitchen. Since they weren't very familiar with Mo Yiyan, they simply exchanged a few greetings. Zhang Xiang and Jiang Yuyuan followed shortly after, each bearing a gift. Mo Yiyan wondered, "Are divorce celebrations this lively these days? Is it okay to accept gifts? Is it okay for her to give a red envelope?"
"Where's Chen Xiaohua? I've been here for ages, and she didn't even bother to greet me? Is this how Shen Song's lawyer treats guests?" As soon as Mo Yiyan said this, four pairs of eyes, from the intern to Qin Huai, turned to look at her. She felt a little intimidated for some reason. "Well, I'm not talking about the person, I was just talking about Chen Xiaohua."
Chi Buyu pointed in the direction of the backyard and said, "We're having a barbecue in the back. You can see it when you go to the yard."
As a tech geek, Jiang Yousi was left in the living room by his brother-in-law. Jiang Yuyuan went to help in the kitchen. Mo Yiyan and Zhang Xiang went to the backyard to find Chen Huanong first. Mo Yiyan asked Zhang Xiang what gift she had given him. Zhang Xiang mentioned a set of tableware that Chen Xiaohua had taken a fancy to last time. Mo Yiyan nodded, saying that it was very pleasing to the eye. "I think that set of tableware is very nice too. I'm sure I'll be in a good mood when I eat with it in the future."
"I gave this to Huahua. It has nothing to do with your mood."
"She'll definitely cook for us in the future. She doesn't like to cook alone, and she doesn't like to eat takeout all the time. So as her bestie, we should definitely spend more time with her during this time!"
Zhang Xiang looked at her like she was crazy. "Huahua has Director Tang to accompany her, why does she need you to accompany her? If you want to eat for free, just say so. We have known each other for so many years, we should be sincere with each other."
Mo Yiyan had an expression that said, "You guys don't know, but I do." He explained to Zhang Xiang in an extremely relieved tone, "You don't know yet, but my brother and I are the only ones who know about this. Huahua has signed the divorce agreement, and I guess we'll just have to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to complete the paperwork in a few days. Today is just an advance notice to celebrate the divorce."
"So, you think Tang Chengting called us here today to inform us that he and his wife want a divorce?"
"Right... No, who informed you?"
As they spoke, the two of them had already reached the backyard entrance. Zhang Xiang pointed in the direction of Tang Chengting, her meaning very clear. Mo Yiyan had no auditory hallucinations, let alone visual hallucinations. The man standing behind Chen Huanong, helping her tie her hair, was none other than Tang Chengting, whom she had blocked outside the ward door a while ago!
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