Chapter 9
The meal was so boring that Chen Huanong didn't say another word until he got home. The first real cold war in five years had begun. The two of them lay in bed, each with their own thoughts. The empty space between them was like an insurmountable gap in their hearts.
Early Saturday morning, Chen Huanong received a call from Qin Huai, saying that the Justice Bureau had reached an agreement; the family had voluntarily withdrawn their complaint, and she could return to work as normal. She tossed the sliced avocado and pear into the juicer. As the machine hummed, her mind raced through several fragments. She had a feeling there were still some suspicious points she hadn't seen, but she had no evidence to support her intuition.
"Old Xu said there's a dinner party scheduled for tonight, and you have to attend." Chen Huanong hummed, and Qin Huai immediately noticed that she was in a bad mood. On any other day, Chen Huanong would have complained, probably just about how she had no human rights because she had to attend social events on the weekend. But today she was unusually quiet, and Qin Huai couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing, I went to bed late last night and I'm not in the best mood."
Qin Huai knew that she was not telling the truth, but he could not ask any further. Chen Huanong's mental state has never been related to whether she rested early or late. Over the years, the only person who could cause her emotional instability was the special Director Tang in her family. This is her minefield, and no one can step on it.
By the time Tang Chengting finished washing up and walked to the dining room, Chen Huanong had already prepared breakfast. Two glasses of freshly squeezed juice and two sandwiches were neatly placed on the western-style table. Despite how unpleasant things had been between them the night before, Chen Huanong still upheld her responsibilities as a wife. She clearly never believed in the nonsense that "to capture a man's heart you must first capture his stomach," but over the years, she still wanted to take good care of the man in front of her. She could even ask Tang Chengting what he wanted for lunch in the midst of the cold war.
"I made an appointment with Xingyan to have lunch together at noon."
"Well, about divorce? I don't accept mediation. The first verdict will only go my way. He should have told you this in advance." Chen Huanong put down the sandwich in his hand and drank the juice in his glass in one gulp, seemingly unconcerned about Tang Chengting's words yesterday. "Sometimes people's obsessions shouldn't be too deep. Wanting too much is not a good thing. You can pursue the life you want, and I also have the right to defend my life. I hope you understand, Director Tang."
She was Chen Huanong, the Chen Huanong who had lived on the edge for five years. A mere divorce lawsuit was as easy as breakfast for her. It wasn't the first time Tang Chengting had spoken hurtfully, so why should she be upset? Besides, even if she was upset, could he still hold back? She grabbed her bag and walked out. The electronic lock slammed shut in the hallway, as cold and emotionless as ever. The clatter of her high heels echoed in the shade of the residential corridor. She straightened her back and walked out, step by step. In her memory, this day's journey felt longer than ever before.
Mo Yiyan watched her approach from afar, feeling a surge of bitterness in her heart for some reason. Of the few of them, Chen Huanong seemed the most glamorous, the most heartless, and the most indestructible, but who knew that she was already riddled with holes on the inside. When she received the call from Zhang Xingyan that morning, she was still half asleep and could only hear Tang Chengting's name and the word "divorce". When she woke up and wanted to ask more questions, Zhang Xingyan had already hung up. She immediately called Chen Huanong and learned that Tang Chengting had made an appointment with Zhang Xingyan to discuss something at noon.
"When you were getting married, I clearly opposed it. He wasn't the right man! He was just a piece of stone. After five years of being covered, it should have warmed up, right? What happened? If he had cared about you even a little bit, he wouldn't have acted so decisively!"
Chen Huanong slowly fastened his seatbelt, frowning as if pondering Mo Yiyan's words. "Go and find out who Zhao Liangqi has been in contact with recently."
"You, you, you...rekindled your old love with Zhao Liangqi and was caught cheating by Tang Chengting?" After six years, when Mo Yiyan heard Zhao Liangqi's name from Chen Huanong again, he couldn't help but imagine a big drama in his mind.
"Put aside your baseless speculations and imaginations. Putting aside the fact that there's nothing between Zhao Liangqi and me, according to my style of doing things, even if there is something, it's impossible for others to find out." Chen Huanong's eyes fell on Mo Yiyan's neck, his face full of disdain. "At the very least, I won't let anyone leave any evidence on me."
"I covered it so tightly and you could see it?"
"What do you see? The scarf is very beautiful. Your little puppy must have picked it out!"
Mo Yiyan decided to withdraw all her previous sympathy for Chen Huanong. This woman didn't deserve it. She was just a fighter plane. Did a fighter plane need sympathy? A fighter plane only needed to issue combat orders. She first silently mourned for Zhang Xingyan for a minute. Chen Huanong was reluctant to touch Tang Chengting, but that didn't mean Zhang Xingyan could get away with it.
"Did your wife tell you that?" Zhang Xingyan felt like a million alpacas were trampling through his heart. He suddenly felt a little reluctant to go to court. "How about I ask another lawyer from our firm to go to court with you?"
"Even if you escape now, Chen Huanong will still hold you responsible, so it's better to confront him in court." Tang Chengting was puzzled. "Are you afraid of Chen Huanong now? As far as I know, this case is handled by Qin Huai and an intern, and Chen Huanong wants to use this case as a training exercise for the intern. You can't handle an intern?"
"You really don't understand your wife. When has Chen Huanong ever fought a lawsuit where she had no chance of winning? She's so determined not to get a divorce that she wouldn't think twice about handing the matter over to an intern. Although divorces are rare at first instance, they do happen. What if the intern messes up? What will she do? Chen Huanong will never allow herself to be in such a passive position." Zhang Xingyan felt like he was just going crazy. He jumped into this case knowing he had no chance of winning. "Do you have any conclusive evidence? For example, evidence of domestic violence or infidelity?"
Tang Chengting glanced at him, his displeasure evident in his eyes. Zhang Xingyan pretended not to notice and continued to challenge Tang Chengting's bottom line. "With Chen Huanong's emotional intelligence, even if she did something wrong, you would definitely not know about it. You're a finance professional who only knows data. How can you know what can serve as evidence? I'm sorry to trouble you."
"Do lawyers rely on imagination to handle cases nowadays? I think you'd be more suitable to work at your sister's magazine. I came to you to ask you to help me get a divorce as soon as possible, not to tease me here."
"How can I help you if you don't tell me the real reason for your divorce? You said your relationship broke down. Not only does the judge not believe it, I don't believe it either. So you tell me, how did your relationship break down? What did she, Chen Huanong, do to cause your relationship to break down? Can you list them one by one?" After asking this, Tang Chengting's face became even uglier.
Zhang Xingyan knew clearly that Tang Chengting couldn't. For the past five years, at least on the surface, Chen Huanong had played the role of a qualified wife, taking care of Tang Chengting in life, not relying on him emotionally, and being completely independent financially. Mo Yiyan even half-jokingly said that Chen Huanong's marriage was worse than not being married. Apart from having a regular bed partner, she got nothing.
"For the past five years, I was the one who did nothing. I coveted the warmth she gave me, but I couldn't give her anything. I should have let her go and let her live a normal life."
"When you got married, you said it wasn't because of love, but because of need. Chen Huanong was well aware of this. What's going on now? Are you going to let her find love? Or do you need love yourself? After five years of marriage, you feel that life lacks passion and want to try a passionate love? I didn't know you had such a romantic nature."
"I don't need love. I never believed in it."
"Then Chen Huanong doesn't need you to let her go. Her love is you." Zhang Xingyan was surprised just after he finished speaking. It is said that what is said without thinking is the most sincere thought in the heart. Even if he doesn't like Chen Huanong and even if he once opposed this marriage, "Everyone in our circle knows that Chen Huanong loves you, but I don't like her because of this. I think she is too scheming. Maybe she originally loved you three points, but after being repeated by people, it became five points. In the end, who can know whether she loves you or herself who is immersed in love and sad but unwilling to give up?"
Tang Chengting had been eating out for a few days and found that all the dishes tasted the same, heavy and greasy. He lost his appetite after just a few chopsticks. Zhang Xingyan never missed an opportunity to tease him, "Of course, the food out here can't compare to your wife's cooking. I have to admire Chen Huanong for taking a cooking class without affecting his work. He's really raising you like a son!"
Everyone praised Chen Huanong's cooking skills. Before they got married, Chen Huanong was already a good cook. After they got married, he even signed up for a nutrition and food course without anyone knowing. Since then, Tang Chengting has been the only one in the office who brought a lunch box. At first, Tang Chengting was a little embarrassed. After all, it was a bit strange for a grown man to eat such a cute lunch. Ever since a little girl in the office accidentally saw it and attracted a group of people to watch, Tang Chengting simply gave up. Compared to the cafeteria or takeout, Chen Huanong's cooking was more to his liking. More importantly, compared to the fact that a grown man was eating panda rice balls, his colleagues were more concerned about how Chen Huanong made them. After being shy for three days, the little girl who saw it first finally mustered up the courage to run up to Tang Chengting and said, "Director, can I add your wife's WeChat? I really like her cooking and I want to learn how to cook for my boyfriend."
The cute and happy look of the little girl made Tang Chengting stunned for a moment, and at that time he thought of Chen Huanong. When Chen Huanong was doing these things, was she also full of joy and expectation? She did not mind the trouble to make small rice balls by hand. Was it because she felt happiness from these trivial things? He actually envied Chen Huanong. She could always find inner peace from the most insignificant things in life. Tang Chengting greeted Chen Huanong, and then pushed Chen Huanong's WeChat to the little girl. The little girl said thank you several times and happily returned to her office.
Chen Huanong had just concluded a difficult lawsuit. Although she narrowly won, she still had to face some criticism from her master. It was half an hour later when she saw Tang Chengting's WeChat message. She was still in a good mood, and it was rare for her to be so arrogant in front of Tang Chengting. She replied to Tang Chengting, "These hands of mine are the hands that have written millions of lawsuits. Now, for you, I have become your cook. You must cherish them."
Tang Chengting, in a rare moment of indulgence, replied, "I will follow your instructions, Madam." This was one of their few heartwarming moments. He was profoundly inept at handling intimacy. He knew when to offer comfort, empathy, or romance, but he wouldn't respond. He was a rational person, occasionally overcome by emotion, but more often, he analyzed the pros and cons thoroughly, leaning toward the worst possible outcome. This was the fundamental difference between him and Chen Huanong. Chen Huanong lived in the present, cherishing today more than the unpredictable tomorrow. This worried her mother, who constantly lectured her about planning for the future. Chen Huanong, unfazed, instead tried to brainwash her mother, saying, "I can't even handle today, let alone tomorrow. Who can predict what will happen tomorrow? Maybe I'll get hit by a car while walking down the street tonight and won't even see the sun tomorrow!" Even Tang Chengting couldn't help but sigh. Chen Huanong was truly gifted at sophistry; after all, it wasn't often someone in their twenties was beaten by their mother.
For someone like this with a childlike mind, playing the role of a good wife and mother during the five years of marriage to Tang Chengting must have been very tiring. Looking back on the five years they had lived together, Tang Chengting thought his selfishness should have ended there. She was not born to be the one to take care of him. The fact that Chen Huanong loved him should not be the reason to restrict her life. For Chen Huanong, it was really unfair.
"Do you really want a divorce? Actually, I think it's quite impressive that Chen Huanong has tolerated you for five years. Do you want to give it another try?" Zhang Xingyan felt a little uneasy at Tang Chengting's probing gaze. "Maybe it's because I'm getting older. Hey, I'm actually beginning to yearn for marriage. When I go home at night and see the lights on in the buildings above the complex, I think to myself that not a single one is on for me. It's a bit depressing."
"We all have to face life alone in the end, it's just a matter of adapting in advance."
"Tang Chengting, you're truly cold-blooded. Anyway, your wife has already said that next Wednesday is just a formality. We'll have to wait for the second trial to get the result you want." Zhang Xingyan thought for a moment and added, "Perhaps with your wife's methods, the divorce may not be successful even at the second trial."
Tang Chengting said nothing more. He always wanted to have the upper hand over Chen Huanong. If it turned out as Zhang Xingyan said, he would have to use his usual old-fashioned but effective methods to deal with Chen Huanong. Although he would inevitably get a reputation for being despicable, he had lived a despicable life for so many years, so why would he care about his reputation now? Zhang Xingyan saw him like this and thought it was a good opportunity to cheat him out of money. He immediately called the others to set up a card game.
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