Chapter 112 The Broken Agreement
As night falls, the city lights shine brightly.
Huo Yanli did not return to the old house, but instead had the driver take him to the apartment on the top floor of the CBD.
Only a few wall lamps were on in the room, casting a dim, yellowish light. Huo Yanli unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, walked to the bar, and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful; the scalding liquid burned his throat, but it couldn't suppress the cold emptiness in his heart.
He walked to the center of the living room, where his briefcase lay. He knelt down, opened the bag, and pulled out the brown paper document bag that he had crumpled up the night before, then carefully smoothed out, but which was still covered in creases.
Divorce Agreement.
He pulled out the few pages of paper, walked to the center of the spacious living room, and, under the dim light, read them word by word once again.
Every clause, every word, felt like a cold needle piercing his retina and into his heart.
"Both parties confirm that during the marriage, there was no joint property and no joint debts..."
"The woman voluntarily relinquished all financial claims..."
"Based on the expiration of the five-year marriage agreement, both parties voluntarily agree to dissolve their marriage..."
Voluntary? Perhaps she was. But he was never voluntary. At least, after truly understanding his own heart, he was never voluntary.
But her "voluntary" stance was so firm, so clear-headed, leaving no room for negotiation.
"We are not on the same path."
Her words from last night echoed clearly in my ears once again, more jarring than the noise of the airport.
Huo Yanli's hand, holding the paper, began to tremble uncontrollably. It wasn't fear, nor anger, but a profound sense of powerlessness and resentment, as if he were on the verge of collapse.
He stared at the spot on the paper where she had already signed her name, imagining her picking up the pen and calmly writing her own. The image made his heart clench, and he bent over in pain.
No.
That's not right.
He suddenly sat up straight, his eyes sharpening in the dim light, like a wild beast finally cornered, baring its last fangs.
He stopped looking at the terms and stopped thinking about her clarity and resolve. He gripped the stack of papers in both hands and, from the middle, forcefully—
"Sizzle—"
The crisp sound of paper tearing suddenly rang out in the quiet, empty apartment, sounding particularly jarring.
He didn't stop. It was as if he wanted to vent all the pent-up frustration, struggles, realizations, and surging resentment of the past few months, even the past five years. He tore at the paper forcefully, again and again. The sound of tearing paper echoed continuously in the room.
The agreement was torn to shreds, her signature was torn to shreds, the two glaring words "divorce" were torn to shreds... All the cold rules, all the evidence that tried to completely sever their relationship, were reduced to fragments in his hands.
He tore slowly but forcefully, as if performing some solemn, resolute ritual. Until finally, those pages were completely reduced to a pile of unrecognizable, messy fragments.
He released his grip, and the scraps of paper, like pale snowflakes, fluttered down and landed on the clean floor at his feet.
He looked down at the mess on the ground, his chest heaving, and fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. But something had settled in his eyes; it was no longer the confusion, pain, or helplessness of before, but a cold clarity that came after a desperate struggle.
Just then, my phone rang in my pocket. The ringtone sounded abrupt in the silence.
Huo Yanli stood there, catching his breath for a moment, before slowly taking out his phone. Ji Yun's name was flashing on the screen.
He pressed the answer button, put the phone to his ear, and didn't speak immediately.
"Hello? Yanli?" Ji Yun's voice came through the receiver, the background noise was a bit loud, as if he was still outside, "Where...are you? Are you alright?"
Huo Yanli's gaze remained fixed on the pile of shredded paper on the ground. His voice was slightly hoarse from the exertion he had just exerted, but it was unusually calm: "At home. Nothing's wrong."
"Oh...that's good." Ji Yun paused, seemingly considering his words. "Um...Zhiyi, the plane should have arrived by now. The weather looks good, the flight path should be smooth."
"Hmm," Huo Yanli replied with only one syllable.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and Ji Yun seemed to sigh: "Really... just like that, let her go?" His tone was filled with obvious reluctance and regret, as well as worry for his friend.
Huo Yanli slowly raised his eyes, gazing at the boundless night and the dazzling yet distant lights outside the window. His gaze was deep, as if piercing through the glass before him, looking towards a more distant and unknown place.
Then, speaking clearly and slowly, word by word, into the phone, his voice was not loud, but it carried a resolute and undeniable power:
"Gone,"
He paused, a faint, almost cold, curve appearing at the corner of his lips.
"We will get it back."
Ji Yun on the other end of the phone was clearly stunned and remained silent for a long time.
Huo Yanli didn't explain further, nor did he wait for Ji Yun's response before hanging up the phone.
He tossed his phone onto the sofa next to him, bent down, and picked up a slightly larger piece of paper from the pile of scraps on the floor. He could still vaguely make out half of the character "议" (yì, meaning discussion/discussion), and twirled it between his fingers.
Then he let go and let the fragments fall.
He turned around, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and stood with his hands behind his back, facing the vast night view.
His back was straight and solitary, yet he was no longer lost.
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