Chapter 4 "Okay," she said.
Huo Yanli was stunned for a moment.
He had imagined all sorts of opening lines—shy, nervous, ingratiating, or even pretentious.
There is none like this.
Business as usual. Concise and direct. Even with a hint of...urging?
Ji Yun couldn't help but chuckle softly, though he immediately stopped, the playfulness in his laughter was quite obvious.
Song Zhiyi seemed not to hear, or rather, she didn't care. She simply looked at Huo Yanli quietly, waiting for his response.
Huo Yanli finally released the cigarette that had been slightly deformed from his grip and tossed it into the nearby trash can. He straightened up, nearly a head taller than Song Zhiyi, but from his superior position, he inexplicably didn't feel that usual sense of control.
“Miss Song,” he said, his voice lower than usual, “there are some things we need to clarify before we go in.”
Song Zhiyi nodded: "Please go ahead."
Looking into her calm eyes, Huo Yanli suddenly felt that what he was about to say might be completely irrelevant to her. But he still spoke, in a deliberately indifferent and formulaic tone: "This marriage is due to the demands of our elders. There is no emotional foundation between us, and there won't be in the future."
He paused, observing her reaction.
Song Zhiyi remained calm as she looked at him, her face showing no hurt, embarrassment, or anger. She even nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
Huo Yanli felt that inexplicable irritation rise again. He continued, "So, let's set a timeframe. Five years. After five years, we'll divorce amicably. During this period, we won't interfere with each other's lives, and apart from necessary occasions, we don't need any extra contact."
He stared into her eyes and said, word by word, "I will give you a monthly allowance. But the Huo family's resources, the company's business, and my personal social circle—none of these are your concern. Do you understand?"
I'm finally done talking.
Ji Yun, Zhou Mubai, and Shen Yu all focused their attention on Song Zhiyi's face. They were waiting to see how this seemingly calm woman would react after hearing such a blunt, even humiliating, "five-year agreement."
Will she feel wronged? Will she cry? Will she try to bargain? Or will she reveal her true colors and angrily accuse him?
Song Zhiyi listened quietly to the end.
Her expression remained unchanged from beginning to end. Not even her eyelashes trembled.
She simply tilted her head slightly, as if deep in thought. A few seconds later, she nodded.
“Okay,” she said.
Just one word. Clear, calm, without any hesitation.
Huo Yanli was stunned.
Ji Yun's playful expression froze.
Zhou Mubai's hand, which was pushing up his glasses, froze in mid-air.
For the first time, Shen Yu's brows furrowed slightly.
"You..." Huo Yanli began to speak subconsciously, but didn't know what to ask.
Song Zhiyi glanced at her watch. "Mr. Huo, if we've finished discussing the terms, may we go in?" She looked up at him, her eyes still calm. "I need to leave before ten o'clock; I have work to do later."
There wasn't even a hint of reluctance or dissatisfaction in her tone. It was as if... she was simply completing a task.
Looking into those clear, calm eyes, Huo Yanli wondered for the first time if he had misjudged this person.
Ji Yun couldn't hold back any longer and lowered her voice to say to Zhou Mubai, "...Did she not understand?"
Zhou Mubai didn't answer, but just watched Song Zhiyi turn and walk towards the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Her back was straight, her steps were steady, and her white shirt was dazzlingly clean in the morning light.
Huo Yanli stood still for two seconds before taking a step and following.
The sunlight fell on his shoulders, warm and comforting. But a strange emptiness lingered in his heart.
He thought it would be a marriage that required painstaking negotiation, clear boundaries, and careful calculation.
The other party responded with only one word.
"good."
It was light and airy, like a small pebble thrown into the still lake of his heart, which he thought was already calm and undisturbed.
A ripple appeared, one that even he himself did not notice.
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