Chapter 38: Relentless Mud-Slinging

Ning Yuanzhou found Liu Zhuyin the moment he secured the photographs.

"I told you, he definitely has something to hide!"

"He’s been insisting on a divorce lately, acting like a completely different person."

"The truth is... he’s hooked up with the eldest daughter of the Luo family."

"I brought this up the other day, and you didn't believe me, but now you see it for yourself! The two of them walking arm-in-arm into a supermarket—what does that tell you?"

Liu Zhuyin’s delicate face turned paper-white. Although she refused to believe it was true, the sight of the photos filled her with agony.

"What... what does it mean?"

"Ah-Yin, don't you understand yet? It means they are already living together!"

Ning Yuanzhou let out a shrill cry, and Liu Zhuyin couldn't help but tremble.

Living together? Had he and Luo Mingzhu already moved in together? How could that be!

"He divorces you one day, and the next, he's living with another woman. At this speed, even the Khitan cavalry couldn't keep up!"

"I suspect... this guy was already messing around with that Luo girl before your divorce. How else could he have transitioned so seamlessly?"

Ning Yuanzhou continued to stir the pot, pouring bucket after bucket of filth over me. He seemed desperate to project every heartless, unfaithful quality in the world onto my character. He was determined to sow discord. He had only guessed before, but now that he had proof, his narrative was all the more compelling.

Liu Zhuyin stared fixedly at the photos, sinking into suspicion. While she didn't want to believe I would cheat, and even less that I would take a fancy to Luo Mingzhu—after all, she had plenty of confidence compared to that little girl—the evidence was right before her eyes. Even if she didn't want to believe it... she had to doubt.

"Yichen wouldn't..." she murmured to herself, her trembling voice betraying her.

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Ah-Yin, think back carefully. He used to love you so much; why did he suddenly stop?"

"He insisted on a divorce no matter what, and even when you tried to hold him back, he wouldn't turn back!"

"Most importantly, you never wronged him, so how could he be so cold-blooded?"

"I understand men. Even if a man is disappointed in a woman, unless there’s a fundamental issue, he wouldn't be this heartless. Unless..."

He paused, leaving the sentence hanging.

Liu Zhuyin looked up, her eyes filled with panic. "Unless what?"

"Unless he’s had a change of heart and found someone new!" Ning Yuanzhou stated firmly, sealing the verdict.

Even though she had guessed what he was going to say, it felt as though a knife had been driven deep into her heart. Her eyes welled up with red—a mixture of grievance, anger, and a pain that reached into her very marrow. She felt aggrieved because she had exhausted herself trying to save our marriage; she felt angry because I had actually fallen for someone else.

As for that pain... it was because she couldn't let me go. It was an inexplicable feeling she couldn't even begin to describe.

Ning Yuanzhou watched the scene with satisfaction, the corners of his mouth curling upward before he quickly assumed a look of tragic indignation.

"Ah-Yin, I know you have feelings for him."

"But... have you ever considered that you might just be used to his presence?"

"Loving someone means having that feeling of a racing heart; it means being so distracted you forget to eat or sleep. Have you ever felt that way about him?"

"You haven't, have you...?"

He was guiding her, gently steering her toward the conclusion that she didn't actually love me—she was just accustomed to my company. Just like when a pet dog or cat has been by your side for a long time; you feel lost when it's suddenly gone. Conversely, Liu Zhuyin had felt that racing heart for him! She had experienced that obsession! That was the true purpose behind his words.

Liu Zhuyin searched her memories. It was true; she had never felt that spark for me. She hadn't loved me with a desperate, burning passion. She simply found a sense of total security in me. I took care of everything for her. Being by my side was effortless, like a computer set to standby mode—she didn't have to do a thing.

Was this... really not love? But then, why did it hurt so much? The thought of me being with Luo Mingzhu made her heart feel weightless, as if it were suspended in the air, pierced by a thousand arrows.

"Ah-Yin, the truth is, you don't love him."

"Five years is a long time; even flowers and grass grow on you. Besides, even if you did have a shred of affection for him, he has betrayed you."

"Those who betray true love deserve to swallow ten thousand needles!"

"Forget him..." Ning Yuanzhou said softly, like a devil from hell casting a curse upon her.

Liu Zhuyin remained silent, but she had taken in everything he said. However... she was not a woman who could be easily misled.

"Even if he really has fallen for Luo Mingzhu, I want him to tell me himself!"

Liu Zhuyin stood up abruptly and walked out of the office without looking back. She drove straight to my place.

At that moment, I had finished cooking and was fuming as I watched Luo Mingzhu beaming with delight.

"Miss Luo, this is the first and last time!"

"You have hands and feet; stop making me wait on you in the future!"

She didn't get angry at all; instead, she smiled and retorted, "Brother Chen, is this how you wait on your wife at home?"

"This meal is probably no worse than what a five-star hotel chef could make!"

I sneered. Of course it wasn't! To help improve Liu Zhuyin's health, I had even earned a nutritionist certification. I had learned cooking properly, too. But all of that was water under the bridge now. It was a path I had walked—a regret, perhaps, but also a beautiful memory.

"Enough, just eat your food!"

I didn't answer her and sat down to eat. Luo Mingzhu brandished her chopsticks, devouring the food like a whirlwind, her mouth glistening with oil—hardly the image of a refined young lady.

"Delicious!"

"Brother Chen, can I hire you to cook for me?"

"You name the salary, I can afford whatever you ask!"

She was actually trying to recruit me.

"I’m already doing you a favor by drafting your proposal and collaborating with you!"

"And now you want to hire me to cook for you? Why don't you just fly to the moon?" I glared at her, annoyed.

"Hey! What a shame."

"Brother Chen, why didn't you meet me sooner?"

"If I had known you were this great, I would have been born a few years earlier and married you!"

I gave her a look of disdain.

"You? I wouldn't even look twice at you!"

"You can't even take care of yourself; why would I marry you? To worship you like an ancestor?"

Luo Mingzhu was incensed and confronted me indignantly.

"What do you mean by that? Looking down on me?"

"Let me ask you, what about your wife? How is she better than me?"

"Doesn't she also not know how to do anything?"

"And... she’s not as good as me! At the very least, I can provide you with emotional value!"

Her words left me speechless. If we were being honest, she wasn't wrong. Liu Zhuyin was even less capable than her. No matter what I did, she never gave any reaction. It was as if... I really was just her subordinate. But even a subordinate would get some praise when they did a good job. I never did.

I sighed, not knowing what to say.

Luo Mingzhu seemed to realize she had said the wrong thing. Her little face flooded with apology, and just as she was about to speak, the front door was pounded on.

"Gu Yichen! You get out here right now!"