Chapter 47: Contrast

Liu Zhuyin turned back to look for me, but by the time she rushed to the office, I had already left.

Her gaze dimming, she desperately wanted to ask if what I had just said was true...

At the same time, she realized she needed to make a change, starting with letting go of Ning Yuanzhou.

The biggest flaw in their five-year relationship had been her constant neglect of me and her excessive focus on Ning Yuanzhou. Yet just moments ago, she had still done it out of sheer habit.

While suffocated by regret, a tiny spark of anger also flared within her. She was already trying to change, so why... why was I still this cold? Did it really have to come to a divorce for things to change?

Naturally, I was completely unaware of her inner turmoil.

I was already sitting across from Bai Beichuan, filling him in on the matter regarding Ning Yuanzhou.

Bai Beichuan furrowed his brows deeply, a cold edge chilling his expression.

"Such a good-for-nothing piece of trash, yet so endlessly troublesome."

"Fine, I'll look into what's really going on with Ning Yuanzhou."

With his capabilities, handling this would be a breeze. That was precisely why I had come to see him today.

"By the way, we've been brothers for years. Give it to me straight—does your desire to deal with him have anything to do with Liu Zhuyin?"

Though I didn't understand why he would ask such a question, I still shook my head.

"It has nothing to do with her."

"Nothing?"

Bai Beichuan looked skeptical, refusing to believe it.

"What? Do you think I'm investigating him simply to put him in his place?"

Bai Beichuan nodded immediately, "Of course! Isn't he begging to be put in his place?"

"If you ask me, he should have been dealt with long ago. You're the only one with the patience to put up with him."

"If it were me... that scumbag would have died a hundred times over by now!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. Teaching him a lesson didn't mean anything. Venting my frustration? Pointless.

If punishing someone could win back the heart of the woman I loved, then perhaps I wouldn't just punish him—I would kill him on the spot!

But the truth was, human hearts were the hardest things in the world to change. If five years couldn't salvage what was broken, what else was left to say?

Yet, I remained perpetually baffled: I had already decided to leave, so what illness had suddenly struck Liu Zhuyin? Was she trying to play out some cliché romantic pursuit of her fleeing husband?

"Hey, buddy, tell me the truth... is there truly no hope left between you and Liu Zhuyin?"

Bai Beichuan wore a thoroughly gossipy expression, still refusing to buy what I had said earlier.

"Really, absolutely none!"

"Then... why are you still helping the Liu family secure that project? Wouldn't it be better to keep the money for yourself?"

Under normal circumstances, his reasoning was sound.

What he didn't know, however, was that money no longer held any real use for me.

"Think of it as repaying the Liu family's kindness. At the very least... my mother-in-law has always treated me quite well."

Bai Beichuan couldn't help nodding in acknowledgment. "I've heard about that. In the circle of socialites, your mother-in-law defended you plenty of times, always speaking of you with nothing but praise."

"It's just a pity that your wife..."

He let out a heavy sigh, knowing full well this was my private family matter. As a friend, these were the only words he could offer.

"Alright, leave my affairs alone. Just investigate Ning Yuanzhou thoroughly and let me know the details."

"It would be entirely too humiliating to let a scumbag like him walk away with the project."

Once handed over to him, I felt completely at ease. As for the rest of the project's details, I would handle them myself.

Returning to the office that afternoon, I was organizing the project documents when Luo Mingzhu bounded in once again.

"Big Brother Chen, are you busy?"

She drawled out her words in a deliberately affected, syrupy voice that made my skin crawl with goosebumps.

"What is it now!"

I glanced sideways at her. This little brat was definitely up to no good!

"Are you... free this evening?"

She crept up behind me and started kneading my shoulders.

Her ingratiating demeanor was utterly bizarre, prompting me to reply without a moment's hesitation.

"Not free!"

"Oh, come on, how can you possibly not be free?"

"The foreign investment project isn't something that needs to be rushed this exact second. You definitely have time tonight, so stop trying to trick me, alright?"

She pouting her little lips, refusing to believe a single word.

"Then what are you planning?"

I sighed; she wasn't someone who could be brushed off easily.

"There's a small gathering tonight, and I want you to accompany me."

I furrowed my brow. This was bound to be anything but a simple gathering.

"Little girl, stop trying to downplay it. What do you mean by a 'small gathering'?"

"Spit it out, what's going on?"

Luo Mingzhu sighed, her face twisting into a miserable, puckered expression.

"My cousin insisted on throwing some kind of banquet."

"He's invited a whole bunch of guys, and God knows what ulterior motives he has."

"Besides, I only just recently took over the family business. He's obviously trying to step all over me and assert dominance."

"And since I don't have anyone around me capable of holding down the fort... well, aren't you the only one left?"

Looking deeply aggrieved, she grabbed my arm and began to shake it.

"Big Brother Chen, please help me out, won't you?"

"Accompany me there, slap them across the face, and from now on, I'll do whatever you tell me to do!"

Naturally, I had no desire to meddle in such affairs.

Yet, seeing that this little girl had practically been driven to her wits' end, I thought about it for a moment and finally nodded.

"Fine, I'll accompany you this once."

Luo Mingzhu was overjoyed, but she insisted on dragging me straight to the shopping mall instead.

"What are we doing here?"

"Buying you a couple of decent outfits, of course!"

"Look at you, having stayed in the Liu family for so long without even a single respectable piece of clothing. That simply won't do!"

"Consider these clothes my treat for accompanying me to the banquet—just a little bonus, so don't feel any psychological burden about it."

My wardrobe... truly had been worn for a long time.

I was never someone fond of dressing up, and having grown accustomed to frugality, I could never bring myself to spend so much money on mere strips of fabric.

"There's no need. Clothes are merely decorations; it's what's inside that matters."

My refusal was intended to discourage her, but it only served to prompt a whole lecture from her.

"How can that do!"

"Clothes make the man!"

"Besides, you're so young. If you don't dress well now, are you planning to wait until you're an old man?"

"You have to live in the present and look dashing!"

"Just look at this suit of yours—it's even starting to pill!"

Her words actually coaxed a smile out of me.

She had a point. If I didn't wear nice things now, I wouldn't have the chance when I was dead. Besides, I hadn't reached old age yet.

Once inside the mall, the girl truly went all out, leading me straight into a top-tier luxury suit boutique.

I cast a quick glance around—even the cheapest suit here cost over a hundred thousand!

The sheer price gave me a jolt of anxiety, and I immediately tugged at her sleeve, trying to drag her away.

"What's wrong?"

"It's my treat, what are you feeling distressed about?"

"Besides, the funds passing through your hands every year amount to billions at the very least."

"Getting scared over a suit worth just over a hundred thousand—aren't you ashamed?"

Luo Mingzhu shoved me straight into the fitting room.

"This one, this one... and that one too... let him try them all."

With a wave of her hand, she picked out seven or eight sets and tossed them inside.

I let out a sigh, though for some reason, a quiet warmth bloomed in my chest.

From childhood until now, only my parents had ever bought clothes for me. Let alone other women—even my ex-wife had never done such a thing.

Forget about an expensive outfit; she had never even bothered to buy me ordinary daily necessities, not even a toothbrush.

The only things she ever thought of passing on to me were the items discarded by Ning Yuanzhou.

By comparison, this little brat Luo Mingzhu was genuinely good to me.

Who would have thought that by a mere twist of fate, a tearful, aggressively hostile little girl would turn out to be my friend?

It must have been destiny.

Having changed into the suit, I was just about to step out of the fitting room when a commotion from outside caught my ear.

"Liu Zhuyin, I really didn't take you for someone with such deep pockets."

"Dragging your little kept man here to go shopping for clothes!"