“…What did you say?”
Ming Shao felt like there must be something wrong with his ears. No, there had to be something wrong.
How could Shen Luo be asking for a divorce?
How could this be?
The knot of tangled emotions in his heart had finally formed a deadlock, a knot that couldn’t be untied, and it felt like a heavy stone had settled on his chest, dragging his entire being down.
He was panicking, Ming Shao realized.
But why was he panicking?
“Do you even know what you’re saying?”
In their social circle, marriages of convenience were common, and many of them ended up as mere facades. But for it to escalate to divorce—well, that was rare. After all, those who entered into such marriages were usually from prominent families, people with reputations to uphold. A divorce would be an embarrassment for everyone involved.
Not to mention the relationship between the elders of the Ming and Shen families.
That had to be the reason, right? That was why he was feeling this slight panic.
But was that really it?
“The Shen family, the Ming family, my parents, your parents—they might not agree.”
Ming Shao couldn’t fully comprehend it, but his instinct told him this was a solid reason. The two families would surely oppose ending the marriage, so he asserted, “They won’t agree to it!”
“I’ll explain it to them,” Shen Luo replied firmly, his mind made up.
Ming Shao wanted to argue further, but Shen Luo used the excuse of needing rest to close his eyes and pretend to sleep, refusing to continue the conversation.
It wasn’t until the door clicked shut that Shen Luo finally exhaled. Tears welled up in his eyes as he absentmindedly fingered the pendant around his neck. It wasn’t actually a pendant but a simple ring, plain and unadorned, with two not-so-elegant initials engraved on the inside.
MZ.
There was a matching ring somewhere, perhaps now lying in a garbage dump.
Just like his feelings, left to rust in desolation, to decay in the darkness.
Shen Luo clenched the ring tightly, the metal digging painfully into his palm as his hand began to tremble uncontrollably. The emotions he had suppressed for so long suddenly erupted, tears streaming down his face and soaking into the pillow, pooling like the cold rain of late autumn, knocking down the leaves that had endured the fatigue of an entire spring and summer.
His hand suddenly relaxed, and the ring slipped through his fingers, falling to the floor, gathering dust and grime.
Shen Luo reached for his phone and dialed his assistant’s number. “Hello? Xiao He, I’m sorry to bother you at this hour…”
He opened his laptop, the cold light reflecting off his face as he focused intently. He pulled up the draft of the divorce agreement that he had already discussed with his lawyer and began to review the final details.
Ming Shao had been sitting in the hospital parking lot for a long time. With the autumn rain came a chill, and a gust of wind made him shiver despite pulling up his collar.
It was getting cold.
There was a congee shop next to the hospital. Ming Shao wandered in aimlessly, staring at the menu for a long time before remembering that Shen Luo probably didn’t like strong flavors. As for his specific preferences, Ming Shao searched his memory for what felt like an eternity but came up with nothing.
Shen Luo’s likes, Shen Luo’s habits—when he tried to list them, Ming Shao realized he couldn’t remember more than a few.
Most of the time, Ming Shao hadn’t bothered to spend time or energy on the marriage partner he claimed to be “not interested” in.
Relying on his limited memory, Ming Shao placed an order. When he returned to the hospital with the congee, looking dazed and lost, Shen Luo was on the phone. Seeing Ming Shao enter, Shen Luo quickly ended the call and turned to him.
“Have a seat. There are still a few details to work out in the divorce agreement. I only have the first draft here, so you can look it over and let me know if you have any objections. I’ll try to accommodate your requests. Of course—”
“…Can we not talk about this right now?” Ming Shao’s voice suddenly rose, his emotions slipping out of control. The knot in his chest, twisted tighter and tighter by his own thoughts, dropped heavily, reverberating in his chest and making it hard to breathe. Ming Shao took a couple of deep breaths, lowering his voice. “Just have some congee first.”
He opened the congee container and handed the spoon to Shen Luo.
“No need,” Shen Luo refused, glancing down at the bowl in Ming Shao’s hands. “I don’t like scallions.”
“There’s more. I… I’ll go get something else! There has to be something you like.” Ming Shao turned to leave.
As he walked out, he called back, “How about century egg and lean meat congee? Or just something simple, like red bean congee, or green bean congee—”
“Ming Shao, it’s not necessary.”
“I’ll be right back with it. They have everything there, really, and I’m sure there’s something you’ll like.”
“I don’t like any of it.” Not just the congee.
“I’ll send you the finalized divorce agreement in a few days. You should go back now.” Shen Luo closed his eyes briefly, his tone light as if trying to keep things casual. “And don’t bother coming back. You’re busy with work; it’s not necessary.”
Three days later, Ming Shao received the divorce agreement Shen Luo had mentioned.
It was sent by email, written in a formal and businesslike tone.
But Ming Shao didn’t open it. In a childish and impolite act, he simply clicked delete.
The house was still a mess. Shen Luo’s belongings were still there. A couple of days earlier, Shen Luo had sent the housekeeper to tidy up and pack his things, but Ming Shao had cleverly hidden the key.
Three days after deleting the email, Ming Shao received a phone call related to Shen Luo—but it wasn’t from Shen Luo himself. The moment Ming Shao heard the voice, he recognized it as Shen Luo’s assistant.
Ming Shao was annoyed, but he had no other option. He checked his messaging app, but in the chat with Shen Luo, two large red exclamation marks indicated that his messages weren’t being delivered.
He couldn’t reach Shen Luo by phone either.
Ming Shao barely listened to what the assistant was saying. After filtering through the conversation, he only caught one key point.
The assistant mentioned that regarding some details of the agreement, it would be best for Mr. Ming to arrange a face-to-face meeting.
A meeting? Ming Shao thought it over and cleared his schedule for the afternoon, informing the assistant that he was available today.
At noon, Ming Shao changed into a fresh suit and took extra care to tidy his hair. After receiving the call from Shen Luo’s assistant, he prepared two sets of documents, though neither had anything to do with the dissolution of their marriage.
The first document was the contract that both the Ming and Shen families had signed when the marriage was arranged. Their marriage had never been purely about love; it was a form of social alliance. The contract’s third page, seventh clause, stated that during the duration of the marriage, they were to live as a married couple.
Married couples were expected to live together, so Shen Luo had to return home and couldn’t keep living separately.
Shen Luo was in breach of the contract.
The second document was a cost-benefit analysis. Cold, hard numbers often provide the most straightforward insight, and Ming Shao had spent three sleepless nights compiling a satisfactory analysis. The marriage between him and Shen Luo involved too many intertwined aspects—relationships, collaborations, and various projects.
Divorce would inevitably affect some of these areas, and Ming Shao’s analysis focused on evaluating the potential losses for both parties.
He wanted to show Shen Luo that getting a divorce was neither logical nor cost-effective. Divorce was not the right choice.
He had calculated it all.
He hoped Shen Luo would reconsider.
Ming Shao arrived early at the agreed-upon café, taking pride in getting it right this time. He ordered a cup of coffee that Shen Luo liked.
—He had specifically asked the housekeeper for that information.
Soon, Shen Luo’s assistant appeared outside the café.
Ming Shao looked past the assistant, searching for someone.
Shen Luo was actually late, which wasn’t good. So, as compensation, Ming Shao could insist that Shen Luo return home with him more promptly.
“Mr. Ming, hello. I’m Shen-ge’s assistant.”
“Mm.” Ming Shao continued to look outside.
The assistant… What was wrong? No, why was he calling Shen Luo “Shen-ge”? Ming Shao frowned.
“Shen-ge has gone abroad. Regarding the divorce, I’ve been handling everything on behalf of Mr. Shen. Have you had a chance to review the agreement?”
“Abroad?”
“Yes, about a week ago. Didn’t Shen-ge mention it to you?”
Be my Patron ~ Buy me Ko-Fi
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨Buy me some Ko-FI | Paypal to support my effort✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨
