Author’s Note: Get your seatbelts tight coz we’re going on a ve~ry bumpy ride!
Chapter 6 : A Happy Parting
“Hey, mom.” Suddenly, Pei Ziran walked into the house. He looked at the two sitting on the couch and smirked. “What are you both talking about so seriously?”
Bing Mi stared at her son. While it was true that she believed him, it was also true that she could see his brazen attitude. “Where are your manners, Pei Ziran?”
Pei Ziran flinched. Whenever Bing Mi called him by his full name instead of his nickname, he knew all hell was about to break loose.
“Mom, don’t be mad~ I was just joking.” He said, trying to coax the woman.
“Ziran, you should know very well that you can’t play with people’s emotions. That’s my bottom line.” Bing Mi spoke again. “What you did today was unexpected and awful.”
“But-“
“Wait, I haven’t finished yet.” Bing Mi raised her hand and stopped Pei Ziran.Then she looked at Ai Jing once before starting, “I’m happy to support people in their monogamous or polygamous relationships as long as the involved people do it out of their own free will and do their best to contribute to the happiness of others involved in the same marriage.”
Saying these, Bing Mi stopped. She stepped forward and put a hand on Pei Ziran’s shoulder. “I’m okay with your relationships, be it with a girl or boy. But that doesn’t mean you can act so willfully. Dear, please refrain from becoming so heartless. Please work out the solution with A’Jing. I’ll accept whatever you two decide here on.”
She didn’t say anything else. She just slowly walked away.
Looking at her back, Ai Jing muttered. “You’ve managed to get a great mom. She’s too good and too kind for your own good.” He smiled sarcastically.
“Now then, Mr. Pei. Please sit down, we have a lot to discuss.”
Pei Ziran raised his brows. He obediently sat down on the couch and asked, “What do you want to discuss, Ai Jing?” His every action oozed a familiar aura, which Ai Jing failed to distinguish. He shrugged.
Ai Jing had expected at least an apology or a minimum sense of guilt from Pei Ziran. However, he got neither. Feeling a bit lost, he started: “Mr. Pei, I want a divorce. Now.”
Pei Ziran looked at him calmly for a few moments before a sudden seductive smile bloomed on his face. “Why? Did I not satisfy you enough?”
“…” Ai Jing was stunned for a moment. He didn’t know what to say to this shameless man. “I’m being serious here. Please don’t joke now.”
He clenched his fists. Although their marriage was done in a heartbeat, he had, at least, expected this man to be loyal to him if not love him. However he did not anticipate him to act so rudely and so disgustingly as he was now.
“Back to the point, I want a divorce and I am determined to get it. State your conditions.” Ai Jing opened his mouth.
“Heh. Conditions? Which conditions should I state?” Pei Ziran smirked. Although KT Corporation was a giant in the entertainment industry, it needed a certain assistance from Ai Jing’s company, Spacistic, a one-hundred year old fashion line which didn’t seem to be going out of business anytime soon.
“How about a 5% share as our parting gift? I give 5, you give 5? That way, it’ll be a win-win situation for both of us.” Pei Ziran proposed seamlessly.
Ai Jing was somewhat speechless. He had expected Pei Ziran to at least show a bit of remorse, but he… He shouldn’t have expected such feelings from the most notorious playboy of the city. “Oh? And what makes you think that I would happily give you 5% shares of my company when I was the one who was betrayed? Heh, do you know how much money even a measly 5% share of my company can fetch?”
Pei Ziran just stared at Ai Jing. He didn’t think that this man would reject his proposal with a flick. Although he had to admit that the Pei family’s ‘KT Entertainment Company’ was not as big as the Ai family’s fashion company ‘Spacistic’, it wasn’t too small a name.
“But you, the CEO of the country’s one of the most famous fashion lines, surely don’t want others to know about your failed marriage, do you?” With a smirk, Pei Ziran uttered these w0rds.
Although it wasn’t exactly a threat, it wasn’t some simple words either. Ai Jing was a proud young man who belonged to a century old family. He definitely didn’t want the others to know how he was betrayed by the one he chose to marry.
Pei Ziran managed to get a good grasp on his personality. Although he pretended to be meek and gentle, the pride which had sunk deep into his bones didn’t let him swallow any insults or succumb to coercion.
He disdained those who tried to intimidate him. But this time, his pride was put on line, something which had never happened before.
He gritted his teeth as he spoke: “What. Do. You. Want? I will never give you any shares. I hate those who betray me and those who try to threaten me. You’ve done both. Don’t expect me to become your puppet.”
Pei Ziran still had a slight smile on his face. “Well, truthfully, I never expected you to agree to my conditions. I just wanted to try my luck but I guess I’m unlucky. Still, as a ‘compensation’ I’d like to give you one of our most lucrative projects.”
“I don’t want your charity.” Ai Jing growled. “Don’t be mad, babe. This is my parting gift, take it.” Pei Ziran insisted.
At this moment, Bing Mi appeared. She stopped for a sec seeing the duo arguing before she went ahead and sat next to Ai Jing. “A’Jing, I heard what Ziran said and I feel very sorry about all this. That’s why, I’d like you to accept his terms.”
After a slight pause, she looked at her son and continued. “Behave, A’Ran. A’Jing is such a sweet person, how can you do this to him? He’s finally decided to leave you and it’s your own fault. But, whatever was gonna happen, has already happened. Certainly, we can all behave and do better in the future, no?”
Ai Jing looked at Bing Mi. He really wondered how someone so shameless like Pei Ziran could get such a kind and loving mother. He got up, knelt before Bing Mi and gave her a tight hug. His only gain from this tiresome marriage was probably Bing Mi’s gentleness. “I’ll miss you, Auntie.”
Saying this, he got up and looked at Pei Ziran. “Since you insist, I’ll accept your terms. Kindly send the divorce papers to my office tomorrow. Now then, goodbye.”
Pei Ziran also got up. He smiled and extended a hand to Ai Jing. “Happy parting and no hard feelings.”
“Happy parting. I can’t say the same about the ‘feelings’ part though.” Ai Jing nodded expressionlessly.
With this, Ai Jing walked out, without even looking back once. Pei Ziran watched him leave and walked upstairs nonchalantly.
