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Shao Cixin silently cleared her plate. She was forced into honesty, both from the sting of embarrassment and the threat of pain.
If she made any big movements now, her whole body would be affected by pain. It was a pain that resembled all of the bones in her body being broken in an instant, and feeling it made her wish she could die.
But luckily, the heavens didn’t dislike her as much as she thought.
At the very least, she was alive, and she still had the opportunity to experience the world.
Since she was living on her last breath, she must also deal with the things that must be dealt with. Her dead love was now just a rotting piece of flesh, and she must cut it out as soon as possible so that it wouldn’t hinder her from moving forward.
The only reason why she didn’t do it now was because she couldn’t experience any mood swings…
Like a slow-mo button had been pressed, Shao Cixin sluggishly scooped up a spoonful of porridge and shoved it in her mouth.
Seeing this, Wen Zhihan once again took the initiative to feed her.
Shao Cixin suddenly felt guilty and scratched her face awkwardly. “Sorry…”
She still couldn’t accept Wen Zhihan’s kindness with peace of mind.
She had never thought that Wen Zhihan would do this for her.
It was all Wen Yu’s fault.
If Wen Yu didn’t dislike Wen Zhihan so much, Shao Cixin would have definitely become good friends with Wen Zhihan and treated her like family a long time ago—just like now.
Wen Zhihan wiped Shao Cixin’s lips for her.
“Didn’t I say that you don’t have to be so polite to me?”
Shao Cixin swallowed the porridge and said softly, “It’s because I’m not used to it yet…”
Hearing this, Wen Zhihan smiled, “Then starting today, you can get used to it slowly.”
She had selfish feelings for Shao Cixin, and she couldn’t refuse the opportunity to be alone with her. If it were in the past, she might have considered keeping a distance from Shao Cixin for the sake of her reputation. But now that such an accident had occurred, who could resist being closer to the other person?
She had already made up her mind to help Shao Cixin leave her marriage anyway.
But she wasn’t sure what Shao Cixin was thinking. Though, Shao Cixin had just kicked Wen Yu out of the ward today and cried that she never wanted to see her again…
Shao Cixin didn’t refuse Wen Zhihan’s request.
This time, she didn’t want to betray Wen Zhihan’s kindness.
Wasn’t this just the relationship between an older sister and a younger sister? Who couldn’t act as someone else’s younger sister!
“I’ll try my best,” Shao Cixin said.
Wen Zhihan felt very happy when she heard Shao Cixin’s answer.
Shao Cixin had finally stopped rejecting her advances and accepted her.
“Here, take another bite.”
Shao Cixin obediently opened her mouth and swallowed.
She lowered her eyes to look at the food on the table, then quietly raised her gaze to look at Wen Zhihan, her mind spinning at one hundred miles an hour.
Finally, she spoke, “Jiejie, even if I’m no longer part of your family, I will still treat you as a family member.”
Wen Zhihan couldn’t help but pause mid-scoop, her beautiful blue eyes immediately fixed on Shao Cixin, “What do you mean?”
Shao Cixin said calmly, “I want to divorce Wen Yu.”
Wen Zhihan was startled by Shao Cixin’s words.
…What did she just say?
Shao Cixin lowered her eyes, and she repeated to herself, “I want to divorce her. I can’t wait any longer.”
Wen Zhihan gazed at the person before her with eyes full of scrutiny. She wanted to see what Shao Cixin was thinking.
Why did a person who liked Wen Yu so much suddenly want a divorce?
“Why?” Wen Zhihan blurted.
Shao Cixin thought, Here it comes.
She finally couldn’t escape this question.
It didn’t matter.
She had to talk about it anyway.
The person who was in the wrong wasn’t her, and she didn’t have any reason to protect the one who changed her mind and made mistakes.
“She cheated.” Shao Cixin steadied her inner waves.
She said in a calm tone, “I caught her with another woman on the day of the car accident.
“She said she’s never loved me, and that she just married me to make my dreams come true.
“Since this is the case, there’s no reason to continue our marriage. I don’t need her charity.”
She thought she loved Wen Yu. But even if she loved Wen Yu, she would have been disappointed.
She used to have a habit of finding justifications for Wen Yu and giving her indifference a reasonable explanation—an explanation that was enough to comfort herself.
All because she thought Wen Yu loved her back.
But when she saw Wen Yu and Tian Jiahe standing together, and when she was excluded like an unknown third party, she realized that the only person who ever wanted it was herself, and she could no longer like this person.
Perhaps she once loved Wen Yu very humbly, but now she just wanted to preserve her last ray of dignity. She was confused and blinded in the past, but not to the point of humiliation.
—Those who cheated would never be forgiven!
Fortunately, the car accident helped her open her eyes.
She could survive such a tragic accident, so why couldn’t she live well? Why couldn’t she value herself? Wen Yu? She didn’t need her.
The love she gave in the past had been fed to scum.
“I’ve made my decision,” Shao Cixin said, “I hope that none of you will try to persuade my family otherwise, and everything will work out smoothly.”
What she feared most was that others would use the integrity of the family unit to morally chain her. If the integrity of a family unit required broken people, then what was the meaning of a family’s existence?
If a person could not find happiness in their family, then why should they support it?
Home should be a haven from the wind, not a prison for torture.
She and Wen Yu were never a family.
Shao Cixin no longer wanted to have this distant “family” with Wen Yu anymore. She wanted to return home to the people that really loved her.
After she finished speaking, another spoonful of porridge was lifted to her lips.
She looked in front of her and saw Wen Zhihan say warmly, “I’m not conflicted. Marriage is the responsibility of two people. Since she cannot bear this responsibility, then of course you have the right to leave. No one can chain you for any reason.
“Leave if you want. As long as you are happy, I will support you.”
Shao Cixin was surprised by Wen Zhihan’s open-mindedness.
“I thought you would blame me.”
Wen Zhihan fed Shao Cixin a mouthful of porridge. Retracting her hand, she asked curiously, “Why would I blame you?”
Was she so ignorant in Shao Cixin’s mind? So unlikeable?
Shao Cixin felt guilty and said, “After all, this is not just a trivial matter between us. It also involves the interests of both families. Our family has received support through this arrangement. Now that I want to divorce, I’m afraid that you’ll think I’m ungrateful and deliberately took advantage of the Wen household[1]…”
“No,” Wen Zhihan smiled and said frankly, “After all, I was the one who proposed the marriage in the first place.”
Shao Cixin was stunned. “Huh? You proposed it?!”
Wen Zhihan nodded calmly.
Shao Cixin was even more stunned.
From the start, she believed that it was Wen Yu who proposed the marriage, so she was grateful to her and treated her well, not only because she liked her, but also to repay her favor.
It turned out that it wasn’t Wen Yu at all!
Everything suddenly made more sense.
Now that Guanglan was Wen Zhihan’s, she could do whatever she wanted, such as lending a helping hand to the Shao Group. As for Wen Yu, a second-generation rich woman who was just waiting to die, had no job, and was at odds with her sister, the master of the household—how could she ever have had the ability to persuade Wen Zhihan to help her girlfriend’s family?
Shao Cixin wanted to laugh. All along, she thought that it was Wen Yu who persuaded Wen Xingyun and his wife to help the Shao family for her. She was even very moved.
But sure enough, it was just her wishful thinking—a fantasy from beginning to end.
In this marriage, she was only ever a tool for Wen Yu to anger her real beloved.
Her distaste for Wen Yu grew even stronger.
The favor was given by Wen Zhihan.
It had nothing to do with Wen Yu!
“I’m sorry, jiejie. I misunderstood.” Shao Cixin admitted her mistake very quickly. Then she became curious. “But why did you suddenly want to help my family?”
Wen Zhihan raised her eyes to look at Shao Cixin.
She was wearing a hospital gown and most of her exposed skin was covered with bandages, including a circle wrapped around her head.
Shao Cixin looked so pitiful that Wen Zhihan couldn’t bear to stimulate her anymore.
She was suddenly conflicted about whether she should tell the truth or not.
Shao Cixin just got hurt—would she like to hear the real reason? What if she thought that Wen Zhihan had ulterior motives and developed a bad impression of her?
After weighing her options, Wen Zhihan decided to hide her feelings for the time being.
She stretched out her hand, bringing a spoonful of porridge to Shao Cixin’s mouth, and said calmly, “I’ll tell you later, okay?”
“You’ll definitely tell me, right?” Shao Cixin’s curious eyes brightened.
Wen Zhihan looked at Shao Cixin and nodded gently.
—She would definitely tell her.
Shao Cixin said cautiously, “Then can you do me a favor?”
Wen Zhihan gazed at her. “What is it?”
Shao Cixin said, “I want to explain this divorce to my parents—Oh, wait, you should explain it to your parents, and I’ll explain it to mine. After everything that happened, I don’t even know how to tell them. After all, they love me so much…”
She actually didn’t want to tell her parents about it.
All parents wanted their children to be happy. Her car accident was already enough to make them upset, but now she even wanted to add an unhappy marriage to the mix.
She was afraid to think about whether her parents would become even more distraught—even more devastated.
When she remembered her mother crying beside her hospital bed asking God why she was not the one in the car accident, her heart ached.
But Shao Cixin was exhausted from pretending, and she had no strength to continue upholding the facade of a happy marriage.
Hiding the truth was never a long-term solution, and paper could not cover fire.
Wen Zhihan remained silent.
After a while, she raised her hand and gently placed it on Shao Cixin’s head—which was surrounded by an aura of depression.
She very gently patted her head, “Cixin, don’t feel guilty. It’s not your fault. It’s Wen Yu who’s to blame. She doesn’t know how to cherish you.
“Leave this matter to me. Rest well and stay in a good mood. You don’t have to worry about anything, I’ll handle it. Okay?”
Shao Cixin’s eyes lit up when she heard this, “Really?”
She couldn’t leave the hospital now, so of course she would love to have someone trustworthy who was willing to help her handle this matter!
Wen Zhihan nodded firmly. “I’ve never misled you.”
Shao Cixin instinctually reached out to hold Wen Zhihan’s hand and show her gratitude. Joy was written all over her face.
But she forgot that she was hurt and immediately pulled a wound. She suddenly bared her teeth in pain.
Wen Zhihan’s expression changed, and she quickly stood up to walk to her side.
She took Shao Cixin’s arm and asked with a worried look on her face, “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Does it hurt? Do you want me to call the doctor?”
As soon as Shao Cixin raised her head, she saw Wen Zhihan’s sincere and worried expression. She felt moved for a moment and gently held Wen Zhihan’s hand in hers, subconsciously leaning into her arms.
“Jiejie, thank you. Thank you for being so good to me,” she whispered. “Thank you for talking to me when I was in a coma, buying me gifts, and taking care of my parents. Although this sentence might be coming very late, I still want to say it.
“Jiejie, I’m really happy to know you. Thank you…”
Shao Cixin’s trust came suddenly but naturally, and she was full of gratitude.
Wen Zhihan couldn’t help but freeze in place. This was the first time Shao Cixin depended on her like this.
After a moment of silence, she gently hugged her back and stroked her head.
Shao Cixin thought she was just being nice, but she didn’t know that Wen Zhihan had other intentions towards her…
After Shao Cixin fell asleep, Wen Zhihan gave a few instructions to the nurse and left for the Wen residence.
She was not qualified to stay with Shao Cixin in an honest manner.
What’s more, Shao Cixin was not divorced yet, so it wouldn’t be good for them to be seen spending the night together in the same room.
Wen Zhihan arrived at the Wen residence.
Wen Xingyun and Joanna had gone to bed early.
Wen Zhihan saw that the time was too late and decided to have the conversation tomorrow. She didn’t want to disturb her parents’ rest.
She unfurled her scarf and walked upstairs.
She should have felt exhausted after a day’s work, but after seeing Shao Cixin rely on her, she became less tired.
She also wanted to take the initiative.
The moment Shao Cixin proposed a divorce, the desire buried deep in Wen Zhihan’s heart suddenly swelled and burst, nearly overcoming her behavior.
As long as Shao Cixin chose to divorce, why couldn’t she pursue her?
Didn’t she propose this marriage just to make Shao Cixin happy?
Since Wen Yu didn’t possess the ability to give Shao Cixin happiness, why couldn’t she, Wen Zhihan, shoot for it?
She couldn’t bear to see anyone else hurt Shao Cixin…
While lost in her thoughts, she had already reached the second floor. When her footsteps turned in the direction of her room, she saw someone, the shadow of a figure she detested.
As soon as Wen Yu raised her eyes, she met Wen Zhihan’s gaze.
They didn’t have anything to say to each other.
They’ve never gotten along, and it was worthless to exchange even a single word.
Wen Zhihan indifferently looked away and walked straight forward, passing Wen Yu by.
Then she stopped, turned back, and stopped in front of her.
“There’s something I forgot to give you.”
Wen Yu blinked her eyes in confusion.
The next second, she saw Wen Zhihan raise her hand.
Pa—
A hot slap fell on her face, catching her off guard.
Wen Yu cocked her head, completely stunned.
She covered her face and turned to look at the person responsible in disbelief.
After it slowly dawned on her what had happened, she shouted sharply, “Wen Zhihan! Are you sick? Why the fuck did you hit me!”
Wen Zhihan stood under the light. Her eyes glinted with frost, and her gaze was as sharp as a knife. When she spoke, her voice was devoid of warmth. “Why? Because you can’t even play the role of a wife right.”
It seemed that she still underestimated Wen Yu.
She used to think that Wen Yu was just incapable of being a younger sister, but now it seemed that there were too many roles she couldn’t fill.
She was arrogant and selfish, carelessly ruining her wife’s sincerity.
Disgustingly despicable.
Wen Yu looked over with a fierce glare. “What do you mean?!”
Wen Zhihan raised her chin slightly. Her face was expressionless, as cold as a ruthless judge. In her eyes, there was only unforgivable evil and a sinner waiting to be punished.
“You betrayed Cixin. Wen Yu, how dare you cheat on her. My Wen family never taught you to be like this.”
Wen Yu was stunned.
She wanted to retort, but when she saw Wen Zhihan’s piercing blue eyes, as cold as ice picks, she couldn’t help but shiver.
Wen Zhihan’s words had rattled her world, leaving her unable to utter a single word in response.
Wen Zhihan, she was enough to represent the entire Wen family.
“You…”
After a while, this was the only thing Wen Yu could say.
Wen Zhihan looked away with indifference. She didn’t want to look at Wen Yu again for fear of dirtying her eyes.
She turned and took off her coat, then walked toward her room, treating Wen Yu as distantly as the moon in the sky.
“Cixin wants to divorce you. Prepare what you need so you can go through the formalities later. I will explain the situation to our parents on Cixin’s behalf. You can figure out how to explain to her parents yourself.”
…On Cixin’s behalf?
Wen Yu felt even more heated when she heard this statement.
She and Shao Cixin were not divorced yet, and Shao Cixin was still her wife. Why should Wen Zhihan speak for her wife?
Was this a set-up? Did she want to slander her in front of their parents?!
“Why are you speaking up for Cixin?” Wen Yu said defiantly.
Wen Zhihan stopped at her door, placed one hand on her doorknob, and nonchalantly glanced back at Wen Yu. After a few seconds, she looked away and opened the door.
“Because you are the type of person who can make your wife completely lose confidence in a relationship.” If she had known that Wen Yu was so unfaithful to Shao Cixin’s feelings, she would’ve never agreed to let Shao Cixin marry her.
Now, it was time to end this flaw of a marriage.
The next day, Wen Zhihan found Wen Xingyun and Joanna, and without hesitation, relayed all of Shao Cixin’s thoughts and feelings.
After Wen Xingyun finished listening, his anger rose, and his eyes flitted to Wen Yu. A deep sense of disappointment filled his pupils.
He never expected that his little girl would become such a person!
“You’ve simply—simply gone too far!” he furiously scolded Wen Yu, “If you don’t like the other party, you can get divorced. But cheating? Don’t you even know how to respect people?!
“I have taught you since you were young to hold onto your basic moral qualities and do nothing that you will become ashamed of. Is this what you’re doing that you’re not ashamed of?!
“Your Uncle Shao and Aunt Lu were so kind to you—and all their kindness was fed to a dog!
“I’m so angry. How can someone like you come out of our Wen family!”
When he thought of the Shao family, Wen Xingyun suddenly felt helpless. He beat his chest[2] and thought to himself, It’s my fault, it’s my fault. It’s my fault for spoiling you like this…
“How dare I face Lao[3] Shao now…”
No wonder why Shao Cixin experienced such great mood swings when she saw Wen Yu and even demanded that her wife get out.
Wen Xingyun was really sorry for Shao and Lu Lan!
Joanna quickly stood to comfort her husband.
Wen Zhihan also stepped forward to soothe her father.
Only Wen Yu stood in place, not daring to step forward, looking stunned.
It was the first time she had been scolded like this.
Every word that came out of Wen Xingyun’s mouth was full of disappointment in her. He truly never expected that his daughter would become such a person.
Wen Xingyun’s overwhelming fury weighed heavily on Wen Yu’s heart, leaving her breathless.
Such anger not only came wrapped with disappointment, but also a fading love.
Wen Yu began to panic and fear that she would no longer be accepted by her parents.
She was wrong. She was wrong from the beginning.
Her parents’ love for her was never as bottomless as she thought.
“Dad, I’m sorry…” Wen Yu’s arrogance was shattered, and she said helplessly, “I know I was wrong, Dad…”
Wen Xingyun raised his head. “No. Don’t tell me you’re sorry. I don’t need your apology, and I’m not the person you need to apologize to either.
“Right now, you should be thinking carefully about how you’re going to explain this to Cixin and the Shao family!”
Cixin…
But Shao Cixin didn’t want to see her at all.
For the sake of Shao Cixin’s health, Wen Yu was almost as good as banned from seeing her.
She subconsciously looked at Wen Zhihan, who was standing next to Wen Xingyun.
The other person also happened to be paying attention to her.
Their eyes met silently in the air.
Wen Zhihan’s voice was calm. “She only wants to divorce you.”
Another week passed.
Shao Cixin remained in the ward, bored and looking at the scenery outside the large, sterilized window. It had already been a long, long time since she went out to play.
It was all that damn drunk driver’s fault!
The last time she visited, Liang Xuefei informed Shao Cixin that the drunk driver had been caught at the scene of the accident, and his license was revoked. Now, he was already sentenced and waiting to go to jail.
But the damage he caused to Shao Cixin was indelible.
She was still lying in the hospital, unable to go out, unable to eat whatever she wanted, like a bird trapped in a cage.
“Ai…” Shao Cixin sighed again.
She opened her friends-only account and once again posted a serious message, “Don’t drink while driving, don’t drive after drinking. Let’s strictly follow traffic laws.”
She felt like she could become a traffic safety spokesperson.
After uploading the post, she scrolled through her friends’ socials and saw their colorful lives.
She had added many acting friends in the past, and some of them had posted selfies of themselves on set. In these photos, she saw the familiar shooting equipment and recalled the years before she got married and quit the industry.
During that time, her life was bereft of worries. She only focused on polishing her acting skills and following her work schedule.
Her days were beautiful and fulfilling.
A hundred times better than the countless hours she experienced sitting at home not having anything to do after she got married.
Shao Cixin began to miss her acting career.
She really loved acting. It wasn’t just her job, it was also her hobby. And she gave it all up for Wen Yu, who didn’t know how to cherish her…
Sigh…she was blind.
No, she wasn’t blind or confused. As long as her actions helped save the Shao family and support her father, she didn’t do anything wrong.
Suddenly, she remembered what Wen Zhihan said beside her bed when she was in a coma. Wen Zhihan asked her to wake up quickly. She said that Shao Cixin had not fulfilled her dream and won the Best Actress award yet.
She told her to start over and film with her favorite actors and directors…
Start over…
That’s right, why couldn’t she start over?
She wanted to start over, live a new life, and close the door to this chapter where she wasted all her attention on a scumbag!
Shao Cixin despised Wen Yu. The car accident took away all her love and made her merciless. She was lucky to be alive, so why would she rush ahead and ruin her dignity?
After they learned about Wen Yu’s cheating, Shao Heng and Lu Lan were silent for a long time.
The fact that her parents didn’t say anything proved that Wen Yu had been blacklisted—they never wanted to see her again. They only had one daughter, and it wasn’t too late to cherish her, so why should they let others hurt her at will?
Shao Cixin felt her parents were right.
Everyone in this world was unique and precious, and no one should willingly hurt another person. So go to hell, you scumbag! Shao Cixin would never wrong herself for anyone again!
Wen Yu liked Tian Jiahe so much? Then go and find Tian Jiahe!
If neither of them thought cheating was wrong, then good for them, let them hurt each other!!!
Knock knock.
Someone was knocking on the door.
“Come in.” After replying, Shao Cixin put down her phone and turned to look at the door, only to see Wen Zhihan walk in from outside. She quickly sat up. “You’re here.”
After many days of therapy, her range of movement had finally improved a little.
Even so, Wen Zhihan still didn’t want to see Shao Cixin perform any large-scale actions, for fear that she would feel pain again. Seeing that Shao Cixin sat up so quickly, Wen Zhihan couldn’t help but frown and quicken her pace. “Slow down.”
“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.”
“Hmm.”
“It doesn’t hurt as much as it did these past few weeks.”
Wen Zhihan’s expression was still full of worry.
After fixing the pillows and adjusting the angle of the bed, she helped Shao Cixin lie down and arranged her hair for her so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
“Before your body is fully healed, you need to be careful.”
“Okay.” Shao Cixin lay down obediently, “Why did you come here today? Do you have something you need to do?”
“Yes,” Wen Zhihan said, “I’m here to give you something.”
“What is it?”
Shao Cixin looked at her curiously.
Wen Zhihan took out a small red book from her bag and put it solemnly into Shao Cixin’s hands.
Shao Cixin lowered her eyes and saw two big words written on the cover: Divorce Certificate.
Divorce Certificate…
She was divorced! She and Wen Yu were divorced!
“I’m finally single again!” Shao Cixin exclaimed happily.
“Yes.”
Wen Zhihan curved her eyes in agreement, a smile floating through her gaze.
“Our Cixin is finally single again.”
The author (热到昏厥) has something to say:
A little white rabbit shows off her sweetness before a big bad wolf.
[It got caught, there’s no way out.]
[1] Here, Shao Cixin actually says “你们” or “you all,” indicating the Wen family.
[2]“捶胸顿足” (chuí xiōng dùn zú) or literally “beat chest and stomp feet” is an idiom that describes someone who is showing how sad or guilty they feel in an obvious or public way.
[3] 老 (lǎo) or literally “old [blank],” occasionally a term of endearment.
