Tian Qiuzi checked her makeup one final time in the elevator mirror. Only after confirming every shade was perfect did she take a deep breath and turn to face the elevator doors squarely.
The doors opened to reveal a company’s glass entrance. Inside, under the dazzling lights, the receptionist’s makeup appeared flawless. Tian Qiuzi walked steadily forward in her high heels. Her heart was pounding, her hands were so cold they felt disconnected from her brain, and her feet had lost all sensation except for controlling her pace. She dared not think of anything, fearing she might lose control and rush in to tear the receptionist’s clothes apart, destroying everything in sight like a typhoon, then stand disheveled before Hu Cheng, sobbing uncontrollably!
She had the strength and courage to destroy the whole world, but not the nerve to harm a hair on his head!
Hu Cheng was on the phone with his mother, pleased to hear that Ning Yue had brought lunch over. The old saying was right – men need to keep their wives in check. Women are like this – give them three days of freedom, and they’ll tear the house apart. Going forward, he needed to adjust his mindset; beating one’s wife was like disciplining children – all part of maintaining order in the family. He thought with satisfaction, even feeling a thrill as he recalled certain details from the previous night. He closed his eyes, wanting to savor the memory.
The sound of a folder hitting the desk startled him. Opening his eyes to see the beauty before him, Hu Cheng took a moment to recognize Tian Qiuzi. In his good mood, her fierce action didn’t anger him; instead, he smiled and asked, “Qiuzi? What’s wrong, who upset you?”
Tian Qiuzi remained silent, both hands pressed against the desk as she slowly pushed the folder toward Hu Cheng with one hand.
Hu Cheng looked at it suspiciously and opened the folder. The first photograph showed him entering a restaurant shoulder-to-shoulder with a woman.
“Who is she?” Tian Qiuzi spoke. This wasn’t a question, merely an opening line.
Hu Cheng’s face darkened. He simply opened the folder and scanned through its contents. There weren’t many – just a few photographs. Looking through them, they only showed one woman.
“What are you trying to do?” Hu Cheng slapped the folder back across the desk with a “bang” and leaned back in his chair, looking sideways at Tian Qiuzi.
“Leave her.” Tian Qiuzi was equally direct, striking at the core without beating around the bush.
Hu Cheng let out a cold snort, neither denying nor confirming, merely twisting the wedding ring on his finger while giving Tian Qiuzi a contemptuous look.
Tian Qiuzi laughed, straightening up and looking around the small but elegant office. “The second round of financing must be almost spent, right? And it seems you haven’t found the next investor. But yesterday, Chairman Chen pressed me again. Even if you don’t repay the principal, you should at least pay the interest on that money.”
Hu Cheng narrowed his eyes, thinking. Given Tian Qiuzi’s position, it wasn’t difficult for her to know these things. He felt annoyed – he roughly understood Tian Qiuzi’s intentions. Being manipulated by a woman like this was a profound humiliation.
“Tian Qiuzi, have you lost your mind? What kind of person do you take me for?” Hu Cheng stood up, walked around the desk, and approached her. “Who do you think you are? Daring to threaten me! When has Hu Cheng ever been threatened by someone like you?”
Tian Qiuzi wanted to continue the discussion calmly and rationally, but Hu Cheng’s earlier gesture of twisting his wedding ring had already caused her unbearable pain. Now, understanding the implications in his words, tears suddenly burst forth, impossible to hold back!
“Someone like me? What kind of person?” Tian Qiuzi asked through her tears. “Hu Cheng, what kind of person am I?”
Once the tears fell, her commanding presence vanished. Tian Qiuzi held a good hand of cards, but lacking the confidence for victory, she’d scattered them in disarray, leaving only defeat!
Hu Cheng pulled his lips into a smug smile and reached out to flippantly grasp Tian Qiuzi’s chin, lifting her face as he said, “Let me tell you clearly about Chen’s money – we don’t even have a contract. How am I supposed to repay it? Don’t forget, that money was invested directly under my name! However, if you can help me find third-round financing, I might consider helping you save face. If not…” He pointed at the folder on the desk, “Before you get lost, let’s settle all accounts together!”
Tian Qiuzi was pushed to the ground, all her perfection shattering like fragile porcelain. Through the strands of hair falling across her eyes, she could see Hu Cheng turning away arrogantly, saying, “You’d better be careful. If Old Chen finds out you invested his money with me and came in here naked…” Hu Cheng didn’t finish, turning back to his seat to look at documents. When the secretary entered, she saw the tear-stained Tian Qiuzi and emotionlessly helped her out.
The battle Tian Qiuzi had carefully prepared for two days collapsed like the straw house in “The Three Little Pigs,” blown apart with a single breath.
Leaving the hospital, Ning Yue arrived precisely on time at D&D Café, where Zhuo Hao was waiting for her.
Seeing Ning Yue enter, Zhuo Hao anxiously stood up, waving her over. Before she could even sit down, he asked, “What exactly happened?”
Ning Yue didn’t answer, instead asking, “Did you find what I asked you to look for?”
“Oh, yes. That was easy to find. Here.” Zhuo Hao pulled out a narrow, dark green plastic strip decorated with intricate patterns. “You can’t take this through security checks though, it won’t pass.”
Ning Yue felt a circular protrusion on it but didn’t press it. “Is it sharpened?”
Zhuo Hao pressed his lips together, nodding reluctantly and anxiously asking, “What exactly happened? Why do you suddenly need something like this?”
Ning Yue studied Zhuo Hao, suddenly sighing and laughing self-mockingly: “You know what? I now think having someone who knows your secrets is a very fortunate thing.”
She took a deep breath and undid her shirt collar.
Before Zhuo Hao could process Ning Yue’s words, he was startled by the injuries before him! The bruising and its location – to someone like Zhuo Hao who regularly dealt with such injuries – revealed the entire scene in an instant!
Zhuo Hao couldn’t help but gasp: “Who did this? Hu Cheng! That bastard! I’m going after him!”
Zhuo Hao stood up impulsively but was pulled back by Ning Yue. “Sit down. Sit down.”
Zhuo Hao sat down, confused: “Are you crazy? Sue him! Sue him to death!”
Ning Yue said, “Don’t be impulsive. In this world, you’re the only one I can talk to now.” Ning Yue suddenly seemed lost, as vague memories flashed and disappeared. She blinked, suppressing her churning emotions. “Of course, this debt must be settled, but not now. I’ve endured for so long, all for the child. But I’ve realized that letting a child stay in a broken family, watching lies and violence fill their life, isn’t happiness. I want a divorce.” Ning Yue sighed and paused.
Zhuo Hao remembered the circumstances of Ning Yue’s parents’ death – an only child whose parents had cut ties with relatives and friends over certain matters, then passed away, leaving Ning Yue alone. Indeed, she had no one to talk to. Zhuo Hao’s eyes grew moist – how had that cheerful young girl from their youth turned into this gloomy, helpless middle-aged woman?
Suppressing his tumultuous feelings, Zhuo Hao asked, “What do you want to do?”
Years of suppression suddenly threatened to burst forth, and Ning Yue spoke involuntarily: “Honestly, with the courts here and the nature of these judges, my injuries, plus my current situation and Hu Cheng’s character, they won’t rule in my favor. Not only does Hu Cheng say this, but the judges will also consider me a housewife without the ability to support a child – they won’t grant me custody!” Ning Yue’s words unconsciously took on a crude edge, and at this moment she suddenly displayed a sharp brilliance. Her hand trembled, and with a “snap,” a sharp blade sprang from the elegant plastic baton. The blade gleamed with a faint blue light, sharpened but yet unused.
The inherent killing intent of the knife seemed to suppress Ning Yue’s impulses. She quieted for a moment, reining in that sharp energy, and spoke slowly: “So, if I want a divorce, I must deal with Hu Cheng first. I originally thought having a job could prove my ability to support a child, but that’s not possible now. So I only have one path left – to prove Hu Cheng is unfit to raise a child. However, I don’t want to hurt our child.”
Zhuo Hao sighed deeply, carefully considering before saying: “Yue, ninety percent of my clients have the same request, but what’s the result? Not a single child escapes unharmed.”
Ning Yue stared at Zhuo Hao for a long while before giving a bitter smile and nodding: “I know.”
“So what do you plan to do?” Zhuo Hao tried to remain objective, “Besides, if you target Hu Cheng, there might be – more serious consequences. Divorce should ultimately be amicable, for the child’s benefit.”
“How serious are these consequences you know about?”
Zhuo Hao thought for a moment, “You were a lawyer – remember that case where the couple died together?”
Ning Yue fell silent; she remembered that case. Though she hadn’t handled it, it was quite famous. Also involving domestic violence, the wife hadn’t divorced, and finally, unable to endure anymore, they both died.
“But do you think Hu Cheng would let me take Hu Ziyuan in an amicable divorce? If I take Hu Ziyuan, would he just let it go?”
Zhuo Hao had been helping Ning Yue investigate Hu Cheng intermittently for a long time and understood well his financial situation and character. He knew that what Ning Yue said was understated. Given Hu Cheng’s nature, he wouldn’t even wait for Ning Yue to divorce – if she showed any such inclination, he would unhesitatingly destroy her!
Seeing Zhuo Hao’s silence, Ning Yue said, “I don’t have complete confidence. But living with Hu Cheng all these years has taught me some things. Everyone has their weakness, and once you grasp your opponent’s weakness, you become the winner. Hu Cheng’s weakness…” Ning Yue paused as if needing to confirm it in her heart before speaking.
Zhuo Hao looked at Ning Yue – this woman whose skin had darkened, whose lips were slightly pale, whose eyelids showed signs of sagging, yet whose gaze was sharper than ever! Ning Yue’s lips curled into a cold smile as she said: “He needs money.”
Zhuo Hao looked at Ning Yue in confusion – wasn’t this precisely why she dared not divorce? Otherwise, she could have obtained a share of their joint property through divorce rather than enduring like this. What was Ning Yue thinking?
Ning Yue softened her expression, lowering her head to sip her tea: “Only by making him spread himself too thin can I gain time and space to maneuver. Fortunately, he’s offended enough people who can help me.”
After hearing this, Zhuo Hao remained silent for a long time. He looked at Ning Yue, holding back repeatedly before finally speaking: “Yue, I’ll help you. But honestly, I don’t like seeing you like this.” He shook his head, not continuing.
Ning Yue smiled bitterly, lowering her head without responding. Five years ago, she would have cared deeply about those words, but now, at forty, her emotions had been compressed by life’s trivial matters into a narrow, hard country path. Even so, this path was still lined with dense trees on both sides, blocking various invasive winds from outside. The only thing that could let her walk this path serenely now was family affection.
Hu Ziyuan was her only family.