Chapter 5

After hesitating, Old Liu stammered, clearly unsure of how to respond. 

When the couple wasn’t getting along, people like him had it the hardest. 

 He didn’t know if he should report Zhou Yanjing’s whereabouts to Lin Yuxi. 

 Offending the boss was out of the question, but the boss’s wife was also not someone to mess with. They were fighting now, but who knew if they’d make up later and cause him trouble for saying the wrong thing? 

After some thought, he settled on a neutral reply: “The Second Young Master has been busy with company matters these past few days.” 

A clever way to avoid the real issue. 

Lin Yuxi wasn’t fooled. “So, is he staying at the company?” 

“This uh” Old Liu was starting to sweat. “No, not at the company.” 

“You don’t need to force yourself,” Lin Yuxi said, lowering her head to continue drinking her soup. “You can go.” 

Old Liu didn’t waste a second and quickly left. 

Later that afternoon, Lin Yuxi called Zhou Yanjing again, but his assistant picked up. 

“Madam, are you looking for Mr. Zhou?” 

“Can you let Zhou Yanjing answer the phone?” Lin Yuxi asked. 

“Mr. Zhou is busy,” replied his assistant Yang Kang, politely. “You know he’s just returned to the country. There’s a lot to handle at Boyu. He’s been really busy lately. If you have an urgent matter, I can pass it on for you.” 

Divorce wasn’t something an assistant could relay, though. It needed to be discussed in person. 

Already running out of patience, Lin Yuxi snapped, “Then tell him that with how overworked he is, he should be careful not to drop dead.” 

“And before he dies, he’d better call me back.” 

Yang Kang hung up the phone, then glanced at the man seated behind the desk, signing documents. He wasn’t sure if he should repeat her exact words. 

Zhou Yanjing had indeed been swamped lately. After Boyu Investment Bank’s decision to shift focus to the domestic market, they were moving their headquarters from Wall Street back to Lin City. Sorting through the paperwork alone took days. 

After finishing a tall stack of documents, Zhou Yanjing clicked his pen shut, leaned back in his chair, and took a sip of coffee before asking, “What did she say?” 

Yang Kang decided to soften the message: “Madam told you to take care of yourself and not overwork.” 

A subtle lift of Zhou Yanjing’s eyebrow followed as his gaze shifted to the window. 

Boyu’s new office was right next to Zhou Group’s headquarters. Towering silver-grey skyscrapers stood side by side, forming a grand, modern business district. The glass facades reflected the noonday sun. 

A chuckle rumbled from Zhou Yanjing’s throat as he spun his chair 90 degrees to face the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping his coffee slowly. 

“The sun didn’t rise from the west today, did it?” 

Lin Yuxi didn’t know if Yang Kang had passed on her message, but in any case, nothing had changed. Zhou Yanjing was still as unreachable as ever. No returned calls, no visits home. 

While one party remained absent, on the other end, Ling Yaqiong called to push things along. 

“How’s the conversation going between you and Yanjing?” she asked. 

Still busy with patients in the afternoon, Lin Yuxi barely had time to eat, so she grabbed some bread to tide herself over. “He’s been busy lately. We haven’t had the chance to talk yet.” 

She could almost picture Ling Yaqiong frowning on the other end. “Yuxi, are you deliberately stalling?” 

“I’m not.” 

Ling Yaqiong’s voice grew harsh. “The longer you drag this out, the more you’re torturing him—and us, too. Are you trying to spite us?” 

“I’m not,” Lin Yuxi repeated, her tone tired. 

“Don’t make me out to be the villain here. The longer this goes on, the worse it is for you. We’ve already endured three years of this. You know how hard it’s been for me as his mother, watching Yanjing stay in the U.S. just to avoid coming home because of you.” 

Lin Yuxi had never known why Zhou Yanjing had suddenly decided to go to America. 

Some said he went there to chase after Jiang Nan, blaming Lin Yuxi for not being able to keep her husband’s heart. 

Others said it was because he couldn’t stand to be around her anymore. 

Either way, it was always her fault. 

Ling Yaqiong’s long-bottled frustrations finally erupted. “If it weren’t for his grandmother’s meddling, I’d have never allowed this marriage! Yanjing deserves a better wife!” 

It felt as though her heart had been stabbed, yet Lin Yuxi couldn’t feel the pain anymore. It was just a hollow, bleeding wound. 

She clenched her fists. “I never wanted this marriage either. Don’t forget—it was your family that needed me.” 

There was a brief silence on the other end before Ling Yaqiong’s tone softened, though still condescending. 

“I know. You helped our family, and we won’t let you leave empty-handed. You’ll get what you’re owed, not a penny less.” 

“Once you and Yanjing are divorced, it’ll be over. After that, you and our family will have no further ties.” 

No further ties. 

After hanging up, Lin Yuxi slumped into her chair, exhausted. 

It was late autumn. Most of the leaves in the metasequoia grove had fallen, leaving just a few withered remnants clinging to the bare branches. 

A new trainee knocked on the door. “Dr. Lin, it’s almost one o’clock. Are you ready?” 

Lin Yuxi took a deep breath and straightened herself. “I’m ready.” 

“She actually said that? ‘No further ties,’ my foot!”  

Later that day, Lin Yuxi got a call from her friend, Yu Jiaxiao. Hearing about the midday phone conversation, Yu Jiaxiao was furious. 

“They owe you so much, and they’re acting like Zhou Yanjing is the victim! If he’s so upset, why didn’t he avoid you in the first place? They should ask him if his thing feels any better!” 

Lin Yuxi nearly spat out her water, glancing around to make sure no one else was in the break room. 

“I’m at the hospital,” she reminded her. 

“So what? We’re all human here! The nerve of them acting like he’s the only one who’s suffered. He’s been messing around with that Jiang Nan for years, making you look like a fool, and even the maids feel entitled to walk all over you!” 

“You wasted three years of your prime for what? A public humiliation and a relationship that was just a game to him!” 

Yu Jiaxiao always knew how to hit the mark, even when trying to help. 

“How about we stop talking for the next five centuries?” Lin Yuxi suggested dryly. 

“Wait, wait, wait!” Yu Jiaxiao quickly backtracked. “I’m done ranting. Come on, I’ll pick you up after work and treat you to a feast!” 

“By feast, you mean a night of drinking, right?” 

Yu Jiaxiao giggled. “You know me too well.” 

Her drinking habits were infamous, fueled by stress from work. Every time she said she’d treat Lin Yuxi to dinner, it usually ended with them at a bar. 

When Lin Yuxi finished her shift and stepped outside, Yu Jiaxiao’s car was already waiting. She rolled down the window and waved energetically. 

Lin Yuxi climbed in, immediately pulling out some hand sanitizer from her bag. Yu Jiaxiao, ever the pro, stretched out her hands for a good scrub. 

“The new bar I mentioned is running a promotion—50% off for couples!” 

Discounts were Yu Jiaxiao’s weakness. A half-price deal was practically irresistible. 

“We’re not a couple,” Lin Yuxi pointed out. 

“Details, details,” Yu Jiaxiao said, wrapping an arm around her friend. “Who’s going to know? People are so open-minded these days. If push comes to shove, we can always share a kiss!” 

“I’ll pass, thanks.” 

“Your loss. I’m still a fresh, unmarred cucumber over here,” Yu Jiaxiao teased. “Really, I’m the one losing out.” 

The bar’s entrance was easier to get into than Lin Yuxi had expected. Yu Jiaxiao, always ready with a good story, threw an arm around her and winked at the bouncer. “Can’t you tell? I’m the T in this relationship.” 

Lin Yuxi sighed.  

Once inside, Yu Jiaxiao went all out, ordering the fanciest food and drinks, the kind she usually didn’t splurge on. The bar was upscale, with a nice atmosphere and tasty snacks, but the crowd was larger than usual. Loud music boomed, adding to the lively yet chaotic vibe. 

Yu Jiaxiao, who practically lived on the internet, always had the latest gossip. “Do you think your husband’s really back to fight for the family inheritance?”