Chapter 40: One More Slap

She wasn’t afraid of Xie Yunshu, but this woman had no sense of restraint when hitting, and she liked slapping hard across the face. If she got disfigured, how would she still go on blind dates?

Lin Cuiping didn’t even bother with her pen anymore and just turned around and ran. She had seen enough of this joke. She’d wait until there were more people around to sarcastically criticize Xie Yunshu later — no rush.

This slap was full force; Xie Yunshu didn’t hold back at all. Lu Zhixing’s face was slapped so hard it shifted to one side, his bangs covering his eyes, hiding his expression.

If it weren’t for the thousand yuan, she wouldn’t have endured it! Now that the divorce was being contested in court, those people would side with the man who had a family and status — Lu Zhixing. Forget compensation, she might not get a single cent!

Unless absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to bring out the fact that she had been locked in the psychiatric ward, because she was worried it would affect Xie Mingcheng’s upcoming college entrance exam in a few months.

In her dreams, it played out like this: Xie Mingcheng found out his sister was locked in a mental hospital, his youthful temper got the best of him, and he went to the hospital and beat Lu Zhixing. He hit hard, and it escalated to the police, where he was detained for several days.

College entrance exam? Victory? It was all ruined by that fight…

Now, with this piece of evidence, she could directly file for divorce on grounds of emotional breakdown. Even if Lu Zhixing refused to give money, she would get it anyway! Plus, there was an extra surprise today — another debt owed by Zhou Fengyue worth 1,600 yuan!

She would have to sell boxed meals for half a year to make that much money — why wouldn’t she want it?

Xie Yunshu flicked her hand, putting the note into her pocket: “Lu Zhixing, I’ve wanted to slap you for a long time! Your whole family isn’t worth a damn, where do you get the nerve to expect me to apologize? Tell Lu Xueting, if she barks at me again, I’ll hit her even harder!”

Lu Zhixing was a privileged guy — no woman had ever dared say a harsh word to him, let alone slap him.

First she hit his sister, now him — the marriage was definitely over! Xie Yunshu hoped Lu Zhixing would just sign the divorce papers quickly. Nowadays divorce wasn’t friendly to women — there were all kinds of gossip and legal obstacles.

If the husband refused to sign, the lawsuit would drag on forever. She only wanted to earn money to support Mingcheng’s college tuition and didn’t want to waste energy on this fight.

After saying this, Xie Yunshu turned to leave but was stopped by someone grabbing her sleeve.

Lu Zhixing lowered his head, voice tinged with restraint: “Are you calm now? If you are, then talk to me.”

Xie Yunshu frowned, surprised that after being slapped, he still wanted to talk things over. Wasn’t he afraid she’d trash the family dormitory?

“Are you deaf? We’re getting divorced. Why would I talk to you?”

“I haven’t agreed.”

Finally, Lu Zhixing looked up. Half his face was still swollen, looking pitiful, but his eyes locked onto her without letting go: “Xie Yunshu, I don’t agree to divorce. You can have the money, the house, anything — but no divorce.”

This guy must be crazy!

Xie Yunshu’s face hardened completely: “Lu Zhixing, do you want another slap?”

But Lu Zhixing looked at her and slowly smiled: “You’re angry because you still care about me. I haven’t done anything wrong to you. I can satisfy whatever compensation you want. It’s fine if you don’t apologize to Xueting — I’ll explain it to my parents. Yunshu, I don’t want to divorce you.”

They had been married for over a year and shared many good times. She kept the home perfectly, the only place he could relax after a long day. He took it all for granted and never appreciated it.

But doesn’t a person who makes mistakes deserve a chance to change?

Xie Yunshu stared at him, silent for a long time.

When she was a girl reading poetry, she once saw a verse: “I see all others as grass and trees, only you as the green mountains.” When she loved him, she gave everything without reserve. But love is partial and spoiled — and he repeatedly tested her limits until she couldn’t endure it anymore, only to toss her a sweet but fake gesture pretending to be loving.

Maybe Lu Zhixing was telling the truth, but was she a fool to just accept him back every time he bowed his head?

So she slapped the other side of his handsome face: “Don’t disgust me. If you want to act, go to the theater. Either pay back the money and sign the papers, or see you in court. Until then, don’t show up in front of me — or every time I see you, you’ll get hit again!”

This slap finally provoked Lu Zhixing’s anger. A storm gathered in his brows, his jaw clenched tightly: “Xie Yunshu, if we divorce, you’ll be the one regretting it!”

He didn’t believe she’d just end it easily. If they divorced, he wouldn’t waste effort arranging a job for her. How was she supposed to survive with just a few thousand yuan? Living in that dark, damp little broken house, rarely seeing the sun all year round?

Or maybe she’d find some divorced older man to live with?

Thinking of that possibility nearly broke his self-control. He had always been high-ranking, proud to his core. Today he humbled himself to beg her, but she slapped him twice!

He couldn’t be like those spineless men who beg and grovel, even though he didn’t want a divorce.

“No divorce, or I’ll regret it.”

Xie Yunshu didn’t want to waste another word on him. She turned and headed toward the dormitory building, leaving only this behind:

“Lu Zhixing, I’m giving you one week. Before the New Year, the divorce must be done.”

The streetlights outside the alley lit up. The light shining from the dormitory wasn’t very clear. Lu Zhixing stood there stiffly, watching her back disappear, a heavy confusion and frustration swelling inside him.

He had done so much — yet she still wasn’t satisfied? Was it just because he helped Zhou Fengyue? But he swore he never crossed any line with Zhou Fengyue. Why couldn’t she understand him?