Chapter 31

“Can I have that villa in the northern suburbs?”  

Zhou Yanjing paused, his cigarette still in hand. The night was deep and unclear; his tone was ambiguous. “Why do you want that villa?” 

“Because it’s valuable,” Lin Yuxi replied, logical and reasonable. “I haven’t lived in any other of your properties, only this one and the one in the northern suburbs.” 

Zhou Yanjing lowered his head and took a puff of his cigarette, the smoke curling into the cold air, appearing pale and bluish. “If you want something valuable, this one is worth more than the one in the northern suburbs.” 

In terms of value, the marriage home in Songyun Bay was worth at least three times more than the one in the northern suburbs. 

“That one was bought for you by your parents as a marriage home; you’ll still need it in the future.” 

“You think I’ll live in this house when I get married again?”  

True, Jiang Nan probably wouldn’t want to live in the house she had used as a marriage home. 

“I don’t want it either,” Lin Yuxi said. “You can live wherever you like; it has nothing to do with me. Just give me the one in the northern suburbs.” 

“What do you want it for?” Zhou Yanjing asked again. 

“Can’t I sell it for money?”  

Zhou Yanjing replied, “If you want money, isn’t it simpler to just ask for cash?” 

Lin Yuxi felt a bit annoyed; he had told her to make a request, but now he was hesitating. 

“If you don’t want to give it, just say so.” 

“That property has expensive management fees. Can your salary afford it?” Zhou Yanjing slowly lifted his eyelids. “Besides, I quite like that place; it’s suitable for winter vacations. The snow scenery there is pretty nice.” 

So he still intended to take Jiang Nan there for vacations in the future? 

Lin Yuxi thought she had endured all the torment she could bear. In her past life, even if she had committed murder or arson, the punishment she was enduring in this life was enough. 

She believed she could calmly accept the outcome of the divorce, yet Zhou Yanjing easily stabbed her already shattered heart once more. 

It was already winter, and the outdoor cold made her shiver. Her eyes, however, felt hot, with transparent tears welling up, trembling at her lower lashes, making it hard to hold back from falling. 

She pressed her lips together, tightening her voice, but she couldn’t control the quivering tone at the end. “If you want to see snow, you can see it anywhere; you can take her to Iceland. The road conditions in the northern suburbs are bad. If it snows and the road gets blocked, it can last for a long time and won’t be convenient.” 

Zhou Yanjing chuckled ambiguously. 

“Do you really think that road was blocked for a month?” 

Having finished one cigarette, he stubbed the butt out in a potted plant by the door. “Even if the municipal management in Lin City is poor, it wouldn’t block an important provincial road for a month.” 

Lin Yuxi froze, a single tear trembling on her lower lash, ready to fall. 

“What did you say?” 

Zhou Yanjing didn’t answer, nor did he look at her. He turned and opened the car door. 

“Tomorrow, let Yang Kang prepare a table of the properties under my name and send it to you. You can choose whichever you want. Forget about the one in the northern suburbs.” 

He got into the car, and the Bentley turned to leave the courtyard. Lin Yuxi instinctively chased after it for a couple of steps, wanting to ask what he meant by that. 

During that month in the northern suburbs, she had never doubted Zhou Yanjing’s words. 

He had said the road was still closed, and that the food was delivered by drone from nearby communities. 

He had complained that the municipal workers were a bunch of lazy fools, saying they might not fix it until next spring when the snow melted. 

He had suggested they could just hide away together there for the rest of their lives. 

Were all those words just to deceive her? 

Did he lie to her just to spend a few more days in their little world together? 

Those days in the northern suburbs weren’t just her one-sided feelings; he had also once fallen into it, right? Even if it was just for a moment. 

These questions clawed at Lin Yuxi’s heart like a ruthless iron hand. 

The remaining rationality urged her to stop, not to chase after him any longer. 

The taillights of the Bentley disappeared into the night, and the cold wind brushed against her cheek, causing Lin Yuxi’s tears to finally spill over. 

Why did he have to tell her? 

What was the point of letting her know all this now? 

It would only make her feel more pathetic. 

Every ounce of love Zhou Yanjing once had for her felt like a knife, each stabbing into her heart. 

She couldn’t move, nor could she pull it out. Even the slightest touch caused excruciating pain. 

She would rather remain oblivious forever than to know that Zhou Yanjing had once gone to such lengths for her. 

Aunt Chen heard the sounds of a car and voices outside but saw no one enter. Puzzled, she opened the door to find Lin Yuxi standing alone in the desolate night, sobbing uncontrollably. 

“What happened? Why are you standing out here in the cold? What if you catch a fever again!” Aunt Chen said anxiously. “Where’s the Second Young Master? Didn’t he come back with you?” 

Lin Yuxi said nothing, leaning on the wooden staircase railing as she slowly made her way back to her room on the second floor. 

She had no strength left to shower, not even enough to change out of the clothes she had worn all day. She wrapped herself tightly in the blanket and fell into a daze, drifting off to sleep. 

The next morning, Lin Yuxi woke up with swollen eyes. 

After using a warm egg for a while, the effect was minimal. When she went out to work, Aunt Chen was sweeping the yard, grumbling: 

“Who has such poor manners to throw so many cigarette butts at someone’s doorstep?” 

In the afternoon, Yang Kang sent an electronic version of a spreadsheet to Lin Yuxi’s email. 

Zhou Yanjing owned quite a few properties, not only in Lin City but also in other cities both domestic and abroad, including New York. The list filled several pages densely. 

Yang Kang recommended several properties in Lin City that were in good locations and had nice environments; they were all fully renovated and ready for move-in. The prices were something she would never be able to afford even if she worked as a doctor for two lifetimes. 

If needed, he could accompany her to visit the sites at any time. She just needed to choose a place she liked, and he would prepare all the materials, so they could handle the transfer directly when the time came. 

At that moment, Lin Yuxi was on her way to the ward. After hanging up the phone, she stood in the hospital corridor, suddenly dazed, momentarily forgetting where she was headed. 

Tan Xingchen’s head popped up from behind her. 

“Hey, what are you spacing out for?” 

Seeing her, Lin Yuxi remembered she needed to go check on a patient. 

She lifted her foot toward the ward, and Tan Xingchen’s wheelchair followed with a rolling sound. 

“What happened to your eyes? Have you been crying? Did you have another fight yesterday? Or is your husband bullying you again?” 

Lin Yuxi’s white coat was always clean and tidy. Her expression was calm, revealing no hint of sadness. “Are you the gossip department?” 

“I’m just an ordinary disciple of gossip,” Tan Xingchen replied. 

Her questions were more numerous than a hundred thousand whys: “Was that a call from your husband just now? What’s he transferring to you? A house? How many did you ask for? Are you really getting divorced?” 

Passing by, a young doctor named Cui shouted, “Doctor Lin, you’re getting divorced?!” 

Patients in the ward who were groaning in pain suddenly stopped making noise, craning their necks to stare: “Doctor Lin, you’re getting divorced?!” 

Lin Yuxi:  

It was absurd. 

In less than an afternoon, the entire ophthalmology department knew that Doctor Lin was getting divorced! 

Don’t believe it? Just look at her swollen eyes from crying. 

The most pleased was Su Cheng, who beamed at Lin Yuxi, “Wow, has your kappa husband dumped you?” 

Lin Yuxi had no idea what she was so happy about. 

“What are you so happy about?” Lin Yuxi said slowly while eating lunch, her tone flat. “Even my husband’s mistress isn’t as excited as you.” 

The colleagues in the cafeteria burst into laughter, and Su Cheng’s face almost twisted with anger. 

It seemed she had gone to report to Doctor Yuan, as Lin Yuxi was called over and scolded a couple of times: “Your personal life shouldn’t be discussed in the hospital; it not only affects the patients but also disrupts other colleagues’ work.” 

When Lin Yuxi first entered the hospital, Doctor Yuan hadn’t become a director yet; back then, the head of ophthalmology was the current Director Qiu. 

The two had a feud, dividing the entire ophthalmology department into two factions. Director Qiu was skilled and reputable, while Doctor Yuan, though lower in position, had some family ties with the president, making him quite powerful. 

Lin Yuxi and Su Cheng had both joined the hospital at the same time; Su Cheng was also related to the president and naturally got along well with Doctor Yuan. 

As a newcomer, Lin Yuxi had no understanding of the cutthroat politics within the hospital that rivaled palace intrigues. Director Qiu had appreciated her and praised her a few times, making her a thorn in Doctor Yuan’s side. 

She hadn’t done anything; she had merely passively taken sides. 

Not long after, Director Qiu was promoted and left,  Doctor Yuan took over, and in the past two years, Lin Yuxi had naturally faced frequent targeting and scolding. 

But today, she was in a bad mood and couldn’t hold back, retorting, “If you want to check the surveillance, see if I’ve ever spoken a word about my personal life. I can’t control how gossipy patients are, but Su Cheng, you can handle it. Tell her there’s no space under my bed; she shouldn’t focus on my marital life with my husband.” 

Doctor Yuan was furious. “Lin Yuxi, what kind of attitude is this?” 

Lin Yuxi said, “I have great respect for you. If you think it’s not good enough, should I kneel and say it?” 

When she was kicked out of the office by Doctor Yuan, she saw Tan Xingchen’s wheelchair zooming away down the corridor, the wheels almost sparking. 

Tan Xingchen was so guilty that she didn’t come to find Lin Yuxi all day. 

Until it was time for her checkup, Lin Yuxi examined her fundus and found nothing wrong. 

Tan Xingchen awkwardly apologized, “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to shout so loudly.” 

“Is your apology worth anything?” Lin Yuxi wasn’t that angry. “You cause me trouble every day.” 

“I didn’t cause any trouble! I’m just concerned about you!”  

This time, Tan Xingchen made sure to look around to avoid being seen. Once she saw no one was around, she said, “Just get divorced. Anyway, you’re not happy with Yanjing. Last time you two were arguing in the hospital, you don’t know how your expression looked like you were about to shatter. I felt so sorry for you!” 

Lin Yuxi coldly exposed her, “Don’t pretend to be sympathetic. Wasn’t that fight because of you?” 

Tan Xingchen awkwardly touched her nose and scratched her ear. “I know I was wrong.” 

As she spoke, it seemed she suddenly made some resolution. 

“Just get divorced. If you do, I’ll introduce my brother to you!”