Chapter 36

“I really do love Yanjing, and I treasure our relationship. I’ll wait until you two are divorced, and then I’ll be with him openly and honestly.” 

Xiao Cui was completely stunned by the sheer audacity of it all. She didn’t dare speak, her eyes darting back and forth between the two women. Oh my god, it’s the first time I’ve seen a mistress so brazen, boldly declaring her love right in front of the wife. 

Lin Yuxi had no patience to listen to Jiang Nan’s love story with Zhou Yanjing. 

“Well said,” Lin Yuxi nodded, her tone indifferent. “I’ll handle the divorce paperwork as quickly as possible. Please be patient.” 

She sounded like a completely emotionless customer service representative. 

With that, she turned and left. Xiao Cui hurried to catch up with her. 

“Your husband is Zhou Yanjing? It wouldn’t happen to be the Zhou Yanjing I’m thinking of, right?” 

Oh my god, who knew her colleague, who she sees every day, is actually the wife of a top-tier wealthy family? 

Lin Yuxi suddenly remembered Xiao Cui was still there. If this conversation got out, she’d have no choice but to leave the hospital. 

Thankfully, it was Xiao Cui and not someone else. 

“I’ll buy you coffee. Just don’t tell anyone, okay?” 

“Dr. Lin, what kind of person do you think I am!” Xiao Cui replied with righteous indignation. “You think a cup of coffee will bribe me? At least throw in two packs of spicy snacks too!” 

Lin Yuxi was surprised at how easy she was to deal with. “Okay.” 

As they were chatting and walking toward the outpatient lobby, they suddenly heard someone call out, “Xixi!” 

Lin Yuxi instinctively turned around. 

She saw a slightly pregnant woman running over to Jiang Nan. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” 

Lin Yuxi stood frozen for a few seconds before asking Jiang Nan, “Did she just call you Xixi?” 

Jiang Nan, who had been talking to the woman, turned her head at the question. “Yeah. My nickname is Xixi—Xixi with the grass radical character. My original name was Jiang Nanxi, but my grandfather didn’t like it, so he changed it to Jiang Nan. But my family still calls me Xixi.” 

As she spoke, something seemed to occur to her. “Oh, right, isn’t your nickname also Xixi?” 

She smiled. “Look, we have quite a few things in common.” 

Lin Yuxi stood there, stunned. She couldn’t describe what she felt in that moment. Her mind went blank for what felt like a long time. 

It was as if she were standing in a hollow cave, empty except for the howling of a bitter, cold wind. 

“Dr. Lin… Dr. Lin?”  

Xiao Cui called her several times before Lin Yuxi snapped out of it. “Let’s go.” 

Her expression was vacant as she started walking forward again, almost like a zombie, so absent-minded that she nearly walked straight into a glass door. 

Xiao Cui quickly grabbed her back. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” 

Once they exited the building, Lin Yuxi said, “Xiao Cui, I’m not going to eat out anymore.” 

She was obviously too shaken to go to a trendy restaurant now. Xiao Cui nodded quickly. “We can always go another time. But are you sure you’ll be okay? I could take you home.” 

Lin Yuxi felt as if something were both suffocating her and leaving her feeling hollow inside, like something was missing. 

Too exhausted to speak, she just waved her hand and left. 

She didn’t even know where she was going she just kept walking. 

Xiao Cui watched her walk away, a worried expression on her face. 

The atmosphere at Boyu wasn’t much better. After the three-day holiday ended, the employees were greeted by a boss in a terrible mood. 

Even the steady and reliable Yang Kang got scolded. The reason, as secretary Xiao Liang overheard, was this: 

Assistant Yang asked if they should transfer some funds now, only for President Zhou to respond with a cold laugh:  

“Have they been hounding you for it? No? Then why are you so eager? Is the money in my account offending your noble eyes? If you’re so keen on transferring funds, why don’t you send all your savings to someone else and get a thrill while benefiting society?” 

Secretary Xiao Wang clicked his tongue. “Getting scolded for paying on time? President Zhou is impossible to please.” 

Zhou Yanjing’s foul mood carried over to the dinner meeting that evening. 

Mr. Wan of Huiyang Group personally hosted the dinner to give Zhou Yanjing plenty of respect, but the second young master was utterly uninterested. 

He complained that the custom fragrance made by the French perfumer at the hotel smelled too pleasant, bringing back unpleasant memories. 

He complained that the Australian lobsters seemed to be glaring at him did they bear a grudge against him? 

He complained that the vintage of the Lafite wasn’t right; that year was the Year of the Tiger, and tigers bring him bad luck. 

Mr. Wan suspected Zhou was using this as an opportunity to nitpick and get revenge for an earlier incident, when he had tried to use Zhou’s resources to curry favor with the secretary’s nephew. 

“President Zhou, are you still holding a grudge over what happened last time?” Wan said with a smile, trying to placate him. “It was my short-sightedness. Look at how well our current collaboration is going mutually beneficial and all. Let’s just put the past behind us.” 

Zhou Yanjing crossed his legs and leaned back leisurely in his chair, flicking ash from his cigarette with deliberate slowness. “How could I, with my modest abilities, dare to hold a grudge against you?” 

Mr. Wan:  

The sarcasm was thick. 

Suddenly, someone at the table seemed to remember something and asked curiously, “Wait, isn’t President Zhou’s wife born in the Year of the Tiger?” 

It was widely known that the couple had consulted a fortune-teller before their marriage, and if their zodiac signs really clashed, the Zhou family wouldn’t have allowed the marriage. 

Zhou Yanjing lazily bit down on his cigarette and let out a light chuckle. “Why else would I say tigers bring me bad luck?” 

The person quickly caught on, hesitated for a second, and then burst out laughing, teasing, “So even the second young master is afraid of his wife!” 

Another person chimed in, “Being afraid of your wife is a good thing! Haven’t you heard? The more a man loves his wife, the better his fortune. Listen to your wife, and you’ll get rich.” 

Zhou Yanjing tugged at the corner of his lips but didn’t respond. 

It was at that moment that his phone rang. 

Zhou Yanjing answered lazily, “What made you think of calling me? Got any orders?” 

It was Zhou Shengan on the other end, speaking concisely, “I just saw Yuxi at a bar. Where are you? Come pick her up.” 

Zhou Yanjing’s expression remained indifferent as he tapped the ash off his cigarette into the crystal ashtray.  

“She’s been to bars before. Why are you more worried than I am?” 

Zhou Shengan didn’t bother with small talk, directly giving him the address and asserting his older brotherly authority, “Aken Bar. Come over right now.” 

He paused for a few seconds before adding, “She doesn’t seem right. She’s crying, alone.” 

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds before the call was abruptly disconnected. 

Zhou Shengan had gone to the bar with a few friends that evening, and as soon as he walked in, he spotted Lin Yuxi sitting alone, quietly drinking. 

She had always been a quiet person, even when drinking. She sat there silently, holding a bottle of beer and tilting back her delicate, pale neck as she drank. 

One of his friends noticed too and said, “Isn’t that your sister-in-law?” 

Zhou Shengan responded with a simple “mm.” 

His friend stared for a few seconds and then remarked, “Why is she drinking all alone and crying? She looks so pitiful. Did your brother bully her again?” 

It was only then that Zhou Shengan noticed Lin Yuxi’s tears. 

She didn’t even make a sound while crying; the tears simply rolled down her cheeks as she tilted her head back to gulp down more beer. 

Such a beautiful woman, drinking alone at a bar, naturally attracted attention from some men. 

A heartbroken woman is most vulnerable, easy to approach. And here she was, alone, without any companions. Once she got drunk, it wouldn’t be hard for someone to take her away.  

Several men were already casting glances her way, some of them clearly considering making a move.