Chapter 1: Then Let’s Get a Divorce

Jiang Mingzhi took two silver spoons from the fridge and pressed them against her swollen, tear-stained eyes.

Half a minute later, she started putting on her makeup—she had to meet an important client that afternoon.

The more she tried not to cry, the more her tears fell.

With pale slender fingers, she hastily wiped away the hot tears streaming down her face. Grabbing a tissue and pressing it under her eyes, she tilted her delicate neck and murmured to herself, “Stop crying.”

It all started last night—when she looked at Pei Jinyang’s phone.

He had been in the shower, and his phone screen had lit up silently.

Jiang Mingzhi never checked his phone. But this time, as if something had taken over her, she entered his passcode and unlocked it.

Sheng Qiaoxi: Then get a divorce.

Above that message, Pei Jinyang had replied:
Pei Jinyang: Maybe it was all too intense back then. We burned through everything. Now I feel nothing for Zhi Zhi.

Reading those words, Jiang Mingzhi felt as if the air around her had been sucked away. It was hard to breathe.

Was this what she got in return for chasing after love while bearing everyone’s scorn?

She thought she was loved. In fact, she had just forgotten to check his phone.

The sound of water stopped. In a panic, Jiang Mingzhi exited the chat, marked the message as unread.

Her hands moved faster than her brain. She didn’t even understand why she did it.

Before Pei Jinyang came out of the bathroom, she quickly grabbed her phone and walked out.

She spent the night in a hotel. Until early morning, Pei Jinyang only sent her one message:

[Where are you]

Jiang Mingzhi made up a random excuse. He didn’t press.

When she returned home the next day to change clothes, the house was empty. Their cat sat on the cabinet by the entrance, tilting its head as it watched her switch shoes.

She gave its head a casual stroke, then left to meet the client.

After the meeting, Jiang Mingzhi drifted back to her office like a ghost. Her phone lit up with a WeChat message from Pei Jinyang:

[I won’t be home for dinner. I’m going out with Qiaoxi and the others]

Sheng Qiaoxi again. She, along with Chen Zhanbei and Sun Shiyao, had been close to Pei Jinyang since childhood. Sheng Qiaoxi had liked him once but chose to stay by his side as a “friend.”

Jiang Mingzhi bit her lip. She used to think Sheng Qiaoxi had lost. Now she realized—she was the one who had lost.

She contacted a lawyer and asked for a divorce specialist recommendation.

Outside the enormous glass windows, neon lights flickered and traffic streamed through the streets like a river of steel, destination unknown.

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t know where she should go either—only that she couldn’t stand being stuck anymore.

Her marriage to Pei Jinyang had never been just the two of them. There was Sheng Qiaoxi, the sultry assistant, the innocent intern…

After the lawyer left, Jiang Mingzhi downed her whiskey in one gulp and grabbed her purse, telling the driver to take her to Lai Jiu.

Lai Jiu was a private bar owned by Sun Shiyao, open only to members. It was the regular hangout for their childhood group after meals.

The blue-and-white Maybach merged into traffic, and Jiang Mingzhi stared out at the passing streetlights.

She had dated Pei Jinyang for seven years. They had been married for one. They didn’t even make it to the “seven-year itch.” How had it come to this?

Was it really like he said? That they’d loved too fiercely and burned out too quickly?

Jiang Mingzhi sent him a message on WeChat:

[Do you remember what day it is today?]

Ten minutes later, the screen lit up.

Pei Jinyang: Of course I do. How could I forget our one-year anniversary, baby?

Jiang Yanzhi: You at Lai Jiu?

Pei Jinyang: Yeah, where else would I be?

She hadn’t said she was going. But when the car stopped in front of Lai Jiu and she saw the row of familiar sports cars, she suddenly smiled.

She knew this place well. She’d come here countless times back when they were dating.

She headed straight to their usual spot—and sure enough, she saw some familiar faces.

Pei Jinyang always stood out. White shirt, black slacks, collar casually open to reveal his collarbone.

Two sexy women sat beside him—one was Sheng Qiaoxi, the other unfamiliar.

He tilted his head, listening to Sheng Qiaoxi talk, then laughed.

It was a bright, carefree laugh. His lips curved widely, as if he were genuinely happy. The hand holding his drink lightly brushed against the other woman’s arm.

The two women leaned in close, smiling and chatting. It looked like they were both nestled in Pei Jinyang’s embrace.

To Jiang Mingzhi, it was a painful sight.

She knew Pei Jinyang had always been a charming, unruly playboy. But when she was around, no other woman had dared get close. She had always been the only one beside him.

She thought she was special to him.

She felt warmth at the corners of her eyes. Lifting a hand, she dabbed at her eye’s corner, only to be interrupted by a waiter holding a tray of drinks.

She stepped aside, and the waiter recognized her, greeting cheerfully, “Miss Jiang, welcome.”

Someone overheard. Sun Shiyao was the first to look up, surprised, and stood up with a smile. “Zhi Zhi’s here.”

Jiang Mingzhi stood about three meters away, dressed in a black gown—elegant and poised, radiating a cold, unapproachable air. She was still the same as ever after all these years.

Sun Shiyao glanced instinctively at Pei Jinyang, clearly thinking: You didn’t say your wife was coming.

The two women clinging to Pei Jinyang straightened up. He remained seated, turning to Jiang Mingzhi. “Honey, what are you doing here?”

“Had nothing better to do.”

She walked toward them and stopped right in front of him. The two women beside him had no intention of moving.

Eventually, Pei Jinyang gave Sheng Qiaoxi a nudge. “Didn’t you see my wife’s here? Make some space.”

The others who heard this chuckled teasingly. “Still so whipped after all these years. Damn, wish someone loved me like that.”

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t move. She didn’t want to sit.

Pei Jinyang reached for her hand. “What’s wrong, baby?”

He thought she was here to celebrate their anniversary.

“I’ve got a surprise for you. I’ll give it to you right after midnight—it’s not time yet.”

Jiang Mingzhi just stood there in front of him, staring at him under the dim lights.

Suddenly, he felt like a stranger.

Was this really the man she had loved for so many years? Was he really worth all the insults she had endured just to be with him?

Their marriage had never been blessed by either set of parents. Pei Jinyang’s mother had even called her a whore and cursed her to a miserable end.

Pei Jinyang wrapped an arm around her waist, grinning. “What’s the matter, baby? Wanna sit on my lap?”