Chapter 8: Divorce

The cold northern weather was always accompanied by strong winds. The gray, overcast sky carried a sense of desolation and loneliness. Trees lined both sides of Hongmin Road, but at this time of year, they were bare and lifeless.

It was mid-afternoon, but there were few people wandering the streets. Even the shops along the road were empty, and the alleys branching off from the main street looked even more deserted.

Standing at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, Shen Caisheng positioned himself to block the wind for Yuan Lingling, shielding her from the chill. He believed he had given her an appropriate answer.

Some things didn’t need to be made public, especially when they weren’t particularly honorable for Houzi.

He assumed Yuan Lingling had just asked casually, so he didn’t think too much of it. He remained calm, believing that as long as something didn’t involve others or collective interests, he had no obligation to disclose it.

Yuan Lingling, however, had no idea what he was thinking. She only felt uneasy—he really didn’t want to tell her the truth.

She understood, but she couldn’t figure out why Shen Caisheng could lie so naturally without any sign of guilt.

But since he clearly didn’t want to talk about it, she decided not to push further.

“I see,” Yuan Lingling responded casually. Meanwhile, she was thinking about how to bring up the matter of Yuanyuan.

Shen Caisheng stood there waiting. After a long while without hearing her continue, he had to take the initiative. “So? You said earlier you wanted to talk. Just say whatever it is.”

“I…” Yuan Lingling opened her mouth but hesitated. The atmosphere felt just right, and she suddenly remembered her most urgent plan at the moment.

Looking up and meeting Shen Caisheng’s gaze, Yuan Lingling’s heart skipped a beat. There was always something in his eyes—an icy sharpness that seemed to pierce through people. She swallowed nervously and gathered her courage to speak.

“About what happened before, I want to apologize to you.”

Before?

Shen Caisheng didn’t immediately understand what she was referring to.

“Our marriage.”

The original owner of this body had indeed wronged Shen Caisheng in this matter. Now that she had taken over this body, it was only right for her to apologize.

More importantly, saying some nice words would make it easier to bring up the topic of divorce.

Shen Caisheng was stunned.

Something about Yuan Lingling had been feeling off lately.

Why bring up the past all of a sudden? A strange irritation rose in his heart—one so subtle he himself hadn’t even noticed.

Then, an unsettling thought crossed his mind—something he had learned through years of completing missions.

Had she done something even worse than before?

His chest tightened slightly, and his tone turned serious. “If you have something to say, just say it. I don’t like beating around the bush.”

Yuan Lingling, who had been carefully organizing her words, was suddenly thrown off by his bluntness.

Seriously? Did he even hear himself?

He had just lied to her without blinking, and now he was acting all righteous about honesty. If she didn’t already know what kind of person he was, she might’ve actually been fooled by his act.

She almost rolled her eyes at him.

“Fine, I’ll say it. But you have to promise you won’t get mad.”

She knew this request was probably useless, but she still wanted some kind of reassurance.

At least it would give her a little courage.

Shen Caisheng sensed her frustration but felt that there was nothing wrong with what he had just said.

Were they supposed to live their married life constantly guessing each other’s thoughts?

Before he could figure it out, Yuan Lingling suddenly spoke, making him feel even more puzzled.

“Go ahead.”

After a brief pause, Shen Caisheng still didn’t respond to her directly. He figured that even if he was angry, he wouldn’t lose control. As long as he didn’t let her see through him, it would be fine.

Yuan Lingling glanced at him and noticed that he was still staring at her. Her guilt reached its peak. In truth, she felt wronged too. She hadn’t even done anything wrong, so why had things come to this?

Her hands slowly clenched into fists. Then, she turned to face Shen Caisheng directly. As soon as she looked up, her gaze landed on the area beneath his eyes.

“What happened back then was my moment of weakness. I was wrong, and I sincerely apologize.” Yuan Lingling scared herself just by saying that. Her clenched fists trembled slightly.

She gritted her teeth and said, “Look, you don’t like me anyway. Why don’t we just get a divorce? From now on, we can go our separate ways, no longer involved in each other’s lives. What do you think?”

The moment she finished speaking, all the tension in her body seemed to drain away, but her chest still trembled violently.

Before she could hear his response, she already felt the surrounding air grow heavy. The oppressive atmosphere made her too afraid to even meet Shen Caisheng’s gaze.

His eyes always reminded her of a deep winter pond, icy and bone-chilling.

Yuan Lingling didn’t want him to see her fear. She clenched her jaw, silently questioning whether she had been too impulsive.

Forget it. Whether she faced it head-on or tried to avoid it, the outcome would be the same. She was already feeling suffocated. If she had to face the consequences, so be it.

Just as she was about to speak again, she suddenly felt a tight grip on her wrist—Shen Caisheng had grabbed her.

Panicked, Yuan Lingling instinctively wanted to cry out.

“Shh…” Shen Caisheng motioned for her to stay quiet.

The next moment, he pulled her into a narrow alley beside them. Before she could react, he pressed her against the wall.

She was already nervous after saying those words, but now, with him acting like this, her heart pounded even harder.

What made it worse was that she suddenly realized she was pressed against Shen Caisheng’s chest. His heartbeat, as strong and powerful as a drum, echoed right in her ears, leaving her completely unable to focus on anything else.

Bang, bang, bang…

“You…” The close proximity made Yuan Lingling feel awkward. She reached out to push Shen Caisheng away, but he swiftly covered her mouth. The next moment, they were even closer together.

Yuan Lingling didn’t dare struggle. Her head was pressed against Shen Caisheng’s chest, completely enveloped by his presence. She could feel the calluses on his hand against her lips—so rough, it was almost excessive.

She couldn’t help but wonder what he usually did to develop such calluses. They weren’t something that formed overnight.

He really wasn’t a normal person.

Yuan Lingling didn’t have time to dwell on this. She could already sense the tense atmosphere—someone was approaching.

But why were they hiding?

Shen Caisheng’s body was so close that his presence felt suffocating. It was only at this moment that Yuan Lingling clearly realized the difference in strength between them.

If Shen Caisheng truly wanted to do something to her right now, she wouldn’t be able to break free no matter what.

Yet strangely, Yuan Lingling didn’t feel that he meant any harm. On the contrary, she even had the faint impression that he was protecting her.

Sure enough, a moment later, Shen Caisheng pressed even closer, their bodies nearly touching. On their side, a few old, broken wooden crates had been stacked up, conveniently shielding them from view.

At that moment, voices came from outside. A group of people hurried past, their footsteps chaotic yet swift. Yuan Lingling couldn’t see what was happening outside because Shen Caisheng blocked her view, but she heard a low voice urging,

“Quick! Chase them! They went that way!”

Hearing this, Yuan Lingling dared not move.

She didn’t know who these people were, but judging by Shen Caisheng’s reaction, they were definitely not good people.

The sky wasn’t even dark yet, yet these people were already so brazen. It seemed she needed to be more cautious about her own safety.

The noise gradually faded into the distance.

Just when Yuan Lingling felt she was about to suffocate, Shen Caisheng finally let go of her.

She took deep breaths, quickly stepping aside to put some distance between them, trying to escape his overwhelming presence. But before she could move too far, Shen Caisheng grabbed her by the shoulders. Yuan Lingling’s breath hitched, and she didn’t dare speak.

“Go home first. Lock the door and don’t go out unless necessary. Keep an eye on Yuanyuan for me. I have something to take care of, but I’ll try to be back soon. Sorry.”

With that, he turned and ran off in a flash.

Yuan Lingling stood there, full of questions.

It wasn’t until moments later that she finally processed how intimate their position had been earlier, and her face burned.

And the way he had rushed off like that—it almost felt like he didn’t want a divorce.

Snow was about to fall again, and the sky was darkening, making visibility poor.

Yuan Lingling took a moment to digest what Shen Caisheng had said before heading home.

That group of people clearly weren’t good. And Shen Caisheng… what exactly was he involved in?

She glanced back from time to time, but the empty street held no trace of him.

After thinking it through, it made sense. He was a major villain—having a few enemies was only natural.

When she arrived at the Ma family’s house, Yang Ying saw her looking a bit out of sorts and assumed she had an argument with Shen Caisheng. The warm smile on her face instantly turned serious.

“What happened? Caisheng didn’t come back with you?” She frowned, her tone filled with frustration. “You two are already married. No matter what happens, talk it out properly. You have to live your days together. Did he bully you? Tell me, I’ll talk to him next time!”

He is already at this age, yet he still don’t know how to give in to his wife—how unreasonable.

But Yang Ying wasn’t really scolding him—she was worried. Worried that his wife might leave him.

Shen Caisheng might seem unreliable on the surface, but he was actually quite thoughtful when facing elders like Yang Ying and the others. In her eyes, he had turned out this way because of what his parents had done to him.

At least he hadn’t grown up crooked. Otherwise, that would have truly been a tragedy.

Yang Ying sighed deeply. “Now that you’re husband and wife, you should try to understand each other. Of course, I’m not saying you should suffer any grievances. If he dares to treat you badly, your Uncle Ma and I won’t let him off!”

“You don’t know… Caisheng had a very tough childhood.”