Shu Jin’s face looked frighteningly pale in the morning light. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, smearing her carefully applied makeup into a mess. Her fingers gripped the edge of the dining table so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her entire body seeming as if it might collapse at any moment.
Jiang Yi stood where he was, his gaze resting on her trembling shoulders. For a fleeting moment, another completely different scene seemed to overlap before his eyes.
It was winter seven years ago. They had been squeezed into a rented room of less than 20 square meters in an urban village. The wind howled outside, and the only heater in the room buzzed faintly. Shu Jin was wrapped in a thick down jacket, her nose red from the cold, yet she still smiled as she pushed the only bowl of instant noodles toward him, “You eat. I already had some snacks at work today. When your company gets investment, we’re going to eat at that Japanese restaurant every day and order everything on the menu!”
He remembered how he had held her icy hands tightly and made a solemn promise under the dim glow of the heater, “Xiao Jin, give me a little more time. I’ll definitely give you a good life. I’ll let you live in a big house and never suffer like this again.”
Later, he truly fulfilled that promise. Hengyao Group grew from a three-person startup into one of the top three in the industry. He gave her this luxury apartment in Linjiang Garden worth 10 million, gave her a supplementary card with no spending limit, and gave her the life countless women envied.
Yet the Shu Jin standing before him now was crying her heart out… for another man.
Another memory forced its way into his mind.
Five years ago, one evening… right here in this home. Back then, it had only been a bare shell he had purchased. He personally designed every detail, pouring all his hopes for the future into every corner. The setting sun streamed through the uncurtained floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the entire space in warm gold.
He had knelt on one knee on the unfinished cement floor, holding up the ring he had secretly designed over several months, “Xiao Jin, I know this place is still simple now, but this is our first home. Will you marry me and build this into the warmest place in the world together?”
He remembered Shu Jin crying like a child as she threw herself into his arms, nodding over and over, “I will! Jiang Yi, the luckiest thing in my life is marrying you. We’ll stay together forever, one life, one love…”
One life, one love.
Those words now felt like the sharpest blade, stabbing straight into his heart.
“Jiang Yi…” Shu Jin’s voice dragged him back to reality, “Please listen to my explanation, okay? Things really aren’t what you think…”
Her voice was thick with tears, and those eyes that once captivated him were now filled with panic and pleading. In the past, he would have already softened and pulled her into his arms.
But now, his chest only felt tight with pain.
His gaze moved past Shu Jin and landed on the tightly closed master bedroom door. Behind it was the man named Gu Chen… the man who had walked into his home while he was away on a business trip, worn his slippers, used his belongings, and perhaps even slept in his bed.
A wave of nausea surged up his throat.
“Explain?” Jiang Yi’s voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable, “Fine. Explain why your high school classmate received a limited-edition watch on our wedding anniversary… paid for with my card.”
Shu Jin’s crying stopped instantly. Her eyes widened in terror, “You… how do you know…”
“Explain why last month when Mom was hospitalized, you said you had to work overtime and couldn’t go… but were actually on vacation with him in Sanya.” With every word Jiang Yi spoke, his heart grew colder, “Explain why, for the past three months, you’ve rejected me every time with excuses… yet now you let another man stay in our bedroom.”
Shu Jin’s face turned increasingly pale. Her lips trembled, but not a single word came out.
Jiang Yi slowly walked toward the master bedroom door, each step feeling like he was walking on shattered glass. He could feel Shu Jin’s gaze fixed tightly on him… that desperate look that once could have made him abandon all his principles.
But not anymore.
He stopped in front of the bedroom door and raised his hand to knock lightly. The sound was soft, yet it made Shu Jin gasp sharply behind him.
“I’ll give you two choices.” Jiang Yi did not turn around, his voice cold and steady, “Right now, immediately, make him get out of our home… or…”
He paused, feeling a sharp pain pierce through his heart, “Tomorrow at 9 a.m., we meet at the Civil Affairs Bureau.”
The words exploded like thunder in the living room. Shu Jin staggered back two steps, bumping into the edge of the dining table. The coffee cup trembled, spilling dark liquid across the surface.
“Divorce?” she repeated in disbelief, as if hearing the word for the first time, “Jiang Yi, have you gone crazy? You want a divorce over something this small?”
“Something small?” Jiang Yi finally turned around, his eyes colder than she had ever seen, “In your eyes, bringing another man home to stay is just… that?”
“He’s not some random man!” Shu Jin screamed as if stabbed, “Gu Chen… he just ran into some temporary difficulties. As a friend, what’s wrong with helping him? Are you really that narrow-minded?”
Jiang Yi quietly watched her hysterical outburst and suddenly found it almost laughable. After five years of marriage, he had never truly known the woman who slept beside him.
“So your choice is divorce?” he asked softly.
Shu Jin’s expression froze instantly. She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. In her understanding, Jiang Yi would always tolerate her, forgive her… no matter what she did, as long as she cried or made a fuss, he would eventually soften.
But now, he stood before her, his gaze as cold as Siberian ice, without the slightest wavering.
“No… no…” she shook her head frantically, tears pouring down again, “Jiang Yi, we’ve been together for five years. Don’t you trust me at all? How could I possibly betray you…”
Her voice grew weaker and weaker, because under Jiang Yi’s unshaken gaze, every lie seemed so pale and powerless.
Jiang Yi said nothing more. He took out his phone, pulled up the surveillance screenshots Qin Feng had sent, and turned the screen toward Shu Jin.
In the image, she and Gu Chen walked side by side into the apartment elevator. Gu Chen’s arm rested naturally around her waist, while she smiled brightly… a genuine smile he had not seen on her face for a long time.
The moment Shu Jin saw the screen, her gaze completely collapsed. All her explanations stuck in her throat.
“It seems you’ve made your choice.” Jiang Yi put away his phone, his voice devoid of emotion, “Tomorrow at 9 a.m. Don’t be late.”
He turned and walked toward the entryway without sparing another glance at the woman he had once cherished above all else.
The moment his hand touched the doorknob… the master bedroom door suddenly opened a crack.