The faint morning light crept in.
Lu Jinnian woke shivering from the cold. He found himself lying on the sofa in the master bedroom. No blanket had been given to him, and he was still in yesterday’s clothes. Glancing up, he saw his jacket and tie tossed carelessly over the armrest. They had been trampled underfoot all night, now wrinkled like rags.
Displeased, Lu Jinnian sat up. The bed was neatly made.
Sang Wan, as if possessed, hadn’t cared about him the entire night.
“Sang Wan?” He called out, expecting her usual soft reply—yet silence answered.
Entering the bathroom, he caught sight of his own furious reflection in the mirror. Anger simmered as he showered, worsening when he reached for a towel that wasn’t there. Changing clothes only fueled his irritation—Sang Wan hadn’t even laid out his outfit for the day. Opening the wardrobe, he was met with a dizzying mess of ties in every color and stripe.
Lu Jinnian descended the stairs with a dark expression. On the coffee table lay a divorce agreement.
“Sang Wan, what kind of madness is this first thing in the morning?” His pent-up rage finally erupted. He glared at Sang Wan, who sat calmly at the dining table eating breakfast.
“All this just because I didn’t pick you up from the hospital? Really? I’ve got the company to run, a son to take care of—do you think I live like you, lying in bed every day with nurses waiting on your every need? Don’t forget, your hospital bills, the caretakers’ wages—every cent was earned by me! Without me, would you be living so comfortably?”
“Lu Jinnian, I’m sick—I’m dying…”
“Are you dead yet?”
Her grievances were crushed by that single sentence.
Sang Wan froze.
Lu Jinnian’s eyes burned with agitation. “Sang Wan, what exactly are you trying to pull? No work, no social obligations, living in ease every day—what more do you want? Stop being ungrateful! Even indulgence has its limits!”
So, to him, she was just *acting out*?
“I…” Sang Wan began.
But Lu Jinnian’s phone buzzed. Her sharp eyes caught the name flashing on the screen—Zhaozhao.
Sang Wan turned her gaze away.
Lu Jinnian’s tone softened the moment he answered the call, all his earlier agitation swept away, his voice gentle as spring rain: “I understand. I’ll come right now!”
Sang Wan swallowed back the words on her lips. She knew any explanation would be useless—he clearly had no patience to hear her out. Drawing a deep breath, she said quietly, “I’ve met Lin Zhaozhao…”
“What were you doing with Zhaozhao? What did you say to her?” Lu Jinnian’s eyes flared, his temper exploding in an instant. “Sang Wan, are you out of your mind?”
In the past, just that one sentence would have left Sang Wan stunned, wounded, and in tears. But now, she was strangely calm, even managing a faint smile.
“I only ran into her at the kindergarten gate when I went to pick up Xiao Mu. That’s all. Lu Jinnian, why are you… so anxious?”
He froze.
Sang Wan pushed the divorce papers across the table. “Sign them. It won’t take long, and it won’t delay you getting to the company.”
Her face was calm—too calm. He assumed she was angry, angry that he had abandoned her at the hospital.
Lu Jinnian’s fury deepened. He flipped through the thin pages of the divorce agreement, his eyes catching on the section about property division.
As if he’d just read the world’s biggest joke, a mocking sneer spread across his face. “Marital property? Split in half? Sang Wan, tell me—on what grounds?”
Rip! With a few swift motions, he tore the agreement to shreds. He slammed the pieces against her face.
His voice was cold as ice: “Sang Wan, don’t forget—it’s me who gave you the life you have today!”
“Every meal you eat, every piece of clothing you wear, the handbags in your closet, the fresh flowers on your table every day—every cent of it was earned by me, through hard work.”
“Marital property? Sang Wan, when you married me, what was your family’s situation? Don’t you know? What right do you have to talk about marital property?”
Sang Wan had thought her heart was already dead, beyond pain. That nothing Lu Jinnian or Xiao Mu did could hurt her anymore. But she was wrong. His words cut sharper than any blade, piercing her chest with ease, leaving countless wounds.
The injury at her lower back throbbed faintly. Her face turned pale.
“Lu Jinnian… a person should have a conscience…”
Back in college, he had tried starting a business with someone, only to be cheated out of everything—even his living expenses. He didn’t dare tell his family.
It was Sang Wan who gave him her own allowance to support him. She bought him quick meals with meat and vegetables, pretending she had already eaten. The school cafeteria sold steamed buns for fifty cents each, but she would walk an extra kilometer to the market, where one yuan bought three—enough to last her two days. Later, she took on more part‑time jobs to get them through that difficult stretch.
After graduation, he proposed marriage. His mother refused to accept her and cut off his credit card. During that time, all he had to do was focus on work, while she had to juggle her job and stretch their meager funds to keep their little household afloat.
Eventually, his mother relented and let them both join the family company.
He became a project director; she was just an ordinary architect, forced to rely on her own ability since she couldn’t reveal her true identity.
When she finally began to make a name for herself, she discovered she was pregnant. She wanted to keep working. He said, “Only incompetent men let their pregnant wives toil. Stay home, take care of yourself and the baby, so I can work without worry.”
After their son was born and weaned at one year, she wanted to return to the company.
He said, “Wanwan, I’ll earn the money; you just stay beautiful. You wouldn’t want your husband to come home without a hot meal, would you? And if you leave our son with a nanny, he won’t be close to you anymore.”
When their son turned three and went to kindergarten, she brought it up again. He said, “Wanwan, just wait a little longer.”
Wait—for what?
Wait until his heart wandered.
Wait until the young and beautiful Lin Zhaozhao appeared.
Wait until he fell ill, and she willingly gave him her kidney—after which she had no more value.
Wait until she was resigned to being his lifelong servant.
Was that it?
The pumpkin porridge she once loved now tasted cloying, sickening.
Sang Wan drew a deep breath and rose slowly. “I’ll reprint the divorce agreement. Or, if you prefer, just tell me—we can go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and sign it directly.”
Her stubborn yet calm face met his gaze. Lu Jinnian’s anger flared hotter.
“Divorce, is it? Fine…”
A cold smile flickered in his eyes. “If you insist on divorcing me, then… Sang Wan, you’ll leave with nothing!”
She froze.
His eyes were sharp, merciless. “The house, the car, the child—don’t even think about them! Other than the salary you earned during that one year at Lu Corporation, I won’t give you a single cent more!”
Ten years to share a boat across the river. A hundred years to share a pillow. And all these years of sharing a bed—how blind had she been?
Before the bitterness could overwhelm her, Sang Wan nodded. “Fine.”
His ruthless glare faltered.
Lu Jinnian looked up. Sang Wan met his eyes. “Tomorrow morning, nine o’clock. See you at the Civil Affairs Bureau.”