When light filtered through the small diamond-shaped windowpanes, the wooden door opened from outside.
Lu Xicheng appeared at the doorway.
Morning light draped over his shoulders, illuminating his tailored suit.
A halo formed above his broad shoulders, his light chestnut highlights meticulously styled, his forehead smooth, his face like jade—light and refinement outlining his unparalleled nobility.
His deep eyes and cold expression swept into the room.
“Have you signed the divorce papers?”
“No.”
Shi Wan sat on the brick-paved floor, hugging her knees.
She looked up at Lu Xicheng with profound intensity.
Under her gaze, Lu Xicheng’s sharp brows lifted slightly. “You don’t even want to give me basic respect anymore?”
“I want to know… if I divorce and leave, will you come looking for me?”
Lu Xicheng: “No.”
Shi Wan withdrew her neck.
He was serious.
Once she left, she would lose him forever.
“Then you… abandoned me right after marriage to marry Lin Zaixin instead?”
Lu Xicheng had said yesterday that he would take responsibility for Lin Zaixin.
Madam Lu’s intention was also for him to divorce, to love Lin Zaixin and be with her.
Lu Xicheng: “…”
Shi Wan felt her soul leave her body, wanting to cry, her emotions slightly agitated.
“So you admit it. During your studies in the U.S., Lin Zaixin flew to see you three times a month. You’ve been in contact with her for a long time and developed feelings for her, haven’t you?”
The beneficiary of this man-made disaster pointed directly to Lin Zaixin.
Lin Zaixin thus won Lu Xicheng’s heart, rose to power, and gained legitimacy.
If Lu Xicheng also had feelings for Lin Zaixin, he would divorce here and marry her there immediately.
They would be in perfect harmony, mutually willing, and logically unite.
Lu Xicheng was displeased. “You caused the trouble. Xin Xin was an innocent victim and is still lying in the intensive care unit.”
“So you’re going to use your love to make up for her pain?”
“Shi Wan! Haven’t you caused enough trouble? Where has your kindness gone? Is your considerate and gentle nature dead? You’ve truly become unrecognizable!”
Shi Wan struggled desperately. “That day, you said I wouldn’t be forgiven. Does that mean… you don’t intend to forgive me?”
“Correct.”
Shi Wan turned her face away.
Rather than endure the pain of losing Lu Xicheng, watching him marry Lin Zaixin and dote on that woman, she would rather die in the Admonition Hall—a swift, clean end to the chaos.
“Today is the last day of the three-day deadline!” Lu Xicheng raised his voice.
“This is the last time I’ll come to see you. Cherish this opportunity.”
Shi Wan choked back a sob. “I can’t bear to part with you~”
An uncontrollable surge of emotion erupted from Lu Xicheng’s side.
“My mother may not survive. With the pain of losing a mother between us, how can we continue as husband and wife? How do you expect me to treat you?”
For a moment, Shi Wan’s mind went blank.
Regaining her senses, she grabbed Lu Xicheng’s arm and pleaded:
“Brother Xicheng, don’t rush. Madam Lu is still receiving treatment.”
“I have a feeling she’ll recover.”
“I won’t make a scene, I won’t argue, and I won’t cause you trouble.”
“I can stay in the Admonition Hall and wait, wait for Madam Lu to wake up, wait for her to recover.”
“I’m willing to accept any punishment, as long as I don’t have to part with you.”
Lu Xicheng’s hand swung high, decisively pulling away.
“My words are nothing but wind in your ears. You really have become rebellious and selfish.”
With that, he left without looking back.
Outside, he ran into An Bo, who was arranging for the gardener to trim the podocarpus.
“Young Master!” An Bo bowed slightly and cautiously asked, “Wan Wan still hasn’t signed?”
Lu Xicheng clenched his fists tightly: “…”
"Then… how do I explain to the master? He's been waiting for three days, very anxious. Last night he even called me to demand an update."
Today was the deadline.
If Shi Wan didn't cooperate, Lu Xicheng would break his promise.
He gritted his teeth, "I'll handle it."
An Bo asked, "And what about Wanwan's arrangements? Her food and necessities, Young Master, what do you think—"
"Don't bother with her!"
"But… it's been three days. What if she starves, catches a chill, or gets hurt?"
"She won't die!"
Only after Lu Xicheng's figure had disappeared into the distance did An Bo dare to straighten up.
When the carved gate opened again, Shi Wan received a new message.
—She was asked to pray for Madam Lu's blessings, to atone for her mistakes.
The one delivering the message was a male servant, extremely unkempt in appearance, whom Shi Wan had never seen before.
However, praying for blessings sounded like a charitable act, a good deed.
She asked the man, "Who decided this?"
"Young Master Lu."
"My Xicheng-ge?"
"Yes." The male servant gestured for her to come out. "Let's go, follow me to another place."
Joy surged in Shi Wan's heart.
She knew it—Xicheng-ge loved her. He couldn't possibly bear to divorce her.
Accompanying her transfer were the six bodyguards guarding the door.
She thought she would be taken to a sacred and solemn place, far from the dark insects, where she could bathe, change into clean clothes, have meals during the day, blankets to keep warm at night, and perform dignified, pure prayers.
Unexpectedly.
She was brought to the Ancestral Hall.
She was placed in a small, square room.
In the center of the room hung ancestral tablets. Below them was an altar table, piled with a mess of items that emitted the pungent smell of a funeral street.
The solid wooden door was locked from the outside.
Her world turned pitch black.
She reached out her hand but couldn't see her fingers.
She slapped the wall and heard the echo of wooden boards.
She realized this was a makeshift dark room.
It wasn't to send her here for prayers, to rescue her from suffering, but… to punish her, to force her to submit under extreme mental torment.
"Open the door! This isn't something Xicheng-ge would do!"
Shi Wan groped in the dark, slapping the wall.
Lu Xicheng wouldn't treat her like this.
She was the treasure he had cherished since childhood. He couldn't bear to let her suffer even the slightest grievance.
Last year, when she had the flu and a high fever, she said over an overseas call that she missed her brother.
The next evening, she saw Lu Xicheng outside the gate of the Traditional Chinese Medicine University, holding a bouquet of roses. The wind tousled his flowing hair, his black trench coat swaying as he stood between heaven and earth, enveloping her in a romantic aura.
Lu Xicheng had chartered a flight overnight to return to the country, all because she, while sick, had said… "I miss you."
That night, they had their first child—
Xicheng-ge was the best man in the world.
Even if he had no choice but to divorce her, he wouldn't force her into a dark room to make her comply.
The ones who wanted to torment her must be Lin Zaixin and her family.
Shi Wan rose in resistance, gathering strength in her palm to knock over a wooden board, causing one wall to collapse.
Her world was restored to light.
At the same time, the six bodyguards waiting outside rushed in together.
A brawl ensued.
Shi Wan fought alone against six men. With a spinning sweep, she tripped the big-eared bodyguard, who was the team leader.
She stood over him, her foot on his chest, looking down.
The man, his big ears flushed red, shouted hoarsely:
"Madam Lu is hanging by a thread!"
"Miss Lin suffered a concussion that triggered epilepsy!"
"Master Lu and Master Lin are furious and want to call the police to arrest you. It was Young Master Lu who pleaded for you, fighting for your chance to live."
"Didn't you say you were willing to wait for Madam to recover?"
"Didn't you say you were willing to accept all punishment, without making a fuss or causing trouble?"
"Young Master Lu arranged everything according to your wishes, yet you still stir up trouble—what position are you putting him in!"
Shi Wan withdrew her foot from the big-eared man's chest.
Silently, she turned and walked back to the altar table.
Someone propped up the wooden plank wall and set it back in place.