After finishing a day’s work, Meng Jianchen returned home. Chen Luoru was quietly sitting on the sofa on the first floor, hugging a pillow.
“You’re back from work?” Chen Luoru, for once, took the initiative to greet him.
“Mm.” Meng Jianchen nodded and took off his suit jacket.
“Give me your coat.” Chen Luoru put down the pillow, walked over, took his jacket, and then asked:
“Do you want to eat first or take a shower first?”
“Eat first.” Her sudden enthusiasm left Meng Jianchen a little puzzled.
Usually she was like a sly little fox, but today she was like a gentle little kitten.
During dinner, Meng Jianchen noticed she kept stealing glances at him. But every time he raised his head, she immediately buried herself in eating.
He felt there was something hidden in her eyes, as if she had something to say.
“Sir, this is the coffee Madam asked the kitchen to prepare for you.”
A servant carried a tray over and respectfully set the cup beside him.
Meng Jianchen rarely drank coffee at night unless he had to work overtime.
But since this coffee was Chen Luoru’s intention, he naturally had to accept it.
He picked up the cappuccino and noticed that the milk foam art was a big white heart.
Looking toward Chen Luoru, he saw her little face had unknowingly taken on a faint blush, like a pink peach.
In that moment, Meng Jianchen felt gratified, almost like a father feeling proud.
It seemed his little wife had finally understood his painstaking hints.
No wonder she was so obedient today—apparently, “love’s education” had worked.
Though her anonymous submission (to the gossip account) was indeed wrong, he had given her the chance to reflect.
And now, with a cup of coffee to express her remorse, he decided to forgive her and have a proper talk with her in the bedroom.
If she had complaints, she could speak to him directly. There was no need to secretly send things to marketing accounts.
After dinner, the two of them tacitly returned to the bedroom.
Meng Jianchen went to the bathroom for a quick shower. When he came out, he saw Chen Luoru lazily reclining against the soft down pillows.
She had changed into a dusky pink silk camisole nightdress, thin straps hanging on her slender shoulders, collarbones showing off her allure.
The thin fabric clung to her body like a second skin, tracing her elegant curves.
“Aren’t you going to shower?” Meng Jianchen asked while towel-drying his hair.
“I already did this afternoon.” Her voice carried a soft, coaxing sweetness, like a cat seeking affection from its master.
Meng Jianchen slipped off his slippers, lifted the quilt, and got into bed.
He opened his phone to check emails. Before leaving the office, he had asked Gao Qian to send over tomorrow’s meeting materials, and he needed to review them.
But then two soft little hands grabbed his arm—Chen Luoru suddenly leaned against him.
“Hey, you’re still working after hours?” She peeked at his phone, her soft black hair brushing against his nose.
Normally she smelled faintly of grapefruit, but tonight it was a strong rose fragrance.
“There’s a meeting tomorrow morning,” Meng Jianchen explained.
“So hardworking~” Her voice quivered like a feather brushing across his heart.
Chen Luoru turned her face toward him, her eyes languid and alluring, impossible to look away from.
“Was the coffee good?” she asked.
Her lips shone with a clear gloss, like molten honey.
“Mm, tasted good,” Meng Jianchen replied.
Chen Luoru reached out a finger, lightly tracing the embroidery on his pajama collar, and whispered:
“Today… I thought about it a lot.”
Meng Jianchen felt heat stir in his chest.
“So, did you figure it out?” he asked.
“I did.” She leaned her little head on his shoulder, her voice soft and sticky.
“So that’s what you meant. I never realized before.”
Her obedient, repentant look pleased him greatly.
“Good, as long as you’ve figured it out.”
“Actually…” Chen Luoru said shyly, “if that’s what you mean… I guess I can accept it.”
Biting her lip, she looked up at him with moist, peach-blossom eyes.
All day she had been thinking: Meng Jianchen’s kindness toward her wasn’t just because she was his wife.
Before, she had misunderstood him.
After all, neither of them had wanted the arranged marriage. But he had never done anything truly cruel to her. He even took her on the Ferris wheel, set off fireworks for her.
If this man truly loved her and wanted to cherish her, then maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Objectively, in terms of looks, education, family background—Meng Jianchen was flawless.
What made her despair before was being married to a man who didn’t love her. That meant a lifetime of misery.
But if he was sincere, then she was willing to set aside prejudice, at least for now, and try to accept him.
Meng Jianchen set down his phone and gazed at her for a long time.
Seeing her so gentle and sweet now reminded him of when he first met her four years ago at the Chen family’s home. He found himself nostalgic for that girl.
“You truly accept it?” he asked. “Then I’ll speak plainly.”
He had always thought she couldn’t handle criticism. He never expected “love’s education” to be so effective.
Chen Luoru blushed and nodded. “Go ahead.”
She had never been in love before, her girlish heart still innocent and pure.
She could hardly wait to hear him pour out some heartfelt words of love.
“Why did you anonymously submit to that marketing account, saying the pink diamond I gave you was just a heart-shaped stone?” Meng Jianchen suddenly asked.
Her body, soft as water, instantly stiffened. She withdrew her finger and clenched her fist quietly. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
“I know you resent this marriage,” he continued. “But if you have issues, just tell me directly. Don’t air our dirty laundry to outsiders.”
Unknowing onlookers would think he abused her. Such distortion of the truth was unacceptable.
“You are my wife. We should be one. Your honor is my honor; your loss is my loss.”
Chen Luoru now felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption. She tried to restrain her fury, but her body still trembled.
“But since you’ve realized your mistake—” He hadn’t even finished before a pillow came flying.
“Meng Jianchen! Get out!!!”
Her thunderous roar shattered the night, sending the birds perched nearby flapping into the sky, leaving only black silhouettes.
At nine o’clock that night, Meng Jianchen stood in the hallway with a quilt and pillow in his arms.
Somehow she had mustered the strength not only to kick him out of bed but also lock the bedroom door behind him.
This woman was truly unpredictable: one moment meek like a kitten, the next ferocious like a tiger.
He twisted the doorknob, but it was no use. He wasn’t getting in tonight.
So, carrying his bedding, he went to the side bedroom.
Lying there tossing and turning, he couldn’t figure out why she had flipped out so fast.
Hadn’t she just said she was willing to accept criticism?
How come after just a couple of words, she turned into that?
He pulled out his phone, opened his chat list, and tried to message her.
But she had ruthlessly blocked him on WeChat.
After a long moment, he finally opened the profile picture of his close friend, Zhu Mingqiao.
The Zhu family and the Meng family were old family friends. He and Zhu had been classmates since childhood, later even studying abroad in the U.S. together.
For someone like Meng Jianchen, many people wanted to be friends. But true confidants? There were few. Zhu Mingqiao was one of them.
[Meng Jianchen: I want to ask you something.]
[Zhu Mingjiao: Say it.]
[Meng Jianchen: I have a friend. He treats his wife very well, but his wife asks for a divorce every day. What should he do?]
[Zhu Mingjiao: Be honest with me. This “friend” you’re talking about… isn’t it actually you?]
[Meng Jianchen: …]
[Zhu Mingjiao: What’s wrong? Your little wife isn’t easy to coax, huh?]
Not just “not easy to coax”—she’s downright impossible to coax.
[Zhu Mingjiao: Between husband and wife, what’s the problem that can’t be solved in bed?]
[Zhu Mingjiao: If once doesn’t work, then twice. Guarantee she won’t have the energy to fight with you.]
What Meng Jianchen couldn’t say was that he and Chen Luoru had been married for four years, and he still hadn’t touched her.
Originally, he had planned to sit down and talk it out with her, help her let go of her mental block. That way, when they finally did it, she wouldn’t be so resistant.
He wanted her to enjoy it—not feel resentment, and definitely not regret it afterward.
But now? She wouldn’t even let him in the bedroom.
[Meng Jianchen: I don’t understand what she’s thinking every day.]
[Zhu Mingjiao: Ah, come on. A pure little girl like your wife—her thoughts are easy to guess.]
[Meng Jianchen: How do you guess?]
[Zhu Mingjiao: If she has something on her mind, she’ll definitely write about it on Weibo. My girlfriend is like that.]
[Meng Jianchen: How did you know your girlfriend’s Weibo account?]
[Zhu Mingjiao: Simple. Wait until she’s asleep, take her phone and check. Then use a small account to follow her.]
[Meng Jianchen: Isn’t that inappropriate?]
If Chen Luoru knew he was secretly spying on her with a burner account, she’d probably puff up like an angry rooster with all its feathers standing on end.
[Zhu Mingjiao: What’s inappropriate about it? It’s a public social platform. Strangers can see it, but her husband can’t?]
[Meng Jianchen: …I’ll think about it.]
While Meng Jianchen was plotting how to coax his little wife, on the other side that little wife was consumed with thoughts of divorce.
After kicking him out of the bedroom, Chen Luoru sat on the bed, crying miserably.
She thought all those hearts he made were to tell her he loved her. But in the end? Not only did he not say he loved her, he criticized her instead.
How could her fragile little heart withstand such highs and lows? She had even prepared herself tonight to finally sleep with him.
The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Her marriage really was a tragedy.
[Chen Luoru: I can’t live like this anymore.]
[Chen Xiao: Princess Chen, it’s not even midnight yet. Aren’t you clocking out a bit too early?]
[Chen Luoru: He doesn’t love me at all!]
[Chen Xiao: How could that be? Heart-shaped fried eggs, heart-shaped flower bouquets—if that’s not love, then what is it?]
[Chen Luoru: He somehow found out about my anonymous post. He’s hung up on the whole “heart-shaped rock” thing. He’s only using those hearts to mock me, to humiliate me!]
[Chen Xiao: …]
Who wouldn’t be hung up on that? If it were Chen Xiao, and such an expensive gift was dismissed like that, she wouldn’t be able to swallow it either.
[Chen Luoru: Shut up. I don’t have a husband like that! I declare that I’m single now!]
[Chen Xiao: Single?]
[Chen Luoru: Spiritually single.]
[Chen Luoru: I want a divorce.]
[Chen Xiao: Then divorce him.]
[Chen Luoru: If I could, would I be suffering like this? You have no idea the kind of hell I live in.]
[Chen Xiao: But you look pretty happy shopping every day.]
[Chen Luoru: Can’t I find a little joy in my suffering?]
[Chen Xiao: …Fine.]
Chen Luoru grabbed a tissue and wiped away her tears. In her heart, she told herself: scumbags aren’t worth a fairy’s tears.
[Chen Luoru: Tell me, what’s the one thing a man absolutely can’t tolerate?]
[Chen Xiao: …What are you planning?]
[Chen Luoru: Since he refuses to accept my request for divorce, I’ll make him file for divorce himself.]
[Chen Xiao: …You’re really going that far?]
[Chen Luoru: Of course! I should never have had any expectations of a scumbag.]
[Chen Luoru: The old Chen Luoru is dead. Standing before you now is Niohulu·Luoru[1].]
[Chen Xiao: I think you should think this through carefully. Love is between two people, marriage is between two families.]
[Chen Luoru: No need to think. I’ve already thought it through.]
[Chen Xiao: Emmm… I really can’t advise you. Even if you found some other man, your husband probably still wouldn’t divorce you—he’d want to preserve both families’ reputations.]
[Chen Luoru: Another man?]
[Chen Luoru: You mean if I cheat, how could he, as a man, tolerate that?]
Chen Xiao inwardly panicked. She had only given an example, never imagining Chen Luoru would take it seriously.
[Chen Xiao: I beg you, drop that idea. Pretend I never said it, okay?]
[Chen Luoru: No, I think you’re absolutely right.]
[Chen Luoru: If it weren’t for my sister cheating on him, he would’ve married her back then. That proves he can’t tolerate being cheated on.]
[Chen Xiao: Please, I’m begging you, don’t think that way.]
[Chen Xiao: If you cheat, it’ll only harm you. Even if you get divorced, your reputation will be ruined. What’s the point?]
[Chen Luoru: Who said I’d really cheat?]
[Chen Xiao: You did.]
[Chen Luoru: I could just find a man to pretend to be my affair partner.]
[Chen Xiao: That’s no different!]
[Chen Luoru: I’ll handle it.]
Chen Xiao felt doom looming. Chen Luoru was capable of creating chaos out of nothing—how could she possibly “handle it”?
Before, she thought Chen Luoru’s talk of divorce was just like kids playing house. She hadn’t taken it seriously.
But judging from tonight, Chen Luoru truly wanted a divorce.
Lying in bed, Chen Luoru fumed. She felt like if this continued, she’d literally be angered to death by Meng Jianchen.
They say beauty is short-lived, but how could Chen Luoru die young?
The more she thought, the less she could sleep. She checked her phone: 11 p.m.
She aimlessly scrolled, feeling wretched.
That damn man—she blocked him, and he really didn’t contact her!
Just as she was cursing him, a text message came.
[Meng Jianchen: Take me off your blocklist.]
She angrily fired back:
[Chen Luoru: No.]
[Meng Jianchen: Texting costs money.]
[Chen Luoru: Can you be any stingier?]
First, he wouldn’t let her use the AC. Now he was complaining about wasting money on a couple of texts.
Three minutes later, she received a message from her telecom provider:
[You and user 138xxxx8888 are now subscribed to the “Unlimited Couple Text” plan. 10 RMB/month. Unlimited love, unlimited messages.]
[Meng Jianchen: Fine, don’t unblock me. Now we can chat as much as we want.]
[Chen Luoru: Who wants to chat with you? Throw a handful of rice on a keyboard, even a chicken could chat better than you. I’m going to sleep.]
[Meng Jianchen: Goodnight. I’ll sleep too.]
Chen Luoru felt conflicted. On one hand, she didn’t want to talk to him. On the other, she wished he’d coax her.
She looked at the empty space beside her. Even though she said she didn’t want to sleep with him, she had already grown used to having him there these past nights.
Now that he wasn’t, she couldn’t sleep at all.
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[1] The Niuhulu family was one of the Eight Banners aristocratic clans in the Qing dynasty, with many prominent women becoming empresses, consorts, or high-ranking nobles. Like maybe she’s comparing herself to an aristocrat