Beads of perspiration glistened on Xu Yunzhuo’s brow, his countenance frozen in an expression of sheer terror as though he had come face to face with a ghostly presence firsthand. An uneasy knot tightened in his chest, warring with his instincts on whether to stay or flee.
Met with silence, a tinge of concern flickered in Lin Feng’s eyes as he raised his voice to call out for the housekeeper. “Aunt He? Aunt He?”
Amidst the vast expanse of the mansion, Lin Feng’s voice boomed, filling every corner with its commanding presence.
Xu Yunzhuo was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise.
Things have certainly taken a drastic turn! The CEO’s wife is missing, and we’ve no clue about the housekeeper’s whereabouts! Could it be that… they’ve been kidnapped?
Lin Feng reached into the inner pocket of his suit and retrieved his phone. Urgency pulsed through his veins as he swiftly navigated to the housekeeper’s contact and dialed the number.
In a matter of moments, the call was answered by the other party.
Lin Feng questioned, “Where are you, Aunt He?”
“Eh? CEO Lin? You’re back?” Aunt He exclaimed with delight. “Mr. Su was just talking about you a couple of days ago!”
Lin Feng’s frown deepened, forming three deep lines[1] between his brows. With a fierce battle raging within him, Lin Feng suppressed the flames of his fury and demanded in a cold, rigid tone, “Tell me now. Where are you and Su Ling?”
Aunt He hastily responded, “Mr. Su told me to take a two-day break yesterday, so I headed home. When I left, Mr. Su was still there!”
Lin Feng probed, “Before you left, did he give you any instructions or explain anything to you?”
Aunt He pondered for a moment before recalling, “Oh, yes! I remember now. Mr. Su specifically asked for you to head straight to the study upon your return. He mentioned there’s something for you on the desk.”
With that, Lin Feng hung up the phone and bolted up the staircase. His strides resonated with urgency as he dashed towards the study upstairs.
With a quizzical expression on his face, Xu Yunzhuo trailed behind him as they ascended the stairs.
Since he had the housekeeper’s phone number, why hadn’t Lin Feng dialed her number sooner to get to the bottom of things? Lin Feng’s mind was indeed a mystery wrapped in perplexity.
As he entered the study, Lin Feng’s foot unintentionally stepped on a stack of rice paper[2] that crinkled under his weight. His features contorted into a storm of frustration and surprise at the sight of the disarray before him.
Following closely behind, Xu Yunzhuo’s eyes went wide in astonishment as he took in the disorderly sight of scattered books, Chinese paintings, Chinese calligraphy scrolls, brushes, ink, and more. At that moment, his heart raced as he realized what must have transpired here — a burglary.
Disregarding the objects around him, Lin Feng walked straight to the desk. There, he found a mobile phone and a stack of papers. When his eyes fell upon the words “Divorce Agreement” boldly written on the paper, his face instantly drained of color. It felt as though an onslaught of thunderbolts had struck him, leaving his mind reverberating with a deafening buzz. The wound on his forehead that was stitched together with five needles suddenly throbbed with a searing ache. His vision blurred, and his imposing figure began to sway violently.
With a gasp, Xu Yunzhuo lunged forward to catch him before he fell. Just as he was about to inquire about his well-being, his eyes landed on the words “Divorce Agreement” printed on the document, leaving him stunned with his mouth agape.
What? Madam Lin wants a divorce? A divorce?! Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
After a brief wave of dizziness passed, Lin Feng regained his composure and redirected his path toward the master bedroom.
Xu Yunzhuo hesitated momentarily, then tentatively proceeded to follow him.
With a dramatic creak, the door to the master bedroom burst open, revealing a scene of disorder that surpassed even the wildest disarray in the study.
All the cabinet doors stood ajar, and clothes were scattered haphazardly — some in one spot, others in another. The bed was even more inundated, as though the “trespasser” had no discernment of their worth, audaciously discarding the world’s most prestigious designer clothes onto the floor with careless disregard.
Skillfully sidestepping the clothes strewn on the floor, Lin Feng stepped into the bedroom and cast a sweeping glance around. As he settled onto the bed, he reached for his phone and made a call.
After a moment, Lin Feng waited for the click on the other end of the line. Without a second to spare, he dove straight into the heart of the matter. “Where’s Su Ling, Lin Zhou?”
Su Clan Ancestral House
With a sudden jolt, Su Ling snapped out of his reverie and quickly reached for a tissue to wipe away the instant noodle soup that had splattered on the table. Nonchalantly, he probed, “What did he say when he called you?”
Peering at Su Ling through his phone screen, Lin Zhou’s gaze swept over every detail of his friend’s expression. If it were not for the telltale frown and lip-biting, he might have actually fallen for Su Ling’s facade of calmness.
”Lin Feng asked me where you’d disappeared to.”
”How did you respond to him?”
With a casual flick of his wrist, Su Ling flung the used tissue into the brand-new dustbin beside the table.
Lin Zhou’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Of course, I acted out of loyalty to our brotherhood and kept my lips sealed.”
Su Ling’s fingers tightly interlocked as his gaze remained steadfastly glued to the screen. “Care to elaborate?”
A knowing smile curled on Lin Zhou’s lips, as he caught onto the subtle signs of impatience from the other person. “I made it clear to him that I’ve no clue about your whereabouts.”
Wide and mesmerizing, his eyes held a captivating blend of black and white within their depths. “Did he actually believe you?”
“Of course, he didn’t.” Lin Zhou absentmindedly stroked his silky-smooth chin as his mind drifted back to the phone call from that unforgettable afternoon.
Lin Feng’s voice crackled through the phone line. “Where has Su Ling gone?”
The response came in a puzzled tone. “Su Ling? Doesn’t he usually stay home every day?”
Lin Feng stated, “He’s not at home.”
Lin Zhou’s feigned ignorance reverberated through the phone. “Not at home? That’s impossible! He’s practically a homebody, so where could he have vanished to? Could he have slipped away to the park for some nature sketching?” Find the original chapter at g.com.
Lin Feng’s voice carried a heavy weight as he uttered, “He left me divorce papers.”
Lin Zhou’s voice rang out with a mixture of disbelief and confusion, “Wait, what? Divorce papers? That can’t be… Tell me, CEO Lin, have you done something to Su Ling? Otherwise, why would he want to get a divorce?”
Upon hearing that, Lin Feng vehemently denied, “No, I haven’t!”
Despite that, Lin Zhou’s doubt seeped into his words. “Is that so? Perhaps… it’s worth taking a moment to think it through?”
Lin Feng proclaimed, “I always cater to his every need and ensure he lives life at its absolute finest.”
Lin Zhou countered, “Even if his material desires are fulfilled, what about his emotional needs? CEO Lin, I’m curious: as an esteeming leader of your company, where does your wife stand in comparison to your career? Considering your workaholic tendencies, are you able to immediately detect when your wife is ill, lonely, upset, or unjustly treated right from the very beginning?”
CEO Lin lapsed into silence, a pregnant pause stretching out before finally declaring, “Our affairs are of no concern to you.”
A chuckle of exasperation and amusement escaped Lin Zhou’s lip. “Alright, alright, it’s got nothing to do with me. But let me say this: marriage isn’t about having a pretty face on your arm or treating your partner like some trophy. Su Ling’s a person with all the emotions that come with being human! He can feel pain, he can feel sadness, and he can experience the loneliness and anguish that arise from waiting! In order to be with you, he’s even willingly to cut ties with the Su family and pass up on job opportunities to become a homemaker. And yet, here you are, not only failing to throw a wedding reception, but also neglecting to introduce him to your relatives and friends. Heck, you never bring him along to social gatherings either. Tell me, how’s that any different from having a pet?”
The relentless onslaught of questions hit Lin Feng like a tidal wave, leaving him breathless and boiling with rage.
In a display of cold-heartedness, Lin Zhou abruptly ended the call without giving him a chance to respond.
“There you have it,” Lin Zhou stated.
Su Ling pressed his hand to his forehead and kneaded his temples. “Lin Feng must be really pissed off.”
Lin Zhou shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not like he’s my husband, so why should I care whether he’s pissed off or not?”
Su Ling sighed, “He’s… not good with words.”
Raising an eyebrow, Lin Zhou commented, “Not good with words? To put it bluntly, he’s a mensao[3]!”
In a split second, Su Ling was struck dumb by the impact of Lin Zhou’s words.
[1] 眉头皱成“川”字: It is a figurative expression in Chinese that describes the appearance of someone’s eyebrows when they are tightly knitted together due to a frown. The lines from the furrowed brows resembles the Chinese character “川” (chuān). On a side note, the word means “river” or “stream.”
[2] 宣纸 (xuān zhǐ): Rice paper, also referred to as Xuan paper, is a type of paper that has played a significant role in Chinese history. It is recognized for its contribution to preserving numerous ancient documents and artworks that may have otherwise been lost over time. It is also a traditional Chinese handmade paper that is primarily used for Chinese calligraphy and painting. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuan_paperYou can check out more about how it is created here: https://www.shine.cn/feature/art-culture/1801088751/
[3] 闷骚 (mēn sāo): It is a Chinese term that refers to individuals who may seem stoic and expressionless outwardly and rarely express their thoughts or emotions openly, but on the inside, they’re very passionate and caring, at least when it comes to their love interest. Since it doesn’t have an English alternative, the closest I can think of is Kuudere. You can read more about it here: https://the-dere-types.fandom.com/wiki/Kuudere