5
The Rhythm of Divorce
When Lin Yuxi woke up, her head was throbbing.
It had been a long time since she last had a nightmare—the previous one was seven years ago.
Fu Tingchuan always had a way of easily stirring her emotions.
Lin Yuxi fished a ibuprofen pill from the nightstand and swallowed it dry.
As she stepped out of her room, she saw Haohao already up, dressed in his British-style school uniform and wearing an apron as he prepared breakfast.
He was making bacon and avocado sandwiches with black sesame paste.
Lin Yuxi smiled faintly. Haohao still understood her so well.
Although she tended to do miscellaneous tasks at the company, the AI industry was on the rise, and her boss had been putting a lot of pressure on her lately. Over the years, she had lost quite a bit of hair.
During breakfast, Lin Yuxi asked, “Should Mommy take you to school today?”
Lin Chenghao had elegant table manners, swallowing his food before replying, “Did that cheating man give you a hard time again?”
Lin Yuxi knew he was referring to her boss, the head of the R&D department, surnamed Chen.
Haohao was well aware of her situation at work and knew that Director Chen had often made things difficult for her over the years.
Once, while out shopping with Haohao, they had seen Director Chen kissing a woman in her early twenties.
It was clear she wasn’t his wife.
The background photo on Director Chen’s social media was a picture of him with his wife and child.
It really proved the rule: the more a man flaunts his happy marriage online, the more likely he is to cheat.
Ever since then, Haohao had started referring to Director Chen as “that cheating man.”
And the term had become quite versatile.
Whenever any of Lin Yuxi’s colleagues were caught cheating, Haohao would call them “cheating men” too.
Left and right, cheating this and cheating that—Haohao seemed particularly sensitive to the word.
It wasn’t until yesterday and today that Lin Yuxi began to understand why.
If Haohao had already seen the marriage certificate in the study, then he probably also knew about Fu Tingchuan’s seven years of silence.
In his young mind, the only explanation for this was… Fu Tingchuan had cheated too.
Lin Yuxi didn’t want her son to have such an ugly impression of his father.
But what Fu Tingchuan was really thinking—she wouldn’t be able to guess even in her next life.
Not that it mattered anymore. He already had Qin Ruoshi by his side, and it wouldn’t be long before he asked for a divorce.
A decade-long secret crush—it was time to let it go slowly.
Like a spoiled sour plum, with no chance to spit it out, it eventually dissolved into sour saltiness under the tongue, leaving only the pit.
The pit was unpleasant to chew on—it had to be discarded.
Lin Yuxi took a deep breath and explained, “Director Chen didn’t give me a hard time. Mommy has to pick up Xiaobai this morning, so I took half a day off and have some free time.”
In truth, she had taken time off to go to the Fu Corporation to return some money, but Lin Yuxi didn’t plan on letting her son know about it.
Lin Chenghao nodded. “Even though the school bus is free, I’m still happy you can take me to kindergarten, Mommy.”
Lin Yuxi felt a pang of sadness.
Haohao had always been independent. He had chosen his own kindergarten, paid his own tuition, and even arranged for the school bus himself.
She hadn’t contributed at all.
Sometimes she would talk to Haohao about it, but her son’s response was that, in his eyes, she was a perfect mother.
When Lin Yuxi heard that, she cried through an entire pack of tissues.
…
On the way to the kindergarten, Lin Yuxi couldn’t resist giving him another kiss.
Lin Chenghao sat beside her on the bus, feeling the dampness on his cheek. His expression momentarily stiffened.
“Mommy, please be mindful of your behavior in public.”
Lin Yuxi chuckled softly.
Haohao had always disliked sentimentality and was a bit tsundere—the complete opposite of her.
But no matter what her son was like, he was always her favorite version.
When they arrived at the kindergarten gate, Lin Chenghao, dressed in a British-style outfit with his small backpack, caught everyone’s attention from near and far.
He looked like a little gentleman.
A girl from his class ran over and, upon seeing Lin Yuxi, exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, Haohao, is this your sister?”
To be fair, it wasn’t Lin Yuxi’s fault.
She was wearing a light-colored floral dress paired with a small jacket, making her look like a college student who hadn’t yet graduated.
Even without enough sleep, her skin remained clear and radiant, without a single flaw.
“She’s my mom.”
As if displeased with the girl’s assumption, Lin Chenghao’s expression turned serious.
Lin Yuxi patted his head soothingly and turned to the little girl with a smile. “I’m Haohao’s mom.”
The girl gasped again, “Auntie, you’re so pretty!”
She wished she had a beautiful mom too.
Noticing the admiration in the girl’s eyes, Lin Chenghao suddenly tightened his grip on Lin Yuxi’s hand, his lips pressed into a straight line.
The last time Lin Yuxi had appeared at the kindergarten gate was when Haohao first started school in the lower class.
A year had passed in the blink of an eye.
If she hadn’t run into his classmate today, she wouldn’t have realized how possessive her son was of her.
But in her eyes, this was a good thing.
Because she felt the same way.
Lin Yuxi pulled a bag of candies from her purse and handed it to Haohao. “You can share these with your classmates.”
At his age, she had lost both her parents. Back then, she had envied children who had candies to eat.
While raising Haohao, she hoped to heal her own inner child along the way.
Lin Chenghao looked down at the homemade soft candies, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
…
When Lin Yuxi arrived at the Fu Corporation, the morning rush had just ended.
The lobby was nearly empty.
She approached the front desk and asked if they could help deliver an envelope to the executive office.
The night before, she had called her insurance company to inquire. Based on the extent of the damage, the compensation was estimated to be between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan.
Combined with Xiao Bai’s repair costs, the total would be under 200,000 yuan.
Before coming, Lin Yuxi had considered opening a bank card, but to avoid further complications, she decided to exchange the amount for its equivalent in gold.
A hard currency—simple and hassle-free.
The receptionist touched the envelope, startled by the solid weight inside.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we can’t confirm whether the contents are prohibited or dangerous. If you’d like to contact President Fu, you can make an appointment.”
Lin Yuxi sighed inwardly. Was it really that easy for anyone to get an appointment?
Moreover, she wanted to avoid Fu Tingchuan.
Just as Lin Yuxi was considering other options, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses passed through the lobby.
Lin Yuxi recognized him.
Ji Chi, Fu Tingchuan’s executive assistant.
Seven years ago, when she and Fu Tingchuan went to register their marriage, he had been there too.
Before Lin Yuxi could approach him, he spotted her first.
“Miss Lin.”
Lin Yuxi breathed a sigh of relief—she wouldn’t have to make another trip.
She handed the envelope to Ji Chi, briefly explained the situation, and turned to leave.
When Ji Chi snapped back to reality, all that remained in his hand was a heavy envelope.
It felt like a hot potato.
Over the years that President Fu had been in the United States, Ji Chi had been managing all domestic affairs.
Upon Fu’s return this time, Ji Chi had assumed that the president and his wife would finally make a public appearance together.
If that were the case, Fu Corporation’s stock price would undoubtedly soar, and his own status would rise along with it.
However, from Lin Yuxi’s demeanor just now, Ji Chi sensed something unusual.
This clearly wasn’t a reconciliation.
It was the prelude to a divorce.