In the late-night silence of the Lu family villa, the crystal chandelier stretched Xie Wantang’s shadow into a slender silhouette.
Today was her twenty-fifth birthday. She sat on the living room sofa, waiting for her husband who had yet to return. On the coffee table sat the birthday cake she had baked herself, while the dining table was set with a spread of dishes she had cooked—now long gone cold.
At this moment, her eyes were fixed on her phone screen, her breathing growing increasingly rapid.
Just minutes ago, Xia Meng had posted on her social media feed: a photo accompanied by the caption, “This stubborn guy insisted on celebrating my birthday again—watching fireworks from the mountaintop with the one you love is the ultimate happiness.”
In the photo, Lu Yanshen’s white shirt was dotted with strands of Xia Meng’s long hair resting on his shoulder. The fireworks above them blazed brilliantly. Xia Meng held a little boy in her arms, while Lu Yanshen gazed down at the two of them, his eyes filled with a tenderness Xie Wantang had never seen before.
Her heart felt as if pierced by a steel needle, a sharp, wrenching pain surging through her.
“Ding—”
The sound of the electronic lock disengaging echoed from the front door. Xie Wantang quickly flipped her phone face down on the coffee table, her fingertips still trembling slightly.
The sound of leather shoes tapping against the marble floor grew closer, accompanied by a familiar, cool fragrance—the scent of cedar cologne that Lu Yanshen loved most.
“Still awake this late?” Lu Yanshen loosened his tie and instinctively handed his briefcase to Xie Wantang. “Didn’t I message you saying there was no need to wait up?”
Xie Wantang clutched the briefcase tightly, her nails nearly digging into her palms. “Yanshen, today I…”
As Lu Yanshen changed into his slippers, his gaze swept over the cake on the coffee table before turning to the untouched, cold dishes on the dining table.
“It’s your birthday today too?” Lu Yanshen’s expression was cool, his tone tinged with surprise but devoid of any guilt.
That single word—“too”—left Xie Wantang’s heart feeling barren and desolate.
“I have to fly to Milan tomorrow for a project negotiation.” Lu Yanshen pulled out his phone and swiped it open, the blue glow of the screen casting his features in an even colder light. “The company has been extremely busy lately, so I won’t have time to make up for your birthday. I’ll transfer you a red envelope—buy whatever you like.”
His words still carried the faint scent of alcohol.
A soft chime sounded as her phone notified her of the incoming red envelope.
Yet Xie Wantang felt not a shred of joy.
On the same birthday, hers was dismissed with nothing more than a cold, digital red envelope. She had waited for him nearly the entire day, yet he couldn’t even spare a moment to light the birthday candles with her or share a slice of the cake.
For his first love, Xia Meng, he had not only thoughtfully arranged a mountaintop fireworks viewing but had also devotedly stayed with her until late into the night.
Xie Wantang watched Lu Yanshen’s retreating figure as he turned and headed toward the bedroom after sending the transfer. She recalled their wedding night three years ago, when he had used work as an excuse to retreat to his study and never returned, leaving her alone in their bridal chamber for the entire night.
Back then, she had believed that with enough sincerity and effort, she could eventually melt his icy heart.
But now, the diamond ring on Xia Meng’s ring finger in the photo pierced her eyes like a shard of glass.
Suddenly, Xie Wantang laughed.
She rushed into the bedroom, where Lu Yanshen had already gathered his clothes and was preparing to head to the bathroom for a shower. Seeing her shove the door open with such force that it slammed against the wall with a loud bang, Lu Yanshen’s handsome brows furrowed tightly.
“Remember to hand-wash my white shirt tomorrow,” he said, still oblivious to her turmoil, assigning her household chores as usual. “Use the laundry detergent you bought last time—the scent is quite nice.”
“Lu Yanshen,” Xie Wantang suddenly spoke, her voice as light as a whisper in the wind, “let’s get a divorce.”
Lu Yanshen’s steps faltered as he entered the bathroom. He turned around, his gaze cold as ice. “It’s the middle of the night. Can you stop making a scene, Xie Wantang?”
“I’m not making a scene.” Xie Wantang clenched her fists, struggling to control her emotions. “First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll print out the divorce agreement. You can sign it then. Also, I’ll leave with nothing.”
The air instantly froze.
Lu Yanshen stared at her calm face, an inexplicable irritation suddenly welling up in his chest. “Xie Wantang, you’d better not regret this.”
Xie Wantang paused at the doorway, the moonlight outlining her faint silhouette. “Lu Yanshen, the biggest regret of my life is falling in love with you.”
With those words, Xie Wantang turned and left.
She first went to the dining room and dumped all the cold dishes on the table into the trash.
For the first time, she didn’t wash the plates, bowls, and utensils covered in grease. Instead, she threw them directly into the sink, leaving them for someone else to clean.
After leaving the kitchen, she went to the living room. Alone, tears streaming down her face and her heart filled with bitterness, she ate the overly sweet cake until she felt nauseous and vomited.
She went to the bathroom, her eyes red, and tore the pregnancy test report into tiny pieces before flushing it down the toilet.
Finally, she sat on the toilet lid, gently stroking her belly. “Baby, from now on, you’ll only have a mother, no father.”
…
The next day, before dawn, Lu Yanshen was awakened by a call from his assistant, Pei Xiao.
“Mr. Lu, I’m at the residential complex.”
“Got it.” Only then did Lu Yanshen remember he was flying to Milan today.
After hanging up, Lu Yanshen glanced to the side and realized Xie Wantang hadn’t returned to the bedroom all night. Her side of the bed was cold, the pillow icy, and the sheets perfectly smooth, showing no signs of having been slept in.
Sitting up in bed, he felt a headache coming on and pressed his temples. He scanned the room but couldn’t find his neatly packed suitcase.
That woman, Xie Wantang, knew he was traveling today—why hadn’t she packed his luggage?
Oh, right. He remembered. Xie Wantang wanted a divorce.
Lu Yanshen’s eyes suddenly turned sharp. He quickly got up, washed up in the bathroom, packed a few changes of clothes, and dragged his suitcase to the living room.
Xie Wantang wasn’t in the living room either. On the coffee table lay the divorce agreement she had printed and already signed.
Lu Yanshen picked it up and glanced through it. The terms were simple. Xie Wantang had decided to leave with nothing, so the entire section on asset division had been omitted.
They had no children, so there was no custody battle. The entire agreement, with its divorce clauses, didn’t even fill a single A4 page.
Hmph—
Lu Yanshen snorted softly, put down the agreement, and turned to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of warm water.
As soon as he reached the doorway, a sour, foul smell made him recoil. Standing at the entrance, he saw the sink in disarray from a distance—the disgusting odor was coming from there.
Lu Yanshen’s thick brows furrowed even tighter. He turned around and left the house directly.
When the sound of a car horn pierced the quiet night sky, Xie Wantang, who had been lying still and feigning sleep in the guest room, opened her eyes. She carefully got out of bed and made her way to the living room.
Eagerly picking up the divorce agreement she had printed out before bed last night, Party A was her, already signed and thumbprinted, while Party B, Lu Yanshen, remained blank.
No signature?
Had he not seen it?
That shouldn’t be the case—she had deliberately placed it at the most conspicuous angle, making it easy for him to notice.
If he had seen it but still hadn’t signed, what exactly did he mean?
Xie Wantang picked up her phone and sent him a message: “President Lu, didn’t we agree to divorce?”
After waiting a minute with no reply from Lu Yanshen, just as Xie Wantang thought he was deliberately ignoring her and considered calling him, his message came through: “Redraft it.”
“…”
Those three light, dismissive words made Xie Wantang want to curse.