After finishing a large pot of noodles, Xie Wantang still couldn’t understand why Lu Yanshen refused to divorce her cleanly and quickly.
She was even willing to leave with nothing—and he still wouldn’t agree?
Was he stupid?
“Is it possible that men separate their actions from their feelings? He may love his white moonlight, but he genuinely enjoys being intimate with you?” Seeing her friend so troubled, Xu Yanqiu proposed a hypothesis.
“…”
If Lu Yanshen were that much of a scoundrel, it would truly be a waste of all the feelings she had invested in him over the years.
It would be nothing short of a desecration of her pure love for him.
Deep down, Xie Wantang still didn’t want Lu Yanshen to be that kind of man.
After all, he was someone she had deeply loved and still loved now. She didn’t want her judgment to be so poor.
Or her ability to read people so flawed.
“He hasn’t been intimate with me for twenty days,” Xie Wantang said, indirectly denying that Lu Yanshen was such a lowly man.
“Then do you still want to be intimate with him?” Xu Yanqiu asked seriously.
“No.”
Xie Wantang didn’t hesitate. Aside from the fact that she couldn’t be intimate due to her pregnancy, just the thought of that photo made her uncomfortable and uneasy.
She simply couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Xia Meng might have deleted that photo from her social media, but she couldn’t erase the psychological shadow it had cast over Xie Wantang.
“Then don’t go back tonight. You have everything you need here at my place anyway.”
“If you go back tonight, he’ll definitely want to be intimate with you. Of course, if you want to confirm something, you could go back. If a man has been starved for twenty days without being satisfied, you’ll be like a prized delicacy.”
“But if he’s already been satisfied by his white moonlight, then you won’t even be worth a glance. So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?”
“This could also serve as hidden evidence to confirm whether he’s physically cheated or not.”
Xu Yanqiu rationally helped her analyze the situation, though this evidence wouldn’t hold up in court.
Emotionally, if Lu Yanshen really was involved with Xia Meng, she would support Xie Wantang in getting a divorce.
But what if it was all a misunderstanding?
After all, Lu Yanshen hadn’t admitted to anything. In fact, he had even brought a witness today specifically to prove to Xie Wantang that he was somewhere else that night, not at the mountaintop.
And the only piece of evidence had been deleted by the other party involved.
Without proof, words alone were meaningless—it was just that frustrating.
Xie Wantang found herself caught in the difficult choice of whether to go back or not.
When she woke up earlier, she saw that Lu Yanshen had called her three times without an answer.
This was unprecedented.
Usually, if he called once and she didn’t answer, he would simply wait for her to call back when she was free. He never called a second time.
But this afternoon, he had called three times without a response.
Of course, it was also the first time Xie Wantang had ever ignored Lu Yanshen’s missed calls for so long.
“Then… should I try one more time?” Xie Wantang raised an eyebrow, testing Xu Yanqiu’s reaction.
Xu Yanqiu broke down, “Xie Wantang, I knew it! You’ve already softened, haven’t you?”
“I haven’t. I just want to get evidence quickly so Lu Yanshen will sign the divorce papers willingly,” Xie Wantang argued defensively.
“Alright, I don’t believe a word of it. Since you’ve made up your mind to go back, I won’t stop you. After all, your marriage is like drinking water—only you know whether it’s warm or cold.”
“…”
Xu Yanqiu’s words weren’t harsh, but they struck a nerve with Xie Wantang.
Lu Yanshen, I’ll give you one more chance.
Xie Wantang silently vowed.
…
9:00 PM.
Xie Wantang drove the car she had previously taken out back to the Lu residence alone.
At this moment, the house was brightly lit and bustling with people.
Unaware of what was happening, Xie Wantang drove inside, and the butler came over. “Madam, you’ve finally returned.”
“Butler, what’s going on?”
“Aunt Lan and Mother Li have been speaking ill of you in front of the master all day today for some reason. The master got angry and told them to pack their things and get out.”
“…”
Xie Wantang was genuinely taken aback. Lu Yanshen was actually standing up for her?
It hadn’t been just a day or two since Mother Li had been making snide remarks about her. Knowing that Mother Li was an old-timer from the main house, Xie Wantang had always tolerated it out of consideration for Lu Yanshen.
Moreover, there was another important reason: her mother-in-law had told her on the day she and Lu Yanshen registered their marriage that Lu Yanshen had grown up eating Mother Li’s cooking.
That was why she had allowed Mother Li to come and take care of their daily meals.
Mother Li truly knew Lu Yanshen’s tastes and always cooked what he liked.
But what about her?
She did like Lu Yanshen, but there weren’t many dishes he enjoyed that she actually liked.
Especially that darn millet porridge.
It wasn’t exactly disgusting, but it was one of her most disliked foods.
Yet, Mother Li practically cooked it for her eight times a week.
“Madam, shall I have the driver park the car in the garage for you?” the butler asked respectfully.
“Alright, thank you, Butler.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Madam. It’s my duty.”
Xie Wantang got out of the car, handed the keys to the butler, then climbed the steps and entered the house.
Inside, Mother Li was tearfully pleading with Lu Yanshen, begging not to be sent away.
Xie Wantang scoffed. Of course, she knew why Mother Li didn’t want to leave.
Here, she had so much freedom and authority. The old Xie Wantang had been an easy target to push around, and Lu Yanshen was always busy with work, often not at home.
Even when he was home, he didn’t involve himself in household matters.
Wasn’t that freedom?
If she were sent back to the main house, with all its rules, numerous staff, and intense competition, she’d be restricted and uncomfortable every day. How could that compare to the comfort she enjoyed here?
But—
Xie Wantang just didn’t know whether Lu Yanshen was genuinely planning to kick these two out or if he was just putting on a show for her benefit.
Seeing Xie Wantang enter, Lu Yanshen glanced up at her. At this moment, Xie Wantang was well-fed, well-rested, and in excellent spirits. Her skin was fair with a rosy glow, radiating vitality.
He had called her several times, but she hadn’t answered, nor had she bothered to call back.
Well, at least she knew to come back. That was good enough.
When Mother Li and Aunt Lan saw Xie Wantang, Aunt Lan scrambled over on her hands and knees, grabbing Xie Wantang’s jeans and pleading with her. She wanted to stay and promised Xie Wantang that she would never gossip again.
She begged Xie Wantang to give her another chance.
Mother Li, upon seeing Xie Wantang, quickly wiped the tears from her face and maintained her composure, refusing to beg Xie Wantang for mercy.
Inwardly, she cursed Aunt Lan for groveling on the ground and begging Xie Wantang, thinking her spineless.
“Well, Mr. Lu, what’s with the sudden outburst?” Xie Wantang brushed Aunt Lan aside, walked into the living room, and sat on another sofa, crossing her legs and adopting a tone of someone watching a show.
“Isn’t Mother Li from the main house? What did she do to make you so angry, Mr. Lu, that you’d want to kick her out?”
Lu Yanshen glanced at her, seeing she was deliberately feigning ignorance, and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Just because she can’t even remember what Mrs. Lu likes to eat, nor can she cook it, she doesn’t need to stay in this house anymore. Is that accusation enough?”
“Mm, enough,” Xie Wantang nodded. “It’s just been three years already. Isn’t it a bit too late for Mr. Lu to start holding her accountable now?”
Mother Li, standing nearby, nearly fainted from anger.
“What about Aunt Lan?”
“She can’t even wash shirts properly. Dereliction of duty.”
“…”
Dereliction of duty—well, she had nothing to say to that.
Seeing she was done asking, Lu Yanshen began his own questions. “Did you have dinner before coming back?”
“Yes, at Qiuqiu’s house. She made me noodles with gravy. Haven’t you eaten yet, Mr. Lu?”
“I’ll eat now.”
Lu Yanshen suddenly stood up and, before Xie Wantang could react, scooped her up in a princess carry from the sofa and headed toward the second floor.