Xie Wantang was very angry. For the sake of the baby in her belly, she returned to the guest room to catch up on some sleep.
This nap lasted until 9:30 in the morning.
When she emerged from the room, yawning and bleary-eyed, Aunt Lan, who was in charge of laundry, was waiting in the living room with Lu Yanshen’s white shirt from the night before.
Seeing Xie Wantang, Aunt Lan hurried over. “Madam, should this white shirt of the master’s be hand-washed? Usually, you…”
Aunt Lan wasn’t trying to shirk responsibility. It was just that, normally, the master’s high-end luxury clothes were always taken care of and cleaned by the madam, who never let her touch them.
Usually, at this hour, the clothes the master needed hand-washed would have already been washed and hung up by the madam. But today, this white shirt was still mixed in with the pile of dirty laundry.
Fortunately, she had the habit of checking regularly. Otherwise, if she had mindlessly tossed it into the washing machine, she would have lost her job.
“Wash it however you like. If you’re not sure, call the master and ask. If he doesn’t answer, then decide for yourself.” Xie Wantang gave a reply that made it clear she wanted nothing to do with it.
In the past, she had meddled too much and worried too much. Last night, not only did Lu Yanshen come home late, but he had also wholeheartedly accompanied another woman before returning. He didn’t even feel guilty about it—in fact, he seemed quite justified.
So why should she go out of her way to bother with his trivial daily matters?
What did it have to do with her?
Xie Wantang went to the kitchen. Mother Li, who was in charge of the kitchen, had already cleaned up the mess from the night before.
“Madam, I made millet porridge for breakfast,” Mother Li said. When she arrived in the morning, she noticed the master was already gone, so she only prepared a small clay pot for Xie Wantang.
“No porridge today, Mother Li. Please fry an egg for me. I’ll make myself a sandwich and have it with milk.” Xie Wantang no longer wanted to be considerate of Lu Yanshen’s servants.
What she disliked most was millet porridge.
Before, Mother Li had always been like this—never asking in advance what she wanted to eat. Whatever Mother Li cooked, if Lu Yanshen didn’t eat it, she had to finish it.
The main principle was not to waste anything.
Mother Li, relying on her years of service to Lu Yanshen and her status as an old-timer in the Lu family, often lectured her. It was as if, in Mother Li’s eyes, she was just a junior, not the madam.
“…Oh? Alright.” Mother Li’s face flushed with embarrassment. Only when she saw Xie Wantang open the milk and pour a full glass did she realize she was serious.
This morning, when she arrived in the kitchen and found a huge pile of unwashed plates, pots, and bowls in the sink, all emitting a sour, rotten smell, she hadn’t been very pleased.
In the three years since Xie Wantang had married into the Lu family, something like this had never happened before. Today was the first time.
Knowing that Xie Wantang disliked millet porridge, she had deliberately prepared only a single serving. Yet, Xie Wantang simply refused to eat it—she said she wouldn’t, and that was that.
Xie Wantang toasted two slices of bread in the toaster, sliced some luncheon meat and ham, spread butter and salad dressing, and added a tiny bit of jam.
A simple sandwich was made just like that. Along with the fried egg she had asked Mother Li to prepare, this sandwich—with meat, eggs, and vegetables—was truly a balanced and nutritious meal.
After finishing breakfast, Xie Wantang didn’t even say goodbye to Mother Li. She simply turned and left.
She went to the master bedroom, took out her suitcase, and packed some everyday clothes.
As for the items on the dressing table, Xie Wantang only took a basic skincare set. She didn’t bother with any makeup.
After all, even with makeup on, no one would want to look at her. She might as well live freely and comfortably.
Three years of trying to please him had been useless, and Xie Wantang felt her patience had run out.
In a marriage, effort from only one person was meaningless.
It was one thing for her to endure Lu Yanshen’s cold indifference alone, but if she gave birth to a child, the baby would also suffer his disdain. How would the child feel, seeing their own father treat another woman and her son so well?
So, she didn’t want to persist any longer.
Fortunately, she had just turned twenty-five yesterday—it wasn’t too late to wake up.
Dragging her suitcase out, Xie Wantang changed her shoes in the entryway. Mother Li hurried out from the kitchen. “Madam, what are you doing?”
“Going on a trip. The return date is undecided. Goodbye, Mother Li.”
Mother Li: “…”
Xie Wantang went to the garage, drove away the car she had bought with her own money, and only then did Mother Li snap out of her daze. She quickly dialed Old Madam’s number to tattle on Xie Wantang.
…
After leaving the Lu family villa, Xie Wantang headed straight to her best friend Xu Yanqiu’s home.
Xu Yanqiu had been live-streaming last night, and sales in her livestream room had skyrocketed once again—thanks to Xie Wantang’s homemade sleep-inducing incense.
This month, with the commission split fifty-fifty between her and Xie Wantang, each of them could afford another car.
Just thinking about it felt wonderful.
The only downside was that Xie Wantang would have to spend a few more days in the lab.
When Xie Wantang entered using her fingerprint, Xu Yanqiu was munching on bread, legs crossed, while typing a long message to her on WeChat.
Before she could send the lengthy text, Xie Wantang appeared in her home.
“Oh, sweetie, why are you here so early?” Xu Yanqiu put down her bread. “I was just messaging you. How was your birthday last night? Did that dog Lu Yanshen ravage you? Let me see the aftermath.”
With that, Xu Yanqiu reached out to tug at Xie Wantang’s collar, thinking that even if she hadn’t experienced it herself, she could at least get a visual thrill.
Xie Wantang swatted her hand away. “Get your mind out of the gutter. Nothing happened. Lu Yanshen didn’t come back until eleven, took a shower, and went straight to bed. He left for Milan before dawn today.”
As for the part where Lu Yanshen, after learning it was her birthday, sent her a perfunctory red envelope, and she brought up divorce—he didn’t object, but he also didn’t sign the papers when he woke up early—Xie Wantang kept that to herself for now.
“So, nothing happened? On such a special day, he didn’t even touch you? You didn’t use the sexy little outfit I gave you for your birthday? How long has it been since you two did it?”
Xu Yanqiu was straightforward, saying whatever came to mind without holding back.
Listen to her—nothing but crude talk, all about doing it or getting on with it.
“His white moonlight has returned. Since she came back, he hasn’t touched me.” Xie Wantang answered Xu Yanqiu’s four questions seriously.
Xia Meng had been back in the country for twenty days.
And Lu Yanshen hadn’t touched her for twenty days.
“What? What white moonlight? That dog Lu Yanshen is pulling the white moonlight card?” Xu Yanqiu’s mind went blank for a moment, then she exclaimed angrily, “Seriously, has Lu Yanshen’s conscience been eaten by pigs?”
Three years ago, the Lu and Xie families arranged a marriage alliance.
At that time, Lu Yanshen had not fully recovered from the aftereffects of a car accident and was confined to a wheelchair. Xie Wantang’s older sister, Xie Bailu, absolutely refused to marry Lu Yanshen, calling him a cripple.
Coincidentally, Xie Wantang had just been brought back from her adoptive parents’ home by her biological parents.
Xie Wantang was made to take her sister’s place in the marriage alliance with the Lu family. She had barely returned to the Xie household and hadn’t even enjoyed a single day of its comforts before she was hastily married off to the Lu family.
The Xie family also received a substantial dowry in return.
Xie Wantang said Lu Yanshen was handsome and that she liked him.
Since she liked him, she went ahead and married him.
In the first year of their marriage, under Xie Wantang’s meticulous care, Lu Yanshen rose from his wheelchair and stood on his feet again.
In the second year of their marriage, Xie Bailu regretted her decision and tried to reclaim the marriage that should have been hers, but Lu Yanshen refused her.
Back then, even Xu Yanqiu thought Lu Yanshen was a decent man.
Who would have thought that men are all dogs? Now, in the third year of their marriage, he too has learned from those heartless, dog-like men and brought a “white moonlight” into the picture?
Is the curse of the “white moonlight’s” destructive power over the current partner something no woman can escape?