Xie Wantang’s composure truly astounded Xu Yanqiu.
“Seriously, Tangtang, can you teach me how you stay so calm when faced with such intimate photos of a man you once deeply loved and another woman?”
“Teach you what?” Xie Wantang asked lightly.
“Well, naturally, your dear bestie here will be dating soon too. I want to be like you—not losing myself over love or some man, right?”
“I want to join my dear bestie in being a strong, independent female lead.”
“What if I’m only calm on the surface, but inside, I’m already a sea of turmoil?” Xie Wantang retorted.
A strong female lead? Did she really think life was like a novel?
“No way, my dear. You wouldn’t be that weak.”
“…”
Xie Wantang fell silent, lowering her head as warmth gathered at the corners of her eyes.
Truth be told, sometimes she really was that weak.
Ding—
Just then, the sound of the electronic lock at the front door echoed through the room.
Xie Wantang quickly pushed aside her melancholy.
It was truly unexpected—Lu Yanshen had arrived home just as the photos were sent.
She had assumed that with the fragile sister who had just survived a life-and-death situation needing his care and his first love, Xia Meng, requiring his attention—two women of such importance both needing him—he wouldn’t have time to return.
Yet, against all expectations, he had come back, and so early at that.
“Mr. Lu, freshly baked egg tarts, made by your wife herself. Care to try one?”
“No need. Enjoy them slowly. Xie Wantang, come to the study when you’re done.”
With that, Lu Yanshen strode toward the second floor on his long legs.
“…”
Xu Yanqiu’s eyes swept over Lu Yanshen’s figure, and she clicked her tongue in admiration.
Her gaze held only the appreciation of an observer, devoid of any ulterior motives.
After Lu Yanshen went upstairs, Xu Yanqiu stroked her chin and leaned closer to Xie Wantang. “Darling, I have to say, your husband’s physique and looks would make him perfect for the male modeling industry.”
“Of course, that’s only if you’re willing to let him go.”
“Hah—”
Xie Wantang scoffed. What was there for her to hold onto?
Once they finalized their divorce and went their separate ways, she couldn’t care less whether Lu Yanshen joined the modeling industry, became an escort, or remarried immediately to bring his first love home and worship her. Those would be his own affairs.
What did any of that have to do with her?
“Do you know who I invited from Haishi this time?” Xie Wantang sipped her homemade fruit tea and nibbled on a freshly baked egg tart, unusually keeping Xu Yanqiu in suspense.
“Who? Don’t tell me you hired a lawyer?”
Bingo!
Her best friend really was sharp.
She guessed it right away.
“Yes, I hired a lawyer—specifically, the great attorney Qin Muyang.”
“Qin Muyang? Wait, how did you manage to hire him? I’ve heard he’s incredibly skilled in court, but his conditions are also very strict. Either you pay him enough money, or you offer something else of equivalent value. In short, it has to be profitable.”
“Darling, what did you exchange with him to secure his services?”
Xu Yanqiu was genuinely worried about her best friend.
In her eyes, both she and Xie Wantang were ordinary people. One had been abducted as a child, separated from her biological parents, and now, even after being reunited, the years of absence meant there was blood but no emotional bond—she wasn’t favored by her family.
She, on the other hand, had both parents alive and was never abducted—she was raised by her biological parents. Unfortunately, both of them favored sons over daughters. Her younger brother wanted to get married, and the other side demanded a bride price of 660,000 yuan, plus a house worth over a million.
All of it somehow became her responsibility.
Fortunately, she was lucky enough to meet Xie Wantang and became close friends with her. After the two of them joined forces and worked together, she quickly earned all the money her parents demanded. However, she told her parents that she had taken out a loan.
This loan didn’t need to be repaid by the family—she would handle it herself. But from now on, she wouldn’t have any more money to send home.
It had been a relatively peaceful year or so since then.
“It’s nothing much, just things like the sachets I make myself, essential oils, homemade laundry detergent for washing clothes, and so on from your livestream.”
Xu Yanqiu: “…”
So, even a big shot like her feels stressed?
Stressed enough to suffer from insomnia?
“My best friend is truly amazing,” Xu Yanqiu said, giving a thumbs-up.
Remembering that Lu Yanshen was waiting for Xie Wantang, Xu Yanqiu stood up. “Alright, sweetie, I’ll pack up the remaining egg tarts. I’m heading back now. You should go upstairs and find your husband. Have a good talk and sort out the issues between the two of you.”
“If the mountaintop fireworks really were a misunderstanding, then given your husband’s god-like looks, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep sleeping with him for a while longer. At the very least, we could steal his seed—borrow his sperm to have a baby. With the two of you combined, a son would definitely be handsome, and a daughter would surely be beautiful.”
“…”
Should she tell Qiuqiu that this baby was already in her belly?
Forget it, she had such a big mouth. Better to tell her later.
Otherwise, if this got back to Lu Yanshen’s ears, with his traditional, conservative ways and all his principles and ethics, he’d probably be even less willing to sign the divorce papers.
After setting the timer for the oven, Xie Wantang went up to the second floor.
The door to the study on the second floor was open, but Xie Wantang still knocked. Lu Yanshen put down the document in his hand. “Come in and close the door.”
“…”
Xie Wantang entered. She hadn’t intended to close the door, but under Lu Yanshen’s intense gaze, she had no choice but to casually shut it behind her.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Sit down. I want you to listen to something.” Lu Yanshen looked up and motioned for her to take the seat opposite him.
Xie Wantang did as she was told and sat down. Lu Yanshen took out his phone and played the recording of his earlier conversation with Xia Meng in the car.
It didn’t include the later part about Qin Muyang—only the earlier part about the mountaintop fireworks.
“Does this recording prove my innocence?”
Seeing that Xie Wantang still hadn’t spoken, Lu Yanshen frowned and asked again, “Or do you want to question Xia Meng in person?”
“Whether it does or doesn’t isn’t important anymore, Lu Yanshen. It doesn’t change my decision to divorce you.”
“So, all that talk about emotional infidelity was just an excuse. You just want a divorce, is that it?”
Xie Wantang raised an eyebrow. “If that’s how you want to interpret it, sure.”
“No wonder you were so willing to walk away with nothing. It’s because you’ve changed your heart, isn’t it?”
“Hah, Mr. Lu, who was it that said our marriage was just an alliance? Since there’s no emotional attachment, how can there be any talk of changing hearts?”
“The ‘change of heart’ I’m referring to is about loyalty to the alliance, not a shift in emotions.”
“I’ve made plans to have dinner with Lawyer Qin tonight. Would Mr. Lu care to join us?” Xie Wantang admired his way with words, but he simply didn’t understand her.
Once Xie Wantang had made up her mind, no amount of explanation would make a difference.
That look in his eyes—it was unmistakably Lu Yanshen.
Unless there was evidence proving that person was Lu Yanze. Lu Yanze’s eyes and brows did bear a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to him. With the right angle, they might even look ninety percent alike.
However, Lu Yanze and his wife had such a harmonious relationship.
Most importantly, the two brothers got along well. With such a close bond, surely they wouldn’t share a woman, would they?
So, what exactly was Lu Yanshen trying to argue?
“Alright,” Lu Yanshen agreed.