“Zhao Xinran, let’s get a divorce.” When Zhao Xinran heard those words, she was eating the breakfast Pei Hongwen had made. She swallowed the rice porridge in her mouth, thinking she must be hallucinating.
Holding the spoon in her hand, she looked hesitantly at Pei Hongwen, who was standing in the kitchen doorway holding a plate of fried dough sticks: “Did the hot oil scald your brain while you were frying those dough sticks?”
Talking nonsense first thing in the morning.
Zhao Xinran’s expression didn’t change. She pretended not to hear the nonsense Pei Hongwen had just spouted. With a natural motion, she stood up, took the plate, set it on the table, and picked up a fried dough stick to dip in soy milk. “Hongwen, your fried dough sticks are still the best. The pre-made frozen ones you find outside just don’t have that same flavor.”
“Crunch.” The fried dough sticks Pei Hongwen had fried himself were crispy, fragrant, and exactly the same as she remembered.
She was very pleased with him. Although she’d been the one to pursue him back then, Pei Hongwen had taken excellent care of her throughout their five years of marriage.
Two years ago, she had merely mentioned in passing that she wanted to eat the old-fashioned fried dough sticks from her childhood memories. Pei Hongwen immediately set aside time to search for tutorials online, repeating the process over and over with the same meticulousness as if he were conducting scientific research.
Ever since then, whenever Zhao Xinran felt like having them in the morning, she could enjoy fried dough sticks fried by Pei Hongwen himself—tasting almost exactly like the ones from her memories.
She’s also grown accustomed to being cared for in every little detail. Not to mention that Pei Hongwen always keeps her preferences in mind, shows concern for her hard work, and carefully selects gifts for every holiday, big or small, doing his utmost to make up for everything she once lacked.
Just considering that the family still needs the support of the Pei family, they absolutely cannot get a divorce right now.
Zhao Xinran composed herself, pretending not to hear him. She finished the last sip of porridge, stood up, put on her coat, and looked at Pei Hongwen across the table: “I’m off to work.”
“Xinran. I…” Pei Hongwen opened his mouth, about to say something, but was interrupted again.
“I have work to do at the office. I’m running late. I’ll head out now. I have a business meeting today. If there’s anything, we can talk when I get back tonight.” Without so much as a glance at Pei Hongwen, Zhao Xinran grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
She hurried out as if a ghost were chasing her.
The driver waiting outside looked slightly surprised, but after a quick glance, she averted her gaze. Many things were none of her business; all she had to do was drive.
Zhao Xinran sat in the car and, as usual, took out her laptop to check her emails. After reading just a few, a wave of unease welled up inside her for no apparent reason.
Her mouse hovered over the screen for a long time, yet not a single word registered in her mind.
She couldn’t understand it. Just yesterday they’d been so in love and intimate—how could he want to divorce her today?
Zhao Xinran couldn’t tolerate anyone disrupting the “happy” life she’d worked so hard to achieve—not even Pei Hongwen.
Thirty years old, a successful woman with a thriving career and a happy family—life was going her way. That was Zhao Xinnan’s calling card, and she wouldn’t let anyone tarnish it.
Zhao Xinnan tried to figure out exactly where her marriage had gone wrong.
First, she hadn’t cheated; second, she had no bad habits; and aside from the occasional business trip or late night at the office, she came home almost every day.
What right did Pei Hongwen have to file for divorce?
No matter how much Zhao Xinnan mulled it over, she couldn’t find any fault in herself. Since she wasn’t the problem in this marriage, the problem must lie with Pei Hongwen.
Could it be that he gave her ten gold bars yesterday, regretted it today, and was planning to take them back—but, finding it too awkward to say so directly, was trying to use the divorce to pressure her?
That’s unlikely. When Zhao Xinran first met Pei Hongwen, he dressed modestly. If not for a stroke of luck, she wouldn’t have known that the “Pei” in Pei Hongwen—the heartthrob of A University’s Medical School—stood for the Pei family.
Never mind ten gold bars—even if he’d given her a hundred, he probably wouldn’t have thought much of them, let alone ask for the gifts back.
If it wasn’t about money, then the most likely reason a man would suddenly propose a divorce out of the blue was—an affair.
Had Pei Hongwen cheated during their marriage and was now in a hurry to formalize his relationship with the other woman, which is why he wanted a divorce from her?
She shook her head and ruled that out. She knew deep down that Pei Hongwen wasn’t that kind of person; he had extremely high moral standards and would never tolerate cheating while married.
Could it be that he’s fallen for someone else and wants a divorce to pursue her?
Zhao Xinran thought about it for a moment, then ruled out that possibility as well. Pei Hongwen was very busy with his studies; aside from the lab and the hospital, he spent all his free time at home. He cooked breakfast and dinner for her every day and had a regular weekly workout routine. Moreover, the bone regeneration medical device they were developing together with his research team was at a critical stage—he simply wouldn’t have time for anything else.
Besides, as for his heart—Zhao Xinran had spent a whole year winning it over back then. She didn’t believe any other woman could be more persistent than she was.
So why did he want a divorce, then?
After much deliberation, Zhao Xinran finally came to a conclusion: Pei Hongwen was about to graduate with his Ph.D., and the academic pressure was so overwhelming that he simply didn’t have the energy to continue taking care of her.
The more Zhao Xinran thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. As she walked through the company gates, she was already planning to tell Pei Hongwen that night: they’d hire a housekeeper so he could focus entirely on preparing for his doctoral graduation—he could even spend all day at school without coming home.
Hmm. Zhao Xinran nodded, suddenly feeling quite considerate.
If hiring a housekeeper could solve the problem, why go through with a divorce?
That would only destabilize both the family and the company.
The Zhao-Pei relationship was Zhao Xinran’s lifeline—no one could touch it.
They took the elevator all the way to the top floor. No sooner had they sat down than Secretary Zhang Nan arrived with some documents.
“President Zhao, here’s the quote from Kangtai Hospital in City C.”
Zhao Xinran opened the documents and examined them carefully. Kangtai’s quote was far below market price; it was clear they were deliberately undercutting Xinpei because they perceived the company as having shallow roots.
Xinpei wanted to distribute its products in City C and break into the market, but it couldn’t bypass Kangtai. As one of the top three private hospitals in City C, many retired executives preferred to stay at its nursing homes. If they could secure this connection, breaking into the City C market would be only a matter of time.
Kangtai’s chairman and Pei’s father had been on friendly terms in the past, but since they hadn’t been in the same region for all these years, their relationship was neither particularly deep nor particularly shallow.
Zhao Xinran planned to go to City C in person to rekindle this relationship and add another layer to make the bond even stronger.
“Zhang Nan, go get President Zhou.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Knock, knock.”
“President Zhao.”
Zhao Xinran looked up to see a tall, sturdy woman with striking, masculine features standing in the doorway, holding a stack of documents.
She smiled and beckoned to the woman: “Zhou Ji, come with me on a business trip next week. We’re heading to City C. I’ve scheduled a meeting with the CEO of Kangtai. Bring a few people along with me—we absolutely must secure the Kangtai project.”
“President Zhao, I’ll handle the Kangtai meeting on my own. You just got back from a business trip last week—you should take it easy this week.” ” Zhou Ji sat on the sofa, feeling that even though Zhao Xinran had started her own company, she was still just like she used to be—a workaholic who couldn’t stop once she got started.
Zhao Xinran appreciated her concern but shook her head: “Kangtai’s CEO has a bit of a connection with my father-in-law. I’ll go in person—first, to show our sincerity, and second, to build rapport. That way, we can close the deal faster.”
“Alright.” Zhou Ji closed her file, stood up briskly, and headed out to arrange all the necessary matters for City C.
12:30 p.m., Laboratory of the School of Bioengineering at B University.
“Hongwen.”
“Hmm?” Pei Hongwen, wearing his glasses, responded while adjusting the data.
“Have you mentioned it to CEO Zhao?”
“Mentioned what?”
“The divorce.” Gu Yue’s voice suddenly rose a few notches. He glanced around; seeing that the other students had all gone to the cafeteria and they were the only two left in the lab, he finally relaxed.
“Gu Yue, you seem to care a lot about whether we get divorced or not?” Pei Hongwen picked up a pen and began scribbling on a piece of paper, recording the new test data.
A flicker of guilt crossed Gu Yue’s eyes. He paused for a moment, then continued, “Hongwen, I’m just worried about you. I know you love her, but your marriage isn’t normal at all. No married couple gets along the way you two do. You can’t wait any longer. If you keep tormenting each other like this, you’ll eventually grow to loathe one another and won’t even be able to remain friends. Why not part ways amicably right now? Ms. Zhao… Ms. Zhao will remember the good you’ve done for her. You can still stay by her side for the rest of your life as a friend and business partner. Isn’t that much more reliable than this marriage of yours, which exists in name only?”
“Mm-hmm. I brought it up this morning.” Pei Hongwen nodded, his hand never stopping its work.
“What did Ms. Zhao say?”
“She said we’d talk after work.”
Gu Yue’s expression stiffened slightly, then he asked anxiously, “Why did you choose to bring it up before Ms. Zhao got to work? Wouldn’t it have been better to talk about it after work yesterday?”
“Yesterday she went to A University to make a donation and got home too late.” Besides, as soon as she got home, she dragged him into bed, and after they were done, she fell asleep—he didn’t find a chance to bring it up.
“Fine.” As Gu Yue left, he emphasized again, “You’d better hurry up, or CEO Zhao will start to get fed up with you.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Hongwen, what do you want for lunch? Should I bring you something?”
“No need. With the divorce coming up, I’ve lost my appetite.” Pei Hongwen shook his head and continued working, not glancing at Gu Yue even once.
Gu Yue hated this haughty, aloof demeanor of his the most. He thought to himself: Pei Hongwen had only become the director’s most trusted student and published so many top-tier papers because he’d climbed his way up to CEO Zhao, who’d helped the director land such a major sponsor as Xinpei.
“Just wait until they get divorced. I, Gu Yue, will hook up with Zhao Xinran, and Xinpei will change its name to Xingu. Then let’s see what Pei Hongwen can still be so arrogant about in front of me—you idiot.”
Gu Yue left, and the lab fell silent. Only after recording the final set of data did Pei Hongwen finally stop. He took off his glasses, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his aching temples.
He’d barely slept a wink last night, and with the divorce still hanging in the balance, he had no appetite for food right now. He stayed in the lab, repeating tests he’d run hundreds of times over and over again.
His phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He pulled it out and saw it was Si Jinghuan. He answered the call with a hint of disappointment: “Hello, Jinghuan.”
“Have you really thought this through? Are you really going to divorce Zhao Xinran?”
“Mm-hmm,” Pei Hongwen replied wearily.
“Why? Don’t you love her anymore?”
“No.”
“Then did you catch her cheating on you? ” Si Jinghuan couldn’t imagine what else—besides that—could have pushed Pei Hongwen, who loved Zhao Xinnan so deeply, to the breaking point and made him insist on a divorce.
“Neither of those. Stop guessing.” Pei Hongwen fell silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but press his hand to his forehead with a bitter smile: “It’s been ten years—ten years of dating, five years of marriage—and she still doesn’t love me. I’ve always known that she isn’t happy with me.”
“……” This wasn’t the first time Si Jinghuan had heard this. Five years ago, when they got married, someone had said the same thing right in front of him, but he hadn’t taken it seriously at the time. A woman like Zhao Xinran—if she wasn’t willing, who could possibly force her?
If she’d chosen it herself, then surely there must have been some love or affection involved.
Hearing no reply from Si Jinghuan, Pei Hongwen continued on his own: “I want her to be happy, even if I’m not a part of it… If we part on good terms, I can still stand by her side as a friend and witness her happiness—that would be fine, too. Don’t you agree, Jinghuan?”
Those words sounded very familiar. He had once said almost exactly the same thing to someone else, but that person had replied, “If I can’t have her, I might as well die right now. Brother, you can have Uncle Liu send me abroad now, but you can’t keep me locked up overseas forever. One day I’ll grow up, come back, and take her away from you.”
“Have you really thought this through? Maybe things aren’t as bad as you think. You’ve been together for so many years—how could she possibly have no love for you at all?” Si Jinghuan tried to persuade him further. Pei Hongwen was far too idealistic, but how many people in this world actually marry out of deep love for one another? Compatibility is the true secret to a lasting marriage.
Take Pei Hongwen and Zhao Xinran, for example. Zhao Xinran had an extremely keen business sense; she took the company public in just six years. Now, the Pei family no longer had to place all the pressure of inheriting the family business on him. He could devote himself entirely to research and continue his studies, while Zhao Xinran could rely on the Pei family’s backing to make her career thrive.
It’s a win-win situation.
At a time like this, why stir up a divorce? As far as he’s concerned, Pei Hongwen has simply had his fill of the easy life and is now so bored that he’s just tripping himself up for fun.
If news of their divorce reached overseas and that kid found out, all hell would break loose.
Just thinking about it gave Si Jinghuan a headache. If his younger brother were to poach his friend’s girlfriend, he’d end up in a no-win situation.
Besides, the Si family simply couldn’t withstand the turmoil that Zhao Xinran would bring.
What if she didn’t get her way with the Pei family and his younger brother brought her into the Si family? What if she demanded he hand over the company for her to play with?
No, absolutely not!
“But, Jinghuan, I want her to be happy. The taste of love is both bitter and astringent to me, yet also bittersweet—I want her to experience it too.” Pei Hongwen lowered his eyes, hiding the sorrow and resentment in his gaze, and once again tried to convince himself to let go.
“…Pei Hongwen, I told you back then that you should’ve studied the humanities with me instead of medicine. You should’ve become a poet and written some sappy poetry. Those last few sentences you just said made my skin crawl.” Si Jinghuan rolled his eyes. Just then, a call came in. He glanced at the screen and saw it was an international call from Uncle Liu. Realizing this wasn’t good, he hurriedly interrupted Pei Hongwen: “ “Hongwen, think this divorce through for yourself. As long as you don’t regret it, that’s fine. I’ve got some things to take care of here—we’ll talk later.”
“Mm.” Pei Hongwen gave a low reply, hung up the phone, slipped it into his pocket, lowered his gaze, and started the car again.
After hanging up on Pei Hongwen, Si Jinghuan immediately answered Uncle Liu’s call: “Hello, Uncle Liu, what’s going on?”
“Young Master, the younger master has run away!”
“What???”