“Zhou Yanshen—what a nice name.”
Ye Sheng said it aloud with a sweet smile, thinking to herself that this man was surprisingly polite, telling her his name right off the bat.
But in an instant, the smile on Ye Sheng’s face faded bit by bit, replaced by an awkward expression as she stared at Zhou Yanshen.
Zhou Yanshen?! Wasn’t he the husband who had disappeared at their wedding—the one the original owner of this body had married?
This was the man she was planning to divorce!
Zhou Yanshen noticed Ye Sheng’s stiff expression and curled the corner of his mouth. “What? Remember now? If you’ve remembered, then hurry up and follow me. If you fall behind and get eaten by wolves, don’t blame me.”
With that, he turned and headed down the narrow winding path, inwardly surprised that Ye Sheng would be here. He had no real feelings for this newlywed wife—it was just that his family had been pressuring him, his mother had threatened to kill herself, and his grandfather had made a deal with him. He’d had no choice but to go back for the arranged meeting. She had no objections, and neither did he.
What he hadn’t expected was that this wife of five months would suddenly show up here, and she seemed… a little different somehow.
Ye Sheng hadn’t expected Zhou Yanshen to actually just walk off like that, taking such big strides!
She hurried after him for a few steps before realizing that the original owner, who loved looking pretty, had gone out wearing strappy high-heeled sandals. Before she’d even taken two steps, she twisted her ankle.
Watching Zhou Yanshen show no sign of slowing down, Ye Sheng grumbled inwardly: No wonder his wife wanted to divorce him. He doesn’t know the first thing about being gentle with a woman.
But being stubborn, she refused to show weakness. She crouched down, took off her shoes, and chased after Zhou Yanshen barefoot, carrying her shoes in her hands. The cold, rough pebbles stabbed at the soles of her feet, but Ye Sheng didn’t make a single sound. She caught up to Zhou Yanshen and stayed close behind him.
After turning a corner and emerging from the winding path, Ye Sheng spotted a military-green jeep parked by the roadside. She let out a breath of relief—if she’d had to walk another two li, her feet probably would have been ruined.
Zhou Yanshen only turned around when he reached the car. Watching Ye Sheng limp toward him, her blood-streaked face full of stubbornness, her bright, cat-like eyes carrying a defiant, unyielding spirit in the twilight, he raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected the arrogant Ye Sheng he remembered to have this much backbone.
“Where’s your luggage?”
Ye Sheng paused for a moment. “I don’t have any. It was all stolen.”
Zhou Yanshen let out a light scoff. “Get in.”
With that, he climbed into the driver’s seat on his own.
Ye Sheng silently cursed him a few times in her head. What a jerk. Even if it was an arranged marriage, once you’re married, you should take responsibility. With that kind of cold attitude, what woman could put up with him? Let alone the original owner, who was such a delicate, pampered girl.
Grumbling inwardly, she climbed into the passenger seat. After searching around and finding no seatbelt, she had no choice but to sit up straight and stare ahead.
Zhou Yanshen glanced at her, said nothing, started the engine, and floored the gas pedal.
Ye Sheng was startled, nearly letting out a string of curses. She gripped the handle above the passenger window tightly.
Leaving the mountains behind, they chased the last glimmer of the setting sun along the bumpy road, with desolate Gobi desert stretching out on both sides.
Ye Sheng was tense from Zhou Yanshen’s driving, and as she watched the bleak scenery pass by outside the window, her heart felt even bleaker than the landscape. From what she remembered, 1992 should have been fairly prosperous—cities bustling with traffic and crowds.
How could this place be so desolate?
The sky gradually darkened, like a black curtain covering the heavens, with not a trace of light visible anywhere—only the car’s headlights illuminating the road just ahead.
Ye Sheng vaguely saw the car drive down a tarmac road lined with poplar trees on both sides, pass through a sentry post, and finally stop in front of a building.
Zhou Yanshen got out of the car first. This time, he was a bit more gentlemanly, walking over to open the car door for Ye Sheng. “Can you still walk?”
Ye Sheng was somewhat surprised, but she refused to show weakness. She picked up her shoes and got out of the car. The moment her bare feet touched the ground, she sucked in a sharp breath of cold air—she never would have imagined that this path was actually paved with small gravel stones.
But meeting Zhou Yanshen’s probing gaze, she forcibly suppressed the piercing pain, straightened her back, and said, “I can walk!”
Zhou Yanshen entered the building entrance and went straight up to the fourth floor. He stood by the door on the left side, waiting for the slow-moving Ye Sheng to come up. Only when he saw her reach the landing on the third floor did he open the apartment door.
Ye Sheng entered the house and looked at the living room, which contained only a three-seater sofa and a long rectangular coffee table. The cement floor was laid quite smoothly, and the light blue curtains printed with bamboo leaves were exactly the same as the ones from the orphanage in her childhood. She suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
Zhou Yanshen paid her no mind. He walked straight over to the sofa and sat down, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He took one out and put it between his lips, then fished out a lighter. Just as he was about to light it, he seemed to think of something and looked at Ye Sheng. “Does your mother and father know you’re here?”
Ye Sheng thought to herself—this man had a decent exterior, but after years of working as a lawyer, he’d seen too much of the coldness and fickleness of marriage, so he had no interest in weddings or romance. That was an investment that could cost you your life if you weren’t careful. She had already thought it all through on the way here—in recent years, the judicial examination wasn’t restricted by profession or educational background. As long as you registered, you could take the exam.
So, she could spend a year reviewing and take the bar exam again, continuing to work as a lawyer, doing what she loved.
With that thought, Ye Sheng straightened her back and looked coldly at Zhou Yanshen. “I came here to get a divorce.”
Zhou Yanshen’s brow twitched slightly. He took the cigarette from his mouth and looked at Ye Sheng. “Divorce? Have you thought it through? Are you sure your parents will agree?”
Ye Sheng found his tone somewhat irritating. “Marriage is my own business. I can make the decision myself.”
Zhou Yanshen didn’t say anything. His face, painted with camouflage, showed no readable expression. Finally, he stood up. “As for the divorce, just make sure you’ve thought it through. You can stay here tonight. Everything in the bedroom is new and unused. There’s no hot water at this hour—if you really can’t stand it, make do with cold water.”
Ye Sheng was again surprised that Zhou Yanshen agreed to the divorce so readily. It seemed this marriage wasn’t what he wanted either. Remembering that he had saved her earlier, and since he was being courteous, she decided to be polite in return. “Alright. And thank you for saving me tonight.”
Zhou Yanshen let out another scoffing laugh. “Next time you go out, remember to bring your brain with you. If you run into something like this again, you won’t be so lucky.”
Ye Sheng was left speechless, unable to refute Zhou Yanshen.
She was gathering her thoughts, about to speak, when a burst of urgent sirens sounded from outside, piercingly shrill in the darkness of the night.
Before Ye Sheng could even register what was happening, Zhou Yanshen had already pulled open the balcony door and jumped straight down from the fourth-floor balcony!
Ye Sheng’s eyes widened in shock. He ran over and leaned over the balcony railing to look down, only to see Zhou Yanshen already darting into the night with agile movements, like a swift leopard.
Was this man out of his mind?