When Shen Zhiwei pushed open the familiar courtyard gate, the setting sun had just painted the small yard in a warm golden hue, and smoke was already rising from the chimneys of every household in the residential compound.
The air carried a mingled scent of coal stoves and cooking food.
The family compound she had guarded for a lifetime in her previous life now disgusted her at just a glance.
Her top priority now was to quickly pack up what remained and leave this nauseating place for good.
She pushed the door open. The room looked even emptier and colder than it had two days ago. A thin layer of dust covered the concrete floor, and several bundles of old newspapers and scrap were piled in the corners.
The paper cuttings pasted on the windows had already faded and curled at the edges.
A small figure was curled up on a low stool in the corner of the living room it was Chen Zihao. In front of him sat a bowl of thin porridge that had long gone cold, a layer of grease congealed on top.
With his head lowered, his little hands nervously clutched a twig, scratching lines on the ground, looking especially pitiful.
Hearing the movement, he looked up, and in those eyes so much like Chen Weidong’s there was a trace of resentment.
“Bad woman! Bad woman!” He stood up and hurled the twig in his hand at Shen Zhiwei. “This is my home! This is my home!”
The twig brushed against her arm, leaving a faint red mark.
Looking at this child whom she had once raised with all her heart in her previous life, the last trace of pity in her heart completely vanished.
Like father, like son. The roots of selfishness and cruelty had clearly been planted long ago.
“Zihao, how can you speak to your godmother like that!” Chen Weidong’s voice came from inside as he hurried over, still wearing the military uniform from earlier when he had fallen.
She ignored him.
Walking toward her inner bedroom, she prepared to pack up the last of her belongings. The paint on the old wooden bed in the room had already peeled off this bed had been brought from her parents’ home when she got married.
On the wall were still New Year prints from years ago, now yellowed with age.
Just as she pushed the door open, a soft, fragile voice came from inside. “Sister Zhiwei, you’re back.”
Li Man was sitting on the bed she used to sleep in, covered with an old bedsheet printed with mandarin ducks.
Chen Weidong had barely slept on this bed a few times.
Her eyes were red, as if she had suffered a great injustice. “Zihao is still young and doesn’t understand. Please don’t blame him… If you must blame someone, blame me. It’s all my fault.”
“Sister Weiwei, I know you have misunderstandings about me. I shouldn’t have cared too much about Brother Weidong and made you angry. He and I are just like-minded, we appreciate each other. Please don’t divorce Brother Weidong because of me.”
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face her acting so convincing that Shen Zhiwei was almost impressed.
It would be a waste if she didn’t become an actress.
Shen Zhiwei had no interest in playing along with her. If Li Man didn’t want her to divorce Chen Weidong, there had to be a reason.
Either she wanted to get close to her father, or she still had some scheme left to use against her.
“Li Man, there’s no one else here. Put away that disgusting act of yours.”
“My divorce from Chen Weidong is because my eyesight has been cured I don’t want to keep looking at you two pieces of trash.”
“Divorce? Who’s getting divorced?” A hurried voice cut in from the doorway.
Chen Weidong came rushing in, panting. He first glanced at Li Man nervously, and seeing her standing there looking wronged, his brows immediately furrowed in concern.
“Shen Zhiwei, have you had enough? If we divorce at a time like this, won’t that just confirm the rumors about me and Li Man?”
“I’ve already told you before Li Man and I have long been like family. She’s just like a younger sister in the household. And besides, think about all these years of feelings between you and me.”
He had grown used to Shen Zhiwei’s obedience and dependence. Even after the fierce quarrel a few days ago, he still believed she was just throwing a tantrum and would eventually come back to beg him.
But this time, Shen Zhiwei couldn’t even be bothered to raise her eyelids. “I’m not making a scene. I’ve already prepared the property division list, including this house allocated by the compound.”
“Now, will you repay it in cash as soon as possible, or should I report it directly to the military discipline committee and have it forcibly deducted from your salary and allowances?”
Her tone was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Chen Weidong finally realized she was serious. His expression instantly darkened. “Zhiwei, do you really have to go this far? A day as husband and wife means a hundred days of grace!”
He felt both embarrassed and annoyed, especially at losing face like this in front of Li Man.
He tried to soften his approach. “Weiwei, do you really have to do this? Besides, how could I possibly come up with that much money right now?”
Seeing this, Li Man immediately chimed in considerately, “Brother Weidong, if my leaving can calm Sister Weiwei down, I… would rather be transferred away.”
“After all, a day as husband and wife means a hundred days of grace.”
“Grace?”
Shen Zhiwei slowly lifted her head. “Chen Weidong, what grace have you ever shown me? Was it when your whole family kept me in the dark and brought Li Man back to town?
Or when you used my family’s money to support you and your mistress?”
“And even made me raise your illegitimate child?”
Li Man let out a soft sob and grabbed Chen Weidong’s arm. “Brother Weidong, I’ve said the wrong thing again.”
The sight of her made Shen Zhiwei seethe with anger.
Chen Weidong looked at Li Man’s tear-streaked face, then at Shen Zhiwei’s cold and resolute expression.
Though he still felt a trace of reluctance, any man would choose Li Man.
“Fine. Once we’re divorced, don’t regret it. With your shrewish temper, let’s see who would still want you after leaving me!” Even after shouting, he felt it wasn’t enough.
To show his backbone and his protection of Li Man, he added, “And there’s no money. If you’ve got the guts, go ahead and report me! Let’s see who would believe you!”
Those words stabbed straight into Shen Zhiwei’s heart. In her previous life, it was precisely words like these that had bound her for a lifetime making her believe she couldn’t survive without Chen Weidong.
Looking at the twisted expression on the man before her, she suddenly found it utterly absurd. The last shred of ridiculous hope she had for him for that past marriage completely shattered.
Her heart went cold.
Completely, utterly cold.
She looked at him, her gaze as calm as if she were looking at a stranger, her voice as light as a sigh. “Chen Weidong, I’ll ask you one last question and also ask myself.”
“Which eye of mine was blind back then, for me to fall for someone like you a selfish, parasitic man with no sense of responsibility?”
The words were light, yet they landed like the heaviest slap.
They struck Chen Weidong squarely across the face, leaving him speechless.
After her words fell, the room turned utterly silent, save for the music drifting in from the compound loudspeaker outside.
Li Man also stopped crying, looking at Shen Zhiwei with a complicated expression.
Shen Zhiwei didn’t spare Chen Weidong another glance, nor did she look at the pretentious “white lotus” beside him. She straightened her back, carrying a small cloth bundle that held the last of her belongings.
It felt as if she had cast off a thousand-pound burden and broken free from her final shackles.
She stepped forward, walking straight between Chen Weidong and Li Man, heading toward the sunlit doorway.
Without looking back.
Without a trace of lingering attachment.