Xia Fangjue felt that after Tang Ning said that sentence, the air itself froze for a solid three seconds.
“What did you just call me?”
“Didn’t hear clearly?” Tang Ning pronounced each word slowly and clearly, “Ex-husband.”
With that, she set down the oden in her hand and started walking toward the souvenir shop.
“Tang Ning.” Jiang Linye grabbed her, his voice low and warning, “We’re not divorced yet.”
In front of other people, she really didn’t want to discuss this: “Don’t pull me…”
“Tang…”
Little wife: “Let go of me.”
“…” He had no choice but to release her. He pressed his lips together, stood up, and said, “I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t follow me.” Tang Ning was still sulking over the shark incident. Her voice came out small and muffled, “I don’t want to see you.”
Jiang Linye’s expression froze on his face.
Xia Fangjue suddenly let out a low laugh.
“Sorry.” Seeing both of them look over at the same time, he quickly added, “I didn’t mean to.”
It was just… impossible to hold back.
In that brief moment of interruption, the little fox shook off her ex-husband’s hand, wagged her big fluffy tail, and scampered away.
Jiang Linye had no choice but to sit back down. Across the table, he sized up this old rival of his.
Many years had passed, but Xia Fangjue hadn’t changed much. High nose bridge, clean eyes. Probably because he’d spent so long away from crowds doing research, his personality remained pure and his presence felt clear and gentle.
As always — the kind of man who is easy to love.
And as always — exactly the type Jiang Linye hated most.
President Jiang sat up straight and issued a warning:
“You do know that stealing someone else’s wife will get you cursed, right?”
“What does it matter?” Xia Fangjue replied lightly, calm as a breeze, “You two are already getting divorced.”
After all, he and Tang Ning had been apart for too many years. Before returning to the country, he had asked around about her and quietly investigated some things behind the scenes.
On the surface, the Tang family couple appeared perfectly loving—attending any public event hand-in-hand, smiling warmly and sweetly at each other. But behind closed doors, things were completely different.
Back in high school, Jiang Linye had already been like a mad dog. His instincts told him that the relationship between those two wasn’t anything special, but exactly how “not special” it was—he could never quite pin down.
So he gave them that pair of watches.
Tang Ning never accepted them. He saw her at the hospital entrance, just like today, shaking off Jiang Linye’s hand.
Jiang Linye’s voice turned ice-cold: “I will never agree to a divorce.”
“Sigh, damn marriage laws, damn cooling-off period.” Xia Fangjue sounded completely unbothered, sighing with a smile. “Luckily I have enough connections to help her get in touch with the best divorce lawyer out there. Word is, in that lawyer’s last case, the ex-husband was worth over a hundred million and ended up leaving with nothing—not even his underwear. Before the divorce goes through, Jiang classmate, you’d better stock up on a few extra pairs of underwear. Just in case.”
The last trace of warmth vanished from Jiang Linye’s eyes. “What exactly did you come back to the country for?”
“To do physics research and contribute my humble part to the motherland’s scientific development.” Xia Fangjue gave a soft laugh. “Scientists tend to marry and have kids late. I’m in a bit of a hurry—I’m twenty-five, and I want to fall in love.”
He had made his intentions crystal clear.
Inevitably, hostility flared up in Jiang Linye’s gaze.
But the other man’s smile didn’t falter. “Don’t look at me like that. Don’t tell me you didn’t know? Five years ago, Tang Ning reached out to me too.”
He figured she must have contacted a lot of people—asked everyone she could possibly ask for help.
It was an emergency back then, but he wasn’t in the country and couldn’t return immediately. He was simply one step too late.
Jiang Linye froze for a moment.
“These past few years, I’ve occasionally wondered… what if I hadn’t stayed in the lab back then, but had come back to find her instead…” Xia Fangjue paused, then shook his head. “Never mind. There are no what-ifs.”
If he could do it over, he would still make the same choice. He would still become the most dazzling young scientist, living immortally in textbooks long after he was gone, becoming part of history a hundred years from now.
In physics, light paths are reversible. But he could never go back to being twenty years old. Sometimes, inevitably, he felt regret for all the time he had missed.
“We’ll see how it goes, Jiang classmate.”
Tang Ning was coming back. From a distance, he could see the little fox’s big tail swaying gently under the gloomy sky.
Xia Fangjue stood up and lowered his voice: “We can pick a time and have another fight. Back when I was eighteen, I couldn’t beat you. But now… I won’t lose.”
To be honest, Tang Ning was feeling a bit depressed.
She had been in a pretty good mood at first, but then Jiang Linye popped up out of nowhere again—like a demonic broken record—reminding her over and over: You’re not divorced yet, oh~ We’re still legally husband and wife, oh~
Before the press conference started, Tang Ning briefly said goodbye to Xia Fangjue and went backstage to find Jian Wei.
She was puzzled: “Didn’t I tell you not to give Jiang Linye an invitation?”
“We really didn’t…” President Jiang just showed up on his own.
Tang Ning thought about it—yeah, makes sense. Anyone can enter an aquarium if they buy a ticket.
She paused for half a second: “Then later, during the press conference, make sure you clear the venue properly. Don’t let him sneak in. I don’t want to see anyone without an invitation.”
Jian Wei: “…”
That description sounded so weird. Jiang Linye was being treated like some sneaky thief.
Not sure if she should ask, but she whispered anyway: “You and President Jiang… had a fight?”
“We’ve fought plenty of times before, haven’t we?”
These days, Tang Ning truly didn’t believe a single word of the outside rumors about how loving and perfect their marriage was. All of it was just manufactured persona bullshit.
But Jian Wei said seriously: “You really never fought with President Jiang before. Whenever you appeared in public, you were always side by side, perfectly matched, and…”
President Tang interrupted her with a baffled look: “It was all for show, for outsiders. How many years have you worked here and you still believe that crap?”
“…”
Wuwuwu… but she had genuinely shipped their CP with real feelings.
Feeling sad, Jian Wei finished fixing Tang Ning’s look. Still sad, she said sadly: “Then let’s go, the timing is about right, President Tang.”
Tang Ning looked down and noticed Jian Wei’s fingers resting on her collar. Such pretty hands on a girl—fair skin, slender fingers, nails painted with cute cartoon bears: “Where did you get your nails done?”
The injury on her head had mostly healed. She could go get her nails done, maybe change her hairstyle too.
“President Tang, do you want to get your nails done? I can book an appointment for you.”
Tang Ning nodded. She couldn’t help but glance at her own hand too. Not ugly, but… kind of depressing.
She went quiet for a moment, then slipped the glaringly obvious ring off her ring finger.
…Anyway, they were getting divorced. No point wearing it anymore.
The two of them walked out together. As they turned the corner of the hallway, from a distance, they could hear a familiar, shrill argument.
“You arranged the dressing room here? This place doesn’t even get any sunlight! It’s only seven degrees today! Are you trying to freeze me to death?!”
“And how is my makeup done like this? I look ten years older! How am I supposed to take group photos with them later?”
“Where did you even find these staff and makeup artists? If you can’t do the job, just get the hell out!”
…
Tang Ning: “…”
President Tang frowned: “Why is she here too?”
Jian Wei recognized her right away: “Apparently she’s the spokesperson for a new product from one of the partner companies.”
“…What can she even endorse? Cat food?”
“It’s her own pet cat.”
Tang Ning snapped back to reality and realized—Fu Caicai had already gotten a new pet so quickly. A very expensive-looking Ragdoll cat.
But the other woman clearly hadn’t sensed the aura of death approaching. With her back to Tang Ning, she was still yapping away, scolding people: “I’m talking to you! Why do you keep looking somewhere else… Hey, I said, don’t ignore me! I’m at least—”
“At least what?”
Before she could finish, a clear female voice came from behind her—not loud, but somehow carrying undeniable pressure.
“Go on. Say it out loud. Let the curious President Tang hear it too.”
Fu Caicai’s body stiffened slightly.
She had known before coming that the partner company was TJ. But she hadn’t expected to run straight into Tang Ning this soon.
To be honest, she was a little scared of her old classmate now. Back in high school, Tang Ning’s presence hadn’t been this strong. These days, every time she appeared, she didn’t even need to speak to completely overpower her.
She turned around, trying hard to stay calm: “Tang Ning.”
“Go on.” President Tang’s tone was perfectly even. “Finish what you were saying.”
Fu Caicai’s temper flared up. Her little assistant hurried over to smooth things: “Sorry for the trouble, President Tang. It’s like this—Miss Fu isn’t too satisfied with the makeup the artist did, so we were just about to redo her whole look.”
Tang Ning looked confused: “Isn’t the spokesperson supposed to be that cat? Why are you putting makeup on a person?”
She glanced at Fu Caicai: “I actually think it looks pretty good. Quite nice.”
That was the honest truth—Fu Caicai wasn’t ugly. A little touch-up and she could look pitifully delicate and charming.
“It’s just…” She touched her chin, thoughtful. “It doesn’t really look the same as you do in your livestreams.”
Fu Caicai’s face changed instantly.
Of course ten layers of filter looked different from real life. That’s why every time she went out, she spent ages on makeup, desperately trying to recreate that level-10 filter effect.
But the little assistant didn’t catch on and kept earnestly explaining to the big boss: “Miss Fu feels like we made her look a bit… a bit older.”
Fu Caicai’s face went pale, then green. She was about to tell the assistant to shut up when Tang Ning lifted her head and said lazily:
“Then you started crying too early, Miss Fu.”
“If you keep going down this internet celebrity path, once you finish eating the youth dividend of these few years, in two years you’ll still get called old. In three years you’ll get compared and stepped on—standing next to new girls and getting called old.”
Fu Caicai was shaking with rage: “You…!”
She couldn’t even finish a sentence. What Tang Ning said was the cold, hard truth.
“Sigh, so I’m really advising you to calm down a bit.” Tang Ning sighed with fake pity and affection. “If your dramas were as few as your brain cells, life would be a lot happier.”
With that, she gave the young woman’s shoulder a solemn, patronizing pat and turned to leave.
The hallway fell dead silent. President Tang’s high heels clicked crisply—da-da-da—as she walked away, hiding her achievements and fame like a true master.
Long after she was gone, Fu Caicai stood rooted to the spot, still feeling a lump of foul air raging in her chest.
The little assistant asked cautiously: “Miss Fu… are we still doing the makeup…?”
Fu Caicai exploded: “Do it my ass!”
No amount of makeup could turn her into Tang Ning’s face.
The corridor was quiet again. She slammed the dressing-room door so hard it shook the building.
The new product press conference went very smoothly.
Every time she attended events like this, Tang Ning felt like a company mascot on foster care—her only job was to smile, chat, take photos with everyone, and cooperate with reporters by reciting the pre-approved Q&A from the press release.
So the moment it ended, she jumped off the stage without hesitation.
Xia Fangjue was sitting in the front row. When he saw her coming over, he stood up with a smile: “Are you cold? Want to go change?”
The venue had heating. Tang Ning shook her head: “This is for you.”
She pulled out a small white gift box, her tone a little excited: “It won’t be on sale until next month. You’re our one and only designated beta tester.”
Xia Fangjue had already guessed what it was, but he played surprised: “So I’m the only koi fish in the whole venue?”
He smiled as he took it and opened the box right there.
—Sure enough, it was the custom collar she had promised him before. Since it was meant for a pet’s neck, the design was loaded with features but kept extremely clean and minimalist. The craftsmanship was exquisite; it didn’t feel heavy in the hand—lightweight, skin-friendly material.
Xia Fangjue ran his eyes over the collar. In the center hung a small tag: the front had “Xia” engraved, the back had the logos of TJ and the other partner company.
“Last time I saw your pet’s collar, it had your surname on it,” Tang Ning explained. “So I had one made just like that.”
Xia Fangjue couldn’t put it down. He loved how the little tag linked their two names together: “Thank you. I love it. The design is really smart—it’ll sell great.”
Being praised by a physics professor made Tang Ning beam: “Next time we have a new product, I’ll reserve one for you in advance too.”
“Then thank you in advance.” Xia Fangjue’s smile was radiant. “Looking forward to your new releases.”
The two of them were chatting in the venue when Jiang Linye came back from outside and saw exactly this scene.
The press conference had just wrapped. Media people were trickling out. A few executives and staff were still handling last-minute arrangements.
Tang Ning and Xia Fangjue were sitting in the front row, surrounded on all sides by the massive aquarium. Through the glass, schools of fish swam back and forth. The water’s light danced across the polished floor, scattering into tiny shimmering fragments.
Light flickered on and off. The noise receded like a tide. It felt like being at the bottom of ten thousand feet of ocean.
Jiang Linye’s figure paused slightly.
He saw Tang Ning laughing.
Her eyes curved into little bridges. Even her fox tail slipped out from under her skirt, wagging excitedly back and forth.
It had been so long since he’d seen her fox tail… No—since he’d seen her this excited.
Especially when he remembered how, just earlier, he’d tried to get in and been coldly blocked by the security guards. The reason they gave him was brutally inhumane:
“President Tang said: until the press conference ends, no one without an invitation gets in. Especially middle-aged men who look unfriendly.”
…Unfriendly-looking middle-aged man.
Jiang Linye felt a little wronged.
He took a deep breath, strode over with his long legs, and said in a low voice: “Ningning, time to go home.”
Ningning was startled badly by him.
The little fox whipped around, eyes wide open: “Why are you here again?”
Her expression and tone clearly weren’t welcoming.
He tried hard to ignore the discomfort: “When are you coming back with me?”
“Back where?”
“Home.”
“We don’t even live together. Why would I go back to your place?”
“…”
“Tang Ning.” Jiang Linye’s face turned a little cold. “How many times do I have to remind you? We’re not divorced.”
Here we go again, here we go again.
Tang Ning’s head was starting to hurt: “Wait a second.”
She turned around and apologized to Xia Fangjue with genuine embarrassment: “Sorry, excuse me for a moment. I have to deal with a tiny personal bullshit issue.”
“No problem.” Xia Fangjue smiled, calm and unruffled. “I’ll wait for you here.”
Tang Ning gave him a quick smile and nodded. When she turned back, half the smile vanished instantly: “Let’s go.”
There were still media people around. She didn’t want to end up on some rich-family scandal headline, so she reached out, grabbed this man who refused to become her ex-husband, and dragged him all the way out of the press conference venue.
Jiang Linye’s heart jumped with excitement for half a second when he saw her reach for him first.
But the next second he noticed—her ring finger was bare.
It felt like someone had punched him square in the chest and he couldn’t even hit back. His chest tightened painfully.
Tang Ning dragged him all the way to the relatively empty dolphin exhibit and stopped.
“What the hell do you want?” She looked at him strangely. “We don’t have feelings for each other. This is a story where you don’t like me and I don’t like you. Can’t we just part on good terms?”
Jiang Linye lowered his eyes to look at her. His thin lips pressed into a straight line. He wanted to say I’ve never not liked you, but what came out was something else: “There’s a charity banquet the day after tomorrow. I have to bring my wife. I kept calling you and couldn’t get through, so I came in person…”
“Can’t you just find any random female companion?” Tang Ning was blunt. “Events like that don’t require you to bring the legal wife.”
“If I bring someone else, the ‘loving couple’ persona will collapse.”
“But we’re going to have to drop that persona sooner or later anyway. After the divorce, we’ll have to make it public.”
Jiang Linye pressed his lips together: “There won’t be a divorce.”
Tang Ning: “…”
The cold wind hit her irritable self and suddenly made her want to sneeze. She thought—might as well strangle him right now and dump the body in the dolphin pool: “You are so fu—”
The next second, without a word, he suddenly held something out to her.
A small brown medicine bottle about half the size of a palm, capped with a huge green lid protecting a long nozzle.
Tang Ning froze for a second. It was a bottle of Flixonase.
She vaguely remembered—this nasal spray could relieve rhinitis symptoms. Earlier that morning, a staff member had gone out to buy it for her but came back empty-handed after checking several stores.
“I told you a long time ago,” Jiang Linye said calmly. “When are you finally going to listen to me for once?”
He paused. His gaze fell on her hands hanging at her sides. He couldn’t hold back anymore: “Also… where’s your ring?”
His hand hovered in mid-air. Tang Ning didn’t take the medicine.
Her breathing was uneven. Suddenly, she couldn’t quite remember what he looked like back in high school.
Wearing the blue-and-white school uniform, tall, standing in front of the desk backlit by sunlight—his whole figure wrapped in a soft, gentle halo. He used to get into fights, win them, then come running back acting pitiful, whining that it hurt.
But his face was already starting to blur in her memory.
Tang Ning avoided his hand, lowered her eyes, and said softly: “You’re really so annoying.”
Jiang Linye froze.
“Do you think doing all this right now has any meaning? Am I your pet or something? You can do whatever you want whenever you feel like it? Hug me when you remember I exist, humiliate me however you want when you’re in a bad mood? I don’t want to see you lately—can you just disappear for a while? Or is that too hard for you to understand?”
She took a deep breath. “Fine, let me say it again clearly: I don’t want to see you. I don’t hate you, but seeing you makes me feel bad. It’s precisely because I used to like you that it hurts even more. Thank you for helping me back then, but I still think I was a total idiot in high school. I can’t even imagine how I endured five whole years—does that make sense to you, President Jiang?”
Jiang Linye didn’t move.
But Tang Ning wasn’t finished. She reached into her small handbag and pulled out the ring she had just taken off: “Here’s your ring back. I wish you find true love soon and let me go. Give us both a clear blue sky and open sea.”
He looked stunned, as if he hadn’t processed it yet.
They had fought before, sure—but she had never said anything like this. She didn’t hate him. She was just regretting herself.
And somehow that felt even worse.
“Tang…” After a long silence, Jiang Linye was about to speak when a dark shadow suddenly leaped out of the water. His eyes sharpened. Instinctively, he grabbed Tang Ning and pulled her sharply toward him.
The huge dolphin exhibit was empty. The air felt cold and crisp. A dolphin secretly jumped up from the water—splash—then fell back with a loud thud, sending huge waves rippling outward.
Tang Ning was startled. Pulled hard, she crashed heavily into the man’s chest.
Everything went quiet. Watery light danced across the ceiling. She caught the faint, clean scent of laundry from his collar.
It lasted only a second.
Tang Ning reacted instantly and pushed him away: “Don’t… don’t touch me.”
Almost at the same moment, the small ring slipped from her palm. It rolled—clack clack—into the water. No splash, just vanished beneath the ripples.
Tang Ning froze for a second before realizing: “Fuck…”
She quickly turned to call for staff.
The dolphin pool wasn’t that big. Logically, it shouldn’t be hard to find.
But Jiang Linye hadn’t said a word the whole time.
Tang Ning felt something was off. After taking two steps, she turned back.
The exhibit air was chilly, with occasional drafts. She saw Jiang Linye standing alone by the pool edge, motionless, staring at the gradually calming water surface. For some reason, his eyes had suddenly turned red.
“It’s just a ring. Don’t cry.” Tang Ning suddenly felt a pang of softness. She walked back.
She licked her lips, tilted her head up, opened her big eyes wide, and lowered her voice. Very seriously, she tried to comfort him: “President Tang has plenty of money. Just sign the divorce papers, and I’ll buy you ten even more expensive ones, okay?”
Author’s Note:
Selected treasure quotes from Chapter 19:
Author’s unified reply: hahahahahahahahahahahahaha Bonnie Bunny I want one too, no pink diamond .avi sorry