“What else can you do besides running your mouth?”
My wife, Li Ya, kicked me right off the bed. No matter how sweetly I tried to talk my way back into her good graces, she made no effort to hide the disgust on her face.
I rubbed my sore backside as I climbed to my feet, smiling awkwardly. “Honey, give me one more chance.”
“Give you a chance? It’s been three whole years. When have you ever acted like a man?” Li Ya snapped impatiently. “Enough, Zhang Yang. I don’t want to say any more. I was blind back then. How could I have married a useless man like you?”
As she spoke, Li Ya climbed out of bed naked, went over to her bag, pulled out a folder, and flung it at my face. “It’s a divorce agreement. Take a look. You have one day to think it over. Tomorrow morning, I’ll see you at the Civil Affairs Bureau.”
“But why?” I stared blankly at the documents scattered across the floor. The words “divorce agreement” stood out painfully.
“Why?” Li Ya scoffed. “Zhang Yang, besides being handsome, what do you have going for you? You can’t make any money, and you’re useless in bed. What do I get out of being with you?”
Humiliation welled up inside me, and I instinctively clenched my fists.
But I knew Li Ya was telling the truth.
Back when we were in college, I’d been the Campus Heartthrob, and Li Ya had been the campus beauty.
In everyone’s eyes, we were a match made in heaven.
After graduation, hoping to make quick money, I’d resolutely gone into real estate, abandoning my college major, traditional chinese medicine.
Who could have known fate would take such a cruel turn?
I’d only just started working as a broker when the real estate market took a sharp downturn.
Before I could even dream of making a fortune, reality had beaten me to a pulp.
Now I could only scrape by on a basic salary of two thousand yuan a month. I could barely afford to eat.
On top of that, I’d become increasingly incapable in bed, making things between us even more strained.
Looking at Li Ya’s nearly perfect figure, I was filled with reluctance to let her go. “Li Ya, can you give me one more chance? Ever since we got married, I’ve given you all the money I’ve earned, and I’ve done all the cooking, laundry, and housework. I…”
“Enough!” Li Ya cut me off roughly. She put on her underwear right in front of me, then pulled on yoga pants and pointed at my nose. “You’re useless. I’ve made up my mind. Nothing you say will change that.”
Ding!
The phone Li Ya had left on the bedside table chimed.
It was a WeChat message.
I glanced at it instinctively.
When I saw the name, I froze: Chen Ming.
Chen Ming, my good friend from college who’d slept in the bunk above mine.
Why was he texting my wife?
I was just about to grab the phone and read the message when Li Ya snatched it away. A trace of panic flashed in her eyes. “What are you doing? We’re about to get divorced, and you still want to look at my phone?”
“Why is Chen Ming texting you?” My face flushed as my eyes widened. “Have you been sneaking around with Chen Ming this whole time?”
Chen Ming worked at the same company as Li Ya. He was also her department manager and earned nearly thirty thousand yuan a month—many times what I made.
Could he really be involved with my wife?
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Li Ya gripped her phone tightly. “Besides, why should I have to explain myself to you? We’re getting divorced anyway. Chen Ming is far better than you, you useless man.”
“That’s enough. I’m tired too. Let’s part on good terms. Remember to meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau at nine tomorrow morning.”
With that, Li Ya slung her bag over her shoulder and clicked away in her high heels.
I was so furious that I tore the divorce agreement to shreds.
“Li Ya, how dare you betray me! Fine! You want a divorce? Then I won’t give you one!” I became more and more convinced that Li Ya and Chen Ming were having an affair.
I took out my phone, found Chen Ming’s number, and prepared to confront him.
But as I stared at his name, I slowly calmed down.
What good would it do to confront him if he simply denied everything?
Besides, Chen Ming’s wife was a Flight Attendant. Though she was often away on business trips, she had an exceptional air about her, and she was more beautiful and better built than Li Ya.
The first time Chen Ming brought his wife to meet me, I’d been stunned by her beauty.
Chen Ming would have to be out of his mind to get involved with Li Ya, wouldn’t he?
Right!
No matter what, I needed to find proof first.
Even if we got divorced, I couldn’t let it end without knowing the truth.
Having made up my mind, I quickly put on a suit, washed my face, hopped on a shared bicycle, and headed straight to work.
The city was bustling in the early morning. The streets were full of people, all hurrying about.
As I passed a Hotel near my home, I glanced over without thinking and saw a man and a woman with their arms around each other, kissing beside a taxi.
The moment I saw the woman’s back, my mind exploded.
She was dressed exactly like Li Ya had been when she left.
Even her figure looked exactly the same.
Was she really that impatient?
I completely lost control and rushed over, shoving the woman aside before punching the man in the face. “You shameless woman! Are you so desperate you couldn’t even wait a day?”
Wham!
I’d put all my strength into that punch, and the man’s nose started bleeding.
“Zhang Yang, are you fucking crazy?”
Just as I was about to let loose on the man, the woman grabbed my sleeve and slapped me across the face. “Stop it!”
“Stop? Why should I stop? Li Ya, you…” I turned to glare at the woman.
But the moment I looked at her, the words died in my throat.
The woman in front of me wasn’t Li Ya at all, but her older sister, Li Qing, who was two years older than her.
Li Ya and Li Qing looked remarkably alike, both in face and figure.
I’d been too flustered to recognize her.
“Sis…”
My anger quickly faded, and I managed an awkward smile. “I—I didn’t mean to.”
As I spoke, I hurried over to help the person I’d knocked down.
As I helped her up, I accidentally touched her chest.
It felt soft.
I froze for a moment.
Then I quickly looked up at her face.
A clean, delicate woman’s face.
And no Adam’s apple.
She was dressed like a man, but she was a woman.
I was utterly bewildered.
“Darling, go home first. I’ll handle this.” Li Qing seemed to notice my shock. She quickly pulled the woman free of my grasp and spoke to her quietly. After seeing her into the taxi, she came back to face me.
“Sis, you and that woman just now…” My mind filled with scenes of two women together from all the movies I’d seen.
No wonder Li Qing was against marriage.
I’d always thought she was just picky, but now it seemed she might not like men at all.
“Shut up!” Panic showed in Li Qing’s eyes as she dragged me aside and lowered her voice. “Zhang Yang, keep this to yourself. If you tell anyone, I’ll never forgive you.”
Hearing Li Qing’s words confirmed my suspicions.
Before, because I doted on Li Ya, I’d gone out of my way to please her family too.
But now Li Ya and I were getting divorced. Who was going to keep indulging you?
I straightened up, the corners of my mouth slowly curving upward as I brazenly sized up Li Qing’s graceful figure, shedding my earlier timid act. “Sis, I can keep your secret, but you’ll have to agree to one condition.”