10 – Divorсе Аgrееmеnt
Nо one knеw whаt Lu Jin hаd sаid, but thе old man hurled а wаter glass оut of the studу.
Ноwеvеr, Lu Zhеng’s final wоrds wеrе hеard clеarly by neаrlу all thе guеsts рrеsеnt.
Tоdау’s feast hаd turnеd into quitе the thrilling speсtaсle.
Chen Qingzhi hаdn’t eхpесted the rеlationship bеtwееn thе grandfathеr аnd grаndsоn to be sо strainеd now, and shе was still hesitаting whether tо go upstairs tо сhеck оn Lu Jin.
“It’s аll becausе of уоu.”
Shi Miaоmiao stirrеd the dеssеrt in frоnt of hеr with a spоon, staring glооmilу at Chen Qingzhi:
“You brought scandal tо thе Lu family, which is why Grаndрa Lu is so furious with Аh Jin.”
Liаng Yilou wiped Chengcheng’s mouth and glanced at Shi Miaomiao:
“Don’t forget you’ve already married into our Liang family.”
Shi Miaomiao suddenly put down her spoon and glared fiercely at Liang Yilou:
“So protective of your ex-girlfriend? Don’t forget you’re already married!”
The entire restaurant fell into an awkward silence, and even the ever-diplomatic Lu Minglan didn’t know how to respond.
In fact, Liang Yilou had initially been Chen Qingzhi’s nominal boyfriend.
Chen Qingzhi had gained some popularity through a dating reality show, where the production team paired her with Liang Yilou.
The Liang family was wealthy, and Liang Yilou, the second-generation heir, had entered the entertainment industry purely for fun.
The show had a script, and the two of them were merely acting according to it.
Unexpectedly, it became a hit.
Bound by the contract with the production team, they had to promote their “relationship” wherever they went during the promotional period. Chen Qingzhi had simply approached it as part of her job and cooperated actively.
Just before the contract expired, Liang Yilou suddenly asked her if she was willing to continue pretending to be a couple.
First, his family background was too prominent, and he was constantly harassed by opportunistic female celebrities.
Second, with the support of Liang, the second-generation heir, people in the industry would show Chen Qingzhi some respect.
The two hit it off immediately, and their contractual relationship lasted for over four years, eventually turning into a close friendship.
From time to time, they would release fake “sweet moments” like “late-night meetings” or “romantic shopping trips” to satisfy their fans.
Until two years ago, when Liang Yilou suddenly announced that he was married and admitted to having a child.
The “contractual relationship” officially ended.
Their fans immediately turned against them.
Chen Qingzhi was labeled as a homewrecker and a liar, going from a rising star to being universally criticized online.
Since then, she had developed a shadow over such matters and had hardly appeared on any variety shows.
To be fair, most of this was actually Liang Yilou’s fault and shouldn’t have been borne by Chen Qingzhi.
Liang Yilou had sincerely apologized to her: the Shi, Lu, and Liang families had been close for generations.
Under pressure from their elders and to preserve the reputation of the three families,
Liang Yilou had no choice but to act first and announce his marriage unilaterally.
To this day, Chen Qingzhi still resented Liang Yilou’s actions back then.
Not because she had feelings for him,
but because she couldn’t let go of the betrayal by a partner she had worked with for so many years.
Chengcheng was now over two years old, and Liang and Shi had gotten married for the child’s sake.
Both coming from wealthy families, they chose to live separately due to their incompatibility.
Chen Qingzhi often reflected that Shi Miaomiao was living the perfect protagonist’s life.
Born into a wealthy family, she was the center of attention.
Lu Jin had married her to spite his ex-fiancée.
Liang Yilou had pushed her to endure online violence to protect the child’s mother.
Now, even if Shi Miaomiao and Liang Yilou shamelessly exposed each other’s flaws at the Lu family home, Lu Minglan wouldn’t criticize her in the slightest.
No matter how resilient Chen Qingzhi was, such a stark contrast still made her feel a sense of rejection and awkwardness.
Lu Jin’s call came at just the right moment:”Come up to my room.”
“Don’t we still have to draft the… this afternoon?”
Chen Qingzhi almost said the words “divorce agreement,” then pretended to be calm as she continued:
“Isn’t there still business to attend to?”
Lu Jin’s voice was cool and detached:
“Come up, I’ve got a cut on my face.”
Remembering the last time Lu Jin was beaten black and blue for marrying her, his back torn and bleeding, Chen Qingzhi felt a bit panicked:
“I’ll be right there!”
…
“Such a ‘deep’ cut—good thing I ran fast, or it would’ve healed already!”
Chen Qingzhi irritably tore off the band-aid and slapped it firmly onto Lu Jin’s forehead.
She had thought it was a serious injury, but it wasn’t even as wide as her little fingernail.
It must have been from the glass his grandfather threw at him earlier, which shattered against the railing and sent a fragment flying to his face, causing a bit of bleeding.
Lu Jin closed the bedroom door, sighed in relief, and began negotiating with Chen Qingzhi:
“The divorce might have to be postponed a bit longer.”
Chen Qingzhi leaned back on the sofa, scrolling through her phone:
“Why?”
Lu Jin also settled into the other side of the sofa, closing his eyes to rest, looking weary:
“The group is in the middle of reforms right now, and it’s tough going. I still need you to help me put up the front of being infatuated with beauty, to confuse those old fogies.”
Chen Qingzhi laughed, her eyes sparkling:
“Am I that beautiful?”
“…”
Is this woman missing a screw? How can she miss the point?
Lu Jin paused his hand, which was massaging his temples, opened his eyes, and teased her:
“Just average.”
Chen Qingzhi argued back: “You just said ‘infatuated with beauty’!”
Lu Jin let out an “oh,” pretending to suddenly understand.
Then he slowly and deliberately provoked her:
“It was just an analogy, don’t take it seriously.”
The smile instantly vanished from Chen Qingzhi’s face. She scoffed and asked:
“What’s in it for me, then?”
Being married had drastically narrowed her acting opportunities!
Chen Qingzhi had debuted from a beauty pageant for young girls.
In just five years in the entertainment industry, she had gone from a young beauty to a young married woman. The school-themed scripts she used to love getting offers for—now she couldn’t land a single one!
Lu Jin replied:
“For the drama that’s being revamped now, I’ll upgrade it to an S+ production. The screenwriter, director, and cinematographer will all be top-tier in the industry. If you put in the effort, you might even snag an award.”
Chen Qingzhi pressed her lips together and turned her head toward the window.
Suppressing a smile, she imitated Lu Jin’s earlier tone and let out an “oh.”
Then, slowly and deliberately mimicking his earlier manner of speaking:
“Just average, so-so.”
Young Master Lu Jin had an air of arrogance about him, and even when negotiating a deal, he carried a hint of pride.
Chen Qingzhi used to love imitating his mannerisms to annoy him.
Lu Jin often got irritated, and it never failed.
“…”
The young master gritted his teeth, clearly provoked once again.
Chen Qingzhi glanced at his gloomy expression, remembering how Lu Jin used to look just like this when he got angry as a child, and couldn’t help but cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.
The Jingda residential compound had six floors in total, with no elevator. Lu Jin and his father happened to live on the top floor.
“The environment here is terrible, and the people are noisy. Yesterday, someone downstairs was playing the violin like they were sawing wood—it tortured me all afternoon! If it weren’t for making sure you take your medicine, I wouldn’t have bothered coming along!”
Seven-year-old Lu Jin, pale and skinny, followed behind his father, Lu Mingze, panting and complaining as he climbed the stairs.
Lu Mingze had a weak heart, and his lips were perpetually pale. He smiled gently and comforted his son in a soft voice:
“Then I must thank our little Ah Jin for taking care of me.”
“Cut it out.”Lu Jin’s tone suddenly softened, though his expression still feigned disdain:
“Don’t be so mushy.”
Chen Qingzhi, who was just one flight of stairs below them, suddenly remembered that her mother had forced her to practice the violin all afternoon yesterday.
After a few seconds of processing this, she couldn’t hold back.
She burst into loud, pitiful sobs, clutching her father’s arm as she complained:
“Daddy… wuwu… I never want to touch the violin again, please beg Mom for me… wuwu…”
Upstairs, the two Lu men abruptly stopped their conversation and exchanged bewildered glances:
“…”