Zhao Shuyao couldn't understand what was wrong with this man. He should be the one who wanted a divorce the most. After divorcing, he could marry Huo Yanxue. Wasn't this what the man wanted? Why did he act as if he hadn't seen anything when she proposed divorce last time?
Did he find it fun to toy with her?
"Zhao Shuyao, do you think you can resolve everything with a simple word of divorce after wasting so many of my years?!"
Qin Yusheng suppressed the rage in his heart, lowered his voice, and spoke in a tone only the two of them could hear.
"Qin Yusheng, whether you believe it or not, I didn't toy with you. I don't know who drugged me and sent me to your bed in the first place. I never intended to interfere in your relationship with Huo Yanxue. If you feel wronged or unhappy, you can sign the divorce papers and then make your plans..."
Qin Yusheng laughed in anger. "Do you think I'd believe your nonsense? I'm telling you, Zhao Shuyao, you'll never escape my grasp in this lifetime!"
"Qin Yusheng! That's enough! If you were truly a man, you would sign it today!"
Zhao Shuyao raised her voice and shouted. In front of so many people, she yelled so loudly.
She was forcing him.
Yes.
Zhao Shuyao had imagined countless scenarios of their divorce.
Yet, even she hadn't expected that she would be the one forcing this man to divorce.
It was quiet around them. The dozen or so people in the private room all sighed. No one dared to speak, watching the confrontation in silence.
"Brother Yusheng, please don't be like this. If you divorce Sister, I'll be sad..."
After Huo Yanxue finished speaking, as if afraid Qin Yusheng would truly not divorce Zhao Shuyao, she added.
"The day you married Sister, I became a vegetative state and slept for three years. I have no other wishes. Even if I can't marry you, even if we could just have a wedding ceremony, I would be content. I don't care if people call me a homewrecker, or your mistress, or if I have no status. As long as I can be by your side, until death, it's enough..."
Zhao Shuyao almost wanted to vomit.
Her stomach churned violently.
She pressed her tongue against her throat, forcing herself to hold back.
Huo Yanxue had truly mastered the art of playing innocent while being manipulative.
If she had even a fraction of Huo Yanxue's cunning, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
Forget it!
Zhao Shuyao signed her name on the divorce agreement and pushed it towards Qin Yusheng.
"Did you hear that, Mr. Qin? If you don't sign, your precious darling will forever be nameless and without status, forever a mistress in the shadows, a third party who can never stand openly by your side. As long as you sign, you can not only hold hands publicly but also get married. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Her face was beaming with a smile.
But her heart felt as if it had been torn in half, bleeding and aching.
"Sign it, Mr. Qin."
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Time seemed to have pressed the pause button on the man.
"Brother Yusheng..." Huo Yanxue couldn't help but urge.
Victory was within reach. Why was this man hesitating, wavering?
The man slowly raised his hand and picked up the pen.
The pen on the table felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
He held it in his hand, his movements delayed.
"Brother Yusheng, it's alright if I'm wronged. Let's just forget it. It's just being nameless and without status. I can bear this grievance. Please don't hurt your relationship with Sister. I don't want to see you like this because of me..."
Huo Yanxue pursed her lips and said softly.
The onlookers understood the situation clearly, but no one spoke.
Zhao Shuyao didn't stop Huo Yanxue from speaking. This was what she wanted.
She pushed the divorce agreement towards Qin Yusheng's pen tip.
"Sign here."
Zhao Shuyao reminded him warmly.
She saw the veins bulging on the back of the man's hand, as if he were enduring something.
Zhao Shuyao wanted to laugh.
What was he enduring? Had he been infected by being with Huo Yanxue, and was now putting on an act of reluctance?
There was no need for that!
"Sign quickly. I don't want a penny. I'm leaving with nothing. It's all for you and your Xue'er as an engagement gift. Don't worry!"
Zhao Shuyao was getting impatient and began to urge Qin Yusheng.
The man gritted his back teeth fiercely and signed his name, three sharp strokes.
Qin Yusheng.
Good.
Zhao Shuyao collected the divorce agreement with satisfaction, as if afraid Qin Yusheng would change his mind. "Thank you, Mr. Qin, for sparing my life!"
"It's been three years. I used to imagine what it would be like when we divorced. I thought I would cry, make a scene, and be heartbroken. But when I saw Qin Yusheng sign, my heart was incredibly calm. I even wanted to buy a cake to celebrate."
Zhao Shuyao stood at the hotel entrance. The cold wind of the capital blew past, but she felt no chill.
She said this to Jiang Shiyu on the phone, her eyes even welling up with tears.
Not from sadness, but from joy.
Joy that the tragic life of her marriage was finally coming to an end.
"Congratulations."
Jiang Shiyu ordered a cake and wrote Zhao Shuyao's address on it.
Zhao Shuyao returned to the marital home and packed her luggage. As she was leaving with her suitcase, she received the cake sent by Jiang Shiyu. It was a strawberry cake, a full eight inches, heavy.
"Thank you!" Zhao Shuyao picked up the card on the cake. There was a line of text written on it.
Congratulations on escaping the sea of suffering.
Zhao Shuyao took a taxi to the hotel.
The first thing she did upon entering the room was to call Li Huiyun.
"Auntie, I'm divorced. Please tell Dad that the Qin family might withdraw their investment..."
The Zhao family had been acquired by the Qin family and had been operating with their backing for years. Although Le Haitian was the chairman, he was merely a figurehead.
As soon as the Qin family withdrew their support from the Zhao family, her father would be the first to be removed from his position.
"Okay, be careful. I'll inform your father. Your father and I have already purchased a house under a relative's name. If the Qin family withdraws its investment and your father's company collapses, we'll still have a fallback. Your sister is working, and your father and I can do odd jobs to make a living..."
Li Huiyun didn't react much. Her voice was unusually gentle.
Zhao Shuyao's eyes stung slightly. Only then did she realize how little she had understood this woman over the years, how deeply she had misunderstood her, just as Qin Yusheng misunderstood her.
The man refused to listen to her explanation, just as she had refused to listen to Li Huiyun's.
"I'm sorry, I was too rebellious all these years."
After speaking, Zhao Shuyao hung up the phone.
Tears silently rolled down her cheeks.
Silly girl, why are you crying? You're about to welcome your new life.
Zhao Shuyao wiped away the tears from her face and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
This feeling was like being reborn.