The news was all over the place, and Zhou Jinbei, a savvy internet user, naturally saw it.
Her first reaction was disbelief, thinking Zhan Beijue had been framed. She quickly called him to report.
Zhan Beijue, having just deplaned, saw her call and answered impatiently.
"What is it?"
"Second Brother, where are you now?"
"Speak quickly if you have something to say."
"What's going on with the news? Who is that woman? Do you know you've been photographed?"
Zhan Beijue hadn't seen the news yet and was naturally confused.
"What news?"
"You don't know? Hurry up and log into Weibo to check. You're rumored to be in a scandal with a woman, and the whole internet is shipping you two!"
Zhou Jinbei sounded extremely worried.
"I don't know if my sister-in-law has seen it. What's wrong with you? You usually don't like to interact with other women, so how could this happen..."
Zhan Beijue hung up the phone.
He logged into Weibo and took a look. Damn it, they must have discovered that the money in the account was fake, and the other party was retaliating.
They had been monitoring him all along?
Truly courting death.
Eager to confront him, Zhan Beijue, did they really think they were so capable that they couldn't find out his background?
Zhan Beijue didn't call for a pick-up and took a taxi home.
The children had gone to school. Upon entering the house, only Jiang Nanfang was sitting in the hall.
Her slender back was turned to the door, and she was staring out the window in a daze, lost in thought.
Zhan Beijue had thought a lot on the way back from the airport.
He couldn't explain this matter to Jiang Nanfang.
If she didn't trust him, a major conflict was inevitable.
With someone determined to confront him behind his back and daring to attack Zhan Beijue, they might target the children in the future.
It was better to play along.
If Jiang Nanfang insisted on breaking up, then so be it.
Temporarily separating her and the children from this matter would allow him to fight the opponent with peace of mind.
He deliberately made his footsteps loud, knowing that with Jiang Nanfang's intelligence, she would surely guess he was back.
However, even when he reached her back, Jiang Nanfang didn't turn around.
Zhan Beijue stood a couple of steps away and paused for a moment before finally losing his patience and speaking first.
"What are you doing?"
Jiang Nanfang had envisioned many scenarios for their conversation after his return.
She had never expected him to be so calm, and for his first words to be this.
The drastic difference, making him seem like a different person, made Jiang Nanfang suspect if the tenderness of the past few months was just a figment of her imagination.
Suppressing the anger in her heart, she slowly turned around and looked at him expressionlessly.
"Do you have anything you want to tell me?"
Zhan Beijue knew what she was referring to.
Her reaction was not much different from what he had expected.
She was waiting for an explanation.
Unfortunately, he didn't dare to give one.
"You're referring to the news. If you believe those rumors, I have nothing to say."
Nothing to say.
Jiang Nanfang sighed a long, drawn-out sigh in her heart, almost unable to suppress a laugh.
"Are you feeling wronged by my distrust, Zhan Beijue?"
"I want to believe you, but how have you been acting lately?"
"You've been with her in North City, staying in hotels together, going to the hospital together. The financing was fake, and the reason for the fight was also fake."
"If it were you, seeing me like this with someone else, could you deceive yourself into thinking it was all a coincidence?"
So she had known all along, and she saw through all the lies he had told in North City...
Zhan Beijue also sighed inwardly.
He felt exhausted, with everyone asking him for an explanation.
He hadn't done anything, yet it felt as if he owed everyone.
An indescribable weariness washed over him from head to toe. He sat down on the sofa, closed his eyes, crossed his long legs on the coffee table, and assumed a posture that would bring him the most comfort.
With a sense of resignation, he said, "So what do you want now?"
This statement was tantamount to an admission.
"Yes, I did it, and since you've found out, let's just lay our cards on the table."
Jiang Nanfang never expected that after experiencing so much together, they would reach this point.
To break up so indifferently and distantly.
But it was also good.
His attitude would allow her to completely give up on him without any lingering attachment.
Not to hold onto such a heartless man for even a moment.
"Divorce."
She said the most ironic words in the world in a calm, unruffled voice.
"Actually, you didn't need to do this at all. If you like her, just tell me openly. I, Jiang Nanfang, am not short of suitors and won't cling to you."
Zhan Beijue felt as if countless sharp knives were piercing his heart, causing him to flinch in pain.
But he knew that at this point, it was his own fault, and he didn't deserve to express his weakness.
He faced her with an equally calm expression. "Alright, but I have a condition."
Very good. For that woman, he was brave enough to take responsibility and agreed to the divorce.
But he still had conditions? Did he think Jiang Nanfang was stupid and easy to bully?
She knew Zhan Beijue couldn't want anything from her; the only thing he could want was the children.
"What right do you have to negotiate with me? Can't that woman have children? Or can't you? You want to fight me for the children? You are the party at fault, and I'm not afraid to go to court with you."
At this critical moment, she was still willing to protect his offspring, which satisfied Zhan Beijue.
"I don't want to fight you for the children; I just ask that you don't take them away."
"As long as you don't leave Nan City, you can do whatever you want."
He used the word "beg."
Jiang Nanfang couldn't understand.
Sometimes he acted like a loving father, like a perfect father in a fairy tale, but behind closed doors...
"You're holding the children hostage all the time; aren't you afraid they'll hate you when they find out?"
Zhan Beijue closed his eyes and exhaled softly.
"It's useless to say more at this point. As long as you agree to my condition, you can have all four of them."
Jiang Nanfang naturally refused to be threatened. "What if I don't agree?"
"After all, we were husband and wife. I understand your weaknesses, and you know my capabilities. Even though we're divorced, we're still parents to the children. I don't want to make our relationship too strained."
"So, if I don't agree to your condition, you plan to force me?"
"It's not about forcing. It's just that I'll restrict your ability to leave the country. I know a few people who can handle this easily."
Shameless.
Through his venomous words, Jiang Nanfang once again felt the blindness of her own judgment.
Such a heartless and ruthless man, just because he said a few sweet words, she forgot his true nature.
Jiang Nanfang, Jiang Nanfang, falling into the same pit twice, you are truly outrageously stupid.
"You're counting on me having less power and status than you, and you want us to be sworn enemies for the rest of our lives?"
Zhan Beijue still had his eyes closed, his tone indifferent. "No."
"I've made it clear. As long as you don't leave Nan City, we can get along peacefully."
"When something happens, I'll do my best to help you. We're still friends, and I never intended to strain our relationship."