Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Six months ago, the first time Yuan Shiyu brought up divorce, it was also at the hospital.
That day, Song Wantang had gone to deliver his stomach medicine. Just as she reached the cardiovascular surgery building, she saw Yuan Shiyu holding an umbrella, shielding Gu Yanxi as she got into a car. Gu Yanxi was holding a young girl in her arms who was running a fever. Yuan Shiyu crouched down to adjust the child’s shoelaces, his movements as gentle as they had been many years ago when he knelt on the floor of a bridal shop to tie the strings of her apron.
Song Wantang stood in the rain, watching for a long time.
Rainwater cascaded down the ribs of the umbrella, splashing at her feet like an endless barrage of needles.
By the time Yuan Shiyu returned to his office, she was already waiting inside.
The stomach medicine on the desk was half-soaked, the edges of the box wrinkled. Yuan Shiyu glanced at her, his brow furrowing. “Why didn’t you use an umbrella?”
“Who is she?”
Yuan Shiyu fell silent for two seconds, avoiding her gaze.
“A colleague.”
“Does a colleague need you to carry her child to the ER? Does she need you to tie her shoelaces? Does she need you to transfer two hundred thousand to her at two in the morning?”
She slammed her phone onto the desk.
Bank notifications, surreptitious videos from the parking lot, and anonymous, speculative posts from the hospital forum-each piece of evidence was laid out there like pre-driven nails.
After Yuan Shiyu finished looking at them, he simply pushed the phone back.
“Song Wantang, let’s get a divorce.”
A crack of thunder exploded outside.
She was stunned for a long while before she suddenly laughed.
“So, that’s the truth?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t even bother to explain?”
“There’s no point.”
There’s no point.
Those words were more hurtful than any “I don’t love you anymore.”
Song Wantang stared at him, her eyes gradually reddening. “Yuan Shiyu, back then you spent eight months pursuing me at my shop, saying you’d treat me well for a lifetime. Now you’re telling me there’s no point?”
Yuan Shiyu stood rooted to the spot, as if pinned down by something.
After a long silence, he said softly, “Wantang, people change.”
Song Wantang slapped him hard.
When the blow landed, her own hand went numb with pain.
But Yuan Shiyu didn’t dodge or get angry. He simply turned his head, half of his face quickly flushing red.
He said, “I’ll have the lawyer draw up the divorce agreement. You can have the house and the shop. You can ask for whatever else you want.”
Song Wantang stared at him, suddenly feeling that the person in front of her was a complete stranger.
She took the wedding ring off her ring finger and placed it on his desk.
“I just want you to never show your face in front of me again.”
She turned and left.
As she reached the door, a faint sound of impact came from behind her, like something being caught just as it was about to fall.
She didn’t look back.
Only later did she learn that less than ten minutes after she left that day, Yuan Shiyu had collapsed in his office for the first time.