Chapter 30: When It Comes to Divorce, Of Course He Has to Participate
Gently laying him down, Shan Dai pulled the blanket back over him before heading to the single sofa next door, grabbing a quilt to bundle herself up.
Pu Huaiyan was about a meter and a half away from her, sleeping soundly. Shan Dai quietly recalled those words he had spoken earlier, reviewing every single sentence in her head. Finally, she sent a message to Lu Zhixing, telling him she would be back in Lan City in a day or two and asking when he would be free.
He replied: “Daidai, I’m so sorry. Can you wait two days for me? I’m currently on a business trip. I swear I’ll go with you as soon as I get back. I’m currently abroad.”
He wasn’t abroad at all—he was right here in Beijing.
Shan Dai suddenly laughed, throwing her head back in amusement. He didn’t even dare let her know he had come to Beijing on business again. After committing infidelity on his last trip here, he didn’t dare mention it now.
This marriage was looking more and more laughable by the second.
Shan Dai remembered back when they were dating, when he used to send her multiple check-in messages a day.
Back when the internet was just starting to boom, she hadn’t been very keen on participating in these emerging digital trends. Her graduate school life had kept her so busy her feet barely touched the ground, leaving her with no time to play on her phone. But after getting a boyfriend, keeping in touch was a must.
Her social media account began receiving an endless stream of daily messages—all from Lu Zhixing. He would tell her whom he was meeting today, whether they were male or female, and whenever females were involved, he’d practically report their ancestral home address to her, terrified she might feel insecure.
Once upon a time, he had been like that; now, he was secretly seeing another woman behind her back, deleting chat logs, choosing an obscure email platform almost no one would notice as a messaging channel, and specifically hiding the fact that he was on a business trip in Beijing today. She still remembered the last time they came here—they had laid on the same bed, and he had told her that when winter came, he would take her to see the snow if she was free.
What was going through his head back then? Taking her to see the snow by day, and meeting his mistress by night?
His current reply, aside from concealing his business location, even gave off a vibe that he couldn’t wait to get a divorce either.
Perhaps once he came to his senses, she was no longer worth it to him—not worth him moping in sorrow and begging her to stay.
As her thoughts drifted, her eyelids grew heavier. Unable to hold out any longer, Shan Dai cast one last glance at the man on the long sofa before curling up inside her single sofa.
Throughout the night, she drifted in and out of dazed dreams half-filled with Pu Huaiyan.
During the first half of the night, she dreamed of meeting him back before she was married.
In the second half, she dreamed of her wedding day, right when Pu Huaiyan happened to know her. Back then, he was already Lu Zhixing’s boss and had been invited to attend their wedding.
He told her at the wedding that if she ever regretted it in the future, she should come find him in Beijing. She thought he was being bizarre, but given that he had presented them with a lavish wedding gift, she refrained from telling Lu Zhixing that his boss had issues.
Then, just one month into the marriage, she discovered Lu Zhixing’s infidelity.
Right after, as if having insider information, Pu Huaiyan called her that very day to confess his love to her.
Waking up in the middle of the night, Shan Dai let out a slightly speechlessly resigned sigh, glanced at the man next door, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.
Before long, the sky gradually transitioned from dark to clear, and a pale dawn accompanied by morning clouds lightly spilled into the room.
Rolling over, his throat tightening from dryness, Pu Huaiyan opened his eyes.
Before he could gather his thoughts, he noticed a tiny lump in the corner of his peripheral vision.
He turned his stiff neck to look over.
Inside the single sofa at the top right corner, the girl was curled up inside, wrapped so softly in a plush silk quilt against the chilly air conditioning that she looked like a soft, squishy loaf of bread.
A few strands of pitch-black hair dangled outside, with half of her snow-white little face exposed above the quilt—just half a face. From his perspective, she looked like a flower bud poised to bloom, delicate and pink, pale as snow.
He climbed up, got out of bed, and walked over.
She was sleeping deeply, her breathing light and fainter than a trace—utterly adorable.
Pu Huaiyan looked at his long sofa, then looked at her little sofa, and finally looked at the two-meter king-sized bed not far away.
He understood why she hadn’t slept on the bed; she had intentionally come in last night at first, which he knew, though he hadn’t expected the alcohol to hit so hard later that he simply passed out.
Intermittent fragments of words accompanied by fractured memories swept over like a morning breeze. He recalled that line— I like you, I love you… Holding his breath, his eyes fixed on the person on the sofa.
Her sleeping face was as breathtaking as a painting.
Pu Huaiyan gently removed the quilt from her body.
He tossed the quilt onto the bed first, then returned, bent down, slipped his hand beneath her curled knees, and passed his other hand beneath her nape, carefully lifting her up.
It wasn’t that he had never held her before, but back then she was conscious. Right now, in her unconscious state, her soft body pressed right into his arms like this. Having been wrapped in the warm bedding all night, her body was so warm it felt as if it could scorch his heart.
Once Pu Huaiyan picked her up, he couldn’t bear to put her down. After pausing to steady himself, he moved to carry her over to the bed.
He laid her flat with delicate movements, pulled over the quilt he had tossed over earlier, and covered her up meticulously.
After using the remote to close the curtains, the bright light in the room turned soft and hazy.
The girl shifted her body slightly, turning her face toward him as her hair spilled across the pillow. Her slender neck was white as jade, and her facial features were so striking, shining as brilliantly as the morning light outside.
Pu Huaiyan turned around, straightened out the messy AC quilt on the sofa, turned, and left the room.
Outside, it was still very quiet; the huge house seemed as if no one lived in it.
Passing through the long corridor, he looked down at the double-height living room. A man was lying upside down on the sofa—there hadn’t been enough guest rooms at home to accommodate that crowd.
Pu Huaiyan cast a single glance before heading up to the fourth floor, returning to his room to take a shower, and finally coming back downstairs to brew coffee.
Zhou Xiangming appeared behind him like a ghost while he was busy. “Gimme a cup.”
“…”
Pu Huaiyan hadn’t noticed him entering the kitchen; his mind was occupied. Though he wasn’t startled, he still scowled with a touch of annoyance.
He handed over the prepared cup and set about making another for himself.
Zhou Xiangming leaned against the kitchen island sipping his coffee, showing enough conscience to wait until Pu Huaiyan’s new cup was almost ready before happily carrying his glass over to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room to watch the sunrise.
“This place is really nice; the early morning scenery is great. Why did you get up so early?”
Pu Huaiyan walked over from behind, saying lazily, “Took a phone call.”
“Oh.”
“I’m not going to Toronto with you. You go first,” Pu Huaiyan said faintly, standing on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling window.
“Why?” Zhou Xiangming asked, sipping his coffee while admiring the view. “It’s so boring taking a private jet all by myself. Cici isn’t heading back with me either.”
“Got things to do.”
“One of you two had better come with me, or I’ll be way too lonely. Just thinking about a dozen-plus hours makes me feel exhausted.”
“Go find Little Ci.”
“She said your company can’t function without people.”
Pu Huaiyan let out a scoffing laugh.
Zhou Xiangming looked back at him, roughly understanding that Little Ci at home simply hadn’t played her fill and didn’t want to leave. It seemed pretty unlikely that Pu Huaiyan’s conglomerate would fail to operate just because it was missing a kid who had barely graduated from university.
“No, what are you busy with? How about I leave a few days later and wait to go with you?” Zhou Xiangming settled for the next best thing—or rather, he couldn’t bear to force his Little Ci, so he could only push Pu Huaiyan.
Anyway, there was still some time before the Toronto company’s anniversary celebration, so there was no need to go so early.
Pu Huaiyan rejected his so-called kindness. “Dates aren’t set.”
“What are you planning to do?” he pressed.
The man took a light sip of coffee. “Business trip.”
Zhou Xiangming was blind to any form of rejection, probing to the very bottom: “Where to? Let me go with you for a few days to hang out.”
Pu Huaiyan said directly, “Don’t follow me.”
He refused to give up: “Why?”
Pu Huaiyan shot him a cool, chilly glare. “Lan City.”
“Lan City?” Zhou Xiangming took another sip of coffee, and suddenly realized a moment later, “Oh, your wife is from Lan City. Going to see your wife, huh? No wonder you won’t let me tag along.”
“Good that you know.”
“…”
Zhou Xiangming said, “Whatever, if you’re not leaving, I’m not leaving either. I’ll take Cici out to play these next few days—since you’re not around, she doesn’t need to go to work anyway.”
“Suit yourself.”
“By the way, when are you getting married?”
“…”
Gazing out the window at the maple leaves swept away by the wind, the corners of Pu Huaiyan’s mouth subtly curved upward. “Thanks for your blessings. Sooner or later.”
“…”
Zhou Xiangming didn’t get it, finally choosing to drink his coffee straight without adding any commentary.
The moment Pu Huaiyan quieted down, he fell into deep thought, pondering over Shan Dai’s matters.
Before long, Zhou Xiangming’s ghost-like voice recklessly broke in once more: “Huaiyan, if I get married at the end of the year, would you agree?”
“Going crazy first thing in the morning.”
“…” Zhou Xiangming turned his head, explaining to him earnestly, “It’s only a few months’ difference. Cici is graduating in just a few months early next year.”
“Go tell your father-in-law yourself; I’m not your father-in-law.”
“…” Zhou Xiangming laughed. “So you do agree after all. Is it because if I marry earlier, Cici won’t give you a headache anymore? Think about it—there are perks for you too.”
Pu Huaiyan didn’t say a word, continuing to ponder his own thoughts.
…
By ten in the morning, practically the whole house of people had gotten up one after another. After grabbing breakfast, they all left—even Shen Jiani, who hadn’t planned on leaving, was dragged away by Zhou Xiangming, who said they were going home to hang out so as not to be a third wheel here.
Shen Jiani looked hesitant to speak. Her main concern was knowing that the two weren’t actually together yet; if she stayed, she could still act as a wingwoman for Pu Huaiyan. Once she left, he’d be on his own, and who knew what year or month it would take for her to finally have a fairy-like sister-in-law. Sigh.
Shan Dai was up as well, being the last to wake. Watching everyone leave one by one, she felt slightly embarrassed sitting in the dining room nibbling on toast, considering her plans for today.
After seeing off cici and her husband, Pu Huaiyan returned from the courtyard, entered the dining room, and sat down opposite her.
The Chinese dining room had a very tasteful ambience, facing the back garden where cabbage palms could be seen swaying in the morning breeze, as if one could even hear the rustling of the leaves.
Seeing that he acted as if he completely didn’t remember last night’s events and behaved entirely normally, Shan Dai tentatively asked, “You drank so much last night. How are you feeling today? Dizzy?”
“Feeling pretty good, no dizziness. Sorry about walking into the wrong room,” Pu Huaiyan said, looking into her eyes as he continued his act from last night. “Left you without a bed to sleep on.”
Shan Dai smiled softly, lowering her head, intentionally joking, “On President Pu’s turf, if you don’t let me sleep on the bed, I won’t sleep on it.”
Pu Huaiyan felt that occasionally he was just as tactless as Zhou Xiangming. “Then what if I ask you to stay a few more days? Will Madam cooperate?”
“…”
At the thought of him having admitted last night that “Madam” was his way of calling his own wife, Shan Dai felt unaccustomed and uneasy.
She answered vaguely, “I plan to meet with that partner you put me in touch with yesterday, and then, regardless of the outcome, I’ll probably leave tonight or tomorrow morning. I can’t keep playing around outside; the company has a pile of things to handle.”
Pu Huaiyan nodded: “I’ll go with you. Where are you meeting?”
“Are you free, President Pu?”
“I am.”
She actually knew that even if he weren’t free, he would make time. Shan Dai possessed self-awareness, not to mention today was Sunday.
“We set it at a Cantonese restaurant.”
“Another Cantonese restaurant?”
“This one should be pretty good. I don’t know which places are good in Beijing either; I found it online.” She offered a soft smile. “I didn’t want to go eat for free at Meiyuan. Truth be told, I secretly wanted to eat hot pot, but I felt like eating hot pot while talking business might be a bit troublesome.”
He stated directly: “When you talk business with me, you can eat whatever you want.”
Shan Dai nodded her chin very seriously, accepting the bread he handed over after spreading butter and passionfruit jam on it for her. “Mm, President Pu is the biggest good person in this imperial capital; this much I know.”
He let out a huffed laugh, shot her a glance, thinking to himself… It seems Madam doesn’t reject the fact that I like her?
Then rounding that up, doesn’t that mean the wife-pursuit is successful?
Having spent a normal daytime together, aside from organizing the work she was going to discuss tonight, Shan Dai spent most of the day listening to Ziming discuss her situation with Bentley Bro.
Bentley Bro had confessed to her, but Ziming was contemplating the long-distance factor that would come later. Having Shan Dai’s past experience as a cautionary tale, Ziming suddenly lost her enthusiasm for a long-distance relationship with Bentley Bro, so she hadn’t agreed yet.
Bentley Bro hadn’t quite expected that, so the two of them were currently locked in a game of emotional tug-of-war.
Ziming asked for Shan Dai’s opinion. Shan Dai felt that asking her this was like asking whether she would consider getting back together with Lu Zhixing—it was a dead-end road, so she couldn’t provide a good answer.
Ziming said: “If you propose getting back together with Lu Zhixing right now, he’d definitely turn back.”
Shan Dai said with rare cold elegance: “He’s lost his mind, but I haven’t.”
Ziming was laughing hysterically: “Did President Pu confess to you?”
“…” Shan Dai hadn’t imagined she would just blurt it out so casually.
Seeing her brief silence, Ziming’s question marks smashed over like a mudslide: “??????????????? Really? He really confessed?!”
Shan Dai: “He was drunk; it doesn’t count.”
“Damn, how does it not count?! Was he actually drunk or fake drunk? President Pu gets drunk off one drink??”
“…” On this point, she hadn’t really thought about it, but it should be real, right? He really had drunk quite a bit at the dinner table last night. Others were forced to drink as penalty, while he acted like he couldn’t wait to drink up every drop of alcohol in the house—one moment out of jealousy, the next out of joy—so he had drunk a whole lot.
Besides, if it were fake, he probably wouldn’t have confessed to her, right? Because he hadn’t said anything further today, remaining very quiet, looking completely blacked out as if he couldn’t recall what he had done last night.
Shan Dai chose not to overanalyze this matter, because if she figured out another truth, she would want to die, not knowing how to face Pu Huaiyan.
When adults couldn’t make a choice, acting and playing dumb was the best approach.
Toward evening, the two set off for the business engagement in peace.
In truth, this meal held no suspense right from the moment it was scheduled, especially since Pu Huaiyan joined as well.
His business friend hadn’t expected him to tag along, so seeing him was quite a pleasant surprise.
Throughout the meal, they didn’t talk much about work, finalizing things directly after a few brief sentences, saying they’d wait to sign the contract. Following that, from start to finish, the other party sang praises of Shan Dai’s youth and capability—how a girl who had just graduated could start a company and make it so vibrant and successful, remarking that she and Pu Huaiyan were simply a match made in heaven, a super fit.
Shan Dai maintained a dry smile the whole time.
As for a certain someone, the corners of his mouth secretly curled upward. She criticized him internally— Enjoying it secretly, aren’t you? You big villain who steals other people’s rooms to sleep in. If people knew a married woman was sitting here right now, President Pu’s reputation in Beijing would be completely finished.
With matters settled, the contract would be arranged online and mailed over later. Shan Dai had nothing left to attend to. On the way back, she chatted with Pu Huaiyan, asking, “Does that person rely heavily on Yanxin’s projects?”
“You noticed?”
“Mm. He was flattering you way too much.”
“Madam truly is a businesswoman.”
Shan Dai smiled, “Is that praise or a insult, President Pu?”
“Praise,” he stated with absolute certainty.
After laughing, Shan Dai said: “Coming here this time, I originally intended not to reach out, but in the end, I’ve troubled President Pu so much.”
“Leaving or not, there’s no need to say such heart-wrenching words.”
“…” She directly burst into laughter, looking helplessly sideways at the man speeding through the night. “I am genuinely grateful to you.”
“This title—why did you change it back again?”
“Hmm?”
“Yesterday didn’t you use ‘you’1? Why change it back?”
“Um,” she said awkwardly, “Isn’t this… an honorific?”
“Do I need your honorifics?”
“…”
“Every sentence out of your mouth is ‘you’, making me seem so unreachable, yet you always infuriate me.” Pu Huaiyan glanced at her darkly.
Shan Dai was displeased: “Where did I infuriate you?”
It was Pu Huaiyan’s first time seeing her throw a fit—oh, not throwing a fit, but acting coquettishly.
He said sub-consciously: “Oh, no, no, I’m sorry.”
“…”
“No, my apologies, not at all, Madam.”
“…”
Overcome with embarrassment, Shan Dai turned her head away.
Pu Huaiyan smiled secretly, changing the subject: “Have you decided to consider expanding your business here?”
Shan Dai thought for a moment, turned her head back, and gave a direct response: “I’ve already briefed my friend. We’ll discuss it further face-to-face when we meet. I personally have the intention, but this isn’t a small matter after all. I can’t truly take President Pu’s investment just to test the waters; if I do it, I have to succeed.”
He nodded.
Outside the open car window, there was still a faint residual glow of the evening clouds. A dark golden streak of light seemed to sweep across the man’s eyes—a blend of determination and gentleness.
“Alright, I really admire this backbone, but please know that I don’t care whether you succeed or fail. One failure, ten failures—I will support you unconditionally.”
Shan Dai smiled and nodded, “I’ll buy my plane ticket later, probably for tomorrow afternoon, and then I’ll head back.”
“I’ll see you off.”
“President Pu has to work; tomorrow is Monday.”
“The company won’t collapse just because the boss takes a little time off work.”
Shan Dai didn’t spoil the mood, nodding her tiny chin, “Thank you.” She knew that given his current state, he couldn’t possibly let her leave on her own; President Pu was reluctant in his heart as well.
The car drove from the city center back to the Beijing suburbs, transitioning from prosperous sounds echoing in their ears to the eventual stillness of the long street, where nothing remained except lush trees.
Shan Dai really liked this place of Pu Huaiyan’s.
That night, she finally got to sleep on a soft, big bed. It was so comfortable; having been cramped on the small sofa last night, her waist had been a bit stiff when she woke up in the morning.
She slept very well, so she woke up right at eight-thirty in the morning, just as Pu Huaiyan was about to leave for the company.
The two crossed paths at the staircase landing. He pointed toward the kitchen: “Go eat breakfast. If you have nothing to do in a bit, you can contact Little Ci to go out and play together. She’s already up right now.”
“Doesn’t Little Ci go to work?”
A certain someone complained as he walked: “She’s here to draw a salary for free. If she goes out to play, I’ll have fewer problems to deal with, or else she’ll cause trouble for me.”
She burst out laughing, “Alright then, I’ll go hang out with the young girl.”
“Mm. Setting off at two in the afternoon, right?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
Shan Dai stood at the house entrance, seeing the man off as he walked to the garage in the garden, quickly driving out a black Bentley. He stopped in the courtyard, gazing at her from afar through the car window for about half a minute before turning the steering wheel.
After seeing him off, Shan Dai went back inside to eat breakfast while contacting Shen Jiani.
She came running over in a bit, grabbing an egg tart to eat.
“Ms. Shan, can I still call you Sister-in-law today?” the adorable girl asked with a beaming smile while biting her egg tart.
Shan Dai smiled and shook her head, “You know it’s not like that.”
“Wuu, if only you could be with my brother. I like you.” Growing up abroad, the young girl was probably not at all stingy with expressing her feelings.
Shan Dai felt her heart melt, liking her very much, but she couldn’t speak as directly as her. Chinese people were always a bit more subtle, or perhaps she herself wasn’t good at expressing herself.
She shifted the topic instead: “How about I call you by your name? Always calling you Secretary Shen isn’t your real name, and it feels weird in private.”
“Sure, sure! My brothers all call me Little Ci, Brother Ming calls me Cici, and Brother Ting sometimes calls me Porcelain2.”
“…” Shan Dai laughed, “That Mr. Zhao who works for the public sector? He looks so cultured and refined—does he make jokes too?”
“Aiya, he’s dark-bellied and closet-sultry. Others don’t know, but I do! When he was living in New York as a kid, whenever I went to New York I’d go pick tomatoes from his yard. He said he had compiled my crimes into a book and reported it to the White House, and that I’d be executed by firing squad soon, which scared me into tears! Later Brother Ming went to fight him, saying if he scared me again he’d deport him back to China!”
“…” Shan Dai was laughing so hard she couldn’t eat, resting her chin on her hand and staring at her with a smile for quite a while.
Pu Ci grabbed another glass of pineapple yogurt, took a big gulp, and said: “Later he came back to China to become an official, so I emailed him saying he was a traitor—how could he become an official? He said if I dared return to China, he’d execute me by firing squad immediately! I didn’t even know what I said wrong—he was originally a traitor, growing up abroad!”
Shan Dai was laughing uncontrollably. No wonder when they played Flying Flower Order last night, after Zhao Tingzhi recited two lines of poetry, she had said he was pretty impressive and not a traitor.
After she finished laughing, she said, “Then, just like President Pu, how about I call you Little Ci? Is Cici reserved exclusively for Mr. Zhou?”
“Okay, okay, hei-hei-hei!” She didn’t deny the exclusive title.
After breakfast, the two happily went out together.
Shan Dai loaded her suitcase into the car as well, intending to head straight to the Yanxin Times underground garage in the afternoon so Pu Huaiyan wouldn’t need to drive home to pick her up, while giving herself a bit more time to play around.
The two went to the Old Summer Palace.
After playing through this trip, time was almost up; right after finishing lunch in the afternoon, it was about time to set off.
Pu Ci drove the car into the underground garage of Yanxin Times Tower A, after which Shan Dai sent Pu Huaiyan a message: “I’ve arrived at the company, President Pu.”
In the blink of an eye, the cute Little Ci who was humming a song in the cabin pointed toward the elevator, “He’s here.”
Shan Dai looked out.
Before the man even arrived, he had unlocked the car doors, and the black Bentley near them lit up.
While thanking the young girl, she got out of the car to fetch her suitcase from the trunk and walked over to Pu Huaiyan’s car.
He arrived just in time, helping her load the luggage.
The two got into the car together.
The afternoon Beijing downtown traffic was still somewhat jammed. Stop-and-go without saying anything felt a bit too quiet, but not knowing what to say made Shan Dai feel conflicted.
While waiting at a red light, Pu Huaiyan pulled out his phone and bought a plane ticket—three days later, flying from Beijing to Lan City.
At the next intersection, he wasn’t looking at his phone anymore. Shan Dai happened to think of a topic and asked, “Going forward, do I still need to share my lunch menu with President Pu every day?”
Pu Huaiyan: “Of course, unless you want to starve me to death.”
“…” She felt very awkward. She had thought of this problem at noon, but at the time she and Little Ci were still in the Old Summer Palace and hadn’t eaten yet, so she only reminded him to remember to eat without a menu. He had replied that without a menu, he had no appetite.
He really was a very difficult person to serve.
“Alright, I’ll remember.” For the sake of his stomach, she compromised.
Pu Huaiyan: “Next time you come on a business trip, just say so—say it directly. Don’t go doing things secretively; meeting up won’t delay me from making money.”
“…” Shan Dai smiled softly, agreeing gently, “Okay.”
“If you’re considering coming over, ask me directly if you have any concerns.”
“Mm, okay.”
After thinking it over, she proactively added: “I asked Lu Zhixing. He said he’s on a business trip and asked me to wait two days for him without a set date. So after I go back, I plan to take time to make a trip home.”
With one hand resting on the steering wheel, the heavy afternoon sunlight fell from the sky, kept outside by the glass as dark golden light streamed across the man’s black shirt, perhaps making his aura feel like a blend of relaxed coolness and chill.
“Doesn’t matter, as long as he agreed. If he doesn’t get it done this time, I’ll have ways to make him handle it immediately. You don’t need to worry.”
Shan Dai tilted her head to look at him, pursing her lips, smiling faintly without speaking.
Pu Huaiyan: “Your home is in…”
“Tong’an.”
His eyes showed a hint of confusion, and Shan Dai explained naturally, “Tong’an County in Jincheng. Driving from Lan City takes a few hours. The town our family lives in is the county seat, but it’s very poor.”
He nodded, “Okay. Going back to rest?”
“Not really.” Shan Dai thought to herself that he probably only knew she came from a small city, without knowing her background was so humble it couldn’t be presented politely; he liked her now, but maybe once he understood, he wouldn’t like her anymore.
“Isn’t my eldest uncle hospitalized? He went to Chongzhou Hospital. If I go to Chongzhou, going home from there isn’t very far, so I might as well head back.”
“Okay.”
“I want to find an opportunity to tell my parents about this matter.”
“Are you in a rush? Can’t it wait until after getting the certificate?”
“Not in a rush, maybe it’s just me being impatient,” she gazed absently out the window, “Without telling them, I occasionally hear my mother mention his name, and I don’t want to hear it.”
Pu Huaiyan nodded, “Okay.”
“It’s just that during these few days at home, the food might be pretty average, so I won’t send you the menu. But I’ll still remind President Pu to eat on time. Please manage with foods you like these few days, okay?”
“So you won’t send me the menu just because you’re not eating delicacies of land and sea.”
“…” She turned back helplessly to look at the driver’s seat.
A certain someone: “I can’t eat vegetarian? My stomach happens to need vegetarian food.”
“…” Shan Dai was helpless, nodding with a smile, “Fine, I’ll send it to you.”
The car approached the airport amid their chatter without them realizing it.
Pu Huaiyan drove directly to the departure level, which was convenient for her to enter the terminal. Pulling over at the curb, she had to fetch her luggage and leave immediately to avoid blocking traffic.
Shan Dai knew there was no time to say much, but without saying anything, she mysteriously felt reluctant to part…
“Then I’m off. President Pu, um,” she smiled at him, “try to get off work early. Maybe I’m naturally not meant to make big money—seeing you work overtime so late every day makes me feel exhausted.”
“Okay,” he nodded, “I’ll get off work at five today.”
“…”
She burst into laughter.
Sunlight poured into the terminal hall as the woman stood by the curb, her pitch-black hair bathed in an orange-red glow, vivid yet surreal.
“Go on in, it’s getting late. Next time you come, Madam is welcome to call me for airport pickup.” The corners of his mouth turned up. “Even if you come tomorrow, I’d be more than happy to pick you up.”
Shan Dai smiled, nodding earnestly.
Pu Huaiyan: “If I go on a business trip, I’d really like Madam to pick me up too.”
“…” Shan Dai joked, “So it was all to enslave me in equal exchange.” Saying that, she changed the subject, “Let me know if you go. Bye then.”
She turned and left, turning her head back when she reached the main entrance.
Pu Huaiyan had taken a few steps as well, standing still by his car door, gazing at her across the roof of the vehicle.
Shan Dai waved her hand, an inexplicable touch of slight soreness rising in her eyes.
The man curved his thin lips—he wasn’t sad, nor was he disheartened. He would be there very soon.
When it came to divorce, of course he had to participate and witness it with his own eyes.
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