After Eight Years Of Marriage, You're Asking Me For A Divorce - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

This time, Lu Jingyao called Lin Sinian himself and asked for a meeting. Lin Sinian couldn’t recall any past conflict with the Lu family. He looked at Lu Jingyao with a stern, harsh gaze and an icy expression, pressuring the junior, who was eight years his junior, to the point where he almost dropped his phone.

Lu Jingyao was inexperienced, and this was his first time attempting such a maneuver. His nerve failed him in front of Lin Sinian. He stiffened his neck and back, confronting the Prosecutor, but only he knew his back was gradually getting damp with sweat, and he nearly fled in terror. He thought that if the Deputy Chief Prosecutor decided to smash a teacup over his head, he’d just have to suffer in silence. After all, the man was a government official.

Lin Sinian said: “Give me the backups and storage devices, and I’ll pretend nothing happened.”

Lu Jingyao subtly swallowed: “The notoriously clean and upright Deputy Chief Prosecutor once slept with a sponsored female university student and even left behind a steamy bedroom photo. Could it be that you can’t get a scholarship without sleeping with him?”

Lin Sinian smiled: “Let’s test it out. See if people’s interest in my little romantic affair lasts longer, or if the Lu family’s ability to stall lasts longer.”

The Lu family resorting to this tactic clearly indicated desperation. It was a well-known fact that the Binhai Power Generation project was enormous, involving billions of dollars. As long as the Environmental Protection Bureau didn’t issue the certification, the Lu family couldn’t start construction, and they would be wasting money every single day. The bank loan interest alone was tens of millions daily—even mountains of gold and silver would be consumed by that. Lin Sinian had the time to play games with the Lu family, but could the Lu family afford the delay?

Lu Jingyao shook his head: “Mr. Lin doesn’t need to worry about the Lu family. You should worry about yourself.”

With that, he placed the photo in Lin Sinian’s hand, pushed the door open, and left.

Cheng Siyu rushed over, sensing that the atmosphere was wrong: “What happened?”

Lin Sinian slammed the photo onto the table in front of him and sneered: “What happened? The good deed you brought me! I’m telling you, Cheng Siyu, if this matter gets out, our friendship is over.”

Cheng Siyu stared wide-eyed at the scandalous photo. This time, he was truly wronged. Who would have thought that the Lu family would play a game of “niceties first, force later”? Lu Jingyao had acted like a sheep in front of him, and he genuinely thought he was just trying to network. The total number of people who knew about Lin Sinian’s past affairs was less than ten, and the evidence had been destroyed back then. How could it still leak out? If Xiao Yanxiu found out, all hell would break loose.

Cheng Siyu pouted, feeling very wronged: “I didn’t know! I thought…”

Lin Sinian knew that the Lu family saw him as easily fooled, which was why they asked him to make the introduction. It was useless to vent his anger at Cheng Siyu now.

…

Xiao Yanxiu’s business trip was extended. They were on an endless grassland, under a sky as bright as satin, with rolling green waves of grass and a sweet scent in the wind. The car had driven two hundred kilometers, and the grassland seemed to be running with them, never reaching an end. Xiao Yanxiu loved this vast natural scenery. He thought that during future vacations, he could bring Lin Sinian here to play. They could build a house in the middle of the green waves, looking like a ship that had lost its sails from afar, floating on the sea until the years passed and eternity arrived.

That night, he received a call from his husband. Lin Sinian’s tone sounded tired.

“Another last-minute overtime?” Xiao Yanxiu noticed his unhappiness.

Lin Sinian wanted to see him: “Can you come back a little sooner?”

This was unlike Lin Sinian. Xiao Yanxiu was puzzled: “Did something happen at home? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No.”

“What is it, Sinian?”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I love you.”

Lin Sinian lay in bed, burying himself in his husband’s scent. Xiao Yanxiu felt omnipresent: next to his ear, in his lungs, in his mind, in his heart, in reality, and in dreams. He was a man with a husband, he had a family, someone waiting for him. He was willing to stay home, waiting for Xiao Yanxiu, waiting for him to come back. As long as there was someone to wait for, he felt happy.

His fingers touched his throat, tracing down his collarbone. Xiao Yanxiu was about to hang up when he heard a low, ambiguous panting sound from the other end. His heart skipped a beat, and he didn’t miss Lin Sinian’s subsequent subtle moans. This was unbelievable. They had dated for five years and been married for three, yet Lin Sinian had never been this proactive, even during their passionate phase.

What was going on? Did he take an aphrodisiac?

“Axu… Elder Brother Yan…” the Deputy Chief Prosecutor sobbed in distress.

Xiao Yanxiu’s breathing grew heavy: “Sinian, what do you want? Say it, what do you want?”

Lin Sinian cried out: “I want you… give it to me, give it to me…”

Xiao Yanxiu awkwardly took care of his own urgent needs, gritted his teeth, hung up the phone, and asked his secretary to change his flight.

…

They hadn’t had such a fulfilling intimate encounter in a long time. In their eight years of dating and marriage, Lin Sinian had been tirelessly busy, and Xiao Yanxiu was also passionate about his work. They saw each other twice a week on average—a typical upper-class couple, together less often than they were apart.

In the beginning, Lin Sinian was very satisfied. Xiao Yanxiu was considerate and gentle, not overly demanding sexually, and he didn’t feel pressure or burden in that regard.

But in the later years, Lin Sinian slowly felt it wasn’t enough, especially after marriage. Sometimes Xiao Yanxiu traveled the world on business for weeks at a time, and he would sleep in his Procuratorate office. He suddenly felt it was meaningless. He wanted his husband to hold him every night.

Was something wrong with his hormone levels?

He had a medical check-up, but everything was normal. Lin Sinian didn’t dare to say anything. For a period, he even deliberately distanced himself from Xiao Yanxiu. Xiao Yanxiu thought he was too tired and occasionally joked about him getting a less demanding job, offering to support him. Lin Sinian then thought, Why not just resign? He realized that the thought of cooking and doing laundry for Xiao Yanxiu every day, waiting for him to come home, was incredibly stimulating to his desires.

It was all Xiao Yanxiu’s fault. It was he who wove this beautiful dream of a happy family. Since the proposal, he held him, whispered flowery promises in his ear—things like “one lifetime, one couple,” “sharing domestic bliss and growing old together,” “sleeping side by side in life and death.” He wasn’t a man who had never been in love; didn’t he know that men would say anything when courting? He put the ring on Xiao Yanxiu’s finger. They honeymooned in the Southern Hemisphere. Xiao Yanxiu was by his side constantly, with endless kisses and unending caresses. He treated Lin Sinian like a child, helping him bathe, dress, feeding him, and even assisting him to the bathroom.

If it weren’t for Xiao Yanxiu, he wouldn’t be in this situation today. He wouldn’t be afraid, wouldn’t be so terrified. He was afraid when Xiao Yanxiu was near and afraid when he wasn’t; afraid of being with him, and afraid of not being with him; afraid of him knowing the past, and afraid of him not knowing.

Gradually, he became paranoid, constantly on edge, afraid of everything: the wind whistling through the window cracks, the sound of a car horn, the heat of the sun on his skin, fearing they would reveal his true self. If it weren’t for Xiao Yanxiu, he wouldn’t even know the taste of fear, he wouldn’t understand what it meant to cherish.

…

The two were wrapped in the blanket, sweaty, with large and small damp spots on the sheets, like a light rain had fallen.

Lin Sinian rested his head on his husband’s shoulder hollow, unconsciously sucking on the prominent bone. Xiao Yanxiu noticed his abnormality. He had never been so unrestrained; he was the Deputy Chief Prosecutor, known for his restraint and calmness. What exactly had happened?

“Sinian, what are you thinking?” Xiao Yanxiu didn’t want to pressure him.

Lin Sinian was still catching his breath: “Maybe it’s just work matters getting chaotic.”

Xiao Yanxiu stroked his slightly damp hair and kissed his forehead. He guessed, Could it be pre-resignation anxiety? He used to go to work every day, surrounded by a crowd of people. Suddenly, he didn’t have to work, the crowd dispersed, and naturally, his heart felt empty. He thought a period of adjustment after resignation might help.

Since Lin Sinian didn’t want to tell him, he got out of bed and summoned the housekeeper for questioning.

“Where has he been these past few days, and who has he met?”

The housekeeper answered truthfully: “He went to Mr. Cheng Siyu’s place twice. The driver said he seemed a bit unhappy coming out, but didn’t know why. Everything else was normal.”

“He spent more time with Cheng Siyu these past few days?”

“Yes. Everyone knows Mr. Cheng talks fast. Maybe they just had a spat. They’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

Xiao Yanxiu knew Cheng Siyu, and he wasn’t fond of dealing with the foolish widower. But Lin Sinian and Cheng Siyu were old friends; they had known each other before Xiao Yanxiu came into the picture. Besides, he wouldn’t interfere with Lin Sinian’s friendships.

The housekeeper suddenly remembered something else: “Oh, the car broke down halfway, and a passing Mr. Lu gave him a ride to the Cheng house. I’d never seen this young master before, and he even gave him a business card. We initially thought it was just a chance encounter with a kind person, but they both went into the Cheng house together and came out shortly after, so it must have been a meeting arranged by Mr. Cheng.”

Xiao Yanxiu asked: “What was the last name of the man named Lu?”

“Lu Jingyao. Jing from competition, Yao from Yao, Shun, and Yu.”

The name sounded familiar to Xiao Yanxiu, but he couldn’t place where he had heard it. Cheng Siyu had many questionable friends, and he didn’t bother to inquire. Perhaps it was just a casual gathering, no need to be alarmed.

Xiao Yanxiu felt he should focus on the wedding anniversary dinner party. He took time to accompany Lin Sinian to order flowers. They planned to set up a floral arbor on the lawn and move the buffet into the yard. This was much more complicated than Xiao Yanxiu’s original plan for “simple and cozy,” but he had a reason for changing his mind: the media would be there. An editor from Tech Weekly had scheduled an interview for Saturday, which had been arranged a month ago, and Xiao Yanxiu had forgotten until his secretary reminded him yesterday. He didn’t mind the reporter seeing him and Lin Sinian’s affectionate display; the “harmonious family” narrative was quite popular now.

“I think Larkspur looks better than Phalaenopsis. We need twenty thousand stems each of blue, purple, and pink, that should be enough, right? Another ten thousand stems each of white and pink Begonia. Let me think, do we want delphinium?”

“I want some white Phalaenopsis.”

“Then we’ll skip the purple Larkspur and substitute the white Phalaenopsis.”

It was a bit late to order flowers now. The quantity of Larkspur was insufficient and would need to be air-freighted from outside. The backup plan was to use Delphinium to replace the short supply of Larkspur. Lin Sinian left the decision to his husband and walked deeper into the flower warehouse. He had never seen such a warehouse—a bustling array of rich, gorgeous colors: yellow, pink, white, blue, purple. One side was bright, and the other suddenly dimmed. He felt as if he had fallen into a powder heap, the cloyingly sweet scent rushing into his nose. Sugar seemed to flow through his windpipe and bl00d, and in an instant, he felt a sense of happiness.

He wanted to touch these flowers, or rush up and hug them, burying himself completely inside. But the further he walked in, the colder it got. The air conditioning in the warehouse was too strong; the temperature had to be kept very low to extend the shelf life of the fresh flowers. Lin Sinian shivered, and immediately someone draped a jacket over him, a familiar scent enveloping him.

“It’s all set,” Xiao Yanxiu laughed: “Do you like anything else? We can take it back for the bedroom; it would look beautiful in a vase.”

Lin Sinian shook his head: “The housekeeper buys new ones every week. No need.”

He had taken over the household accounts, and every expense was clear to him, like established evidence in a case file.

Xiao Yanxiu took his cool hand and kissed it. Lin Sinian had a moment of trance. The sweet scent in his veins made him feel as if he were back at the proposal. Xiao Yanxiu held his waist and said: “I want you to know how important you are to me, Sinian. Also, I can do anything with you; you don’t have to face anything alone. Whether it’s the dinner party or other things, don’t feel burdened.”

Lin Sinian didn’t know if he was hinting at something, but he nodded, pretending to understand.

Xiao Yanxiu was satisfied: “I behaved so well, don’t I get a reward?”

Lin Sinian smiled, and in front of the wall of flowers, he initiated a kiss with Xiao Yanxiu.

Zhao Xiaotong, the Prosecutor’s Assistant, called, and Lin Sinian answered.

“Chief Prosecutor, the Zhonglian Petrochemical materials are organized. I’ll have the driver deliver them to your house; they should arrive in about an hour. An electronic copy has been emailed to you, including several major capital operation projects, current financial reports, tax records, and the progress of the Binhai Power Generation project. Let me know if you need anything else,” Zhao Xiaotong said.

She had served as Lin Sinian’s number one secretary for nine years.

Lin Sinian glanced at Xiao Yanxiu from the corner of his eye. His husband was admiring the flowers in the freezer. He turned his back and responded in a low voice, saying: “Have the driver bring the materials back; I’ll look at them at the office later. There are too many people at home.”

Zhao Xiaotong gave a crisp “Yes” and neatly hung up the phone.