Divorce Application - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Tugging and Pulling
Yánlì was a small golden retriever that Li Jinping bought for Liu Sinan after returning to China.
The little golden retriever’s breed wasn’t very pure; it seemed to have some Chinese rural dog genes mixed in. Its head was round, its ears weren’t big, but its golden fur was shiny and smooth and felt very comfortable to the touch.
Li Jinping found this small golden retriever, which had just been born, its eyes barely open, and couldn’t yet walk.
Liu Sinan had been unhappy since returning to China. Li Jinping had tried many ways to cheer her up, and this one was the most effective. Liu Sinan carefully held the little golden retriever in her hands, took it into the house, named it “Yánlì” (Salt Grain), and personally built a small nest for it.
Thus, Yánlì, who had won Liu Sinan’s affection, gained permanent residency in the hillside villa.
But for some reason, when Liu Sinan moved out, she didn’t take it with her.
Upon being asked this, Li Jinping clearly thought of something and said in a low voice, “I wanted to rest for a few days, so I set my phone to reject all calls.”
She thought for a moment, then added, “Yánlì was fine when I left this morning.”
As she said this, Li Jinping caught a glimpse of Liu Sinan’s red eyes and thought she was worried about Yánlì. She hesitated, then said, “She’s fine… running around, eating, and sleeping well. She’s really doing great.”
Liu Sinan’s eyes grew even redder. She wasn’t worried about Yánlì’s food and living situation; with Li Jinping, it was living like a luxurious little princess.
She mumbled in a very small voice, “That little ungrateful thing, she doesn’t miss me at all now that I’m gone.”
Li Jinping heard the gist of it. Before she could clearly hear what Liu Sinan was saying, she heard a shout from the stairwell.
“Liu Sinan! Why are you running around again!”
The doctor came running up, breathing heavily. There was no elevator for the top three floors. She had seen Liu Sinan run up on the security cameras, searched for her floor by floor, and finally found her on the top floor.
The doctor came in from the stairwell, saw Li Jinping, and immediately stood up straight, saying, “Hello, President Li.”
Li Jinping nodded at her, then looked at Liu Sinan with a hint of hesitation and said calmly, “She’s your patient?”
The doctor nodded silently, her gaze full of a powerful, unspoken anger directed at Liu Sinan.
Liu Sinan shrank back. The doctor said menacingly, “Come down with me now. There’s another bag of protein for you today.”
Liu Sinan didn’t dare to resist, but she still had something she wanted to say to Li Jinping.
As the doctor turned around, Liu Sinan bit her lip hard. She changed her course, walked straight in front of Li Jinping, and grabbed her sleeve tightly.
“I don’t care,” Liu Sinan said, glaring at Li Jinping with a hint of ferocity and giving a forceful command. “You must answer my calls!”
The doctor was startled and immediately grabbed Liu Sinan’s arm, trying to drag her towards the stairwell.
A look of confusion and helplessness flashed across Li Jinping’s usually cold and dignified face. She subconsciously met Liu Sinan’s gaze.
As Liu Sinan was pulled away, she was still glaring at her, her beautiful peach blossom eyes so red they looked like they were about to bleed. Yet, she was full of energy, her defenses were up, and she was shouting for her to remember to answer her calls.
Li Jinping’s face remained impassive and she stayed silent.
Liu Sinan was dragged back downstairs by the doctor and was scolded for a good while. She didn’t dare to talk back and could only listen with her head down, like a primary school student.
Soon after, Lan Qi’s phone call came. It was likely to ask about her work schedule for the day.
“Boss, there’s a talk show recording tonight. The production team is confirming if there are any issues with our schedule.”
Liu Sinan didn’t hesitate and quickly said, “No issues.”
Lan Qi was silent for a moment. “Boss, where are you right now?”
“I’m at home,” Liu Sinan said, her tone relaxed and without any cracks in her story. “Just send me the time and location, and I’ll go by myself.”
“Alright then.” This time, Lan Qi’s silence was even longer. “I’ll have Qiqi and the others contact you.”
Qiqi was Liu Sinan’s main assistant who would help out by her side during work.
“You’re not coming?” Liu Sinan asked.
Lan Qi explained, “I have a business deal to handle myself today. I’ve sent the show’s questions to your phone. You can familiarize yourself with the script in advance.”
After thinking for a moment, Lan Qi added with emphasis, “Stick to the script, don’t improvise.”
Liu Sinan nodded, and then, remembering Lan Qi couldn’t see her, she loudly said “Mhm.”
After she hung up the phone, Lan Qi stood in front of Li Jinping and shook her head.
Li Jinping had called her yesterday, asking her to come to the hospital today to report on her recent work.
When Lan Qi arrived, before she could even speak, Li Jinping had asked her to call Liu Sinan and ask her a few questions.
After the phone call, Li Jinping remained silent, her attitude neither warm nor cold, seemingly unconcerned.
After a long while of silence, Li Jinping suddenly asked.
“Where did she go yesterday?”
Lan Qi told her about the photoshoot and the meeting with Zhao Qiran.
“Zhao Qiran,” Li Jinping repeated the three words. Her eyes instantly turned cold. “The Zhao family.”
“Did she get hurt by Zhao Qiran?” Li Jinping’s tone made Lan Qi’s heart sink.
The meaning behind that tone made her feel even more alarmed.
Lan Qi immediately said, “I don’t know.” She lowered her head in shame. “Zhao Qiran asked to meet with Ms. Liu alone, and Ms. Liu agreed. Afterward, I got a call from Ms. Liu telling me to leave.”
She quickly recounted the entire story from yesterday to Li Jinping, without leaving out a single detail.
Li Jinping immediately made a phone call. “Investigate all of Zhao Qiran’s movements from yesterday.”
Lan Qi tentatively asked, “Boss, Ms. Liu’s work…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but her request for instructions was very clear.
If Li Jinping continued to protect Liu Sinan, whether openly or secretly, it would have a huge impact on Liu Sinan’s future work.
Unexpectedly, Li Jinping fell completely silent when she heard this.
She stared out the window without a word, her mind wandering for a long time.
In the end, she only managed to say, “Don’t get involved.”
After she said it, she repeated it softly several times, as if talking to herself.
Lan Qi nodded. “I understand.”
With that, she had the good sense to leave the hospital room.
As she opened the door, she bumped into a woman who looked like a doctor.
“Hello, Miss Lan,” her voice was very sweet and her appearance was very lovely. The overall feeling she gave off was very pleasant. “Take care.”
Lan Qi nodded at her. After passing her, Lan Qi glanced back and saw the woman walk straight into Li Jinping’s hospital room. She stopped at her bedside and placed her hands on Li Jinping’s head, gently massaging it.
The movements were intimate and familiar.
In the hospital room, Lin Xia’s fingers were hidden in Li Jinping’s hair.
At this moment, Li Jinping’s bun was loose, and her long black hair fell loosely on either side of her face, casting a blurry shadow of loneliness on her expression.
“Lin Xia,” Li Jinping said softly, as if she were asking a question but also talking to herself. “Have I lost weight recently?”
Lin Xia’s fingers massaged the pressure points on the top of her head rhythmically. She said gently, “You’ve lost a lot of weight, ma’am.”
Li Jinping frowned, and a hint of unbearable pain appeared in her eyes.
Liu Sinan was even thinner than her. How could someone so thin have lost so much weight in such a short period of time?
She knew her departure might have some impact on Liu Sinan, but she hadn’t expected the impact to be so great.
Li Jinping suddenly said something out of the blue, “She’s made a real mess of herself.”
Lin Xia’s fingers paused for a moment, then continued to massage as if nothing had happened. She said sweetly, “Don’t worry, ma’am. Ms. Liu is just like that. She loves to have fun and make a scene.”
That was why there had been a continuous stream of media reports of her going to bars, getting drunk, and injuring herself.
Li Jinping didn’t comment and didn’t say anything more.
Half an hour later, Lin Xia stopped the massage.
“Ma’am, did the massage help today?” Lin Xia asked in a soft voice.
Li Jinping closed her eyes and leaned against the headboard. She moved her head from side to side and said with satisfaction, “It’s good. Thank you. My headaches have gotten a lot better these days.”
Lin Xia’s lips curled into a big smile, and she said in a sweet voice, “It was no trouble, ma’am. We can move on to the next treatment now.”
Li Jinping nodded, then said, “Okay. Also, bring me my phone.”
Lin Xia’s steps stopped, and her face looked a little stiff. “Your phone? But ma’am, you…”
Li Jinping opened her eyes, or more accurately, she gently lifted her eyelids.
Like a carnivorous animal taking an elegant nap, her half-closed eyes held a sharp and calm gaze that scrutinized Lin Xia. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable command as she repeated coldly, “My phone.”