Divorce Is An Absolute Must! - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Duty
◎I need to fulfill my duties as a partner.◎
“Oh no, oh no…” Zhu Qing covered her face, her voice wavering as she stammered, “I, I wouldn’t have, forced myself on you, would I? Or pushed you against a wall and said something like, ‘Woman, you’ve caught my attention’?”
Li Lan’s expression paused for a moment. Her tone was a bit complex. “You, forced yourself on me?”
The emphasis was on the words “you” and “me,” and her voice rose slightly, revealing a subtle hint of confusion.
Zhu Qing was still immersed in her fantasy, mumbling, “Yeah, I was a bully. I forced myself on you. You could have screamed until your throat was sore, and no one would have come… Wait, you said you were hypoglycemic, so I took advantage of you and threatened you into submission?”
Li Lan looked at her seriously for half a minute, confirming that Zhu Qing really thought she was the dominant one in the relationship.
Zhu Qing pressed, “Is that it?”
Li Lan opened her mouth. “No, you weren’t. You really weren’t… Stop reading so many CEO novels.”
“Then what did I do?” Zhu Qing asked frantically. “Could it be… I threw up on you?”
Li Lan’s expression was a little speechless.
Zhu Qing had always been good at ruining the mood.
“Li Lan,” Zhu Qing was trembling a little as she spoke. “I, I, I…”
Zhu Qing wanted to hear about her romantic history with Li Lan. She didn’t want to hear about her embarrassing moments!
Especially not if she made a fool of herself in front of Li Lan. She would lose all her dignity!
Seeing how nervous she was, Li Lan could only comfort her. “It’s fine. It’s all fine.”
Zhu Qing had been completely drunk at the time, like a small pastry marinated in red wine.
She was holding Li Lan’s jacket that she had left behind. After knocking on the door twice, her hand started to tremble. She had to take a deep breath, clench her hand, release it, and then knock again after she regained her strength.
If there was no movement from inside the door for more than half a minute, Zhu Qing would become even more nervous, and her face would get redder from the alcohol.
Li Lan had admired her for a while before opening the door.
Li Lan remembered the scene from back then. Zhu Qing looked at her with blurry, drunken eyes. Her cheeks were flushed with an enticing blush, and she had taken the initiative to say a lot of things.
“Li, Li Lan, hello Ms. Li. I’m the one who was sitting at the same table as you just now.”
“I found your jacket.” Zhu Qing’s gaze was fixed on Li Lan’s face. Her fingers lightly gripped the jacket in her arms. “Here, I’m bringing it to you.”
Li Lan leaned against the door. “You just brought it to me. Why did you drink so much?”
Zhu Qing shook her head and looked down in shame. “It’s not that much, really. It’s just that I accidentally mixed red wine and white wine. That’s why I’m like this.”
Li Lan lowered her head and carefully observed Zhu Qing’s every expression. “You remember me?”
Zhu Qing obediently blinked, then nodded and shook her head. “I’ve seen you on my phone.”
Li Lan said in a low voice, “Then you’ve forgotten me.”
Zhu Qing didn’t understand why Li Lan was suddenly angry. She became flustered, helpless like a child who had done something wrong.
Li Lan turned to leave, but a hand suddenly grabbed her sleeve.
The fingers were fair, but the grip was very strong, and they were trembling slightly.
Zhu Qing mustered up her courage and pulled again.
Li Lan couldn’t bear to abandon her. She turned her head and said, “I don’t need the jacket. What else do you want to say? You have one minute to say it.”
Zhu Qing’s eyes turned red from being pressured. “I, can I look at you in the eye while I say it?”
Li Lan turned a little more, and then she heard the most beautiful words she had ever heard in her life.
Li Lan liked Zhu Qing the most when she was drunk. Her ears would be so red they looked like they were about to drip bl00d from shyness. But if she was a little provoked, she would stubbornly speak her mind, which was sincere and open. It was wonderful.
Zhu Qing was still saying something on the phone screen. Li Lan snapped out of her memories, feeling a little helpless.
It was just that the current Zhu Qing had a slight misunderstanding about their relationship, but Li Lan found it inconvenient to explain.
These moments of intense love were very precious memories for Li Lan. When one person had forgotten them, how could the other person bring them up? Not to mention that their relationship was currently delicate. Being too detailed would sound like reminiscing, and Li Lan didn’t want to reminisce with an empty-headed Zhu Qing about a past that only she remembered.
Li Lan could only repeat, “The past is in the past. It’s fine. You don’t have to worry too much about it.”
On the other end, the reassured Zhu Qing became even more frantic: “How could it be fine?!”
So what Qian Cancan had said was true. Their first meeting was a drunken one-night stand, and she had done the deed and left her high and dry!
Wait, what Qian Cancan said later, that she had no experience and was very rough on Li Lan, and then refused to take responsibility afterward… was that also true?!
Zhu Qing covered her face, her voice muffled as she squeezed out the words between her fingers. “Then later, did I take responsibility for you? No, why wouldn’t I take responsibility? No, the next day, you the next day…”
Li Lan picked up a glass of sparkling water from the small table next to the beach chair and took a slow sip. She was also a little choked up thinking about this, but she didn’t show it on her face. She said calmly, “The next day, you didn’t remember anything and didn’t want to take responsibility.”
She had mustered up the courage to go to her when she was drunk, but the next day, all she wanted to do was distance herself from her.
“Your expression was first like you were dreaming, then you were stunned, then you were startled, then you ran away, and finally, you tripped over yourself and fell on the floor.”
Zhu Qing: …!!
Before Zhu Qing could speak, Li Lan lowered her gaze, her eyelashes casting a small shadow underneath her eyes. Her tone was subtle as she said slowly, “Fortunately, there was plenty of evidence. Facts speak louder than words.”
BOOM! Zhu Qing’s face instantly heated up, and she looked like a cooked shrimp.
Evidence!
That must mean marks all over her body and messy bed sheets!
She blacked out when she was drunk. Li Lan was taken advantage of, and the next day, the perpetrator woke up and had completely forgotten everything. What kind of torment was this?!
Li Lan didn’t crush her, which just showed how good her temper and self-control were!
At this moment, Zhu Qing’s mind was filled with guilt and pity.
She wanted to explain and prove that she wasn’t that kind of person, but it was difficult to make bricks without straw. Without her memories, she was like a river without a source, unable to defend herself.
Dear Ms. Li, although our first meeting was an absurd drunken mistake, and it ended with my irritable temper and our terrible married life, I still very much approve of our relationship.
…It would have been better not to say anything.
Both of them fell silent.
After a moment, Li Lan was the first to speak, subtly changing the topic. She said in a calm tone, “You later promised me that you would quit drinking.”
Zhu Qing was still a little out of it. “What?”
Li Lan leaned closer to the camera. Her exquisite face was magnified on the screen. She looked directly at Zhu Qing and repeated slowly, “You said that you would never get drunk again. You made a promise.”
Zhu Qing remembered getting drunk a few days ago and suddenly realized what she was talking about. “Oh, oh, oh, I won’t drink anymore!”
Li Lan’s eyebrows raised slightly, and her tone was cold. “Oh?”
“Being drunk leads to trouble, seriously,” Zhu Qing’s eyes became extremely clear. She said sincerely, “What I said was right. I’ll definitely never get drunk again.”
Li Lan felt a hint of joy in her heart, but she didn’t show it on her face. She said in a low voice, “Actually, you have your freedom. I’m just worried about your safety, especially since you black out when you’re drunk…”
Zhu Qing interrupted her, her eyes incredibly firm. “You’re not wrong. This is what I should do, mm-hmm!”
Li Lan didn’t say anything.
Zhu Qing said loudly, “All of this is my own choice. I’m choosing to quit drinking. It has nothing to do with you!”
Li Lan was silent for a moment, then leaned back, pressing her lips down to hide a certain subtle curve. She said calmly, “Okay.”
Zhu Qing was emotionally overwhelmed. She would agree to anything Li Lan said, not to mention that all Li Lan wanted her to do was quit drinking.
Quit. She’d quit right now. Not a single drop.
Li Lan’s lips curved upward slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Zhu Qing didn’t dare to look at Li Lan’s face anymore. Her gaze darted around, and finally landed on Li Lan’s body.
She looked perfect no matter how she looked at her.
As Zhu Qing looked at Li Lan, she suddenly realized that a more subtle joy was rising in her heart, overpowering her embarrassment.
Any past memory related to Li Lan made her happy, especially since Li Lan was the one who told her these things herself. This made the amnesiac Zhu Qing feel a sense of closeness and familiarity.
It was like soaking in a cool, gentle creek on a summer afternoon, a comfortable and refreshing feeling.
She and Li Lan were not just partners in form; they were genuinely in love.
At the same time, a certain restless desire also surged in her heart.
Zhu Qing remembered one of the reasons Qian Cancan gave for their divorce was an unharmonious married life and her unwillingness to fulfill her duties as a partner.
Zhu Qing wanted to go back in time, pry open her skull, and see if there was distilled water in it. Otherwise, how could she have remained so calm in the face of such beauty? Did she have a sexual arousal disorder? Zhu Qing shook her head. No, she had feelings. She was definitely not sick.
If it wasn’t a physical reason, then it must be a problem with their relationship. Zhu Qing automatically ignored this possibility. If their relationship wasn’t good, they could just work on it.
The first time, she was the one who took the initiative with Li Lan. Although Zhu Qing wasn’t very happy with that process, the result was comforting.
A harmonious married life helps to improve a relationship.
Zhu Qing grabbed a thread in the tangled mess of her thoughts.
A thought suddenly struck Zhu Qing. If her proactive approach back then could win over Li Lan, then now that she wanted to woo Li Lan again, shouldn’t she be more honest?
She didn’t want to be the drunk who ran away the next day again. At the very least… she had to let Li Lan know she was serious.
Seeing that Zhu Qing hadn’t spoken for a while, Li Lan chuckled softly. “Why are you spacing out?”
Zhu Qing complimented her dress. “The color suits you. You look bright and radiant. So beautiful.”
It was as if Li Lan had been waiting for that compliment. The corners of her lips curved up, and she squinted her eyes contentedly, looking like a cat whose back was being stroked.
Zhu Qing’s eyebrows curved up along with her.
“What time are you coming home tomorrow?” Zhu Qing asked.
Li Lan estimated the time. “The plane is at 1 p.m., so I’ll be at the airport around 3 p.m.”
Zhu Qing nodded and said softly, “Okay. I’ll wait for you at home.”
Someone walked over to Li Lan, seeming to talk about work. Since she had to get back to it, she ended the call.
After hanging up, Zhu Qing’s palms were slightly sweaty.
She stared at her phone screen. Li Lan’s voice seemed to still be in her ear, warm and cool, like a feather lightly brushing against her earlobe.
Zhu Qing took a deep breath, unconsciously stroking the armrest of the sofa. Her mind was already racing.
She hadn’t decided what to be honest about or how to be honest, but there was an urge in her heart to just say it out loud.
Zhu Qing got up and walked around the room, touching the light switches and moving the decorations. The room needed to have warm lighting and a light scented candle that was noticeable as soon as you walked in, but not too strong.
What should she say when Li Lan came home? Help her with her luggage, welcome her home, and then what? Say, “I like you”? That was too direct.
The more Zhu Qing thought about it, the faster her heart beat.
—Wait, was she being too confident?
Zhu Qing suddenly stopped. What if Li Lan didn’t like her anymore? What if Li Lan said, “We don’t love each other anymore”?
She shook her head and bit her lower lip.
But what if Li Lan didn’t reject her? Or what if Li Lan wasn’t against her getting closer to her and liking her?
For that possibility, Zhu Qing decided to take a gamble.
She took a deep breath and looked down at the loungewear she was wearing: a loose T-shirt and cotton pajama pants. It was not attractive at all.
She needed to change into a different outfit. It couldn’t be too deliberate, but it couldn’t be too casual either. A silk robe? That would seem too eager… A loose V-neck sweater? That was too conservative.
She picked up her phone and found someone who was extremely experienced in this area.
【What do you think… is the most attractive thing for a woman to wear?】
Qian Cancan’s reply was very fast.