Divorce Is An Absolute Must! - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Not in Love

◎We are no longer in love.◎

Li Lan was awakened by a knock on the door.

She felt for her phone—it was four o’clock in the afternoon.

“Li Lan, are you home?”

Zhu Qing’s voice came from outside the door, muffled and laced with a hint of worry.

She and Qian Cancan had gone out to play. When they came home, Zhu Qing asked Li Lan if she needed her to bring back dinner, but Li Lan never replied.

After coming home, she saw that the kitchen and fridge had been untouched.

Li Lan’s shoes, bag, and coat were still in the entryway. She hadn’t gone out.

Did Li Lan only have a cup of coffee all day?

After Zhu Qing knocked for a while, the door finally opened. Li Lan seemed to have just woken up. “Is something wrong?”

Zhu Qing was dazed. “Oh, yes, something is wrong.”

Li Lan had just washed her face, and her hair was slightly damp. The light in the room was insufficient, and she seemed to be coated in a distinct layer of light and shadow. The ambiguous light of dusk cut her silhouette sharply yet softly.

She held the door open, waiting. Zhu Qing lifted the plastic bag in her hand and invited, “I bought a low-fat meal and some fruit. Do you want to eat some?”

Li Lan was silent for a moment, then said weakly, “I don’t have an appetite.”

“You can’t go all day without eating,” Zhu Qing pushed the door all the way open, and the bright overhead light instantly filled the space around Li Lan. “Come on, I’ll eat with you.”

Li Lan hesitated for two seconds, then followed.

Li Lan was still wearing her long-sleeved pajamas. It was getting close to summer now. The windows were open for ventilation, but it was still a bit warm. Zhu Qing said considerately, “Do you want me to turn on the air conditioner?”

“I’m not hot,” Li Lan shook her head, then added, “I’m not hungry either.”

“Is it because of the rice from last night?” Zhu Qing opened the packaging and pushed a plate of fresh-cut fruit in front of Li Lan. “You ate too many calories, so you need to control your diet today?”

“No, I rarely control it deliberately.” Li Lan rubbed her forehead. She just wanted to sleep. She had been on two film sets, shot four magazine covers, and squeezed in three commercials over the past few days. Her schedule was packed, and she was utterly exhausted.

“Are you very busy with work?” Zhu Qing said understandingly. “Is there anything I can help with?”

Li Lan took the chopsticks Zhu Qing handed her, picked out a piece of beef from a low-fat meal, put it back, and frowned slightly. “My agent had an issue, so Qian Chu has been in charge of my work lately. She’s a workaholic and took on too many jobs for me.”

Zhu Qing remembered her meeting with Qian Chu earlier today and couldn’t help but agree.

“Can your body handle it?” Zhu Qing asked worriedly.

Li Lan calculated her recent workload. Just as she was about to explain, she suddenly thought of something. Her tongue paused, and she swallowed the words she was about to say. She said lightly, “Yes, it’s just those jobs. It’s fine.”

Zhu Qing wasn’t aware of Li Lan’s schedule, but she knew the entertainment industry was a very broad field. She was just about to tell Li Lan to take care of her health when Li Lan’s phone rang.

After she answered, the voice on the other end sounded a little familiar.

“I forgot, hmm, I don’t need a photographer, don’t let them come,” Li Lan propped her head with one hand, her tone weary. “Then just post them tonight. That’s it, I’m hanging up.”

Zhu Qing asked, “What’s wrong?”

Li Lan frowned. “They’re rushing me to post photos.”

After saying that, Li Lan threw her phone back onto the table. The movement was a little rough. Combined with her casual demeanor since waking up, Zhu Qing couldn’t help but want to laugh.

A cold, snow-covered statue suddenly cracked, revealing the soft, fuzzy interior.

The contrast was a little endearing.

Li Lan didn’t have much of an appetite. Zhu Qing watched her swallow two bites of salmon, dig a corner out of the heart-shaped purple sweet potato in the middle of the meal, and swallow five cherry tomatoes. “I’m full.”

Although Li Lan’s eating movements were as elegant as if she were shooting a magazine, this amount of food wasn’t even enough to get stuck in her teeth. Was Li Lan already full?

“You’re not eating anymore?” Zhu Qing asked, trying to get her to eat more. “I think these nut bars are pretty tasty. Do you want to try them?”

Li Lan looked at the two nut bars, which served as “ears,” critically. After a while, she picked one up and threw it into her mouth, looking a little unhappy. “I’m not eating anymore.”

Zhu Qing’s heart softened. “Okay, okay, no more eating.”

She didn’t press her. She thought that once she and Li Lan became more familiar, she would increase the frequency of them eating together, cook more often, and get more people to join them for meals. Yesterday, she ate quite a lot of the food Zhu Qing made.

In Zhu Qing’s eyes, Li Lan was on the same marriage certificate as her and lived under the same roof, which meant Li Lan was her person.

And this was the wife she had “found” herself.

This had nothing to do with whether she had amnesia or not. She didn’t remember how “Zhu Qing” used to get along with Li Lan, whether she was good to her, or whether she cared about her. But ever since she found out Li Lan was her wife, Zhu Qing had never thought of being anything but kind to her.

With this living, breathing person in front of her, Zhu Qing was determined to take good care of Li Lan.

Not to mention that Li Lan was also good to her.

Although Li Lan’s attitude had always been lukewarm—not quite rejecting but not intimate either—Zhu Qing was still willing to be close to her and get near her.

Even if Li Lan didn’t feel the same way about her, Zhu Qing didn’t care. In any case, this was her person, and she could treat her however she wanted.

Zhu Qing remembered Li Lan’s task. “Do you want to take photos now?”

Li Lan glanced at the setting sun outside the window. The atmosphere was just right, so she nodded.

Zhu Qing took out a camera from the room. She couldn’t find her usual Fuji, only a large-format one and a Leica SL3.

She looked at the instruction manual while adjusting the settings and took a few test shots of the indoor ornaments.

“Did you buy this for me?” Zhu Qing estimated that it cost about six figures.

Li Lan glanced at it and recognized it. She nodded. “Your 100-day work anniversary gift.”

Her 100-day work anniversary? What kind of holiday was that? Zhu Qing was speechless for a moment. She aimed the camera at Li Lan and pressed the shutter.

Click.

Li Lan’s eyes had been following Zhu Qing. She was caught off guard by the camera, and a look of soft naivety was captured in the frame.

“Come on,” Zhu Qing said, looking at the camera in surprise. “This camera retains details in the light and dark very well. I can definitely take good photos. You just need to change your clothes.”

Li Lan yawned, got up obediently, and went to the bedroom to change.

Standing in front of the wardrobe, Li Lan’s eyes scanned several sleepwear options: a silk satin long dress, elegant and understated, very safe and photogenic; a linen long dress with feather trim, fresh and natural, suitable for the sunset atmosphere.

Li Lan didn’t want to think too much and reached for a random set.

But her fingers had just touched the hanger when she pulled them back.

Her gaze fell on the embroidered sleep robe in the innermost part of the wardrobe.

Remembering the family card payment notification from today, Li Lan’s throat tightened slightly, and she looked down in silence for a few seconds.

Her fingertips rubbed the embroidered sleep robe for a moment, then she gently took it down.

…

By the French window, Zhu Qing was fiddling with the camera. The moment she saw Li Lan, her eyes froze.

The person who walked in was wearing an extremely beautiful sleep robe, a burgundy satin with gold-threaded lotus vines embroidered on it, which intertwined with the red and gold in the warm light of the setting sun.

Li Lan noticed her gaze, smiled slightly, and said softly, “I’ll pose myself. You can just shoot whatever you like.”

Zhu Qing’s throat moved. She lifted the camera, her voice a little hoarse. “Okay.”

Li Lan leaned back in the swing on the balcony, propping her chin with one hand and looking at the sunset.

The sleep robe was lazy and loose, revealing her sharp and clean shoulder and neck lines with every movement. The hollow of her collarbone held tiny bits of light.

Zhu Qing pressed the shutter.

Click.

Li Lan changed her pose, leaning back even more. She looked at the camera, her legs crossed, peeking out from the sleep robe, their lines faintly visible.

Click, click.

Li Lan got up and leaned against the French window, gazing at the camera against the light.

Click, click, click.

She was like a red-tailed mermaid stranded in the moonlight, exuding an extreme sexiness within a mysterious nobility, but her temperament was so cold, distant, and unapproachable.

Li Lan’s gaze moved slightly. For a moment, Zhu Qing felt as if she was looking at her through the lens.

Zhu Qing held her breath, and her heart rate suddenly went out of control.

She met Li Lan’s extremely penetrating gaze but couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination. She just felt like there were many things in it that she couldn’t understand.

That gaze pierced through the thin, warm light of the setting sun and landed quietly on Zhu Qing.

The two of them were very close, but the stare was so distant and aloof that it made Zhu Qing feel a kind of sadness she couldn’t put into words.

Li Lan suddenly walked towards the camera.

She reached out a hand. Her fair, long fingers reached out towards the lens, as if to brush away the fallen petals from her lover’s temple.

Zhu Qing was stunned for a second, then quickly shook her head, trying to clear her mind of all thoughts, and pressed the shutter.

She took over three hundred photos. Li Lan ultimately chose ten of them to send to her studio and thanked Zhu Qing. “They’re very well-shot, it’s beyond my expectations.”

Zhu Qing felt the same way. The photos were not her best work, but they were at least in the top three. The composition, the light and shadow, and Li Lan’s expressive power all gave the photos a rich soul.

Zhu Qing looked at Li Lan’s satisfied expression and remembered what Qian Chu had told her today.

While she was happy, Zhu Qing brought up the matter. “Li Lan, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Li Lan looked up from her phone, turned off the screen, and sat up straight. “Go ahead.”

Zhu Qing sat across from Li Lan and said it directly. “I ran into Qian Chu when I went out this afternoon. She told me about the variety show.”

Li Lan’s expression darkened, and she immediately understood. “You don’t need to worry about what she said.”

“No, of course, I have to worry,” Zhu Qing said with a sincere expression. “Not to mention the six million in liquidated damages, this variety show is good for your career development. You should seize the opportunity.”

A look of annoyance appeared between Li Lan’s brows, and her tone became cold and harsh. “I will pay the liquidated damages. You don’t need to worry about these things.”

After saying that, she got up quickly without waiting for Zhu Qing’s reaction. “If that’s what you want to talk about, there’s no need to say any more.”

Zhu Qing subconsciously got up as well. She hesitated for two seconds and grabbed Li Lan’s arm firmly.

“Don’t go yet. I want to know why.”

Zhu Qing was a little flustered. Li Lan’s sudden change in attitude caught her off guard. For the past two days, except for when she had just lost her memory and signed the agreement, Li Lan had been “treating her with respect.” This was not the kind of strained and confrontational atmosphere they were in now.

Li Lan said coldly, “Let go.”

“Qian Chu said it was because of me. Are you trying to protect me? But I’m not a complete stranger to the public. I have my own photography account, so you don’t have to be afraid of me being exposed to the public,” Zhu Qing couldn’t get her to explain the reason, so she said anxiously, “If it’s because of something else, we can solve it together.”

Li Lan forcefully pulled her arm away, her voice unsteady. “Zhu Qing, when we signed that contract, we were in love. But now? You and I are not the same people we were. I will not participate in this show with you.”

After she finished speaking, she took a deep breath. The side of her face was very tense. She seemed to want to glance at Zhu Qing but ultimately didn’t turn her head and walked away.

Zhu Qing stood there in a daze, replaying Li Lan’s words in her mind.

We are no longer in love now.

It was as if a tiny, ice-cold needle had been unexpectedly jabbed into her heart.