How About A Divorce? - Chapter 34
Chapter 34: My Heart Aches [VIP]
Wen Yu turned on all the lights in the house.
“Come inside and take a look.”
She was the first to sit on the sofa, crossing her legs, and pretended to scrutinize the other person.
Lin Yanqing looked up from the contract and subconsciously said, “Don’t cross your legs.”
Wen Yu: “…”
“Mind your own business.”
Lin Yanqing walked over and sat down next to Wen Yu.
Her eyes were still on the first page as she looked up and asked, “Do you know what this contract means?”
“Nonsense. Are you the first party or am I the first party?” Wen Yu crossed her arms. “Lin Yanqing, I told you before that I’m not used to not having you in my life.”
Lin Yanqing shook the contract. “So you’re taking advantage of the situation?”
Wen Yu was annoyed. “Look at the rest of it. Is this taking advantage? This is helping someone in need!”
Lin Yanqing flipped through it as she was told.
“Food, clothing, housing, and transportation. All expenses will be covered by me, at a standard no less than your previous lifestyle. You’ll also have a fixed monthly allowance for your personal spending. In addition,” Wen Yu paused, “after the agreement ends, I’ll give you a sum of money. Whether you want to start a business or follow your mom, we’ll be even.”
Lin Yanqing nodded. “The terms are indeed good.”
“You don’t have a job now, you don’t have money, you have no one behind you, and there are many people waiting to see you fail. The more miserable you are, the happier they are. If you sign this agreement, you’ll at least have some security.”
After a quick glance at the contract, Lin Yanqing was noncommittal. “I have one question.”
Wen Yu: “Go ahead.”
It was normal for Lin Yanqing to have questions. No matter how flowery the contract was, it was still an unequal treaty. It bound Lin Yanqing to many things, including but not limited to being on call, restricting her other emotional developments—which Wen Yu used to guard against this person’s ‘white moonlight’ coming back to life—and absolute obedience.
The last clause was written very broadly. Wen Yu deliberately left this “flaw” for Lin Yanqing to bargain with.
Lin Yanqing closed the agreement and gently rubbed her thumb on the smooth paper. She looked up and met Wen Yu’s gaze directly. There was no humiliation or dissatisfaction on her face as Wen Yu had expected.
“This agreement,” Lin Yanqing said, “is it unique?”
Wen Yu obviously didn’t expect her to ask this. A flash of surprise appeared in her eyes. “What?”
“The literal meaning,” Lin Yanqing’s tone was as calm as if she were discussing the weather. “This agreement binds me as the second party. So, as the first party, Wen Yu, will this agreement also be unique during its effective period? Or rather…” She paused. “Are you only keeping me as your sugar baby?”
Wen Yu looked at her as if her brain was not working. “Are you thinking with your brain?”
“I’m thinking with my heart.”
“Stop joking,” Wen Yu clicked her tongue. “You’re not in a position to ask that.”
“I have to. It must be written clearly in the agreement.”
“Lin Yanqing, is this all you care about? You’re not looking at anything else?”
Lin Yanqing smiled. “Wen Wen, your tone… it’s as if you’re afraid I’ll be taken advantage of.”
Wen Yu was choked up. “Taken advantage of my foot. I’m clearly the one losing here. The only thing you have going for you is your face.”
“Then I should be thankful that I’m good-looking,” Lin Yanqing calmly accepted the compliment. “I never thought I’d be able to live off my face one day.”
Wen Yu: “…”
Shameless.
“So is it unique to both parties?” Lin Yanqing pulled the topic back, her posture firm. “‘Cooperate with the first party’s life needs,’ ‘maintain harmony’—these words are too broad. I need it to be clear that while I’m fulfilling the second party’s obligations, the first party’s needs are exclusive. This is related to the specific scope of the agreement and my… job responsibilities.”
She emphasized the last two words.
Wen Yu: “…”
Lin Yanqing: “Wen Wen, you can only have me. A mistress shouldn’t have to compete for the position.”
“You have time to joke. Was being locked up not enough?” Wen Yu clicked her tongue.
Lin Yanqing’s eyelids drooped, playing the victim perfectly. “It was enough. Seven days is a long time. I couldn’t tell day from night. I thought it had been half a year.”
“Stop trying to get my sympathy. It won’t work on me.”
“I’m not,” Lin Yanqing leaned closer, grabbed Wen Yu’s hand, and placed her face in the other’s palm. “Wen Wen, I missed you a lot these past few days.”
Sugar-coated bullets.
Wen Yu stared at Lin Yanqing. The next second, she pinched her face, clearly not fooled. “Are you getting into character so quickly?”
“Are you satisfied, boss?” Lin Yanqing smiled.
Wen Yu nodded. “Passable.”
“So can we add the exclusivity clause?”
“Yes. I’ll have the lawyer send a new one in a bit,” Wen Yu sighed to herself, impressed that Lin Yanqing had hit a soft spot in her own taste. She then asked, “Anything else?”
Lin Yanqing: “No.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I have nothing now, I only have my life left,” Lin Yanqing said. “If you want to support me for the rest of my life, I’d be fine with that too.”
“In your dreams,” Wen Yu said with disdain. “Go take a shower. You smell like disinfectant.”
When Lin Yanqing got up, Wen Yu’s heart was a little surprised. She thought Lin Yanqing would negotiate a few more times. After all, this agreement was indeed humiliating. She should have at least tried to save face.
Lin Yanqing went upstairs and stood on the landing, looking down.
“Boss,” she suddenly called out, her voice playful. “The agreement is signed. When do I start fulfilling my duties?”
Wen Yu: “…?”
Why are you so eager?
“Do you need me to warm the bed tonight?”
Wen Yu: “…You’re sleeping in the guest room tonight.”
“What do I need to prepare for warming the bed?” Lin Yanqing asked herself. “Can the expenses for items that improve the sexual quality of the wife-wife… boss’s life be reimbursed?”
Wen Yu: “You…”
“It’s okay if they’re not reimbursed. The salary you give me is enough. I’ll be at home and won’t have any other expenses,” Lin Yanqing leaned against the railing and listed. “The rest of the money can be used for travel. I’ve been too busy these past few years. We haven’t had a chance to go on a proper trip.”
“Lin…”
“Oh, right. I’m banned from leaving the country. I can’t leave Northern City for now. We’ll talk about it once the ban is lifted. For now, I’ll just be your canary in a gilded cage. It’s pretty comfortable. And serving you won’t require a lot of physical activity.”
“Lin Yanqing!” Wen Yu threw a pillow at the stairs. “Go take a shower! If you talk any more nonsense, you can sleep in the hallway!”
Seeing Wen Yu bristling, Lin Yanqing chuckled softly. “Why are you shy? I’m just telling the truth. You’re too sensitive.”
The last two words were a double entendre, making Wen Yu so angry that she went to the kitchen to grab a knife.
Lin Yanqing turned and walked into the bathroom.
Wen Yu stood there, raising her hand to press her hot forehead and cheeks, and cursed under her breath. “Crazy!”
A few minutes later, the delivery she had pre-ordered arrived. Wen Yu took out the food from the boxes, stared at the table full of food, and slapped the table hard.
This assh0le! Even after all this, she still has a smart mouth!
I’m feeding this whole table of food to the dog! I’m not giving her any!
Unfortunately, her grand plan couldn’t be realized. The main reason was that the only “dog” in the house was Lin. Lin Yanqing came out wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair still dripping.
“Did you order this for me?”
“Don’t I need to eat?” Wen Yu scoffed.
“Okay,” Lin Yanqing smiled. “I’ll freeload off my boss.”
Wen Yu: “…”
She really knows how to bend and stretch.
Lin Yanqing ate very slowly. She only finished one bowl of seafood porridge after a long time. Wen Yu asked casually, “Was the food in there normal?”
“Not normal,” Lin Yanqing said. “There was no set time.”
To make it difficult for their bodies to distinguish the passage of time, the meals were served at different intervals. The body’s hunger couldn’t be used as a reliable standard. Many times, Lin Yanqing felt she had passed the point of being hungry, and the smell of food would make her want to vomit.
“You…” Wen Yu frowned.
“It’s fine. It was only seven days. I’ll just consider it a light fast,” Lin Yanqing said.
Wen Yu: “You’re very optimistic.”
“There’s no other way.” Lin Yanqing put down her chopsticks. “I’m full.”
Wen Yu hummed. “Go dry your hair.”
After Lin Yanqing left, Wen Yu sent a message to Wen Rong. Wen Rong replied quickly, sending her Lin Yanqing’s record.
Seven days… ten hours of sleep, four meals, three times of vomiting, and fifty-four words spoken. Most of the time was spent staring blankly at her clothes—because only her clothes had some color. Everything else was a vast expanse of white.
All words fell silent in front of these few short lines.
Wen Yu quietly packed up the dishes. When she went upstairs, she saw that only a floor lamp was on in the bedroom, its light soft.
Lin Yanqing was sleeping, her head tilted, leaning against the headboard.
The hairdryer was still in her hand, which was resting by her side. Her half-wet hair stuck to her cheek and neck. A small, dark patch had seeped into the pillow. She was sleeping soundly, her breathing even and long. Her eyebrows weren’t completely relaxed even in her sleep, carrying a persistent weariness.
The light outlined the contours of her gaunt face. The shadows under her eyes were as dark as ink.
Wen Yu stood there, quietly watching her.
A vague emotion, like a tide, silently washed over her heart, drowning all the reefs of doubt.
She bent down and took the hairdryer from Lin Yanqing’s hand. When her fingertips touched Lin Yanqing’s slightly cool fingers, Lin Yanqing suddenly opened her eyes, with a clear look of wariness.
Lin Yanqing: “You—!”
When she saw it was Wen Yu, her eyes were confused for a moment.
Wen Yu said softly, “Did you have a nightmare?”
Lin Yanqing shook her head and sat up. “I fell asleep?”
“I thought you were dead to the world.”
“Sorry, I’m too tired.” Lin Yanqing got up, turned on the hairdryer again, quickly dried her hair, and then pulled away the damp pillow. “I’ll go to the guest room to get a pillow.”
“I’ll go. You can change into your pajamas,” Wen Yu said.
When Wen Yu returned, Lin Yanqing was already curled up in bed.
She patted the spot next to her. “Boss, get in bed.”
Another double entendre.
Wen Yu threw the pillow at her face. “Shut up.”
Lin Yanqing took the pillow away. “Do you want to shower first? I’ll wait for you.”
I’ll wait for you, my foot.
Wen Yu wanted to tell her to just go to sleep if she was tired, but the words felt too much like care, so she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“Mind your own business,” Wen Yu muttered.
When Wen Yu came out of the shower, Lin Yanqing had already fallen asleep again.
This time, she didn’t touch her. She just took the hairdryer and went to another room to dry her hair.
When everything was tidied up, Wen Yu returned to the bedroom. Lin Yanqing was in the same sleeping position.
Wen Yu walked over and turned off the floor lamp, leaving only a dim nightlight in the corner.
The room fell into a soft twilight. She walked to the other side of the bed, pulled back the covers, and got in herself.
The mattress sank slightly. Wen Yu turned on her side, her back to Lin Yanqing, and closed her eyes.
In the darkness, she heard a faint movement behind her. Lin Yanqing seemed to turn over in her sleep, her arm unconsciously wrapping around her waist.
Wen Yu’s body stiffened, but she didn’t move. The arm had no strength, just lightly resting there, with the dependence of sleep. The warmth of her body passed through the thin pajama fabric.
After a long time, so long that Wen Yu thought Lin Yanqing was sound asleep, she heard a muffled, sleepy whisper from behind her, like a dream.
“…Wen Yu.”
“Hmm?” Wen Yu subconsciously responded, her voice as light as a whisper.
“Boss, I’ll start my duties tomorrow. I’m just catching up on sleep tonight. Is that okay?” Lin Yanqing spoke very slowly, as if a sliver of consciousness was clinging to her mouth to make this “leave request.” After saying it, that sliver of consciousness also broke.
“…Mhm.”
Lin Yanqing didn’t move again.
Wen Yu’s tense body slowly relaxed. She closed her eyes, feeling that the weight on her waist was both too light and too heavy, stuck in a range that made her heart ache. It made her constantly think about it.
She cursed herself in her heart: “Useless.”
After a long time, a voice sounded in her heart—
Forget it.
She thought, resigned.
This is it.
Wen Yu turned over, facing Lin Yanqing, and reached out to hold the woman’s waist, pulling her closer.
With their hair tangled together, Wen Yu smelled Lin Yanqing’s breath. She lowered her head and pressed her face against Lin Yanqing’s collarbone.
Her lips were against her heart. Her skin was against her skin. It was comforting beyond words.