How About A Divorce? - Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Yuan Yiyang
Wen Yu paused when she passed the “Zhongshan East Road” sign.
“It’s been so many years since we graduated,” she sighed.
Lin Yanqing: “Time flies.”
The two of them chatted intermittently, but they had a tacit understanding not to talk about their high school relationship. The topics revolved only around their homeroom teacher or other classmates.
Occasionally, they would also ask about Zero One’s recent business, and so on. In short, the conversation was superficial.
When they got to the bus stop, Lin Yanqing said, “We’re waiting for bus number 306.”
The bus arrived quickly. Wen Yu got on first and sat in the last row by the window.
Lin Yanqing sat down next to her.
Once they were on the bus, they stopped talking. Wen Yu looked out the window, looking at the traffic below with a sense of novelty, and then at the plane trees that covered the sky.
Jingnan was full of plane trees. Next to the simple old streets, those plane trees were like spirits. Their extended branches and leaves wove a dense net. When you looked up, you could only see a sea of green.
“I love Jingnan so much…”
Lin Yanqing looked at the muttering Wen Yu. “You love it? I have a property here. You can live here.”
Wen Yu turned her head and looked at her.
When they got married, they had agreed to maintain the marriage for at least ten years. Now they had been married for seven years, so they still had to be together for at least three more years. After that, whether they got divorced or not was completely up to both parties.
Before, Wen Yu didn’t have a clear idea about this time, but she was gradually preparing for it. She had an expectation in her heart, so she wouldn’t be too flustered when the time came. However, Lin Yanqing’s cheating disrupted her plans.
A voice in her heart told her that it was time to get divorced. Find the evidence of Lin Yanqing’s cheating and then get divorced.
And just now, Lin Yanqing was talking to her about the future.
—The future of moving here to live.
What future?
Wen Yu’s voice was soft. “We’ll see.”
Lin Yanqing nodded. Wen Yu turned her head away again and continued to look at the scenery.
They got off the bus when they reached their destination. After walking about a hundred meters into the alley, Lin Yanqing led Wen Yu into a wonton shop.
The wonton shop sold everything: thin-skinned wontons, duck bl00d and vermicelli soup, steamed dumplings, shumai, etc. The tables and chairs were old. The menu was pasted on the wall, with red letters on a yellow background. One paper was pasted over another on the prices, and some were crossed out with a marker, with new dish names added.
Wen Yu sat on the wooden stool with a fresh sense of wonder.
She had never eaten at an old shop before. She didn’t even know what a “fly restaurant” was. The food she had eaten since she was a child, apart from those random snacks, was almost all exquisite.
After they got married, if Lin Yanqing was at home, she would eat the food Lin Yanqing cooked. If Lin Yanqing wasn’t at home, she would order takeout from a high-end hotel. Anyway, she used her mom’s membership card.
“Don’t tell Mom I brought you to eat this,” Lin Yanqing placed a vinegar dish in front of Wen Yu.
Wen Yu tried to bait her. “Are you trying to poison me?”
“Yes, you found out,” Lin Yanqing said this while rinsing the chopsticks and spoon with hot water and handing them to her. “I’m going to murder my wife for the insurance money.”
Wen Yu: “What a wicked person.”
Lin Yanqing was amused. “Stop joking.”
When the thin-skinned wontons were brought up, they had egg flowers floating on top. Wen Yu added a little chili to it.
While she was blowing on the wontons, she asked, “How did you find this place?”
“A friend recommended it,” Lin Yanqing said. “Be careful, it’s hot.”
When the word “friend” came out, Wen Yu looked up. “What friend?”
Lin Yanqing nodded. “Yuan Yiyang. You probably don’t know her.”
Wen Yu felt like the name was familiar.
She remembered. She had glanced at the hot searches when she was on Weibo earlier to look for Lin Yanqing. There was a search term for this actress, and it was related to her joining a crew. Because the term had a “hot” tag at the end, Wen Yu had a little bit of an impression.
“I’ve heard of her. Is she very famous?” Wen Yu asked.
“Quite famous. A very good actress.”
Wen Yu glanced at her.
If Lin Yanqing was praising someone, they must be very good.
“Is she in Jingnan now?”
“Yeah, she is.”
Wen Yu’s nerves tightened. Her eyelids lifted slightly, and she felt like she was getting closer to the answer.
Lin Yanqing didn’t know why Wen Yu was asking about this person. She silently pushed a cup of water to Wen Yu and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you want to meet her?”
Wen Yu blinked, picked up the cup, and took a sip of water to relieve the spiciness on her lips. After a few seconds of silence, she said, “Nothing. I was just asking.”
Lin Yanqing smiled, picked up a soup dumpling, and placed it in Wen Yu’s vinegar dish, changing the subject. “Try this soup dumpling.”
Wen Yu stopped talking and ate slowly.
Yuan Yiyang… Wen Yu picked up her phone, thought for a moment, and opened her chat with Shi Li.
She sent a message: Is Yuan Yiyang at the Zero One event?
Shi Li replied instantly: Yes, you know too, CEO Wen?
Wen Yu’s hand went limp. The wonton in her spoon fell back into the bowl, splashing a few drops of soup.
She quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe it off. She lowered her eyes to hide the expression in them, blocking Lin Yanqing’s hand that wanted to help. “Don’t move. I’ll do it myself.”
Lin Yanqing frowned. “Be careful.”
Shi Li sent another message: Yuan Yiyang is the hidden surprise for Zero One’s event tomorrow. It’s said that she’s deigning to come because of CEO Lin. She’s also a candidate for the female lead in Qianchuan Yinghua’s next project.
Another message: As long as you nod, CEO Wen, I’ll sign Yuan Yiyang.
Wen Yu turned off her phone.
…
After dinner, Wen Yu followed behind Lin Yanqing, walking on the red brick road.
The sun was setting in the west. Red clouds were scorching the swaying plane tree leaves. The golden and red light and shadows hit the ground through the dense tree shadows. Lin Yanqing walked in front, her hair dyed red.
Wen Yu watched this person walk through a series of blurry light beams, her mind empty.
Yuan Yiyang… Such a specific person, yet it intensified Wen Yu’s sense of unreality. She still couldn’t imagine Lin Yanqing cheating.
Suddenly, she felt nauseous.
Wen Yu pressed her hand to her chest and took several deep breaths before she suppressed the feeling of nausea.
Lin Yanqing suddenly stopped.
Wen Yu stopped as well. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Yanqing turned around and looked at her. After Wen Yu walked to her side, she continued walking. “It should be dark by the time we get back to the hotel.”
“I don’t care. There are streetlights.”
“Tell me if you get tired,” Lin Yanqing said.
Wen Yu wasn’t in the mood to chat. “If I get tired, I’ll take a taxi.”
Lin Yanqing didn’t say anything more.
This road was long, suitable for a quiet walk and for a heart-to-heart talk.
For them, a heart-to-heart talk was impossible. There was a barrier between them that had existed for ten years. It couldn’t be erased, and no one wanted to break it.
The two of them were a comfortable distance apart. All their thoughts were focused on their own small world, and they didn’t think about communicating.
The traffic on the side caught up with the rush hour. The road was a bit congested. A few short-tempered drivers started honking their horns. Wen Yu turned her head to look at them with disdain and then looked away.
After walking a few more steps, Lin Yanqing handed her a piece of candy.
The wrapper was pink, Wen Yu’s favorite strawberry flavor.
Wen Yu often ate this brand in high school. After the second year of high school, Lin Yanqing was in charge of her snacks. Wen Yu could only eat a little occasionally, and she had to be well-behaved to do so.
Wen Yu didn’t take it and gave her a confused look.
“You don’t want it?”
Wen Yu hesitated for a moment. “…Why are you giving me this?”
“I remember you like it.”
Lin Yanqing’s tone was so natural that Wen Yu paused slightly.
Right. There was no reason needed to eat candy. It wasn’t high school anymore.
…It was just cheating. What was there to be so conflicted about? Just get a divorce. She wasn’t a child anymore. There was no need to waste her energy on this.
Wen Yu took the candy, intending to use it to stimulate some dopamine. She casually asked, “Where did you get it?”
Lin Yanqing: “I ordered supermarket delivery from the hotel.”
Wen Yu’s action of peeling the wrapper stopped. “You bought it specifically for me?”
For some reason, her mood improved a lot.
“Yeah. I bought it because you like it,” Lin Yanqing looked at her and smiled. “Don’t be too touched. I’m just that thoughtful.”
Wen Yu put the candy in her mouth. “Get lost.”
What a shameless person.
Lin Yanqing’s eyes curved into a smile. “I won’t.”
“You wouldn’t give me any in high school, but now you’re so generous,” Wen Yu was amused.
“That was then,” Lin Yanqing took out another one from her pocket. “I have more here.”
Back then, Wen Yu really couldn’t eat these things.
Lin Yanqing’s gaze fell on Wen Yu’s chest.
After the college entrance exam, Wen Yu had surgery. The recovery was very good, except for the scar on her chest.
After Wen Yinghuan told Lin Yanqing in the second year of high school that Wen Yu was going to have surgery after she turned eighteen, Lin Yanqing started managing Wen Yu. She got used to managing her. Even after they fell out, Lin Yanqing would still subconsciously take care of Wen Yu.
She didn’t know when this friendship-like responsibility had changed. The changed feelings had melted into her bones and bl00d. Now it was almost a part of her body, as if Lin Yanqing was born to take care of Wen Yu.
Lin Yanqing looked at the person next to her gently. The affection in her eyes was about to be impossible to hide. Unfortunately, the person next to her didn’t want to be distracted and only stared at the candy in her hand.
Wen Yu took the candy and said maliciously, “Next time, I’ll tell my mom that you gave me these.”
Lin Yanqing closed her hand, wrapping it around Wen Yu’s fingers.
Wen Yu, holding the candy, raised an eyebrow. “Are you going back on your word?”
Lin Yanqing: “Are you going to tell Mom or not?”
Wen Yu: “Are you threatening me?”
Lin Yanqing let go of her hand, letting her take the candy. She smiled. “How would I dare, young miss? You’ll just scold me again.”
Wen Yu was satisfied. “Don’t worry. I’m not like you. I won’t tattle.”
“Yeah,” Lin Yanqing looked at her bright eyes. “I’m not worried.”
After eating two pieces of candy, Wen Yu’s whole heart felt much lighter. Her steps were lighter, and even the rude drivers who were honking their horns were a little more bearable.
Thanks to the candy, thanks to the dopamine.
The sky was getting dark. The traffic was getting less. Wen Yu was getting tired, and her steps slowed down a lot.
There were wooden benches on both sides of the road. Lin Yanqing suggested, “Do you want to rest for a bit?”
Wen Yu shook her head. “No.”
Sometimes Wen Yu was like a stubborn donkey. For example, now, even if she was tired, she didn’t want to stop. There was no reason for it. She just didn’t want to stop.
She turned her head. “Do you have more candy?”
Lin Yanqing: “There’s more at the hotel.”
Wen Yu pouted. “Then you walk faster and give me the candy when we get back.”
Lin Yanqing: “You shouldn’t eat candy before bed.”
Wen Yu: “…”
Suddenly, she didn’t want to walk anymore.
Lin Yanqing saw her tired face and chuckled. She took out the last piece of candy. “The last one.”
Wen Yu’s face lit up. She took it, not in a hurry to eat it, and subconsciously said, “I knew you had more.”
As soon as she said this, they both froze.
The atmosphere became quiet.
Before, after Lin Yanqing confiscated Wen Yu’s snacks, she would still carry a few small candies with her to motivate Wen Yu, the donkey staring at a carrot. The donkey with the last name Wen usually needed to be motivated three times to finish one task. So Lin Yanqing got used to carrying three pieces of candy with her.
As time went on, the three pieces of candy became a tacit understanding between the two of them, and it extended to all aspects of their back-and-forth communication.
When she was tired, eat some candy. When she was angry, eat some candy. When she was unhappy, eat some candy…
It was like three chances. If the third piece of candy was given and the problem wasn’t solved, the person wasn’t soothed, then it was truly broken.
During their big fight, they argued fiercely. It was the first time Lin Yanqing had truly made Wen Yu angry, and it was also the first time she didn’t care about Wen Yu’s pale face.
The three pieces of candy were all thrown into the trash can.
Later, they both regretted it. But they tacitly moved past it and couldn’t talk about it anymore. However, the scar remained.
Too much time had passed. That time was like a layer of dust. Wen Yu had always thought she didn’t care and had almost forgotten, but at this moment, she still remembered how they stood facing each other back then.
Tsk.
Wen Yu held the last piece of candy in her hand, not knowing whether she should eat it.
Lin Yanqing was also looking at the candy, obviously thinking the same thing as Wen Yu.
Wen Yu put the candy in her pocket.
Forget it.
Lin Yanqing restrained her gaze and nonchalantly brought up another topic. “Do you want to take a taxi?”
Wen Yu was still ruminating on the expired “fight,” plus the cheating incident. She was holding in her anger, and her words were sharp. “No. I’ll just walk until I’m dead.”
Lin Yanqing: “If you die next to me, how am I supposed to explain it to Mom?”
“Just say I was so mad at you that I died.”
“How can you falsely accuse me like that?”
Wen Yu: “If I die, I’m taking you with me.”
Lin Yanqing heard this and smiled. “Okay.”
Wen Yu looked at her, not understanding why Lin Yanqing was smiling so happily. She frowned. “You’re sick.”
She stopped walking and lifted her chin. “Carry me on your back. I don’t want to walk anymore.”