It’s Okay to Divorce - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Mu Mian touched the tip of her nose and her ear, changing the subject. “What brings you here? Don’t you have work?”

“I’m on vacation, and the first thing I wanted to do when I got back was see you,” Chen Sheng said with a laugh over the phone. “What? Not happy to have me?”

Mu Mian cleared her throat lightly, feeling a bit awkward. “Of course you’re welcome. How could I not welcome you, Dr. Chen? By the way, how long are you staying this time?”

“I’m not leaving.” Chen Sheng pulled the conversation back to where she’d derailed it. “Do you really want me gone that badly? It’s been so long—don’t you miss me at all?”

Mu Mian paused. “…” How was she supposed to respond to that?

When she fell silent, Chen Sheng added, “I brought you a gift. I’ll come find you tonight.” He paused, then continued, “As your doctor, of course. And I’ll be very careful.”

Mu Mian knew she couldn’t turn him down, so she nodded and said, “Fine. When you come, could you pick up some fries, a box of popcorn chicken, and a Coke for me?”

Chen Sheng could tell she’d been cooped up and suppressed for too long, going a bit stir-crazy, so he agreed.

Mu Mian had turned down Chen Sheng’s advances plenty of times, but he never took it to heart. Each time, he came back thicker-skinned than before, chasing her for a full six years.

The old man at home adored Dr. Chen and was always trying to play matchmaker. Truth be told, Mu Mian thought Chen Sheng wasn’t bad at all—he’d make a great husband. A guy sticking around for six years? It’d be a lie to say she wasn’t touched. But touched was just touched; she wanted someone who could really make her heart race, spark that girlish flutter and springtime rush.

She didn’t want to settle for marriage just because it “fit.” She didn’t want to hold him back, so she’d rejected him time and again.

Dr. Chen was better as a friend than a partner.

That afternoon, Ming Wei headed to the capital for some business, and filming wrapped up early. Mu Mian returned to the hotel and holed up in her room alone, playing games.

Maybe it was the sweltering heat, but she had no appetite, feeling all hot and bothered.

In the game, her teammates were total deadweight. Mu Mian got so mad she flipped on voice chat and yelled, “What the hell kind of jungling is that? Are you a grade-schooler or something?!”

A childish voice piped up in response: “Hey, lady, I’m not in grade school! I’m in middle school, okay? Okay!!”

Okay… OKAY… The match ended in a total wipeout, and Mu Mian furiously quit the game.

She glanced at the nutritious meal her assistant had delivered, but couldn’t stomach a single bite.

At lunch, when everyone was eating boxed meals together, Zou Tingshen had noticed her poor appetite. Out of concern for the baby, he’d called her specially to ask if she’d eaten.

Mu Mian said she had no appetite. Zou Tingshen frowned. “Filming every day is exhausting. You can’t keep going like this—you won’t get the nutrition you need.”

Mu Mian lounged on the sofa with the phone in hand, asking lazily, “So what do I do? If I can’t eat, I can’t just force it down…”

“Drink some formula. You can’t skimp on nutrition,” Zou Tingshen suggested. “Tonight, try to have at least a little.”

“Ming Wei’s out, and pregnant women’s formula is something we need to keep low-key,” Mu Mian said. “Can’t really send the assistant out for it, right? Is Xu Lin around? Have him grab some.”

“Xu Lin’s abroad,” Zou Tingshen said, pausing for a few seconds. “Leave it to me. I’ll come by later.”

“Okay.” Mu Mian hung up, and right then, the doorbell rang. She peeked through the peephole—it was Chen Sheng.

She opened the door, stepped aside to let him in, and quickly shut it behind him.

Chen Sheng was dressed in a white shirt and black slacks, exuding a warm and gentle aura. Aside from his hair being a bit shorter, he hadn’t changed much.

He walked into the dining area and set down the fries, popcorn chicken, and Coke he’d brought for Mu Mian on the table before turning to look at her. “I got what you asked for.” His gaze drifted downward, landing on her rounded belly, and he froze for a moment. “Your stomach?”

“Oh…” Mu Mian said. “It’s for the shoot. Haven’t had time to take it off yet.”

She tossed out a casual excuse to brush it off, then glanced at the fast food he’d brought. The greasy smell just made her more irritable.

Chen Sheng pulled a brocade box from his pocket and handed it to her.

“What’s this?” Mu Mian took the box and opened it absentmindedly.

Inside lay a bracelet with exquisite craftsmanship and design—simple on the surface, but with artistic flourishes in the details.

From the signature emerald gemstone style, it had to be a CO&TI piece. This bracelet wasn’t available on the market, so it must be an exclusive… custom from designer Blandan?

She looked up at Chen Sheng, incredulous. “How did you pull this off?”

Blandan only did custom designs for friends—it was a service money couldn’t buy. Mu Mian had once tried offering an eight-figure sum for a custom bracelet, only to be turned down flat.

Chen Sheng smiled and arched his left eyebrow. “My methods, of course. Do you like it?”

Mu Mian couldn’t help nodding. She did like it.

But liking it was just that—liking it. It was way too valuable; she couldn’t accept it. Mu Mian placed the bracelet back in the box and handed it back. “It’s too precious. I can’t take it. Keep it.”

Chen Sheng pushed it back. “This is from Mr. Blandan himself. He asked me to give it to the most important girl in my life. I’m all alone, so after thinking it over, you’re the best fit. You have to accept it.”

Mu Mian’s lips pursed. “Fine, then give me your account number. I’ll pay you a token amount symbolically, like I’m buying it. Okay?”

“Sleepy, are you trying to insult me?” Chen Sheng’s smile faded, his expression turning serious.

“Alright, alright, I’ll keep it…” Mu Mian said. Gifts like this—she’d find a way to return the favor someday.

—

On the other side, Zou Tingshen had changed into a black tracksuit, donned a mask and baseball cap, and left the hotel.

In an alley not far from the hotel, he met up with a man in black.

A reporter had been staking out the area all day with nothing to show for it and was about to call it quits. Heading into the alley to take a leak, he stumbled upon two shady figures who seemed to be making some under-the-table deal.

With a reporter’s keen instinct, he sensed it might be something illegal—maybe big news—so he pulled out his DSLR and started snapping photos covertly.

Through the lens, he saw the two men in black trading what looked like baby formula. Two grown men sneaking around with baby formula? That was weird as hell, right?

The reporter recalled rumors of drug use at the nearby five-star hotel and couldn’t help connecting the dots.

But then, the taller guy opened the formula, dipped a finger in, and put it in his mouth, tasting it… like checking the texture?

It didn’t look very professional.

The tall guy handed over money, tucked away the formula, and turned toward the reporter’s direction.

Even with the mask, leaving only his eyes visible, the man’s build struck the reporter as familiar.

The reporter zoomed in, scrutinizing Adam’s apple, hands, eyes…

Holy crap. Was that Zou Tingshen!?

Damn. Zou Tingshen doing drugs? This was huge news!

—

Mu Mian poured Chen Sheng a glass of water, and they chatted a bit about his work abroad over the past year. Then she yawned and said, “I’m tired. You should head back and rest, too.”

Chen Sheng checked the time on his wrist, nodded, and stood to leave. “Alright, get some good rest.”

“Mm.” Mu Mian walked him to the door and opened it, only to see a fully disguised Zou Tingshen standing there, hand raised to knock.

The man wore a black mask and baseball cap, exposing only his eyes, with the black tracksuit giving him a restrained, cool edge.

He held a dark plastic bag in one hand, which seemed to contain something canister-shaped.

Chen Sheng glanced at Zou Tingshen, then back at Mu Mian.

Zou Tingshen gave the man emerging from Mu Mian’s room a cold stare, then turned the same icy look on her.

The two men traded glares like arrows at the door. Mu Mian shoved Chen Sheng out, pulled Zou Tingshen in, and shut the door, poking her head out to bid Chen Sheng goodbye. “Get some rest. We can talk tomorrow if there’s anything. Goodnight.”

“Goodn—” The door slammed shut with a bang before he could finish.

Chen Sheng stood there, stunned.

What the hell was that?

Zou Tingshen tossed the formula onto the dining table, and a baby bottle rolled out of the bag.

Mu Mian picked up the bottle, examined it with interest, gave it a playful bite and suck, then grinned. “Not bad, Old Zou. You even thought to get something fun like this? Pretty thoughtful.”

Zou Tingshen pulled out a can of formula and unscrewed it, explaining, “It was probably a freebie from the supermarket.”

Mu Mian stopped him from mixing it in a cup and handed him the bottle instead. “I’ll drink from this.”

Zou Tingshen looked at her like she was some kind of alien.

“What? Drinking from this is super relaxing!”

Zou Tingshen didn’t argue. He took the bottle from her and mixed up a full one.

The man moved like he’d done this a hundred times—methodical and effortless.

Once it was ready, he carefully tested the temperature, deemed it fine, and handed the bottle to Mu Mian. Casually, he asked, “Who was that just now?”

“Oh, a friend of mine,” Mu Mian said, popping the n1pple into her mouth for a sip.

Zou Tingshen’s gaze on her wasn’t exactly friendly.

“Hey, what’s with that look?” Mu Mian asked.

“Mu Mian, you’re about to be a mother,” Zou Tingshen said. “I hope you can show a little more restraint.”

“Re… ” Screw you!

She’d barely gotten the first word of her outburst out when the door burst open with a bang.

Mu Mian stared at the police rushing in, bottle still in her mouth… completely dumbfounded.

Clutching the bottle, she gaped and elbowed Zou Tingshen’s solid chest. “Zou Tingshen, be honest—what did you do?”

Zou Tingshen looked just as baffled. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”