Chapter 67: The Breaking of the Beads Part 1

A long, silent gaze stretched between them, lasting so long that Ming Li’s eyes began to ache.

She hadn’t slept all night. Her eyes were bloodshot, and as they locked onto Gu Qingshuang’s, the vivid red within them looked almost terrifying.

Ming Li simply blinked, and a single, heavy tear fell.

Yet, her heart remained calm—so calm that she couldn’t summon even a flicker of sorrow. In three years of marriage, there had never been a moment more tranquil than this.

The turbulent waves and roaring tides of the past had settled into a mirror-like surface, devoid of even a ripple.

If she didn’t divorce, she would remain like an old machine riddled with glitches, constantly in need of patches. Deciding to divorce meant this machine had only one destiny: to be scrapped and replaced.

The hardest part of any endeavor was the decision; the execution came second. Fortunately, Ming Li was not one to dawdle when it came to either. This three-year marriage had already brought her to the lowest point of her life.

The tear was merely a physiological response. She sniffled and reached up to wipe it away, only to see Gu Qingshuang, who had been standing opposite her, extend a hand with a tissue.

Gu Qingshuang watched her, silent.

Upon closer inspection, those slender fingers trembled slightly as they offered the paper. It was unclear if it was out of anger or something else.

Ming Li took the tissue. For a fleeting second, as she lowered her head, she thought they truly looked like a married couple.

And yet, their relationship had begun with a contract and would end with one.

After wiping her eyes, Ming Li tossed the tissue aside. She wanted to say something to break the awkward, suffocating atmosphere so they could move forward.

Gu Qingshuang spoke first. “You don’t want anything?”

Ming Li couldn’t hear a sound. She could only track the shape of the other woman’s lips to distinguish the words. When the sentences grew too long, the task became difficult, leaving her to rely on guesswork.

Ming Li glanced at the two copies of the Divorce Agreement clutched in Gu Qingshuang’s hand—gripped so tightly the corners were crumpled. “Everything I want is written in there. If you agree to the terms, then sign your name. If you don’t… we can negotiate.”

“Negotiate what?” Gu Qingshuang’s brow furrowed into a deep ‘V’.

She couldn’t understand why Ming Li was acting so abruptly. But that single tear from a moment ago seemed to validate the truth of her words: Ming Li had loved her, and now, she didn’t.

Gu Qingshuang’s mind was a mess. Usually a woman of few words and even fewer arguments, she felt she lacked the strength to express herself now. But deep in her chest, a fire was smoldering.

Seeing the tension, Ming Li joked, “Splitting the assets, of course. It’s not like we have children to split.”

Gu Qingshuang didn’t take the bait, her eyes remaining fixed on her.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Ming Li said, a thin smile playing on her lips. “If someone saw us, they’d think you actually loved me.”

It was a joke, devoid of any attempt to test the waters. She felt pure now, no longer needing to use such ambiguous remarks to probe Gu Qingshuang’s heart.

Gu Qingshuang replied coldly, “We’ve lived together for three years.”

Ming Li only caught two words: We. Three years.

She realized she couldn’t keep talking to Gu Qingshuang. She needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

The deafness brought a sense of panic that had been spreading since last night. While she could maintain her composure when alone, communicating with others required constant guessing and the persistent fear of being found out.

“So, I’ll take that to mean you still have a shred of affection for me?” Ming Li smiled. “Then just sign it.”

Gu Qingshuang lowered her eyes, silent as she weighed her options. It was obvious she didn’t want to sign.

Ming Li spoke again. “When you brought it to me back then, I signed it quite readily. You also said that if one day we no longer wanted to maintain this relationship, all I had to do was say the word and you would agree.”

“That was under the assumption that you had fallen for someone else,” Gu Qingshuang said suddenly, her voice icy. “In that case, I would be willing to let you go. But right now, there is no one else.”

Her lips moved too fast for Ming Li to track.

I shouldn’t have said so much, Ming Li thought. She should have just handed over the agreement and let Gu Qingshuang process it on her own.

After a moment, Ming Li simply repeated her demand: “I want a divorce.”

Gu Qingshuang paused. “If you find things awkward right now, I can go on a business trip for a while to give you space to settle your emotions.”

This was the best compromise she could devise. Divorce felt like an impulsive solution—especially when Gu Qingshuang still wanted to renew their “contract.”

Once the dam broke, Gu Qingshuang’s words flowed more freely. “Just because you loved me once and don’t anymore doesn’t mean divorce is the only answer. There are other solutions. You…”

Gu Qingshuang almost suggested that Ming Li find someone else to distract herself, to transfer that affection elsewhere, but the thought made her heart ache. In truth, she didn’t want Ming Li to find anyone else to love.

If that happened, Ming Li would still leave her. Her peaceful life would be ruthlessly shattered.

Gu Qingshuang liked the current peace. She could even sense that her mother, Gu Xueqiang, had become gentler because of Ming Li’s presence, showing glimpses of her former self. Gu Qingshuang no longer felt the need to retreat to her room the moment she stepped through the door.

All the changes were for the better, and she feared that without Ming Li, it would all turn out to be a dream. A dream she would wake from to find everything reverted to its old, ugly state.

“You can propose other terms,” Gu Qingshuang conceded, taking a step back. “As long as it’s within my power, I will try to satisfy them.”

Ming Li could vaguely tell what she was saying, but she no longer had the energy to respond. She was almost grateful for her deafness now; not being able to hear meant she couldn’t be swayed. She remained firm on the path she had chosen.

“I want a divorce,” Ming Li repeated.

Without waiting for a response, she turned to walk out. As she left, she added, “Message me when you’ve made your decision.”

As Ming Li stepped out of the room, maids greeted her. She nodded back as she always did, though she didn’t stay downstairs for breakfast.

Her bag was light. When she had first arrived at the Gu household, she had only carried a small backpack, and she hadn’t even used the daily necessities inside it. Although half of the wardrobe was now filled with her clothes and the shelves were lined with limited-edition handbags, none of those truly belonged to her.

All she truly owned were her ID card and her phone.