Chapter 20

“Not appropriate.”

The morning was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

Cheng Zhanya’s words made Lin Hanbing furrow her brow almost imperceptibly.

Her wife was telling her they shouldn’t sleep in the same bed?

Cheng Zhanya picked up the pillow. “You sleep here.”

“I’ll go to the guest room.”

Her fair face was exceptionally cold, her lips pressed tightly together as she hugged the pillow and walked past her.

Lin Hanbing couldn’t tolerate Cheng Zhanya’s indifference.

She closed her eyes with forced patience, her chin lifting slightly. Her heart felt like a piece had been hollowed out, the ache stabbing at her nerves.

“Really… do we have to divorce?”

Lin Hanbing grabbed her wrist, her voice thick with restraint.

Cheng Zhanya turned her face away, catching the desolation in Lin Hanbing’s eyes. Her own heart clenched hard.

She didn’t answer. Her attitude said it all.

Once the thought of divorce had taken root, there was no pulling it back.

“I understand.”

Lin Hanbing said softly.

She had never been good at sweet-talking people. With Cheng Zhanya rejecting her again and again, she had no idea how to bridge the gap.

Watching her cling to this painful resolve exhausted Lin Hanbing. And it exhausted Cheng Zhanya too.

Cheng Zhanya glanced over in surprise.

“I’ll sign the papers.”

“As you wish,” Lin Hanbing said, her voice clear and icy. Then she left.

The sky grew brighter, a gentle breeze stirring the air.

Cheng Zhanya stood there, holding back for a long time before the tears finally came.

Was it finally over?

She lowered her gaze, Lin Hanbing’s words echoing in her mind again and again.

As you wish…

Tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks, pattering onto the floor.

Five years of dating.

Five years of marriage.

Ten years, and they were finally parting ways.

That sense of relief she’d felt about the divorce had vanished entirely, leaving only a chest pain that felt ready to explode.

She clutched at her chest, sobbing quietly. Her body went weak, and she slowly sank to the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.

This was her choice.

She had no one to blame.

Now it was done, just as she’d wanted.

A ray of sunlight drifted into the room, the curtains swaying gently.

Her legs had gone numb.

When Cheng Zhanya finally stood, her vision blackened. She staggered, nearly pitching forward.

She caught herself on the nearest object, barely avoiding a painful fall.

Her eyes squeezed shut, she didn’t dare move for a long moment.

After a sleepless night, she felt no trace of drowsiness now.

She was still clutching the pillow when sleep finally claimed her.

Half-dreaming, Cheng Zhanya felt a sharp sting in her eyes.

She rolled away from the light, taking a long while to open them again.

The spot beside her was perfectly smooth, untouched, but it seemed to carry a faint trace of Lin Hanbing’s scent.

Cheng Zhanya sat up, her gaze vacant for a few seconds. Then she got out of bed to freshen up.

The mirror showed swollen, reddish eyes, dull and lifeless. Her face was pale, her long hair a tangled mess. She looked like a madwoman.

She lowered her eyes.

She was the one who wanted the divorce, so why had she made herself look neither human nor ghost?

Cheng Zhanya cupped water to her face. The coolness cleared her head a little. She didn’t wipe away the droplets, just watched them trail down her skin, leaving it slightly taut.

Every corner her gaze touched felt achingly familiar. She could even recall what she and Lin Hanbing had done there.

All of it was in the past now.

Only the memories clung to her.

…

After that day, Cheng Zhanya hadn’t seen Lin Hanbing again.

She’d moved into Fan Yaobai’s place. Her belongings dwindled with every passing day, leaving the space feeling emptier—and more unnerving.

Fan Yaobai leaned against the doorframe, cradling Fan Jiujiu as she watched Cheng Zhanya tidy the guest room.

“Really divorced?” Fan Yaobai asked.

Cheng Zhanya shot her a helpless glance. “You’ve asked that a hundred times already.”

“You like her that much. You really okay just handing her over to someone else?”

She’d watched them take one careful step after another to reach this point. It didn’t feel real that they’d split so suddenly.

Cheng Zhanya paused mid-hang with the clothes. Her face paled slightly. She’d never considered the question.

Would Lin Hanbing fall for someone else?

Would she set aside her work for that person?

She bowed her head, a flicker of quiet sorrow in her eyes.

“I’m not okay with it,” she admitted honestly.

“Then why get the divorce?”

Fan Yaobai couldn’t wrap her head around it. “Sure, her personality’s cold as ice, but she’s drop-dead gorgeous! With a face like Lin Hanbing’s, I’d jump her even if it cost me.”

True enough.

A woman like Lin Hanbing could have anyone she wanted.

“You’ve got a point.”

“Before the papers are signed, want me to go coax her? Tell her I don’t want the divorce after all?” Cheng Zhanya looked at her, her expression thoughtful.

Fan Yaobai fell silent, rolling her eyes at her.

Cheng Zhanya let out a light chuckle.

Her mood had evened out a lot over these past few days.

She hung the last of the clothes from her suitcase in the slightly cramped closet, shut the door, and looped her arm gently through Fan Yaobai’s.

“Thanks for putting me up.”

Fan Yaobai joked, “You’re paying rent, right? Otherwise, how’s Jiujiu supposed to eat?”

Cheng Zhanya ruffled the fur behind Fan Jiujiu’s ears and smiled. “Of course. I’ll get it tons of supplements.”

She’d been staying there two days now, and Fan Jiujiu had warmed up to her some. It would occasionally rub against her leg in a coquettish bid for attention, and now it even meowed back when she petted it.

“What’s your plan from here?”

“I don’t know.”

Cheng Zhanya sounded adrift.

She had no real-world experience to speak of. Her degree was ancient history, and she’d been scraping by on her web serial.

Plans… she hadn’t given it much thought.

But she couldn’t keep holing up at home forever.

Her social circle had shrunk to nothing. She couldn’t handle even the smallest crises anymore. The thought of networking alone gave her a headache.

“No rush. Take your time figuring it out,” Fan Yaobai said comfortingly.

“Thanks, Baibai.”

Fan Yaobai tsked.

Cheng Zhanya smiled.

The morning sky hung heavy and overcast.

It felt like a downpour could hit at any moment, the air thick and muggy.

The distant skyscrapers were veiled in gray-white haze, their silhouettes rising and falling like a mirage.

A big storm was brewing.

She thought.

Cheng Zhanya pulled the clothes in from the balcony, secured the doors and windows, then sank onto the sofa with some music.

She’d put her serial on indefinite hiatus.

Now she was well and truly jobless.

Fan Jiujiu finished its sausage and leaped onto her lap, nuzzling her thigh with its head before letting out a meow.

Cheng Zhanya crossed her legs and scooped it closer, gently stroking its fur.

The rain never came.

She checked the time and decided to grab a bite outside. She’d find a lawyer too, to draw up the divorce agreement.

After a few days to let it settle, she could face the divorce calmly.

A light wind blew outside, too feeble to cut the heat.

For the first time since moving out, she returned to Lin Hanbing’s company—and was promptly escorted upstairs.

Assistant Li’s eyes widened in surprise, then delight as she hurried forward.

“Ma’am, you’re here.”

It was like she’d spotted a savior. Li Wenwen’s eyes brimmed with tears.

And wasn’t she, though?

Li Wenwen kept that to herself.

Her boss had been like a woman possessed these past few days—working nonstop without sleep was one thing, but her face had turned terrifyingly dark. The slightest issue, and she’d demand a redo. The whole company was walking on eggshells.

In all her time there, Li Wenwen had never seen Lin Hanbing so intimidating.

No one else knew about the divorce yet, so the “ma’am” slipped out naturally.

It hadn’t bothered her before.

Now it grated, like a throwback to harsher times.

Cheng Zhanya nodded. “I’m here for Hanbing.”

“President Lin’s been in a foul mood lately. Maybe talk her down a bit?” Li Wenwen led her to the office door, her tone humble.

Cheng Zhanya said nothing.

She feared today’s business would only sour it further.

Li Wenwen knocked.

After the response from inside, she opened the door and gestured Cheng Zhanya in.

This wasn’t Cheng Zhanya’s first time in Lin Hanbing’s office.

She’d brought flowers here once, back when Lin Hanbing first took over the company—for her wife.

It was as spare and simple as she remembered, no extraneous decorations.

Lin Hanbing was buried in work, not even lifting her head for a glance.

Cheng Zhanya didn’t press. She glanced around.

A bookshelf loomed behind the desk, its volumes holding zero appeal for her. To the right, by the floor-to-ceiling windows, stood a dark door—Lin Hanbing’s lounge.

That was where she crashed whenever she didn’t come home.

Cheng Zhanya’s brow furrowed faintly. A wave of unease washed over her.

She stepped up to the desk and pulled the drafted divorce agreement from her bag, sliding it gently into Lin Hanbing’s view.

Lin Hanbing’s signing hand froze. She gripped the pen so tightly her fingertips blanched.

She gave it a cursory glance.

After a moment’s restraint, she finally looked up. “Property division—you’re taking nothing?”

Cheng Zhanya shook her head.

She had no use for it. “I’ve already moved out. Just sign, and we’re done.”

“As for the house… we’ll sort it separately.”

Lin Hanbing stared at her intently.

Only then did she realize how little she truly knew Cheng Zhanya.

Her gentle, alluring wife could turn ruthless faster than she could.

She flipped through the thin sheaf of papers—so light they weighed next to nothing, yet they cradled five years of marriage. One signature, and it was over.

“Go ahead and sign.”

Cheng Zhanya prompted her. She was afraid she’d weaken if she waited.

So eager?

Lin Hanbing’s face drained of color. She drew a deep breath, then signed with fluid strokes.

Cheng Zhanya took the papers back. “If you’re too busy, I can file them myself.”

“How considerate of you.” Lin Hanbing let out a light laugh.

It was frigid.

Cheng Zhanya had never seen such an expression on her—cold enough to cut.

Her heart twisted. “Hanbing…”

“I’ll go with you to file for the divorce certificate. Dinner first?”

“A farewell meal.”

Cheng Zhanya: “……”

Lin Hanbing seemed like a different person, and Cheng Zhanya couldn’t adjust.

Awkwardness thickened between them.

She managed a nod. “All right.”