Volume 1, Chapter 44: Su Wanqing... Does Not Love Him Anymore

Su Wanqing did not notice the fluctuation in his emotions. She glanced at her phone and gave a noncommittal "mm," offering not a half-sentence of explanation.

Xie Yanchen had originally wanted to ask something further, but her attitude was entirely too aloof. Annoyed by the sight of it, he simply fell silent alongside her.

It was not until the paperwork was signed and the receipt was collected that their divorce process officially began.

Su Wanqing had nothing else on her agenda for the day, so she planned to return early to keep Xie Kexin company.

Tucking the receipt away safely, Su Wanqing let out a completely unmasked breath of relief. "Then I'll be heading off first."

The corners of her lips curved upward, and she looked to be in exceptionally high spirits.

Xie Yanchen had been watching her facial expressions intently, yet he truly could not find a single trace of sadness.

This unexpected fact made him rather displeased instead.

"I'll drive you."

He stated.

Su Wanqing lifted her eyelids skeptically and refused, "I drove my own car."

Xie Yanchen countered, "Let Xiao Wang drive yours back. I have something to discuss with you."

Su Wanqing thought to herself: *...Is there anything that cannot simply be said right here?*

Xie Yanchen saw her hesitation quite clearly. He raised an eyebrow. "What is it? We aren't divorced yet, and you're already unwilling to ride in my car? We still have thirty days of life left to share."

Su Wanqing pressed her lips together and said, "If you have something to say, say it here, or perhaps we could find a café?"

She had no desire to spend time alone with him in an enclosed space. The mere sight of him involuntarily brought back the scene she had witnessed that day in the Su family's washroom, turning her stomach.

Xie Yanchen gave her a profound look, only to find her gaze clear and her expression entirely earnest.

A sudden thought flashed across his mind: Could Su Wanqing... no longer love him?

Yet he quickly brushed the notion aside.

How could she possibly not love him?

For all these years, no matter how he insulted her, she had always maintained that mild, submissive demeanor. At times, even Zhu Heguang would wonder if Su Wanqing lacked a temper altogether, seeing how she never grew angry despite such provocations.

He had even been fully aware when those women who resembled Su Wan Ning managed to acquire Su Wanqing's contact information. He could easily have stopped it, but deliberately chose not to.

He was simply too curious to see where Su Wanqing's bottom line truly lay.

Yet after years of probing, he had discovered that Su Wanqing seemingly had no bottom line.

Though he did not understand why she loved him, he remained certain that she loved him down to her very bones, a fact that could never change.

***

Seeing Xie Yanchen stare at her in silence without speaking, Su Wanqing was not in a rush either, quietly waiting for him to either agree or refuse.

After a long while, Xie Yanchen finally made a move.

"Give me your phone."

He extended his hand.

Unaware of his reasoning, Su Wanqing's habit formed over the past five years nonetheless caused her to subconsciously hand her phone over to him.

Taking it, Xie Yanchen skillfully entered the passcode.

001027—October 27th, his birthday.

For all these years, whether for her phone or her bank cards, Su Wanqing's passcode had invariably been his birthday.

His movements were extremely swift, finishing the entry in a single second. Before Su Wanqing could even issue a warning, the words "Incorrect Passcode" flashed across the screen.

The hand holding the phone tightened. Believing he had simply input it incorrectly, Xie Yanchen tried once more, yet the same four characters, "Incorrect Passcode," stared back at him.

Seeing this, Su Wanqing retrieved the phone, tapped on the screen a few times, and unlocked it.

000216—Xie Kexin's birthday.

Regrettably, Xie Yanchen did not remember Xie Kexin's birthday at all. He asked in a deep voice, "Why did you change the passcode?"

In truth, he wanted to ask whose birthday it was instead.

Su Wanqing shrugged, replying indifferently, "Got tired of using it, so I changed it."

A heavy plummet chilled Xie Yanchen's heart.

Though Su Wanqing's words seemingly referred to the passcode, they somehow felt as though they were directed at him.

The hand gripping the phone tightened unconsciously until his knuckles grew pale. His face taut, he ultimately swallowed back the interrogation he wanted to hurl.

He could not ask. This must simply be one of Su Wanqing's little games.

She was trying to play hard-to-get with him.

He refused to let her get her way.

With that thought, Xie Yanchen handed the phone back.

"Remove me from your blacklist. When you go back to the old family estate, mind your words and actions, and don't stir up a mess. If there is a genuine issue, wait for me to return and resolve it."

He feigned the stance of someone acting in her best interest, his eyes locked onto Su Wanqing's movements.

Only when he was certain she had obediently removed him from her blacklist did the stone in his chest finally drop.

***

He had known it. She had clearly blocked him on purpose just to see him panic. Look at that—if she truly cared about him so little, why would she unblock him the very moment he asked?

A wave of complacency washed over him, though he kept his face completely expressionless.

He continued, "Be well-behaved back at the old estate. Don't harbor thoughts you shouldn't have. The ten percent of shares has already been given to you, so don't entertain any other ideas. Getting through these thirty days quietly is for the best for both of us."

A flicker of impatience crossed Su Wanqing's lowered eyes, but to avoid unnecessary conflict, she gave a nod.

Seeing her so compliant, Xie Yanchen's mood improved by more than half, and he finally granted her a merciful release.

The two of them finally parted ways, and Zheng Lu's call came through immediately: "Qingqing! How did it go? Did he give you that ten percent of shares? Has the cooling-off period started? Shouldn't we celebrate tonight?"

Hearing her best friend's joyful voice, Su Wanqing's spirits lifted as well.

The five-year bitter sea was finally coming to an end.

She broke into a grin, the sunlight spilling across her face and making her seem as though she were glowing from within. She nodded heavily. "Mm! Everything is sorted out!"

"I'm free!"

She raised her voice in delight, her usually cold tone imbued with vivid color for the very first time.

Looking up—whether due to her mood or the brilliant sunshine—her heart overflowed with anticipation for the future.

After discussing how to celebrate with Zheng Lu that evening, Su Wanqing planned to head to the supermarket to buy some groceries and wine.

Today was a wonderful day, and she intended to cook up a grand feast.

Just then, however, Su Guoxing's call came in.

The smile froze on Su Wanqing's face, her intuition telling her that Su Guoxing's call could not possibly bring good news.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally answered, "Hello."

The instant the line connected, Su Guoxing's voice, suppressing an intentional fury, came through the earpiece: "Come home tonight."

Su Wanqing replied, "If you have anything to say, say it over the phone."

Ever since her last visit to the Su family residence, she considered any remaining paternal bond between herself and Su Guoxing to be entirely severed.

She had no desire to return to the Su house; she wanted nothing to do with anyone bearing the Su name.

Su Guoxing had already prepared his threat. "If you don't show up, I'll take your mother's ashes and feed them to the dogs!"

For all these years, he had continually used this to threaten Su Wanqing, and it had never failed.