Volume One, Chapter Four: Outside the Civil Affairs Bureau

Watching her sway unsteadily toward me, my heart pounded wildly. Both of us had been drinking, and we were alone in the same room—just a man and a woman. What if something happened between us...?

The more I thought about it, the more afraid I became. Although things were over between Kuang Li and me, that didn’t mean I could act recklessly with another woman. Instinctively, I took two steps back. "Let me pour you a glass of water."

Like a startled quail, I turned hastily, only to stub my stubborn lower abdomen against the edge of the bed. A muffled groan escaped me as I crouched down, clutching my stomach in embarrassment.

She let out a soft laugh, tinged with teasing mockery. "Is that really necessary? Look at how scared you are!"

I groaned quietly and forced a bitter smile. "I’m just trying to take care of you, and you’re making sarcastic remarks!"

She hiccupped from the alcohol, her eyes glazed and dreamy as she looked at me. "Want me to rub it for you?"

As the saying goes, even a clay Buddha has three tugs of stubbornness—I couldn’t just let a woman tease me endlessly. My tone became playful. "Sure! They say when it hurts, a little blowing on it helps."

Without hesitation, she nodded. "Okay!"

I couldn’t believe my ears. Struck as if by lightning, I stood dumbfounded.

She staggered toward me drunkenly, and my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest. I was rooted to the spot, petrified.

Could she be Medusa herself?

She circled around me, and my palms grew sweaty with nervousness.

Just as she was about to stand before me, she suddenly bent over, clutching her stomach and began to vomit.

I snapped back to reality, scrambling to find a basin in the bathroom, then brought tissues and water, gently patting her back to ease her discomfort.

After she finished vomiting, she leaned against the bed and fell asleep.

I crouched on the floor, resting my cheek on my hand, watching her peaceful, beautiful face. Recalling the earlier scene, I felt a mix of disappointment and secret relief.

With complicated feelings, I carried her to the bed, covered her with a blanket, and cleaned up the mess. By the time I finished, it was past two in the morning. I had planned to go home, but then I remembered—I no longer had a home.

With no place to go, I decided to make do with spending the night here.

So, I endured the whole night on the small sofa in the living room.

Her sofa wasn’t large, and I had to endure an extremely uncomfortable position all night.

Though I had just turned thirty, my energy had plummeted drastically; staying up late was already torture for me.

***

At some uncertain hour in the morning, I woke up feeling groggy and dazed. I tried to roll over and doze off again but was disturbed by the sound of movement.

Squinting open one eye, I saw Lin Feifei, back turned to me, bending over to put on her stockings.

She wore a pale purple uniform that hugged her exquisite figure to perfection.

Instantly, sleep fled from me.

Who could possibly feel sleepy then?

Sensing my burning gaze from behind, she turned to look at me. Noticing my straightforward stare as she dressed, her cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly finished putting on her stockings. Bashfully, she stood and said, "You’re awake! Go back to sleep if you want. I have to go to work. Leave whenever you like."

I rolled over and sat up on the sofa. Glancing at the time, I shook my head. "No, it’s getting late. I need to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize the divorce."

Lin Feifei nodded. "Then get ready quickly. I’ll drive you there."

Just as I was heading to the bathroom, Lin Feifei suddenly knocked on the door. I cracked it open, still half asleep, and asked, "Do you need to use the restroom?"

She shook her head and handed me a set of clothes. "When you go to handle the divorce, don’t wear those wrinkled, booze-smelling clothes from yesterday. Wear this instead."

Warmth bloomed in my chest. Looking them over, the clothes were complete from top to bottom—and all branded.

Grateful as I was, when I saw there was underwear included, my brow furrowed.

Disgusted, I pinched it between two fingers and held it out. "I’ll pass on this. My mental strength hasn’t grown enough to wear someone else’s underwear."

Lin Feifei shot me a sharp look. "What are you thinking? This is all brand new. I haven’t even given it to that scumbag yet. He cheated on you."

I awkwardly scratched my nose. Her provocative little glance stirred my useless "fighting spirit." Checking the size, I shook my head slowly, sighing. "Size L? That small? Without an XL, I probably can’t fit into it. Well, I’ll try anyway."

"Get lost!"

Half an hour later, I was seated in Lin Feifei’s Tesla. She smiled brightly as she dropped me off at the Civil Affairs Bureau. "Don’t look too miserable later, okay?"

I chuckled bitterly. "Of course not." I waved goodbye and left.

Kuang Li was already there. Seeing me dressed head-to-toe in Zegna, she looked puzzled but didn’t ask anything. She just nodded at me.

The bureau was quiet, with only us two going through the divorce. We finished quickly. Though mentally prepared, holding the divorce certificate felt like a knife twisting in my heart.

All those past moments flashed before my eyes like a speeding train, then faded into memories.

The certificate in my hand was proof that my youth had expired—silently announcing that while we may have loved, we were ultimately incompatible.

***

The two of us walked out in silence, until Kuang Li finally broke it.

"You’re a good person. Find a woman better than me next time."

I smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, I will."

She looked at me deeply, her eyes misting over. She bit her lip, seemingly unwilling to let go.

"Why do you keep pretending? Don’t you know you’ve been unemployed for a while? Going out early and coming back late every day? Don’t you know I see you carrying your laptop to coffee shops, slaving away like a dog?"

I was stunned and stared at her. "How do you know?"

She gave a bitter smile. "How would I know? You went out every day but never talked about work at home anymore. I haven’t seen your company ID or access card in a long time. So I called your office. They told me you were fired."

When the lie was exposed, I finally felt a release. I wouldn’t have to pretend so hard anymore.

Kuang Li took a deep breath and said, "You’re unemployed now and still renting. If you really can’t make it, go back to your hometown."

"Since I left my hometown, this place has already become my true home," I replied.

She continued, "But you’ll never be able to buy a house here. Even if you get married, do you want your child to be born and raised in a rental?"

Anger surged in my chest, and my voice rose. "So that’s your excuse for cheating?"

Kuang Li looked as if I had punched her hard. She stared at me, mouth opening and closing, but said nothing else.

As we left the bureau, Kuang Li seemed about to say something else, but just then, a car horn honked nearby.

We both turned toward the sound. It was the scoundrel getting out of a BMW, walking slowly toward us.

In front of me, he wrapped his arm around Kuang Li, gazing at her affectionately.

Kuang Li’s body trembled but made no resistance, like a quail trapped in his embrace.

He lowered his head and lightly kissed her. "Honey, why are you so slow?"