With nothing much to do, Lin Wanyi scrolled through some trending scripts on her phone. As she read, she drifted off to sleep.
But in her dreams, she saw Wang Hao again.
He kept repeating, "I won't divorce you, wife, I won't.
"I won't divorce you even if I die. Don't even think about getting rid of me."
Lin Wanyi begged him,
"Let me go. Let's part amicably, Wang Hao. Can't we just part amicably?"
"No, no divorce. I will never let you go in this lifetime."
He grabbed Lin Wanyi's shoulders and tore at her clothes.
Lin Wanyi struggled with all her might. "Don't touch me! Wang Hao, don't touch me!"
When Liu Renzhi came in, he saw her covered in sweat, screaming,
"Wang Hao, get lost!"
He knew she was having another nightmare.
He tried to wake her up, holding her hand.
"Lin Wanyi, wake up. You're having a nightmare. Wake up."
In her dream, Lin Wanyi saw a thick rope.
She hurriedly grabbed it, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Liu Renzhi.
He was leaning in close—so close that she could feel his breath.
She quickly turned her head away. "Brother Liu, why are you here?"
Seeing her resistant reaction, Liu Renzhi immediately sat up straight.
"I finished work and dropped by to see you.
"How are you doing? Feeling any better?"
Lin Wanyi's face flushed slightly.
"I'm fine, Brother Liu. You don't need to come see me anymore.
"Now that I'm back, it's very safe here, and I have the caregiver you hired.
"Brother, you're so busy, and I don't want to delay your work.
"I've already troubled you for so long; I'll arrange things myself from now on."
Liu Renzhi's eyes darkened. He understood that Lin Wanyi was pushing him away.
He unbuttoned his suit jacket, pulled up a chair, and sat by her bed.
"Are you still thinking about what happened that day? Wanyi, let's talk."
"Talk..."
Lin Wanyi's voice was as quiet as a mosquito's.
"Talk about what?"
Liu Renzhi gently turned her head, forcing her to look at him.
"Let's talk about that day. I've already said it was an accident.
"Neither of us did it on purpose, so don't feel embarrassed. I have no intention of pressuring you, either.
"Wanyi, if you're going to keep feeling awkward about it, I'll try to appear in front of you as little as possible from now on.
"But I stand by what I said: don't let it weigh on you.
"It wasn't your fault."
Lin Wanyi felt like a terrible person.
She had almost lost her life back then.
It was Liu Renzhi who had risked everything to save her.
Yet here she was, acting so squeamish and overly sensitive. Anyone who didn't know the truth would think Liu Renzhi had bullied her.
At this thought, she looked at Liu Renzhi.
"Brother Liu, I'm sorry.
"I was overthinking things and being narrow-minded.
"I won't think about or mention that incident ever again. I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?"
Liu Renzhi said as he peeled an apple for her:
"I know it's not your fault. If we really get to the bottom of it, I'm the one who caused the whole mess.
"At the time, I was only focused on saving Siyue and didn't consider your situation or your standpoint at all.
"Wanyi, I've thought about it countless times since then, and no matter how I look at it, I shouldn't have dragged you into it.
"So the danger you faced this time was brought upon you by me. I had to go save you, otherwise my conscience would never be at peace for the rest of my life."
He handed the peeled apple to Lin Wanyi.
"Don't hide from me anymore, okay?
"And don't worry, I won't pester you, just like before."
Lin Wanyi took a bite of the apple. It was sweet, sweet all the way to her heart.
She nodded. "Okay. Then I'll leave the divorce matters in your hands."
Liu Renzhi crossed his legs.
"You should have left it to me ages ago. We live in a society governed by law; the law will handle everything. You don't have to worry about a thing."
Moonlight spilled in through the window. Outside the door, Chen Hui and Lin Jiajun turned around in silent agreement.
Chen Hui said, "I bet Brother Liu has definitely fallen for your older sister.
"Otherwise, why would a big boss like him peel an apple for her himself?"
Lin Jiajun gently tapped her nose.
"It's no use. I think my sister is like a stone; she can't be warmed up."
"That's not it. Your sister has been deeply hurt by her marriage. She's just not thinking about romance right now. Maybe after some time, she'll figure it out.
"Jiajun, what do you think Siyue and the others will think when they find out?
"After all, your sister has a child, and Brother Liu has never been married."
Lin Jiajun didn't know; he hadn't thought that far ahead at all.
What he was thinking about right now was his and Chen Hui's wedding.
"Baby, let's not worry about my sister for now. Let's worry about ourselves.
"My mom found someone to pick an auspicious date, and they said the 18th of next month.
"What do you think?"
Chen Hui blushed slightly. "Alright, I'll go back tomorrow and tell my mom."
Lin Jiajun was a bit worried. "Let me go with you. After all, your mom is..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Chen Hui understood.
"No need. I'll go back and see how it goes first. If anything happens, I'll call you."
When Chen Hui returned home, Tang Guixiang was eating.
She didn't even glance at Chen Hui, merely saying in a sarcastic tone:
"So you finally decided to come back? You still remember you have a mother?"
Chen Hui took a deep breath and mustered her courage.
"Mom, Jiajun and I have set our wedding for the 18th of next month. I came to discuss it with you."
"Discuss?"
Tang Guixiang slammed her chopsticks onto the table.
"Is this what you call discussing? You're clearly just here to inform me.
"Chen Hui, how did I give birth to something like you?
"Marriage is a major life event. It requires both families to sit down and negotiate every detail. And what about you?
"You and the Lin family just decided on your own. Where does that leave the Chen family's face?
"Chen Hui, are you even a member of the Chen family anymore?"
Chen Hui desperately held back her tears.
"Fine, Mom. I'm here to discuss it with you now. What day do you want to set it for?"
"Hmph!"
Tang Guixiang scoffed coldly. "I'm not talking to you. Have Li Suhua come to my house to talk.
"She knows what she needs to do.
"As the saying goes, a family must humble themselves to take a daughter-in-law, and hold their heads high to marry off a daughter.
"Does she not even understand this basic etiquette?"
Chen Hui refused to agree to this.
"It's my wedding, and I'm in charge. Mom, just tell me. I can make the decisions."
"You're not in charge of shit!"
Tang Guixiang threw her bowl directly at Chen Hui.
"I'm telling you, Li Suhua must come. If she doesn't, don't even dream of getting married."
Food splattered all over Chen Hui's clothes, leaving red chili oil stains all over her white sweater.
Her tears finally fell.
"Mom, am I really your daughter? Why do you love torturing me so much?
"I'm getting married! It's the biggest event of my life, so why do you have to make things so difficult for me?
"Do you want my in-laws to look down on me for the rest of my life?"
Tang Guixiang didn't think she was in the wrong at all.
"I'm not torturing you; you're the one cheapening and degrading yourself!
"Lin Jiajun's older sister, that Lin Wanyi.
"Don't you know about her? Back then, she married far away without asking for a single cent of bride price.
"And the result? Is she living a good life?
"Isn't her life a complete mess?
"Isn't she still being called a cheap knock-off by others?"
