The older man, who had just been indignant, now turned red with anger:
"That's completely despicable! Her father passed away, and she wasn't allowed to attend the funeral? And poisoning her own granddaughter, who could even think of doing such a thing?
"Divorce him, girl. Divorce him. You must leave a family like this."
"Exactly."
The others chimed in, discussing heatedly:
"She married far away from home.
"She traveled thousands of miles to marry you without even asking for a bride price, and you bully and manipulate her just because her family isn't around.
"It's absolutely outrageous."
Someone else pointed at Liu Chunlan and scolded:
"Wicked mother-in-law, you are a vicious, wicked mother-in-law.
"And you have the nerve to play the victim! I was wondering why you wouldn't let them divorce if your daughter-in-law was so vicious. It turns out you were the one twisting the truth!"
"Haha, exactly. Where else can you find a daughter-in-law who doesn't even ask for a bride price?
"Girl, you absolutely cannot be soft-hearted. She doesn't want you to divorce because she likes you.
"It's because she will never find another good daughter-in-law like you.
"You must not listen to her. Hurry up and jump out of this fiery pit."
"You!"
Liu Chunlan raised her hand to slap the girl, but the staff member called out loudly:
"Your divorce certificates are ready."
Lin Wanyi turned her head abruptly and saw the older female clerk smiling as she handed over two bright red divorce certificates:
"All done. This is yours."
With trembling hands, Lin Wanyi took the divorce certificate from the woman.
She traced the word "Divorce" with her fingers.
Finally, divorced?
Finally, is it all over?
She looked at Liu Renzhi with tears in her eyes, and without any warning, Liu Renzhi pulled her into a tight embrace.
Liu Chunlan was furious. She raised her hand to slap Lin Wanyi:
"Slut! And you claimed you weren't having an affair, that you didn't cuckold my son!
"You just couldn't hold back anymore, could you?"
But Wang Hao pulled her back:
"Mom, stop making a scene. Let's go."
"Go where?"
Liu Chunlan was defiant:
"Where are we going? Your wife is in the arms of a wild man! Wang Hao, do you feel nothing at all?
"Are you not even a little bit angry? Wang Hao, Wang Hao!
"Are you even a man?"
Wang Hao couldn't be bothered with her anymore.
He shook off Liu Chunlan's hand:
"What exactly do you want?
"When she was in our home, you looked down on her and belittled her at every turn. Every day you said she wasn't as good as the local women.
"You tried every possible way to make things difficult for her. It was you who thought about breaking up my family every single day.
"Now that I'm divorced, you should be happy. Why are you acting crazy here?"
He turned to leave after speaking:
"If you want to embarrass yourself, keep doing it here.
"I'm leaving, okay?"
Liu Chunlan stared at the divorce certificate in Lin Wanyi's hand, suddenly looking as if her soul had been drained away.
They couldn't really be divorced. She had never actually wanted Wang Hao to get a divorce.
Everything she said before was just to scare Lin Wanyi, to lay down the rules for her.
Who would have thought she would actually go through with it?
She tried to pull Lin Wanyi out of Liu Renzhi's arms:
"Lin Wanyi, get this straight. You are a woman who has been married and even had a child.
"As the saying goes, you're damaged goods, second-hand trash, you..."
She didn't finish her sentence because Liu Renzhi shot her an icy glare, followed by his even colder words:
"Old woman, say one more word and see what happens."
Liu Chunlan swallowed back the even uglier words she was about to spit out.
She could only watch helplessly as Lin Wanyi was led away by Liu Renzhi.
In the car.
Lin Wanyi looked at the brand-new divorce certificate, crying and laughing at the same time.
She cried for her two years of dating and eight years of marriage.
She laughed because she was finally free from it all.
Liu Renzhi pulled her against his chest:
"Cry, Wanyi. After you cry, your brand-new life begins."
Lin Wanyi couldn't hold back her tears as they streamed down her face.
She gripped Liu Renzhi's shirt and let it all out.
Liu Renzhi didn't stop her. He let her cry, letting her tears soak his chest.
Until Lin Wanyi cried herself out.
And fell asleep right there in his arms.
She was truly exhausted.
She hadn't closed her eyes for almost two days and two nights.
Even a person made of iron would be tired.
Liu Renzhi drove to a hotel and gently laid Lin Wanyi on the bed.
He took off her shoes and covered her with a blanket.
Finally, he took a picture of the divorce certificate and sent it to Lin Jiajun:
[Jiajun, they are finally divorced.]
Lin Jiajun called back immediately:
"Really? Brother Liu, Wang Hao didn't play any tricks this time?
"They really got divorced?"
"Yes."
Liu Renzhi stood by the bed. "They really did."
"What about my sister? I'll give her a call."
Liu Renzhi quickly stopped him:
"Don't call. Let her sleep. She's been too exhausted these past two days.
"Now that this major event is over, let her sleep a bit longer."
Lin Jiajun hung up the phone and excitedly told Li Suhua:
"They're divorced, really divorced.
"Mom, my sister is finally free."
"Really?"
Li Suhua couldn't quite believe it either.
Lin Jiajun quickly handed her his phone to look at:
"Look, this is the divorce certificate. A brand-new divorce certificate."
Li Suhua wept tears of joy, stroking the screen:
"Good, that's wonderful.
"Where is your sister? When is she coming back?"
"My... my sister..."
Lin Jiajun hesitated.
"What's wrong? Tell me!" Li Suhua asked anxiously.
"She, she... well, Brother Liu said she fell asleep.
"Mom, my sister has been mentally and physically exhausted these past few days. She must have just fallen asleep."
"What else could it be?"
Li Suhua didn't understand. "What do you mean? Is it true or not?"
Lin Jiajun really wanted to slap himself.
Why did he say so much?
In the hotel, Lin Wanyi's breathing was even, and she slept peacefully.
Liu Renzhi was still wearing the shirt that Lin Wanyi had soaked with her tears.
He leaned against the window and habitually took out a cigarette, but put it back after glancing at Lin Wanyi.
He just looked at her quietly.
He didn't know when he had started falling for Lin Wanyi.
Zhou Chenyu was right; she wasn't the prettiest, nor the youngest.
She had even given birth to a child.
But so what?
Feelings are just that wonderful. When you fall for someone, you fall for someone.
There is no reason, no cause.
And there is no rule stating that you must like someone young and pretty.
As for the child, there was even less to say.
Back then, his own biological mother had resolutely abandoned him, her son, in order to remarry.
If it hadn't been for Su Jing's great love, no one would know whether he was dead, alive, or rotting in an orphanage right now.
So, what did biological ties matter?
Blood relations weren't important.
What mattered was love.
As long as you loved someone enough, you could accept everything about them.
It wasn't a problem at all.
Thinking of this, he sat on the edge of Lin Wanyi's bed.
His fingers traced her clean face.
He wanted to kiss her.
But he held back.
He wouldn't take advantage of her vulnerability.
He just sat there by Lin Wanyi's bed for a long time.
Until Lin Wanyi suddenly shouted:
"Don't come near me, Wang Hao! We are divorced, divorced!
"Don't come near me ever again."
Her hands flailed in the air, her brows tightly furrowed.
Her expression was filled with pain.
Liu Renzhi knew she was having a nightmare—a nightmare about Wang Hao.
He pulled Lin Wanyi into his arms:
"Sleep. Wang Hao will never bother you again."
Because, they were divorced.
Because now, he could openly pursue Lin Wanyi...
