The once lively group chat suddenly fell silent.
A few seconds later, colleagues—mostly women—started whooping "wow." Some who loved stirring trouble even helped her tag Wu Fu.
Cen Jin rarely smiled so contentedly. The next moment, her phone rang.
She could guess who it was with just a strand of her hair. Cen Jin answered the call.
She held the phone as if clutching a winner's medal, completely at ease.
Wu Fu's voice sounded in her ear: "What are you trying to do?"
Cen Jin rolled her eyes: "How can we get a divorce if I can't reach you?"
The man's tone was condescending: "How old are you? Still so childish."
"You're the childish one. Almost thirty years old and playing the blocking game—is that something a man your age should do?" Cen Jin let out a scornful laugh: "What, do I need to schedule an appointment with you to file for divorce?"
Wu Fu found it strange too: "Would I have blocked you if you hadn't deleted my WeChat first? Is 'hurting the enemy a thousand while damaging yourself eight hundred' your way of handling things? Isn't it embarrassing to make such a scene in the group?"
"Clearly, you're the more embarrassed one," she refused to back down: "Anyway, I'm resigning soon."
The woman's unreasonable stubbornness left Wu Fu speechless, forcing him to change the subject: "Have you read the agreement?"
Cen Jin replied coldly: "What difference does it make whether I read it or not? It's just a selfish man's confession."
"You don't even know what's written in the agreement, yet you're making such a fuss here?" Wu Fu seemed amused by her: "You couldn't wait to move out, then hid and avoided facing reality for days. Have you figured it out now? Started shouting? And you have the nerve to tell me you haven't even read the agreement? I advise you to read it first, word by word, carefully. Otherwise, I dare not divorce you. Given your intermittent temper, you might sign it and then turn around to bite me later."
"So there are things you're afraid of too." Cen Jin's face was expressionless, her heart as cold as a lake in deep winter.
When did it start? They would argue at the slightest disagreement, relentlessly confronting each other.
The closest are spouses, the most distant are also spouses. It seemed they had both grown too lazy to consider each other, no longer afraid of being consumed by this animosity, willingly becoming sworn enemies with completely changed faces: "I'm not like you, Wu Fu. I don't care at all about what I can get from you, because I have everything you lack and everything you don't lack. I wanted nothing from you when we were together, but can you say the same about yourself? If the agreement required you to leave with nothing after reading it, would you be willing?"
Cen Jin no longer cared, even if it meant crushing a man's pride.
The other end of the line fell silent for a few seconds, and his tone softened. It was like a sky heavy with dark clouds that ultimately failed to release a single drop of rain: "Do you feel it? The pressure you exert on others, your superiority, your refusal to show weakness. You always assume things about me, criticize me. After that incident, you constantly suspected me of cheating, thought I held a grudge against you because of the child. But do you still not understand why I was with you in the first place, and why I want to leave you now?"
"But why was I with you? Back then, I fought tooth and nail to marry you despite my parents' opposition. Looking back now, wasn't it all in vain? You were the one who brought up divorce first. Should I thank you for that?" Cen Jin's mouth went dry, and she swallowed hard: "You've achieved success, but to me, you're nothing now. Wu Fu, face the truth. You're not innocent at all. Don't act like the victim."Cen Jin paused briefly: "Besides, I was like this before too. I've always been me. If you could tolerate it then, why can't you now? Don't make so many flimsy excuses for your change of heart."
"Were you really like this before?" Wu Fu retorted without hesitation, as if he had completely forgotten what his wife used to be like. But he wasn't agitated; on the contrary, he was exceptionally calm: "Perhaps we've both changed. That this marriage can't continue—we both share some responsibility."
Cen Jin gritted her teeth fiercely: "Yes, please—stop blaming me all the time. You're the one who always insists that 'it takes two to tango.'"
The man's voice sounded somewhat weary, eager to draw a conclusion: "Enough. I don't want to continue this pointless argument with you. This mutual blaming hasn't stopped since last year. I'll re-add you on WeChat later; please accept it. I'll send you the electronic version of the agreement. Read it carefully, and mark any parts you disagree with. We can discuss them later. Cen Jin, I'm not as despicable as you think. I just hope we can part on good terms."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Fu hung up.
The living room instantly fell into dead silence.
Cen Jin hugged a cushion tightly, as if holding a shield that could protect her from invisible attacks—nonexistent yet chilling enough to make her whole body go cold. Her eyes slowly welled up; she felt utterly wronged and bitterly resentful. Clearly, Wu Fu was the first to betray their relationship, so why was the blame ultimately placed on her, as if she were the executioner who slaughtered their love?
Cen Jin wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye with her wrist, opened WeChat, and accepted Wu Fu's friend request.
The next moment, a notification popped up for the transfer of the divorce agreement.
She clicked to receive it, pressed her lips tightly together, and began reading page by page.
Wu Fu's divorce agreement was clear, fair, and reasonable—worthy of being framed as a model document in a law firm. Yet, this impeccable agreement felt like a blade honed over time, slicing down solely to draw a definitive boundary with her.
Cen Jin closed the agreement and switched to their chat interface.
The entire screen was blank—not a single word or sentence. Anything said would be superfluous, akin to lighting a fuse on dynamite. This was the current state of their marriage.
But there was a time when they were so in sync, sharing everything without reservation. Even during the toughest days of their long-distance relationship, he would smile while watching her make faces over video call, as if he could never tire of it.
How ironic—those vivid moments, whether joyful or sorrowful, angry or laughing, had ultimately been reduced to a mere document of a few dozen KB.
Cen Jin let out a faint sigh, closed the agreement page, and then, as if utterly exhausted, tilted her head and collapsed onto the sofa.
—
Li Wu set an alarm for 15:50 to remind himself to pack early so he could leave for school promptly at four and not inconvenience Cen Jin.
But after waiting nearly a quarter of an hour, the woman still hadn't come to call him.
Li Wu left his desk and gently opened the study door.
Walking back into the living room, the first thing that caught his eye was Cen Jin asleep on the sofa, her eyes closed. Her posture wasn't relaxed; instead, it seemed somewhat guarded, with a cushion loosely held in her hands. Part of the blanket had slipped to the floor, like spilled coffee.
Her sleeping state was very similar to that night in the car—pale and ethereal, with an air that forbade disrespect.
Li Wu watched silently for a while, then walked over, picked up the blanket from the floor, and carefully draped it over her.Unfortunately, Cen Jin wasn't sleeping deeply. She stirred awake at the slight touch and lifted her eyelids the next moment.
Her gaze met the boy's eyes, and he immediately straightened up as if caught red-handed, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously.
Cen Jin's eyes focused as she pushed aside the pillow and asked, "What time is it?" She hadn't noticed the extra blanket covering her at all.
"Four fifteen," Li Wu said.
"Huh?" The woman froze for a moment before belatedly running her fingers through her hair and springing up from the sofa. The distance between them narrowed abruptly, bringing her suddenly close to him. Li Wu blinked twice and instinctively took half a step back. Avoiding her gaze, he only listened to her yawn and her muttered soliloquy: "Still need to go to school, almost forgot..."
As Cen Jin moved to go around him to wash her face, Li Wu shifted aside as well. Both thinking in the same direction, Cen Jin found herself blocked directly.
Cen Jin immediately changed direction, and he hurriedly adjusted too, ending up in the same predicament—history always seemed to repeat itself.
Cen Jin stopped in her tracks, staring at the human wall in front of her, and asked coldly, "What are you doing?"
"..." Li Wu quickly stepped aside, making ample space: "It wasn't intentional."
Cen Jin didn't respond and strode quickly back to her bedroom. She was clearly in a bad mood.
Li Wu let out a long sigh of relief, but his heart soon tightened again. He wanted to ask himself, what exactly was he doing?
—
On the way to school, Cen Jin drove with an icy expression, not saying a word. Li Wu, being introverted by nature, didn't attempt to initiate conversation either.
As they passed a snack street, the rich aroma of spicy food wafted into the car. Cen Jin glanced outside briefly and finally spoke: "Do you want to buy some snacks to take to the dorm?"
Li Wu immediately replied, "No need."
"Will you have time to go to the cafeteria before evening self-study?" she asked.
Li Wu said, "Definitely enough time."
She curled her lips coolly: "You guys are really so confident."
"...?"
The woman's inexplicable insinuation left Li Wu completely baffled. He could only explain, "If there's no time, I can buy something during the break."
"Oh." Cen Jin responded indifferently.
At that moment, Li Wu realized he was bearing the brunt of her anger.
While he was in the study that afternoon, he had faintly heard Cen Jin talking on the phone in the living room, her tone displeased, as if she had argued with someone. But the soundproofing in her home was too effective; the woman's voice seemed to come from deep underwater. He had no habit of eavesdropping—everyone deserved their secrets.
Not knowing the full story, Li Wu grew entirely subdued, not wanting to add to Cen Jin's troubles.
The sudden drop in atmosphere beside her was palpable to Cen Jin.
Because of her bad mood, she had repeatedly unintentionally hurt this boy. He was clearly the most innocent victim in this marriage.
A pang of guilt struck Cen Jin's heart. She quickly composed her expression and casually made small talk: "I haven't asked how the food is in your cafeteria yet."
"Much better than my previous school," Li Wu replied honestly. Yi High School's cafeteria offered a wide variety of dishes, unlike the county high school he had attended before, where students often brought their own rice and vegetables, set up a iron pot, and made do with a haphazard stew just to fill their stomachs.
Cen Jin asked again, "What do you eat every day?"
Li Wu thought for a moment but couldn't give a specific answer: "Rice... and dishes." After speaking, he felt embarrassed by his own response and fell silent.
Cen Jin was similarly at a loss for words.
Cen Jin glanced sideways at his sharply defined jawline: "From now on, weigh yourself every week when you come back."
"Body weight?" Li Wu couldn't keep up with her sudden demands at all."Mm," Cen Jin's tone was as if giving an order: "Record your weight data. I want to see you gain some weight."
"Mm." Li Wu responded absentmindedly, his thoughts already derailed by the phrase "come back every week." Unconsciously exhilarated, he remained oblivious to being described like a pig being fattened.
He lifted the corners of his mouth and looked out the window, afraid Cen Jin might notice.
At a red light, Cen Jin glimpsed his slightly puffed left cheek: "What are you smiling about?"
That youthful plumpness instantly smoothed away, leaving no further trace.
Cen Jin had asked casually, uncertain whether Li Wu had been smiling or pursing his lips in defiance. Remembering Wu Fu's description of her, she glanced again at the back of the boy's head: "Li Wu, do I give you a sense of pressure?"
In her line of sight, the boy's shoulders stiffened momentarily, but he quickly denied it: "No."
"There must be some," she couldn't ignore such an obvious micro-expression: "Tell me the truth."
Li Wu turned his head, his tone exceptionally firm: "It is the truth." His pitch-black eyes showed no trace of deception.
In her peripheral vision, the traffic light turned green.
Cen Jin refocused on the road ahead, curving her lips slightly as her voice relaxed considerably: "Alright, then I'll pretend to believe it for now."
OpenNovel