The man appeared calm and gentle, but in truth, he pressed forward relentlessly, aggressive and unreasonable, as if he might draw a knife at any moment.
Li Yaru said, “[You] must be crazy, Zhuang Qiting.”
Zhuang Qiting didn’t know if he was crazy or not; he just found that completed divorce application infuriating.
No man could accept his wife of over twenty years suddenly filing for divorce— especially after meeting her first love.
Zhuang Qiting laughed, but his face was dark. “A Rou, you traveled all this way to this country just to get me to sign the divorce papers. Surely you don’t think my patience and reason are that generous. As for Fan Zizhuo, I will absolutely destroy him.”
That thorn had been in his heart for more than ten years. Now, it was time to pull it out.
Li Yaru looked coolly at the man before her, feeling that this man she’d slept beside for over twenty years was suddenly a stranger.
She’d always known he was forceful, powerful, unreasonable— but only tonight did she truly see his true colors.
“Fine, then let’s see who has the real ability. I’ve been around for years, I’m not some pushover. I’ll use every connection and resource I have to bail him out— not for any other reason, just to spite you!”
Zhuang Qiting laughed aloud— he was truly about to be driven mad by this little thing.
The woman he’d cultivated with years of money and effort was now determined to anger him for another man.
Only now did his emotions truly flare as he mocked her sharply: “You want a divorce, then bail him out? Are you planning to rekindle your old romance with him?”
Li Yaru’s eyes were red, her hands and feet icy cold. She snapped, “Yes, I want a divorce, and I want to get back with him. He won’t monitor me, won’t control me— anyway, anything’s better than you!”
Zhuang Qiting’s Adam’s apple rolled. His robe hung open, revealing defined, tense muscles, veins bulging beneath his honey-colored skin, making him look both sensual and terrifyingly restrained.
Suddenly, he grabbed her shoulders, yanked her into his arms, and lowered his head to block her mouth, biting her soft lips.
Clutching the grapefruit tightly, in an instant, her lips parted.
Zhuang Qiting ravaged her lips and tongue fiercely, his breath hot and wild against her face, rough and domineering.
“In your dreams, darling… If you insist on seeing him, I’ll allow you to visit him in prison once every three months. You two can reminisce through the glass…”
Li Yaru was kissed until she couldn’t breathe, her lips tingling and burning. His scent enveloped her, as if a python had coiled around her, suffocating and addictive.
Only she knew—the reason she wanted a divorce wasn’t because he targeted Fan Zizhuo. He could believe it or not.
“Let… go… you bastard…”
Li Yaru seized her chance and suddenly bit down hard. Zhuang Qiting grunted, releasing her in embarrassment. She barely had time to catch her breath before raising her hand and slapping him across the face.
The crisp sound made Li Yaru tremble. She hadn’t known that slapping him would feel like this.
No one in this world dared to hit Zhuang Qiting. For all his years, his status, his seniority, he’d never imagined someone would slap him across the face.
“Li Yaru, do you know what you’re doing?”
“I know.”
“This time, it was my fault. I promise I won’t have anyone follow you again.” Zhuang Qiting still bore the mark of her slap, suppressing his anger as he decided to back down.
Li Yaru didn’t believe him. “Your promises mean nothing now.”
“You really have to divorce me?”
“I do.”
Zhuang Qiting suddenly felt it was all meaningless— more accurately, it was a kind of defeat.
He truly couldn’t understand why the wife he’d painstakingly cared for over twenty years just wouldn’t become obedient, always going against him.
Outside, he commanded wind and rain, could have as many obedient women as he wanted, anything he wanted— yet he’d stumbled over her.
Zhuang Qiting regretted not having a cigarette at hand, his body restless. He stared hard at Li Yaru’s profile, memories flooding back.
He thought of her at eighteen, dancing on stage on her birthday, her silver high heels gleaming.
Of her at nineteen, bold and fearless, grabbing his sleeve in front of a crowd and asking if he’d give her five minutes.
Of their wedding night, fireworks lighting up Victoria Harbour, when he asked if she was happy to marry him, and she said she was.
“Li Yaru, it was you who came after me first. You said you were willing to stay by my side. I never forced you, did I?”
He suddenly brought up the past.
Li Yaru lowered her face slowly.
What was the point of saying this now? When she was young and impulsive, she had chased him, thinking he’d tire of her in two years and let her go.
She traded herself for his money and protection, saving her father’s lifelong work. It was worth it.
She just hadn’t expected Zhuang Qiting’s possessiveness to be so strong, so persistent— he wanted her for life. She’d stayed by his side for years, borne him three children; she owed him nothing.
The kind of wife he wanted— she simply wasn’t that person, and after all these years, she still couldn’t learn to be. Why waste time and money on her?
Even Li Yaru couldn’t figure it out. Was Zhuang Qiting just born with a screw loose?
“I don’t owe you anything, Zhuang Qiting. After all these years, isn’t that enough? Did I not give you children, not stay by your side, not let you…”
Other women, if it were them, would have long since been worn down by Zhuang Qiting’s hard and soft tactics, stripped naked, waiting obediently for him.
Zhuang Qiting frowned deeply. He forced her, but she forced him right back until there was no retreat. “Are you sure you won’t regret divorcing me?”
Li Yaru paused, then said, “I won’t regret it.”
Divorce. Divorce. Divorce. Her mouth was full of the words he hated most.
Zhuang Qiting’s face grew cold, and he took a deep breath. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth where she’d bitten him.
He wiped it away, composed himself, and said evenly, “You should remember the prenuptial agreement we signed. If you divorce me, you won’t get a cent from the Zhuang Family.”
Li Yaru clenched her fingers.
Back then, Grand Master Zhuang hadn’t approved of her and Zhuang Qiting— she was too young, only nineteen, her temperament unsettled and not gentle— so he made her sign a prenuptial agreement.
The agreement was odd: as long as the marriage lasted, she could own and freely use half of Zhuang Qiting’s assets and enjoy all the benefits the Zhuang Family gave to their daughter-in-law.
But if she divorced, she would get nothing.
Grand Master Zhuang knew his son too well, so he used the agreement to bind her to his son.
So what? Over the years, she’d started her own company, set up a studio, invested, and even extorted money from Zhuang Qiting.
The wealth she’d accumulated was enough for ten lifetimes. Besides, Zhuang Qiting’s assets weren’t only for their son.
“Shares, funds, trusts, real estate— I don’t want any of it. Leave it all for the children. A Zhou just joined the Group, he needs your support.”
“Oh, that’s not certain.” Zhuang Qiting stared darkly at her profile, saying things even he found distasteful. “Maybe one day I’ll marry a new wife, have more kids— then A Yan and A Zhou will get less. Doting on a young wife and children is only natural.”
He emphasized each word.
Li Yaru’s mind went blank for a moment, as if she’d fallen into a black hole.
She’d thought about divorcing Zhuang Qiting, about being free, about many things— but never that Zhuang Qiting would marry someone else and have more children.
She bit her numb lips. He actually wanted to marry another woman… a young wife and children… he was truly shameless!!!
Li Yaru sneered coldly, lifting her chin with pride, her peach blossom eyes glaring at him. “Do as you please, as long as you can have them! Why would I care about my ex-husband’s children!”
Zhuang Qiting’s chest burned with anger, his words icy: “I’ll only give you a hundred million a year in alimony. Don’t even think about a cent more.”
She spent more than that on jewelry alone each year. She still had to splurge at major haute couture shows, never wearing the same gown twice.
Outings meant luxury cars, yachts, private jets. Any random banquet cost millions— her expenses were enormous.
A hundred million— she could burn through that in no time.
Li Yaru: “Whatever!”
She wasn’t broke anyway!
“From now on, you’re no longer Zhuang Madam. In many circles, you won’t be the center, and at some events, you won’t even be invited. If you’re snubbed or wronged, don’t come crying to me— I won’t have time for you.”
Li Yaru shot him a resentful look. “Don’t flatter yourself. Anyone who wants to be Zhuang Madam can have it. Wherever your new wife is, I’ll stay far away!”
Zhuang Qiting nearly coughed up blood, gripping the pillow so hard the gold embroidery cut into his hand. He laughed in anger, his breath ragged. “Fine, fine, fine! Now you’re being obedient!”
Inside, Zhuang Qiting felt as if he were being fried in oil and struck by an ice hammer all at once.
Amid the pain, he suddenly saw things clearly and decided to change tactics.
His little brother’s advice wasn’t wrong— perhaps letting go and reeling in would work better on someone as stubborn as Li Yaru.
If controlling, protecting, and “training” her was useless, and she insisted on leaving, then let her go suffer.
She needed to taste hardship— be shorted on money, feel the pain of falling from grace— until she realized that only he could pamper her to such heights, only he could give her anything she wanted.
Only after being bullied outside would this little thing realize how comfortable the haven he’d built was.
So what if they divorced? He could still control everything. He didn’t believe she wouldn’t come crawling back after suffering.
If she were still twenty, maybe she’d tough it out, but now, in her forties, she couldn’t handle turmoil.
When she came back, defeated and pitiful, he’d happily devour her whole again.
It would be like sending his wife on a long vacation.
He could hand all work to their second son— after all, that money-losing kid loved working. As for him, he had plenty of time to play with his wife.
Such wicked thoughts invaded his mind, briefly overcoming the habits of the past twenty years.
Yes, he wanted to see how she’d fare after the divorce! Divorce, divorce, divorce all day— wait until she hit a wall, then she’d know.
Zhuang Qiting stood up, gazing at his beautiful wife whom he loved to the bone. “Alright, A Rou, don’t regret it.”
“As for the divorce, my lawyer will be in touch with you.”
.
Li Yaru thought Zhuang Qiting was just stalling, but as soon as she returned to Hong Kong Island, the divorce proceedings began.
She hadn’t expected the divorce to go so smoothly— almost eerily so.
Zhuang Qiting…
He seemed like a different person, not only not obstructing her, but even cooperating. Both lawyers handled everything— Li Yaru didn’t need to worry about a thing.
But he did set some conditions: for example, Li Yaru could only take a third of the valuable jewelry and haute couture gowns; the rest had to stay at the Zhuang Residence.
In short, even if they gathered dust, she couldn’t use them.
Zhuang Qiting smiled as he explained, “A Rou, since you’re no longer my wife, I naturally won’t treat you as well. But if you need anything, you can come borrow it. After all, we were married for decades— I won’t embarrass you.”
Borrow, my ass! Li Yaru kept a cold face. “No need. Mr. Zhuang, keep those jewels and dresses for your new wife. I’m sure she’ll be delighted.”
Zhuang Qiting said nothing, his face unpleasant.
The two lawyers felt the oppressive atmosphere, exchanging glances in silence. As long-term legal advisers for this couple, they’d worked together countless times and were old acquaintances.
Never had they imagined they’d be handling their divorce, suddenly standing on opposite sides. It was absurd.
If this got out, it would be Victoria’s Number One News.
Zhuang Qiting’s lawyer maintained utmost professionalism, continuing to read the agreement: “Ms. Li, our Mr. Zhuang requires you to promise not to live separately or make the divorce public during the divorce proceedings.”
“So when can it be announced?” Li Yaru frowned.
The lawyer said, “Once the divorce and property division are finalized, and as long as it doesn’t affect the Group’s stock price, you can announce it at a mutually agreed time.”
So troublesome… Li Yaru was silent for a moment. She knew divorce was complicated, but not this complicated.
Zhuang Qiting glanced at her, twisting the wedding ring on his finger. “A Rou, did you think divorce was a game?”
Li Yaru ignored his deep gaze and nodded. “That’s fine.”
This was her only chance— she wasn’t even sure if her determination to divorce Zhuang Qiting was just a moment of madness, but she’d always cared about her own feelings in the moment.
Regret could come later— right now, she didn’t regret it. She was in her forties; she wanted a new way of living.
She didn’t want that perverted old man controlling her anymore!
The lawyer, like a robot desperate to get off work and escape the battlefield, continued reading: “…Our side requests that within twenty years after the divorce, you cannot remarry anyone other than Mr. Zhuang Qiting, nor have any public, long-term, legitimate romantic relationships with anyone other than Mr. Zhuang Qiting, nor damage the Group’s reputation.”
Li Yaru listened and couldn’t help but laugh. She’d never thought about remarrying after the divorce— she wasn’t crazy.
At her age, why let another man split her assets? But Zhuang Qiting writing this into the agreement still annoyed her.
She looked at the expressionless Zhuang Qiting. “And what does this mean? After the divorce, I’m free. Who I marry or date is none of your business!”
Zhuang Qiting swallowed, enunciating clearly, “A Rou, we’ve been married over twenty years— our names are already tied together. If you divorce me and marry someone else or openly date, it would be a joke— for you, for me, for everyone. After all, we’re not ordinary people. Twenty years later, you can be with whoever you want. I won’t care.”
In twenty years, she’d be sixty!
“So you can remarry, play around with women, find a young wife and have kids, and let people laugh at me?”
“I won’t, either.”
Li Yaru suddenly fell silent, feeling both strange and awkward.
She wouldn’t remarry, nor openly date— she’d just secretly keep eight or ten boy toys! Young, gentle, obedient, cute, passionate, sweet-talking, refined, sexy!
Would he be able to control that?
The two sides drafted the agreement, signed it in the presence of their lawyers, and left all further procedures to them. At best, it would take a few months; at worst, half a year.
When Li Yaru came out of the study, she felt light, almost dreamlike, as if the divorce had happened too easily.
So much so that when Zhuang Qiting called her, she hadn’t recovered, her clear eyes dazed— a lost, soft little deer in Zhuang Qiting’s gaze.
Zhuang Qiting’s heart softened, his eyes deepening as he walked up, speaking gently, “Are you feeling bad, A Rou? If you don’t want the divorce, I’ll let you change your mind.”
His voice was as magnetic as ever, with undisguised affection.
He truly loved her. After all these years, she was the only woman he loved.
But he was truly perverse—when he liked something, he had to possess it completely, body and soul, never stopping until he got what he wanted.
Li Yaru snapped back to her senses, flashing Zhuang Qiting a dazzling, radiant smile— like a sunflower in full bloom.
Change her mind? As if!
She patted her ex-husband’s shoulder, finding his handsome old face adorable for the first time. She winked playfully. “Thanks, old hubby. I really see you in a new light today. Even after the divorce, we’ll still be good friends— you’re the father of my children, that won’t change. If you ever need me, I’ll be there.”
Zhuang Qiting’s face turned dark instantly.
Li Yaru hummed a tune, happily clicking her high heels as she went to pick out her third of the jewelry and haute couture.
Only a third? Fine, she’d just buy new ones in the future!
Zhuang Qiting watched his wife’s enchanting figure with a cold gaze, thinking that when she finally admitted her mistakes, he’d punish her personally— until her skin was red and she obediently counted from one to one hundred.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.