Chapter 5: Discipline Her

He was determined to dredge up old grievances with her.

The bedroom was filled with a sweet, soothing fragrance.

The window was open just a crack, letting the sheer moonlit curtains sway in the breeze.

In the interplay of light and shadow, the man’s expression was deep and unreadable.

Zhuang Qiting had never once brought it up on his own initiative, so this suspicion had been buried in his heart for over ten years.

Over ten years. He really could keep his composure.

Li Yaru knew exactly who he meant by “childhood sweetheart.” She hadn’t thought of that person in a long time, but she had never forgotten.

They once had moments that made her heart race.

Seventeen, naive and green, carefully written three-line love letters, the dazzling stalls behind Cai Market on Hai Fang Road, a handsome boy sharing a steaming bowl of Xian Xia Wonton with her.

If she hadn’t met Zhuang Qiting, maybe she would have dated that gentle, considerate young man, married him, had children.

But so what? That man or this man, they’re all men. Marrying someone else wouldn’t necessarily be better than marrying Zhuang Qiting.

She knew well how good Zhuang Qiting was to her, and she knew his faults too.

A woman in her forties has seen through it all— she’s long since stopped being troubled by love and romance.

Time has washed those past thrills and sweetness until they’re faded white.

She rarely thought of it. Even if she did, it was just with a sigh and a smile.

Who hasn’t had a past or two?

“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Li Yaru suddenly laughed, all charm and allure.

“No wonder you were so adamant about not letting me go, even willing to stay in America yourself for two years. Turns out you thought I’d have something with him. Mr. Zhuang, aren’t you a little too insecure? At best, he’s just a small-time programmer— could he really dare to go up against you?”

“So you went because you wanted to see him.” Zhuang Qiting’s tone was calm, betraying no emotion.

He thinks I would travel all the way to America for two years just to see a man? Even if I once had feelings for him, that’s not it.

I went to America just to get a change of pace. Back then, our eldest and second were always around me, those mischievous boys in elementary school nearly drove me crazy.

The real reason is just that simple. If I told him, he probably wouldn’t believe me, so I won’t say it. I’ll just keep Zhuang Qiting guessing, prick at his arrogance.

Her red-polished fingertip traced lightly along the corner of the man’s eye, where there were a few more lines than in his youth. “What do you think?”

Zhuang Qiting gripped her wrist forcefully.

“You’re hurting me.” Li Yaru frowned.

He pulled his lips into a thin line. “Don’t be such a baby, Eleanor. I don’t usually hear you complain about pain.”

Li Yaru suddenly yanked her hand free, letting out a cold laugh. “You really came here tonight just to pick a fight, didn’t you? Bringing up someone I can barely even remember— do you think if I went to America for him, it would ease your guilt?”

Someone I can barely even remember. Zhuang Qiting raised an eyebrow, his expression easing a bit. “Really?”

“Of course not. I obviously went to America to elope with him. I haven’t been able to let him go all these years, and I’ve already planned to run away with him and—”

Zhuang Qiting clapped a hand over Li Yaru’s mouth, stopping her from saying anything else that might infuriate him.

If he ever died, it would probably be from being angered to death by this little minx.

He was already full to bursting with her antics, but could only coax her in a low voice, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. We won’t bring it up again. Tonight was my mistake. I had someone open a bottle of your favorite red wine. How about we have a little together?”

Li Yaru, in the end, didn’t keep arguing. It was late at night, and it would only ruin her sleep. So she nodded, albeit reluctantly.

Zhuang Qiting, helpless, wanted to kiss her until she was weak, but he restrained himself. He instructed the maid to fetch the wine and went to the wine cabinet to pick out two crystal glasses himself.

The fragrance of the red wine mingled with the moonlight. From the vinyl record player, classic melodies from the 1980s flowed gently. Husband and wife sat facing each other, swirling their glasses, the deep, pigeon-blood red perfectly matching the night. The atmosphere suddenly became very romantic.

Zhuang Qiting enjoyed this kind of night— red wine, music, his wife, a peaceful moment with no one to disturb them.

No matter how lofty a man may be, he will still bow to the romance of wine and beauty. At this moment, all that remained was tenderness.

Let it be like this. Let all the recent unpleasantness be forgotten. He made her angry, she made things hard for him, but in the end, they’re still husband and wife.

He couldn’t bear to see her unhappy, not even for a day.

“Ah Rou.” Pinching the slender stem of his glass, Zhuang Qiting leaned in and gently clinked her glass. “Don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?”

The man’s voice was rich and magnetic, as mellow as this precious bottle of Petrus.

Li Yaru lounged lazily on the sofa, hugging a small embroidered cushion, her cheeks flushed from tipsiness, soft as a ripe peach.

Her eyes swept over the man, then drifted away again, drunk but not, her wine glass swaying from time to time, her foot occasionally curling, full of allure.

She was born a heart-stealing enchantress. Even with her bad temper in her youth, men had still lined up to chase her.

Now, matured and sweet, with a deep understanding of men and women, she was even more irresistible.

“Mr. Zhuang, are you done settling accounts with me?”

Zhuang Qiting curled his lips and finished his glass like a punishment. “We’re just reminiscing as husband and wife, not settling accounts.”

“Then it’s my turn to settle accounts with you.” Li Yaru took a delicate sip of wine, the fragrance lingering between her teeth.

“Oh? Settle what with me?” Zhuang Qiting looked at her with indulgence.

Li Yaru’s red lips parted: “Divorce.”

Zhuang Qiting’s smile faded in an instant. He gripped the wine glass tightly. “Don’t joke, Ah Rou. The whole world knows you are Mrs. Zhuang Qiting. Divorce is out of the question.”

He stared at Li Yaru without blinking. After a few seconds, his voice dropped. “Why are you so intent on divorcing me? What have I done that you’re dissatisfied with? Didn’t buy you enough haute couture, or didn’t feed you enough?”

Listen to that! That self-righteous tone! Anyone hearing this would think I’m the unreasonable one!

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own misdeeds? That night, everyone was scared out of their wits by you. Julie, the birthday girl, was crying, calling me nonstop to apologize. I was so embarrassed I can’t even face her anymore!” Li Yaru grew angrier the more she thought about it.

Zhuang Qiting’s eyes darkened, but he was unconcerned. “That kind of party is never proper. You’d best cut ties with them and not see them again.”

He felt no guilt at all.

Li Yaru: “But going to the Nightclub is proper for you?”

A decade or two ago, Nightclubs and Song and Dance Halls were all the rage on Hong Kong Island.

Men liked to go there for business. Of course, Zhuang Qiting only frequented the high-end establishments favored by tycoons and dignitaries— no cheap streetwalkers, but all the more decadent.

The female staff wore sparkling short-skirt uniforms, swaying as they walked, the opulent halls boasting dedicated stages, with popular girls singing and dancing every night and many special performances in the private rooms.

Zhuang Qiting frowned. “Don’t try to trap me with that, Ah-Rou. You know I have no interest in other women. I can keep my eyes straight and my hands clean— can you?”

“A bunch of half-naked men showing off, and you seemed to enjoy it. If I hadn’t insisted you leave, you would have stayed until the middle of the night?” Zhuang Qiting mocked in a low voice.

Li Yaru was thoroughly embarrassed by his ridicule, her face burning hot.

So what if I looked? Just looked! There were so many abs, and I didn’t even touch any! Not a single one! Such a loss!

“You could have found a hundred ways to make me leave, but you just had to pick the one that embarrassed me most.”

That night, Li Yaru had truly lost all her dignity. Now, all of Hong Kong Island’s upper crust knew she was kept in line by Zhuang Qiting like a child.

.

That day was Julie’s birthday. A group of socialites celebrated with her in the largest suite at Yonghua Mansion in Macau.

The party was extremely private, with its own special flair. The women invited all kept quiet about it.

Julie had arranged for over a dozen tall, handsome mixed-race models. At first, the mood was restrained— drinking, chatting, laughing— but it soon got out of hand.

The luxurious penthouse suite was a dazzling swirl of champagne, cake, cream, playing cards, and shirts tossed everywhere—a complete mess.

Li Yaru, as Julie’s honored guest, held the highest status among the socialites. Normally, no one dared tease her, but after a few drinks, those seeking favor called over the most handsome man to drink with her.

The man had a fantastic body, eight-pack abs, beautiful tanned skin, and spoke sweetly, calling her “sister” with every sentence— and he was a graduate of a prestigious university!

Li Yaru’s face was hot and soft. She’d seen scenes like this before. She couldn’t say she loved it, but she couldn’t say she hated it either.

What woman doesn’t like a young, handsome man bowing and scraping, racking his brains to please you?

So, giving face, she shared half a bottle of Lafite with this boy twenty years her junior and listened to him talk about his life.

She loved to have fun, but not in a cheap way, and she was proud. If it wasn’t the best, it wasn’t worthy of her. She didn’t like doing these things in public, either.

It was at this moment that Zhuang Qiting made his sudden entrance.

A group of well-trained men in black burst through the door, the scene suddenly resembling a police raid. Laughter and chatter stopped instantly— no one understood what was happening.

Li Yaru’s mind was a mess, staring at the immaculately dressed Zhuang Qiting as he walked toward her, his presence oppressive.

She was in Macau, Zhuang Qiting was on Hong Kong Island—she hadn’t told him her plans, yet he found her exact hotel and room.

“It’s too late to be playing. I’ve come to take you home.” Zhuang Qiting spoke into the silence, his dark eyes sweeping over the boy kneeling at her feet, shirt unbuttoned to the abs, vulgar to the extreme.

The boy was so scared he didn’t dare breathe, his reddened eyes searching Li Yaru for help.

“Take him out.” Zhuang Qiting commanded.

The next moment, the boy was dragged away by bodyguards, his mouth covered.

Li Yaru stood up awkwardly under dozens of eyes, her face burning red. Her high heels wobbled, and Zhuang Qiting steadied her, then took off his suit jacket and wrapped her tightly in it.

Zhuang Qiting swept his gaze over the scene, finally settling on the ruined birthday cake. “Whose birthday is it?”

He didn’t care whose birthday it was—he just wanted to know who had organized this.

Julie, singled out, didn’t dare make a sound. Her foot was still on the model’s shoulder. She quickly kicked the man away, stood up straight, and forced a smile. “Mr… Mr. Zhuang… This was my poor arrangement, keeping my sister up so late. I’ll bring my husband to apologize in person another day.”

Whether Zhuang Qiting would give face or not was up to him. Clearly, right now, he had no intention of showing any. “Even your father doesn’t dare call me brother, and yet you keep calling her ‘sister.'”

Zhuang Qiting was of a higher generation. Even those his age had to call him “uncle.”

Julie’s face turned pale. She couldn’t possibly call Yaru “grandma,” could she?

Li Yaru pinched Zhuang Qiting’s arm, telling him not to go crazy. She held her temper, trying to smooth over the tense atmosphere, and said to the ashen-faced birthday girl, “It’s nothing, no need to apologize. Blame the wine for going to our heads. I forgot I had plans with my husband tonight. Happy birthday, darling. Let’s get together again next time.”

Keeping her smile, Li Yaru didn’t want to stay a second longer. Face burning, she walked out of the suite step by step, leaving all the prying, guessing eyes behind.

Only one thought in her mind— her reputation was utterly ruined.

From now on, everyone would laugh at her behind her back— a forty-something woman being managed by her husband like a child.

She’s in her forties! And still being dragged home by her husband in front of everyone! Is she his wife or his grandchild?!

The more Li Yaru thought about it, the angrier she became, her eyes reddening. And yet, the man behind her still wanted to settle accounts. She tried to get into the elevator, but he wouldn’t let her.

The man grabbed her like an eagle snatching a chick.

“What exactly do you want! Aren’t you satisfied yet!”

The hotel lobby was lined with tall palm trees, the fountain trickling, geometric tiles underfoot, Moroccan flair swaying beneath the glass dome.

Thankfully, this hotel was by invitation only, with few people passing through— no one would see this quarrel.

Zhuang Qiting’s tone was gentle. “Ah-Rou bb likes it here, so let’s spend the night.”

He had someone book a room downstairs.

Li Yaru didn’t understand his intentions until her favorite dress was ruined, and she was pinned against the master bedroom wall— then she realized there would be no rest tonight.

A mature man’s voice was different from a young boy’s, his breath falling on her ear, like a lion’s low growl.

He went overboard, punishing her like a feudal patriarch disciplining a child.

He asked if she dared touch other men, pressed her on whether those men were as good as her husband, biting every one of her fingers.

“Old bastard… are you having me followed again…” Li Yaru’s eyes were wet and misty.

Zhuang Qiting lowered his eyelids, unable to hide the passion in his gaze as he surveyed his wife’s brazen beauty, a kind of fierce possessiveness in his eyes. “Yes. You don’t tell me where you go or what you do, but it doesn’t matter— I still know everything. I even know exactly how many shrimp you ate tonight! Aren’t the shrimp I peel for you good enough? You just had to eat the ones peeled by someone else’s dirty hands?”

“You…! Old bastard!” Li Yaru gritted her teeth, raising her hand to slap him.

He caught it, pressed it to his lips and kissed it, then lowered his head to kiss her face, her nose, her forehead.

The night was deep, but outside the window was a man-made spectacle— always bright, with no distinction between day and night.

“I can’t go on…” she muttered stubbornly.

This life of being managed and humiliated—I can’t take it anymore!!

She wanted a divorce!!