Li Yaru slept in a daze and, to her surprise, woke up in the afternoon.
Her phone was full of missed calls from Ada and Young Master Rui, and their group chat was flooded with pictures of delicious food, all trying to lure her out for a bite.
Ada: [Madam, I found an amazing handmade biscuit shop again! Bought you some sea salt cookies and the sweetest apple candy!]
Young Master Rui: [Sea salt flavor is the best. You’d definitely like it.]
Ada: [Madam, how about having Cantonese food for lunch today? You haven’t been home for days, must be missing roasted meats.]
……
Ada: [Madam… are you really not hungry?]
Ada: [Madam, the weather is so nice today. Don’t you want to come out for a walk?]
Li Yaru chuckled and rubbed her dry eyes. Not wanting to worry the kids, she replied, [Just got up.]
She headed to the bathroom, only to find her eyes were swollen, the double eyelids puffed up.
She paused for a few seconds, recalling how she had cried alone, stuffed in her blanket last night.
She hadn’t cried once during the divorce, but these tears felt like a belated cold wind, swirling outside her fortress for a long time before finally breaking in at an unexpected moment.
“Pathetic. Forty-something years wasted.” Li Yaru cursed herself silently yesterday.
She should have just beaten Zhuang Qiting up and kicked him out instead of ending up crying in sorrow.
She fiddled with some skincare tools for half an hour until most of the swelling subsided, then went to the walk-in closet to change.
The closet was still piled with a dozen or so gift boxes.
She had planned to find a good moment to give them to Zhuang Qiting, at least making it somewhat ceremonial — maybe take him out for a romantic Italian dinner or something.
But now, looking at this mess of broken boxes, a surge of anger welled up inside her.
She stomped on the pile, and the boxes crashed down like a mountain avalanche.
She called Ada and Young Master Rui, who were standing guard outside.
Hearing her command, they eagerly rang the doorbell, carrying salad, yogurt, and some small soup dumplings.
Thankfully, the food wasn’t cold.
“Take all this stuff out and throw it away,” Li Yaru ordered, pointing at the chaos on the floor.
Ada was shocked. “What? Throw it away? These are all brand new…” And they were all gifts she had picked out for Mr. Zhuang. Ada had watched Li Yaru spend millions just like that.
Li Yaru pursed her lips. “Anyway, you and Rui deal with it however you want. Keep it, give it away, sell it, throw it out—your call.”
Ada and Rui were stunned, but came out holding seven or eight boxes each.
“Are we really throwing all this away?” Rui felt it was such a waste.
“Madam said we can keep them ourselves,” Ada said with a bitter face. “But we don’t dare use these things… Can’t really sell them either. If Mr. Zhuang finds out, we’ll be in trouble…”
Rui licked his lips, wearing a pair of military combat boots. “Yeah, ten-thousand-dollar leather shoes that burn my feet.”
“Not just that, you’ll probably get stomped on by Mr. Zhuang.”
The two frowned, carrying the boxes back to their rooms. On the way down the elevator, they ran into Shen Mi, who was trailing right behind Zhuang Qiting.
Shen Mi’s face was full of bitterness too. The three exchanged glances and fell silent.
Shen Mi pointed at the boxes and bags. “These are…?”
Ada sighed. “Madam told us to get rid of them. We don’t know how to handle it either. All of these were gifts Madam personally picked out for Mr. Zhuang.”
Shen Mi was surprised. “Gifts for Mr. Zhuang? What are these?”
Ada: “Yeah, yeah. Mr. Zhuang really knows how to make Madam angry. Madam spent an entire day walking around Rome picking out these gifts.”
Ada was straightforward and quick-tempered; just as she said that, she realized she’d slipped up and glanced nervously at Shen Mi.
But Shen Mi was sharp—how could he not understand? He smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell on you. How about you hand these gifts over to me? I’ll handle them for you, or if you want to keep them, I can convert their value into something else for you.”
Ada was wary. “Are you going to give them to Mr. Zhuang?”
Shen Mi flashed a smile that said, “Everyone understands, so don’t expose me.”
Ada thought of Madam’s swollen eyes and lifted her chin defiantly, speaking seriously: “Shen Mi, I know you’re trying to please your boss, but Madam is very, very angry this time. She even cried. Even if your boss comes to apologize, Madam won’t accept it. You’ve been treated well by Madam, don’t be an accomplice.”
Shen Mi gave a forced smile. “Yes, yes, I understand, Miss Ada. I’m just… trying to do my bit for the happiness of the boss and his wife… It’s not easy being a worker. Please be lenient…”
Zhuang Qiting was forcing himself to stay awake, working on the balcony.
His laptop was open with a remote meeting ongoing, and he hadn’t put down a cigarette all night, one after another.
The strong minty scent of the tobacco mixed with the wind but still lingered thickly.
He hadn’t slept a wink all night, head pounding, bloodshot eyes.
The nicotine was the only thing keeping him going.
Though dressed neatly and sharply, the executives on the call could all see the Chairman’s poor condition, his exhaustion hard to conceal.
When the meeting ended, Zhuang Shaozhou called separately via video to check on his father.
How could he look so disheveled after just a few days?
“Dad, did you sleep well last night? I see your blood pressure’s high, you can’t stay up late.”
Zhuang Qiting glanced absently at the screen where his son appeared.
That spoiled brat was dressed stylishly and full of energy, bursting with youthful vitality.
He muttered, “Of course, daily medicine. You know, Madam Li doesn’t like to talk to me. Especially…” The handsome young man smiled faintly, “After you argued with her, she’s even more distant.”
Among the three brothers, Zhuang Shaozhou and Zhuang Qiting looked like they were carved from the same mold—about seventy percent resembling Zhuang Qiting.
Both had sharp, refined eyebrows and noses, with an aloof coldness when not smiling. But Shaozhou had inherited Li Yaru’s peach blossom eyes, softening his seriousness.
Because of their resemblance, whenever Li Yaru argued with Zhuang Qiting, she also treated the younger brother coldly, often calling him a brat.
Shaozhou was truly innocent; it wasn’t his fault he looked like his parents.
Zhuang Qiting pulled a bitter smile and lit another cigarette. “That just means you’re useless. You can’t please her.”
He didn’t know if that comment was aimed at Shaozhou or himself.
Shaozhou chuckled, “Dad, whether I can win Madam’s favor depends on you. You’ve got to try harder.”
“Who gave you permission to talk to me so cockily?”
Shaozhou watched his father’s scowl but found it amusing.
Though he mocked him, he couldn’t stand watching his father keep hitting his head against the wall in vain.
Honestly, if his father’s dictatorial ways hadn’t been indulged by his mother all these years, they’d have split long ago—not waited until now.
“The other day I told Madam I also wanted a gift for you. She scolded me and told me to find my own wife to buy it. My mom isn’t that clingy, not the type to whine every day about love. How come you still don’t get that? Besides, I don’t think you like that kind of woman anyway. You have everything and don’t know how lucky you are. Anyway… you figure it out. I’m off now, bye.”
The son hung up. Zhuang Qiting stared silently at the lush pine trees in the garden.
Last night, he still heard his wife’s soft sobs echoing in his ear. He wanted to hold her but didn’t know how.
Afraid of making her even more annoyed, he spent the entire night awkwardly standing guard outside her door.
Li Yaru… had never cried like that before.
His wife’s sadness made him ashamed.
Finally leaving the study, Zhuang Qiting refused to keep wallowing.
He had to talk to Li Yaru, but his mind was a mess, completely unsure how to start.
He feared she wouldn’t want to see him.
He hated admitting it, but he was feeling a kind of fear he had never experienced before.
This wasn’t a feeling he was used to on his life’s path: fear, panic, loss of control, indecision, insecurity—even a word flashed through his mind, and his eyes darkened.
“Xiao Shen, order me a—what is all this?” Zhuang Qiting looked at the pile of boxes.
Shen Mi was typing on his computer. Seeing his boss emerge, he immediately stood and explained, “Sir, these are all gifts Madam picked out for you.”
“Gifts.” Zhuang Qiting stood still, his gaze fixed tightly on the boxes.
The same ones from Li Yaru’s closet. These were gifts for him, not for any other messy men.
“Return all of them. They’re not for me.” His voice was hoarse from exhaustion.
Shen Mi: “That’s not right, sir. Ada said these are indeed gifts from Madam for you. But…” He hesitated, “Madam seems upset and told Ada to throw them all away…”
Suddenly, Zhuang Qiting opened one box and took out a luxurious perfume bottle.
Spraying it on his shirt cuff, he smelled carefully. It was a fragrance he had always liked, and one Li Yaru liked too.
The shirt was his size, even the socks were made from materials he commonly used……
All for him.
Shen Mi sneaked a glance at his boss’s face. That stern expression softened into warmth, then turned grave, finally settling into a complex emotion he couldn’t decipher.
The scent carried the memory of his wife’s choice.
She had said she liked him to wear this heavy yet slightly spicy scent. She said it reminded her of him.
Zhuang Qiting felt as if his temples were about to burst, his mind in chaos stirred by the fragrance.
He regretted having someone spy on Li Yaru all these years. He regretted it deeply.
She was his wife. He wanted to know where she was and what she did openly, not through shady means that cast a shadow over their relationship.
For over twenty years, she had stayed by his side, always with a hint of disdain in her words, deliberately annoying him, opposing him, but never truly leaving him, never really angry at him, and never giving her love to another man.
“My personality has always been my original sin…”
“I’m not the refined lady you wanted, so I’m not worthy of your trust.”
Zhuang Qiting took a deep breath, throat dry, heart twisted. Yes, he had never truly trusted Li Yaru from the start.
He knew her nature was mischievous, wild, unruly, fickle, easily out of control, a heart with no limits.
He loved her but dared not let go, only controlling and disciplining her……