Chapter 428 - 154: Divorce, Moving Out
Even so, he hadn’t considered divorce. His profound gaze landed on Lin Yaru, cradled in Liu Axiu’s arms. Despite being under the influence of the drug, the pleasure she had given him...
The thought of divorce was intense. He was going to divorce Xu Chunyan and marry Lin Yaru.
He was well aware that Lin Yaru loved Jing Si. But that didn’t matter. He didn’t love her, either—he simply coveted her body.
"Why—" Xu Chunyan had only uttered a single word before she was cut off.
"We’re going to the Public Security Bureau," Mr. Lin said, his voice firm. This was no empty threat. If Jing Er tried to weasel out of the marriage, they would report him.
"Uncle Lin, you need to think this through," Xu Chunyan warned, feigning composure.
Mr. Lin firmly spat out four words: "I have considered it."
"Uncle Lin, Qin Mei is just trying to scare you," Xu Chunyan said, still not giving up as she tried to persuade him. "If you don’t say anything and we don’t say anything—if we all just keep quiet—then no one will ever know. We can let it be buried. Yaru can still find a good man to marry. As for her wedding night, well, we can come up with something. Our two families are so close; there’s no need for this to end in mutual destruction. It’s not worth it."
"The walls have ears," Qin Mei interjected coolly.
Her words were spoken with intent, and those who heard them took them to heart.
They had, after all, marched over to the Jie family’s house in a grand spectacle. Although they hadn’t explicitly told the neighbors they met along the way that they were there to catch an adulterer, that was precisely the message that had been conveyed. None of the neighbors dared to come in and watch the drama unfold openly, but curiosity killed the cat. Who could guarantee that no one was secretly listening in?
"Aunt Axiu, Uncle Lin, I’ll get a divorce," Jie Jingwei declared. "I’ll marry Yaru."
"Jie Jingwei, you’re insane!" Xu Chunyan cried out, trying to stop him. Her eyes, fixed on his, were filled with grief.
Qin Mei was taken aback. Jie Jingwei had agreed far too readily. To end a marriage of nearly a decade without a shred of reluctance? And he had even changed the way he referred to Lin Yaru.
His ability to accept the situation was astonishing. From the look on his face, it was clearly a decision made after weighing all the pros and cons.
In the face of a personal crisis, love and marriage could both be cast aside.
Qin Mei couldn’t help but turn to look at the man standing behind her.
"What nonsense are you thinking?" Jie Jingchen’s expression was grave as he gently flicked her on the forehead.
Qin Mei’s eyes widened. She rubbed her forehead, pursed her lips, and said nothing.
Mrs. Xie watched the young couple, her expression one of relief. She was also grateful they had taken the initiative.
"When?" Uncle Lin demanded.
Jie Jingwei hesitated for a few seconds, then bit out two words. "Right away."
Mr. Lin wasn’t satisfied with those two words. He wanted a definite date. But just as he was about to speak, Liu Axiu stopped him. "Jing Er, we hope you won’t disappoint us. Second Auntie and Granny Ning are our witnesses. We’ve already put everything on the line, so we’re not afraid to see this through to the bitter end."
"Aunt Axiu, don’t worry," Jie Jingwei assured her.
Liu Axiu nodded and turned to Granny Ning and Second Auntie. "Sister Ning, Second Sister, you all heard him. On the happy day of Jing Er and Yaru’s wedding, we’ll have you sit at the head table."
"Heh..." The two women gave a dry, awkward laugh. What could they possibly say? Offer congratulations in advance? Jing Er’s wife would surely fly into a rage at them.
Mr. and Mrs. Lin left, taking Lin Yaru with them. Second Auntie and Granny Ning also took their leave.
With a dark expression, Jie Jingwei dragged Xu Chunyan back to their room, where an argument was unavoidable.
Jie Jingchen looked at the messy living room and was about to start cleaning, but Mrs. Xie stopped him. She told him to take Qin Mei back to their own room to rest.
Mrs. Xie wasn’t going to clean it up, either. She would wait for Jie Jianguo to get home and make him do it.
In all the chaos, everyone had forgotten about Jing Qi and Jie You, who had fallen asleep in the car. Jing Qi was eventually woken by the cold. Realizing they were still in the vehicle, she shook Jie You awake. The little boy, cranky from being roused from a deep sleep, began to cry and fuss. However, as soon as Jing Qi spoke, he was startled into silence and obediently held onto her arm as they entered the courtyard.
Jie Jingwei and Xu Chunyan were still arguing in their room. Jing Qi led Jie You back to her room, where he obediently lay down beside her, not daring to even breathe too loudly. Before long, the two of them had fallen asleep again.
"Jie Jingsi, when are they going to stop arguing?" Qin Mei couldn’t help but ask.
"Ignore them. Let’s sleep." Jie Jingchen rolled over and pulled Qin Mei into his arms, covering her ears with his large hand.
Qin Mei didn’t say any more. She closed her eyes, but she couldn’t fall asleep no matter how she tried.
At 3:00 AM, three men left the guesthouse and began the walk home.
Jie Jingjue and Qin Xiang chatted as they walked, but Mr. Xie’s face was grim. He was drunk, and his wife, instead of taking him home, had left him at the guesthouse. He felt quite bitter about it.
Upon pushing open the main gate and stepping into the courtyard, they heard Jing Er and his wife still arguing. Both of their voices had grown so hoarse that it was impossible to make out what they were fighting about.