"Qi Qi, let's get a divorce."
Three months into her prison sentence, she had been eagerly awaiting to see her newlywed husband, only to be hit with these words.
Zhao Qi Qi was seated behind the glass window of the visitation room, staring at the icy, stern face across from her. She felt a dull pain in her chest and a sudden contraction in her lower abdomen.
Almost instinctively, she reached for her stomach.
Just five minutes ago, she had received the test results - she was pregnant. The baby was three months old, conceived before she was taken into custody.
She still vaguely remembered their wedding night. Her slightly tipsy husband laughed like a playful child, showering her entire body with kisses, whispering into her ear, "Qi Qi, I love you, forever and always."
Even though the echoes of their vows were still ringing in her ears, they were now replaced with the harsh reality of his cold words - let's get a divorce.
A hint of red rose in the corners of Zhao Qi Qi's eyes. The hand resting on her stomach trembled uncontrollably, almost causing her to fall off her seat.
She wanted to say: Ah Yuan, I am pregnant.
I am carrying your child.
But what came out instead was, "Why? Because of Lin Zhi Zhi? Ah Yuan, I didn't intend to kill her."
"But she almost died."
The man's voice was chilling and indifferent. "Qi Qi, when you do wrong, there's always a price to pay."
Zhao Qi Qi looked at the deep sorrow and blame in his eyes, feeling as if her heart had been cleaved open by a steel knife, with cold winds pouring into it relentlessly.
Clutching onto her last hope, she pleaded earnestly, "I can serve time! Three years, five years, it's no issue! When I get out, we can still be together!"
"No." The man refused outright without a second thought, "I can't wait."
Six words, each stabbing at her heart.
He said, he could not wait.
"No matter rich or poor, in sickness and in health, I will love you as before, till death do us part, never leave you or forsake you"—
Turns out, it was nothing but empty words.
A sense of mock laughter welled up in Zhao QiQi's heart. She clenched her fist, letting her own nails dig into her palms, clinging onto her last shred of dignity.
"Right, I, a murderer, how could I ever be worthy of Fu family's eminent young master, Fu LinYuan?"
Listening to her desolate tone, Fu LinYuan's brows furrowed.
Zhao QiQi lifted her eyes and looked him deeply in the eyes.
Fu LinYuan was finely dressed in a green suit today, something she saved up for two months to buy for him. He looked so handsome in it. Her man was still that clean and fresh, the youngest and most handsome visiting professor at S University's Finance Department. He was the man she decided to fall in love with, to bear his child, the moment she first laid eyes on him.
But why, all of a sudden, did his face become so blurred and unfamiliar?
"So you're upset because I almost killed Lin ZhiZhi, and you're planning to marry her?"
She repeated countless times that she did not kill Lin ZhiZhi. That it was all a conspiracy, a trap, but no one believed her.
Even her husband didn't.
"You know?" His voice was surprised and slightly hoarse.
Zhou Qiqi gave a bitter smile. The marriage between the Heir of the Fu family and the Miss of the Lin family had captivated the entire country. The news was everywhere, even loomed on repeat in the jail hospital's lounge area. She had just received her pregnancy test results when she saw the news of their upcoming wedding. Her joyous heart felt as if it was filled with a hunk of ice and sunk with a "gulug".
Fu Linyuan's eyes darkened, his grip on the microphone tightened.
"Qiqi, it is true that I am going to marry Lin Zhizhi. But I….."
"I agree."
Before the man could finish, Zhou Qiqi interrupted him. She did not want to hear the other woman's name from his mouth, and even less want to hear their love details.
"…and divorce you."
He wants to divorce her and marry Lin Zhizhi. If so, she will let him.
"Fu Linyuan, our marriage has come to an end. Henceforth, we don't need to see each other again."
Zhou Qiqi used all her strength to say these words, hung up the phone, turned around and left. Her steps were heavy; she instinctively touched her flat stomach.
'It's okay baby, even if daddy doesn't want mommy anymore, mommy wants you.'
Walking out of the visiting room, Zhou Qiqi was overwhelmed with heartache, and she slumped against the cold wall and slowly sank to the icy floor, shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
Tears began to roll down her cheeks uncontrollably. She tightly bit her lip, propped herself up against the wall, wiped away her tears, her eyes filled with defiance.
'If he is discarding me, then I won't need him either.'
*
Fu Linyuan still held the phone to his ear, staring at the back of Zhou Qiqi as she disappeared from his sight, bit by bit.
She didn't even turn her head back.
He sat for a long time on the chair, not putting down the phone until a staff member came by.
Walking out of the prison, Fu Linyuan was pale. He leaned on the wall and coughed heavily, a salty and metallic taste coming up from his throat.
He spreads his hand open, and it is smeared with a bright red.
His assistant walked up, "Mr. Fu, you're coughing blood! I'll take you to the hospital right away!"
"No need." Fu Linyuan's gaze was deep, "Go to the Lin's."
—
"Miss, Mr. Fu is here."
Lin Zhizhi had just ended a call, her face looking very unpleasant.
After seeing the figure of the man at her room entrance, she gave a start and hid the phone swiftly into the covers of her bed, lying down as well. She gave a weak smile to Fu Linyuan.
"Yuan, you're here."
Fu Linyuan gently acknowledged her and passed a document over to her.
"QiQi agreed to divorce me. Can you withdraw your lawsuit against her now?"
Shock was written all over Lin Zhizhi's face, "What, QiQi wants to divorce you?"
She sat up, but pulled her chest wound in the process, her face paled from the pain. Fu Linyuan watched her calmly, not stepping forward to help.
"Are you okay?" His voice was light.
With a delicate smile, Lin Zhizhi replied, "I'm good. QiQi stabbed me quite deeply, almost injuring my heart. It's normal for my parents to be worried and upset. Don't worry, Yuan Bro, our marriage is just a temporary plan, once my dad loosens up and releases QiQi everything will be fine. It's all on me. I couldn't help falling in love with you, otherwise, QiQi wouldn't have lost her temper at me to the point of wanting to harm me..."
She lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming down her face.
Fu Linyuan’s face remained emotionless, "Let's complete the wedding ceremony as soon as possible. I don't want QiQi to stay in prison for too long."
With that said, he didn't linger and turned to leave.
The color drained from Lin Zhizhi's face as she dialed back on her phone.
"I don't care what method you use, that child must not be kept!"
Her almond-shaped eyes reflected a ruthless determination, "It's best if you can kill two birds with one stone!"
