On Christmas Day, I was doused head-to-toe with boiling water, resulting in extensive burns all over my body.
I demanded the police, harshly penalize the culprit, but unexpectedly, my husband issued a letter of forgiveness behind my back.
I broke down and questioned him, but he acted nonchalantly.
"You just have some minor skin burns, is it necessary to pick a bone with a young girl?"
"Moreover, Su Ran meant well, she accidentally mistook you for some dubious woman and merely wanted to stand up for you."
This Su Ran he was referring to is the life assistant he hired last month.
A wave of desolation swept over me, my affection for him from the past decade vanished in that instant.
Seeing me silent, Gu Yichen added more strength to his hand while changing my dressing.
I was in so much pain I sucked in a cool breath.
Only then did he let go, his tone contained suppressed impatience.
"Have you had enough? Su Ran just did it by accident do you have to hold onto such a minor matter?"
"She is a recent graduate, what will happen to her future if you pursue this matter?"
Gu Yichen's accusing words reached my ears, suddenly my wounds felt even more painful.
Today is Christmas, and Gu Yichen finally had a day off from his overtime work. He promised to take me to the mountaintop to watch fireworks.
But the moment we reached the spot where the fireworks were launched, I was splashed head-to-toe with boiling water.
Causing severe burns all over my body.
And he dared to say it was just a minor issue?
With red-rimmed eyes, I held back my tears, wanting to challenge him. But a sudden ring of the phone interrupted me.
"Sister Jiang, I'm truly sorry!" Sobbing voice came from the other end of the call. It was Su Ran.
"I really didn't do it on purpose. I just thought you were some wicked woman trying to seduce Mr. Gu."
She claimed her words were all for my good, but the smugness in her tone was hard to disguise.
Such hefty burns, sleepless nights due to pain, and all I got were these lame apologies.
Seeing me silent, Gu Yichen pressed hard on my wound.
"Sister Jiang, she's apologizing to you, respond already!" Gu Yichen reprimanded, "Jiang Qingqian, I thought you were a woman who knew right from wrong. I never expected you to be unreasonable."
The sharp pain in my thigh almost made me pass out. I mustered the last of my strength to ask Gu Yichen for help.
"Sister Jiang, I know I deserve to die! I'm not worthy of your forgiveness! I...!"
Suddenly, Su Ran on the other end of the phone went silent.
Gu Yichen's face turned pale in an instant, and he yelled at me:
"Su Ran has a congenital heart disease! If something happens to her, I won't forgive you!"
With that, he strode towards the door, no longer hiding his concern.
"Ran Ran, hang in there! I'll be right there!"
I desperately clung to his sleeve, only to be forcefully pushed away. Losing my balance, I fell heavily to the ground.
Not until my injuries healed and I was discharged from the hospital,
did I see Gu Yichen again.
I owe it to Su Ran who constantly "reports" about Gu Yichen's whereabouts.
"Sister Jiang Qingjian, I’ve told President Gu to accompany you, but he’s worried about me. Please don't be mad!"
The accompanying picture was of Gu Yichen crouched on the floor, cutting her toenails.
Su Ran was the assistant that Gu Yichen hired last month.
She only looks after some of his daily chores.
I didn't pay much attention to it until I noticed that he started coming home less frequently and working overtime more often.
Then one day, when I unexpectedly returned to the office to pick up documents, I saw Su Ran feeding Gu Yichen water.
Like a madman, I burst in and started cursing, and all Gu Yichen coldly said was, "You're seeing things."
The Christmas trip, was Gu Yichen's apology gift to me.
Now I realize, it was just a vent for his little mistress.
If this had happened before, I might have flown to Su Ran's house and fought them until one of us dropped.
This year, I'm 29.
I'm really tired.
Looking at each bouncing message, I consider responding with "Received".
Then I exit the chat box, and call Song Xu, "Is there still need for people in the overseas project we talked about earlier, have I responded too late?"
"Of course not! We've been waiting for you!"
Song Xu was my best friend in college. After graduation, she went abroad for further studies and has always wanted to poach me for her company.
But my heart was entirely devoted to Gu Yichen's company, and I had turned her down countless times.
They say I'm the right-hand woman to Gu Yichen, his true love.
Upon looking back now, it's about time I step down from this position.
A week later, Gu Yichen was finally willing to come home.
Upon entering the doorway, Gu Yichen voiced his accusations, "How could it be this dirty? Don't you know how to clean up?"
Egocentric Director Gu seemingly forgot about the injury on my leg that hindered my mobility.
"You have an hour, clean up right away. You're practically doing nothing at home."
Gu Yichen has severe OCD. To provide him with a comfortable environment, I personally clean the house several times a day to ensure it's dust-free.
But now, I have lost all my interest. No matter how much I clean, the husband who once had eyes only for me won't be coming back.
Seeing no response from me, Gu Yichen frowned and took out a bowl of porridge.
It was cold.
It was clearly leftover.
He scooped a spoonful to my mouth, which I pushed away.
"I'm not eating."
Gu Yichen had never served anyone like this before, he lost his patience and slammed the spoon onto the table.
"Jiang Qingqian! You're taking your tantrums too far! A small wound had troubled you for days already! I've told you, Su Ran didn't mean to do it!"
"All because of you, Su Ran got so scared that she had a heart attack, she couldn't leave the house for several days. Weren't you cruel enough towards her?!"
"In a while, you'll go and apologize to Su Ran yourself!"
I thought I had misheard.
It was a big deal for her to be too scared to leave the house, so what about my wound that had festered, leading to shock, and I almost lost my life!
I watched as he lovingly unlocked his phone and walked out without looking back.
After a long contemplation, I contacted a law firm and drafted a divorce agreement.
Gu Yichen and I fell in love in college.
Back then, he was quite the esteemed poor scholar, with countless pursuers around him.
I was at his side, unrequitedly in love for three years, until his mother passed away. I braved the rain to find him at the grave, devastated.
Whenever he expressed his grief, I stayed by his side, sleeplessly for two days straight.
When he wanted to visit an art exhibition, I pulled strings and got us two expensive tickets.
Finally, my long-held wish came true, I became his lover.
On our wedding day, he said, "Qingqing is the only light of my life, unchanging through the years."
I naively believed that we could truly walk this journey together forever.
Unfortunately, destiny didn't favor me.
Gu Yichen changed.
The man who once took no interest in dressing up began to pay attention to his attire and started to identify different types of perfumes.
Every time I questioned him, he always took the excuse of work needs.
We work in the same company, wouldn't I know what the job requires?
Until I smelled the same perfume on Su Ran as Gu Yichen's.
The bookmark in her hand further stabbed at my eyes.
"My only sunshine, Ran Ran"
The handwriting was Gu Yichen's.
So it turned out that all those days he supposedly spent with customers were purely to be with Su Ran.
So, even light can be replaced.
Gu Yichen, I am giving up on you.
The noisy ringtone pulled me out of the illusion.
"Jiang Qingqian, come to the office."
It seems that Su Ran is not willing to give up without seeing me.
Just arrived at the office, only to hear a commotion.
Su Ran was surrounded by a group of people, like the moon surrounded by a starry sky.
Gu Yichen stood by her side, tenderly wiping a cream stain off her nose, saying affectionately, "Ranran, don't blame yourself, it's Jiang Qingqian's fault."
I stood outside the door, watching Gu Yichen kiss the teardrop that slipped down Su Ran's face.
My calm heart started to ache quietly.
How pathetic.
With a self-deprecating chuckle, I stride in.
Su Ran, upon seeing me enter, hurriedly pushed Gu Yichen away.
Gu Yichen immediately fell, cursing, "Jiang Qingqian, after all these years, don't you understand social etiquette?"
It seems as though I am the interloper infringing upon their relationship.
How ridiculous.
I paid him no mind, speaking into the silence as I leaned against my chair, "Weren't you going to apologize? I'm all ears."
As soon as my voice faded, Su Ran, tearful and full of grievances, gave Gu Yichen a glance and dropped her head low.
"What are you blabbing about? I brought you here to apologize to Su Ran!"
Stunned, I shot up from my chair, disbelief written all over my face.
Gu Yichen replied, bold and unswerving, "Otherwise? If not for your pettiness, would it have triggered Ran's heart condition?"
"Apologizing in public today is what you owe Su Ran!"
I was so angry, I laughed.
Only then did I realize that over the years, my profound love had become nothing but absurdity.
I refused to back down.
Su Ran, attempting to mediate, laughed, "Oh, I really don't want any apology."
"I simply have some work matters on which I need to consult my elder sister."
My eyebrows raised.
With a deeper smile, Su Ran failed to conceal the provocation in her eyes, "I heard that Sister Jiang single-handedly bagged a deal worth billions back in the day."
"Coincidentally, Mr. Gu handed over a troublesome client to me today. Sister, would you accompany me to deal with him?"
My mind buzzed at those words, and I subconsciously turned my gaze towards Gu Yichen.
When the company faced a crisis, I alone had to meet the boss for the sake of Gu Yichen.
But I was humiliated and even had scandalous photos taken.
Later, the company revived. However, I developed a stress disorder, never attending social gatherings again.
He must be aware of how much his words had humiliated me!
The last shred of feelings in my heart finally vanished into thin air at this moment.
Gu Yichen, unable to meet my eyes, mumbled indistinctly,
"Just this once. Whatever you want afterward, I'll agree to."
Holding back tears, I nodded.
"Fine."
Su Ran ran to his side, cheerfully shouting, "Long live the boss!"
At the dinner party, I drank glass after glass of alcohol, with a blank expression on my face.
The spicy food was irritating my unhealed wounds, causing both pain and itchiness. Even though I was trying my best to maintain my composure, in their eyes, it seemed like blatant flirtation.
Just as Gu Yichen was about to explode, Su Ran tugged at his sleeves, with teary eyes and bowed head. After that, he didn't interfere in my affairs.
I forced down the bitterness in my heart, locked in a standoff with the person before me.
When I walked out of the hotel, Gu Yichen was telling jokes to make Su Ran happy.
Spotting me, Su Ran smirked triumphantly, as though expecting me to react.
"The contract has been signed."
I was as calm as a tranquil lake.
Gu Yichen stood up, took the contract, read it briefly and appeared satisfied. As he raised his head, he caught sight of my handprint and his pupils constricted, he abruptly stepped forward and grabbed me.
"Did they bully you? These bastards! Just you wait!"
I took a few steps back, keeping my distance from him.
Looking at him, frozen in place, with a frosty gaze, I pulled out the prepared resignation letter and divorce agreement from my bag.
"It's time for you to fulfill your promise, Gu Yichen. Let's get a divorce."
