The night is as dark as ink, the light faintly illuminating the room.
On the width of the double bed, Ning Yao is drenched in sweat, silently embraced by a man.
The man is exceptionally handsome, with sharp features, cold eyes, and a high nose bridge. She secretly harbored affection for this particular man for eight years, from when she was sixteen until she was twenty-four.
However, she no longer coveted him now.
"Ji Sihai." She gently called his name, her voice faintly filled with a hint of panting.
"Hmm?" His voice was dangerously sensual at that moment.
"Let's get a divorce."
She softly proposed, and felt the body embracing her tensed up immediately after those words.
Ji Sihai looked down at her, with deep inscrutable eyes, maintaining a calm demeanor like the surface of the sea before a storm, showing no discernible signs of an emotional disturbance.
"Why?" His tone was as calm as it usually was.
Ning Yao did not look at him, "We were forced together because of a child in the first place. The child had no fate with us. Perhaps it was destined like this."
Her voice was soft. After finishing her sentence, she calmly raised her eyes to meet his gaze, "Separation would be better for both of us."
For example, after divorce, she wouldn't have to face his mother's insults and sarcasm. He would no longer have to deal with her blood-sucking relatives.
Ji Sihai did not speak, he just quietly looked at her, his gaze becoming more profound.
Just when Ning Yao thought he would say something, she heard him saying, "Sure."
Without further questions, without any explanation, just like when they got married. Indeed, he was still the Ji Sihuai she knew. Ning Yao tried her best to suppress the bitterness in her heart and smiled at him.
She felt a sourness in her nose, tears blurring her vision, a constant prickling sensation in her chest, suffocating her.
She had proposed all these, but when things really ended as cleanly and neatly as she had imagined, she found herself far from being as calm as she had thought.
She gently buried her head in his chest and held him tightly. Let this be her last indulgence.
Ji Sihuai did not hold her back, but remained silent, letting her hold him.
Ning Yao only indulged in the moment for a while, then she let go, "I'm going to wash up."
She had just gotten up to get off the bed when her fair wrist was suddenly tightly gripped. With a tug, she tumbled back onto the soft bed again, followed by a shadow looming over and a storm-like kiss pouring down on her.
However, when Ji Sihuai caught her terrified gaze, the emotion in his eyes gradually calmed down, and his breath became more peaceful.
"Sleep," he turned over and lay flat next to her.
The next morning when Ning Yao woke up, Ji Sihuai was already gone from her side, as if everything last night was only a dream.
The house was still the same as before, yet she knew that many things had changed.
When Ning Yao came downstairs, she found Ji Sihuai's mother, her mother-in-law Wang Danyang, was sitting downstairs playing with a cat.
Ning Yao arrived downstairs, and Wang Danyang toyed with the cat, reproaching, "Look at you! Always needing others to cater to your every need. You can't even make money, but you sure know how to spend it."
"Moreover, you don't know how to sympathize with others. You can’t even provide me with a grandchild. What good are you?"
Wang Danyang's voice was pleasant, refined, and well-cultured.
Ning Yao didn't respond to her insinuations, she just smiled politely and greeted her before retreating to her room.
After a while, Wang Danyang's furious curses echoed through the house.
Without looking, Ning Yao knew how cross her mother-in-law's face was. After all, Wang Danyang had always looked down upon her.
Actually, she could understand. After all, her marriage with Ji Sihuai was clearly a mismatch due to their disparate backgrounds.
Their union was a result of mere coincidence.
When they got married, Ning Yao hadn’t known about Ji Sihuai's family background and social status. She believed he was an ordinary person like her, doing his best to make ends meet.
If she knew his true identity beforehand, she wouldn't have agreed to the marriage.
Ultimately, their marriage was a shot-gun wedding with no emotional foundation.
However, now that she’s made up her mind, she naturally doesn't care about Wang Danyang's attitude anymore.
She can soon return to the freedom she had before marriage, earning her own money, not expecting anything from anyone, not having to pander to anyone, nor having to care about anyone's feelings.
Ning Yao sighed lightly and started packing her belongings.
She didn't have many possessions to pack, but spent the morning methodically doing so, barely noticing the time until it was already noon.
Downstairs, Wang Danyang finally left in an aggravated state, having no luck getting any reaction from her silence and indifference.
Without her wild shriek, the room became instantly quiet.
Ning Yao lost the desire to cook, she casually ordered some takeout.
Recently, Ji Sihuai frequently worked overtime. His company was in a phase of expansion, and would often be busy until early morning hours.
Ning Yao had long become accustomed to this state of his.
After finishing her meal, Ning Yao picked up her luggage, preparing to leave.
Before leaving, she took one last look at the house she had stayed in for over two years. She was very familiar with every corner of this place, and the prospect of leaving filled her with a sense of loss and melancholy.
Nevertheless, she quickly composed herself, placing the keys and the signed divorce agreement on the coffee table.
She then texted Ji Sihuai.
"I've signed the divorce agreement, it's on the coffee table. I've entrusted all divorce matters to Lawyer Zhao, you can handle the paperwork whenever you're ready."
"I'm leaving, take care."
Ji Sihuai was in a meeting, his phone lit up twice in succession.
He was slightly stunned when he saw the messages, his mind wandering.
"President Ji?" Luo Ying gently called out to him, reminding him that they were in a meeting.
Luo Ying had known Ji Sihuai since high school, but she had never seen him in such a distracted state.
Ji Sihuai glanced at her, his face showing no discernible emotion.
Just when everyone thought he would continue with the meeting, he suddenly said "Meeting adjourned," picked up his mobile phone, and strode out of the conference room.
"What's got into CEO Ji?"
The people at the meeting exchanged confused looks.
It was rare to see Ji Sihuai lose focus during a meeting, let alone abruptly adjourn and leave - it was unprecedented.
Ji Sihuai went straight home.
This was his first time leaving work to return home.
Upon arriving, he stood at the entrance, looking at the impeccably clean room, which no longer bore any traces of Ning Yao.
The divorce agreement was weighted down by a tissue box on the coffee table.
He walked over and picked up the agreement, glancing through its content. It was simple, with no mention of property division, no changes from before or after the marriage.
She had already signed her name in the required field.
Her handwriting, like her, was stunning — slender and elegant but also clean-cut.
Ji Sihuai stared at her signature, deep emotion welling within his eyes.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard from the outside.
Ji Sihai put down the divorce agreement, quickly turning his head to look at the door.
Wang Danyang, startled, hadn't expected Ji Sihai to be at home. The act of pushing the door paused momentarily as a hint of panic flashed across her face, "Why have you come back now?"
Wang Danyang asked in confusion. At this time, Ji Sihai was rarely found at home.
Disappointment flickered in Ji Sihai's eyes, "Why did you come?"
In front of Ji Sihai, Wang Danyang was always a bit uneasy, "I came to spend some time with Ning Yao. I was afraid she would be lonely."
Ji Sihai seemed to be sizing up the sincerity of her words, "Do you come here often?"
"Not really, just occasionally." Wang Danyang seemed a bit uneasy.
Ji Sihai's brows furrowed.
Spotting the document in Ji Sihai's hand, Wang Danyang shifted the topic, "Did you come back for a document?"
Ji Sihai's brows slightly furrowed, putting the document out of sight instinctively, "Nothing important."
Finished speaking, he raised his eyes to Wang Danyang, "If there's nothing special, please don't come anymore. Ning Yao has her own business and when I am free, I will bring her to see you."
"She would possibly be..." but before she could finish her sentence, she sensed a sudden shift in Ji Sihai's aura, and promptly corrected herself, "Alright, I understand."
Despite her agreement, a hint of reluctance flickered in her eyes. As she stole a glance at Ji Sihai, a thought of friendly advice emerged.
Ever since Ning Yao lost that child, she's been recuperating for over a year and there's been no progress. Next time you should take her to the hospital for a check-up, in case it turns out that she can't have a child.
At her words, Ji Sihai's brows involuntarily furrowed.
Then, he said solemnly, "It was me who didn't want children."
"You better go back first." Ji Sihuai glanced at her, the meaning in his words quite clear. He was trying to shoo her away.
Wang Danyang's lips moved slightly, but ultimately, she didn't say anything. Under Ji Sihuai's warning gaze, she turned around and left.
After Wang Danyang left, Ji Sihuai took a gander at the empty house. There were no traces left of Ning Yao's life there.
He couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
She left so cleanly that even the house's original design was restored just as it was.
Ji Sihuai rubbed his temples and placed a call to his assistant, Tang Yue — "Help me set up an appointment with Lawyer Xu. I need to sort out some divorce matters."
Huh?
Tang Yue found it somewhat inexplicable. Weren't the boss and Ning Yao having a good relationship? He never even saw them quarrelling once before.
Why did they suddenly decide to get a divorce?
