Chapter 76: Refusal to Divorce
“What did you say?”
Ji Shuohan stood up, his face filled with confusion and a hint of suppressed anger. Ye Zhile looked at him and said firmly, “I said… let’s get a divorce.”
“I don’t agree.” Ji Shuohan’s eyes were cold, and his words were even tougher, leaving no room for negotiation.
“On what grounds?” Ye Zhile couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Clearly, the person who didn’t love him was Ji Shuohan, so why could he say such a thing with such confidence!
Ji Shuohan walked around the desk and came out. He looked down at Ye Zhile. “Marriage is not a child’s play. It’s not something you can just leave because you want to.”
As he spoke, Ji Shuohan prepared to walk out. Ye Zhile’s voice followed from behind, “You are the one who treated this marriage like a joke!”
Ji Shuohan walked straight out of the study. Ye Zhile stood there, feeling numb for a moment before following him out.
The two parted on bad terms. Ye Zhile sat by Dudu’s bed, lost in thought. In the middle of the night, he fell asleep leaning against Dudu’s small bed.
When he woke up the next day, Ye Zhile had a slight cold. He coughed a few times and went back to his room to freshen up.
Ji Shuohan hadn’t gone to work yet. When Ye Zhile went downstairs, he saw him still in the dining room. He walked over gloomily, not initiating any conversation.
“I think we should talk,” Ji Shuohan said, his tone softening slightly. Ye Zhile looked up. “What do you want to talk about?”
Ji Shuohan said, “Why do you want a divorce? I said I would take responsibility. You told Ruan Chenxin to leave, and I let him leave. I have no relationship with him. What exactly are you dissatisfied with?”
Ye Zhile didn’t expect that the first time Ji Shuohan had spoken so much to him since his memory loss would be to question him, as if he were being unreasonable. He fought back tears and said, “That’s because those are things you should have done! You shouldn’t have needed me to remind you!”
“He was your savior, not mine! Why do you think you can just ignore everything and leave me to deal with it!” Ye Zhile felt he had changed. He was denouncing Ji Shuohan so hysterically that even he felt like a stranger to himself, even disgusted.
Ye Zhile wiped away his tears. Ji Shuohan felt uneasy. He tried to explain, “I didn’t mean it that way… I just…”
“You just lost your memory, so you have a legitimate reason to treat everyone coldly,” Ye Zhile said slowly. “And I’m the one who has to bear the consequences of your memory loss.”
He stood up. “We have nothing to talk about. I understand you’re busy. I’ll have a lawyer draft a divorce agreement and bring it to you.”
“Also, our divorce won’t affect the relationship between the Military Department and the Leader’s Department. It didn’t before, and it won’t now.”
After saying that, Ye Zhile went upstairs. Ji Shuohan put down his knife and fork and leaned back in his chair. He looked up at the boy’s determined back, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.
Returning to his room, Ye Zhile’s tears finally burst forth. He covered his face and cried bitterly until his head ached and his chest felt tight. His eyes were red and swollen, and his skin looked fragile and thin—he appeared extremely weak.
Once his headache subsided, Ye Zhile regained his composure. He had been sensitive lately, with volatile emotions, and his body was truly exhausted. He ended up sleeping through lunch and into the afternoon.
“Madam, you can’t go on like this. You haven’t eaten breakfast or lunch.” When Xiao Ru came in to deliver porridge, she was worried to see Ye Zhile’s haggard face and pale lips.
“It’s fine. I’ll eat when I’m hungry,” Ye Zhile said. His thin wrists peeking out from his sleeves were a startling sight. Xiao Ru said, “Madam is too thin. You need to rest well and eat more.”
“Okay,” Ye Zhile nodded obediently.
Ye Zhile drank half a bowl of porridge and went back to sleep.
After spring began, the weather was relatively mild. Ye Zhile wore a medium-weight hoodie and took a car to a restaurant.
Leng Xingtu saw him the moment he got out of the car and waved. “Lele, over here!”
Ye Zhile walked over. Leng Xingtu asked him, “Why didn’t you bring Dudu out?”
“Dudu is growing taller and heavier. I can’t carry him for too long, and it’s too much trouble if the nanny follows, so I didn’t bring him,” Ye Zhile smiled helplessly.
“Little beauty, long time no see. Why have you lost so much weight?” Han Haocheng kept staring at Ye Zhile’s face. “Your chin has gotten even sharper.”
“Your chin used to be round, but now it’s like an awl,” Lu Xingyan added.
“Is it really…?” Ye Zhile cupped his face and looked at Leng Xingtu in confusion. “Is it really that obvious?”
“Obvious,” Leng Xingtu nodded. He could roughly guess why Ye Zhile had lost so much weight. He sighed. “Is the matter with the Leader settled?”
“Not yet,” Ye Zhile shook his head and changed the subject. “Let’s order food first. I haven’t eaten since I came out.”
Ye Zhile didn’t want to talk about these depressing matters. His main goal for coming out today was because they hadn’t gathered in a long time, and he wanted to have some fun and eat something. He also wanted to relax; his heart had been feeling so stifled lately that he suspected his mental health was failing.
“Alright,” Leng Xingtu saw that he didn’t want to talk about it and didn’t push further. He called the waiter over to take their orders.
The group always had endless things to talk about, laughing and joking together. Ye Zhile’s state looked much better than when he first arrived.
After dinner, Leng Xingtu suggested going to the entertainment hall upstairs. “Lele can’t do anything too stimulating, so let’s just play on the upper floor!”
Ye Zhile was moved and gave him a big hug. “Thank you, Xingtu. You really are thoughtful.”
“You’re welcome~” Leng Xingtu said nonchalantly.
“Hehe~”
The entertainment hall upstairs was quite large. Leng Xingtu and Han Haocheng went to battle on the dancing machine. Ye Zhile wore a mask and cheered them on from the side. He was only nineteen, an age where one still loved to play; seeing anything new made him want to try it.
However, he couldn’t play anything too intense, so in the end, he could only take some coins to play the claw machine.
“A bit to the left! Too far left, too far left! Right, right, right!” Leng Xingtu stood by, directing. Ye Zhile concentrated intensely. Seeing that the position was about right, he pressed the button with a ‘snap.’ Seeing the claw grab a small fox plushie and move toward the exit, the two of them screamed in excitement. But then the claw shook, loosened, and the plushie fell.
Ye Zhile and Leng Xingtu’s smiles vanished instantly, replaced by speechless frustration.
“I’ve tried so many times. Why is it so hard to catch…?” Ye Zhile looked longingly at the dolls inside the machine, feeling deflated.
“Let me help you.” Lu Xingyan stepped forward and inserted a coin.
Ye Zhile stood to the side. As Lu Xingyan maneuvered the claw, he covered his mouth, afraid his screams would disturb him.
In the end, Lu Xingyan’s doll also fell. Ye Zhile let go of his hand. “Brother Xingyan, let’s just forget it.”
“No,” Lu Xingyan’s competitive streak was ignited. “I don’t believe I can’t catch one.”
Recommended Reads
