Chapter 9

After that day.

I stopped pestering Gu Xuchen and gradually kept my distance from him.

Maybe.

He enjoyed it, tacitly saying nothing, while I was planning to leave.

“Move out?!”

My best friend looked at me in surprise.

I lowered my head, browsing through apartments and calculating prices, replying in a calm voice:

“Yeah, I rented out my own place for five years. I’m just looking for somewhere to stay for now.”

My friend was a bit confused: “Why move? Did Gu Xuchen bully you?”

“Ah, no.”

I tried my best to stay calm, meeting her scrutinizing gaze, and smiled as I spoke:

“If anyone’s bullying, it’s me bullying him. How could I possibly be bullied…”

Friend: “Come on, last time you were grinning like you were in heaven. Look at how lovestruck you were, totally bewitched by him. How could you bear to bully him?”

Me: …

I lowered my eyes, forcing a smile.

But my chest felt as if someone had ruthlessly gouged out a piece, and out of pride, I dared not say a word.

In my friend’s eyes, I was still a fool.

But in his eyes?

I was probably just a ridiculous and pathetic clown, jumping for joy at the slightest gesture from him.

“Did he really bully you?”

My friend leaned in to size me up, rolling up her sleeves.

“No.”

I quickly grabbed her, frowning slightly: “He didn’t bully me. I just want a quiet place to live alone for a while.”

Friend: “He’d better not have. Otherwise, even if he’s your brother, I’ll teach him a lesson.”

Me: …

Misfortune never comes alone.

The stock market was sluggish, trapping my money, and my parents’ new house needed decorating. I didn’t want them to notice anything, so I kept sending money out, and soon my pockets were nearly empty.

In my dilemma,

I thought of the wedding rings between me and Gu Xuchen.

This set of rings cost me almost all my savings, but he never wore his.

Back then, I’d asked him, a bit unwillingly:

“Why don’t you wear it?”

“No one says you have to.”

Gu Xuchen’s reply was flawless.

I never considered that maybe he didn’t wear it because he didn’t want to, or didn’t care.

After all,

No matter how expensive the ring was to me, to him, it was just a drop in the ocean.

Somehow,

It was as if I’d gained a god’s-eye view, seeing the truth again and again-

Gu Xuchen doesn’t like Ye Min.

“Sorry, selling a single ring at this price is difficult. I suggest you sell the pair together.”

The clerk spoke very tactfully.

I was a little dazed, rubbing the ring in my hand.

I hadn’t spoken to Gu Xuchen in a long time. I didn’t even know how to start a conversation with him…

It felt like I was gradually losing the courage to talk to him.

All my past attempts to tease him now seemed so absurd and laughable.

“What are you selling?”

Gu Xuchen’s voice suddenly came.

My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively put the ring away, but the clerk beside me said:

“This lady is here to sell her wedding ring.”

Me: …

Gu Xuchen’s gaze darkened slightly.

I mustered up my courage and said in a low voice, “Did you bring your ring? Since you’re here, it’s better to sell them together.”

“You’ve been busy with this lately?”

Gu Xuchen looked down at me, as if I’d made a huge mistake.

I gripped the ring tightly, lowered my head, my voice a little hoarse:

“You never wear it anyway, so there’s no point keeping it…”

“You need money?”

Gu Xuchen interrupted me: “If you need money, you can just tell me.”

I clutched the ring, feeling my palm almost bruised from my grip, painfully sore: “We’re just in a fake marriage…”

Bang.

The clerk’s phone slipped and hit the table.

Gu Xuchen glanced over indifferently, and the clerk immediately walked away with her phone, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.

“Give me back the ring. I’ll return the bag and the car you gave me too. Calculate the depreciation, and I’ll pay you back later.”

At this point, I just wanted us to be even.

Gu Xuchen took a deep breath, looking down at me: “Did I ever ask you to return them?”

I lowered my eyes: “I will return them.”

Gu Xuchen: “What do you mean?”

I was tired. I’d planned to wait until I had money to leave, but I couldn’t hold it in: “Let’s get a divorce.”

Gu Xuchen froze, silent for a long time.

I looked up at him, thinking he hadn’t heard, and repeated: “Let’s get a divorce.”

Gu Xuchen seemed unsure of my attitude, his voice low: “Is it because I didn’t have steak with you that day? Are you mad?”

For some reason,

The way he asked made me want to laugh, as if he really cared about my feelings.

I was at my wit’s end, raising my brows at him and smiling:

“No, I just want a divorce.”

Gu Xuchen’s jaw tightened, as if confirming my words, his voice lowered:

“Give me a reasonable reason.”

“I think a fake marriage is pointless. My parents are getting old, and I want to find someone for a real marriage.”

I pretended to be relaxed, smiling at him as usual:

“I want to have a baby. Is that reason enough?”

Gu Xuchen: …

Gu Xuchen fell silent.

I picked up my bag and got up to leave, saying calmly: “Please look for the ring. If you find it, return it to me… If not, just pay me for it. I’ll send you the price.”

Even so,

I kept waiting for the ring to turn up, and my heart ached sharply.

Gu Xuchen probably didn’t even know where he’d tossed it…