I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 19
Fu Xunzhou was not familiar with the route to the Civil Affairs Bureau, so he drove there alone, using the navigation system.
He drove slowly, maintaining a speed of just twenty yards.
It took him about half an hour to reach the Civil Affairs Bureau. Sitting in the car, Fu Xunzhou stared at the entrance, reminiscing about the day, three years ago, when he and Zhou Youling had registered their marriage.
Chinese people pay attention to auspicious timings for everything, including picking a day to register their marriage. They had obtained their marriage certificate after their wedding ceremony. On that day, Zhou Youling had worn a pure white dress, and Fu Xunzhou was in a white shirt and black trousers. It was Zhou Youling who had suggested they wear white for their marriage certificate photos, saying it would look nice. She had even bought him a new shirt, insisting that newlyweds should wear new clothes.
Zhou Youling was visibly excited during the registration, constantly looking around and fidgeting. At that moment, Fu Xunzhou, for some reason, had suddenly wanted to hold her hand, and he did just that.
His large hand enveloping her small one felt strangely wonderful.
His initiative to hold hands had clearly startled Zhou Youling. She became shy, hardly daring to look at him.
To be accurate, from the proposal to the marriage and then to the registration of their marriage, they had truly begun to know each other intimately within just a week. While others progress from friends to lovers to spouses, they had skipped all the preliminary steps and became the closest of husband and wife, which was inevitably a bit awkward.
The entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau seemed unchanged from three years ago, with its flower beds, notice boards, and the bold red letters announcing ‘Marriage Registration’. Everything was as vivid in Fu Xunzhou’s memory as if it were branded there, though he had only been there once.
There was a moment when Fu Xunzhou suddenly didn’t feel like getting out of the car.
He picked up his phone, repeatedly reading the messages Zhou Youling had sent him:
“Tomorrow morning at nine. I’ll be waiting for you at the Civil Affairs Bureau.”
“Fu Xunzhou, you bastard! You scumbag! How dare you give me the cold shoulder! How dare you not love me! I want a divorce! Immediately! If you don’t agree, you’re a pig!”
“Let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau this afternoon and finalize the divorce.”
“I’m at the Civil Affairs Bureau now. Please come quickly.”
They rarely communicated through texts, but lately, their conversations had inevitably revolved around divorce.
She repeatedly brought it up; he repeatedly ignored it.
He had thought that by treating the matter with indifference, it would gradually fade away, but the day to confront it had still arrived.
His phone vibrated again with a new message from Zhou Youling.
Zhou Youling: “Haven’t you arrived yet?”
Fu Xunzhou didn’t reply. He instinctively looked up and saw Zhou Youling stepping out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
She had tied up her long hair and changed from her figure-hugging dress into a casual suit.
The sun was nice today. Zhou Youling stood in the shadow, locking eyes with him, sitting in the car.
Zhou Youling almost immediately spotted Fu Xunzhou’s car, the black Rolls Royce he was so fond of.
The two were less than ten meters apart, yet neither made a move.
Zhou Youling had come alone, without Rong Huiying accompanying her, believing she could handle this herself.
This was her own matter, and she didn’t want to drag her parents into it anymore. Yet, her mother’s attitude had taken Zhou Youling by surprise; she had always thought her mother would never agree to the divorce, but it turned out she was the most supportive.
The couple sat in silence for those short two minutes, neither speaking nor taking a step forward to break the silence.
Finally, Zhou Youling sent another message to Fu Xunzhou: “Please, hurry up.”
Fu Xunzhou was about to open the car door when his phone rang. It was a call from Yu Wanrong.
He hesitated to answer, knowing that his mother’s call would surely be an attempt to stop him.
Fu Xunzhou declined the call and stepped out of the car.
He walked towards Zhou Youling, his steps feeling heavier with each move.
Zhou Youling held various documents in her hands, including their household registrations and marriage certificate, not just her own but Fu Xunzhou’s as well.
Fu Xunzhou reached Zhou Youling, and his phone rang again. He was about to decline the call when Zhou Youling said calmly, “Answer the call. Avoiding it isn’t a solution.”
Her face was expressionless, impossible to read, as if she was no longer willing to struggle.
No matter the content of the call, it wouldn’t change the fact that they were going to divorce.
Fu Xunzhou answered the phone, hearing his mother’s voice: “Where are you now?”
“At the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.”
Yu Wanrong sounded panicked: “Are you really going through with the divorce? Xunzhou, do you know, your grandfather just found out about this and has fainted from the shock.”
Each word was clear to Zhou Youling, who stood right in front of Fu Xunzhou.
Yu Wanrong continued: “Come back right now. Your grandfather has specifically asked to see you both. If not, he says he’ll die right before you.”
Zhou Youling felt both scared and concerned.
In the Fu family, Old Master Fu was probably the person who loved her the most. He enjoyed the meals she cooked, often finding reasons for her to visit the ancestral home, just to savor the food she made. Over time, the bond between Zhou Youling and Old Master Fu had grown quite strong.
Hearing that the Old Master had collapsed, Zhou Youling felt truly remorseful.
She had planned to handle the divorce unilaterally, but now the news had spread to everyone. Moreover, Old Master Fu, who had just celebrated his eightieth birthday, was struck down by this news, deepening Zhou Youling’s sense of shame.
Yu Wanrong’s voice came through the phone again: “Divorce is no trivial matter! Come back now. Don’t act rashly. Sit down and talk it through, okay? Talk out all the misunderstandings and grievances. There’s nothing that a kind attitude cannot resolve.”
Fu Xunzhou remained silent.
Zhou Youling couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.
Yu Wanrong hurriedly added: “If you really can’t stay together and must divorce, please not today. Today is your grandfather’s birthday. How do you expect him to spend his birthday next year?”
This comment struck a chord with both Fu Xunzhou and Zhou Youling.
Today was indeed Old Master Fu’s eightieth birthday. Choosing such a day for a divorce was indeed very disrespectful.
Zhou Youling took a deep breath and nodded at Fu Xunzhou before her.
…
Old Master Fu had nearly suffered a stroke when he learned about Zhou Youling and Fu Xunzhou’s divorce. At his age of eighty, he could hardly bear any shock.
Fortunately, his condition wasn’t severe, and he could open his eyes on the same day.
Zhou Youling didn’t visit the hospital immediately to see Old Master Fu, feeling too ashamed to face him and fearing that her presence might further upset him. She returned to her parents’ home, lying on her own pink bed, her mind a complete mess and utterly exhausted.
Rong Huiying knew Zhou Youling was troubled, so she gave her daughter space, very considerately not disturbing her. She would only occasionally listen quietly at the door, worried that Zhou Youling might do something drastic.
Zhou Youling slept from four in the afternoon until ten at night. She had many dreams, where she saw herself marrying Fu Xunzhou and then divorcing him. She even dreamed of her youthful days when she had secretly followed Fu Xunzhou around school…
When she woke up, she wasn’t sure what time it was, but her phone was full of messages.
They were from her closest friends, who had heard about her planned divorce from Fu Xunzhou. They were all asking if she had really gone through with it.
Zhou Youling simply replied: “Didn’t divorce.”
Bai Lingxue: “Oh.”
Congshi: “Oh.”
Zhou Youling: “Let’s all go out for a drink.”
Bai Lingxue: “Sure.”
Congshi: “I’m always here for you.”
The place they went to was Congshi’s bar, “Qingxin.”
Zhou Youling wasn’t really in the mood to drink. After sitting for a short while, she said to Bai Lingxue, “I’ve decided to take over your relative’s restaurant.”
“Really?” Bai Lingxue was visibly delighted.
“I need something to keep me busy, or I can’t stop thinking,” Zhou Youling explained.
She hadn’t made this decision on a whim; it had been in her plans for some time. But now, she wanted to push things forward quickly to keep herself occupied.
“Understood,” Bai Lingxue said, pulling out her phone. “I’ll talk to him right away.”
“Thank you,” Zhou Youling smiled faintly.
Bai Lingxue stepped out to make the call, while Congshi was busy mixing cocktails at the bar.
The bar was bustling, almost full.
Zhou Youling glanced at Xu Jiaze, who was singing on stage. The bar had become instantly popular since Xu Jiaze started performing there. Now, Congshi was so busy she had to act as a bartender herself.
The feeling of everyone being busy was actually quite pleasant; it meant they didn’t have to idle away their thoughts on trivial matters.
Suddenly, someone behind Zhou Youling spoke: “The younger brother’s wife who upset my grandfather, you seem rather at ease.”
Zhou Youling turned around, surprised to see Fu Hexu.
Fu Hexu, holding a drink, lazily raised an eyebrow at Zhou Youling before sitting down across from her.
“You’re doing the same,” Zhou Youling replied.
Fu Xunzhou smiled. “Grandfather always finds me annoying. I’d better not bother him.”
“Excuses.”
“You’re different from what I imagined,” Fu Hexu clinked his glass against Zhou Youling’s on the table. “I thought you were the type to avoid trouble.”
Zhou Youling didn’t feel like talking, the bar felt stuffy, and she tugged at her collar.
Fu Hexu laughed. “I hope I haven’t offended you.”
“I just want some peace,” Zhou Youling shook her head, confirming he hadn’t offended her.
“Are you sure you want to be alone?” Fu Hexu put down his glass.
Fu Hexu brought out a spinner and suggested, “How about a game? Spin it and do whatever it lands on.”
“I don’t want to play,” Zhou Youling declined outright, having no interest in such childish games.
Fu Hexu touched his nose, suddenly feeling the heat too, and rolled up his sleeves.
He had always had a way with women, but this was the first time he had failed to engage Zhou Youling.
Of course, he wasn’t trying to flirt with his cousin’s wife, but rather to start a conversation.
The Fu family was in chaos over the news of Fu Xunzhou and Zhou Youling’s potential divorce, and running into this younger sister-in-law at the bar seemed like fate. Thinking this, he felt a surge of benevolence and intended to mediate.
Fu Hexu idly spun the spinner, only to hear Zhou Youling say, “I know what you want to say, but I still hope you’ll keep out of it. The issues between Fu Xunzhou and me aren’t something that can be explained in a few words. You wouldn’t understand.”
Zhou Youling’s face was obscured in the shadow, making her features indistinct, but her voice was resolute and strong.
Fu Hexu surrendered with raised hands, “Okay, okay, sorry for meddling.”
He then raised his glass and downed it as a self-imposed penalty.
Zhou Youling looked up and unintentionally noticed the scars on Fu Hexu’s hands.
Those familiar burn scars gave her a strange premonition. Her heart raced as she instinctively grabbed Fu Xunzhou’s hand and asked, “How did you get these scars?”
“How?” Fu Hexu looked amusedly at Zhou Youling. “You don’t know?”
Physical contact with a woman, especially one’s cousin’s wife, was improper. Fu Hexu withdrew his arm from Zhou Youling’s grip.
He rolled down his sleeve, casually saying to Zhou Youling, “Aren’t these from when I saved you? And you have the nerve to ask how I got these burns on my arm?”
