Volume One, Chapter Three: Flirting
Song Nanyi smiled bitterly.
Yes, in her previous life, she was a jealous woman.
She had already been nailed to the pillar of shame by Huo Shixu.
During the time she was pregnant, he used that as an excuse every day to force her to leave him, to leave their home.
The word "divorce" was never spoken aloud, only because Huo Shixu cared deeply about his reputation and didn’t want to appear as the unfaithful one in front of others.
Back then, she was tormented.
Neither fully human nor ghostly.
In the end, she could not escape her fate.
“So, do you still love me or not?” Song Nanyi asked again.
Huo Shixu threw back the covers and got out of bed, his tone cold. “Stop asking such senseless questions. You need to get a good rest now. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
He was avoiding her.
It was a desperate escape.
...
Morning.
When Song Nanyi came downstairs, Su Yuan was tying on an apron, making breakfast in the kitchen.
Huo Shixu stood at the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, watching her awkward yet adorable appearance.
The indulgence at the corner of his lips seemed about to overflow.
It was as if this home belonged only to the two of them, and Song Nanyi was an intruding third party who should not be there.
Su Yuan had cooked a pot of curry rice.
Perhaps it was too hot, and she couldn’t hold it steady, so when Huo Shixu took it, she scratched her earlobe and smiled coquettishly.
The scene was so warm that Song Nanyi felt her presence was a sin.
Su Yuan turned her head and saw Song Nanyi.
A flicker of panic and unease flashed in her eyes as she cautiously said, “Nanyi sister, I made breakfast. I don’t know if it suits your taste.”
Song Nanyi looked at the two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the dining table.
It was obvious that this breakfast wasn’t for her.
At the sound of Song Nanyi coming downstairs, Huo Shixu looked up at her.
“Yuan made breakfast,” his tone much softer than last night. “Your stomach has always been delicate; rice is easy to digest. Eat a bit.”
Huo Shixu’s gentleness now was probably out of concern that she wouldn’t show Su Yuan any face.
Hurting the little darling’s feelings.
Only he forgot one thing: neither of them liked curry.
“No, I have things to do,” Song Nanyi refused.
She had more important matters today—she was going to meet with her lawyer friend.
Huo Shixu paid no attention to Song Nanyi’s mood.
Nor did he care about what important thing she had to do.
After falling out of love, his focus was no longer on her.
He was no longer the man who would worry every time she got her hair done, fearing something might happen to her.
...
After changing her shoes, Song Nanyi was about to leave.
Su Yuan came over with two pieces of bread. “Nanyi sister, skipping breakfast harms your health. Take these two pieces of bread; eat them if you get hungry.”
The bread was avocado-flavored.
It was generously made, but its appearance left much to be desired.
Su Yuan awkwardly explained, “I made these fresh this morning. They don’t look good, but they’re definitely tasty.”
“Take them. It’s Yuan’s heartfelt gift,” Huo Shixu said.
Su Yuan nodded and pushed the bread toward Song Nanyi.
Song Nanyi’s gaze lingered for a few seconds on Su Yuan’s face before she reached out and took the bread.
After leaving the house, she tossed the two pieces of bread into the trash bin.
Walking to the car, Song Nanyi suddenly realized she forgot the car keys.
She must have left them on the shoe cabinet when she changed shoes earlier and left in a hurry.
She turned back to get them.
Opening the living room door, Song Nanyi saw Huo Shixu practically pinning Su Yuan at the dining table.
They seemed to be flirting, their eyes tangled with a deep, unbreakable attachment.
Perhaps too engrossed and unwilling to part, they hadn’t noticed Song Nanyi’s return.
At that moment, Song Nanyi’s phone rang.
Startled, both looked toward her almost simultaneously.
Song Nanyi hung up.
Her eyes caught the curry stain at the corner of Huo Shixu’s mouth.
His expression shifted slightly.
Su Yuan panicked and stammered, “Nanyi sister, Shixu brother and I, it was… it was a banana peel. Yes, I slipped on a banana peel, that’s why… No, sister, it’s not what you think. Please don’t misunderstand.”
Huo Shixu looked away, avoiding Song Nanyi’s gaze. “It really was… the banana peel’s fault. Don’t misunderstand.”
The lie was clumsy.
It made Song Nanyi laugh.
Who would have thought that a banana peel could one day carry such a heavy burden?
“I understand.” Song Nanyi took the car keys and turned to leave.
Huo Shixu noticed that Song Nanyi was different from before.
Did she really believe such a lie?
In the past, whenever he got close to another woman, she would scold him fiercely and give him the cold shoulder. Sometimes it took him months to coax her back.
So why today...
...
Song Nanyi drove off.
On the way, she called Pei Yin.
She asked her to accompany her to the law firm.
Her lawyer friend was introduced to them by Pei Yin.
...
She needed to carefully discuss the matter of divorce with them.
Pei Yin arrived earlier than Song Nanyi.
Before she did, she had already scolded Huo Shixu harshly.
“When he courted you, I told you this kind of man is the most adaptable and cunning. If one day he stops loving you, the knife will pierce your chest, but you didn’t believe me. Now it’s come true, hasn’t it?”
Pei Yin’s face was dark.
She often spoke ill of Huo Shixu before, which caused a rift between her and Song Nanyi for a while.
Later on, Song Nanyi married Huo Shixu.
Pei Yin cut off contact with her.
Receiving Song Nanyi’s call today took her by surprise; she never expected it was about this.
“I thought…” Song Nanyi thought Huo Shixu would love her forever, but she was wrong.
Most men have a strong curiosity.
This trait is especially pronounced in women as well.
“…Pei Yin, I’ve decided to divorce Huo Shixu.”
“You should have left him long ago.” Thankfully, there were no children between them, which eased many complications. “Song Nanyi, you should thank heaven that you didn’t have a child with Huo Shixu. Otherwise, your suffering would only be beginning.”
Song Nanyi smiled bitterly.
In her previous life, she did have a child.
Huo Shixu had taken her life away and robbed her of the right to be a mother. She never even knew if the child was a boy or girl before...
Song Nanyi clutched her chest, her heart twisting with pain.
Lawyer Lian Peng quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to Song Nanyi. “Investigating Huo Shixu’s financial status will take some time. You can tell me your needs roughly, and when I draft the divorce agreement, I’ll include them.”
“Cheating means he should leave with nothing,” Pei Yin said angrily.
Song Nanyi knew that was impossible.
Huo Shixu was no longer the man who would move heaven and earth for her.
He certainly wouldn’t admit to cheating. Men are experts at shirking responsibility.
“When I got married, my parents brought a piece of land in Nancheng as dowry.”
In her previous life, that land was developed into an amusement park called Yuan Amusement Park.
It was a gift from Huo Shixu to Su Yuan.
It was just completed the day before she died.
She wanted to reclaim it.
Lian Peng thought for a moment. “That shouldn’t be a big problem. Anything else?”
Anything else?
Song Nanyi had many other things she could fight for.
But she no longer had the strength to tussle with a man who had lost his heart over material matters.
Pei Yin guessed Song Nanyi’s thoughts.
She said to Lian Peng, “She doesn’t want to fight anymore.”