Mrs. Lu, Do You Want My Life?

The weather in Beicheng quickly turned to autumn, with continuous rain falling and a noticeable chill in the air. Yulan Road was located in the most luxurious area of Beicheng, where every inch of land was worth a fortune. The top floor of the building was entirely hers, and with the thick floor-to-ceiling glass windows blocking out the noise of the city, the apartment felt eerily silent, like a dead zone. The woman in bed slowly woke up, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was instinctively glance toward one side of the bed. The blankets were neatly arranged, with no signs of anyone having slept there. Lu Jinchuan had not returned. In the past three months, his visits home had become increasingly rare. She thought back, realizing that she hadn’t seen him in almost a week. After freshening up, she walked into the living room, only to find the man she had been thinking about sitting on the sofa, his elbow propped on his leg, holding a nearly burned-out cigarette between his fingers. The entire living room was filled with smoke, and she couldn’t tell how many cigarettes he had smoked. Hearing the door open, he looked up, extinguishing the cigarette and leaning back against the sofa. "Come here," his voice was low and hoarse. Ying Xia glanced at her watch. "I'm going to be late for work." It seemed like he found something amusing, as the corner of his lips lifted briefly, only for his expression to return to seriousness. "I need to talk to you." She stood frozen, processing the hidden meaning in his words. The night before, when she called him, a woman had answered. The woman had said, "He’s asleep. Call back later." She had suspected it then. When she recognized that the voice on the other end was Lu Jinchuan’s first love, she knew. The day had come sooner than expected. In a month, they would be marking their three-year wedding anniversary. Should she drag this out? Let it stretch for one more day? Or should she give up? This marriage had already become a torment for him. Ying Xia compromised and sat down on the sofa. "Go ahead." Lu Jinchuan sat opposite her, and he seemed uneasy, fidgeting with his tie and then rubbing his temples. Was this hard for him to say? Ying Xia forced a smile, thinking he didn’t need to struggle like this. Both of them knew very well how this marriage had come about — mutual consent, no obligations on his part. Of course, the only thing she had kept hidden for these years was her feelings for him, feelings she had never voiced. Now, even though they had reached this point, she didn’t want to make things harder for him. Ying Xia spoke first: "Are you asking about… divorce?" She saw the brief shock in his eyes as he heard her words, but then he simply answered in a flat tone. "Yes." "Is this about Zhao Ruyi?" she couldn’t help but ask. After a long silence, he finally replied. "Yes." At that moment, Ying Xia felt as if she couldn't breathe. A sharp pain tore through her chest, and she felt like she was about to break apart. If it weren’t for the two tightly clenched fists at her sides, she might have collapsed. She took a deep breath, trying to push the pain down, and forced herself to ask, "When do we go to handle the paperwork?" What she really wanted to ask was whether Lu Jinchuan would reconsider. Could he not divorce her? Could he not leave her? But this love had been so one-sided, so humble, that her pride wouldn’t allow her to ask for more. She knew him too well — in the business world, he was decisive and ruthless. If he had brought it up, it meant he had made up his mind and there was no turning back. "Soon. I’ll try to make it up to you. You can ask for anything you want," Lu Jinchuan said, furrowing his brows. Ying Xia saw him light another cigarette. He didn’t even take a drag, just letting the smoke swirl around. She hated the smell of smoke. He knew that. Over the years, he had always been considerate, never smoking in front of her. But now, he no longer had to endure it. Ying Xia turned her face toward the window. "I don’t need anything. I’m fine, whenever." She pulled out her phone to ask for leave, but her hand trembled so badly that she had to turn away from him and stand by the floor-to-ceiling window. His indifferent voice came from behind her. "How about this? I’ll leave this apartment to you, and the villa in the south suburbs too. You can live in whichever you prefer. Also…" She couldn’t believe he was saying these things. Ying Xia didn’t want to hear any more. She turned around and interrupted him. "I don’t need any financial compensation. I have a place to stay." Her chest hurt as she pretended to check the time. "Sorry, I have something to attend to. Please have Lawyer Zhang prepare the agreement and notify me." She didn’t want to look at his face any longer. Every moment spent staring at him made her heart ache. Grabbing her bag off the sofa, she walked out quickly. "Xiaxia..." She didn’t look back. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud. On the other side, she leaned against it, unable to speak for a long time. Inside, Lu Jinchuan finally put the almost burnt-out cigarette to his lips, took a deep drag, and then exhaled a long, slow puff of smoke. Indeed, Ying Xia had something to do that day. When she took out her phone to ask for leave, her mind hesitated for a moment. Instead of asking for leave, she submitted her resignation. She didn’t want to stay there for another second. After handling the resignation procedures, Aunt Sun smiled and said, "Mr. Lu just left. You missed him." Yes. She had missed him. That night, as expected, Lu Jinchuan didn’t come home. She had an old appointment to attend a family dinner at the Lu family’s old house, which had been planned two weeks ago. Ying Xia didn’t want to go, but they weren’t divorced yet, so it was a necessary social event. In the entire house, only his grandmother liked her. Lu Jinchuan’s parents and his younger sister despised her. She had married up. Ying Xia’s mother was an ordinary office worker, while Lu Jinchuan was the most dazzling star in Beicheng. She had once thought that marrying him would mean a new home. But that had been a fantasy. It was close to five o'clock. She hesitated for a long time but didn’t call him, instead taking a taxi to the old house on her own. As expected, he hadn’t returned. At the dinner table, she sat quietly, waiting for Lu Jinchuan’s mother, Yang Manqiu, to give her the usual reprimands. Unexpectedly, this time, no one said a word to her, nor did anyone ask why Lu Jinchuan hadn’t come back with her. The usual constant "The three greatest unfilial acts are not having a son" were nowhere to be heard. The dinner table was unusually quiet, with only his grandmother smiling lovingly, serving her food. "Xiaxia, eat more. You’ve lost weight again. Girls don’t need to worry so much about their figure. Health is the most important thing, do you understand?" Ying Xia nodded with a smile. "I understand, Grandma." She wasn’t a fool. It was clear to her that, aside from her grandmother, the others probably already knew they were getting a divorce. The meal was incredibly quiet, and halfway through, Lu Jinchuan came back. He walked in, undoing his tie, took off his suit, and handed it to the servant before walking directly to sit beside her. As soon as Lu Jinchuan sat down, the atmosphere became even stranger. His parents seemed to regard him with a mix of fear and something else Ying Xia couldn’t quite understand. It didn’t feel like a typical parent-child relationship. It had always been this way. A faint scent of cologne wafted from him, reaching Ying Xia’s nose. She frowned slightly, immediately losing her appetite. She absentmindedly poked at the half-empty bowl of rice, and suddenly, a piece of fish appeared in her bowl. Ying Xia turned to look. Lu Jinchuan didn’t look at her. He continued eating quietly. They had known each other for ten years and been married for three, yet he didn’t know she hated fish. She pushed the piece of fish aside, finished the last of her rice in a few quick bites, and stood up. "I’m full. You can continue eating." The night wind was cool. The garden was quiet as she sat on a lounger, listening to the laughter and chatter from inside. A sarcastic smile crept onto her lips. Look at her. She was always an outsider, never fitting in. "You don’t have to come here anymore. You don’t need to please anyone." Ying Xia turned her head to see Lu Jinchuan standing in the shadows. The light from his cigarette flickered in the dark, only illuminating his face when he took a deep drag. It seemed his cigarette habit had gotten worse recently. She stiffly replied, "I’m not trying to please anyone." She had once tried to please his parents, his sister, his relatives, but no matter what she did, it was never enough. When she realized some people’s hearts could never be warmed, and some would never like her, she gave up. Lu Jinchuan put out the cigarette and walked toward her. His handsome face finally came into the light, looking like a model from a magazine, though his expression was anything but soft. "Let’s go." Ying Xia stood up. "I’ll go get my bag." Lu Jinchuan followed her. "I’m not coming back tonight."