C9 How Long will It Take for a Divorce?

Huo Tian panicked and checked for her breath—she had fainted. He felt her carotid artery, and once he confirmed her pulse was normal, he covered her with a blanket and stood up, only to be met with a room full of red. It was a familiar sight that he detested.

Without a word, he turned and went downstairs. When he reached the bottom, he saw the food on the table and then looked at Huo Ning.

"Are you a pig or something? How can you eat so much?"

Huo Ning shrugged innocently. "What can I do? Try eating at the cafeteria every day."

"I eat at the cafeteria every day. What's wrong with it?"

"It's like feeding pigs," Huo Ning replied, getting up and leaning on the table, looking at her brother. "I'm used to eating at home, so of course, I can't get used to it. With that woman not around these days, Grandpa and I have lost a few pounds from hunger." She pinched her cheeks as she spoke. "Look, my chubby cheeks have turned into a pointy face."

Huo Tian rolled his eyes and lost his appetite.

"Let me ask you, that woman... I mean, Soong Yu, does she have a heart condition?"

"Never heard of it. Did she just have a heart attack? How come it didn't kill her?"

As soon as Huo Ning finished speaking, she felt a sharp pain in her ear, courtesy of her brother.

"How can you, as a young lady, speak so harshly? Who taught you that?"

Huo Ning pouted, feeling wronged.

After letting go of her ear, Huo Tian slapped the table and commanded, "Sit down."

Huo Ning obediently sat down. "Fine, I'll sit, but can you change your tone? The way you talk makes me feel like I'm a dog."

Huo Tian glared, ready to lose his temper, and Huo Ning quickly stopped talking back and sat quietly.

"I'm asking you, does Soong Yu have a heart condition or not?"

"I've never seen her have a heart attack."

"Are there any symptoms, like clutching her chest, or..."

"Why are you so concerned about her, bro? Do you like her or something?" At this, Huo Ning slammed the table. "Huo Tian, I'm telling you, if you dare to fall for that wicked woman, I won't consider you my brother anymore..." She finished, her eyes welling up with tears.

Huo Tian looked up at her. "Why are you making such a fuss? Do you want me to borrow a loudspeaker from the radio station for you?"

Huo Ning stubbornly turned her head and wiped her eyes with a quick motion.

"Sit down." This time, his voice was a bit gentler.

Huo Ning hesitated for several seconds before sitting down.

"I talked to her about getting a divorce, and she agreed." Huo Tian hadn't mentioned this to her earlier in the room, thinking it would be better to wait until it was finalized. But seeing his sister's distressed expression, he decided to tell her. "So, you don't have to worry about her anymore. Once the time comes, we won't have to see her again."

Huo Ning was silent for a long time before finally asking, "Really?"

Huo Tian nodded. "Don't tell Grandpa about this. I don't want him to get upset."

Huo Ning didn't say anything else.

Huo Tian stood up and quietly tidied the table. He had planned to leave after checking on Grandpa, but Grandpa had gone out. He decided to wait until Grandpa returned and have dinner before heading back.

Huo Ning was right about one thing: eating at the cafeteria every day really does dull your taste buds.

When Soong Yu woke up, she was greeted by a glaring red. She looked around and felt a wave of relief. Thankfully, she was still here and hadn't been replaced.

Remembering that unsettling feeling of being replaced made Soong Yu's palms sweat and her legs weak.

She tried to sit up, clutching her chest. "Soong Yu... Soong Yu..." She called out several times without any response.

"Soong Yu, I still want to move downstairs," she suddenly said to the empty room.

As soon as she said it, she felt a sharp pain in her chest, but it was fleeting.

Feeling reassured, Soong Yu got out of bed. She noticed a suitcase on the cabinet, moved a stool over, and climbed up to retrieve it from the top of the wardrobe. She began packing the few women's clothes that were mixed in with the men's clothes in the wardrobe, placing them in the suitcase. Then she added a bottle of face cream, a comb, and other items from the dresser before closing the suitcase.

Looking at the glaring red bedspread, Soong Yu didn’t hesitate to change it. She set the red sheets aside to be washed later. She also peeled off the celebratory symbols from the windows and cabinet doors. Once she ensured that everything out of place was gone, she grabbed her suitcase and headed downstairs.

Huo Tian was sitting on the couch reading a book. Hearing the noise, he looked up to see Soong Yu coming down with a suitcase.

Soong Yu walked into the living room, looked at Huo Tian, and asked, “How soon can we get divorced?”

Huo Tian glanced at her, then at the suitcase on the floor, and replied with a blank expression, “It takes at least six months.”

“Can I move out in the meantime?”