C1 A Rumpled Bed 

"Let's get a divorce!"

Bai Tiancheng stubbed his cigarette on a nearby ashtray, his expression dark and cold.

He was stretched out languidly on the sofa with his ankles crossed. He had not even spared his wife a glance. Qin Yanxi froze where she stood, her lips pressed into a thin line as the blood drained from her face.

Her husband was covered in nothing more than a bathrobe, which was haphazardly draped over the lower half of his body, leaving the the defined muscles of his torso in full display.

The distinct smell of sex hung thick and heavy in the air.

It reeked particularly toward the bed, where small pools and splotches of white fluid dotted the sheets in various places.

As striking as the scene was, however, the woman who had brought it about was not Qin Yanxi herself.

In fact, she had no idea who was responsible for such an obscene aftermath. She had been in a good mood but a few moments ago, when she had first decided to bring her husband some snacks. Never had she expected to be treated to such a nauseating sight the moment she arrived.

"Who is she?"

she ventured to ask in a trembling voice.

Bai Tiancheng did look up at her then, a frown marring his brow. He was obviously annoyed at her question. "It doesn't matter who she is, what matters is that we are getting a divorce."

Yanxi's grip tightened on the eco bag she was holding.

Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Bai Tiancheng, just what do you take the institution of marriage for? Exactly what am I to you?"

"Stop degrading yourself like this, it's in extremely poor taste. You know very well that you mean nothing to me. If it hadn't been for the pressure from my family, I would never have even entertained the thought of marrying you."

So it was true then—he had only married her because the Bai Family had wanted to use the power and influence that the Qin Family wielded.

Was that why he had never touched her in their two years of being husband and wife? He had even gone to great lengths in order to keep their marriage a secret from the public.

Yanxi was shaking as she struggled to rein in the pain she felt.

"Fine, then. A divorce, was it, Tiancheng? I'll give you what you want."

Her voice quivered slightly, but she somehow managed to keep her tone firm.

Tiancheng was caught off-guard by her response, but his confusion quickly gave way to pleasure. "Very good!" he exclaimed, the corners of his lips turning upward. "Meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."

"Fine! I'll be there."

Yanxi's hands had clenched into fists, and her nails were digging deeper and deeper into her palms.

Without another word, she turned on her heel and strode out of the lounge.

It was so suffocating inside, she was afraid she might get sick if she stayed any longer.

The door slammed shut behind her, and she leaned against it as the dam broke and her tears gushed out in earnest.

Yanshi fled to the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby before cowering in a corner. She curled into herself like an abandoned child and wept.

"Ring, ring, ring—"

The sharp jingle of her cell phone chimed within the small space, nearly piercing her ear drum with its crazy, urgent tone.

She was not in the mood to talk to anyone, but as soon as her phone quieted down, another call would connect. Whoever it was on the other end of the line was clearly persistent. In the end, she had no choice but to answer.

"Yanxi, where are you right now?"

It was her agent and good friend, Jin Xiaolu.

"Xiaolu…" Yanxi clutched her phone against her ear and bawled. "Xiaolu, Tiancheng doesn't want me anymore. He's really getting rid of me this time."

Her whimpering sobs were met with silence for a few seconds. And then—

"That man is even worse than a lowly beast!" Jin Xiaolu declared indignantly before following up with a number of murmured expletives.

"Stop crying, darling, that bastard isn't worth all this grief. He isn't even decent enough to be called a man! Your life will turn out so much better without him, you'll see. Now listen. The company just notified me that we need to be in Japan for our next project, and we have to stay there for a month. We're leaving on the 7 A.M. flight tomorrow! Isn't that exciting?" Xiaolu had always been keen and eager when it came to her job.

"I can't, Xiaolu. I have to meet him at the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow at nine."

Yanxi might as well reject this project altogether. Given the mess her life was currently in, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on work even if she wanted to.

There was a long pause before Xiaolu spoke again. "Yanxi, please think about this matter carefully. This Japan gig is a very good opportunity. I know that you've dedicated yourself to being the perfect wife these past two years, but now that Bai Tiancheng intends to divorce you, don't you think it's time you prioritized yourself? Besides, it's not like you can't sign the divorce papers on any other day. You can take care of it when you get back later. I hope you at least give it some serious consideration."

It was very late into the night when Yanxi returned to their residence, where she was greeted by the same deafening silence.

Her husband had not come home.

She went straight to the kitchen and began to replenish the refrigerator and the pantry, her movements quick and methodical. She made sure there were fruits, some bread and pasta, drinks, and everything else Tiancheng was fond of eating.

When that was taken care of, she went upstairs to his cloakroom.

If she was going to be absent for an entire month, then she would have to prepare a month's worth of his wardrobe in advance. She had to make sure that he would have it easy even without her there to attend to his needs.

Yanxi couldn't help smiling to herself as she smoothed the fabric of the last suit she had laid out.

How could Tiancheng even contemplate parting with a virtuous and obedient wife such as herself? He must have been carried away earlier, and only mentioned divorce out of anger. He couldn't have meant it.

She took comfort in these thoughts, convincing herself that they were true.

And then she grabbed the phone and hurriedly dialed her husband's number. The line rang and rang, but no one answered.

Little did she know that her calls were an unwelcome nuisance to the two bodies tangled with each other in fervent passion.