Chapter 45

Afterward, Liang Zhengxian hugged Wang Manni and lay beside her on the bed.

"Manni."

"Hmm?"

He opened his mouth, but the words died on his lips—he was utterly sick of it, couldn't bear to see that revolting face again.

"Let's go buy groceries and cook something—I'm hungry."

"Sure," Wang Manni replied sweetly.

They tidied up, bought groceries, cooked dinner, their affection lingering softly.

That night was the last one—Liang Zhengxian was especially reckless.

The next day, Liang Zhengxian drove the car he'd once given Wang Manni, sending her off happily to work.

He then contacted a secondhand car buyer, wanting to sell the car—but because he was in a hurry, he got far less money than expected, which hurt him deeply.

Yet compared to the pride deep in his heart, he felt losing some money was worth it.

He returned to Wang Manni's rental apartment, packed his things, and walked out without a single glance back.

He bought a ticket for the nearest flight to Britain—he held British citizenship, and there he'd feel far more at ease.

After a flurry of activity, his plane took off in the afternoon.

Liang Zhengxian left, carrying with him a hatred for Wang Yan etched into his bones, uncertainty about the future, and his shattered pride—without a single word left behind.

He knew Wang Manni would descend into hysterics, cursing him from birth to burial.

But what did it matter? He was just a passing stranger.

When Wang Yan received the news, he was still taken aback.

He'd originally thought that by driving Zhao Jingyu away and crushing the Liang family, Liang Zhengxian—given his character—would almost certainly marry Wang Manni.

But he never imagined Liang Zhengxian wouldn't do that, and instead, unable to bear the blow and pressure, he just ran away.

Wang Yan couldn't help but reflect: he'd been too presumptuous, had overlooked the complexity of human nature.

Like Chen Yu—despite all the drama he caused—still came back to help Zhong Xiaoqin? And Liang Zhengxian, even after sinking so low, still had his own pride?

What could he say? That Liang Zhengxian, a scumbag who played with women, emotions, and humanity, was still a man with conscience and boundaries? That Chen Yu, knowing Zhong Xiaoqin was entangled with that sunshine boy, still stepped in to help, hoping to reconcile—a devoted good man?

Wang Yan thought it over: since Wang Manni had escaped this disaster, he'd leave her alone—she was lucky. After all, he'd interacted with her three times, and he'd handled it thoroughly enough.

In truth, Wang Yan merely looked down on her. If she hadn't acted like a peacock in front of him, he wouldn't have bothered her at all. After all, there were so many women—old and young alike—why fixate on just Wang Manni? A casual bit of trouble was enough; if she was useless, she was useless—no need to target her deliberately.

Liang Zhengxian was different—he'd always been an eyesore, and yet he insisted on putting on airs with him. Who else would he punish but him? Wang Yan never intended to finish him off completely—if fleeing overseas was enough, then let fate decide. If he was strong, maybe he'd rise again; but judging from this escape, his spirit was already broken—Wang Yan doubted he'd recover. If he wasn't strong, then he deserved it—let him die alone.

As for Zhong Xiaoqin and Zhong Xiaoyang—forget them, not worth mentioning. It all came down to Chen Yu now—he'd done all he could. Let him do as he pleased.

"What's wrong?" Gu Jia noticed Wang Yan staring blankly at his phone and asked curiously.

"Ah, nothing. Just thinking about something—no big deal. Did you pack everything?"

Gu Jia nodded: "Yes, all done."

Wang Yan turned to Xu Ziyan: "Ziyan, have you prepared everything you're bringing to the children there?"

"Oh, I finished it yesterday! Come on, Dad, I can't wait!"

"Alright then, let's hit the road!"

Xu Ziyan bounced as he shouted loudly: "Yay, we're off! We're off!"

Then he noticed Gu Jia hadn't moved—she wasn't keeping formation—and felt something was missing. He pouted at her: "Mom…"

Gu Jia, exasperated yet amused, sighed: "Fine, fine, let's go, let's go."

Wang Yan carried two large suitcases, Gu Jia held a smaller one, and Xu Ziyan slung a big bag over his shoulders—the three of them happily set off on another journey.

Gu Jia had mentioned wanting to go to Henglu Village a while back, and Wang Yan had agreed.

With the recent flu outbreak—even though Xu Ziyan had a strong constitution—Gu Jia still worried. She took a day off for him, and so they went together.

This time they took the same RV as before—not for the scenery, since they'd seen most of it already, but because it was more convenient, more comfortable, and easier to rest when tired.

Wang Manni returned home from work and didn't see Liang Zhengxian.

As she took off her shoes, she noticed one pair was missing and felt a flicker of strangeness—but didn't think much of it, since Liang Zhengxian had seemed busy lately.

Yet after pacing around the apartment twice, she realized something was wrong—almost everything belonging to Liang Zhengxian was gone.

Wang Manni thought of something, panicked, and rummaged through her bag for her phone, dialing immediately.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is turned off, Sorry…"

Hearing the voice, she hung up and opened WeChat.

Her top chat was Liang Zhengxian—her fingers trembling slightly, she typed a message.

The message sent, but after waiting a long time, there was no reply—vanished into silence.

When Liang Zhengxian left, he cut off his bank card and stopped using WeChat—he didn't want to reconnect with anyone from his past, especially since they looked down on him anyway, and he couldn't reach them even if he tried.

Wang Manni called again and again, sent message after message—even switched numbers, called, messaged.

After all that effort, it was all in vain—nothing but emptiness.

She collapsed helplessly to the floor, the tears she'd held back finally spilling over—Wang Manni broke into loud sobs.

They hadn't had any recent arguments; every day had been sweet and tender—she couldn't understand why he'd left without a word. Hadn't he been fine that morning? How could he vanish so suddenly?

Wang Manni's mind began replaying scenes—their first meeting on the cruise ship, all the way to his disappearance now—each moment flashing before her eyes.

Her long-held dream reached out to her, then vanished in an instant. She wanted to grasp it, but didn't know where or how.

She was heartbroken, miserable, hysterical.

She stood up, smashing and tearing at everything around her to vent her rage, sobbing as she cursed Liang Zhengxian.

Did she still care for him? Of course she did. Humans aren't plants or trees—how could they be without feeling? Even a pet cat or dog, gone after years, makes you cry and take time to adjust. How much more so for Liang Zhengxian, who slept beside her every night?

She'd smashed everything, wrecked the apartment thoroughly—she was exhausted.

Perhaps the violent outburst had left her thirsty—Wang Manni stood up and grabbed a bottle of wine.

Drink a sip of wine, think about things, then cry some more. Before long, he fell asleep on the floor.

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

Wang Manni woke up with a hangover, feeling unwell—she had a fever.

Grief drove her to drink so much, and she slept on the floor all night; even with a blanket, the illness had entered her body.

She sent a message to her manager, requesting a few days off—she simply had no heart for work right now.

She didn't get up, but drifted back into a drowsy sleep.

Jiang Chen also harbored feelings for Wang Manni; since their reunion, he'd casually checked in on her from time to time, and she'd politely respond. Whether he was pining or not didn't matter—receiving replies from the person he longed for was perhaps his only small joy lately.

Today, Jiang Chen sent his usual greeting, but waited half the day without a reply. He began to worry something had happened to Wang Manni.

He called, but she didn't answer. He messaged, but she didn't reply.

Unable to bear the worry any longer, Jiang Chen went to the place where Wang Manni worked.

"Hello, sir, how may I help you?" the person at the door greeted politely.

"Oh, sorry, I'm looking for Wang Manni."

"Oh, Miss Man is off today." The person suppressed his curiosity and didn't pry.

"Do you know where she lives?"

"Sorry, I really don't know."

"Alright, sorry for the trouble. Thank you."

"Not at all, have a good day."

Jiang Chen paced outside twice, then remembered Zhong Xiaoqin—he'd heard she worked at the property management here.

He hurried to find Zhong Xiaoqin, hoping to get news about Wang Manni.

Zhong Xiaoqin had cleared her name and brought glory to the company. After all, the company could now award her prizes, showcase her achievements, and promote its corporate culture—all of which counted as Zhong Xiaoqin's outstanding contribution.

So today, upon her return, Zhong Xiaoqin received flowers, applause, praise, and recognition from colleagues and superiors.

As long as she didn't think about those two men's troubles, Zhong Xiaoqin's mood remained quite good.

She was happily filling out spreadsheets when a colleague told her someone was looking for her.

Curious, she stepped out—and saw Jiang Chen standing there.

"Oh, it's you? What's up?"

Jiang Chen hurried forward upon seeing Zhong Xiaoqin: "Do you know anything about Manni? I can't reach her—I'm afraid something's happened."

"What? Wait, let me call her." Zhong Xiaoqin pulled out her phone and immediately called and messaged Wang Manni.

Same result—the phone was off, no reply to messages.

Zhong Xiaoqin also grew worried: "I know where she lives. Wait—I'll take a leave."

Her supervisor asked why, and granted the leave without hesitation—first, she'd just shined; it was natural to show care. Second, it was human nature—the supervisor understood.

The two quickly hailed a cab and arrived at Wang Manni's home.

"Bang, bang, bang." "Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong."

They rang the doorbell repeatedly and pounded on the door.

Wang Manni, asleep inside, finally heard the noise. She struggled to get up and opened the door, letting the two in.

"Why are you both here?" Wang Manni was baffled to see Jiang Chen and Zhong Xiaoqin together.

"I..." Jiang Chen opened his mouth to speak.

Zhong Xiaoqin spoke first: "Jiang Chen was worried about you—he couldn't reach you, so he found me, and we came together."

She looked at Wang Manni and continued: "Manni, what's wrong? Why are you so pale? Weren't you fine yesterday? And why is the place such a mess?"

Before Wang Manni could answer, Zhong Xiaoqin reached out and touched her forehead. "Oh! So hot? Have you taken any medicine?"

Wang Manni glanced at Jiang Chen and shook her head.

"Go lie down." She helped Wang Manni back onto the bed.

Jiang Chen felt heartbroken seeing Wang Manni in such a state—and he was frustrated too, having been cut off mid-sentence. He sighed helplessly.

He poured a glass of water and handed it to Zhong Xiaoqin, then began rummaging through the cluttered room for medicine.

"What happened, Manni?" Zhong Xiaoqin handed the water to Wang Manni and asked.

Wang Manni drank some water, moistening her dry lips and throat: "Liang Zhengxian ran away."

"Ran away? Left without a word?"

Wang Manni nodded.

"Why? You said just yesterday you were so happy. What made him suddenly leave?"

"I want to know too. When I got home yesterday, he was gone. I couldn't reach him at all."

"No message at all?"

"None!"

"No warning signs?"

"None!"

Zhong Xiaoqin also frowned: "Why would he do that?"

Wang Manni gave a bitter laugh: "Who knows?"

Seeing Wang Manni's condition, Zhong Xiaoqin stopped asking: "Alright, alright. Jiang Chen, did you find the medicine?"

"Just found it—how lucky." He unclenched his fist, quickly handed over the pills, and made Wang Manni take them.

Zhong Xiaoqin tucked the blanket around Wang Manni and told her to rest.

"You clean up. I'll go buy some groceries—she hasn't eaten a thing." With that, Zhong Xiaoqin left.

Jiang Chen nodded, suppressing his anger toward Liang Zhengxian and his pity for Wang Manni, and silently continued tidying up.

Jiang Chen heard every word of their conversation just now.

The woman he could never forget had been used up and left without even a farewell—how could anyone bear it?

But what could he do? He could only silently tidy up the room.

Zhong Xiaoqin returned from buying groceries, and Jiang Chen had nearly finished cleaning; the two of them cooked several dishes together.

They woke up Wang Manni, who was dazed, and the three of them ate a meal. Wang Manni's condition meant they said nothing idle, eating in silence.

After checking on Wang Manni again, Zhong Xiaoqin left first.

Her mother had just called, telling her to go to the hospital.

After Zhong Xiaoqin left, Jiang Chen washed and cleaned again, putting away the kitchenware.

He went to the bedroom, stared at the sleeping Wang Manni for a long while, his expression complicated.

Finally, he sighed and left.

"Clang."

Hearing the door close, Wang Manni opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Zhong Xiaoqin arrived at the hospital; the atmosphere in the ward was strangely tense.

Chen Yu lay in bed silent, while Chen Xu leaned crookedly against the bed, eyeing the elderly couple with hostility.

The elderly couple looked at the two brothers with disappointment and frustration.

When they saw Zhong Xiaoqin enter, all four pairs of eyes fixed on her.

Flustered by their stares, Zhong Xiaoqin asked helplessly: "What's going on? Why are you all staring at me?"

Zhong Xiaoqin's father spoke first: "This afternoon, after returning from your second aunt's house, we met a few neighbors downstairs who said your personal information had been leaked online—divorced. Your mother argued fiercely with them, insisting it was impossible, but they showed proof."

He pulled out his phone, flipped to a photo, and handed it to Zhong Xiaoqin: "Look, it says right here. Your mother nearly had a hypertensive crisis; she barely controlled it, and just took medicine before coming here."

"So this matter must be clarified today—what exactly happened?"

Zhong Xiaoqin's mother added: "Chen Yu, tell Mom the truth—have you been seeing someone else?"

Before Chen Yu could speak, Chen Xu exploded. He sat up abruptly, ready to speak—he knew everything. Besides, his brother-in-law and mother-in-law had always picked faults with him and had harsh words for his mother. He'd tolerated it before, but now he wouldn't let them get away with it.

"Chen Xu, stay quiet." Chen Yu shouted, stopping Chen Xu.

Chen Xu opened his mouth to speak, but one look from Chen Yu silenced him; he grumbled bitterly and fell silent.

The elderly couple were startled by Chen Xu's outburst; Zhong Xiaoqin's mother opened her mouth to scold him, but her husband, more level-headed, held her back—they were here to solve the problem, not create more trouble.

Seeing the elderly couple calmed, Chen Yu said: "Mom, it's not because of that." Though Chen Yu felt resentment inside, he'd called them Dad and Mom for years—he still respected them.

"Then is it because of the child?"

"No."

"Then there's no big issue. Xiaoqin was spoiled by us, a bit spoiled. But husband and wife live together—quarrel in the morning, make up at night. What can't be discussed? Why must it end in divorce?"

Zhong Xiaoqin had moved out because she finally understood what she wanted: "Mom, don't ask anymore. Let me tell you."

"We divorced because our personalities don't match. I want some romance in life, but Chen Yu is always like stagnant water."

"I want a child, but Chen Yu fundamentally doesn't want one."

"Chen Yu, when we got married, it was just because everyone expected it, right?"

Chen Yu said nothing.

Zhong Xiaoqin continued: "Dad, Mom, I married you two's wishes back then. Now we're marrying for ourselves—we just want to live our own lives well, no longer for anyone else."

"So don't try to persuade us anymore. This is final—we're divorced."

Zhong Xiaoqin's parents fell silent; Chen Yu stared intently at Zhong Xiaoqin; Chen Xu bit his lip, holding back his anger.

Silence stretched.

"You're grown now—I can't control you anymore. Fine. Chen Yu, rest well. We're leaving." Zhong Xiaoqin's father said.

He led Zhong Xiaoqin's mother, who was heartbroken, out.

Zhong Xiaoqin and Chen Yu locked eyes, said nothing, then turned and walked out together.

Once everyone was gone, Chen Xu finally exploded: "Wait, Brother, they—"

"Shut up." Chen Yu shouted, forcing Chen Xu's words back down.

He knew Chen Yu was suffering, but not speaking made him suffer too—he just groaned quietly, enduring it.