Chapter 324

Xia Xi's expression was grave, thinking Zhou Hongsheng had done something shady again, but she hadn't expected the news to be good.

"Xi Xi, Zhou Hongsheng contacted me. He agreed to divorce, didn't bring up those excessive demands again, only told me to go to the Qianlin Minzhengju on Monday to finish the procedures." Xia Yue's joy could be felt even through the screen.

Xia Xi's tense face relaxed, her body went limp, she leaned back in the chair, happy for Xia Yue, but to be safe, Xia Xi decided to accompany her: "I'll go with you."

"Workday, you don't have to go to work?" Xia Yue worried about causing trouble, "It's fine, I can go alone."

"That kind of person has no scruples, can't be taken lightly. Even if he doesn't do anything to you, my presence will still back you up." Xia Xi's attitude was firm.

Xia Yue hesitated for a second or two, then agreed to Xia Xi's arrangement. Having come this far with difficulty, she didn't want complications; having someone accompany her made her feel more at ease.

Xia Xi left the coffee shop, the call still ongoing. Xia Yue still didn't know what method Xu Yanfeng used to make Zhou Hongsheng, such a profit-driven person, readily agree to divorce; she was curious and asked Xia Xi.

Xia Xi lightly curled her lips and briefly explained.

"Ah?" Xia Yue exclaimed in surprise, "Would that even work? Won't we be found out?"

"If Zhou Hongsheng had any brains, he wouldn't have fallen for it in the first place."

Xia Yue suddenly laughed, thought it over, then grew worried: "What if he finds out later—will he cause trouble?"

"Don't worry." Xia Xi comforted her, "He won't know it was us; he'll only suspect the 'wealthy miss' lost interest in him. By then the divorce will be done, you'll have no further connection, and he won't be able to stir up trouble."

Xia Yue thought it made sense and gradually relaxed.

On Monday, before leaving, Xia Xi tied Xu Yanfeng's tie; he slightly lifted his chin, but his eyes drooped low, gazing at her face: "Call me if you need anything." Still not entirely reassured, she added, "Or I could accompany you back."

Xia Xi tidied up neatly, patted the knot of the tie: "Go to work with peace of mind; I'm just accompanying my sister to handle divorce paperwork, not going to pick a fight that needs a crowd."

Xu Yanfeng put his arm around her shoulder, his lips brushing her cheek: "Let's go."

Xia Xi waved her hand: "Come on, let's go."

Xu Yanfeng's hand slid from her shoulder down her arm to her wrist, where he grasped it: "Shall we go down together?"

"Then you'll have to wait a moment for me."

Xia Xi took a day off, had a 10 a. m. ticket back to Qianlin; time was still early, she hadn't planned to leave yet. Seeing how clingy Xu Yanfeng was, she went along with him, sat down, did her makeup quickly, grabbed her bag, and left with him.

The two kids rode in Xu Yanfeng's car, he took them to school, then hurried to the company.

They parted in the underground parking lot; Xia Xi got into her own car and drove to Su Jinru's house.

"You came so early? Have you eaten breakfast?" Xia Yue opened the door with a toothbrush still in her mouth, speaking muffledly: "Xiao Xuan came over and brought breakfast."

She had been insomnia-ridden the previous night, only falling asleep near dawn; her phone alarm didn't wake her, and she had just been roused by Su Jinru.

"I've already eaten." Xia Xi entered, changed her shoes, and at a glance saw Xia Xuan sitting in the dining room.

Work had been chaotic lately, she hadn't had time to worry about Xia Xuan; seeing her now, she asked about her recent situation.

Xia Xuan was eating youtiao dipped in soy milk, saying: "I'm fine. I heard big sister is going to divorce Zhou Hongsheng today, so I came to cheer her on. I bought a ticket to go with you two. Sis, you're not fair—you didn't tell me sooner."

Xia Xi made a surrender gesture, admitting fault: "I was worried you'd be busy."

Xia Xuan: "As a freelancer, I have the most free time."

Xia Yue entered the bathroom, the door open, she heard Xia Xuan's words, spat out the toothpaste foam, cupped water to rinse her mouth, craned her neck to join their chat: "You two really think alike."

Xia Xuan shouted from afar: "How else could we be biological sisters if not for sharing a tacit understanding!"

Xia Yue laughed: "Yes, yes, yes, you're both my good sisters."

Su Jinru said to Xia Yue in the bathroom: "Focus on washing up, then hurry over for breakfast; stop shouting back and forth, or we'll be late."

"Mom, don't rush big sister, we have time." Xia Xi patted Su Jinru's shoulder and served her porridge.

Su Jinru: "You're not going to eat a bit more?"

Xia Xi shook her head, sat down, propped her chin on her hands watching them eat: "This morning Xu Yanfeng fried egg pancakes and forced me to eat two; I'm stuffed, can't even sip water."

Su Jinru's hand holding the youtiao paused, she looked at Xia Xi in surprise: "Does Xiao Xu... often cook at home? Didn't you hire a maid?"

"Mom, you don't understand; that's General Manager Xu's tactic to coax my sister, it's flirtatious, not a matter of having or not having a maid." Xia Xuan blinked, giving Su Jinru a meaningful analysis.

Xia Xi lightly tapped her head; Xia Yue waved the half youtiao in her hand to dodge, laughing, unafraid.

After enough fuss, Xia Xi seriously told Su Jinru: "He's usually busy at work, doesn't often cook, only occasionally."

"Oh." Su Jinru tore off a small piece of youtiao, popped it in her mouth, pondered, then slowly said: "Then has he ever brought up marriage with you? You two have kids this old; if your feelings are settled, you should consider getting the certificate sooner, for the kids' sake."

Xia Yue sat down, poured a bag of soy milk into a bowl, scooped a spoonful of white sugar and stirred twice, then spoke for Xia Xi: "Mom, their little couple's affairs should be left to them to work out; you don't need to meddle so much."

Su Jinru murmured: "I'm just concerned."

Being family, there's nothing we can't say; Xia Xi spoke frankly: "He's brought it up several times, but I had reservations and kept delaying; plus recent work matters have been tricky, I wanted to wait until things stabilized before thinking about it. We're fine, you can rest assured."

"Alright, Mom won't pry further." Su Jinru felt very at ease with Xia Xi—unlike Xia Yue, who is soft-hearted, and unlike Xia Xuan, who is pure and naive about worldly affairs; among the three daughters, she's the most low-maintenance: "You make your own decisions."

While chatting about family matters, breakfast finished; Xia Xi drove Xia Yue and Xia Xuan to the high-speed rail station, while Su Jinru stayed home.

Arriving in Qianlin, they found a place to rest for an hour or two; when it was the Minzhengju's afternoon office hours, they took a taxi there.

Zhou Hongsheng had actually arrived early; Xia Xi spotted his figure from the taxi and snorted: "Really can't wait." She understood Zhou Hongsheng's psychology: shedding his married status quickly so he could openly pursue the 'wealthy miss.'

But he was destined to draw water with a bamboo basket—come up empty-handed.

The driver parked, the three got out one after another, and walked toward the Minzhengju's main entrance.

Zhou Hongsheng held a cigarette between his fingers; seeing the scene, he shrugged indifferently, his gaze fixed on Xia Yue in the middle, looking down on her: "I'm not going to eat you, yet you brought the whole family just to handle paperwork."

Not presentable.

Back in school, if it weren't for hearing about Xia Yue's family background, he wouldn't have pursued her relentlessly; he had imagined spending the rest of his life enjoying wealth and luxury with her, never expecting his luck to run out—after just a few years of prosperity, the Xia family suffered such a huge upheaval.

Xia Yue ignored him completely, walked past him without pausing for a second, went straight up the steps and entered.

Zhou Hongsheng stubbed out the cigarette, scoffed, turned and followed her.

The proceedings went smoothly; they had no assets to divide, their only child Youyou—Zhou Hongsheng had abandoned him years ago, so why would he want him now? He'd rather not have the child at all.

Zhou Hongsheng never confessed to Chen Zhiwei that he had a child; Chen Zhiwei only knew he had a nominal wife, out of contact for years, with no feelings left.

Even though the divorce certificate would take a month to issue, Xia Xuan emerged from the Minzhengju feeling light and refreshed.

Zhou Hongsheng glanced at her askance; thinking how easily he'd severed ties with her left him feeling uneasy, as if he'd let her off too lightly, he sneered coldly: "Xia Yue, that's all you'll ever amount to in this life—unlike me, whose future is limitless."