Chapter 319: Countdown

On the day of the Qixi Festival, Song Ci and Yuan Fengye divorced.

At the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Zhu Yuan stood beside Song Ci, Sheng Yu and Enzo stood beside Zhu Yuan, and Situ stood beside Sheng Yu.

On the other side, there was only Yuan Fengye, all by himself.

"Where are you going? Let me give you a ride." From the moment he appeared at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau until now, Yuan Fengye had been wearing a pair of sunglasses.

It gave people a sense of cold detachment that kept them at a distance.

Only Sheng Yu knew that Yuan Fengye's eyes were red from crying, and he was only wearing sunglasses to save face.

Song Ci lifted her eyelids toward him, scoffed, picked up her bag, took Zhu Yuan's hand, and turned to walk down the steps, ignoring Yuan Fengye entirely.

Yuan Fengye felt a lump in his throat, watching longingly as Song Ci was about to get into a car.

Suddenly, Song Ci stopped, and Yuan Fengye felt a thunderclap in his chest, holding his breath as he stared at her back.

He only prayed for Song Ci to turn around and look at him once.

The moment Song Ci actually turned around, Yuan Fengye felt as if his breathing had stopped; could it be that her heart had softened?

"I just remembered, this car is yours. Here are your keys back."

Song Ci walked up to him and handed over a set of car keys.

Yuan Fengye lowered his eyes, staring blankly at Song Ci, who was half a head shorter than him, his body stiff. After a long while, he managed to say, "It was a gift for you, so it's yours."

Song Ci didn't waste any more words on him; she pulled his hand over and placed the car keys into his palm.

Yuan Fengye instinctively wanted to grab her hand back, but Song Ci's movements were faster, giving him no chance to catch her.

Once she let go, she was definitely going to leave. Yuan Fengye panicked and chased after her to give the keys back, "How can I take back something I've given away? In the past, when I gave those women..."

Zhu Yuan's expression darkened; if it weren't for the sake of prenatal education, she would have really beaten Yuan Fengye up.

At a time like this, he was still bringing up that trash!

Could he really not see at all how much pain Song Ci was in?

If Song Ci could have convinced herself even a little, she wouldn't have ended up divorcing Yuan Fengye.

It was easy to imagine how deeply Song Ci had been hurt by Yuan Fengye.

Realizing what he had said in his panic, Yuan Fengye wanted to tear his own mouth off.

"I just had them act in a play with me; I couldn't treat them poorly, could I? Those gifts were just payment."

He let out a stream of words, explaining a great deal.

Song Ci remained unmoved. Once he finished, she asked lightly, "Are you done?"

"You really don't want them?" Yuan Fengye looked at her with a serious expression, putting away his usual cynicism, speaking every word clearly.

Song Ci took one last look at Yuan Fengye and nodded slightly, "Goodbye."

Song Ci got into Zhu Yuan's car, with Enzo driving, leaving Sheng Yu behind with a dark expression.

Yuan Fengye's divorce was even going to implicate him; Yuanyuan had abandoned him.

Seeing Yuan Fengye about to speak, Sheng Yu let out a cold snort, "Don't talk to me!"

Yet, Yuan Fengye, unafraid of death, grabbed onto Sheng Yu's sleeve, "Yu Ge, I didn't apply myself in the past. From now on, I'll follow you to learn how to manage a company."

Yuan Fengye had no interest in inheriting the family business, and his position at the Yuan Family company only started after he was married, but he had always been half-hearted about it, never taking it seriously.

His sudden desire to learn business management made Sheng Yu look at him in a new light.

"Want to win Song Ci back?"

Yuan Fengye took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of handsome peach-blossom eyes that were red from crying.

"Isn't her dream to bring the Song Family company back to life?"

Yuan Fengye clutched the car keys in his hand, which still held the lingering warmth of Song Ci.

"I'll help her."

As for whether he could win Song Ci back, success lies in heaven, but effort lies in man.

If his fate with Song Ci was not yet exhausted...

Zhu Yuan took Song Ci to the Airport; Song Ci was returning to Yucheng.

"It's perfect for you to play chess with my grandfather. He said on the phone that he must win against Sheng Yu once, but he's frustrated because the elderly neighbors are no match for him, and he has no way to improve himself."

"Your man is truly insane, bullying even an old man." Song Ci put on her sunglasses.

The broadcast announced it was time to board.

Zhu Yuan's eyes turned red instantly, and she stepped forward to hug Song Ci.

Song Ci was pressed against her belly, hugged her back, and wiped the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, "Why have you become so fragile after getting pregnant?"

"Mind your own business." Zhu Yuan pulled her hand away, "Once I've 'unloaded the cargo,' we'll celebrate you being single again properly."

Song Ci glanced at the Kyoto City Airport and smiled, "It is something worth celebrating."

Watching Song Ci's back, and the way she raised her hand to take off her sunglasses and wiped the corner of her eye with her finger, Zhu Yuan's heart tightened inch by inch.

Song Ci was crying.

Zhu Yuan's vision blurred instantly.

Suddenly, a broad, thick hand took hold of hers.

A familiar warmth and touch.

She turned and looked up, tears falling the moment she did, "Why are you here?"

Sheng Yu's breath hitched; he pulled her into his arms, turned his head, and said coldly, "Situ, go beat Yuan Fengye to death!"

"Yes." This time, Situ did not hesitate at all, turned around, and walked out of the airport, preparing to go beat up Yuan Fengye.

Sheng Yu had finally managed to coax Zhu Yuan into a good mood; they had only just received their marriage certificate, and he couldn't let her be disappointed in marriage.

"Are you hungry?" Sheng Yu held her hand, looking down at her.

Zhu Yuan sniffled and nodded, "Hungry."

Sheng Yu's brows and eyes relaxed; his little ancestor had finally been coaxed into a good mood.

"Alright, let's go home."

Ever since Zhu Yuan returned to the Hot Spring Villa, Sheng Yu had personally cooked every dinner for her on workdays, in addition to lunch.

From then on, the Hot Spring Villa felt more like a home.

After October, the frequency of Zhu Yuan's prenatal check-ups increased, changing from once every two weeks to once a week.

But regardless of the frequency, Sheng Yu accompanied her every time, taking meticulous care of her.

There was also Pei Ling.

When Zhu Yuan went for fetal heart monitoring, Sheng Yu and Pei Ling waited for her outside.

This scene looked strange, yet inexplicably harmonious.

"Just got back from Licheng?" Sheng Yu asked.

Pei Ling seemed a bit exhausted; he leaned against the back of the sofa, closing his eyes to rest, and hummed in response.

Most of the time, he lived in that small courtyard in the suburbs of Licheng, unless there were important matters requiring him to return to Kyoto City to handle them.

In just a few short months, he had grown accustomed to living there.

Sometimes, he would even have the illusion that Zhu Yuan was living there.

Pei Ling slowly opened his eyes, his deep amber pupils a shade lighter than usual.

He glanced at Sheng Yu's phone case and the vinegar bottle charm.

He scoffed.

A petty man.

With such a man taking care of Yuanyuan, he could rest easy.

On November 25th, the first snow fell in Kyoto City.

After dinner that day, Zhu Yuan suddenly felt pain in her abdomen.

Everything happened too fast, more than ten days ahead of the expected due date.

When the news reached Licheng, Pei Ling stared at the blood in the sink with scarlet eyes; he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face as pale as wax.

As expected of his godson, knowing his time was running out, he was in such a rush to come out and see him.