"Mo Huanan, let's get a divorce."
Staring at the long-flashing cursor on her phone screen, Mu Jinhuan took a deep breath, finally stopped hesitating, and pressed the send button.
Tossing her mobile phone onto the coffee table, she knelt on the floor and began to pack her luggage.
Her hands were busy, and her mind was swirling with thoughts.
She had been married to Mo Huanan for three years. Throughout these years, her love for him had been as inconspicuous as dust, but he had always housed another woman in his heart.
And now, that woman called Shen Qiansong has returned.
That's why she received such a photo—Shen Qiansong leaning affectionately against Mo Huanan, her smile gentle and brilliant.
That smile deeply wounded Mu Jinhuan. Even more ironically, the date shown on the photo was the day of her 23rd birthday.
Her husband was with another woman on his wife's birthday.
How ridiculous...
Their marriage was originally arranged by old Mr. Mo. She thought that if she gave her all, she might be able to warm his heart.
But now she realized, she was wrong.
In Mo Huanan's eyes, she was nothing more than a calculative and vanity-driven woman. In comparison to the pure moonlight in his heart, she and Shen Qiansong was the difference between heavens and earth.
Now, it was time to make a clean break.
Mu Jinhuan lifted her head, forced back the mist in her eyes, and forcefully closed the lid of her suitcase.
...
In the early morning, Mo Huanan stepped into his house, only to find Mu Jinhuai lugging a large suitcase down the stairs.
Thinking of the messages this woman had sent him just hours earlier, his face darkened.
"In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping, what's your deal now?"
The man's voice was as frigid as ever.
At the sound of his voice, Mu Jinhuai looked up.
Under the gentle illumination, Mo Huanan emanated a hazy light ring, his well-sculpted facial features were carefully carved, his deep eyes alluring.
Even though she had made up her mind to make a clean break from Mo Huanan, seeing him at this moment, her heart still uncontrollably raced.
Stop being foolish, she said to herself.
After warning herself, Mu Jinhuai approached Mo Huanan, set down her suitcase, took out a stack of papers from her bag, and handed them over:
"These are the divorce papers; I’ve signed them. After you sign, we can go to the civil affairs bureau to handle the procedures tomorrow."
Mo Huanan’s eyebrows tightened even more.
What did she mean? Was she continuing her act?
He didn't believe that a vain and greedy person like her would be willing to get a divorce and give up the luxurious life she was currently living.
"Mu Jinhuai, what new tricks are you up to?"
Mo Huainan didn't even look her way, his tone filled with impatience. He walked around her, ready to go upstairs to wash up.
Seeing him walk away, a slight pain knotted within Mu Jinhuan's heart.
That was him, always treating her with indifference and impatience, unwilling to even spend a minute of his time on her...
With her fists tightly clenched at her sides, Mu Jinhuan spoke softly,
"Mo Huainan, the paper says that I am leaving with nothing."
Mo Huainan stopped in his tracks and swiftly turned to look at her, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
The woman in front of him wore a sweet smile. However, her voice revealed sarcasm and mockery,
"What's the matter? Can't bear to let me go?"
Her eyes shone like fragments of crystal under the light, gleaming with a radiant luster.
Mo Huainan had never seen her like this. He had a hunch that there was something different in her eyes, but before he could pinpoint it, he was caught off guard by her words.
Picking up his pen, Mo Huainan directly flipped to the last page where indeed he saw the content she had mentioned.
His hand paused in the air, seemingly ignoring the irritation that inexplicably arose from the depths of his heart, and signed his name.
Then, with a thump, he tossed the divorce agreement into Mu Jinhuan's arms. A mocking smile emerged on his face,
"Whatever game you're playing, I'll play along."
A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Mu Jinhuan's mouth as she responded lightly.
"I will be waiting for you at the Civil Affairs Bureau entrance at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning."
...
Mu Jinhuan, dragging her suitcase, sat down on the bench near the community fountain.
She used to sit here often, sometimes waiting for Mo Huanan to come home, sometimes just sitting idly, watching the people come and go.
Looking back now, she had lived too humbly, too selflessly over the years...
A car accident that nearly claimed her life ten years ago, it had been Mo Huanan who braved the danger to save her.
To her, Mo Huanan was not only the man she deeply loved but also her benefactor.
For him, she was willing to give everything, even her own life.
Regrettably, he did not remember the past. She earnestly protected him only to end up living as a stand-in. Now that the rightful person is back, she should end this all herself and go back to being her true self.
The diamond ring on her ring finger shone under the night sky. Mu Jinhuan slowly took it off and put it in her pocket.
After giving one last glance at the two-story building she had once called home, she got up and walked towards the community's entrance.
From a distance, she saw a silver-grey sports car parked by the side of the road, with a tall man leaning casually against it.
Mu Jinhuan took a deep breath, as if trying to bury all the melancholy in the darkness of tonight.
Then, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth, and she walked towards the man.
However, when she approached, Mu Jinhuan could barely suppress her laughter.
It was late at night, and there wasn't a soul in sight. This man was actually wearing a surgical mask, sunglasses, and a baseball cap, even wrapping himself in a scarf, fully covered from head to toe. For those unaware, they might suspect he was engaged in some illicit activity in the dead of night!
The man noticed the teasing look in his eyes and turned his head away with a hint of embarrassment.
"Occupational hazard," he confessed, "after all, you know about my fans."
During all this, Mu Junhuan managed to smile.
He was Rong Hua.
Boasting top-tier looks and acting skills, he was currently a popular heartthrob, and also the most favoured young master of the influential and wealthy Rong family.
Additionally, he was her best friend.
Rong Hua took in the luggage from Mu Junhuan's hands, took off his trench coat and draped it over her, he finally took off his sunglasses and stared at her frost-bitten cheeks.
The girl who once radiated vitality, whose every furrow and smirk were captivating, how did she become so desolate today?
Mu Junhuan grasped the meaning behind his gaze and offered her a reassuring smile,
"I'm okay, truly."
Rong Hua gaped, finding no words.
Within those eyes prettier than those of any woman's‒ a mix of annoyance, bewilderment, and more than anything, heartache.
He reached out with his right hand and grasped her frail shoulders, revealing his trademark smile, he warmly welcomed, "Welcome back, Mu Mu."
