Chapter 59: The Divorce Agreement

The sunlight was supposed to be gentle and warm, yet in the courtyard it felt piercingly cold. Instinctively, Zhou Xiaowan reached for her mother’s hand, only to find Xia Liu’s fingers were frighteningly icy.

“Xia Liu, let’s get a divorce,” Zhou Lide said coldly.

On their twentieth wedding anniversary, Zhou Lide proposed divorce to Xia Liu.

With reddened eyes, Zhou Xiaowan asked, “Dad, are you really going to abandon us like this?”

A complex mix of emotions flickered in Zhou Lide’s eyes, but his words were resolute: “I can’t provide you with a good life. I have my own aspirations. Let’s not be burdens to each other.”

“So, all along, you’ve seen us as burdens,” Xia Liu said, her face pale. “Zhou Lide, we’ve been married twenty years. For you and this family, do you know how much I’ve sacrificed? And now you call me your burden?”

Zhou Lide’s expression darkened. “Xia Liu, let’s separate peacefully. It will make this easier for both of us.”

Shaking her head, teeth clenched, Xia Liu fixed her gaze on the woman standing behind Zhou Lide. “Her name is Shen Yan, isn’t it? The heiress to Shen Real Estate. Only by latching onto her can you save your company, isn’t that right?”

“My feelings for Shen Yan are genuine,” Zhou Lide replied, though his tone betrayed not a trace of affection.

Xia Liu understood then—Zhou Lide had chosen Shen Yan for her wealth, forsaking his own wife.

Years ago, Zhou Lide had won her over with sweet words, but in the two decades since, their life had been calm, and Xia Liu had no regrets. But now, in the face of money and status, twenty years of love meant nothing.

“True love or not, it’s irrelevant. Even if Lide loves my money and status, at least I possess those things. And you? Old and faded, only good for mopping floors and washing clothes. You have nothing. What right do you have to keep Lide by your side?” Shen Yan scoffed.

At that moment, as her heart threatened to shatter, Xia Liu suddenly found a new strength. Lowering her head, she said, “Fine, I agree to the divorce.”

Without hesitation, Shen Yan produced a divorce agreement from her purse and handed it to Xia Liu. “Sign this, and this villa will belong to you and your daughter. Also, here’s a check for one million. That should be enough for your living expenses.”

A house and a check for a million—did they really think they could buy twenty years of Xia Liu’s life?

Gripping the pen, her voice trembling, Xia Liu said, “I don’t want it. I don’t want your house or your villa!”

“Think carefully, Xia Liu. You have nothing now,” Zhou Lide advised.

“That’s perfect!” Shen Yan snatched back the agreement, scrawling several lines across it, and sneered. “So you want to be a woman of pride? Fine. I’ll oblige you.”

Xia Liu fought back tears, clutching the pen, ready to sign the agreement.

But just then, Yan Yu seized her hand, his voice resolute: “Aunt Liu, you can’t sign this.”

“Xiao Yu…?”

“If you sign this, you’re letting these two adulterers get their way,” Yan Yu said coldly. “Money and property don’t matter. What matters is that we can’t let them think they’ve won!”

“This is none of your business, Yan Yu!” Zhou Lide shouted.

“Aunt Liu is my family—how is this not my business?” Yan Yu retorted. “I’m not backing down today!”

Looking at the determined Yan Yu, Xia Liu suddenly smiled. “Xiao Yu is right. I can’t give in. I won’t sign this agreement. Zhou Lide, from now on I have nothing to do with you, but don’t think you can divorce me and cozy up to this woman!”

“You—!”

Shen Yan’s face twisted with anger. She strode forward in her high heels, hand raised to slap Xia Liu. But Yan Yu was faster—not only did he block her hand, he actually slapped Shen Yan in return.

A sharp crack rang out. Shen Yan’s face immediately swelled, and Zhou Lide rushed to support her.

“You…you dare hit me?!”

Yan Yu glanced at his hand, now covered in white powder, and laughed. “Uncle Zhou, you’ve got your eye on a house painter, it seems. Aren’t you worried she’ll scare you out of your manhood when she takes off her makeup at night?”

Zhou Lide was furious. “Yan Yu, don’t push your luck!”

“I told you, I’m involved in this.”

Shen Yan, shaking with rage and clutching her cheek, spat, “Let me tell you, the deed is in Lide’s name. Even if you don’t sign, I have ways to throw you out and leave you homeless!”

“It’s just a house—what’s so precious about it?” Yan Yu said calmly, supporting Xia Liu. “If it comes to that, I’ll buy the most expensive home in the whole city for Aunt Liu and Xiaowan.”

Shen Yan actually laughed aloud. “The most expensive? That would be the Cloud Mist Villa under Shen Real Estate. Kid, if you want to boast, at least make it believable. That villa is worth over eighty million—even if you worked for ten lifetimes, you couldn’t afford it!”

Yan Yu only smiled. “Cloud Mist Villa, right? Let’s pack up and go there now. If I buy it, I want Zhou Lide to kneel and call me Grandpa!”

“You little—” Zhou Lide was about to explode.

But Shen Yan pulled him back, sneering. “Let the brat brag. I have the keys to Cloud Mist Villa. Why don’t we bring them over now, let them see for themselves how unattainable it is, and kill any hope they have of pestering us further!”

Zhou Lide hesitated. “But if Yan Yu really does buy Cloud Mist Villa, then I’ll have to…”

“Are you as foolish as he is?” Shen Yan said. “Cloud Mist Villa isn’t just for sale to anyone with money. It’s a special project—our company is only the agent. Such a top-tier villa, with all the tycoons in Rong City eyeing it, whoever buys it becomes a lightning rod. So far, no one’s dared. And do you really believe that brat could possibly afford it?”

Relieved, Zhou Lide nodded. If this could make Xia Liu give up and sign the divorce, it would be ideal.

He said, “Fine, let’s go to Cloud Mist Villa now. If you can really buy it, I’ll kneel and call you Grandpa!”

“Xiao Yu…”

“Brother Yu…”

Xia Liu and Zhou Xiaowan were both anxious, fearing Yan Yu would be humiliated.

But Yan Yu turned to reassure them. “Don’t worry. Let’s pack up. We’re moving to Cloud Mist Villa today!”

Seeing how calm Yan Yu was, Xia Liu and Xiaowan found themselves believing him. Together, they went to pack their things, and soon were carrying bags to the front of the villa.

Zhou Lide and Shen Yan were already in their Porsche. Shen Yan mocked, “This car can’t fit all of you. How are you getting to Cloud Mist Villa?”

Expressionless, Yan Yu replied with a line that stunned everyone: “We’ll take a taxi.”