Chapter 16: Your Ten Years and My Ten Years Seem Different

"Yu Baichuan, stop pretending here! How old are you now and you still can’t change that awful habit of yours!" Li Wanbai finally lost her patience and shouted, "I’ve already made myself very clear—I have no memory of the past ten years, nor do I know what being married to you feels like. I haven’t even had the chance to enjoy it, and now I wake up only to be told we’re getting divorced. Of course I’ll stop you! My reason is, I’ve lost ten years of memory; my demand is, there will be no divorce!"

Xu Tu was breaking out in a cold sweat. As expected of Madam—her words were sharp as ever!

He’d been by Yu Baichuan’s side for so many years, but he’d never seen anyone else dare to speak to him like Madam did.

Yu Baichuan stumbled, exasperated. "I’ve already made myself clear as well. I’ve had enough these past ten years! Perhaps divorce is the best ending for both of us—let you go, let me go."

"But I—"

"Just because you’ve lost your memory doesn’t mean those ten years never happened. Everything you missed, I lived through. Who can promise your next ten years won’t be a repeat of my last ten?" Yu Baichuan rubbed his brow and quickly walked out of the room.

Su Orange was only meant to block outsiders, not Yu Baichuan—she stepped aside quietly, watching the conference room door open and close. She turned, her face full of worry. "Xiaobai, don’t be upset… Yu Baichuan isn’t entirely wrong. So much happened between you two these ten years. I wasn’t there, but I’ve heard plenty about the wild stunts you pulled…"

"I never asked before, but what exactly did I do to him over these ten years?" Li Wanbai frowned in confusion.

"Oh, plenty. Even the smaller things—like putting bugs in his breakfast, tossing all his clothes into a bonfire, hiding silver needles in his bed…"

As Su Orange listed these, Li Wanbai stared in disbelief.

Every single act was revolting.

"And those are just the small things. What about the big ones?"

"The big ones were even more outrageous. For example, you destroyed his flight information just before he left to accept an international award, or you took his documents right before an important meeting…" Su Orange, as an observer, only knew of the truly significant events—she lifted her gaze to Li Wanbai, "And—sigh, forget it, I shouldn’t say more."

"Come on, did I do something truly earth-shattering? Something utterly atrocious?" Li Wanbai pressed.

Su Orange wasn’t afraid of anything—her own mother, not even Li Wanbai’s mother—but if something could leave her silent, it must have been serious.

"You even brought Mu Sang to Yu Baichuan, claiming he was your true love, and told Yu Baichuan to stop shamelessly clinging to his title as your main partner…" Su Orange’s voice grew softer and softer.

By the end, Li Wanbai’s face was ashen. "What kind of monster would do that? Enough, I get it now—I finally understand why he wants a divorce."

"If Yu Baichuan had dared treat me this way, I’d have taken out a massive insurance policy on him! No matter how much his face fits my tastes, it wouldn’t matter!"

Every petty act, every major offense, accumulated until they crushed all of Yu Baichuan’s hope.

Li Wanbai’s next ten years might well be a repeat of Yu Baichuan’s last ten.

He was afraid—afraid that if he didn’t make a clean break, they’d fall into a vicious cycle. Everything would play out all over again.

They’d fall in love, get married, develop conflicts, and continue to torment each other.

Rather than suffer death by a thousand cuts, he’d rather drive the knife straight into the heart.

That was Yu Baichuan’s thinking. In truth, Li Wanbai could understand it; so could Su Orange.

Now with only the two of them left in the conference room, it was quieter than before.

"Xiaobai, do you still want to be with him?" Su Orange looked at her anxiously. "Maybe Yu Baichuan is right.

"Don’t say you like him anymore. Life is long—you can’t live on love alone. You have me, too. The last ten years you spent with Yu Baichuan, this decade you can spend with me. Seems fair."

"Duoduo, you don’t have to comfort me! I refuse to believe it. Yu Baichuan may be something, but he can’t just walk away from me. Why should he get to leave just because he says so?" Li Wanbai clenched her jaw. "I don’t care. Whatever I set my mind to, I always get!"

Su Orange looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Yes, that’s the magic of you. Whatever you desire seems to appear, and someone will always help you get it. This time is no different. If you want Yu Baichuan, I’ll help you."

"Yu Baichuan isn’t a thing," Li Wanbai corrected her sternly. "And it’s not about getting him. This is called pursuit, understand? I was doing this ten years ago, and now I’m back to doing it again."

"Isn’t that just returning to your roots? In a way, that’s a good thing," Su Orange replied with a cheerful grin.

Li Wanbai covered her face, thinking that while returning to her roots was fine, not like this!

The two walked out together, chatting as they went. They’d planned to go home, order fried chicken, and eat barbecue. But halfway there, Aunt Chen called them over.

"So, Duoduo, why don’t you head home first? We went to your place yesterday, so come stay at mine tonight!" Li Wanbai said with a smile. "I’ll go see what Aunt Chen wants."

"I’m coming too," Su Orange said without hesitation, lifting her legs to follow.

She moved first and spoke later—after all, her legs were her own. No one could stop her.

Sister Shen saw Su Orange and couldn’t help her lips twitch, but said nothing. After all, Su Orange was someone Yu Baichuan had explicitly said to protect; that favor had to be given.

Anyway, she was only a lowly personal assistant—and to Li Wanbai, no less, someone the company was about to cast off. She couldn’t compare with Su Orange at all.

Aunt Chen had called Li Wanbai and Ye Xiruo over to discuss their upcoming debut on the variety show "Us."

"Your first appearance will set the audience’s initial impression of you—so it must be dazzling, beautiful, breathtaking, impossible to look away from!" Aunt Chen rattled on for a while, then glanced at her two artists. "Xiaobai is so beautiful already; I’m not worried about her. But you, Xiruo, your look must match your clothes and makeup, or it’ll be a jarring mismatch!"

Ye Xiruo’s smile was stiff, and she nodded awkwardly. "Aunt Chen, you’ve said so much, but we still don’t know—what exactly are Xiaobai and I supposed to wear?"

"That’s the problem! It’s infuriating—the production team won’t tell us anything! I don’t even know what the first day’s schedule or tasks are, so I asked you two to come brainstorm!"