We agreed to divorce at the expiration date, why do you regret it, Mr. Fu?

The more he comforted her, the more tears flowed from Wen Zhixia's eyes.

All she wanted was simple and pitiful, just his embrace, his company, and his clumsy but sincere comfort at this moment.

None of this costs a penny and doesn't take much of his time.

However, he ignored such a simple desire when she needed it the most.

Later, when she no longer needed him, he resorted to such extreme means, hurting himself and others, in a bloody way, to get her back and prove that he loved her.

Why is it like this? Everything was so simple, Wen Zhixia thought, feeling it was absurd and ridiculous.

"Fu Ruoshi, why are you doing this?"

Wen Zhixia calmed down and opened her eyes, gazing into his deep eyes. "Fu Ruoshi, maybe you do care about me a little, but your sincerity came too late and was too vague. Maybe even you can't tell whether your sincerity now is your reluctance to let go, your unwillingness, or your belated guilt."

"I can't tell either."

Looking at her determined expression, Fu Ruoshi's heart was pierced again.

This hurt a thousand times more than the pain in his back.

"No, I can tell the difference. I..."

Wen Zhixia interrupted him calmly, "This is the last time I will act with you."

The redness in Fu Ruoshi's eyes gradually deepened. He looked at Wen Zhixia, and in her calm eyes, he tried every possible way to find any trace of her love for him.

I felt like a dog wagging its tail to beg for mercy, doing everything it could to get a little smile from her.

"Get up, no need to act." He sniffed, got out of bed, walked to the door and locked it.

The deep eye sockets cannot hide the sadness.

Outside the door, Bai Lan at the stairs looked at the closed door and sighed helplessly.

She was the first to know about Fu Ruoshi and Wen Zhixia's marriage.

Fu Ruoshi came all the way to tell her, "Grandma, I've married the person I love. I'm getting married."

When Bai Lan saw him talking about Wen Zhixia, there was a bright light in his eyes. That light was free of lust, but full of happiness and joy.

Not long after they got married, Song Ailing came to complain to her, saying that Wen Zhixia worked overtime every day and did not go home, and that she was a loner and did not talk to anyone.

She asked Fu Ruoshi several times, but Fu Ruoshi just made jokes to evade her. She thought the couple was having a quarrel, so she also looked for Wen Zhixia, but Wen Zhixia always reported good news but not bad news. Her sensibleness made people feel distressed.

She was not keen on interfering in the private life of the younger generation, and she didn't know that the two of them were rarely together later.

It was not until rumors about their divorce spread in the Fu family that she realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Madam, it's getting late. Let me help you get some rest." Sister Li saw Bai Lan leaning on a cane and went to meet him. "Boss Fu and the young lady are always like this. They quarrel and then make peace. Then they quarrel again. On the day of the divorce, Boss Fu was still bullying Madam. I couldn't stand it, so I said a few words."

Bai Lan asked her, "Why do they always quarrel? Weren't they all fine when they first got married?"

"The children are afraid you'll worry," Mrs. Li said to her. "They didn't dare tell you, for fear of angering you and causing harm to your health."

Bai Lan shook his head, "I didn't fulfill my responsibilities and neglected Xiao Xia."

She paused and said, "Sister Li, you've worked hard these past two years. I'll assign you some extra help later. If you have any questions, tell me. Don't tell anyone else. A harmonious family brings prosperity."

The meaning of her words was very clear. She told Mrs. Li to ignore Song Ailing and the others and stand on her side.

Fu Keming is a filial son, so Bai Lan’s supreme voice in the Fu family is unshakable.

Mrs. Li nodded flatteredly. "What are you talking about? Just tell me and I'll do it. Don't worry."

"Help me go back first." Bai Lan walked slowly out of the hall, "I'll stay here for the next few days and cook for them."

In the bedroom.

Fu Ruoshi stood by the door. After confirming that his grandmother was not at the door, he went to the study to get the medicine box and went into the bathroom.

He turned his back to Wen Zhixia, took off his pajamas, and said to her while unpacking the cotton swab, "Next time if you don't want to do it, just say you don't want to do it. I won't force you, you don't have to endure it."

His voice still had a nasal twang, and he had to clear his throat after every few sentences, making it sound much deeper than usual.

In the past, in order to fulfill the contract, Wen Zhixia was willing to cooperate whether she wanted to do it or not.

Fu Ruoshi often went on business trips and didn't see her for several months. Whenever they met, he was extremely greedy for her. If she didn't explicitly refuse, he would take it as her tacit consent.

Seeing that he was having trouble moving, Wen Zhixia got out of bed, washed her hands, took the cotton swab and said to him, "Let me do it, you sit down."

Fu Ruoshi didn't say anything. After handing her the cotton swab, he sat on the edge of the bathtub, supported his knees with his hands, and looked at the ground without saying a word.

It was rare for him to be quiet. Wen Zhixia first helped him clean the wound that was oozing with fluid, then applied iodine, and finally gently covered it with gauze to prevent the wound from bleeding due to friction.

"Is your arm okay?" Fu Ruoshi suddenly asked her.

Wen Zhixia couldn't see his face, she could only see his back stiff as he endured the pain.

"It's all right now," she said. "It'll be fine after the stitches."

Fu Ruoshi thought for a moment, "Will it leave scars? I know..."

"Our hospital's plastic surgery department is the best in the country, you don't need to know it." Wen Zhixia said lightly, "Even if it leaves a scar, it's no big deal. It reminds me to cut my losses in time, to separate from you, and not make the same mistake again."

The rest of Fu Ruoshi's words got stuck in his throat.

The wound on her arm, the departure of her grandfather, and all the indelible injuries were caused by his neglect.

The room was very quiet afterwards, with a faint melancholy hanging in the air.

Fu Ruoshi rarely teased her and quietly let her help him apply the medicine.

"Where's grandma?" Wen Zhixia was the first to break the silence. "How will she stay at night? I'll go see her later."

Fu Ruoshi said, "She has a special room, you don't have to worry."

"Oh."

"Are you leaving at night?" Fu Ruoshi asked her, "If you don't want to see me, I'll go to the study to sleep."

He was about to leave when Wen Zhixia saw the hideous wound on his back and called out to him, "If I don't leave, you can sleep here."

Silent all night.

The two of them sat back to back on the spacious bed, creating an invisible gap between them.

Late at night.

Wen Zhixia was sleeping soundly and was awakened by Fu Ruoshi's hot body.

She turned on the light and saw Fu Ruoshi sleeping soundly on the pillow without a blanket, but his whole body was hot like boiling water.

"I told you to take the antipyretic medicine, but you refused." Wen Zhixia muttered softly, preparing to go downstairs to find an ice pack and antipyretic medicine.

As she reached the door, she heard Fu Ruoshi calling her.

"Wen Zhixia..."

His voice was hoarse, as if he was half asleep, or talking in his sleep due to a fever.

Wen Zhixia walked up to him and saw his pale lips moving:

"Don't divorce me. I don't want to divorce you."

Wen Zhixia spoke softly but firmly, "I want a divorce. I want to live freely and alone."