After the divorce, the CEO knelt down every night begging for remarriage.

“Sister Zhi’er, you are free to make choices that follow your heart, don’t be bound by anything.”

Shen Mubai could tell that Lin Zhi was very resistant to Li Tingze's approach.

He didn't want her to continue suffering.

Lin Zhi looked down at the floor, her mind in turmoil.

She wanted to question Li Tingze, but the words stuck in her throat.

Some things, once said, will only bring shame upon oneself.

Lin Zhi sighed softly; she made no choice.

She just wanted to leave and have some peace and quiet.

Seeing Lin Zhi leave in the direction of the exit, Li Tingze took off after her.

Shen Mubai stopped him, his voice cold: "President Li, if you don't know how to cherish Sister Zhi'er, I will cherish her for you."

Li Tingze gritted his jaw, staring coldly at Shen Mubai with his hawk-like eyes, before finally letting out a sneer.

His voice was chillingly cold: "Mr. Shen, are you so keen on interfering in other people's marriages and stealing other people's wives?"

Shen Mubai gave a cold laugh, a smirk playing on his lips: "Sister Zhi'er, she doesn't love you anymore. You only used some tricks to force her back to you. How long do you think this marriage can last? Three months, or a year?"

"You can wait and see."

After saying this, Li Tingze strode off in the direction Lin Zhi had left.

Shen Mubai watched his departing figure, a confident sneer flashing across his face.

Judging from the current situation, Lin Zhi and Li Tingze will soon get divorced.

He will soon become Lin Zhi's newest protector.

……

Lin Zhi was in a state of confusion and didn't want to go back to her and Li Tingze's marital home.

She didn't want to face Li Tingze either.

She took a car to the entrance of the sanatorium, but dared not go in and disturb Lin Wanxin, fearing that Lin Wanxin would worry if she found out.

The only option was to turn around and walk back the way we came.

We walked along the river and through the bustling streets before finally returning to the luxurious villa.

Seeing that Lin Zhi was covered in sweat and looked somewhat disheveled, the maid respectfully asked, "Madam, would you like some bathwater prepared for you?"

Lin Zhi didn't answer, but asked instead, "Has he... come back?"

The maid shook her head.

Lin Zhi's tense heart finally relaxed a little.

After taking a bath, Lin Zhi sat in front of the mirror with wet hair, looking at her pale reflection, and felt a pang of sadness.

She reached for the hair dryer, but when her right hand touched the handle, a stinging sensation spread throughout her body.

It was as if countless sharp arrows pierced her heart.

This pain was enough to kill her.

Why did fate treat her this way?

What unforgivable sin did she commit in her past life to suffer so much in this one?

At this moment, she knew in her heart that complaining and blaming others would not solve the problem.

But her heart was filled with uncontrollable sadness.

Her eyes quietly fell, mingling with the water droplets on her face.

Li Tingze was already standing at the door when Lin Zhi sat down at the dressing table.

He watched as Lin Zhi remained motionless, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror, letting her long, wet hair drip water droplets.

Her figure exuded an indescribable sorrow.

He watched her quietly for a while before walking up behind her, bending down, and hugging her.

He deliberately softened his voice and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Lin Zhi was startled and dropped the hair dryer in her hand.

Before she could reach for it, she was lifted up by the waist, placed on the soft bed, and her lips were captured.

Li Tingze kissed her forcefully, his hands holding her body captive.

In between, he didn't forget to ask her, "Why didn't you wait for me and came back on your own?"

Lin Zhi was forced to endure the intense kisses.

His domineering kiss left her no chance to resist.

He kissed her until she gave up struggling.

She lay blankly on the bed, staring into his eyes, refusing to answer, and instead said softly, "My hair isn't dry yet. Even if you're in a hurry, please wait a moment."

Li Tingze's expression darkened.

He didn't let go; instead, he gently stroked her slender waist, feeling her smooth skin.

Lin Zhi raised her hand and pushed him away, then returned to the dressing table on her own, enduring the pain in her hand as she used a hairdryer to dry her long hair.

The buzzing of the hairdryer isolated the two of them.

Half an hour passed.

Li Tingze stood up, grabbed her wrist, and said coldly, "Lin Zhi, you don't think I came back just to do 'that' with you, do you?"

Lin Zhi felt even more confused and upset, and didn't know what to say.

Seeing that she remained silent, Li Tingze felt a surge of irritation rising in his chest. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

At this moment, Lin Zhi couldn't accept that she was so intimately close to him.

She felt sick.

She remained expressionless, her tone flat, and gave a self-deprecating sneer: "Our marriage has no love. What else could you possibly want besides doing *that* with me?"

After saying that, she pried Li Tingze's hand away and took a step back to create distance between them.

Looking up at him, she asked, "Li Tingze, I didn't think things through before. Now I want to ask, how long do you plan to keep this kind of relationship going?"

Li Tingze was slightly taken aback.

He stared at her, his face cold, and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Lin Zhi's voice trembled slightly: "Every cooperation has a time limit, and our cooperation is no exception. I just want to know, how long do you think our cooperation needs to last? One year, two years, or three years?"

Li Tingze scoffed lightly.

He didn't expect that Lin Zhi and Shen Mubai would say the exact same thing.

What exactly happened when she met Shen Mubai?

Why is there such great hostility towards him?

Or perhaps she saw the news and learned that he and Su Nianqing had met with Director Li, and that bothered her?

But didn't he also help her get selected as one of the female mentors?

Li Tingze stared at her reddened eyes, his tone mocking: "Lin Zhi, recognize your place. How long our marriage can last depends on how long you want the Lin family and your mother to live."

Lin Zhi slowly closed her eyes, tears welling up in the corners.

She was always so humble in front of Li Tingze, always kneeling and begging him. He could always kill her with a single, casual remark, leaving her with no way to fight back.

Her lips trembled as she said self-deprecatingly, "I'm sorry, I took myself too seriously. I will definitely recognize my place in the future and will no longer have any unrealistic fantasies about our marriage."

"Lin Zhi, do you really have to do this?" Li Tingze grabbed her wrist, about to say something more, when his phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and saw that the caller ID was Su Nianqing.

He wanted to hang up, but Lin Zhi had already broken free of his hand and lay down on the bed with her back to him.

She seemed completely unconcerned about his interactions with other women.

Li Tingze stood there, watching her back, and after a long while, he asked softly, "Lin Zhi, are you determined to set a time limit for our marriage?"

Lin Zhi did not answer.

Tears flowed uncontrollably.

She heard the door close softly, and knew he had left.

She knew even more that he wouldn't be coming back tonight.