Chapter 1 Marriage Ends

Yu Mingyuan and Wen Xiaorou had actually completed the marriage registration before preparing for the wedding, but according to traditional Chinese customs, they couldn't officially address each other as husband and wife without holding a formal ceremony.

In the afternoon, around two o'clock.

Kong Zhenghui and Zhou Tonghui accompanied Yu Mingyuan to the civil affairs office, waiting for Wen Xiaorou to arrive.

The three men were silent in the car.

After a while, a car horn sounded from behind. Yu Mingyuan looked back and said softly, "Wait here, I'll go through the formalities."

"Okay."

The two nodded in response.

Yu Mingyuan opened the door and got out of the car, holding a plastic file bag in his hand. He stood by the roadside and saw Wen Xiaorou walking over alone.

"Let's go," Wen Xiaorou said coldly.

"Okay," Yu Mingyuan replied, following Wen Xiaorou into the civil affairs hall.

A few minutes later.

Inside the office for handling divorce procedures, a middle-aged man looked up at the two and asked bluntly, "A mutual divorce, no cooling-off period required, and the man gives up all marital property, leaving with nothing, is that correct?"

Wen Xiaorou stared blankly at the table, her hands clenched tightly beneath it, not speaking first.

"Correct." Yu Mingyuan spoke first, his answer very decisive.

"And the woman?" The middle-aged man looked at Wen Xiaorou again.

"I agree." Wen Xiaorou finally loosened her clenched hands and replied with equal firmness.

"Stamp!"

The middle-aged man stamped the document, officially ending the marital relationship between Yu Mingyuan and Wen Xiaorou.

At that moment, Yu Mingyuan felt extremely pained and guilty, because although the relationship was over, he owed Wen Xiaorou a wedding...

After completing the procedures, neither of them spoke, and they walked out of the civil affairs office side by side.

The outdoor sunlight was bright. Yu Mingyuan turned to look at her, paused, and said, "Xiaorou, I..."

"Yu Mingyuan! You son of a bitch!"

Suddenly, an angry roar came from the side. Yu Mingyuan instinctively turned his head.

"Splash!"

A bucket of bright red paint was instantly splashed on Yu Mingyuan's face. He stood there stunned, recognizing the person as Wen Xiaorou's older cousin, younger cousin, and other young relatives from her family, totaling more than a dozen people.

"What are you doing?!" Wen Xiaorou immediately rushed forward to break them up.

"Get out of the way!" The older cousin pushed Wen Xiaorou aside, grabbed Yu Mingyuan by the collar with his left hand, and punched him, "You freeloader, you spineless wimp! I'll beat you to death!"

"Beat him!"

The female side's relatives instantly swarmed forward, beating Yu Mingyuan mercilessly.

"Stop it, stop it!" Wen Xiaorou kept trying to break them up, but how could one woman possibly restrain a dozen men?

Yu Mingyuan was quickly knocked to the ground. Zhou Tonghui and Kong Zhenghui, who were in the car, saw this scene and all rushed out.

At the entrance of the civil affairs building, Yu Mingyuan was beaten down from the steps, covered in paint and bleeding from his nose.

"You're disgusting!" The older cousin was extremely angry, kicking Yu Mingyuan while cursing, "You were the one who chased my sister like a dog, you were the one who ran to my uncle's house every day! Our family supported you in starting the association, helped you save Lao Li in the city, and even gave you more leverage in the Old Triangle negotiations! How did we treat you?! Answer me, damn it!"

Yu Mingyuan did not resist or defend himself. He lay on the ground, looking at Wen Xiaorou desperately trying to break them up, feeling a moment of mental disorientation.

"Everyone knew my uncle couldn't get out, and we didn't expect you to help us with anything!" The older cousin became more and more hateful as he cursed, "So many relatives came, you just want to run away, want a divorce, can't you wait two days?! Are you that scared?! Did you think about my sister? Have you thought about what outsiders will think of her?! I'll kill you!"

On the outer edge of the crowd, Zhou Tonghui and Kong Zhenghui rushed up. They didn't help Yu Mingyuan fight back, but pulled at the others and shouted, "Stop it! That's enough!"

"Bang!"

Wen Xiaorou pushed the older cousin away forcefully and shouted angrily, "Can you stop making trouble?! Huh?!"

"Even now, you're still protecting him?! He's with you just because your dad is a brigade commander, can't you see that?!" The older cousin roared with his hands on his hips.

"I saw it! I woke up too! But what can I do? The matter has come to this, is there any point in continuing to make trouble?" Wen Xiaorou's hair was disheveled, and she clenched her fists, saying in a pleading tone, "I beg you... leave me some dignity, save me some face, okay?!"

The surrounding family members all stopped upon hearing this.

"Let's go, let's go, okay?!" Wen Xiaorou pleaded with everyone.

The older cousin pointed at Yu Mingyuan on the ground, "You spineless wimp! Even if you escape this time, I don't believe someone like you can ever make it! You'll have your day!"

Yu Mingyuan didn't argue, but grabbed Zhou Tonghui's arm and stood up, wiping the red paint and blood from his face, and said softly to Wen Xiaorou, "Go with your aunt and the others, they're the ones who really care about you."

After saying that, Yu Mingyuan limped towards the car.

Back in the car, Zhou Tonghui was about to drive away when Yu Mingyuan suddenly said, "Um... you two go back, give me the car, I want to wander around alone."

"It's over, take it easy," Zhou Tonghui advised, opening the door and getting out.

Inside the car, Kong Zhenghui didn't say anything, but gently patted Yu Mingyuan on the shoulder before getting out as well.

...

Around seven o'clock in the evening, at the Qingyi Bureau headquarters in Dragon City.

A man walked into Kang Dinghuang's office, saluted, and said, "Minister, our informant reported that Yu Mingyuan officially divorced Wen Xiaorou this afternoon."

Kang Dinghuang slowly raised his head, "So fast?"

"Yes, we believe they may be cutting ties with the Wen family," the man said softly. "This may also be An Jia's (An Family's) attitude."

Kang Dinghuang picked up his teacup and took a sip, "Don't rush to conclusions, let's see what happens. Oh, right, I've already drafted the new round of arrest lists, quickly identify the key officers of Wen Zhanbo's 13th Brigade, arrest those who should be arrested, send those who should be sent, and take care of the garrison as soon as possible."

"Yes!" The man saluted.

At the same time, in the anti-terrorism team's operations room, Jin Maohui looked at Su Tianyu, "Is this plan feasible?"

"Multiple angles of attack, not giving him a chance to fight back. Use all the available forces, throw them all at him, and force him into a corner," Su Tianyu frowned and said, "We can't lose this time, if we can't take him down, it's a complete collapse!"

"Okay!"

Jin Maohui nodded.

Along the Longjiang River, Yu Mingyuan stood on the bridge, his elbows propped on the concrete railing, drinking beer while gazing into the distance.

In the past three years, he had experienced his father's tragic death, two major crises in the Tongji Association, the arrest of his prospective father-in-law, and today's separation from his unmarried wife...

The smooth sailing of the first half of his life seemed to have exhausted all of Yu Mingyuan's luck. His thirtieth birthday was filled with tragedy.

A man's breakdown always comes unexpectedly. Yu Mingyuan looked at the calm water, and a few tears slid down his cheeks.

"I can't fall!!!"

A voice shouted in his heart.