"Don't bother, come out for a moment, I have something to tell you," An Jing called out softly.
Lan Yu, however, acted as if she hadn't heard him. She nimbly beat eggs, chopped tomatoes, and the water on the stove was still boiling.
An Jing thought she hadn't heard him due to being too engrossed in her work, so he raised his voice and repeated himself.
Lan Yu didn't want to hear what he had to say. In truth, her insides felt twisted together in pain. Her intuition told her that An Jing had definitely been with another woman last night.
Even if he had met Xie Qining, there was no way he would spend a whole night with just Xie Qining; there must have been other women.
But perhaps it was for the best, so she wouldn't have too many lingering attachments to him.
"What is it? Let me cook you a bowl of noodles first. We can talk after you've eaten," she said, wiping her hands, turning, and smiling at him.
An Jing was indeed hungry, so he agreed, "Alright, I'll wait for you at the dining table."
Lan Yu continued to make the egg and tomato noodles, thinking that if he confessed to having been with another woman last night, she might not be able to pretend as if nothing had happened.
When she finished cooking the noodles and carried the bowl out of the kitchen, her legs were so numb she could barely walk.
Yet, she maintained her smile as she walked to the dining table. An Jing stood up, took the bowl from her hand, and said with a smile, "How can a simple bowl of egg and tomato noodles be made so fragrant by you? I've been craving it just smelling the aroma."
"Then eat slowly, be careful not to burn yourself," Lan Yu said, sitting down beside him.
An Jing blew on the steaming noodles in front of him and eagerly took a couple of bites.
Just as he was about to praise how delicious it was, he suddenly heard Lan Yu say, "Let's get a divorce."
"Are you kidding me?" An Jing felt it was incredibly sudden, but he was still smiling, assuming she was joking.
Lan Yu got up, went into the room, and took out a divorce agreement she had written. Her heart was pounding as she said, "We... we're just not very compatible."
An Jing put down his chopsticks, losing all appetite. He stared at the woman in front of him and said, "Are you serious about divorcing me? Why?"
"It's mainly my problem," Lan Yu said, avoiding his gaze. "I'm not good enough for you. In truth, I only bring misfortune to those around me. My father passed away shortly after I was born. Later, my mother also died because I was sick. I don't want anything to happen to you because of me. Everyone who loves me will be implicated..."
An Jing's initial warmth was instantly frozen. He interrupted her, "Instead of saying you think we're not compatible or that you're not good enough for me, it's actually that you've never truly liked me, have you?"
His suddenly cold gaze made her flustered. But was it still useful to say she liked him now? She had already decided to leave him and stop causing him trouble; why say anything more that was pointless?
An Jing picked up the divorce agreement she had written, glanced at it, and then tossed it aside like a piece of scrap paper.
"What is this you've written? I know the best divorce lawyers in Lancheng. I'll have them draft a formal agreement, and then you can just sign it."
Lan Yu felt an emptiness in her chest and said, "Okay, you handle it then."
"There's something I need to tell you," An Jing said coldly, as if informing her. "I've found that tour guide you mentioned, and he's told me everything. Your best friend was also involved in that matter; she was the one directing that tour guide."
Lan Yu's eyes widened in shock. "No, that can't be. Why would she want to harm me like that? What benefit would she get?"
"You'll have to ask her about that," An Jing said indifferently. "Also, he said he didn't actually touch you that night, so you can rest assured about that."
Lan Yu was somewhat stunned. The amount of information he was suddenly giving her was too much for her to process.
"And regarding the video and photos Xie Qining has, I'll get them back from him in a few days and destroy them completely." After saying this, An Jing didn't look at her again and poured all the egg and tomato noodles into the trash can.
Lan Yu looked at his icy cold face, her breathing tightening. She hadn't expected him to resolve all her deepest worries in such a short time.
"An Jing... thank you..."
Xiao An Jing had already stood up. He looked down at her with a cold sneer, "You're welcome. Since you feel we're so incompatible, I'll let you go find a man who is suitable. Who is suitable for you? Is it that doctor, or someone else?"
Lan Yu felt a stinging sensation in her nose. She wanted to say that wasn't true. Hadn't he already found another woman outside because he couldn't stand it anymore? Why was he now throwing it back at her, accusing her of wanting to find another man? Tears were about to well up in her eyes.
Xiao An Jing seemed indifferent to her tears. He kicked aside a nearby chair, went back to his room to change his clothes, and then left the house directly, slamming the door shut heavily.
Lan Yu only then came back to her senses and wanted to chase after him, but the hallway outside was already empty.
She returned to the house, leaning against the door, and the sad tears finally fell.
She had never dared to believe she could have true happiness. After meeting An Jing, she felt as if she were living in a dream, floating on clouds.
But dreams eventually end.
...
After leaving the house, Xiao An Jing had nowhere else to go, so he drove back to the group.
However, the moment he entered the group's main entrance, the receptionists, while greeting him with "Hello, Mr. Xiao," couldn't help but stifle their laughter.
He ignored why they were laughing and continued towards the elevator that went directly to the top floor. He encountered a security guard who also lowered his head and smiled upon seeing him.
His mood was terrible now, and he didn't want to joke with them at all. He ignored them all and took the elevator.
By the time he reached the top floor in the elevator, one of the receptionists had already taken a funny photo of him and posted it in the group chat for all employees.
Everyone in the group saw it. As he stepped out of the elevator and walked towards his office door, his secretary called out to him, "Mr. Xiao..."
He thought his secretary was just greeting him, so he grunted and didn't intend to stop.
The secretary quickly said, "Mr. Xiao, wait. Do you have a spare pair of shoes in your office?"
"What do you mean?" Xiao An Jing asked, confused.
The secretary lowered her head and pointed to his feet. He couldn't help but look down at his feet himself and then realized he was wearing two different shoes.
He remembered that he had been so angered by Lan Yu before leaving the house that he had only changed one foot into casual leather shoes, while the other foot was still wearing his house slippers.
No wonder everyone he encountered on his way into the group had been trying to suppress their laughter.
He said irritably, "No."
The secretary immediately said, "I'll go buy you a pair. What size do you wear?"
"Whatever," he said, no longer caring about such things as he headed for his office.
"Go buy a pair of size forty-three leather shoes," Qin Tianyi said to his secretary from somewhere.
That secretary immediately went to get them.
Tianyi followed him into the office and looked at the two shoes on his feet, saying, "The contrast between these shoes is too great. How did you walk all the way here without noticing?"