Volume One, Chapter 14: He Knelt at My Feet Begging Me

“...”

Bo Congnan remained silent, quietly staring at the divorce agreement in his hands.

Aunt Wang was still in shock. How could a couple who seemed so loving part ways less than a month after their wedding?

“Sir, could it be that it was sent to the wrong place? Your wife loves you so much; how could she want a divorce?”

Bo Congnan’s grip on the divorce papers tightened steadily.

Anger almost erupted from his eyes.

He had thought Shen Zhiyi had realized her mistake and sent him a birthday gift early.

But it turned out to be a divorce agreement!

“Sir, please don’t be angry yet. Let me call and check if it was sent to the wrong address.”

“No need.”

Bo Congnan’s voice grew colder. “If she wants to make a scene, then I’ll play along until the end!”

He had intended to forgive her because of this gift.

Never expected she would be so unappreciative.

Ha, Shen Zhiyi, you’d better keep being this tough.

Bo Congnan threw the divorce papers onto the table and turned to leave.

Before the wedding, I had registered our marriage with Bo Congnan.

At that time, I still held hope for our marriage.

But after discovering that Bo Congnan secretly kept a pair of high heels once worn by Meng Xiangyi, my relationship with him gradually grew distant.

Bo Congnan always assured me that his feelings for Meng Xiangyi stemmed only from respect and affection for his sister.

Having been with him for so many years, I softened and believed him.

But later, I found out that Bo Congnan had been chatting late into the night with Meng Xiangyi behind my back.

When I confronted him with the chat records, he scolded me harshly, saying I was making a fuss over nothing, jealous that Meng Xiangyi was better than me and more likable.

That night, angry and upset, I saw a shadowy photo on Meng Xiangyi’s social media showing her kissing a stranger.

The shadow cast on the lawn, with the contour of the face, revealed it was Bo Congnan kissing her.

Furious, I had a lawyer draft this divorce agreement.

Never thought it would only arrive after my death.

Bo Congnan went to a bar, drinking heavily, clearly distressed by the divorce papers.

Bottles of red wine kept opening one after another.

It seemed like he wanted to drown himself.

The young woman accompanying him worried he might drink himself to death and urged, “Young Master Bo, you’ve had enough. Please stop.”

Bo Congnan yelled, “Shen Zhiyi, fine, if you want a divorce, then so be it! You think I can’t live without you? I have plenty of women around me; I don’t need you!”

“I never looked down on you for being a mistress’s daughter, yet you’re throwing tantrums at me. Shameless bitch!”

His face flushed red from drinking, he cursed me without restraint.

I sat across from him, coldly watching.

Bo Congnan, who are you to curse me?

You’re the shameless one, sneaking around with your sister behind my back!

Seeing him like this, I really wanted to slap him.

But now, in this state, even slapping him wouldn’t amount to more than a tickle.

Bo Congnan drank until late into the night, then, half-drunk and dazed, took a taxi back to the marital home.

The faint lights were still on inside.

Aunt Wang hadn’t finished her shift.

He staggered upstairs, turned on the bedroom light, and collapsed onto the bed like a lifeless fish, motionless.

Soon after, clutching his stomach, he curled up in pain.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, his pale lips parted slightly. “Zhiyi... it hurts so much... got any stomach medicine...?”

Bo Congnan’s whole body nearly convulsed with pain.

He suffered from a severe stomach condition.

His irregular diet and love of alcohol only worsened it.

When I was around, I would thoughtfully keep medicines by the bedside.

If I was home, I would even prepare water and feed him the medicine by hand.

He had always taken my care for granted.

But now, standing by the bed, I watched coldly from beginning to end.

I couldn’t help him, nor would I.

I lowered my gaze, looking down on Bo Congnan.

Bo Congnan, does it hurt?

But no matter how much it hurts, it’s nothing compared to the pain caused by a deranged murderer chopping off my head.

“Zhiyi... Zhiyi... bring me the medicine...”

He called my name repeatedly, but no one answered.

Bo Congnan gasped sharply several times, forcing himself to stand.

He stumbled, then slowly crawled to the bedside table.

The medicine was supposed to be there.

He struggled to open the drawer, rummaging inside several times but found no stomach medicine.

Bo Congnan must have forgotten—since the marital home was set up, he and I had been fighting every day.

All because of Meng Xiangyi.

After getting angry, he moved to live at the clubhouse and hadn’t been home in a long time.

Once the medicine ran out, I stopped refilling it.

After all, he wasn’t coming home anyway.

Bo Congnan writhed on the floor in pain.

Finally, he knelt and lay prostrate at my feet, breathing faintly, his eyes lifting slightly as if looking at me.

“Zhiyi... Zhiyi...”

He called my name like that.

I wasn’t sure if he saw me.

But I ignored him and quietly stepped back, putting distance between us.

Winter had arrived early in City A, and snow was falling in the morning.

Bo Congnan was awakened by the noise of the snowplow downstairs.

He slowly opened his eyes, his head pounding, but his body felt warm.

A faint scent of gardenia lingered in his nose—familiar and comforting.

Someone had covered him with a blanket.

He turned his head to look at the bedside table, where a bottle of stomach medicine and a cup of hot water sat.

Bo Congnan slowly propped himself up and scanned the room.

The furnishings were unchanged.

He remembered passing out from the pain last night.

How did he end up in bed, covered with a blanket, and with medicine and water by his side?

He immediately realized—could Shen Zhiyi have returned?

His certainty grew stronger when he smelled the familiar aroma of cooked food.

Every time his stomach acted up, she cared for him like this.

He was sure she had come back.

Bo Congnan threw off the blanket without even putting on his shoes.

Barefoot, he hurried downstairs, grateful for the heating that spared him cold feet.

The familiar clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen soothed him, easing his hangover pain considerably.

He knew Shen Zhiyi was stubborn but tender-hearted, surely keeping tabs on him through Aunt Wang.

Knowing he was suffering, she must have rushed back to care for him.

Otherwise, how could she have returned so promptly?

With this thought, Bo Congnan’s mood improved significantly.

He decided not to dwell on the divorce papers, willing to accept her as his wife again if she would just behave and take care of him like before.

Ignoring his wrinkled shirt and stubble, he strode quickly into the kitchen.

Hearing footsteps, the person inside turned around.

“You’re awake?”

“Rice porridge is ready. Drink it while it’s hot.”

Bo Congnan pushed open the door without hesitation, grumbling, “Shen Zhiyi, don’t think that just because you’re taking care of me, I’ll forgive you so easily.”