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"Sign those divorce papers and leave me alone," Mei Xing asserted firmly.
Feng Houyi scoffed and leaned in, his hands bracing his weight as he invaded her personal space. Their faces were so close that their breaths practically mingled. "I am not going to sign those damned papers. Not when I have your parents begging me to be patient with you, MY wife. And I know for sure that you will get back to the house, put my ring on that finger and behave. You get it?"
"I am not your wife. And know this. You won't be having your way, Feng Houyi. Not now and not ever," Mei Xing held her ground, unwavering in her determination.
"We shall see about that," Feng Houyi smirked and straightened his back. He tugged on the hem of his coat, and with one last glance, he turned on his heels and departed.
Mei Xing closed her eyes and let out a long, shaky breath. It took all her strength not to crumble under the weight of his expectations and obligations.
Her mental mantras reminded her of why she had left the marriage in the first place, and that those obligations were no longer hers to bear.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Mei Xing's eyes snapped open when she heard Lu Aotian.
The look of worry in his eyes that darted between her and the direction Feng Houyi walked off to, confirmed that he had witnessed their encounter.
Summoning a forced smile, she replied, "I'm... I'm fine."
Lu Aotian's brow furrowed as he assessed her. "Are you sure? Was that man disturbing you? Should I have him come back and apologize?"
The idea that Lu Aotian would stand up for her left Mei Xing momentarily stunned. Would he really make Feng Houyi apologize if she wished it?
However, it would not be appropriate to let a stranger fight her own battles. So she shook off the thought.
"No really, I'm fine. He's just someone I know. I already picked something I want to eat. I was waiting for you to do the same so that we can order," Mei Xing deftly changed the topic.
Lu Aotian certainly wasn't buying anything she said. She didn't look okay. With the way her hands shook, he knew she was definitely not fine and that man had something to do with it.
However, he knew when to respect the boundaries of a person, and decided not to pry further.
"Alright, let's order our food," he played along, redirecting the conversation to a more neutral topic.
Mei Xing felt less tense knowing he wasn't going to be nosy about what happened between her and Feng Houyi. And speaking of Feng Houyi, Mei Xing made a mental note to call lawyer Han afterwards.
She wanted those divorce papers signed as soon as possible. The fewer ties she has with him, the better.
••••••
After lunch with Lu Aotian, Mei Xing headed back to Yi Chunhua's apartment. She met Yi Chunhua in the living room.
"Well aren't you back early," Mei Xing sighed as she dropped beside Yi Chunhua on the couch.
"Yep," Yi Chunhua replied with an extra pop on the 'p'. "I asked for an early leave today. How was the meeting?"
Mei Xing abruptly sat and beamed at Yi Chunhua. In response to her action, Yi Chunhua dropped her nail polish on the mini centre table and turned fully to Mei Xing.
"So?" She prompted.
"It was fantastic," Mei Xing emphasized every word with a splash of glee on her face. "He liked my ideas, Chu. And he said he was excited for me to get started and I could see it all over his face."
"Gah! I'm so happy for you, babe," Yi Chunhua pulled Mei Xing in for a quick hug. "I knew you could do it. You've got it in you."
"Thanks for believing in me. I can't help but bless the day I went to that coffee shop."
"Of course, you can't. So when are you starting? Do you need any help whatsoever?" Yi Chunhua inquired.
"Nope. I've got the right people to call. Hopefully, they haven't given up on me yet," Mei Xing sighed.
After she got married to Feng Houyi, she wasn't allowed to entertain her job. The small group of persons she used to work with tried to get her back to architecture but to no avail.
So in hopes that she would change her mind and that of Feng Houyi, they promised to stay in touch and be willing to help her once she was ready.
"Give them a call, Mei. Don't assume they have totally given up on you," Yi Chunhua took her hand and lightly squeezed.
Mei Xing smiled and nodded. "Speaking of giving up, guess who I ran into today."
Yi Chunhua's face dropped. "No. Don't tell me. Your ex?"
Mei Xing nodded. "I went to a restaurant with my client for lunch and he was there, Chu. He even came to our table, luckily my client wasn't there to witness our encounter."
"My goodness. What did he do?"
"He doesn't want to sign the papers and as usual, my parents are pleading with him to give me time to come back to my senses and return."
Yi Chunhua rolled her eyes. "I bet he's feeling so smug about it. They are fueling his enormous ego."
"I know. But I am not changing my mind. Even if my mother will likely call to berate me again today," Mei Xing eyed her phone that was lying beside her purse on the table.
"To save your sanity, don't pick up her calls. You have a project you need to focus on," Yi Chunhua advised before going back to polishing her nails.
"Yeah. But first, I need to make sure Mr Han doesn't drop my case and give some old buddies a call. I need to get my freedom ship sailing already."
"Atta girl. I'm right beside ya," Yi Chunhua cheered while wiggling her brows.