Yao Jing didn't know where Wu Zhiming was taking her, but under his strong insistence, they ended up buying a set of designer dress.
When Yao Jing stepped out of the fitting room wearing that dress, Wu Zhiming felt like he was suffocating.
The light blue low-cut long dress accentuated Yao Jing's ethereal aura to the extreme, her fair skin exposed delicately, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, emitting a soft glow.
In the entire store, regardless of gender, everyone's attention was drawn to Yao Jing.
"How does it look?" Yao Jing gently swayed the hem of the dress and asked Wu Zhiming as she twirled in front of him.
"Beautiful!" Wu Zhiming nodded.
"Then it's settled!" Yao Jing said.
"Don't you want to try on more?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"If you think it looks good, then it's enough!" Yao Jing replied.
Wu Zhiming smiled, then paid the bill and left the Panki Center with Yao Jing, heading back home.
It was almost half-past five by now.
"We'll leave at six, you can put on some light makeup, and I'll go take a shower and change clothes," Wu Zhiming said.
"Is it for a very formal occasion?" Yao Jing asked. "It's about time," Wu Zhiming nodded, then turned and walked into the bathroom.
At quarter to six, Wu Zhiming came to the living room wearing shorts. Yao Jing's room door was still closed, indicating that she was probably still getting ready.
Wu Zhiming casually turned on the TV, then sat on the sofa, picked up a cigarette, hesitated for a moment before putting it back down.
The news was playing on TV.
"Just concluded Christie's summer auction, the most anticipated treasure, the necklace 'Tears of the Nymph,' was sold to a mysterious buyer for a high price of four million five hundred thousand dollars, making it the highest-priced item in this auction..."
Wu Zhiming glanced at the news, then picked up his phone and made a call.
"Where is the necklace?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"It's just been loaded onto the car and sent to the airport. It will be transported to the Strait City by your private jet and is expected to arrive in front of you around seven-thirty," came the reply from the other end of the line.
"Seven-thirty... sounds about right!" Wu Zhiming nodded and hung up the phone.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Wu Zhiming walked to the door and opened it.
Standing outside was a muscular man in a suit, holding a square box in his hands.
"Boss, your tailored suit for the sports car has arrived," the man said.
"Okay!" Wu Zhiming nodded, took the box, then closed the door and went back to his room.
When Wu Zhiming emerged from his room again, he was wearing a black suit.
The suit wasn't too formal, but neither was it too casual.
Wu Zhiming had a somewhat muscular physique, and the suit fit him perfectly, accentuating his figure just right.
Standing in front of the mirror, Wu Zhiming adjusted his collar.
He rarely wore suits because he didn't need to attend company meetings or social events. The last time he wore a suit was four years ago on his wedding day.
Just then, the door to Yao Jing's room opened.
"Is this okay?" Yao Jing stood at the door and asked.
Wu Zhiming turned to look at Yao Jing.
At that moment, it felt like time stood still.
Yao Jing had put on light makeup.
Her light makeup was different from that of an ordinary woman. While an ordinary woman might use foundation, draw eyebrows, and apply eyeliner, Yao Jing's light makeup was just a touch of lipstick. Her eyes, eyebrows, and the natural tone of her skin were all perfect, so any additional treatment seemed unnecessary.
The slightly deeper shade of red lipstick added a touch of nobility to Yao Jing's cold demeanor.
Around her fair neck, she wore the gold necklace that Wu Zhiming had bought for her when they got married. It wasn't expensive, just a few thousand yuan from Zhou Dafu, but even so, this gold necklace on Yao Jing's neck added a sense of nobility.
Ordinary people use accessories to enhance themselves, but someone like Yao Jing is enough to enhance the accessories.
"What's wrong?" Yao Jing didn't hear Wu Zhiming's response and looked at him in confusion.
At that moment, Yao Jing also froze.
She had only seen Wu Zhiming in a suit once, at their wedding, but everything was chaotic back then, including her own heart, so she didn't really get a good look at Wu Zhiming in a suit.
This time was the first time she saw Wu Zhiming in a suit in such a quiet environment, and Yao Jing was surprised to find that her husband looked exceptionally handsome in a suit.
After they locked eyes for about a second, Yao Jing was the first to break the silence.
"When did you buy the suit? It fits you well," Yao Jing said.
"Really? As long as it fits," Wu Zhiming nodded, then said, "Take off your necklace."
"Why?" Yao Jing asked.
"It doesn't suit you," Wu Zhiming said.
Yao Jing was puzzled but went back to her room to take off the necklace.
At exactly six o'clock, Wu Zhiming and Yao Jing left their residence and arrived downstairs.
"Are we taking my car or yours?" Yao Jing asked.
"We're not driving today," Wu Zhiming said with a smile.
"I'll call a Enterprise Rent-A-Car then," Yao Jing took out her phone.
Just then, a Rolls-Royce slowly pulled up in front of Wu Zhiming and Yao Jing and stopped. The driver got out of the car, opened the door, and bowed slightly to Wu Zhiming and Yao Jing, saying, "Boss, Madam, please get in the car."
"What's this?" Yao Jing looked at Wu Zhiming in surprise.
"Get in, my lady," Wu Zhiming gestured with his hand.
Yao Jing was puzzled, but she still got into the car, and then Wu Zhiming followed suit.
The driver closed the door and started the car, driving away.
"Where are we going tonight? Do we really need to rent a Rolls-Royce?" Yao Jing whispered.
"Rent? This car belongs to someone under my command. I borrowed it to show off a bit," Wu Zhiming said. "This car belongs to Wang Hai. I requisitioned it today."
Yao Jing looked at Wu Zhiming, sighed after a few seconds of silence, and said, "Are you... taking me to my high school reunion?"
"You're very smart," Wu Zhiming praised.
"Buying bags and clothes again, and renting such a nice car, I really can't imagine where you're taking me... Did that little girl, Song Siqing, tell you?" Yao Jing asked.
"Yeah," Wu Zhiming nodded.
"There's no need for this. I don't like to pretend to be someone I'm not. I don't like pretending because I know exactly who I am," Yao Jing said.
"This isn't pretending," Wu Zhiming shook his head, earnestly saying, "After four years of marriage, I know what kind of grievances you've endured. Everyone saw marrying me as a joke, even I thought so. I thought you couldn't wait to leave me, so that day I brought up divorce with you. But later I realized, for our marriage, you're even more determined than I am... I don't know what your reason for being so determined is, and I won't bring up divorce again. What I can do is to give those who mocked and laughed at you a good slap in the face in the days to come. I want them to know that Yao Jing didn't marry the wrong person!"
Hearing Wu Zhiming's words, Yao Jing was a little stunned, and a few seconds later, her eyes slightly reddened.
Marrying Wu Zhiming was something that filled her with despair. She was angry, sad, and in pain, resenting the unfairness of fate. But all of this was meaningless; in the end, she still married Wu Zhiming.
Over the course of four years, she endured ridicule and mockery, becoming numb to life.
Her refusal to divorce was not because of any feelings for Wu Zhiming; it was merely her way of getting back at her family. She wanted to make her family suffer for their attempts to exploit her for their own gain.
None of this had anything to do with Wu Zhiming. Every day, she cooked for him, fulfilling her duties as a wife in a mechanical, emotionless manner. She never expected Wu Zhiming to treat her well.
But now, everything Wu Zhiming did felt like a punch to her already hardened heart.
"Are you touched?" Wu Zhiming asked with a smirk. "How about we act like a real couple tonight?"
"Smooth talker," Jiang Jing replied, her voice tinged with a hint of petulance, as she turned away, hiding the tears welling up in her eyes.
Wu Zhiming smiled and glanced out the window. This, it seemed, was what being a couple was supposed to look like.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, not far from where Wu Zhiming and Jiang Jing lived, in another residential area, Jiang Jing's parents resided.
In their home, a man in his thirties named Li Bin sat in the living room.
"Li Bin, you're too polite, bringing all this stuff over," Zhou Yanqiu said with a smile, looking at the large pile of items on the table.
"Auntie Zhou, look at what you're saying. After Jingjing divorces and marries me, I'll be your son-in-law. Right now, I'm just showing my filial piety in advance!" the man named Li Bin chuckled.
"Ah, Jingjing really must have accumulated a lot of good karma in her past life! Jianyong, look at this. Li Bin not only doesn't mind Jingjing's previous marriage, but he's also so good to us! And then there's that Wu Zhiming, what is he? Not only does he not show us any filial piety on regular days, but he also disrespects us. Someone like that, Jingjing should have divorced him long ago!" Zhou Yanqiu remarked.
"Yes, yes!" Yao Jianyong nodded vigorously.
"Auntie Zhou, when will Jingjing handle the divorce proceedings with Wu Zhiming?" Li Bin inquired.
"Well... it should be soon, very soon!" Zhou Yanqiu hesitated before responding.
"Soon? No specific time? Last time, didn't you promise me that the divorce would definitely happen in these two days?" Li Bin furrowed his brow and asked.
"That's true, but Jingjing is stubborn, you can't rush her. And recently, that Wu Zhiming somehow got hold of money and bought Wu Corporation. Jingjing might have some expectations of him now, so the divorce has been delayed," Zhou Yanqiu explained.
"I know about this matter," Li Bin smirked and said, "He's just a puppet. I don't believe that someone who's been weak for so many years could do this. And even if he's not a puppet, so what? There are plenty of people who can come up with ten billion. "
"Yes, yes, yes! Young Master Li, you're from the Li family. You're way more powerful than the Wu family! Just wait for good news from Jingjing's side. Tomorrow, the notice of punishment for Wu Corporation will come down, and then Wu Zhiming will definitely go bankrupt. If Jingjing sees no hope, she'll definitely divorce him!" Zhou Yanqiu declared.
"In that case, I'll wait for your good news!" Li Bin smiled.
"Good!"