The lights in the room were off, yet the curtains were drawn open, allowing the ascent of the moon to be seen from this spot.
Even on a clear day, the new moon still wasn't very bright.
Just like her life, with its unclear path ahead.
She took out her cellphone and opened WeChat to send a message to Xu Tian.
[Did the lawyer find anything for me?]
Xu Tian replied quickly, [I found a few, but when they heard it was to draft a divorce agreement for Young Madam Zhou, they didn't dare to accept.]
Everyone thought that if there were to be a divorce, it should be Zhou Lin who initiated it. Without Zhou Lin's authorization, who would dare to privately draft a divorce agreement for Cheng Zhiwei, especially considering the most crucial point was the division of assets?
No one dared to tackle the asset division with Zhou Lin.
Cheng Zhiwei lowered her gaze: [Tell them I have no conditions, I'm willing to leave with nothing.]
Xu Tian: [???]
Xu Tian: [You're willing to leave with nothing?]
Cheng Zhiwei clenched her phone with a bitter smile: [As long as I can get a divorce.]
Every additional day this marriage lasted, she felt suffocated.
Xu Tian: [Understood, that will be much easier, I'll find someone else for you.]
By early the next morning, Cheng Zhiwei had recovered quite a bit, getting up early for breakfast downstairs. Lin Yu greeted her with a friendly and kind smile, showed genuine concern, and personally served her soup.
Cheng Zhiwei took it, "Thank you, Mom."
When she first married Zhou Lin, Cheng Zhiwei was anxious, afraid that Zhou Lin's parents would look down on her and dislike her. But as it turned out, after the marriage, everyone in the Zhou family, except for Zhou Lin who was indifferent toward her, including Zhou Chenyuan and Lin Yu, treated her extremely well, even as their own beloved daughter.
Lin Yu would call her every now and then to check on her life, and she was truly disappointed in Zhou Lin's scandals, even scolding Zhou Lin in front of Cheng Zhiwei.
Cheng Zhiwei genuinely liked Zhou Lin's parents.
It's just a pity that she and Zhou Lin would soon divorce.
A trace of sorrow crossed her eyes as Cheng Zhiwei lowered her head to sip her soup.
Lin Yu said cheerfully, "I had someone tidy up the home theater, will you join me for a movie later if you're free?"
Lin Yu meant well, worried that Cheng Zhiwei might overthink.
"Of course," agreed Cheng Zhiwei.
After watching the movie, Lin Yu eagerly engaged her with the newly arrived magazines over afternoon tea. Cheng Zhiwei cherished these moments, adjusting her mood to keep Lin Yu company.
At dinner time, Zhou Lin came back. He had been summoned repeatedly and urgently by Lin Yu, and his expression wasn't very pleasant.
Since Cheng Zhiwei was intent on divorcing him, naturally, she also had no pleasant expression for him.
After dinner, Cheng Zhiwei returned to the master bedroom to rest.
During these three years, Zhou Lin's visits had been infrequent, and even when he did return, they slept in separate rooms. Therefore, when he pushed the door open with a very unpleasant expression, Cheng Zhiwei instinctively frowned.
Zhou Lin saw it and looked even more displeased.
Cheng Zhiwei sat up holding the blanket, "What are you doing here?"
Zhou Lin, who was stewing with annoyance, replied in a not-so-friendly tone, "Mom said we should sleep in the same room."
Cheng Zhiwei: "..."
The thought of sharing a bed after three years made Cheng Zhiwei repulsed, "You should clarify things with her yourself."
Zhou Lin's motion of taking off his coat paused, "What do you mean?"
Cheng Zhiwei quietly clutched the blanket tighter, her voice cool and distant, "Didn't I tell you already? About the divorce."
"I've said it before, it's not possible," Zhou Lin rejected Cheng Zhiwei's words without hesitation, "I advise you to drop any thoughts you shouldn't have and stop causing me trouble."
Cheng Zhiwei looked at him in disbelief, "You clearly don't like me, so why won't you agree to a divorce?"
And what are these 'thoughts I shouldn't have'? Isn't divorce what he has always wanted?
Zhou Lin had already taken out his pajamas and sneered, "Isn't this what you asked for? The divorce can only happen if I say so."
He entered the bathroom without looking back. The hot water flowed down Zhou Lin's body through the shower, tracing his callous brows and features, which were steeped in chilly austerity.
From the beginning to end, Zhou Lin never believed Cheng Zhiwei was serious about wanting a divorce. She had deliberately lured his mother here by falsely claiming domestic abuse, just for this moment, to force him into sharing a bed with her.
But what of it? Even if they shared a bed, he wouldn't touch her at all.
After his shower, he stepped out to find the newly changed bed already had two quilts on it. Cheng Zhiwei was lying on one side, eyes closed, but Zhou Lin knew she wasn't asleep.
He snorted at her attempt to draw a clear boundary and lay down on the other side.
He would play along with her, just to see how long she could last.
After turning off the light, the room plunged into darkness.
Cheng Zhiwei's fingers clutched the sheets tightly. Despite there being a distance of one person between them, and even though each had their own quilt, his breathing seemed to be right in her ear, clearly audible, disturbing her peace and driving her to toss and turn, completely unable to fall asleep.
It was infuriating.
In the darkness, Zhou Lin remained motionless. He was aware of Cheng Zhiwei's movements, scoffing internally. Was she trying to attract his attention on purpose? He wouldn't gratify her wish and kept silent.
The next second, the bedside lamp was suddenly turned on.
In the warm, orange light, Cheng Zhiwei sat up, hair disheveled, radiating resentment, "I'm going to sleep in the guest room."
His very breath irritated her.
"Stop." Zhou Lin was still lying in bed, his tone cold, "You want to go out now so my mother will give me trouble tomorrow?"
Lin Yu had commanded that he sleep in the master bedroom, a directive he followed solely to avoid her nagging.
Cheng Zhiwei bit her lip, looking over at the bed, "I'm not used to sleeping in the same bed with someone I'm not familiar with."
Someone unfamiliar?
A frown quickly formed between Zhou Lin's brows. Was she saying he was unfamiliar? His irritation grew.
The old trick of feigning indifference – was she too deep into her act?
"Then roll over to the couch and sleep there," Zhou Lin said ungraciously.
Cheng Zhiwei stood still for a while, and just when Zhou Lin thought she would relent, she had already grabbed the quilt and pillow and moved to the couch.
She had really chosen to sleep on the couch.
Everything was the opposite of what Zhou Lin had expected.
It was like preparing to punch a punching bag but hitting a wad of cotton instead.
Zhou Lin's breathing became erratic; he wanted to speak but didn't know how to start.
Although the couch was spacious, it was not as comfortable as a bed, and she couldn't toss and turn at will. The thought of Zhou Lin sleeping on the large bed while she had to sleep on the couch made Cheng Zhiwei very uncomfortable.
Besides, Zhou Lin's annoying breathing did not change simply because she moved to sleep on the couch.
Cheng Zhiwei didn't sleep well.
Early the next morning, Cheng Zhiwei was woken up by Zhou Lin, who stood impatiently in front of the couch, looking down on her, his eyes shimmering with a frosty gleam, "Get up."
Cheng Zhiwei, roused from sleep, furrowed her delicate brows, reached for her phone to check the time, and saw that it was only five o'clock. Her temper flared, "Zhou Lin, calling me at this hour, are you sick or something?"
The precious drowsiness that had finally come to her was rudely interrupted, and as she still counted as a patient, it was really hard for her to remain temperate.