Zhou Lin squinted his eyes, realizing that Cheng Zhiwei's temper seemed to have grown much larger. The old Cheng Zhiwei was always softly spoken and gentle, but now, having been woken up, she even resorted to cursing.
However, he didn't feel angry; on the contrary, he was quite interested as he watched Cheng Zhiwei, pressing his tongue against his teeth and sneering, "Finally stopped pretending to be gentle?"
Cheng Zhiwei turned her face away, her heart sore and swollen. She had genuinely wanted to maintain this marriage and warm Zhou Lin's heart. Therefore, she always held herself up to the standard of a good wife and hence was gentle and quiet.
But no matter how well she did, it never won Zhou Lin's sincerity; instead, he hurt her time and again.
Now that she was disappointed in him, she naturally lacked patience.
"If there's something to say, say it; if not, leave," she said coolly.
Zhou Lin pursed his lips, silently watching her for a while, his black, deep gaze as if trying to see through her thoughts, guessing to what extent she planned to play hard to get this time.
"Zhou Lin..." Cheng Zhiwei began.
"Go sleep in the bed," Zhou Lin turned his gaze away, his tone as disgusted as ever, "I don't want mom to discover that we haven't been sleeping in the same bed."
After speaking, he left the room, gently opening and closing the door.
Cheng Zhiwei touched the place where her heart was, mocking herself for being naive. The moment Zhou Lin spoke the first half of his sentence, she almost had the illusion that he cared about her. Thankfully, he finished quickly; otherwise, she would have been unable to control her expression and would have lost face.
She got out of bed slowly, folding up the blanket Zhou Lin had slept under and putting it away in the wardrobe, then placed her own blanket and pillow on the bed. Cheng Zhiwei lay flat on the bed but couldn't find a trace of sleepiness anymore.
With her eyes wide open until 6:30, Cheng Zhiwei got up and went to wash and brush her teeth.
After finishing, she came out only to find another person in the room.
It was Lin Yu.
She asked kindly, "Why are you up so early?"
She had hoped to catch the young couple in bed, but upon entering, she found nobody there.
Cheng Zhiwei came up with an excuse, "I've been sleeping too much these days, my bones ache from it, so I thought I'd get up early."
The weariness on her face was impossible to hide.
Lin Yu saw it, and her heart sank a little. As someone who had been through it all, she could tell whether Cheng Zhiwei and Zhou Lin had encountered issues the night before with just a glance. Cheng Zhiwei's visible exhaustion was enough to suggest that the couple hadn't been harmonious overnight.
Hiding the question in her heart, Lin Yu took Cheng Zhiwei's hand, her smile brimming, "It's rare for me to be up early too, how about going out for a walk?"
Cheng Zhiwei always agreed unconditionally to those who were kind to her, "Then let me change my clothes."
The two walked around the lake in the villa area and by the time they returned, Wang Mei had finished preparing breakfast.
After each had their breakfast, Cheng Zhiwei went to the living room.
Lin Yu pulled Wang Mei aside in the kitchen, anxiously asking, "How is it?"
Wang Mei shook her head with a grave expression, "The bed was clean and tidy."
Lin Yu sighed; it was just as she had expected.
Wang Mei offered comfort, "The Young Madam has a good nature and is beautiful, and the young master comes back every day. Sooner or later, he will be moved."
Lin Yu, however, shook her head sadly, knowing that this possibility was slim. She understood Zhou Lin; even if she kept him at home these few days, the moment she left, he would only rebound even more fiercely.
"Ah Lin, this blind fool, Zhiwei has the temperament, face value, and stands out in every aspect. Most importantly, she has liked him since she was young, and he still doesn't appreciate her." Lin Yu paced back and forth with irritation, "No, I must think of something."
"Madam, it's still better to let nature take its course," Wang Mei advised, trying to prevent worsening the resentment between them.
Lin Yu was fraught with worry. If things continued to proceed naturally, she was going to lose her daughter-in-law.
In the afternoon, Cheng Zhiwei received a call from Xu Tian. The divorce agreement had been drafted, and Xu Tian had sent it to Cheng Zhiwei's email for her to look over. If there were no issues, they could print it out and sign it.
"Thank you, Tiantian," Cheng Zhiwei felt a weight lift from her heart, "Once I'm divorced, I'll treat you to a meal."
Xu Tian's voice was clear and crisp, "First get the divorce finalized and get away from that scumbag. Sister promises to find you a man a hundred times better than Zhou Lin."
"Let's talk about that after the divorce."
Cheng Zhiwei hung up the call, clicked open the divorce agreement, and started to read, without noticing that, not far behind her, Lin Yu stood with a face full of shock and sadness.
Zhiwei was actually preparing to get a divorce?
Zhou Lin came home late. Lin Yu had Wang Mei prepare some food for him again, then she herself took him to the balcony, "I have something to ask you."
Zhou Lin said, "Go ahead."
Lin Yu, thinking about the phone call she had overheard, tentatively asked, "Are you willing to get a divorce?"
Zhou Lin's brow furrowed. A divorce?
Had Cheng Zhiwei said something to his mother, or was she deliberately testing him?
As he kept silent, Lin Yu became somewhat anxious, "Well, speak up, are you willing to get a divorce or not?"
She was very persistent about wanting an answer.
Zhou Lin lit a cigarette, "I am not willing."
Lin Yu immediately showed a look of joy, "Really? You don't want to get a divorce?"
Zhiwei liked Zhou Lin; she was just hurt. Since Zhou Lin also did not want a divorce, then as his mother, she had to put forth every effort to lend them a helping hand.
She patted Zhou Lin's arm with a sense of relief, "I knew it. Zhiwei is so good to you, how could you bear to mistreat her."
After speaking, she went back inside.
Zhou Lin continued smoking on the balcony. He understood Lin Yu all too well. Lin Yu really liked Cheng Zhiwei and was extremely eager for his marriage to Cheng Zhiwei to be happy and successful. If he uttered his desire for a divorce, Madam Lin would not hesitate to cause trouble for Bai Zhuzhu.
Thus, to avoid trouble, Zhou Lin chose the opposite answer.
He finished his cigarette, and by then dinner was ready.
He ate simply, and Lin Yu brought him a glass of milk afterward, "Drink the milk and have a good sleep."
Zhou Lin's current thought was to go along with Lin Yu's wishes, to get her to go home early and accompany his father. Therefore, he didn't notice his mother's meaningful smile and drank the milk in one breath.
"Take this glass up to Zhiwei," Lin Yu held out another glass of milk, handing it to Zhou Lin, "Let her recover her health quickly."
Again, she was sending gifts to deliberately create opportunities for them to be alone. Zhou Lin understood and took the milk upstairs.
Cheng Zhiwei had thoroughly perused the divorce agreement several times to ensure that when Zhou Lin saw the divorce agreement, he would sign it without hesitation.
As Zhou Lin pushed the door open and entered, he saw her nestled in the recliner, bathed in the lamplight, which cast a gentle halo around her. She was dressed in a long white gown, her hair flowing, exuding a sense of timeless tranquility and laziness.
In that instant, something unusual flashed through Zhou Lin's mind.
It was as though the Cheng Zhiwei in his memory was malicious and scheming, but in this moment, she shattered his long-standing impression, suddenly appearing pleasing to the eye, even beautiful and graceful.
He was drawn to get closer to her.