Chen Jin's mind was filled with a constant humming, complete chaos, to the point where he couldn't even make out what his parents were arguing about later on.
In his consciousness, there was only the word "divorce," echoing up and down.
Chen Jin dug at his ear, seriously doubting whether he had just experienced auditory hallucinations; how else could such a ludicrous thing happen?
"Divorce? Are you saying Su Li wants to divorce me?"
"Heh..."
"Stop kidding around, that's impossible, completely impossible..."
Chen Jin's face was smiling as he voiced his disbelief.
The Chen Family's parents exchanged a look, not daring to say anything more for fear of further upsetting their son.
Both were aware that this matter was a blow to a man's pride, especially when it was the woman who initiated it.
Mrs. Chen cautiously approached Chen Jin and whispered, "Son... are you okay..."
"Don't worry, your dad and I won't agree to Su Li doing this."
Father Chen, too, had lost his earlier fiery demeanor, becoming much calmer, though there was still dissatisfaction in his eyes towards Chen Jin.
"What your mother said is right, we won't agree..."
"The Old Su Family probably won't agree either. I think it's Su Li's own decision. You go and apologize to your in-laws later, offer a proper, sincere apology, and they will help you."
Once his anger had cooled, Father Chen quickly came up with many strategies for the situation.
"Su Li, why would she suddenly want to divorce me?"
"Just this morning, we were fine..."
Chen Jin was still completely baffled but had a vague suspicion in his mind.
He had always been very careful and maintained a certain distance from Liu Yin until the night before.
It was just that the previous night's lack of self-control had left him unable to hold back, and it was too late for regrets now.
He had figured it all out; from today onwards, he would treat last night as an accident.
He believed Liu Yin would understand.
Could it be... Su Li found out so early?
Or... was she actually monitoring him all along?
For a moment, many thoughts raced through Chen Jin's mind, various speculations and turbulent emotions surged, bringing with them a mix of displeasure and embarrassment.
"If you two were always fine, why would Su Li want a divorce? And are you saying you can't even cover your tracks properly?"
"Are the photos and videos Su Li threw in front of us all fabricated?"
"Are you telling me that nothing's going on with that female colleague of yours from the company, Liu Yin?"
Father Chen almost let Chen Jin's words ignite his anger again, pointing at him with trembling fingers.
Thinking about how he, at his age, had been made a spectacle by someone younger like Su Li, his fury was uncontainable, his resentment not just towards Chen Jin's lack of fight but more so towards Su Li.
Chen Jin's internal guesses were confirmed and, curiously, his mood became even more eerily calm.
A feeling of "so it's really like that."
"Su Li insists on getting a divorce?" Chen Jin asked with an indifferent expression.
Mrs. Chen angrily raised her voice: "Exactly, and she said she's taking both children with her...."
"Doudou and Yaya are Chens by surname; they are the flesh and blood of our Chen Family," Mrs. Chen said. "We can't allow her to make decisions on her own."
"Enough," Father Chen cut her off harshly and turned to Chen Jin. "Go to your in-laws' house now and see what the situation is."
Not to mention the huge wave that would be set off when Chen Jin got to Su Li's parents' house, just at this moment, Su Li herself felt a sense of relief within her chest, as if a pent-up frustration had been vented.
This emotion must have been left over from her original self.
Deep down, she had been repressing these feelings for a long time. It was just that everyone around her, including herself, had continuously convinced her that she had been living well and happily these years, that everything was the best choice.
But was it really?
After leaving the Su Family's parents this morning on bad terms, Su Li stepped out and went straight to her parents-in-law with the items in her hand.
She simply informed them that she was going to divorce Chen Jin.
Seeing their disbelief, Su Li felt an intense rush of satisfaction.
Su Li didn't dislike these foreign emotions. On the contrary, she embraced and explored them thoroughly.
After mulling over these feelings, she concluded that her spiritual power was too weak, as even the slightest intense emotion from her original self could elicit empathy in her.
While she didn't dislike this response, she also didn't want to be passive in the future. However, for now, there was no better way to deal with this issue.
After some thought, Su Li decided to let this problem go.
Su Li hadn't mentioned her decision to divorce to her parents in the morning. However, given that the Su and Chen Families lived next to each other, it wouldn't take long for her own parents to find out.
Indeed, the news spread even quicker than she had anticipated.
She had just entertained the thought when her phone began to explode with calls.
From her parents, from her parents-in-law, and some from Chen Jin...
Su Li curled her lip and didn't pick up any of them; she turned off the ringtone and let the phone ring incessantly.
Then she turned her car around and headed straight for the best law firm in the city.
The firm was reputedly famous for handling divorce cases.
Being well-prepared, Su Li thought it best to deal with the obstinacy of the Su and Chen Families. She needed to act decisively, starting with Chen Jin.
She was ninety percent confident that Chen Jin would agree to her proposal.
As Su Li had expected, when she returned home with a lawyer, Chen Jin was already sitting quietly on the living room sofa waiting for her.
Smoke swirled around the room, and the ashtray in front of him was filled with burned-out cigarette butts.
"You're back..."
"Yes, this is my lawyer. He will discuss matters with you shortly."
Their conversation was unusually calm, as if they were discussing what to eat for dinner.
Chen Jin didn't say anything for a long while, and the Gold Medal Lawyer, smiling placidly, waited patiently on the side.
When Su Li came out after changing clothes, Chen Jin finally frowned and said unhappily, "Don't you have any regard for the past?"
"Can you really let go of all the years of our relationship?"
Chen Jin's tone was so assured that it particularly annoyed Su Li.
He seemed to be extremely confident, confident that Su Li was acting rashly because she was angry.
"It was an accident between me and Liu Yin..."
Su Li sneered, interrupting Chen Jin's incomplete sentence. "I can confirm that deciding today has been the most correct thing I've done."
Chen Jin looked deeply at Su Li, seemingly displeased with her spiteful actions.