Taking advantage of the moment when Fang Cheng went to the bathroom, Su Xiaobai quickly changed her clothes, pretending to be ready to go out soon. When Fang Cheng came out of the bathroom, he was also dressed in formal attire, with his briefcase placed on the table. Su Xiaobai had just sneaked a glance at it, and inside were several documents that needed immediate signatures from Director Qiao. It seemed that Director Qiao wouldn't delay for too long, so Fang Cheng would have to sign them soon. On the table was another document that Fang Cheng had neglected for a while—the divorce agreement, which was finally about to be used.
For this divorce agreement alone, Su Xiaobai had prepared five or six copies, just in case Fang Cheng might impulsively tear it up in a fit of anger. She felt more secure having extra copies on hand.
When Fang Cheng came out, he saw Su Xiaobai sitting at the table, with one agreement in front of her and one across from her. Without even needing to look at the contents, Fang Cheng already knew what it was. Gradually, a sense of irritation began to rise within him. He couldn't understand where this feeling was coming from. Perhaps it was because Su Xiaobai had been so decisive and proactive throughout the divorce process. Her eagerness to break free from this unhappy marriage made him feel somewhat annoyed.
He recalled the gentle and graceful woman he had married, but now she had turned into someone more assertive, almost ruthless, and a bit selfish. Yet, strangely, it was this very characteristic that made Fang Cheng find Su Xiaobai more attractive and closer to a normal, appealing woman, rather than the aloof, distant person she had been before.
When they had first gotten married, Fang Cheng had believed that a relationship built on mutual respect would be lasting and stable. But less than a month after their wedding, Su Xiaobai had shattered all the impressions he had built over the years of knowing her, as though she had become a completely different person. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized how little he understood her.
Sometimes, lying next to her in bed, Fang Cheng would even think that perhaps his new wife, with her face identical to Su Xiaobai's, was actually someone else who had replaced her.
He had thought this way until one day, when he inadvertently saw Su Xiaobai changing clothes. On her exposed lower back, there was a prominent red mole that removed all his doubts.
There was no way another woman could have the exact same mole in the same spot. He even remembered the first time he embraced her cool body, kissing her delicate white back, and how he became lost in the red mole that seemed to seep deeper into her skin.
"After the divorce, I'll move out. But, it won't be immediate. Packing my things is too troublesome, so it might take me three to five days," Su Xiaobai said. She was simply putting off packing, planning to take the last few days of her vacation to do it.
Seeing that Fang Cheng hadn't responded, Su Xiaobai furrowed her brows in impatience. "Hey, Fang Cheng, did you hear what I said?"
Her complaining made Fang Cheng snap back to reality. He glanced at the divorce agreement on the table, and his brow twitched involuntarily. There was still a trace of personal feeling in his expression, but there was no real regret in his tone. Su Xiaobai could tell that even though they were on the verge of divorce, Fang Cheng hadn't truly valued their years together. To him, their marriage was just a matter of face—his own face, nothing more.
For a moment, Su Xiaobai even felt a twinge of guilt for making such a reckless decision on Su Bai's behalf. But after seeing Fang Cheng's attitude, she became even more certain that her decision was right. Even if Su Bai resented her later, Su Xiaobai would be the first to break free from this hollow marriage.
Fang Cheng glanced down at his watch and then spoke calmly, "I'll go drop off a document for Uncle Qiao, and then I need to stop by the office. I'll sign the papers tonight, but I still hope you take some time to reconsider. After all... I don't think we need to take this step."
Su Xiaobai narrowed her beautiful eyes and suddenly stood up, coldly saying, "No need to reconsider. I think it's better to settle this matter this morning. Here's the deal: Your usual workday ends at 5:30, right? I'll be waiting for you at the law firm before 7. If you're not there by then, I'll initiate the divorce unilaterally." After saying this, she handed him a business card, then turned and went back to the bedroom to pack her things.
Fang Cheng tightly gripped the business card in his hand. "Shao Zhi Law Firm." He had never heard of this name before. The card was new, so it seemed like she had just found this lawyer recently.
While Su Xiaobai packed her things in the room, she kept one ear on the noise outside. It wasn't until she heard the sound of the door being locked that she quickly ran out, put on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and left.
Taking advantage of the fact that Fang Cheng's car hadn't gone too far, Su Xiaobai followed him in her own car, keeping a distance of about 30 to 40 meters. There were a few other cars in between, so Fang Cheng probably didn't notice her right away.
Luckily, she had left later than usual, and the rush hour had already passed. The roads weren't too congested, so after following Fang Cheng for about twenty minutes, his car finally turned into a high-end residential area on Nanjing Road. Most of the buildings here were duplexes, and the community was large. When Su Xiaobai entered, she mentioned she was following the car with the same license plate number as Fang Cheng's. The security guard, likely distracted by her beauty, didn't make things difficult for her and let her in.
Su Xiaobai watched as Fang Cheng's car slowly disappeared into the distance. She didn't dare to follow too closely, fearing it would make her too obvious. Instead, she parked her car under a building a little ahead and casually made her way up to find Fang Cheng's car.
After some time, she finally spotted his car—a black Touareg with the license plate number ending in 777—parked in front of one of the buildings. Fang Cheng had two black cars: one was an Audi provided by the company, and the other, his personal one, was the black Touareg.
Once Su Xiaobai was sure that it was the right building, she walked under a nearby tree for some shade. About ten minutes later, she saw Fang Cheng walking out, swiftly getting into his car and driving away.
Only after his car was completely out of sight did Su Xiaobai return downstairs. Qiao Nan probably lived on one of the floors of this building. It wasn't very tall—only twelve floors—but Su Xiaobai still found herself at a loss. She wasn't sure how to find Qiao Nan. It would be odd to knock on each door, and asking the security guard for help wasn't a realistic option either, considering she didn't even know which apartment Qiao Nan lived in. That would only raise suspicions.
She did have Qiao Nan's number, but she remembered that he had told her it was only for one-time use, and once used, it wouldn't be reachable again. Su Xiaobai wouldn't waste that precious opportunity just to make a call for this.
So, she ended up wandering around the building for about twenty minutes, thinking about giving up and leaving. She was beginning to feel foolish. She even held in her hand a tube of allergy medication, something she had brought from home before marriage. She used to have allergic reactions, so she kept a tube or two of topical chlorpheniramine ointment on hand.
At that moment, she felt even more ridiculous. She bit her lip and was about to leave to get her car when she unexpectedly bumped into Qiao Nan, who was downstairs throwing out the trash. At first, he didn't recognize her, but after tossing the trash, he noticed her walking around outside and realized it was Su Xiaobai.
He had his hands casually in his pockets, wearing a grey home outfit with a thin knitted cardigan over it. His hair was a bit messy, and he hadn't made any effort to style it, but this casual look made him seem even more intriguing and playful compared to his usual formal attire.
It was such a coincidence. Su Xiaobai had just turned around to take one last look when she saw Qiao Nan standing by the elevator, as if he had been there for a while. He had a mysterious smile on his face. Su Xiaobai immediately felt awkward. Holding the tube of ointment, she found herself stuck in the moment, unable to move forward or back, just standing there dumbfounded, locked in a gaze with him.
It wasn't until Qiao Nan walked closer that Su Xiaobai realized just how striking he looked in this casual attire. Not only did he look years younger, but the lazy charm about him made her even more drawn to him.
Qiao Nan was already a good-looking man, but this simple home outfit somehow gave him an irresistible, forbidden allure. Su Xiaobai couldn't help but marvel inwardly every time she saw him; it was as though every new encounter revealed a different side of him, and this unpredictable feeling made her addicted, almost like she wanted to get closer.
"Following Fang Cheng's ass, huh?" Qiao Nan immediately saw through her, but instead of mocking her, he looked at her with a pleased expression.
Su Xiaobai felt a bit embarrassed and nodded. She always felt like a child in front of him, mainly because he was so sharp—nothing ever slipped by him.
Noticing the look of discomfort and frustration on her face, Qiao Nan couldn't help but feel a little sympathy. Fang Cheng had been gone for over twenty minutes, and here Su Xiaobai was, wandering around the underground garage alone. The weather wasn't great, and there was a wind picking up. Seeing how thinly dressed she was, Qiao Nan furrowed his brow and looked at her with a helpless but amused expression.
"If I hadn't happened to come down, were you planning to just wait here forever?" His gaze held steady on her, and for a moment, a ripple passed through his dark eyes. He didn't realize how soft his tone was as he asked.
But what Su Xiaobai said next was a bit irritating. "Not really. I was about to leave, but then you came down, didn't you?" she replied nonchalantly.
Qiao Nan dropped his smile and asked, "Are you looking for me for something?"
"Well, not really," Su Xiaobai hesitated, "I heard you're allergic, right? I have some medication here, I thought I'd bring it to you."
Qiao Nan had already noticed she was holding a tube of chlorpheniramine ointment. He also had some of that in his place. It was a basic external ointment; any pharmacy would carry it for treating allergies.
At that moment, Su Xiaobai felt a little silly. She had specifically come all this way just to deliver a small tube of ointment. Plus, Qiao Nan had been allergic for two days now—he probably didn't need her to bring it to him. She felt embarrassed, and the box of ointment in her hand seemed to grow tighter as she gripped it harder.
Fang Cheng, of course, had picked up on her awkwardness but didn't point it out. He smiled and said, "So why didn't you call me? Didn't I give you my number?"
The mention of the phone number made Su Xiaobai a bit angry. She suddenly looked up at him with mock indignation. "You said that number was only for one-time use! If I used it, it would be a huge waste. No, no, I have to save it for when there's something really important!"
Qiao Nan paused, as though remembering what he had said to her before. He then smiled and said, "Didn't I give you another number too? The one you saved in your phone?"
Su Xiaobai suddenly remembered that, indeed, he had given her another number at the hospital. She hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, thinking he was joking. Now, however, she pulled out her phone and checked her contacts. Sure enough, she found Qiao Nan's other private number saved there.
At that moment, Su Xiaobai felt like she'd just revealed something she hadn't intended to. She bit her finger in frustration, annoyed with herself for not paying more attention. But before she could even start chewing on her nail, Qiao Nan suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her finger out of her mouth.
He couldn't stand her habit of biting her nails. Not only was it unsanitary, but her fingers were always bruised from the constant chewing. Seeing her ruin her hands like that, Qiao Nan had made it his mission to stop her, and he wasn't going to let it slide. It was one of those things that made him particularly stubborn with her, and she didn't even know when it started.
Just then, a car pulled into the driveway. Qiao Nan realized they had been standing there for a while, and the cold wind was much worse than inside the house. It was like a parent pulling their child along. He took her by the arm and led her inside.