Chapter 118: You’ll Get On Fine, With or Without Me
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“What?”
“It’s just, I’ve realized that you’re capable of accomplis.h.i.+ng many things on your own. It makes me feel like you’ll get on fine, with or without me,” said Jin Qingyan, staring at her.
“Well, all I can say is, that’s because of my overachieving personality, and also because I’m not reliant on you,” An Xiaoning said truthfully.
“You don’t actually love me, do you?”
“You don’t love me, so you don’t deserve the right to know that answer. Ask me again when you’ve really fallen for me,” said An Xiaoning, refusing to answer his question.
Jin Qingyan chuckled. “Let’s embark on our honeymoon trip tomorrow. Let’s both not bring our mobile phones or other communication devices and seclude ourselves from the rest of the world. It’ll be a honeymoon trip between just the both of us.”
“Seclude ourselves from the rest of the world? Are we going on a honeymoon trip or a concentration camp?” mocked An Xiaoning as she walked backwards.
“Stop avoiding my question. So do you agree to that?”
“You’ve already brought it up, so I guess I’ll agree. Let me inform everyone not to be surprised when they can’t contact me in the meantime.”
“I’ve already settled that in advance,” he said, grinning.
“You’re pretty fast, eh.”
——
Mo Li casually scrolled past the news report about Ye Xiaotian bringing forward his wedding with Bai Ranran, not bothering to read the content at all.
She had even detested the sight of Ye Xiaotian’s name.
“Sis, Brother-in-law called to say that he couldn’t get through to you on your mobile phone,” said Mo Xun as he entered.
“My mobile phone shut off by itself because it ran out of battery. I’m charging it now.”
“Um, Brother-in-law said he wouldn’t be coming home today and asked that you rest early. He’s currently overseas and will only be back tomorrow morning. It’s getting late, go to bed early, Sis,” said Mo Xun with a look of pity.
With a blank expression on her face, Mo Li answered, “Alright, I’ll go upstairs to get some rest now. Your brother-in-law has been rather busy lately.”
“Yeah,” replied Mo Xun, who knew exactly what was going on. As much as he pitied his sister, there was nothing he could do to help.
Mo Li remained seated, her hands trembling slightly, as she watched her brother slowly walk away.
Byron would return home in the day, occasionally. Sometimes, he would be home the entire morning, and other times, the entire afternoon. Ever since the incident with Ye Xiaotian, he had never spent a night at home.
However, she could empathize with him and understood that he needed some time to come to terms with it. Or perhaps not…
Mo Li could not bring herself to speak up, although he was a gentleman.
She had no idea how her life had been reduced to such a sorry state. She was still young in her years, yet she was living like a walking corpse, dreading the arrival of each day.
She then got up and headed upstairs.
After removing the rubberband on her head, she began combing her hair, only to realize that there was a bunch of loose hairs stuck on the teeth of the comb. To her astonishment, she noticed that a ma.s.sive amount of her hair had fallen out and onto the dressing table.
Lately, she had been suffering from insomnia, barely managing to catch some shuteye each night.
Mo Li disposed of the hairs into the dustbin and sat on her bed. As usual, she did not feel sleepy at all.
After sitting on the bed and staring blankly into s.p.a.ce for about 20 minutes, she got out of bed, put on her coat, and quickly made her way downstairs.
The chilly wind was piercing cold. Wrapping herself tightly with her coat, she zoomed towards the butler.
“Please bring me the spare car.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
She hopped into the car as soon as the chauffeur arrived, shortly after.
“Where are you headed to, Your Highness?”
“To the office.”
“Alright.” The chauffeur drove at a steady pace and soon arrived at the entrance of Byron’s office building.
“Wait for me here, I’ll be back in a short while,” she said to the chauffeur.
“Sure.”
Mo Li arrived at the entrance, only to see that the door was wide open, exposing the brightly lit room. Meanwhile, the receptionist at the front desk was fast asleep.
She put on a mask and sped towards the staircase.
She climbed up the stairs to the second storey, where she entered the elevator and made her way up to the CEO’s office.
The corridor was brightly lit, without a single soul in sight.
Mo Li looked out for the signs on the doors as she walked inside.
The lights in the CEO’s office were still switched on.
Who could possibly dare to loiter around his office at this hour?
Unless it was he himself.
Just as she was about to enter, she heard a woman’s voice all of a sudden, coming from inside his office.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“What’s there to say? I have no words,” Byron said coldly.
“You have nothing to say? Can’t you just inform the media to stop implicating me into every single piece of news about you? I’m really sick and tired of living each day in the eye of the public. This is no different from before we got divorced.” It was ostensibly Byron’s ex-wife who had been talking.
“It’s not like I can control what they write about us. Besides, they don’t write much about you. You can gladly go ahead with finding yourself a boyfriend or a new husband, it really wouldn’t matter.”
“They just won’t shut up about our divorce which happened ages ago. At the end of the day, women are still different from men. We become akin to secondhand goods as soon as we’re divorced, unlike men who are free to look for another partner as and when they please. But seriously speaking, you’ve got a really poor taste.”
Not wis.h.i.+ng to speak to her any further, Byron cut her off, “Annie, that’s enough. Let’s refrain from meeting each other in the future, unless it’s something really important.”
“Afraid your dainty little wife would get jealous? Byron, do you think I like seeing you that much? I just hope you will inform the media to stop implicating me in your matters, the next time you receive an interview. It has caused a huge disturbance in my life,” Annie said sneeringly.
“Why don’t you tell them that yourself? Making me out to be the bad guy?”
“You’re a man. What’s wrong with you telling them that?” said Annie, refusing to give in at all.
“Okay, I’ll let them know. Can you leave now?”
“I’ll leave right away. But before that, let me give you an honest piece of advice. It’d be fine if you got yourself a pure and a simple girl with a decent background. But don’t you think you’re bringing shame to yourself as a royal prince by marrying that used and worthless woman? The point is, the media will definitely compare me to her, which really infuriates me. Apart from the fact that she’s younger than I am, I really can’t tell what you see in her. I’m better than her in every other aspect. Bye, I’m leaving.”
Slinging her bag across her shoulder, she opened the door, only to find that Mo Li had been standing by the entrance. However, she did not feel guilty at all despite knowing that Mo Li had probably heard what she said. Instead, she cast her a dirty look and let out an intentional cough as she sized Mo Li up, scanning her from head to toe. At last, she said with a scoff, “It’s no wonder Byron was attracted to you. You’ve got a really well-endowed bosom, haha.”
Mo Li cast a glance at her and noticed that she was completely flat-chested.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Hmph.” Annie turned around and left.
Byron knew that she was here upon hearing her voice at the door. As soon as he saw her, he began to look a little guilty and awkward, as if he was being exposed. He seemed to be ashamed, not at the fact that his ex-wife was there, but rather at the fact that she had exposed him for not returning home.
“Why… did you come here?”
“Byron, let’s get a divorce,” Mo Li suggested calmly as she stepped forward.
Byron was greatly startled by her words, for he did not expect her to initiate a divorce. He had only wanted to have some time away from her in order to sort his feelings out; he did not know how to face her ever since the incident.
“But we’ve gotten married only recently…”
“You’re a good man. I feel really honored to be introduced to you by Qingyan. However, after some serious thought, I can’t let you continue living with me, with a thorn in your flesh. I know you’re too embarra.s.sed to bring it up, so I’ll take the initiative to say it.”
He quickly stepped forward to grab her hand and said, “Are you upset because I haven’t been coming home at night recently? I just needed a few days to sort my feelings out, it’s not that I wanted a divorce but couldn’t bring myself to say it. Don’t overthink it.”