Chapter 31: You say your piece, I’ll listen to my own.

Xu Shujian remained silent, watching the unfolding scene with a sense of amusement.

Zhang Qidong, that old fool, was clearly being held on such a high pedestal by others that he had become trapped in his own subjective perception. To him, what others thought didn't matter; only his own views were the truth. Perhaps the old man was even feeling smug, proud of his own perceived "broad perspective."

However, a second later, Xu Shujian himself was stunned.

Song Yue leaned over and placed a few peeled lake shrimp into Xu Shujian’s bowl. "Try these. They’re quite fresh."

Xu Shujian stopped watching the drama and lowered his head to eat. He thought to himself, *This shouldn't be happening, right? Song Yue, are you really the type of person who can’t let go of what’s already done? We’ve already signed the divorce papers in private, yet now you’re treating me better and better? What does this mean? You aren't thinking of backing out of the divorce, are you?*

Seeing Xu Shujian pop the shrimp she had peeled into his mouth, a smile appeared on Song Yue’s face. She hadn't overthought it. Throughout the afternoon, she had suspected Old Xu of hiding his true capabilities, but after Xu Shujian’s rapid-fire retort earlier, she had spent a long time reflecting and realized it was indeed she who had neglected him after they were married.

When it came to their life together, the lion's share of the problems had certainly been hers. She used to think Old Xu didn't understand her at all, but now she realized the primary cause of that misunderstanding was herself. She discovered that it wasn't that Old Xu lacked options; if he had wanted to, his career could have been very successful. The resentment in Song Yue's heart began to wane.

To Song Yue, at this moment, these changes in Old Xu seemed reasonable—or rather, they were things she herself had prompted. Thinking this way, Old Xu must have been harboring a great deal of grievance, and for no reason at all, she felt a sudden urge to be kinder to him.

Xu Shujian caught a glimpse of Song Yue out of the corner of his eye. After a moment, he leaned over and whispered, "I actually prefer sea shrimp."

Song Yue replied, "Fine. I’ll go earn some money tomorrow, and I’ll buy some on my way back in the evening."

Xu Shujian reached up and began to rub his temples.

Song Yue asked, "What's wrong? Is it the wind? I’ll go get a blanket."

Without waiting for an answer, she stood up, trotted into the villa, and returned a moment later with two blankets. She handed one to Xu Shujian and draped the other over her own shoulders.

Xu Shujian looked at the blanket in his lap, feeling a moment of bewilderment. He couldn't quite tell anymore: did Song Yue want to go through with the divorce or not?

If she still wanted to divorce, he felt he needed to be more careful about maintaining boundaries and keep up this attitude until the end so they could part on good terms. But if she had suddenly changed her mind, he would have to expose even more of the things she couldn't tolerate.

Xu Shujian definitely wanted the divorce. What a fantastic start this was—a chance to choose life all over again! He hadn't even begun to enjoy it yet, and she was already trying to leash him? Besides, the real husband was long dead; he wasn't the one she married!

Xu Shujian hung the blanket on the back of his chair and shook his head. "I'm not cold. I actually find it quite refreshing."

Song Yue smiled, unbothered.

This kind of interaction seemed normal to everyone else; Chen Linye and Pan Yun were also whispering to each other. Zhang Qidong, perhaps hungry, just kept eating and paid no mind to Yu Hui, who was already lighting his third cigarette.

But Zhang Qidong had been keeping an eye on Xu Shujian. Seeing him being so unappreciative, he felt his chance had arrived. "Shujian is truly blessed," he remarked. "Someone peels shrimp for you, and you say you don't like them; someone brings you a blanket, and you refuse to wear it. If only I were treated that way."

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Xu Shujian and Song Yue. Chen Linye’s eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at Pan Yun. "Are you cold?"

Pan Yun shook her head.

Chen Linye froze for a moment, then lowered his head to eat.

Pan Yun sighed. *I said I wasn't cold, so you just stopped? Xu Shujian said he wasn't cold, but didn't President Song still bring him a blanket? What, are you more high-and-mighty than President Song?* Pan Yun felt increasingly that Chen Linye didn't understand her. It was the same during the day—they were just taking photos, so what would it have hurt to stop and snap a few? He just had to be stubborn with her. *Is this what being strong-willed means?*

Xu Shujian looked at Song Yue. *Did you hear that? This old fool is rooting for you. You should be feeling slighted, understand?*

However, Song Yue narrowed her eyes. She set down her chopsticks, stood up, took the blanket from her own shoulders, and draped it over Xu Shujian. She said softly, "It's still a bit chilly. You wear it first; if you're too hot, you can give it back to me."

Then, Song Yue turned to Lin Xiaoxian. "Sister Xiaoxian, I saw you hugging your arms. Are you cold? I checked earlier, and there are several more blankets on the sofa in the living room. If you're cold, go grab one. It really is windy out here."

The smile on Zhang Qidong’s face stiffened.

Lin Xiaoxian glanced at Zhang Qidong, then stood up and headed into the house herself.

Song Yue added, "Sister Xiaoxian, if you're getting one, grab an extra. I noticed President Zhang isn't wearing much either."

Lin Xiaoxian’s body paused, her voice cool. "Sure."

To Lin Xiaoxian, Song Yue’s words were perfectly fine, as Song Yue had acted first before speaking. What bothered Lin Xiaoxian was that while she could understand why Song Yue did this for Xu Shujian—since they were supposedly divorcing—she and Zhang Qidong were also, at least on the surface, on the verge of divorce. Yet, Zhang Qidong remained so indifferent, actually waiting for her to fetch him a blanket?

Lin Xiaoxian felt the atmosphere return to the suffocating feeling of her daily life; it was very uncomfortable.

Zhang Qidong chuckled awkwardly. He had been caught off guard; Song Yue, who seemed so quiet, was unexpectedly sharper in her words and actions than Xu Shujian.

*What does this mean?*

*Isn't it you, Song Yue, who wants to dump Xu Shujian?*

*Could she also be the type of person who is obsessed with "face"?*

*They aren't divorced yet, so maybe she feels humiliated by me targeting her husband?*

Zhang Qidong didn't pay any attention to Lin Xiaoxian’s mood; he was still fixated on Song Yue and Xu Shujian.

"Very good, very good. President Song, I think perhaps it’s these little details that make Shujian uncomfortable. You’re likely treating him the way you think is right, but in reality, he doesn't like it." Zhang Qidong shifted his tone and directed this toward Xu Shujian.

Xu Shujian looked over, thinking, *Can you please just shut up? I’m already annoyed enough.*

Without much thought, Xu Shujian snapped back, "Who says? Only a fool wouldn't like such care, alright? Why don't you ask her: did she ever do this before? My point, just like Sister Miaomiao’s, is: where were you before? Why act like this now? It’s too late."

Huang Miaomiao nodded. "Exactly, exactly."

As soon as she said it, Huang Miaomiao regretted it and hurriedly looked at Song Yue. "No, no, I just meant Yu Hui, not Shujian."

After speaking, Xu Shujian caught a glimpse of Song Yue out of the corner of his eye. *My hint was obvious enough, right? Even if you don't want to divorce, it’s already too late.*

Song Yue smiled, seemingly unbothered by Xu Shujian’s words. She said to Huang Miaomiao, "It’s alright, I understand."

Only then did Song Yue look at Xu Shujian. She still wore an expression of "I knew it." Xu Shujian had intended the latter half of his sentence to be the focus, but Song Yue had heard only the first part.

*Only a fool wouldn't like this care!*

What did that imply?

It meant that Xu Shujian was indeed feeling aggrieved; otherwise, why would he say the shrimp didn't taste good, or insist it wasn't cold when the wind was clearly howling?

He was harboring resentment, and rightly so. He had suffered so many grievances, and just this afternoon, she had accused him of putting on an act. That was indeed her fault.

So, he did care about this affection after all.