Chapter 32: Turn the Tables

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Lin Xiaoxian came out from inside and handed Zhang Qidong a blanket. He took it from her without a word of thanks and draped it over himself.

Instead, Zhang Qidong glanced at Song Yue. He felt that she had given him a way out.

On the surface, he had stood up for her, yet she had treated Xu Shujian even better afterward, making him lose face. But she had casually reminded Xiaoxian to bring him a blanket. Wasn't that her way of giving him a step down?

Zhang Qidong felt that people in business were indeed more capable than ordinary people. It fit neatly into his worldview.

He was a typical believer in results: anyone truly impressive had to have something to show for it, and anyone without results could not be that impressive. He did not believe that, in this era, talent could go undiscovered. With self-media so highly developed, anyone truly gifted would inevitably be noticed.

That was also why he felt Xu Shujian was lacking in some way. He could not believe that a genuinely talented man could spend ten years without making a name for himself.

In Zhang Qidong's eyes, Xu Shujian was indeed unworthy of Song Yue. Song Yue simply cared too much about appearances; if Zhang Qidong targeted Xu Shujian, she would certainly not take his side.

Zhang Qidong felt he was the same way. If anyone targeted Lin Xiaoxian, he would stand firmly on her side without hesitation.

After glancing at Xu Shujian, Zhang Qidong rose and walked over toward Yu Hui.

Lin Xiaoxian leaned back in her chair, looking somewhat dejected.

Zhang Qidong was now going out of his way to make his presence felt, but he did not think there was anything wrong with Lin Xiaoxian. They had not come here intending to get divorced in the first place, so what could possibly be wrong? They were both forty, not three-year-old children. Did she really need him to look after her every moment?

Song Yue saw all of this. A faint smile curved her lips as she quietly took the pastry in front of Lin Xiaoxian and placed it before Xu Shujian.

“Try it.”

Xu Shujian sighed, picked up a piece, and put it into his mouth.

Song Yue asked, “Well?”

“Made from buckwheat? The texture is pretty good.”

Song Yue nodded, her smile blooming like a flower.

Lin Xiaoxian saw what Song Yue had done and became even more dejected.

Xu Shujian no longer deliberately opposed Song Yue. Clearly, the two of them were no longer on the same wavelength. If they kept bickering now, the atmosphere would most likely start to resemble a public display of affection.

Xu Shujian turned his head to look behind him, keeping an eye on Zhang Qidong.

A few minutes later, Yu Hui actually returned. Acting as though nothing had happened, he even went inside and brought Huang Lingling a blanket as well.

This time, Huang Lingling's attitude was much better. She accepted it and said thank you.

After dinner, Chen Linye took out a notebook and went over the accounts with everyone. Pan Yun began criticizing them for exceeding the day's spending limit, going on and on.

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Xu Shujian developed a headache just listening to her. He was not particularly interested in this matter anyway, so he wrapped himself in the blanket, rose, and walked to the edge of the distant courtyard, where he leaned against the railing and looked out at the scenery.

Song Yue instinctively wanted to get up and follow him. She did not enjoy listening to Pan Yun quibble over every expense either. If they had spent too much, they could simply find a solution. What else could they do? Keep emphasizing, over and over, how correct their spending philosophy was? It would not accomplish anything.

But Lin Xiaoxian, seated to her left, caught hold of her.

Leaning closer, Lin Xiaoxian asked in a low voice, “President Song, may I talk to you?”

Song Yue glanced at Xu Shujian leaning against the railing, then pulled her chair a little closer to Lin Xiaoxian.

“Go ahead.”

“I’m a little curious about the state of your relationship. Shujian says he has a problem, and you say you have a problem too. On the surface, you both admit your own mistakes, but in reality, neither of you seems willing to yield. So how do you feel about it now?”

Song Yue thought for a moment. She felt that Lin Xiaoxian was not really asking about her relationship with Old Xu, but was trying to confirm certain things indirectly.

She replied softly, “How should I put it? Before coming here, I thought I understood him well enough, and I also understood that it was impossible for him to understand me. I assumed he felt the same way about me—that he understood me, but knew he could never truly understand me. If that were the case, then divorce would be the only path left. But the truth seems to be different. Let me ask you something: Do you think President Zhang understands you well enough?”

Lin Xiaoxian thought about it, then nodded before shaking her head. “I feel that my relationship with him is much like yours. He definitely understands me, but he may not truly comprehend me.”

“Exactly. That was how I used to feel. Maybe it’s because Old Xu and I haven’t spent time alone together like this in so long, but do you know what? By the second day here, I already felt a sense of unfamiliarity toward him. I realized I didn’t understand him as well as I thought I did. Or perhaps the timeline had simply stretched on for too long. The last several years of our life together had merely continued through sheer inertia. Every day, I was occupied with various projects and corporate development plans. I even dreamed about work. When I thought about it, I had to ask myself: Am I different from the person I was ten years ago, or even five years ago?”

“In fact, I’m completely different. Ten years ago, I thought there was no way I could devote myself entirely to work. Wouldn’t that be terribly boring? Five years ago, I thought there was no way I could manage such a vast enterprise. And yet I’ve done all of it. Sometimes I can hardly believe how much I’ve changed. So how could Old Xu possibly have remained unchanged over ten years?”

“It seems that my impression of him never changed at all. He really did try to understand me, and he made countless compromises for my sake. I simply overlooked all of it.”

Lin Xiaoxian listened intently, nodding as she did. She felt deeply connected to every word.

Wasn't she the same? How many compromises had she made for the sake of her family? And what about Zhang Qidong? He always seemed to think she was still the innocent little girl she had once been. He even encouraged her to preserve that innocence, claiming it helped her acting. But Lin Xiaoxian had never felt that such innocence helped her acting all that much.

How could a person possibly remain unchanged and fail to grow?

Song Yue and Xu Shujian had been married for only ten years. Lin Xiaoxian and Zhang Qidong had been together for more than fifteen.

“So, now Xu Shujian genuinely wants a divorce, and you’ve realized that you’re the one more at fault in the marriage. Do you still want a divorce?” Lin Xiaoxian asked.

Song Yue froze.

Did she still want a divorce?

Divorce... Did she really want it?

For the past two days, she seemed not to have seriously considered the outcome at all.

Her kindness toward Xu Shujian earlier—had it merely come from the guilt she felt after calling him an actor that afternoon?

Then again, hadn’t he earned money to take her out to dinner? Her own response had not been unreasonable, had it?

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Song Yue frowned. She had only meant to give Lin Xiaoxian an indirect reminder. How had she ended up getting herself tangled in it instead?

Lin Xiaoxian turned her head and glanced at Xu Shujian leaning against the railing. She imagined that his feelings at that moment must be complicated. After all, Song Yue had just defended him without holding anything back.

“President Song, you hesitated,” Lin Xiaoxian said. Then she gave a somewhat self-mocking smile.

Xu Shujian, who was in nearly the same situation as she was, had already been seen and understood. But what about her?

She sighed inwardly.

Song Yue came back to herself. “Do you think the initiative is still in my hands? I just... I just think I can accept a different outcome now.”

“What if his attitude doesn’t change?”

Song Yue turned and glanced at Xu Shujian as well. “Then we’ll get divorced. I can accept that.”

The moment she said it, Song Yue suddenly felt as though someone had squeezed her heart. Without realizing it, even her breathing grew heavier.

Did she really want a divorce?

Hadn’t separation been what she had wanted for so many years?

Then why, now that she had truly reached this point, did it feel so painful?

Song Yue began to recall the moments when the thought of divorce had first taken root: being misunderstood, pouring herself into her career with all her heart, and then having to accommodate and soothe him the moment she returned home.

For a long time, she had even found herself distracted while working, constantly feeling that there was still something at home waiting to be dealt with.

Those days had been exhausting, both physically and emotionally. That was probably when the desire for divorce had first emerged.

Since she could neither keep accommodating him nor continue soothing him, and since he refused to change while she herself could not completely stop caring, perhaps they were better off simply separating. Once that thought had taken hold, she had finally been able to devote herself entirely to work—and, in doing so, completely ignore Xu Shujian.

But Xu Shujian had truly changed now. Wasn’t that exactly what she had wanted?

Song Yue sighed. “People really are complicated.”

Lin Xiaoxian reached out and took Song Yue’s hand. “The two of you are both good people. I can still judge that much. Since you know you’ve made mistakes, I think you should cherish what you have. You’re not divorced yet, after all.”

Song Yue looked back at Xu Shujian once more, then smiled for no apparent reason.

She had intended to make Zhang Qidong suffer a little, but Lin Xiaoxian had ended up turning the tables on her instead.

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