Chapter 8: Home

The wind in Moon City seemed never-ending, and under the lakeside sunlight, the beach faintly shimmered with golden hues.

Xu Shujian sat on the sand, feeling the gentle breeze from the lake, his gaze fixed on Song Yue, who was barefoot, stepping into the water. He felt somewhat dazed.

After breakfast, the living room filled with more people. Song Yue disliked such gatherings; her nature was clear-cut—love and hate were distinct. Perhaps in her eyes, Yu Hui’s sarcastic attitude toward her mirrored her own toward him. Displeasure showed in actions, prompting her to take the initiative and invite Xu Shujian for a walk by the lake.

Xu Shujian sensed that, in Song Yue’s heart, both of them needed to live well apart—that was an essential condition for her.

To draw an imperfect analogy: some people, unwilling to care for their cats and dogs anymore, might give them to new owners. But the new owners must treat those pets well, or it would upset the original owner.

Before long, Song Yue came bounding over to Xu Shujian, panting.

“I told you not to go, but you insisted,” Xu Shujian teased.

Song Yue plopped down, frowning at her own pale, tender feet covered in sand. “You’re no fun. How often do I get to play like this? What now? If I go over there to wash my feet, my shoes will get wet; if I walk back here, there’s sand.”

Xu Shujian pulled out a pack of wet wipes. “You want to wipe yourself, or should I do it?”

Song Yue took the wipes at first, then opened them and handed them back. “You wipe for me. At least for now, you’re still my husband.”

Xu Shujian could only sigh, straighten up, extend his legs on the sand, and place her feet on his lap.

He pulled out a wipe and began brushing the sand off her feet.

After so many years together, there was no need for shyness. Song Yue adjusted her sitting position into a comfortable one, her mind drifting to reflections from last night before sleep.

She felt that old Xu had indeed changed. Of course, she had known before but never felt it deeply nor had the time to. Comparing with other couples, such as Pan Yun, who was distinctly domineering, making Chen Linye meek and submissive.

Song Yue realized she might have been domineering herself, suppressing Xu Shujian, causing his formerly flamboyant personality to wear down over their ten years of marriage.

She deliberately showed some little-woman gestures toward Xu Shujian, never believing words alone could bridge gaps. Instead, she preferred practical actions to improve him.

As for Xu Shujian saying he kept grudges in his heart, Song Yue didn’t believe it. She thought it was his way of comforting himself, adding layers of guilt.

Given Xu Shujian’s current temperament, she felt it was somewhat unrealistic for him to reenter the entertainment industry.

Just as she put on her shoes, some crew members approached with an exquisitely crafted envelope.

Xu Shujian stood and took it, glanced at it, then handed it to Song Yue. “Let’s go. A new segment is starting.”

---

After a ten-minute drive, they arrived at a more expansive beach.

The "Zero Point in Marriage" segment—a traditional part of the show "Let’s Divorce."

On the sand, the first thing visible was a wooden frame structure, inside which were outlines of a family of three crafted from some kind of wicker or wooden strips.

This scene was easily understood by Xu Shujian. He recalled that before coming here, the crew had interviewed him, asking about the biggest issue in their marriage. He had expressed a strong desire for a child, but Song Yue did not want one.

"Good morning, I’m your photographer," a short-haired woman waiting nearby greeted them.

This segment seemed to reconstruct the zero point in their marriage, using a photographer to capture a photo that would expose the underlying conflicts. It was meant to identify specific problems and dig deeper step by step.

“Hello,” Song Yue and Xu Shujian said in unison.

“Are you unfamiliar with this scene?” the photographer asked.

Both shook their heads.

“How do you interpret it?”

Song Yue looked to Xu Shujian. He began slowly: “A home… I used to be quite traditional. I thought a home needed a child; that was the normal family structure.”

The photographer turned to Song Yue. “And you?”

Song Yue replied, “I don’t quite remember the year. He really wanted a child, but at that time, I was just starting to take over the family business. I couldn’t handle pregnancy or, rather, I felt I couldn’t juggle two things that were both very important to me. I told him to wait two years. Back then, he just couldn’t understand, and we argued a few times.”

The memory gradually became clearer in Xu Shujian’s mind.

He truly couldn’t understand back then. He thought that if she had the child first, he could help with the business a little, and she could pursue her work freely. He even fantasized endlessly about how he would educate the child and become friends with them.

The photographer, seeing Xu Shujian silent, asked, “Shujian, do you think this was the root cause of your marital problems?”

Xu Shujian thought for a moment, then said, “A trigger, perhaps. The root was that she had already focused her energy on her family’s business. Sometimes she came home at dawn; sometimes not at all. I chose a compromise: you manage your family’s business, but give me a child, and I can live with it.”

The photographer was moved. She’d heard many stories like this but never one with the roles reversed.

---

The photographer was young and had witnessed the glamorous Xu Shujian; it struck her how even someone perceived by the public as living a life of luxury after marrying into a wealthy family had experienced such humility privately.

Recalling these frustrating past events, Song Yue lost her usual composure: “I actually told you many times, it was unavoidable. My family has paid many times for my stubbornness. I can’t just care about us, but you didn’t understand.”

Xu Shujian said, “Now I do.”

“And back then?”

He shook his head. “Back then, I never could.”

Xu Shujian was no longer the man he used to be. Now he understood that Song Yue had invested much of her family’s influence to defend herself and the company in legal battles.

At that time, her family had indeed supported her wholeheartedly, both financially and otherwise.

But after marriage, her family hadn’t accepted him as he had once imagined. From Xu Shujian’s current perspective, he saw clearly.

It wasn’t that her family truly acknowledged him, then contributed money and effort. It was all to nurture Song Yue.

This was the boldness of a great family willing to let their children make mistakes. Since Song Yue deemed Xu Shujian important, they supported her. The shifts and mindset were hers alone to experience.

Time would reveal everything.

Of course, Song Yue’s later changes were also influenced by her family’s backing.

“You also gained Xu Shujian. The family needs someone to take over—will you?”

This was an insoluble contradiction: the family poured vast resources into her, so she must bear the family’s responsibilities.

The former Xu Shujian could never have understood that.

Song Yue averted her gaze, feeling mentally exhausted from these matters.

The photographer raised her camera: “Let’s take a photo. Now, do you still want to stand within the outlines of this home that belongs to you both, and face your own choices?”