After her daughter hung up on her, Ye Rong was clearly furious.
Especially when Li Wanran had said—
“Dad was right after all.”
For some reason, hearing her daughter bring up that man, an uncontrollable irritation bubbled up in Ye Rong’s heart.
In truth, Ye Rong had felt something strange for a long time. She always believed her husband still had some kind of hold over her.
Even though he was already dead, that suffocating feeling of being dominated still lingered—like every move she made was still part of his plan…
Like he had woven a giant web beforehand and was just watching her struggle inside it. From the very first moment she met Li Zhengmao in her youth…
Ye Rong had felt that way.
Forcing herself to shove those memories aside, Ye Rong gathered her composure and dialed Li Chongming’s number.
So she called again.
Then a third time.
Until finally—
Li Chongming answered.
Ye Rong immediately brought the phone to her ear and asked him:
“Where are you right now?”
【I’ll divorce Li Wanran, that’s fine. But I want what’s mine.】
Li Chongming didn’t answer her question. Instead, he laid out his demand directly.
Hearing his words, the last bit of hope left in Ye Rong’s heart vanished. It was only now that she realized—her daughter hadn’t lied to her.
She sounded almost in disbelief.
“How could you do something like this? I valued you so highly. I was planning to—”
【No need for all that. My condition is simple: after the divorce, I want my share of the assets.】
“You’re dreaming!”
His uncharacteristic tone disgusted Ye Rong.
The man who used to flatter her so politely, with clever words and charm, was now speaking so rudely.
It made her snap out of it, and her tone changed too.
She had once truly thought highly of Li Chongming. He knew how to play the game, and in her mind, he was far superior to her daughter’s previous husband.
She had chosen Li Chongming.
Her husband, though, had chosen Liu Changqing.
Even though she told herself it was for her daughter’s happiness—to keep her from marrying someone she didn’t love and living a miserable life…
The real reason buried deep inside her heart…
Was that she just wanted to beat Li Zhengmao for once.
No matter how she sugarcoated it with reasons like not wanting her daughter stuck in an unhappy marriage—
At the core, what she wanted most…
Was just to win.
But now, Li Chongming had already been caught red-handed by Li Wanran. There was no need for him to keep up the charade with Ye Rong anymore. After hearing her outrage, he just let out a cold laugh.
Then said:
【I have things in my hands that you wouldn’t want made public. If you don’t agree to my terms… then let’s go down together.】
The veiled threat was obvious. Hearing it made Ye Rong’s expression shift drastically. Then she went silent.
Whether he was bluffing or not… she didn’t have the courage to go to war with him. In her view, her own life was far more valuable than his.
After weighing the pros and cons, Ye Rong gave her answer quickly.
“I agree.”
【Good.】
Click—
The call ended.
Ye Rong set the phone down on the table, then stood from her chair and walked to the window, gazing out over the city.
Stretching out as far as the eye could see.
New Year’s Eve, 10:45 PM
Liu Changqing was in the living room of An Yuanyao’s house. After dinner, everyone had gathered to watch the Spring Festival Gala.
At first, he was a little surprised that they were actually going to watch the Gala together. But after thinking about it, it did make sense.
What really caught him off guard…
Was that An Quancheng was more excited than anyone. He had been looking forward to the Gala before it even started and, after dinner, rushed to his seat and took charge of the remote.
Surprisingly, it was his mother-in-law who seemed the least interested. Not hard to guess why—she probably thought idol dramas were more entertaining than variety shows like this.
For someone her age, she still lived like a youngster…
What confused Liu Changqing the most was that An Yuanyao was just as into the Gala.
He watched An Quancheng laugh heartily, saw An Qianxun and his dad laughing in the exact same way, and saw An Yuanyao cover her mouth, giggling like a little girl…
The vibe in the An family was not at all what he expected. With how wealthy they were, the fact that they all still gathered to watch the Gala every year was just… absurd.
But—
Liu Changqing looked at the TV, where a skit by Zhao Benshan was playing, and he couldn’t help but laugh along with the rest of the family.
Spring Festival Gala… pretty entertaining, actually.
Once the Zhao Benshan skit ended, there weren’t many interesting acts left. The family laughed less and less as the show went on.
Until… Liu Changqing noticed An Yuanyao’s head start nodding, like a chick pecking at rice, and their daughter was already slumped asleep in her seat.
Liu Changqing smiled and turned to her parents.
“Dad, Mom, Yuanyao’s getting sleepy. I’ll take her to bed.”
“Mm, go ahead.”
With their approval, Liu Changqing first carried their sleeping daughter to bed, then called for his son to go to sleep as well.
After settling their daughter in, he returned with An Yuanyao to their room.
Ever since her pregnancy, An Yuanyao had been going to bed earlier. Staying up past 11 tonight was already pushing it.
Once they were in the room, she kept yawning, her eyes clearly losing focus.
Seeing her like this, Liu Changqing didn’t say much. He walked over, took off her cotton pajamas, and tucked her into bed.
After pulling the blanket over her and making sure she was comfortable, Liu Changqing turned to head to the bathroom.
But as he lifted his head, he saw An Yuanyao watching him.
He paused.
Looking back at her, he asked softly:
“Thirsty? Want some warm water?”
“Not thirsty…”
She shook her head from under the covers. Then, suddenly, she reached out her hand toward him.
Without hesitation, Liu Changqing sat back down beside the bed and took her hand in his. A smile appeared on his face. Just as he was about to speak—
An Yuanyao said:
“You must be exhausted…”
“Hm?”
His smile froze. Liu Changqing looked at her and instinctively replied with a confused sound.
Lying under the covers, she looked at her husband’s slightly weary face, and a surge of heartache rose in her chest…
She held his hand tighter.
As if… wanting to melt into him.
An Yuanyao looked into his eyes. seaʀᴄh thё Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
“Don’t shoulder everything by yourself… I’m your wife.
Sometimes… let me carry part of it with you, okay?”
“……”
The room fell quiet.
Liu Changqing reached out with his other hand, gently brushed her hair to the side, fully revealing her face.
A smile slowly returned to his face, and he responded with a gentle laugh.
And a lie.
“Okay.”
Some things…
He would always have to bear alone.
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