"You—and your jewelry, both are dirty." The divorce agreement was signed, and the lawyer had taken it away. Jiang Xiao had nothing to fear. Once the cooling-off period passed, they could go through the procedures. She sneered. "Cheng Yuan, there's something I've wanted to say for a long time. You're really dirty."
She forcibly pulled his hand away, disgusted. "Don't touch me with the hands that have touched other women."
Cheng Yuan's anger erupted completely. He grabbed Jiang Xiao by the neck. "Is this your true heart? Is this how you think of me?"
"Yes, that's how I think of you." Jiang Xiao had endured for years and no longer needed to hold back. "Now, every time I see you, I feel disgusted."
"Disgusted..." Cheng Yuan tightened his grip. "Do you think that just because you signed the agreement, I can't do anything to you? Don't forget, we haven't gone through the formalities yet. You're still my legal wife."
"Jiang Xiao, crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant."
"Do you want to try?"
Jiang Xiao couldn't breathe. Her face turned pale. She coughed. "Cough, cough, cough..."
Cheng Yuan realized something belatedly. He released his hand, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and pressed her firmly against his chest, looking down at her. "I can tear up the divorce agreement anytime. Just wait and see, if you don't believe me."
Jiang Xiao's heart tightened. She instinctively grabbed his hand. No, she couldn't allow that. "Cheng Yuan, so many people like you. You don't have to have me. Can't we part amicably for the sake of our years together?"
For a moment, Cheng Yuan thought about letting her go. But only for a moment. The rest of the time, he still wanted to trap her in his world, make her only watch him, only look at him.
They said he was a pervert. Yes, he was a pervert.
He didn't love her, but he didn't want to let her go.
"What's wrong with me?" Cheng Yuan ran his fingers through her hair and gave a sharp pull. "Why do you have to leave?"
"You don't love me," Jiang Xiao said. "So there's no need for us to continue."
"Love?" Cheng Yuan pressed. "Is love that important?"
Jiang Xiao: "Yes, very important."
Cheng Yuan stared at Jiang Xiao, wanting to tear her apart. "Jiang Xiao, one day you'll regret your decision today."
Jiang Xiao would never regret it. "I'm afraid that will disappoint President Cheng. I will never regret it."
Cheng Yuan's phone rang. It was from the company, saying something had happened.
After he left, Jiang Xiao's legs gave way, and she slumped into the chair, gasping for breath. Her lawyer sent her a WeChat message.
[Miss, just as you expected, President Cheng's side did send someone to snatch the divorce agreement.]
[But don't worry, I swapped it. What they grabbed was a fake copy.]
[Once the cooling-off period passes, we can proceed with the formalities.]
Jiang Xiao rubbed her sore neck and replied: [Okay, I understand.]
Earlier, the reason she had quarreled with Cheng Yuan was that she feared he would have a backup plan. Sure enough, he did.
Fortunately, she had anticipated it and turned the situation around.
After calming herself, Jiang Xiao left the restaurant.
In the following days, she was busy arranging her departure abroad. She knew the Cheng family had vast power and influence, and many people dared not provoke them. So, carefully choosing a destination was the most urgent thing for her.
She picked a few good places but couldn't make up her mind. She called Shen Yue over to discuss together.
As they talked, the conversation turned to the recent incident at the Cheng Group.
The incident had happened on the day she met with Cheng Yuan. It was said that due to a raw materials issue, the supplier's boss had jumped off a building.
Coupled with the media uproar, the Cheng Group found itself in the eye of the storm, with numerous scandals exposed.
It was hard to tell whether the news was true or false, but each piece was more explosive than the last.
Some were about business, others about Cheng Yuan himself. The mastermind behind it seemed very familiar with the Cheng family, almost to the point of knowing it like the back of their hand.
Shen Yue lay on the bed, swinging her legs. "I wonder who Cheng Yuan has offended recently, to be targeted like this. I heard even relevant government departments have started investigating."
Jiang Xiao hadn't paid much attention to all this. She said indifferently, "A tall tree catches the wind. It can't always be smooth sailing. It should be easy to solve."
"With so much noise, it might be tricky," Shen Yue tilted her head, resting her chin on her hand. "If Cheng Yuan really gets into trouble, would you still divorce him?"
Jiang Xiao smiled lightly. "Why not?"
"Can you really let go of everything?"
"I can."
Not loving meant not loving. Jiang Xiao said, "What happens to him has nothing to do with me."
Good or bad, it had nothing to do with her.
"You might not care about Cheng Yuan, but what about the old man? Can you be indifferent to him?" Shen Yue pressed again.
Jiang Xiao was momentarily speechless. She could ignore Cheng Yuan, but not the old man.
Speaking of the devil. The butler called, saying the old master wanted to see Jiang Xiao.
Jiang Xiao agreed. "Okay, I'll go right away."
Before she left, Shen Yue reminded her, "A Xiao, don't give in. Follow your heart."
Jiang Xiao: "Mm, I will."
Jiang Xiao thought the old master wanted to persuade her not to divorce, to stay with Cheng Yuan through the tough times. But it was the opposite.