The weather in Beicheng turns cold quickly in autumn. After a continuous rainfall, the temperature drops.

Lando's apartment is located in the most luxurious area of Beicheng, where every inch of land is worth a fortune. The entire top floor is occupied by a single person. Thick floor-to-ceiling glass isolates the city's noise, and the apartment is eerily quiet, like a dead city.

The person on the bed slowly woke up, their eyelashes fluttering a few times. The first thing they did when they opened their eyes was to subconsciously reach towards one side of the bed. The sheets were neat and tidy, with no sign of anyone having slept there.

Lu Jinchuan hasn't come back.

Over the past three months, he's been coming home less and less. Xia recalled that she hadn't seen him in almost a week.

After washing up, I walked into the living room and saw the person who had just been on my mind sitting on the sofa. He had his elbows resting on the armrest, a cigarette between his fingers that was almost burned out. The whole living room was filled with smoke, and I didn't know how long he had been there.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, he raised his head, put out his cigarette, and slowly leaned back into the sofa.

"Come here." His voice was low and husky.

Yingxia looked at her watch: "I'm going to be late for work."

The other party seemed to have heard something funny, their lips curving up in a slight smile, but only for a fleeting moment before the line straightened again, their expression becoming serious.

"I have something to tell you."

Standing still, I processed the depth of his words.

I called him last night, and a person answered. The other party said, "He's asleep, call back later."

As soon as I heard that it was Lu Jinchuan on the phone last night, I knew.

This day came neither too fast nor too slow. In another month, it will be their third wedding anniversary.

Keep dragging? Every day counts, right?

Let's just forget it. Such a marriage is a torment for him.

Yingxia compromised, walking to the sofa and sitting down: "You go ahead."

Lu Jinchuan sat opposite him, looking visibly uneasy. He fidgeted with his tie before tugging at his brow in frustration.

Is this something he can't bring himself to admit?

Ying Xiajiao strained, pulling away. He really didn't have to do this. They both knew how this marriage came about - a mutual agreement. He owed nothing.

Of course, besides hiding my fondness for him these past few years, I still don't want to make things difficult for him at this point.

Yingxia spoke first, "Are we... talking about... a divorce?"

Lu Jinchuan, upon hearing her words, seemed to be momentarily taken aback. Then, he replied with a faint tone.

"Hmm."

“What does this have to do with Zhao Ruyi?” Xia couldn’t help but ask.

After a long silence, he said, "Yes."

At this moment, Ying Xia only felt breathless. A sharp object suddenly slashed across her chest, piercing her with agonizing pain.

If it weren't for the two hands gripping tightly, I would surely have sold myself.

Ying Xia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth against the pain, and asked him, "When are we going?"

What I really want to ask is not this. I want to ask him, Lu Jinchuan, can we not get divorced? Can you please not leave me?

This match was too humiliating. My dignity no longer allows me to do anything that would further devalue myself.

I know him too well. In the business world, he's decisive and always sticks to his word. Since he made such a statement, it means he has thought things through very carefully and there's no room for turning back.

"Just do it quickly, I'll try my best to compensate you. You can ask for anything." Lu Jinchuan frowned.

Ying Xia saw him light a cigarette, hold it in his hand but not take another drag.

He hated the smell of smoke, he knew that. For years he had put up with it, never smoking in front of her. Now, finally, he didn't have to endure it anymore.

Ying Xia turned her face to look out the window: "I don't have any demands, anytime is fine."

He reached for his phone to ask for leave, but his hand wouldn't stop shaking. He had to walk to the floor-to-ceiling window and turn his back to avoid his gaze. Lu Jinchuan's nonchalant voice came from behind him.

"Alright, this house is yours to keep, and the villa in the southern suburbs as well. You can choose whichever you prefer to live in. Besides..."

He actually said something like that.

Yingxia didn't want to hear any more and directly interrupted him: "I don't need any financial compensation. I have a place to live."

My heart ached. I glanced at the time feignedly: "I'm sorry, I have something to do today. Please let me know when Zhang lawyer finishes drafting the agreement."

He didn't dare to look at his watch again, even a glance would be heart-wrenching. He hurriedly grabbed his bag from the sofa and rushed out.

"Xiaxia..."

Without looking back, he slammed the door shut with a loud bang and leaned against it for a long time, unable to speak.

At the door, Lu Jinchuan finally picked up the nearly burnt cigarette and took a deep drag. Then he tilted his head back and let out a long plume of smoke.

Ying Xia really had something to do today. When she reached for her phone to ask for a leave of absence, there was a moment of hesitation in her mind, and instead of asking for leave, she sent a resignation.

I don't want to stay there for a moment. After I went back to the company to finish my resignation procedures, Aunt Sun still smiled and said that her husband had just left and we missed him.

Yes, I missed it.

This night, Lu Jinchuan did not return as usual.

The dinner was arranged two weeks ago. It was at her in-laws' old house, a family gathering that Yingxia didn't want to attend, but since they hadn't divorced yet, it was unavoidable.

The entire old house had only one person who liked it, Lu Jinchuan's parents and sister all had a deep animosity towards it.

He was out of her league. Xia's mother was an ordinary working-class woman, while he was the brightest star in Beicheng.

I originally thought that marrying Lu Jinchuan would mean having a new home, but it turned out to be just an illusion.

As time neared five, after much deliberation, I still hadn't called him. Instead, I drove to the old house alone.

He never came back.

At the dinner table, she sat quietly and expectedly, waiting for Lu Jinchuan's mother, Yang Manqiu, to deliver her routine scolding.

Unexpectedly, no one said a word this time, not even asking Lu Jinchuan why he didn't come back with them.

The usual three sayings, "The greatest unfilial piety is to have no descendants," are nowhere to be seen. The dinner table was surprisingly quiet, with only one smiling and kind face who kept serving dishes.

"Xiaxia, eat more, you've lost weight recently. Child, don't worry so much about your figure, health is the most important thing, you know?"

Ying Xia nodded and smiled, "I understand."

Yingxia is not a fool, in this situation, one look knows that besides
, everyone else probably knows they are going to divorce.

The meal was uncharacteristically quiet. Halfway through, Lu Jinchuan returned.

He walked over, unbuttoning his tie as he went, and sat down beside her.

Lu Jinchuan's presence made the atmosphere even stranger. His parents' attitude towards him seemed a mix of fear and something Xia couldn't quite decipher.

In short, it's not like the parent-child relationship pattern that has always been this way.

A faint scent of perfume wafted from him, tickling her nose. Xia wrinkled her brow, suddenly losing her appetite.

There was a half bowl of rice in the bowl, rising and falling intermittently. Suddenly, a piece of fish appeared in the bowl.

Yingxia turned her head, but Lu Jinchuan didn't look. He ate quietly.

We've known each other for ten years, been married for three, and he still doesn't know I dislike fish. He pushed the fish aside and finished the rest of his rice in a few bites before standing up.

I'm full, you guys eat slowly.

A gentle night breeze blew, and the garden was eerily quiet. I sat down on a rocking chair, listening to the laughter and chatter coming from inside the house. A sarcastic smile crept onto my lips.

Look, I've always been an outsider, never able to truly fit in.

You don't need to come here again, you don't need to please anyone.

Ying Xia turned her head and saw Lu Jinchuan standing in the shadows. The cigarette in his hand flickered on and off, only illuminating his eyebrows when he leaned closer to the end for a long drag.

It seems like his smoking habit has gotten worse recently.

The earth said, “I didn’t intend to please anyone.”

I once thought that after marrying him, I could please his parents, his sister, and his relatives. However, no matter what I did, I could never satisfy them.

After realizing that some hearts will never warm up and some people will never like you, I gave up.

Lu Jinchuan extinguished the cigarette and walked closer. His handsome face finally appeared offline, like a model from a magazine, only his expression wasn't quite up to par.

Let's go.

Ying Xiaqi said, "I'll go get a bag."

Lu Jinchuan followed behind: "I'm not going back tonight."

(Editor in charge:saya no uta visual novel)