Volume One, Chapter 8: Zhou Jinghuai, I Won't Be Coming Back Anymore!
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Ye Wu encountered Gu Jiuci in the parking lot.
Gu Jiuci seemed somewhat surprised. After a moment’s thought, he approached Ye Wu and looked at her with deep eyes. “Are you really leaving Rong’en?”
Ye Wu responded softly, “Yes, I’m preparing to leave.”
She tossed her suitcase into the car trunk, closed it, then turned to Gu Jiuci and spoke calmly, “Thank you for what happened that night.”
Gu Jiuci studied her face—
Her expression was indifferent, unassuming; this was the Ye Wu he knew.
That night, her beauty had been fragile, like a fleeting dream.
His eyes darkened with depth, and with restrained politeness, he nodded. “It was nothing.”
Though cold, after Ye Wu’s car slowly drove away, he stood there for a long while, lost in thought.
...
At eight in the evening, Ye Wu returned to Dijing Garden.
As soon as she got out of the car, a scent of Osmanthus fragrans wafted gently in the air, refreshing and intoxicating.
The villa’s servants approached respectfully and attentively, asking, “Will Madam be dining alone tonight, or waiting for Sir to return? The kitchen has prepared the dishes; they just need a quick stir-fry before serving.”
Ye Wu paused briefly, then said flatly, “From today onward, there’s no need to prepare my meals.”
The servant was shocked and about to inquire further,
But Ye Wu had already passed through the foyer, entered the hall, and slowly ascended the stairs—
Upstairs, the lights shone brightly.
Ye Wu slowed her steps, quietly gazing at the luxurious corridor. Each step she took brought memories of her past with Zhou Jinghuai, their difficult and deeply etched journey, and the pain they endured…
“Zhou Jinghuai, you wanted power, I helped you.”
“Zhou Jinghuai, won’t it stop being so difficult for us someday?”
“Zhou Jinghuai, it hurts so much, my stomach aches.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Zhou! After examination, your chance of pregnancy is very slim. Consider adoption!”
...
In just these few meters, Ye Wu seemed to have walked through her entire life, and every ounce of her feelings for Zhou Jinghuai.
The night breeze brushed past, chilling her face.
She pushed open the bedroom door, gently turned on the wall lamp, and the soft light illuminated everything around.
For four years, her life revolved around Zhou Jinghuai. She had stood by his side as he climbed to the pinnacle of power. Zhou Jinghuai was ambitious and spirited, but Ye Wu felt she was becoming less and less herself.
Fortunately, she was finally free.
Ye Wu entered the walk-in closet, pulled out several large suitcases, and began packing. She gathered all her everyday clothes and her precious jewelry — everything she hadn’t given to Zhou Jinghuai, she took with her.
After packing, Ye Wu straightened up and suddenly noticed the oil painting hanging on the wall.
It was her own work, a portrait of a youthful Zhou Jinghuai.
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He was a bright young man.
Love was gone; the painting no longer needed to exist.
Ye Wu took a lipstick from her handbag and forcefully slashed it across the canvas, leaving vivid red scratches that were startling.
Soon, the painting was unrecognizable, Zhou Jinghuai’s face blurred beyond recognition.
Back then, Ye Wu had poured her love into it; now she poured her hatred.
Not only the oil painting, but she also viciously slashed their wedding photos into pieces.
Glass shattered, love broken…
The once sweetly smiling photos could never be pieced back together.
Ye Wu’s hand trembled as she dropped the carving knife. Suddenly, she raised her hand to shield her eyes, which stung painfully, as if mourning all the youth she had lost, as if reliving the pain in her abdomen that night...
Ye Wu left without a trace of hesitation.
The mistress’s bedroom was empty and desolate, save for a single diamond ring on the bedside table, gleaming cold and hard...
...
Downstairs in the parking area, the servants could not stop Ye Wu; they watched helplessly as she left.
Once they recovered, they immediately called Zhou Jinghuai.
At Yangren Hospital, in the upscale inpatient ward.
At the end of the corridor, the floor-to-ceiling window was wide open, the night breeze brushing his face.
Zhou Jinghuai stood tall and graceful. He was answering the call from Dijing Garden; the servant’s panicked voice came through, “Sir, Madam has left.”
A trace of impatience flickered across Zhou Jinghuai’s face. “Where did she say she’s going?”
He didn’t take it seriously, thinking Ye Wu was just in a bad mood and had gone out for a stroll. Hadn’t she gone out drinking a few days ago?
He scolded the servant for making a fuss.
After a brief silence, the servant spoke softly, “Madam refused to say. She took several large suitcases. When we went upstairs to check, all her usual clothes and jewelry were gone, the bedroom was in disarray. Sir, you should come back and see for yourself!”
Zhou Jinghuai’s heart tightened. He gripped the phone, stunned for a long while.
Finally, he hung up and hurried toward the elevator. The light above the corridor cast perfect and stern shadows on his face, his lowered eyelashes trembling slightly...
Zhou Jinghuai rushed back to Dijing Garden; night had fallen.
He climbed the stairs to the second floor and pushed open the bedroom door he shared with Ye Wu.
The door creaked open, revealing utter chaos.
The wedding photos that used to hang above the bed were violently shattered, shards of glass littered the floor. The photos captured their casual, joyful glances at each other during their wedding shoot, but now, slashed by a carving knife, they were torn apart beyond recognition.
Further into the walk-in closet, Ye Wu’s wardrobe was wide open, as if ransacked.
All her clothes and jewelry were gone.
On the wall hung an oil painting — Ye Wu’s favorite. When newlywed, she had pleaded with him for a long time before he agreed to be her model. It was one of the few sweet memories in their marriage.
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Zhou Jinghuai couldn’t understand why, now that they had everything and stood at the summit of power as husband and wife, Ye Wu was growing distant and rebellious.
Wasn’t the position of Mrs. Zhou the dream of countless women?
Had she given it all up?
He refused to believe it!
Standing amid the shattered fragments, Zhou Jinghuai began dialing Ye Wu’s phone.
He thought she was just playing hide-and-seek, seeking attention from him. Unexpectedly, her phone connected and she answered quickly.
Zhou Jinghuai questioned her harshly over the phone, saying her actions would spark rumors that could harm their reputation and affect Rong’en Group’s stock price.
He commanded Ye Wu to return.
“Capriciousness must have limits! Ye Wu, you must consider the bigger picture.”
In the quiet night, Ye Wu’s calm voice replied, “There is no bigger picture anymore! Zhou Jinghuai, I have already had the divorce papers drafted. You will soon receive the court summons.”
Zhou Jinghuai’s Adam’s apple bobbed; after a long moment, he choked out, “What do you mean?”
After a pause, Ye Wu said coldly, “Exactly what you think, Zhou Jinghuai. We’re finished.”
She hung up.
Zhou Jinghuai tried calling again, but the line was dead; a mechanical voice came through—
“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off...”
...
Zhou Jinghuai stood still for a long time.
At the door, a servant spoke cautiously, “Miss Bai called, saying she wants to speak with you.”
Zhou Jinghuai’s forehead veins bulged as he coldly and angrily snapped, “Tell her to get lost!”
Ye Wu was gone.
Ye Wu no longer wanted him. She had once promised to stay by his side forever, never to abandon him...
Zhou Jinghuai suppressed his heavy breathing, controlled his fury.
At that moment, his gaze flickered and he spotted a piece of paper scattered beneath the bed, faintly yellowed with age.
Frowning deeply, he bent down to pick it up—and froze.
It was a diagnosis report from the obstetrics and gynecology hospital.
Patient Name: Ye Wu.