Five years without pregnancy means you're too weak; I remarried a powerful man and had triplets

Xu Zhesheng's tone was extremely soft, and the dark circles under his eyes made his forced sincerity seem particularly incongruous. His knuckles unconsciously rubbed the edge of the car key, revealing a hint of tension that was not easily detected.

Shen Zhiyi lowered her eyes and glanced at his clenched, white fingers, pondering for a moment.

Xu Zhesheng's personality has changed somewhat in the past two years, but his inherent sense of dignity and strong-willed pride have never changed, and he would not resort to trickery in this kind of matter.

Even if he did lie to her, what could he possibly lie about?

She pursed her lips, her fingertips rapidly typing on the screen, sending Tan Gui a message with a clear location: "Xu Zhesheng said he has something for me. If he can't contact me within half an hour, call the police immediately."

After sending the message, he looked up and casually replied, "Okay."

The cold white lights in the underground parking garage were dazzling. Xu Zhesheng quickly stepped forward and considerately opened the passenger door for her.

This movement is so unfamiliar.

Even when she worked late into the night and was sweating profusely from stomach pain while waiting for him, he had never acted so gentlemanly.

Shen Zhiyi paused for a moment, but still bent down and sat down. The "click" of the seatbelt fastening was particularly clear in the enclosed car.

The car smoothly drove out of the underground parking garage, and the neon lights outside the window rushed past.

Xu Zhesheng's hands, gripping the steering wheel, showed slightly prominent veins, and he remained silent with his lips pursed throughout.

Shen Zhiyi leaned back in her chair, her gaze fixed on the window, her mind preoccupied with the details of the property division, too lazy to even glance at the person beside her.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped downstairs in the building where she had lived for five years.

Xu Zhesheng got out of the car first, walked around to open the door for her, and even stepped aside to let her go first.

He used to always step inside and turn on the lights first when he came home; he had never been so courteous before.

The moment the entryway light came on, Shen Zhiyi stopped in her tracks.

A candlelight dinner was laid out on the dining table in the living room. The silver cutlery gleamed, and a crystal glass held half a glass of red wine. The steak had long since gone cold, and the candles were half-burnt, their wax dripping onto the tablecloth embroidered with gardenias that she had once embroidered herself.

"This was specially prepared," Xu Zhesheng said softly as he walked up from behind, "to have a farewell meal and part ways amicably."

Shen Zhiyi found it absurd.

He can forget her birthday, but he can spend his wedding anniversary with Su Manman on set. Now he has the leisure to do this?

But she didn't want to cause any trouble, since she was there to pick up something, so she pulled out a chair and sat down. She didn't touch the crystal glass at all, but poured herself a glass of warm water and placed it beside her.

The meal was eerily quiet. Xu Zhesheng, however, was restless. While cutting the cold steak, he brought up old grievances: "Remember last winter when you stayed up all night editing videos and your stomach was hurting so badly you were sweating profusely? I drove around three streets late at night to buy you stomach medicine."

"And you said you liked the fragrance of osmanthus in this neighborhood, which is why I specifically borrowed money to buy this house."

"I still have the pen you gave me the year you won the award..."

Every word was deliberately embellished, and Shen Zhiyi's temples throbbed as she listened.

She remembers it clearly.

The stomach medicine was bought by her assistant; he brought it back without even pouring her any water.

She bought the house because it was the cheapest location back then, thinking she could save him money. She even secretly contacted the landlord and paid 100,000 yuan, but when he came back, he told her he owed her 200,000 yuan more.

That fountain pen was hard-won, and she presented it to him with great care, but he didn't cherish it at all and forgot about it as soon as he turned his back. She was the one who kept it.

She was too lazy to expose him, only occasionally responding with "uh-huh" or "oh," her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of her phone under the table, calculating when the meal would end and when she could take her things and leave.

The steak was cold, and she forced herself to eat a few bites, spending most of the time on side dishes. Only when she finally saw Xu Zhesheng stop eating did she pull out a tissue to wipe her mouth and look up: "I've finished eating. What are you going to give me?"

"Snap"

The crystal glass in Xu Zhesheng's hand was instantly crushed, and red wine mixed with glass shards splashed all over the table, the scarlet liquid dripping down the edge of the table onto the carpet.

The commotion was so sudden that Shen Zhiyi shrank back in fright, looking at the person in front of her warily: "What are you doing! Are you crazy?!"

In the blink of an eye, Xu Zhesheng's previous display of tenderness shattered completely. His eyes blazed with furious red light as he stared intently at Shen Zhiyi, his voice forced out through clenched teeth: "Things? Is that all you remember? Shen Zhiyi, I've been so good to you, and you just used up all that in one meal? Do you even have me in your heart?"

"We're already divorced!" Shen Zhiyi didn't answer his question directly, but calmly stated the facts.

"Yes, we're divorced."

Xu Zhesheng gave a strange smile. "You'll soon be living happily ever after with Lu Zichuan, so why would you still look at me?"

Seeing his expression grow increasingly ferocious, Shen Zhiyi's alarm bells went off, and she stood up abruptly: "I see you're not in a good mood today, I'm leaving first."

However, as soon as she turned around, the person behind her pounced on her.

The chair legs scraped harshly against the floor. Xu Zhesheng reached out and grabbed Shen Zhiyi's wrist, his knuckles gripping her so tightly they almost crushed her bones.

"You think Lu Zichuan really cares about you? You're just someone I've already used! You're taking my kindness for granted, aren't you? Today I'll see what tricks you used to bewitch a man like Lu Zichuan!"

He suddenly pulled her into his arms, scooping her up with such force that he almost broke her ribs.

Shen Zhiyi felt her feet suddenly leave the ground and she crashed into a warm embrace.

Xu Zhesheng's body temperature was frighteningly high, mixed with the foul smell of tobacco and alcohol, like the forked tongue of a venomous snake, making the hairs on her body stand on end.

"What are you doing! Hsu Che-sheng, let me go!"

Her voice trembled with shock, and her fingernails dug into the skin of his forearm like mad, instantly leaving several bleeding marks.

But the man seemed not to feel any pain. Instead, he chuckled softly, the vibration of his chest making her eardrums tingle.

He strode toward the master bedroom, stumbling and bumping into the wall twice, but his grip on her was as steady as an iron clamp. His other hand easily pinned down her kicking knees, his knuckles digging painfully into her calves, giving her no room to struggle.

"Struggle, Shen Zhiyi."

He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, his hot breath hitting her sensitive earlobe, the alcohol-scented breath making her flinch.

Shen Zhiyi turned her head away, but saw the bloodshot veins in his eyes. What surged within them was not lust, but a twisted excitement, like a trapped beast finally biting its long-coveted prey.

"You can feel my despair too."

He spoke in her ear as if he were whispering, or as if they were lovers whispering secrets. Shen Zhiyi felt a chill run down her spine and had a bad feeling.

With a "bang," Xu Zhesheng kicked open the door to the master bedroom.

The next second, she was thrown onto that huge, soft bed.