Give Me a Reason Not to Divorce

Jiang Nan's expression froze.

She clenched the hem of her skirt and lowered her lashes, hiding the emotions in her eyes. "No need. I don't think it's that serious. I can bear it."

Gu Wenze glanced at her. "Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"

Jiang Nan lowered her head and shook it gently, biting her lip hard enough to leave a deep tooth mark.

The two returned to the restaurant, where Gu Jinman greeted them with a mischievous smile. "Wenze, Jiang Nan, what were you two doing? What took you so long?"

Jiang Nan's smile was strained. "Nothing. I just accidentally twisted my ankle."

"You twisted your ankle?" Gu Jinman asked with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." Jiang Nan kept smiling, though a closer look revealed that she was still rather pale.

Gu Jinman had always been thoughtless and carefree, so it never occurred to her to suggest taking Jiang Nan to the hospital. Jiang Nan had been hoping Gu Jinman would bring it up herself, giving her an opening to ask for some time alone with Gu Wenze.

But since Gu Jinman said nothing, Jiang Nan could hardly bring it up again. She ate distractedly, growing increasingly anxious as she thought about Gu Wenze's cold attitude lately.

It seemed she would have to find a way to win Gu Wenze back.

After sitting down, Gu Wenze never touched his chopsticks again. His mind was filled with his earlier phone call with Qiao Hua, and he wished he could go home immediately and teach that ungrateful woman a lesson.

Gu Wenze stood up and said flatly, "Take your time eating. I'm leaving."

Gu Jinman looked up in surprise. "Wenze, you're heading back already?"

Jiang Nan's expression grew even worse. "Wenze, you barely ate anything. Is the food here not to your taste? Why don't we go somewhere else?"

"No need. You two enjoy your meal." Preoccupied, Gu Wenze sounded somewhat cold. "I'm heading home."

As she watched Gu Wenze leave, Jiang Nan almost snapped the chopsticks in her hand.

Gu Jinman, however, seized the opportunity. She pulled up the photo she had secretly taken of Gu Wenze and Jiang Nan embracing, found Qiao Hua's number that she had saved before, and sent it.

A long time passed without a reply.

Hmph. Qiao Hua was probably already furious, wasn't she?

Served her right for thinking she could compete with Jiang Nan for a man!

Gu Jinman smiled smugly. Just as she was about to put her phone away, she saw a text from her boyfriend. "Babe, something came up today, so I won't be coming over. Don't be mad. I'll make it up to you next time."

Half of Gu Jinman's smile vanished at once.

Soon afterward, Gu Jinman received another text, this time from her best friend. "Manman, I'm sorry. I have to work on my thesis at the last minute, so I can't come keep you company."

Gu Jinman's good mood vanished completely, and she angrily put her phone away.

It was bad enough that her best friend had no time for her, but now even her boyfriend wouldn't come see her.

Gu Jinman took all her anger out on Qiao Hua. It was all that jinx's fault that her boyfriend and best friend couldn't come keep her company.

She had to teach Qiao Hua a lesson!

Gu Wenze drove back to the villa. The moment he entered the living room, he spotted the graceful figure in the kitchen.

Qiao Hua was wearing pale blue silk pajamas. Soft yellow light spilled down from above, outlining the curves of her body beneath the fabric. Her skin was fair and smooth, so delicate it seemed the slightest touch might break it.

Qiao Hua had just poured herself some water. When she turned around, she nearly dropped her glass at the sight of Gu Wenze, who had appeared silently behind her.

Qiao Hua glared at him reproachfully. "Mr. Gu, could you make some noise when you walk? Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"What did you mean by that phone call earlier?" Gu Wenze stared at her with dark, brooding eyes. "I told you not to bring up divorce again. Didn't you understand me?"

His attitude was poor, and Qiao Hua's was no better. "Then give me a reason not to divorce."

Gu Wenze paused and remained silent.

Qiao Hua mocked him without restraint. "See? You can't even give me one reason not to divorce. Dragging this out is just a waste of time. We might as well settle it sooner."

Gu Wenze's breathing grew slightly uneven. "Shut up!"

Not only did Qiao Hua refuse to shut up, she kept going. "Don't worry. If it comes to that, I'll tell everyone you were the one who asked for a divorce. I'll make sure you save face. Are you satisfied now?"

Men cared most about saving face, especially someone of Gu Wenze's status. He surely cared even more about what others thought of him.

Now that she had offered a concession, Gu Wenze surely had no reason to refuse.

Seeing the little look on Qiao Hua's face, as though she thought she was being considerate of him, Gu Wenze's expression darkened further. "You think I'm refusing to divorce just to save face?"

"What else could it be?" Qiao Hua scoffed. "You were already embracing Jiang Nan in public. Surely you're not refusing to divorce because you can't bear to let me go?"

Gu Wenze's face fell. "What embracing? What nonsense are you talking about?"

"It's not nonsense. I have proof." Qiao Hua held up her phone, displaying the message Gu Jinman had sent her that evening. In the photo, Gu Wenze and Jiang Nan were wrapped in an intimate embrace, looking like a couple in love.

Only Gu Wenze knew that what had actually happened was nothing like that.

Gu Wenze's expression softened a little as he explained, "Jiang Nan slipped, so I caught her. Nothing happened between us."

The original owner of this body had heard that excuse countless times. Qiao Hua couldn't be bothered to listen to his explanations anymore. "Anyway, if you still refuse to agree to a divorce, I'll take you to court for adultery. Then I'll get an even bigger share of the money."

"Fine. Sue me." Gu Wenze didn't hesitate for even a moment. "But Qiao Hua, let me remind you that the Gu Family has a top-tier legal team. I can make sure you walk away without a single penny."

"You!"

Qiao Hua had almost forgotten that these rich people never did anything decent. They spent tens of millions every year keeping lawyers on retainer to fight their lawsuits.

If she really filed for divorce, Gu Wenze might turn around and pin the blame on her.

Seeing Qiao Hua at a loss made Gu Wenze feel considerably better. His gaze fell on her rosy lips, and he could still recall how it had felt to kiss her in the car the night before.

Soft and sweet.

Perhaps it hadn't felt so bad after all.

Gu Wenze unconsciously took a step forward. Qiao Hua immediately regarded him warily. "What are you doing?"

Gu Wenze said nothing as he advanced on Qiao Hua step by step, forcing her to retreat. Even a fool could have guessed what the man before her intended to do.

The next second, Qiao Hua splashed the water in her glass all over Gu Wenze's face.