Chapter 3: Dream

“This is the divorce agreement drawn up by my lawyer.”

Qin Nan took out a document from the chair next to him and handed it to her. “The house will be yours, and there’s a total of a hundred thousand in savings, we’ll split it evenly. I’ll take care of the debts you owe. Take a look and see if there’s anything you want to add, we can discuss it.”

Ye Sibei remained motionless.

Her gaze shifted from the agreement to the checkered tablecloth on the dining table.

They had picked out this tablecloth from the ten-dollar store during their honeymoon. She remembered she liked the blue checkered pattern at the time, while Qin Nan preferred gray. When Qin Nan asked her what she wanted, she said gray, so Qin Nan ended up buying this blue one.

Seeing her not responding to the agreement, Qin Nan placed it on the edge of the table.

“I’ll move out tonight. You’ll see later.”

Ye Sibei remained silent.

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“Mbld obyv’p vbl alypsd qsa dsv clkdt yczl vs nsdvkdwl yde oydvkdt y ekhsanl?” pbl ypjle nyzxzu.

Ckd Lyd alxykdle pkzldv. Zl Fkclk, okvb y nyzx elxlydsa, byckvwyzzu nsdvkdwle, “Rq R’hl esdl psxlvbkdt oasdt, R’zz nbydtl. R jdso R’x psaau…”

“That’s enough,” Qin Nan interrupted her, his voice slightly hoarse. Standing up, he grabbed the car keys and phone from the table. “Let’s leave it at that.”

With those words, Qin Nan began to walk out.

As he reached the door and placed his hand on the handle, Ye Sibei suddenly spoke up.

“I won’t leave.”

Qin Nan turned back, seeing Ye Sibei still seated in her place, maintaining the same posture as before, her face devoid of any expression.

“If you wanted a divorce, why did we get married in the first place?” she continued, her gaze fixed ahead.

“I know I’m not good,” she said quietly.

“I shouldn’t have lent money to Nianwen. I’ll repay the debt myself. It was my mistake, I’m sorry. But no matter what, we’re married,” the woman behind him spoke with the same tone, carrying a kind of weary calmness, unruffled. After saying these words, she paused for a moment, finally showing some fluctuation, “I can’t get a divorce.”

Qin Nan remained silent. He thought for a moment, as if wanting to say something more, but he pressed his lips together and swallowed it. Finally, he settled for saying, “Do you think saying sorry can fix everything?”

“I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Then go to Yie Nianwen and get the money back.”

The air instantly froze. Ye Sibei looked at Qin Nan standing at the door, staring at her, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

“He’s getting married.”

“You can’t do it.”

Both spoke at the same time, making Ye Sibei’s words even more embarrassing.

For a moment, she couldn’t say anything. She felt like Qin Nan had seen right through her. She turned her face away, casting her eyes down.

Actually, what Qin Nan said was both right and wrong. She didn’t think saying sorry could solve everything. She apologized because she knew she couldn’t do anything else.

She felt a bit uncomfortable with this realization. Qin Nan seemed to regret saying those words too and turned his head lightly.

“You shouldn’t live like this,” Qin Nan’s voice was very low. “I won’t come again. Take care of yourself.”

With that, he turned the doorknob, letting the cold wind rush in as he pushed the door and walked out, then closed the door behind him.

After the door closed, Ye Sibei sat at the table, slowly lifting her gaze to look at the blank white wall opposite the dining table.

The bare white wall had nothing on it. Just last week—before the argument with Qin Nan—she had thought about buying a painting to hang there.

But she immediately dismissed the idea because it seemed like a waste of money.

She was always concerned about such trivial matters—how much a decoration costs, which tablecloth is more cost-effective, how much money she could save with coupons…

She also found it difficult to care about anything else.

She wasn’t smart enough, not capable enough, didn’t earn much money, and the only part of her life she could control was these things.

Oh, and she could control one more thing—no matter what, she had to go to work on time.

Thinking about tomorrow, she took a deep breath, lifted her head, put her phone in her pocket, as if nothing had happened, got up to tidy the dining table.

For the first time ever, she didn’t freshen up, just collapsed onto the bed, arms spread wide, lying straight on the bed.

She didn’t turn off the light, just looked at the bright light, slowly closing her eyes to sleep. She had a dream, a vague dream that seemed like high school. It was Monday, flag-raising day, and she stood at the side of the podium, listening to the principal call her name.

“Now, from Class 7 of Grade One, Ye Sibei will deliver our Monday speech.”

In her dream, her heart raced, and her palms holding the manuscript were sweaty.

She hurried up to the podium, her bright eyes scanning the students below. A slight sense of pride filled her heart, and she couldn’t help but lift her chin slightly. “Hello, everyone. I’m Ye Sibei from Class 7 of Grade One. Today, the topic of my speech is ‘The Most Beautiful Forever Lies in the Future…'”

She actually wanted to hear what she had said.

But for some reason, the girl on the platform’s voice gradually faded away.

She began to hear the sound of water. It felt like she was being placed in a coffin, with cold water pouring in from both sides, slowly filling every space. The air she breathed was being taken away one by one, and she felt suffocated to the point where her lungs hurt.

The instinct to survive made her start struggling desperately, trying to swim to the surface.

She vaguely saw a person on the shore. He was wearing a black coat and holding a transparent umbrella, standing somewhat blurry on the side.

He gazed quietly at her through the water’s surface, and she kept waving at him, but he seemed not to understand.

Until finally, he spoke to her.

“You shouldn’t live like this, Ye Sibei.”

And in that instant, she suddenly woke up.

The phone rang softly beside her, and she sat on the bed for a while, panting heavily. It took her a long time to come back to her senses.

Mechanically, she got out of bed, went to the washbasin, and splashed her face with cold water.

The feeling of cold water hitting her face overlapped with the feeling of being completely submerged in cold water in her dream. In an instant, she thought of the speech she gave in high school.

She looked up at herself in the mirror, with a pair of dull, lifeless eyes and a slightly haggard face.

She silently stared at herself, twenty-seven years old. After a long time, she lowered her head, and washed her face vigorously.

This time, she seemed to be much more awake.

She freshened up, prepared breakfast, changed into her work clothes, and took the keys she would need for the day from the bedside table.

Then, as she opened the drawer, she saw a drawer full of condoms.

Purple casing, silver-white stripes, a packaging rarely seen on the market.

Many thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

“The victim is a young woman…”

“I won’t come again. Take care of yourself.”

“Carrying condoms with you not only prevents infectious diseases and reduces harm but also increases your chances of survival.”

Ye Sibei stared at the condoms in the drawer, thought for a moment, and finally took two of them, putting them in her bag.

As usual, she put on her windbreaker and left in the still-blue dawn.

When she arrived at the company, there weren’t many people yet, only the cleaning auntie. She sat down at her desk, put her bag down without zipping it up, and casually turned on the computer.

The cleaning auntie moved closer, dragging the mop, and when she reached Ye Sibei’s desk, with a “clang,” the bag fell to the ground.

“Oops, sorry.”

As the things in the bag scattered all over, the cleaning auntie immediately went to pick them up as soon as the bag hit the ground. Ye Sibei quickly realized and also hurried to pick up the items. “It’s okay, I’ll do it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the cleaning auntie staring blankly at the two condoms that had fallen out. Ye Sibei quickly pretended as if nothing had happened and swiftly put the condoms away. The cleaning auntie coughed lightly and stood up, saying, “Let me leave it to you, Xiao Ye. Sorry about that.”

Ye Sibei knew why the cleaning auntie stood up. She nodded awkwardly, not daring to lift her head.

She carefully packed everything back into her bag. By the time she sat back down at her desk, other colleagues had started coming in, one by one.

Life went on as usual. Qin Nan’s proposal for a divorce seemed to have little impact. 

She continued to work as usual.

As usual, she did the silly morning exercises on the street, amidst the curious looks of passersby, applauding with her colleagues, loudly shouting encouraging slogans.

As usual, she attended the boring morning meeting, watching everyone curry favor and actively speak up.

As usual, she fetched takeout for everyone, poured coffee, worked, and before it was even four o’clock, she saw Wang Jie from the next table come over again to say hello: “Sibei, sorry, I have to pick up my child, apologies.”

It seemed like nothing was different.

The only difference was that she felt, somehow, it was harder for her to perceive emotions.

For example, when Wang Jie asked her to work overtime every day, it used to be her most annoying moment, but today, for some reason, she felt nothing at all.

It was as if all her emotions had been stripped away, and the sense of detachment she felt in her dream, soaking in water, lingered into reality.

She even wished for more work, to minimize the time she could spend thinking.

She mechanically handled everything on her computer until the lights came on, and she suddenly heard an anxious inquiry: “Who’s still in the store?”

Ye Sibei recognized it was the voice of the store manager, Fan Jiancheng.

It was not yet six o’clock, and not many people had left. Ye Sibei looked around.

Most of the sales department was still there, while only her and Tao Jie from the finance department remained.

Fan Jiancheng swept his gaze around and saw Zhao Chuchu and Chen Xiaoyang from the sales department were still there. He said quickly, “Xiaoyang, Chuchu, you two are good here.”

Then he raised his hand, clapped in the air to draw everyone’s attention, and raised his voice, “Now, everyone, put down what you’re doing and tidy up. Follow me for dinner. No one is allowed to take leave. If you do, don’t bother coming to work tomorrow.”

His tone was serious, and everyone sensed that something big was happening.

“Fan Ge,” Zhao Chuchu, who had a good relationship with Fan Jiancheng, raised her hand to speak, “Where are we going?”

“Vice President of Wanfu Real Estate suddenly found some time, said he could have dinner with us. It’s a big deal, and if we clinch it, everyone gets a bonus.”

As soon as he said this, Chen Xiaoyang whistled on the spot, and Zhao Chuchu smiled.

Ye Sibei heard “Wanfu Real Estate” and probably understood the situation.

The real estate agency’s income comes from two sources: selling second-hand houses and cooperating with new housing projects, where they get commissions for selling houses.

Good new houses, each agency has its own client base, making sales easier. Being able to cooperate with good new projects is a big deal for these agencies.

The upcoming new project “Tianlu” by Wanfu Real Estate has an excellent location and is in a good school district. It’s touted as the best property in the southern city in three years. Several agencies are vying for this deal, and Fuqiang Real Estate has long had its eye on this lucrative opportunity. Tonight, the vice president of Wanfu Real Estate agreeing to a dinner appointment is a signal that couldn’t be better.

Once they clinch this deal, according to Fuqiang Real Estate’s rules, everyone present will receive a hefty bonus.

Money is a great motivator.

Everyone got excited, and Zhao Chuchu opened her small bag to touch up her makeup.

She was carrying a green leather handbag today, a color she didn’t usually carry.

Seeing her getting ready, Ye Sibei knew she couldn’t avoid it and could only remind this main force, “Remember to bring stomach medicine, and also, let Nianwen know.”

“Forget it,” Zhao Chuchu rolled her eyes. “Tell Nianwen what? He’s always nagging about how girls shouldn’t go drinking. But this is my job. If I don’t drink, should I drink the northwest wind? If Fan Ge fires me later, I can’t expect Nianwen to support me, can I?”

Saying this, Zhao Chuchu applied her lipstick and then started filling in her eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil. “With property prices so high now, if it weren’t for my parents, neither he nor I could afford a house. After buying it, his monthly salary is just enough to pay the mortgage. Then there’s renovation, living expenses, buying a car, having children—everything needs money.”

“Your brother is good at everything, except understanding the hardships of life.”

Speaking of which, Zhao Chuchu remembered Ye Sibei’s identity and glanced at her, “But please don’t tell Nianwen that I’m going out for drinks. Otherwise, he’ll make a fuss, and I won’t be able to calm him down.”

Ye Sibei listened quietly, watching her future sister-in-law delicately draw beautiful curves with the eyebrow pencil in her hand, filling them in.

After finishing all this, Zhao Chuchu turned her head, her young and beautiful face radiant.

She made a shape of “blooming flowers” with her hand beside her face and coquettishly asked her, “Sister Ye, am I beautiful?”

“Beautiful,” Ye Sibei replied earnestly.

She gazed into the eye of the person in front of her, suddenly feeling a particular envy, tinged with a hint of jealousy.