Chapter 1.2

The restaurant manager brought over a large bouquet of expensive purple roses with a smile. “Madam, these are from Mr. Fang.”

Mr. Fang? The journalist perked up upon hearing this, her ears suddenly sharp.

“Are all of these from him?” Qi Feifei asked, surprised. Although she knew Fang Jiajun was generous with money, such a lavish gesture still caught her slightly off guard.

“Yes, they’re all from him. Today is Madam’s birthday, isn’t it? I believe these are all birthday gifts.”

“Today is Miss Qi’s birthday?” The journalist was surprised and regretted not doing her homework beforehand. Otherwise, she could have brought a small gift today as a gesture, which might have helped her establish a relationship with this powerful woman in the future.

“Yes, it’s my birthday.” Qi Feifei smiled, taking the bouquet handed to her by the manager and smelling the fragrance of the roses, feeling a flutter of her heart.

Fang Jiajun’s treatment of her was indeed affectionate and sincere.

The journalist peeked at Qi Feifei’s excited expression, thinking it was a good opportunity to dig for gossip, and took the chance to ask, “Miss Qi, is the gentleman who sent the gifts Mr. Fang Jiajun? I heard he has been pursuing you diligently lately. Are you two dating?”

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Rp kv nsdpkelale eyvkdt? Rv’p nzspl ldswtb! Gv zlypv, pbl oyp rzyddkdt vs vyjl vblka alzyvksdpbkr vs vbl dlmv zlhlz…

“R vbkdj usw xkpwdelapvyde, Ykpp Kswadyzkpv. Ykpp Ck Wlkqlk kp dsv eyvkdt ydusdl,” y ellr hsknl pswdele pweeldzu, okvbswv oyadkdt.

Ck Wlkqlk oyp vyjld ycynj. Mbl hsknl pswdele psxlobyv qyxkzkya… Fbl blpkvyvle yde aykple bla lulp, alqzlnvkdt y awttle yde bydepsxl qynl.

Fbl pweeldzu blze bla calyvb, bla blyavclyv pvsrrkdt qsa y xsxldv.

Dkd Hbkbwyd?! Tso nswze bl pweeldzu yrrlya?

Lsv sdzu bla, lhld vbl fswadyzkpv oyp xsxldvyakzu pvwddle cu bkp bydepsxl yrrlyaydnl. Rv vssj bla y obkzl clqsal pbl ypjle okvb y bkdv sq pbudlpp, “Ebs kp vbkp tldvzlxyd? Tso es usw jdso vbyv Ykpp Ck kp nwaaldvzu dsv eyvkdt ydusdl?”

“Rv’p pkxrzl, clnywpl pbl’p yzalyeu xyaakle,” bl pyke okvb y pxkzl, easrrkdt y csxcpblzz.

Mbl fswadyzkpv oyp ewxcqswdele, yde ps oyp Ck Wlkqlk.

“Miss Qi is already… married?”

“Mm-hmm.” He nodded with a confident smile, his smile carrying a hint of indescribable gloom, like a mischievous ghost. “And if I may be so humble, I happen to be her husband—”

Was she very surprised?

Xin Zhihuan looked at the woman who was still his wife in name only. Since the journalist left after the interview, she had maintained the same expression, neither smiling nor cold, just that faint, emotionless demeanor.

But he knew she couldn’t be as calm as she appeared on the surface. When she first saw him, her originally gentle smile had briefly faltered, and in that brief moment, he felt a hint of satisfaction and pride.

Qi Feifei, did she think that by opening two or three restaurants and becoming the smart and hardworking female entrepreneur in other people’s eyes, she could put on an air of superiority in front of him? In his eyes, she would always be the confused and uncertain girl from six years ago, with no confidence in the future.

He remembered her telling him that despite her usual stubbornness, she was actually very insecure because she felt inferior due to her humble background. While other girls her age played piano and sang, she was struggling with her mother in the damp and dirty market to make a living.

She couldn’t even get a university diploma, which would be a lifelong regret for her.

But now, she had it. Not only did she get her diploma, but her career was also very successful. Even magazine journalists came to interview her and write stories about her entrepreneurial journey.

She had grown up.

No longer the shy and quiet girl he remembered, she was now beautiful and confident, exuding an elegant demeanor from head to toe. It didn’t come from a noble background, but from experiencing poverty and witnessing luxury, creating a charm in her daily life.

She had become more beautiful, and Xin Zhihuan found himself inexplicably annoyed by this fact.

“Would you like tea, or do you prefer coffee?” Qi Feifei stood behind the bar, preparing drinks for him herself.

The whole restaurant was now empty except for the two of them; she had sent the other employees away, probably to avoid attracting too much attention to the imminent argument between them.

With this thought, Xin Zhihuan sneered and pursed his lips. “I’d rather have some alcohol, don’t you sell it here?”

“It’s only four in the afternoon, do you really want to drink now?”

“Can’t we relax a bit? Don’t you feel the tension in the air?”

“Really?” Qi Feifei was unconvinced but didn’t argue further. Instead, she retrieved a bottle of vodka from behind the counter. “Shall I make you a martini?”

“You know how to mix drinks?” he was somewhat surprised.

“It’s nothing.” She raised her lips slightly, opened the shaker, threw in some ice cubes, poured in vodka, apple liqueur, orange liqueur in sequence, and shook lightly.

“Isn’t this a usual martini?” Xin Zhihuan raised an eyebrow. “I remember the base liquor should be gin?”

“This is my special apple martini, try it.” She placed the cocktail she had mixed in front of him.

He picked up the glass, took a sip. The rich vodka, with a subtle apple fragrance, lacked the spiciness of traditional martinis and had a hint of sweetness instead.

“This seems more suitable for women to drink,” he commented.

“Don’t like it?”

He shrugged. He couldn’t say he didn’t like it; it was actually quite good, very smooth. It wasn’t bad to have a drink like this on a lazy afternoon.

“How have you been?” She also made herself a drink and took a sip before asking softly.

He almost choked. “What?”

“I asked, have you been well these past six years?” She gazed at him quietly.

Was he mistaken? Or was there really a hint of melancholy in her misty eyes?

Was this a sign of goodwill towards him? Was she expressing concern for him? If so, this care came too late.

He suddenly set down the glass, tapping on the tabletop with a crisp sound. “I didn’t come here to reminisce, Miss Qi… no, I should call you Mrs. Sin.”

Mrs. Sin!

This sharp title seemed to sting her, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

He noticed it keenly and was quite satisfied with her reaction. Well, at least she didn’t entirely disregard him or this marriage.

A few seconds later, she seemed to regain her composure, raised her delicate face, and smiled faintly at him. “You don’t have to force yourself to call me that. Our marriage will be over soon.”

Yes, soon. How soon did she think it would be?

He sneered, suddenly turned away, and started pacing around the store, casually observing every detail of the decoration.

Even with the eyes of the most discerning management consultant, the appearance and layout of this restaurant indeed met the criteria for success. A comfortable space is the first step to attract customers, and she clearly had a good grasp of it.

And from what he had heard, the dishes were also top-notch delicious, leaving diners with endless aftertaste. The bands performing at night were also quite talented.

This restaurant would be popular for good reasons, but the only unreasonable thing was the inexplicable name of the place.

“New York Ex.”

He had always had opinions about this name. Apart from New York, it meant “ex”! Did she hate him so much? Did she want to exclude him from everything, even when opening a restaurant after all these years he had spent in New York?

After all, he was her husband, wasn’t he? Even though they had been separated for six years…

With that thought, a burst of anger surged in his chest. Xin Zhihuan narrowed his eyes and stared angrily at the multitude of gift boxes that occupied the entire space of the store.

These were all sent by that damn Fang Jiajun, right? What was she trying to show off by displaying them here?

“Don’t you think these things take up too much space?” he said, unable to resist extending a leg to kick one of the gift boxes.

Qi Feifei watched his somewhat childish move, startled. “This… I’ll have the staff move them onto the car when they return.”

“Onto the car?” He turned to her, glaring. “You mean you’re going to take these things back?”

“Yeah.” Otherwise, should she leave them in the store?

“You want to accept these gifts?”

“Yeah.” Why not?

“You…” Seeing her seemingly indifferent demeanor, Xin Zhihuan almost went crazy with anger, the anger burning from his chest to his eyes. “Don’t you understand the meaning behind men sending these gifts? It’s just a birthday; it’s as if he wants to give you the whole world. What do you think he wants to do?”

What does he want to do? Was there any need to ask? Qi Feifei blinked in confusion.

Xin Zhihuan suddenly realized how ridiculous his question was. How could she not understand Fang Jiajun’s intentions? It was precisely because she understood them very well that she had repeatedly sent him divorce notices.

It was him who didn’t understand. He was the one who acted like a clown, making a fool of himself!

Xin Zhihuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath from his chest, suppressing the discontent in his heart, leaving only indifference behind.

He approached her, facing her across the counter, confronting her. “Do you think you can have everything your way?” each word dripping from between his teeth.

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

He falsely raised his lips. “Why do you think I came back?”

“Isn’t it to divorce me?”

“Who said that?”

Qi Feifei was shaken, almost dropping the glass on the counter. She put down her hands, quietly hiding them where his gaze couldn’t reach.

“I don’t understand what you mean.” She cautiously whispered, making sure her tone didn’t reveal any emotional fluctuations. “Could it be… you don’t want to divorce me?”

“Who said I don’t want to?” He snorted lightly. “Don’t think too highly of yourself, Mrs. Sin. For all these years, I’ve been wanting to get rid of you day and night.”

Is that so?

Her heart sank, her eyes dimmed for a moment, but she still struggled to maintain a calm expression, not letting him see her wavering.

“In that case, we can go handle the paperwork right away, let’s go to the civil affairs office tomorrow if you’re free.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not free,” he said arrogantly.

She was startled. “Then when will you be free?”

“I won’t be free anytime soon.”

She started to get a little angry. Was he intentionally playing with her? “You said you wanted to get rid of me?”

“I do want to, but not now.”

“Then when?”

He didn’t answer immediately, leaned over, and with a pair of bold eyes, looked her up and down, even lingering unabashedly on her slightly open neckline.

She suddenly felt a strange embarrassment, her heart like a dragonfly touching the water, rippling circles, and instinctively stepped back.

“Are you scared?” He smirked, seeming to be half-joking. “You should be. Qi Feifei, do you think that by sending a notice, I’ll comply with your deadline for divorce? Remember? When I said I wanted a divorce, you begged me not to.”

Yes

, indeed, she had begged him desperately back then to give her a little more time, not to divorce her so quickly.

Qi Feifei squinted guardedly. “So what do you want?”

What do I want?

“So, darling, now that you want me to divorce you, I can,” he said coldly, a big hand grabbing her delicate chin and pinching it lightly.

“Let’s play by my rules—”