Chapter 51
Lu Yanming's expression was calm, but his eyes darkened for a moment.
Dong Wanwan was ecstatic to get the money. She didn't care about the amount, she was just happy that Li Zhen had to pay up in the end.
Behind Wan Zhe, Li Zhen stood up in disbelief, "Yusheng, whether to pay for the watch is my business. What right do you have to make decisions for me!"
Li Zhen's chest heaved with anger.
Just because he was rich, Yusheng could arbitrarily decide things for her? 32,000 yuan, what right did he have to just transfer the money and pay for her?
Li Zhen turned and walked away, her lowered hands trembling slightly.
"Li Zhen!" Yusheng panicked and didn't care that there were others present. He chased after her.
Lu Yanming lowered his eyes, his noble face impassive.
He used to think he would be happy to see Li Zhen and Yusheng argue and hoped they would fight more fiercely.
But seeing it happen, he realized: he didn't want that.
If Li Zhen was even a little unhappy, he didn't want to see it, no matter the reason.
"Young master..." Fei Zhao keenly noticed Lu Yanming's mood change.
Lu Yanming: "Let's go back."
Wan Zhe and Zhou Chaowen were stunned. They were getting along well just now, so why did brother Sheng and sister-in-law start fighting?
Outside the exhibition hall, Yusheng grabbed Li Zhen's wrist. "It's just a few tens of thousands! Why are you so angry?"
Tens of thousands felt like tens of dollars to him.
Li Zhen stopped and looked back at him. "Yusheng, when will you change your presumptuous habits? It was my business. You had no right to decide for me. Did you ever consider how I felt? Do you have any sense of propriety and boundaries?"
Yusheng was furious. "It was a small matter. If you didn't want me to handle it, who did you expect to? Lu Yanming?"
"It has nothing to do with anyone else!" Li Zhen retorted angrily. "Handle it? You think paying money settles it? I should pay for breaking the watch, but that day at the KTV, Dong Wanwan was clinging to me like a leech and causing me trouble. I accidentally broke the watch then. You think I willingly want to compensate her? Giving her hell money would be giving her too much face!"
Li Zhen was getting more agitated as she spoke.
Seeing Dong Wanwan's elated expression just now was like a needle pricking her heart.
Yusheng was stunned for two seconds. His tone softened a little. "You should have told me your thoughts earlier."
"What's the use of telling you? Haven't I expressed my opinions clearly enough in the past? How many times did you actually listen?" Li Zhen said bitterly. "Besides, why do I need to tell you now? Who are you to me?"
Yusheng faltered. "Li Zhen..."
Li Zhen didn't wait for him to continue. She turned and left.
Yusheng stood in place, feeling a chill in his heart and a sharp piercing pain.
She seemed really angry this time.
Ever since they divorced, her reactions during their arguments were different than before.
More decisive, more lasting.
Was it because he disregarded her feelings? Was it because he didn't spend time with her? She was probably trying to get him to compromise and come back home through this incident.
-
Li Zhen returned to Jinyu Court.
Seeing her fury, Wu Ma hurried over. "Mistress, what's wrong? Who upset you?"
In the past year, Wu Ma had taken good care of her. At Jinyu Court, it was mostly just her and Wu Ma keeping each other company.
Li Zhen looked at Wu Ma and restrained her anger. "Wu Ma, Yusheng and I are divorced. Don't call me Mistress anymore."
"What! How can that be!" Wu Ma looked as if struck by lightning. "Master Yu dotes on you so much. How could he divorce you?"
Li Zhen gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It's true, Wu Ma. We really divorced."
"Is it because of that incident where Master Yu hit you?" Wu Ma held Li Zhen's hand earnestly. "Please give Master Yu one more chance. He won't do it again."
Wu Ma sincerely liked Li Zhen.
"It wasn't that. It's complicated." Li Zhen shook her head and didn't elaborate. She got up and headed to her grandfather's room.
At the door, Li Zhen hesitated.
She had to tell her grandfather about the divorce. She could already imagine how much he would oppose it.
She took a deep breath and went in.
Old Master Li was still playing on his phone. Seeing Li Zhen enter, he hurriedly hid his phone under the pillow and closed his eyes. "I wasn't playing on my phone!"
"Grandpa, get up. I'm taking you home." Li Zhen stood by the bed and said heavily.
Old Master Li opened his eyes wide. "Why? I'm not leaving..."
"Grandpa, I don't want to disrupt you either, but..." Li Zhen steadied her emotions and spoke as calmly as she could. "Grandpa, I'm sorry I hid this from you before. Yusheng and I are already divorced."
Old Master Li: ......
He had wanted to pretend he didn't know, and secretly reconcile them. Now he couldn't pretend anymore.
Moreover, he knew Li Zhen best.
By telling him about the divorce herself, it meant she was determined not to look back, let alone calling him home late at night. Not hiding it from him meant they must have just had a big fight and she was too tired to keep up the pretense.
Li Zhen grew worried at her grandfather's silence.
"Grandpa, please don't be angry with me." Li Zhen tried to downplay the matter to placate her soon-to-be angry grandfather. "I know he's the Yu family's eldest son, and that Yusheng has no flaws. But we're not suitable for each other..."
Before Li Zhen could finish, Old Master Li suddenly interrupted. "Flawless my ass!"
Li Zhen: ......
Old Master Li sat up, glaring angrily. "He's not worthy of you at all. My precious granddaughter is a heavenly fairy. He's a turtle in the water. What's good about him! Never mind him. There are plenty of two-legged men, not just the three-eyed ones."
Li Zhen's eyes reddened. "Grandpa, I thought you'd scold me and force me to remarry Yusheng."
"Of course not. My precious granddaughter has always been the smartest. Your decisions are always right. Grandpa will always support you!" Old Master Li reached out and rubbed his beloved granddaughter's head.
"Grandpa." Li Zhen threw herself into her grandfather's arms. The tension that had gripped her heart loosened in that instant, replaced by the profound sense of being unconditionally loved by family.
"There, there. My precious girl will find someone even better." Old Master Li's heart ached for her.
This child never had a mother. Her father was as good as non-existent.
He still remembered when she was two, the kids at preschool called her a bastard child, saying she had a mother who gave birth to her but didn't raise her.
She came home and asked him, "Grandpa, what's a mother?"
His wife couldn't hold back her tears then.
But from that day on, Li Zhen never asked about it again. She didn't pester for her mother like other kids. But whenever she saw other children out with their mothers, she would look a little longer.
Ever since he fell ill and moved back to the Li family home, she had been boarding at school.
The love he could give this child was so limited.
He thought Yusheng would be the one to fill that void for her, but it turned out he wasn't either...
"There, there, Grandpa is here. Grandpa will always be with you." Old Master Li held Li Zhen tightly so she wouldn't see his old tears flowing freely.
-
Li Zhen called a rideshare car and accompanied her grandfather back to the Li family home.
In the car, Old Master Li suddenly recalled something very important. "Dear, do you still want those shares?"
"I do." Li Zhen answered swiftly.
Hearing her response, Old Master Li instantly understood. She was planning to exploit the loophole in the contract.
Because it didn't specify the child had to be Yusheng's.
Old Master Li searched his newly acquired knowledge. "So you're planning on...in vitro?"
Mentioning this made Li Zhen feel awkward. "Grandpa, no need for in vitro. I found a...quite decent...sperm donor."
Li Zhen chose her words carefully. "With good genes who donates for free."
Old Master Li frowned, struggling to comprehend.
Good genes, free donation, but not in vitro?
That could only mean what those short online videos called...
A f*ck buddy!
Old Master Li choked on his breath!