Chapter 2: Divorce

The banquet hall fell into a dead silence. Dozens of astonished gazes converged on Chen Xing. No one had expected him to say such a thing at this moment—at the birthday party for his twin daughters.

Su Qianxue was clearly caught off guard as well. Throughout their five years of marriage, Chen Xing had always been timid and cautious in her presence; he wouldn't dare move against her wishes, let alone defy her. Yet, here he was, daring to demand a divorce right in front of everyone!

Where did he get the courage? Had he lost his mind?

"Chen Xing, are you just trying to spite me?"

"No, this isn't about spite. It’s the truth," Chen Xing replied, shaking his head. "Su Qianxue, you have only ever had room for one man in your heart, and that man is not me. And Huanhuan has never truly seen me as her father either."

"For the past five years, you have taken Huanhuan abroad every year. I know exactly what you were doing there."

"My presence has only stood in your way. Since that’s the case, I’ll step aside."

He turned to his younger daughter. "Yaya, this is the last birthday party Daddy will ever throw for you. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

After saying this, Chen Xing took Yaya’s hand and said gently, "Yaya, come with Daddy."

"Okay," Yaya nodded firmly.

"Chen Xing!" Su Qianxue was utterly furious. She swept the cake off the table, her naturally pale face flushing red with rage. "Chen Xing, you’re making a scene in front of all these people—are you trying to humiliate me on purpose?"

"I’ll say this one last time: get back here, take Yaya, and go upstairs. This is your final chance!"

Holding Yaya’s hand, Chen Xing did not pause or look back. Under the gaze of countless eyes, he strode toward the exit, saying, "See you at the Civil Affairs Bureau at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon."

Outside, a drizzling rain had begun to fall. Fortunately, Chen Xing had brought an umbrella. He opened it, picked up his daughter, and walked to the parking lot. He placed her in her car seat in the back. Looking at his young daughter, who had been so well-behaved throughout the ordeal, Chen Xing’s heart ached. He kissed her forehead. "Yaya, Daddy is taking you away. Will you blame me for leaving Mom and your sister behind?"

"No, I won't. Mom wants to be with Uncle Liang. She’s the one who doesn't want us. If she doesn't want us, we don't want them either," Yaya said in her childish, yet resolute voice.

"Good. Daddy will take care of you from now on."

Chen Xing felt a wave of warmth. He started the car and drove his daughter back to the Chen family home.

***

At the Su residence, Liang Zhixin said with a chuckle, "Haha, Qianxue, don't be angry. It seems Chen Xing misunderstood something. Let me go explain it to him."

Liang Zhixin set Huanhuan down on a chair and made to stand up, but Su Qianxue grabbed his arm. "Brother Zhixin, there's no need to go after him. Don't worry, he wouldn't dare divorce me. Without me, he is nothing."

In Su Qianxue’s eyes, Chen Xing had always been nothing more than a househusband. During his five years with the Su family, he had done nothing but laundry, cooking, childcare, and cleaning. She couldn't believe that a man who relied on her for his livelihood would actually dare to divorce her. If he left her, how would he survive? She believed he wouldn't last a single day in society without her support.

"He’ll come back on his own later," she said.

Su Qianxue picked up her elder daughter, Huanhuan, and bowed apologetically to the guests. "My apologies to you all. Please, forgive this display."

"Oh, President Su, you’re too kind. It’s nothing. Couples have their little tiffs, and I’m sure your husband will return soon."

"If you ask me, President Su is capable and beautiful; it’s a waste for her to be married to a man like that."

"Exactly. President Su and Young Master Liang are a match made in heaven."

"Young Master Liang, why not take this opportunity to share a toast with President Su?"

"Yes, a toast! A toast!"

Facing the crowd’s encouragement, Liang Zhixin picked up his glass and looked at Su Qianxue with deep affection. "Qianxue, you’ve suffered because of me these past five years. Let me have a drink with you."

"Thank you, Brother Zhixin, but I’m not feeling well, so I’ll pass," Su Qianxue said, shaking her head.

It was that time of the month, and she was also still fuming over Chen Xing’s defiance. The fact that he had asked for a divorce in front of everyone—humiliating her—made her want to drag him back and force him to kneel at her feet to apologize in front of all the guests!

How dare he? A man who lived off her, a man who couldn't even stand on his own feet without her—how dare he demand a divorce with such righteous indignation? If anyone was going to initiate a divorce, it would be her!

Looking toward the door, Su Qianxue swore to herself: *Chen Xing, you’d better not come back, because if you do, I will make you regret this.*

***

The birthday party ended in a hurry. Su Qianxue declined Liang Zhixin’s offer to help look after them, bathed her daughter, and went to bed early.

In truth, Su Qianxue was not used to looking after the children. For the past five years, Chen Xing had done almost everything for Huanhuan and Yaya. In all the time they had been alive, she hadn't even changed a single diaper.

Exhausted, she had just settled into bed when Huanhuan whimpered, "Mommy, I'm itchy!"

The little girl curled into her arms like a kitten, her small hands scratching frantically at her face and body. Su Qianxue quickly turned on the light and saw that Huanhuan’s face was bright red, with large, angry rashes spreading from her neck to her chest.

Huanhuan was having an allergic reaction!

Just as Chen Xing had warned, both Huanhuan and Yaya were born with a severe chocolate allergy. When Chen Xing was around, he was meticulous, never letting the children touch anything containing cocoa beans. But the cake Liang Zhixin had brought today was filled with cocoa.

Su Qianxue clutched Huanhuan to her chest and instinctively called out, "Chen Xing! Huanhuan is having an allergic reaction!"

There was no response. It was only then that she remembered Chen Xing had taken Yaya and left.

Desperate, she called for the nanny. "What happened to the little miss?" the nanny asked, horrified by Huanhuan’s appearance.

"She's having an allergic reaction," Su Qianxue said.

"An allergy? How? Mr. Chen was always so strict about their diet; he never let them eat anything with cocoa in it."

"Enough with the chatter! Do you know where the allergy medicine is?" Su Qianxue snapped, too frazzled to listen to the nanny’s rambling.

"I... I don't know," the nanny replied, shaking her head. "Mr. Chen always looked after the children, and he was the one who kept the medicine. I have no idea where he put it."