The Bumpy Road of Marriage: Divorce Now, Daddy

Ye Yuwei looked up and stared at his hand in the air, as if waiting for the slap. But it never came.

Gu Juexi’s hand froze in the air before he put his hand down when he saw Ye Yuwei looking at him. “Look at you! You look like a fishwife!” Gu Juexi scolded, with his eyes on the back of her hand.

Qing helped Yu Sha’er up from the floor and screamed when she saw blood on Yu Sha’er’s face.

Yu Sha’er stood up with Qing’s help and whimpered, “It’s okay if it makes Mrs. Gu feel better.”

What Yu Sha’er said disgusted Ye Yuwei and it showed on Ye Yuwei’s face. “What is in your head for you to use the same old trick again and again, Yu Sha’er?” asked Ye Yuwei, who then looked at Gu Juexi, “I am sorry Mr. Gu. I really am not quite civilized. You can slap me back if you feel it unfair for Miss Yu, what about that?”

Ye Yuwei a forced smile appeared on her pale face as she spoke. Little did she know, how glaring her smile was.

Gu Juexi stared at Ye Yuwei’s smiling face and realized for the first time that he didn’t really know that face.

There was sarcasm in her smile and that sarcasm made him lose his cool.

“You are disgusting like this, Ye Yuwei.” Gu Juexi said and left together with Yu Sha’er.

Ye Yuwei smiled and looked at two of them leaving the ward, until they were completely out of her sight.

And then she cried.

‘You are disgusting like this, Ye Yuwei.’

Ye Yuwei laughed out loud. Gu Juexi surely had no idea how the old Ye Yuwei disgusted herself.

Yu Sha’er was dragged out from the ward by Gu Juexi. Despite her burning face, Yu Sha’er chuckled to herself.

“I am sorry, Juexi. Mrs. Gu must be…”

Gu Juexi took Yu Sha’er to the emergency department for the wound on her face. Ye Yuwei must have used all her strength to slap Yu Sha’er. He could even see her body shaking when she slapped her.

How much hate there must be for Ye Yuwei to slap someone this hard?

And what the doctor said proved how hard the slap actually was–Yu Sha’er’s teeth were loosened and there was a tear at the corner of her mouth.

“Juexi, will I be disfigured? I know Mrs. Gu hates that I follow you everywhere, but I don’t want to be disfigured.” Yu Sha’er gripped on Gu Juexi’s arm, cried.

“You won’t be disfigured.” Gu Juexi comforted her.

Yu Sha’er nodded with her hands still on Gu Juexi’s wrist, “What if Mrs. Gu still refuses to forgive me?”

Gu Juexi looked down at Yu Sha’er with her swollen face, as if he was examining her.

Frightened by how Gu Juexi was looking at her, Yu Sha’er calmed her mind and asked, “Juexi, why are you looking at me like that?”

There was innocence in Yu Sha’er eyes. “Nothing. Let Qing postpone all your schedules and go and rest at home,” said Gu Juexi who then turned to leave.

“Won’t you stay with me, Juexi?” Yu Sha’er held Gu Juexi’s wrist again and looked at him pitifully.

Gu Juexi looked at Yu Sha’er without saying a word.

“Okay… get back to work then.” Yu Sha’er slowly let go Gu Juexi’s arm and said softly.

Gu Juexi told Qing to take good care of Yu Sha’er and left the emergency department.

Yu Sha’er yanked her own shirt in anger and hissed in pain when she accidentally touched the wound on her face. “I won’t forget this, Ye Yuwei… pssss––”

Gu Juexi did not go back to Ye Yuwei’s ward after he left, because he realized something important—the road accident.

Qian Feng mentioned about the road accident, so did Ye Yuwei last night. It was not something he was aware of.

So, Gu Juexi left the hospital. In his car was PA Wen and in the backseat was an ultra-light notebook. The brand of the notebook was not quite visible, or more accurately, there was no brand. It was Gu Juexi’s personal notebook.

PA Wen has worked with Gu Juexi for ten years. Knowing Gu Juexi, he expected what he would want to look for after he calmed his mind.

Gu Juexi turned on his notebook while PA Wen started the car engine. “I copied this footage from the hotel’s staff. Hotels under Chu Enterprise normally keep records up to three years, so I managed to extract this two-year-old footage.”

Gu Juexi did not say a word but was obviously satisfied with what PA Wen did.

The footage showed the recording of outside the hotel. There was no audio, but it was not hard to tell what happened from the recording. It looked like Yu Sha’er and Ye Yuwei were fighting about something in the rain. Yu Sha’er was saying something and Ye Yuwei was just standing and watching. When Yu Sha’er tried to push Ye Yuwei, Ye Yuwei reacted and pushed Yu Sha’er to the ground. That was when Gu Juexi appeared in the video.

[“Ye Yuwei, you are the cheapest person I have ever seen.” Gu Juexi helped Yu Sha’er who was on the floor up and looked at the woman resentfully.

“I didn’t do it, she started it, I didn’t.” Ye Yuwei explained eagerly, her eyes begging, “Please believe me, I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Don’t touch me! And Ye Yuwei, who let you come here?” Gu Juexi took a step back with Yu Sha’er in his arms. There was blame in his voice.

“It’s your birthday, so I…”

“Ye Yuwei, stop using excuses like this to come to me, I don’t need you on my birthday. Be your Mrs. Gu and don’t show up in front of me when I don’t want you to.”

Ye Yuwei was shaking in the rain. Her eyes were downcast while her tears and raindrops ran down her face. And then she took out a present from her tote bag and said, “I will leave now, this is the present I got for you… I just wanted to hand it to you, I don’t mean anything else, I…”

“Cut your act, Mrs. Gu,” said Yu Sha’er who slapped the present away off of her hand.

The present fell in the middle of the road.

Ye Yuwei’s hands froze in the air as if she was still holding the present, her head lowered.

A droplet—could be her tear or the rain—dropped at her foot.

“Ye Yuwei, stop embarrassing yourself here,” Gu Juexi said and left with Yu Sha’er.

Yu Sha’er chuckled, pushed Ye Yuwei down as they were leaving and tugged at Gu Juexi’s arm when he wanted to look back. “Let’s go Juexi, Mrs. Gu really should take care of your image. How embarrassing if people knew it was Mrs. Gu who was creating all this chaos.”

Yu Yuwei who was pushed to the floor did not get up immediately. She looked for the present and wanted to pick it up, but the sudden beam of light made her step back.

“Watch your way, damned woman!” The driver shouted at Ye Yuwei who was sitting on the ground and drove away.

The present was crushed in the rain, so was her heart.]

Gu Juexi clenched his fists on the notebook as he watched.

Yu Sha’er!

PA Wen held his breath as he felt the atmosphere in the car getting tense.

“Move our project with Bo Shen Enterprise forward,” said Gu Juexi who was barely holding in his anger.

“Mr. Gu.” PA Wen called out, “moving the project forward might ruin the whole thing, in that case…”

“Damn it!” Gu Juexi growled and flipped is notebook off his lap before PA Wen could finish.

PA Wen, “…”

He wanted to say that Gu Juexi asked for it, but not at this time when Gu Juexi was furious.

He had the feeling that mistress will never forgive Mr. Gu after he watched the video. And he finally understood why mistress stopped asking about Mr. Gu and stopped reminding him to take good care of Mr. Gu on his birthday. It was because her heart died two years ago.

Gu Juexi leaned back on his chair and rubbed his temples.

Ye Yuwei was serious about the divorce, but he was never going to admit it.

She insisted on marrying him back then because she loved him.

She loved him and only him.

The idea of Ye Yuwei marrying him because of love grew in his head and stopped the truth in his heart from coming out.

The truth that Yu Yuwei married him out of gratitude.

Between loving him and marrying out of gratitude, Gu Juexi made himself believe the former. Ye Yuwei loved him and only him.

PA Wen did not say a word. After all, who was he to comment on this?

Ye Yuwei was lying in her bed and staring at the ceiling when she heard the door open. She was surprised by who the visitor was.

“Mr. Lu?” said Ye Yuwei who struggled to get up.

Lu Qichuan was holding a fruit basket, with a warm smile on his face. He put the fruit basket beside her bed and said, “I should have sent you back yesterday, then none of this would have happened.”

Ye Yuwei rested her head on the pillow as she looked at the person apologizing.

Sometimes she wondered how someone like Gu Juexi got a good friend like Lu Qichuan.

“It has nothing to do with you, Mr. Lu. You have helped me enough yesterday,” said Ye Yuwei emotionlessly.

Lu Qichuan tilted his head with his hands crossed on his legs and asked, “Do you know what’s on the news?”

Ye Yuwei looked down without saying a thing.

What could be on the news? The wife of Gu Juexi was despicable and cheap and begged for Gu Juexi’s love when she was only as good as his personal prostitute. She could tell without having to look at the news.

Lu Qichuan apparently did not expect for an answer. “Do you really not love him anymore?”

Love?

Her love was dead.

Ye Yuwei looked up at Lu Qichuan. “Thanks for coming to see me, Mr. Lu. But please do go back. I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me.”

Lu Qichuan leaned back on his chair and looked at the girl with a pale face. This time, he reached out his hand and covered the girl’s face up to her eyes. And then his hand shook.

Ye Yuwei was confused.

“Mr. Lu…”

Lu Qichuan drew back his hand and smiled. “Your eyes looked like someone I met ten years ago. You both have quiet eyes.”

Ye Yuwei laughed. “I thought you were going to say I looked like your ex-girlfriend.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t miss it if I had gone back earlier.” Lu Qichuan said as if he had not done something weird, “Were you perhaps from Fu…”

“This is Ye Yuwei.” The ward’s door swung open as a swarm of reporters flocked in.

Ye Yuwei looked up in shock, but someone was already standing in front of her.

“Get out, who let all of you in?” Lu Qichuan’s tall and buff physique hid Ye Yuwei perfectly behind him—there was sternness in his voice.

The reporters obviously did not expect to see Lu Qichuan in the ward and paused for a moment.

Ye Yuwei looked up at the person standing in front of her.

It is… quite romantic. She would have fell for it if her heart had not been torn into pieces.

“Mr. Lu,” said Ye Yuwei softly, “Please go back. You don’t have to be involved in this.” She knew very well why these reporters were here.

Maybe that person knew it too.

Or maybe it was that person’s idea for these reporters to show up in her ward.

“What brought Mr. Lu here? Isn’t Mr. Lu good friend of Mr. Gu’s?” one of the reporters asked.

Lu Qichuan looked at the reporter emotionlessly. “So what?”

“We just wanted to ask if Mrs. Gu blocked Miss Yu Sha’er’s car and caused her injuries out of jealousy.”

“Mrs. Gu used the fact that you donated a liver to Mr. Gu’s mother to force him to marry you, is that true?”

“About Mrs. Gu using Qian Feng, did Qian Feng confront you after the truth was exposed? What else would you do for fame and gain?”

Questions followed after questions, but Ye Yuwei remained silent.

Lu Qichuan turned his head and saw Ye Yuwei holding tight onto her blanket and his heart skipped a beat.

“Mrs. Gu, Miss Yu Sha’er got hurt almost every time when you are present. Do you admit hurting her?”

“Someone saw you slapping Yu Sha’er when she wanted to buy you clothes at the mall because you thought that she was trying to provoke you, is that true?”

It was the very first time Lu Qichuan witnessed the violence of language.

All harsh words he could think of were used on this twenty-five year old girl.

She held it all in without saying a thing.

Not because she did not want to defend herself, but because she knew no one would believe her. She did not want to insult herself by telling truth that nobody believed. So, she defended her pride by remaining silent.

Lu Qichuan raised his hand slightly and tried to hold her hand, but put it down eventually and looked at the reporters.

“Are you done? What evidence do you have for those accusations?” Lu Qichuan looked upset. This was the first time he showed his true emotions in front of people, for Ye Yuwei.

Ye Yuwei could not resist the urge to raise her head and look at Lu Qichuan who was still standing before her.

‘Why is Mr. Lu always helping Mrs. Gu? Could it be a skeleton in the closet? Or is it a trick?’

Ye Yuwei suddenly sneered. Well, that was the reason Ye Yuwei was silent all this while. These people were just too despicable.

Lu Qichuan turned his head and met her gaze.

“Look, I told you. As long as a group of dogs found the prey, they will never loosen their bites. They will bite it brutally, tear it apart, and swallow it. You cannot reason with mad dogs. They do not understand,” Ye Yuwei said softly as if only for Lu Qichuan’s ears.

Lu Qichuan regained his composure and smiled at Ye Yuwei.

“You are right. Like a dog always pouncing on the stool. They never see the good in people and always pick up something awful. Even if they could find nothing, they will still dig something awful elsewhere, rub it on others and lick it. Just like a dog.”

They were singing the same tune and comparing the paparazzi to mad dogs. Hearing this, the paparazzi’s face turned ghastly.

“Why are you still here? Do you want me to call a dog trainer to take you all away?” Lu Qichuan turned to look at the paparazzi.

“I am sorry to get you involved.” Ye Yuwei laughed at herself after the paparazzi left.

“Remaining silent would no doubt stop these paparazzi from getting new attack points, but it will not stop them from attacking you. Why are you still keeping silent?” Lu Qichuan sat down again and looked at the girl on the bed.

“If I retaliate, it will be endless torture. I just want to put all of these to an end,” Ye Yuwei whispered.

“Do you really want to leave Brother Gu?” Lu Qichuan was slightly startled. Gu Juexi would never let her go.

Ye Yuwei lowered her head.

Lu Qichuan stopped asking.

Reaching home, Gu Juexi knew nothing about the incident in hospital. Gu Juexi saw the box full of Ye Yuwei belongings in the bedroom. An ineffable sensation of irritability filled him.

In a rage, he kicked the suitcase, which fell open. His cold gaze swept across her belongings in disdain. ‘She is really good at nothing and even her suitcase is inferior.’

When he walked near the bed, a notebook slipped out of the suitcase. His eyes narrowed, he bent over to pick it up. It was a cheap notebook with cartoon designs and probably cost nothing more than two dollars.

Gu Juexi subconsciously opened the notebook and was surprised by the very first page.

A signature and a line of words fell within his sight. It was his signature.

‘A company with integrity will never collapse.’

‘I remember that Mr. Gu said this before. A company with integrity will never collapse.’ Her voice filled with admiration towards seemed to have awoken something in him. She remembered the words that even he, himself, did not seem to remember.

There was a line of words on the page after the signature.

[November 11, 2011, Sunny day. Today is the happiest day of my life. I met him.]

It was six years ago. What had he done in November, six years ago? Gu Juexi checked his phone to confirm that he had never met Ye Yuwei before the marriage.

“What did I do in November 2011?” Gu Jue asked, frustrated. PA Wen who had just reached home was slightly startled. Although he did not know why Gu Juexi asked such a question, he quickly recalled the incident that happened six years ago.

“In November 2011, Mr. Gu chaired a year-end meeting in America at A City. On November 10, you went to A City for a speech about Economics in B College on November 11. Then, you stayed there for a couple of days with Yu…” PA Wen suddenly paused. He knew that he should not talk about Yu Sha’er.

An Economics speech at B College? Gu Juexi lowered head, his gaze fell on his own signature on the notebook. Ye Yuwei was not a student of B College. She enrolled at a college in B City.

“Does she have any good friend during college time?” Gu Juexi suddenly got up. He was trying to get proof that she loved him like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.

Seeing Mr. Gu’s current situation, he was actually more pitiful than Mrs. Gu. PA Wen thought to himself, ‘It is too late.’

“No. Mrs. Gu had a good friend before, but their friendship was broken.” PA Wen said formally.

“I want to see her right away.” Gu Juexi said as he walked out with the notebook in his grasp.

The conversation ended. PA Wen lowered his head, his gaze fell on his slippers. From now onwards, he would not be able to rest well for quite some time.

Ye Yuwei best friend during college was Xiao Yaojing, who was currently working in a bank. Her father’s last name was “Xiao” while her mother’s was “Yao”. As her father hoped that his daughter could be virtuous and quiet (Jing), thus the name― Xiao Yaojing. It was such an irony that she did not turn out the same as her name.

Being escorted by two bodyguards and forced into a car, Xiao Yaojing struggled until she saw the man sitting in the car.

“Ah, it is Mr. Gu.” Her voice was indifferent, with a hint of irony.

“What is this?” Gu Juexi paid no regard to her voice and threw a notebook at her.

Xiao Yaojing had a baby face, but her temper was extremely bad, like a firecracker.

“She is still keeping this? Well, she is shameless, of course she would keep this.” She gazed down and took the notebook.

“Miss Xiao, do not be sarcastic.” Gu Jue furrowed his brow, refusing to hear her words.

The corner of her lips lifted into a sneer. “You want to know how shameless she is with this notebook? Did you ask her yourself? It can be a good reason for you to jeer at her. Just ask her what crazy stuff she did to attend your speech in A City.” Xiao Yaojing threw the notebook back at Gu Juexi, opened the door and got down the car.

PA Wen was rendered speechless. ‘Miss Xiao you are my idol. You are the first person to do this to Mr. Gu.’

The two bodyguards blocked her way as soon as she got off the car. Xiao Yaojing took a deep breath, turned her head only to see the man who was still sitting in the car with a long face.

“Mr. Gu, you really couldn’t find a reason to jeer at her, could you? You didn’t read the news? Thanks to you, she is now the laughing stock of B City. Are you still not happy?”

Gu Juexi raised his head, stared at her with a searching glance. Xiao Yaojing could not help but tremble.

“Miss Xiao, I am running out of patience.”

“I am sorry, no comment.” Xiao Yaojing stared at Gu Juexi.

“Miss Xiao, I won’t repeat my words the third time. Wen Tao, call Zhuo Sheng Bank and tell them that their staff has offended me.” He was still holding the phone in his hand.

“Gu Juexi…”

“Mr. Gu, this will upset Mrs. Gu.” PA Wen felt that he should stop him from playing with fire. Or else, Mrs. Gu would retaliate.

“Call now.” His tone was indifferent.

‘Just go ahead. I shall wait and see the day you get hurt playing with fire.’ PA Wen took out his phone.

Gu Juexi was still staring at Xiao Yaojing, waiting for her to respond.

“The rumor is true. Mr. Gu is extremely despicable.” Xiao Yaojing suddenly smiled.

“I just need the answer. I do not care about the process.” Gu Juexi answered coolly.

“What would you do after this? Inform the media and let them tell the public that Mrs. Gu did such a foolish thing for Mr. Gu?” Xiao Yaojing sneered.

Gu Juexi furrowed his brow.

PA Wen was presently covered in cold sweat. ‘Miss Xiao, you are really brave.’

“Well, Ye Yuwei really has no sense of shame falling for someone beyond her reach, falling into such a sorry state and being attacked by the media. She asked for all these.”

“Are you waiting for me to call HR that is paying your wages?” Restraining his anger, Gu Juexi stared coldly at PA Wen.

PA Wen trembled and hurriedly called Zhuo Sheng Bank. Xiao Yaojing was sacked right after the call. Hanging up her phone, her hands were still shaking as she watched the man in the car.

“Mr. Gu’s dictatorship is truly eye-opening. You may leave now. I will never sell her out. That is her last piece of dignity.”

Gu Juexi was puzzled. What had Ye Yuwei actually done, even an ex-friend was still siding her? PA Wen’s back was wet through, soaked in sweat. ‘Mrs. Gu’s friend is not inferior to her.’

“That is great.” Gu Juexi rolled up the window and instructed PA Wen to leave.

Watching the car leave, Xiao Yaojing loosened her fists. She could not help but laugh at herself—what was she after to offend the most powerful person in B City for a friend that was no more?

In the car, PA Wen drove carefully while looking at Gu Juexi who was still staring at the notebook.

“I thought you said they are no longer friends?” Gu Jue suddenly asked.

“That is true,” PA Wen wiped off his sweat as he answered.

‘But they broke up because of you. You are their common enemy!’ Unfortunately, PA Wen dared not say this.

“Ye Yuwei is truly something. She is capable of making many people take her side.”

Gu Juexi fiddled with the notebook. But suddenly, he threw it to the front of the car. The notebook hit the windshield and bounced off.

PA Wen shivered again. How he wished he could apply for leave now. Recently, Mr. Gu’s mood swings were worse than a woman having a period.

“Pick it up!” Gu Juexi was burning in rage, like a woman reaching an early menopause.