Chapter Fifty-Four
Upon awakening, Old Yu propped himself up in bed, pressing his hands against his forehead, occasionally clawing at his hair in frustration, cursing himself inwardly for being a beast.
At such a tense point in their already strained relationship, he had actually committed something akin to marital assault.
It was over.
It seemed truly over.
Given Yi Xiaoyu’s temperament, he feared she might even kill him upon waking.
Old Yu began to picture, in vivid detail, Yi Xiaoyu coming to and unleashing a barrage of blows upon his face.
If he simply kept silent and accepted whatever punishment she dealt, it would surely be more than just a broken rib!
He glanced at Yi Xiaoyu, lying beside him in exhausted slumber, her expression weak. His heart twisted painfully, recalling how she had fought desperately beneath him. Old Yu was consumed with regret, wishing he could kill himself for his impulsiveness.
How could he have been so reckless!
He adjusted the quilt around Yi Xiaoyu, kissed her smooth cheek repeatedly, and whispered, “Wife, did you watch the live broadcast today? Honestly, I’m not any worse than that pretty boy. If you like his style, I can pretend too. I’ll start going to work at the company, earn money to make you proud… So, please don’t blame me for today…”
But Yi Xiaoyu remained in a deep, weary sleep.
Old Yu lay down, spreading his arms wide to envelop Yi Xiaoyu in his embrace, his nose nestled in her hair.
The feel of her skin—so smooth and delicate—entranced him, and he couldn’t resist rubbing his long legs against hers. Gradually, he felt himself aroused again.
At this moment, even if he were given the courage of ten men, he wouldn’t dare take advantage of her while she slept. So he simply held her waist, easing his desire by pressing up against her.
As he continued, Yi Xiaoyu stirred awake.
When she opened her eyes, it took her a while to recover from the soreness that wracked her body. Realizing that a certain shameless man was still pressing his heated body against hers, she flipped over and punched him.
Old Yu hadn’t noticed Yi Xiaoyu was awake until her fist landed squarely on his face. He howled in pain, “Damn it!”
“Yu Yi, you bastard!” Yi Xiaoyu, unconcerned about her nakedness, threw punches and kicks at Old Yu, shouting furiously, “How dare you treat me like this! Get out! Get out!”
Old Yu struggled to restrain her, “Calm down, I… I didn’t mean to. You were with that pretty boy, and I… I’m your man. You can only be with me!”
Yi Xiaoyu, unable to move, glared at him, “Listen, you and I will never be possible. Now, get out of my house! Immediately! Right now!”
Her words were sharper than cold steel, and Old Yu felt his heart stabbed again and again.
Never again.
Never again.
How did it come to this?
Yi Xiaoyu’s resolute gaze left Old Yu swallowing his apologies and pleas for forgiveness. He pressed down on her, looking at her with a wounded expression, and finally choked out, “I like you, damn it… I really like you, like you to death…”
“I won’t like a liar,” Yi Xiaoyu retorted harshly. “And I certainly won’t like a rapist!”
“I…”
“Get out!” Yi Xiaoyu’s voice was raw from shouting, “Get out!”
Yi Xiaoyu’s mind was filled with the memory of Old Yu’s violent actions hours earlier, indifferent to her pain—it was no different from what a criminal would do.
Old Yu found it difficult to breathe. He pressed his lips together, slowly crawled off her, and began to dress.
Yi Xiaoyu threw off the quilt, staring at the glaring marks on her body, even several ambiguous red spots on her thighs, enraged enough to kick Old Yu as he was getting out of bed, “Did you keep going even after I passed out?”
Old Yu rubbed his backside, sounding aggrieved, “I didn’t know you’d passed out.”
Yi Xiaoyu massaged her forehead, too tired to argue further.
After dressing, Old Yu was ready to leave, but Yi Xiaoyu stopped him.
“Leave the apartment keys.”
Refusing to meet her gaze, Old Yu clenched his fists and decided not to compromise, muttering, “No. Even though we’re separated, this is still my home. If I want to visit Onion and you’re not here, who’s going to let me in?”
“Take Onion with you.”
“.....”
“Onion’s been with you longer, is closer to you, so it’s better for you to keep him. I have Tangyuan, that's enough for me.”
“....You really don’t want to see me?”
“Yes.”
“Yi Xiaoyu, don’t be so heartless…” Old Yu stopped himself, took a deep breath to calm down, and slowly asked, “Did you watch the broadcast today?”
Yi Xiaoyu stared at him, suddenly giving a cold, indifferent smile, “President Yu, safe travels.”
“You…” Old Yu shook his hand in anger, grinding his teeth, “I could have anyone I want. Don’t use up all my patience for you—when it’s gone, even if you beg me to come back, I won’t spare you a glance!”
Yi Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes, unhurried, “If you have the guts to say that, show some backbone and sign the divorce papers.”
Her provocation worked. Old Yu sprang up like a wild beast whose fur had been set alight, shouting, “Fine! If I don’t sign, I’m your grandson!”
“That’s your word.”
Yi Xiaoyu reached for the bedside cabinet, took out the divorce agreement and a pen, set them on the table, and tilted her chin at Old Yu, “Sign it. If you don’t, I’ll look down on you.”
Old Yu’s chest heaved with fury, “I’ll sign it right now! I’ll make you regret it so much you’ll have nowhere left to regret!”
He strode forward, bit the cap off the pen, and with a few swift strokes signed the name “Yu Yi.”
When the last stroke was done, Yi Xiaoyu stared at the name for several seconds.
He had signed.
This man had signed.
A few simple procedures, and this two-year marriage was over.
Suddenly, Yi Xiaoyu felt a tightness in her chest, a sourness sweeping through her, making it hard to breathe. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze was cold and clear.
“You can go now. I’ll handle the rest of the paperwork.” Yi Xiaoyu packed away the agreement, looking up at Old Yu with reddened eyes. “From this moment on, we’re both free. Don’t forget to close the door on your way out.”
Old Yu, now calm, stared at the divorce agreement in her hands, his mind blank, as if his thoughts had crashed. The next moment, it was as if thousands of messages were flooding through.
Wait—what did he just do?
Did he sign the agreement?
What the hell? He actually—actually signed it?
God damn it—!
“What are you doing?”
“Give me the agreement! Give it—!”
Old Yu lunged at Yi Xiaoyu, frantically trying to snatch the papers from her hands. Yi Xiaoyu, much weaker and aching all over, pressed the agreement beneath herself, only to be flipped over entirely by Old Yu.
Old Yu finally grabbed the agreement and, without a word, tore it to shreds. Worried she might try to piece it together later, he stuffed the fragment bearing his signature into his pocket.
“You… you…” Yi Xiaoyu pointed at him, trembling all over with rage as she stared at the bits of paper scattered across the bed.
Dusting his hands, Old Yu declared, “I didn’t even read what was in your agreement. What if you were trying to trick me?”
“You… you’re shameless!”
Old Yu glared, “Shameless as hell—what can you do about it?”
“You…” Yi Xiaoyu was so furious she nearly passed out, pointing toward the door, “Get out!!!”
“Fine, I’ll go!”
Old Yu lifted his chin, hands in his pockets, swaggering out. In the living room, he called out to Onion, deliberately loud, “Let’s go, son! Your mom’s on her period and in a bad mood. In a couple days, we’ll come back and bother her again.”
From the bedroom came Yi Xiaoyu’s earth-shattering roar.
“Fatty, go to hell!!!”
(Goodnight from Brother Yawn~)