Chen Erhu’s calm and affirmative answer caused a brief interruption in the conversation in the room. It seemed that for a moment, everyone didn’t know what to say.
However, perhaps because everyone was there, Sun Nana’s condition recovered somewhat.
She smoothed her hair, leaned against the table, and looked at her parents, taking a light breath. “If you’re here to persuade me, then don’t bother. I’m not going home, not to his house, and not to your house. I must get a divorce. There is no room for turning back.”
“Nana,” her mother walked over to her and took her hand. “Mom isn’t necessarily trying to stop you. I just really can’t understand. You two were so good before…”
“People change, or maybe they haven’t changed, just hidden it well before,” Sun Nana said. “There’s no point in talking about the past now. You could see how good things were before. Now things are so bad, but you can’t see it.”
“What kind of conflict between a husband and wife can’t be resolved by talking it out?” her father frowned, looking more rigid than her mother. “Does it have to be solved by divorce?”
Sun Nana turned her head away, clearly not wanting to argue with her father.
“Uncle Sun,” Shan Yu spoke up. “It seems that in your marriage, all conflicts can be resolved.”
“Of course!” her father looked at Shan Yu. “Her mother and I have been through all these years like this…”
“With all due respect,” Shan Yu said, “between you and Auntie, you should be the one who is never wrong. If there are conflicts, the way to resolve them is for Auntie to take a step back.”
Her mother turned to look at Shan Yu in shock.
Her father was stunned and didn’t speak for a long time, seeming to be thinking, trying to find a negative answer.
“In Sun Nana’s marriage, the only way to continue is for her to endure,” Shan Yu said. “To be controlled by that Mr. Zhang, to listen to his words, to suffer his scolding…”
“Don’t speak so harshly!” her father raised his voice.
“He’s telling the truth,” Sun Nana said.
“Nana, you!” her mother patted her arm.
“Divorce is not a big deal, and there’s no need to force the resolution of unresolvable conflicts just to maintain a marriage,” Shan Yu said. “If normal life is already affected, then what is the value of a marriage’s existence? Cultivation?”
“Don’t give me that nonsense,” her father frowned. “If it weren’t for Xiao Zhang, my daughter wouldn’t even be alive today!”
“I wish he hadn’t saved me back then. I would have rather died,” Sun Nana said.
“What did you say!” her father got angry, pointing at her and about to go over.
Chen Jian and Chen Erhu simultaneously took a step forward from both sides, blocking her father.
“Uncle,” Chen Jian said, “let’s talk things out properly.”
“Her mother and I have talked properly so many times. Has it been useful?” her father sighed. “My daughter, don’t I love her! Isn’t it all so she can live a good life!”
“The key is that she can’t live a good life without a divorce!” Chen Erhu couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted. “Only by getting a divorce can she live a good life! Do you really love her if you can’t even understand such a simple truth?”
“It’s you guys!” her father pointed at them angrily. “I see, you guys must have instigated this!”
“Without us, she would still be persuaded by you to go back and get beaten and scolded and suffer mental torment!” Hu Pan also got angry. “You parents, have you really thought about your children!”
“Did he really hit you?” her mother looked at Sun Nana. “Did he really scold you? He was always so gentle…”
“It’s an act,” Chen Jian said.
“I’ve said it many times. I’m scared when I see him!” Sun Nana said.
“But, you’re sick…” her mother said cautiously.
“Auntie,” Shan Yu spoke again. “Do you and Uncle have a history of mental illness? Have there been any in the past few generations?”
“No,” her mother said.
“Then we can rule out genetics,” Shan Yu said. “Has Sun Nana ever been sick? A serious, long, painful illness?”
“No,” Sun Nana said.
Her mother also shook her head.
“If I may be so bold as to ask,” Shan Yu looked at Sun Nana. “How did Mr. Zhang save you?”
“I fell into the river,” Sun Nana said. “He saved me.”
“It was winter, the lake was frozen, and she had already sunk. Xiao Zhang smashed the ice around her with his fists to pull her out,” her mother’s voice trembled as she spoke, clearly still very afraid. “A little later and she would have been gone.”
Chen Jian really wanted to be bold and ask why Nana was standing on the ice in the first place, but he felt the timing was not right and held back.
But Hu Pan didn’t care about that. She asked in a low voice, “What were you doing standing on the ice?”
“Taking pictures,” Sun Nana also answered in a low voice.
Hu Pan’s frown hadn’t even had time to relax before she almost couldn’t hold back her laughter. She quickly turned her head away. “Oh…”
“So falling into the river wasn’t because of emotional problems like trying to commit suicide,” Shan Yu continued from where he had left off. “So the only source of her mental illness is her life after marriage…”
“What do you mean?” her father said. “Are you suspecting that Xiao Zhang drove her crazy!”
“I’m not suspecting,” Shan Yu said. “I’m certain. He didn’t save my daughter. I don’t have a hero filter for him. I only have an objective analysis of him. One second he’s comforting you with gentle words, the next second he’s about to hit me in the corridor. This kind of person, in the words of a normal person, is called a smiling tiger and a beast in human clothing…”
Shan Yu’s words were very blunt, and they became more and more blunt. Her father was so shocked that he couldn’t even speak.
“If you think that because Sun Nana was saved by him, she has to endure all this suffering and repay his kindness…” Shan Yu looked at him. “Why don’t you go and repay this kindness? Don’t you love your daughter?”
“You!” Her father was so angry that he raised his hand and swung at Shan Yu’s face.
Shan Yu stood still.
Chen Jian, who had been staring at her father, rushed over and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back.
He knew it. With Shan Yu around, if he couldn’t cover his mouth, he had to keep an eye on the person he was attacking.
“Don’t pull me!” her father glared at Chen Jian, trying to shake his hand off.
Do you think I’m pulling you to protect Shan Yu?
I’m pulling you to give Nana face so her father doesn’t get hit by the boss in front of her!
Chen Jian didn’t move.
Her father began to shake his hand frantically.
Chen Jian never let go.
His arm was being pulled and shaken along. With some music, this scene was… quite comical.
If it were a short drama…
“I want a divorce—” Sun Nana suddenly roared, and the chaos in the room instantly froze.
“I want a divorce! I want a divorce! Divorce! Divorce! Divorce—” Sun Nana shouted, banging on the table. “Do you understand? I want a divorce! Divorce! I want a divorce!”
Her parents stared at her with wide eyes.
“Do you understand?” Sun Nana also looked at them.
Her mother nodded.
“Crazy… truly crazy…” her father muttered.
“You should go,” Sun Nana said. “Just pretend you don’t have me as a daughter. If you can’t bear to part with him, then go and adopt him as your godson.”
Her father held it in for a long time without speaking, then turned and slammed the door as he walked out of the dorm.
Chen Jian glanced at Chen Erhu and tilted his head slightly.
Chen Erhu immediately understood and also walked out.
“Nana, don’t be angry,” her mother said softly after recovering. “Your father isn’t necessarily against you getting a divorce. One is that Xiao Zhang saved you, and the other is that he has helped our family a lot over the years. Plus… Xiao Zhang has been begging him, so he always wanted to try and salvage it.”
Sun Nana didn’t make a sound and didn’t look at her mother.
“Mom knows you must have suffered…” her mother’s voice choked.
“You should take care of yourself,” Sun Nana said. “Actually, you never made me suffer much growing up, so I don’t want to start suffering now that I’m almost thirty.”
Her mother didn’t say any more.
“Auntie, Sun Nana is very happy here. Don’t worry,” Shan Yu said. “The divorce will definitely happen. Please also convey to Mr. Zhang that he should have some decency and be a gentleman. Otherwise, if this drags on, he will be the only one to lose. Nana has nothing more to lose.”
Her mother looked at Shan Yu and sighed softly.
“Please ask him to go directly to the Civil Affairs Bureau at the appointed time. If he dares to come here again, we will call the police directly and apply for a personal safety protection order. Regardless of whether the application is successful or not,” Shan Yu said, “for safety’s sake, we will also notify his workplace to cooperate.”
Her mother still didn’t speak, just looked at Sun Nana again.
“See Uncle and Auntie out,” Shan Yu said.
“Auntie, let’s go,” Chen Jian walked to her mother’s side. “I’ll see you out.”
“Okay,” her mother nodded.
“Erhu,” Chen Jian asked into the walkie-talkie. “Where’s Uncle?”
“In the courtyard. I’m with him,” Chen Erhu said.
“Okay,” Chen Jian said. “Auntie and I are coming down now. We’ll take them back.”
Her mother silently followed Chen Jian into the elevator.
After the elevator had gone down two floors, her mother looked at Chen Jian and asked, “What does Nana do here?”
“She’s our housekeeping manager,” Chen Jian said. “When the city leaders come, she’s also in charge of reception.”
“Oh,” her mother nodded. “Nana hasn’t worked for many years…”
Chen Jian didn’t speak.
Her father had originally wanted to refuse Chen Jian and Chen Erhu’s offer to see them out, probably because his head had hurt from the cold when he had ridden the motorcycle without a hat.
When Chen Jian opened the door of Shan Yu’s big Mercedes, he also glared and had no intention of getting in.
But her mother lowered her head, walked past him, and got into the car.
Only after both Chen Jian and Chen Erhu had gotten into the car did her father reluctantly get in.
“Haven’t you ever been in a car before!” he said in a low voice.
Her mother remained silent.
The ex-husband Zhang’s car was no longer parked where it was, but had turned into the small town and was parked next to the police station.
He didn’t know if it was because he was afraid of getting beaten up.
After all, it was clear to the naked eye that Lao Si was a bit dense, the kind of thug who would definitely pounce and start throwing punches if he had the chance.
Chen Jian parked the car next to the ex-husband Zhang’s white car.
“Mr. Zhang,” Chen Jian got out of the car and walked up to the ex-husband Zhang. “I’m afraid Uncle and Auntie might not have conveyed it clearly, so I’ll tell you again. Go to the Civil Affairs Bureau at the appointed time. If you harass Nana again in the meantime, we will apply for a personal protection order and also ask your workplace to assist.”
“Are you threatening me?” the ex-husband Zhang looked at him.
“It’s a warning. We live in a society governed by law. How could we threaten anyone?” Chen Jian said. “It’s a good thing to have a workplace, especially a government agency.”
The ex-husband Zhang didn’t say any more. He took a step back and pointed at him.
When Chen Jian looked at his finger, he dropped his hand. “Fine, you guys are tough.”
“Don’t say that,” Chen Jian said. “Not as tough as you.”
Shan Yu walked out of the dorm. He had originally wanted to go to the office, but on second thought, he went back to the first floor.
Although there weren’t many guests these past few days, the phone at the front desk would still ring. With all the employees off their posts, he, the ‘I-don’t-know-anything’ boss, had to step in for now.
Zhao Fangfang was still standing by the bar outside the kitchen. She had been standing there since before Chen Jian and the others had brought the people back. There was a fruit knife and some fruit by her side, but in all this time, the fruit had not been cut.
“Cut an orange, Sister Zhao,” Shan Yu said, walking over and tapping on the counter.
“Oh, Boss Shan,” Zhao Fangfang seemed to have just come back to her senses. She responded, deftly picked up an orange, and started cutting it with her head down.
“It’s okay now,” Shan Yu said. “They’ve all been sent off. That Zhang guy won’t be coming over either.”
“Mhm,” Zhao Fangfang forced a smile and pushed the cut orange on a small plate in front of Shan Yu. “Then…”
“The divorce will definitely happen,” Shan Yu said. “When the time comes, we’ll accompany Nana to the Civil Affairs Bureau.”
“That’s great,” Zhao Fangfang lowered her head and picked up another orange, but didn’t cut it.
“What, if that Zhang guy had come to cause trouble today,” Shan Yu looked at the knife in her hand, “were you planning to use a knife?”
Zhao Fangfang was silent for a long time.
After Shan Yu had eaten two slices of orange, he reached over, took the knife from her hand, and placed it to the side.
“I had no choice back then,” Zhao Fangfang said in a low voice. “I really had no choice.”
“Was it you who disabled your husband?” Shan Yu asked.
Zhao Fangfang suddenly looked up at him.
Shan Yu also looked at her.
“If only I had been working at Dayin back then,” Zhao Fangfang sighed softly. “I couldn’t get a divorce. He said he would kill me and my daughter if I divorced him.”
Shan Yu didn’t speak. He picked up another slice of orange and finished it before asking, “How are things now? Is he behaving himself?”
“Mhm,” Zhao Fangfang suddenly smiled when she said this. “It’s pretty good too. I can take on some work at home and he can help. He can also take care of the kids’ meals.”
Shan Yu glanced at her and didn’t speak, feeling a bit emotional.
Zhao Fangfang and Sun Nana were completely different people, in completely different situations. For Zhao Fangfang, she hadn’t divorced this man whom she had somehow disabled, but had chosen to continue living with him, albeit with some difficulty.
It was unclear what the man was thinking, but for Zhao Fangfang, at least things were better than before.
There was an indescribable sense of peace and cruelty.
When Chen Jian parked the car, he hadn’t considered how the ex-husband Zhang’s car would leave. After all, he was a novice driver, and he had parked right in front of the white car.
Now, the ex-husband Zhang, whether out of stubbornness or something else, was struggling to reverse back and forth in the same spot for seven or eight times and still hadn’t managed to get the car out. He also resolutely didn’t ask them to move their car.
The police officer from the police station even came out. “What are you doing?”
“I might have accidentally blocked the road,” Chen Jian said.
“Isn’t that Dayin’s car?” the police officer said. “Can you move it?”
“He didn’t ask me to,” Chen Jian said.
“He’s practicing his skills,” Sanbing said.
“What skills are you practicing in front of the police station!” the police officer was a bit annoyed. “Are you guys causing trouble?”
“Chen Jian is here,” Lao Wu said. “It’s not just the four of us.”
“Even if it were just the four of us, we wouldn’t be causing trouble!” Chen Erhu said. “Don’t you know how to talk!”
The ex-husband Zhang finally got the car out, slammed on the gas, and rushed towards the intersection, disappearing at the end of the road in a cloud of dust.
“Let’s go,” Chen Jian said, turning to get in the car.
“Wait,” Chen Erhu pushed him. “I have something to ask you first.”
Chen Jian didn’t make a sound. Of course, he knew what Chen Erhu wanted to ask. If he didn’t make this clear, when Sanbing and the others asked about what had just happened in the car, the steady Chen Erhu wouldn’t know what to say.
“Just now,” Chen Erhu pulled him aside and lowered his voice, “were you guys being serious or just acting for those two?”
“Serious,” Chen Jian said.
Chen Erhu froze.
After a few seconds, he finally said, “Fuck.”
“Let’s go,” Chen Jian said. Although he didn’t care about others’ attitudes, it was still a bit awkward to talk about this face-to-face with Chen Erhu alone.
“I’ll keep it a secret for you,” Chen Erhu patted his shoulder and said in a steady voice.
“No need,” Chen Jian said.
Chen Erhu froze again.
After a few seconds, he said again, “Fuck.”
