Volume One, Chapter 17: Perhaps We Should Not Divorce After All

When Fu Mingyue stepped out of the study, he could still see Ji Yunti leaning on her cane as she made her way toward the guest room. Though she limped, her back remained remarkably straight, just as it had been in childhood. No matter how others insulted her as a bastard, she stubbornly stood her ground, retorting firmly, “I am not!”

It seemed that, in essence, she had not changed at all.

At least today, he had misunderstood her repeatedly; she didn’t seem to harbor any schemes.

“Mingyue, do you really think Yunti went to the urology department on purpose? Or that she deliberately let Aunt Ji hit her, causing a scandal to disgrace you and the Fu family?” Li Susu asked from beside him.

Fu Mingyue paused, considering. Indeed, the rooftop incident and the suicide attempt were not orchestrated by her, but the urology department visit and her mother’s involvement—could those not have been her doing?

“Maybe Yunti realized things had gotten out of hand, and since Uncle is not easily fooled, she hurriedly changed her stance, saying she wanted nothing at all?” Li Susu continued.

Fu Mingyue fell silent; he knew this was likely the truth.

“When was that document edited? It should be traceable. If you feel uneasy, why not check? Honestly, I don’t think you wronged Yunti. You’ve been very good to her—even if you never treated her like a wife, you’ve always been a responsible brother,” Li Susu sighed. “Back in high school, I thought you saw her as a little sister, so I agreed to date you. I didn’t know she had liked you for so long, or else I—”

“I did consider her a sister all along. But Grandfather liked her, and four years ago, I was at my lowest. Grandfather kept urging me to marry, and I thought, since you’re going to marry, why not marry Yunti? At least she was obedient. I never thought she was just pretending.”

Fu Mingyue took a deep breath, trying to ease the tightness in his chest. He realized he was simply too sentimental, which made it so painful—after all, she had once been the sister he protected and raised.

If only she had stayed obedient...

His long fingers clenched suddenly!

“Mingyue, what’s wrong?”

Li Susu, sensing his sudden shift in mood, asked with concern.

Fu Mingyue shook his head. “You must be tired too. Get some rest early.”

Without another word, he strode away swiftly.

In that fleeting moment, he actually thought, maybe not divorcing isn’t so bad.

But clearly, he loved Susu. As for Yunti, he had always only seen her as a sister, yet over the years, she had constantly troubled and entangled him with all sorts of excuses—sometimes forbidding him from signing contracts, other times preventing him from meeting certain clients.

Because of her willfulness, he and the Fu Corporation had missed many opportunities over the past four years, leaving him endlessly vexed.

So, let it be.

Fu Mingyue returned to his room and poured himself a glass of wine, taking a drink.

What he didn’t know was that every time Ji Yunti troubled or clung to him, she was actually helping him avoid misfortune. But her actions defied the natural order, and revealing the truth would surely bring backlash.

In fact, Ji Yunti had once tried to explain this to Fu Mingyue so he could understand her, but he not only failed to grasp it, he thought she was unreasonable, even mentally ill.

She remembered clearly that time—she had a high fever for three days and nearly died. Since then, she never dared to tell Fu Mingyue the truth again, resorting instead to various means to prevent him from encountering misfortune.

Besides warding off evil, she also urged Fu Mingyue to do things beneficial to him. The Fu Group’s rise over the past four years was largely thanks to her efforts to steer him toward fortune.

“From now on, do whatever you want,” Ji Yunti thought, looking at the divorce agreement in her hands with a sense of relief.

She knew the Fu family’s fortunes intimately and how much effort it took to bring them to this point.

Yet they believed it was all due to their own strength and ability.

Though Fu Mingyue did have some talent, his father was the kind of man who even dared collude in Northern Myanmar—clearly not a clean businessman.

True fortune and household prosperity only come to families blessed with virtue and accumulated blessings. Those without virtue, even if born with wealth and status, will ultimately lose it all without accumulating good deeds.

Of course, some powerful families maintain their prosperity through dark arts and sorcery, like certain wealthy Western clans.

“Madam,” Aunt Liu’s voice echoed from the old mansion.

Ji Yunti turned immediately to see Aunt Liu carrying her belongings.

“Your things have been packed,” Aunt Liu said as she set them down.

Ji Yunti nodded. “Thank you. And please don’t call me ‘Madam’ anymore; just call me by my name.”

Aunt Liu nodded quietly and left the guest room. She felt sorry for Ji Yunti, who had been married into the Fu family for so many years but couldn’t even fill a single suitcase with her things.

Perhaps it was because the old mansion was seldom lived in.

In fact, Ji Yunti’s possessions in Fu Mingyue’s villa were even fewer.

That was because when she first married in, she lived at the old mansion, and her dowry was naturally stored there.

Opening her suitcase, Ji Yunti saw the small dressing box her grandfather had left her—a piece he had handcrafted for her grandmother.

She ran her fingers over the wooden box, worn with time, her eyes stinging. “Grandpa, Yunti misses you.”

Tears slipped uncontrollably down her cheeks.

“Grandpa, once I get the property deed, I’ll come back to stay with you and never leave again.”

Wherever her grandfather was—even if just a place he had lived—that was her true home.

In her past life, she had failed to see clearly and had struggled blindly until she was battered and bruised, never finding peace even in death.

From now on, she would never force herself to grasp what was destined to be unattainable.

Closing the suitcase, Ji Yunti felt her eyes burn even more. She rubbed them, thinking she should visit the hospital after going to the civil affairs bureau tomorrow. Her vision had been hazy—not severe, but still concerning.

“Could it be a lingering effect from the fall?” She recalled carefully, certain she had protected her head, but decided to be cautious and get it checked.

She also needed to send her hospital gown to her senior brother for examination. Fortunately, she had packed it in advance, so it should not have been taken away for cleaning.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Ji Yunti thought Aunt Liu might have returned. “Come in.”

The door opened, and before she could look up, a pair of long legs appeared before her, reeking of alcohol.

Ji Yunti looked up in puzzlement and saw Fu Mingyue, visibly drunk, gazing down at her.

His eyes, clouded and unfocused, were stripped of their usual aloofness, replaced by a gentle and refined expression.

“Maybe this marriage shouldn’t end after all,” Fu Mingyue said softly.