The Iceberg Ex-Wife Doesn't Want to Take My Tragic Ending Script (BE Script) - Chapter 3

The heavy gemstone struck the wooden floor, producing a clear, sharp sound. No one cared if the floor would be scratched. Shi Xiu’s emotion when saying “divorce” was completely dominated by astonishment.

She didn’t know how the ring had fallen off by itself. But its dropping made her recent words suddenly sound hysterical. Shi Xiu thought she didn’t mean it.

Or perhaps, she did.

Shang Jinyue’s cold treatment from last night until now made Shi Xiu lose control, and “divorce” came out unintentionally. However, words spoken aloud often carried a kernel of truth. Shi Xiu didn’t really want to retract the statement.

She sat on the bed, waiting to see Shang Jinyue’s reaction to her words.

And finally, to Shi Xiu’s expectation, Shang Jinyue showed some reaction. She paused, then put down the foundation in her hand, moved to Shi Xiu’s side, and slowly picked up the ring from the floor.

This was the wedding ring Shi Xiu had designed. The lake-blue sapphire on the ring face was bought by Shang Jinyue at a high price from a black market in Florence. It was unique in this world.

Lost in thought, Shang Jinyue looked at Shi Xiu’s ring in her hand for a while. Then, she sat down next to Shi Xiu and calmly said: “Have you thought it through? With the prenuptial agreement, if you divorce me, you won’t get any assets. Your galleries, the artists under you, including Feng Xinyang, will all belong to me.”

The calm voice sounded neither emotional nor fluctuating, like an analysis of pros and cons, yet also like a threat. This marriage was dominated by Shang Jinyue from the start. Therefore, even in divorce, Shi Xiu would only be in a passive position.

Shi Xiu was not someone who clung to power, so Shang Jinyue’s threat meant little. However, Feng Xinyang was signed to her gallery. This person had a worse temper than herself and acted impulsively, which could easily lead to her suffering a loss.

“Wait for me to come back for lunch.”

In Shi Xiu’s silence, Shang Jinyue’s indifferent tone carried a hint of gentleness. Shi Xiu felt a slight sense of comfort, then saw her hand being lifted by Shang Jinyue. The lake-blue sapphire ring once again slipped onto her ring finger, locking back onto her finger inch by inch, corresponding with the one on Shang Jinyue’s hand.

It feels like shackles, Shi Xiu thought.

Then a long, slender shadow fell in front of Shi Xiu’s sight. Shang Jinyue actively reached out to tidy Shi Xiu’s hair. The loose strands were brushed away and brought into order, revealing Shi Xiu’s eyes.

Shi Xiu felt that Shang Jinyue seemed to genuinely enjoy looking at her eyes. Her movements were slow and meticulous, her thumb pads gently brushing against her eyelashes, as if she were tending to an obedient puppet.

“It’s still early, sleep for a bit longer.”

Shang Jinyue looked at Shi Xiu’s newly revealed eyes, and a satisfied emotion appeared on her face. She gently instructed, then stood up and left, as if the morning’s quarrel had thus concluded.

Shang Jinyue was nonchalant about Shi Xiu’s feelings and didn’t think she would actually divorce her. Shi Xiu’s voice couldn’t capture her attention, and the debate had no resolution. The bedroom was silent, as if it were a world isolated by its creator.

Shi Xiu looked at the ring Shang Jinyue had put back on her hand and couldn’t help but wonder: What exactly am I to Shang Jinyue?

She couldn’t sleep.

Shi Xiu lay listlessly in bed for a while, and the urge to drink surfaced again. After all, if she drank, she could fall asleep.

So, Shi Xiu ignored whether she had eaten breakfast and walked barefoot toward the wine cellar. However, she had just stepped out of the bedroom when she heard the sound of the front door closing.

The housekeeper, Auntie, had arrived for work and was walking out of the foyer, holding something that seemed related to her opening the door just now.

“What is it?” Shi Xiu leaned her head out and asked casually.

Perhaps Shi Xiu’s sudden appearance startled the housekeeper, who surprisingly looked shocked. She shivered all over, and upon seeing Shi Xiu, she quickly hid the item behind her back.

This obviously drew Shi Xiu’s attention even more: “What’s in your hand?”

“It’s the jewelry Miss ordered. The brand just delivered it,” the housekeeper quickly regained her composure and answered Shi Xiu in a matter-of-fact tone.

However, there was no reason for such an item to make the housekeeper so timid. Shi Xiu sensed there must be something fishy and held out her hand: “Give it to me.”

“Miss instructed me not to give it to anyone else,” the housekeeper refused.

“I’m not anyone else,” Shi Xiu asserted her identity as Shang Jinyue’s wife.

The housekeeper still refused.

“Does that include me?” Shi Xiu frowned.

The housekeeper nodded. It should be said, especially Shi Xiu.

The small black box was square and delicate, with velvet lining that looked soft under the light. Shi Xiu inexplicably felt the box was eye-catching, not at all Shang Jinyue’s preferred style.

After staring at the box for a while, Shi Xiu unusually conceded: “Alright then, put it away for her.”

The housekeeper breathed a sigh of relief, took the box, and was about to walk past Shi Xiu toward Shang Jinyue’s cloakroom…

“Madam!”

“If A-Yue asks, I’ll say you were doing something else, and I signed for it.”

Amidst the housekeeper’s astonishment, Shi Xiu smiled and took the jewelry box for Shang Jinyue, her raised eyebrow conveying triumph.

She and Shang Jinyue greatly respected each other’s privacy, to the point of being somewhat estranged. Shi Xiu knew that since Shang Jinyue had instructed otherwise, she shouldn’t cross her boundary. But their morning and last night had both been unpleasant.

So, Shi Xiu, holding the jewelry box, walked straight into the cloakroom without looking back.

The box opened to reveal two exquisite ruby brooches. The red was striking enough, impeccably clean, and no less beautiful than the lake-blue sapphire on Shi Xiu’s ring. They must have been carefully selected. The gemstones had no visible seams, vividly carved into two small, cuddling pomelos (柚子 yòuzi).

The pomelos in Shi Xiu’s hand could be used individually or detached and pieced together to form a pair.

Who are these for?

Shi Xiu subconsciously included herself, then quickly excluded the possibility. If they were meant for her, there was no need for Shang Jinyue to be so secretive.

It was then that Shi Xiu noticed a card tucked inside the box. The person had written in fluid and unrestrained English script: get back together.

Get back together.

Who does Shang Jinyue want to get back together with?

It surely couldn’t be herself, the person she had been married to for seven years.

“Heh.”

Laughter became a tool to mask emotion. A name uncontrollably popped into Shi Xiu’s head: Wen Youqing.

Pomelo (柚子 Yòuzi).

Wen Youqing (温幼晴 Wēn Yǒuqíng).

This person had appeared too frequently these last two days, causing Shi Xiu undue resentment. The land she wanted was what Shang Jinyue intended to give her. The brooch delivered to the house was what Shang Jinyue intended to give her.

Is Shang Jinyue also going to be hers soon?

Shi Xiu thought she shouldn’t be so arbitrary; she should listen to Shang Jinyue’s explanation. But what explanation would this person give her? Yesterday’s discussion yielded no result, and this morning was the same.

Disappointment felt like a carefully constructed game of wooden blocks. One minute it looked indestructible, the next it was precarious. No one would have expected that when the seemingly inconsequential piece was pulled out, it would collapse in a heap.

Compared to the suspicion of her lover’s infidelity, the loss of confidence in communication was the most terrifying thing.

The number of times Shang Jinyue chose to communicate honestly with Shi Xiu over the years was truly negligible. Now, even affection was elusive.

Shi Xiu nervously rubbed the ruby brooch in her hand, her breathing shaky. She couldn’t ignore it. It felt like an ice pick had wedged into her chest, making the pain exceptionally clear.

Once Wen Youqing accepts this brooch, will Shang Jinyue divorce me?

…So, was her meticulous attention to my career this morning actually preparation for this?

The cold wind of winter seemed to seep in through the airtight window, chilling her to the bone and making her tremble.

“Knock-knock.”

A knock came from behind Shi Xiu. Startled, she hid the box and turned around. It was the housekeeper. She came to ask Shi Xiu what she wanted for lunch.

Shi Xiu’s mind was completely blank. She reflexively listed Shang Jinyue’s favorite dish: “There are fresh bamboo shoots in the fridge. Buy some shiitake mushrooms and pork belly, let’s make Yan Du Xian (braised soup).”

“Alright,” the housekeeper nodded. She saw Shi Xiu was somewhat distraught and asked with concern: “Madam, are you alright?”

“Do I not look alright?” Shi Xiu clutched the box in her hand and forced a strained smile at the housekeeper. She really didn’t have much energy to deal with these things, but she tried to look normal: “Hurry up, A-Yue will be back soon.”

Even though Shang Jinyue had already returned, Shi Xiu still used such an intimate address when talking to someone else, just to prove that she was fine.

Ning City in winter was endlessly desolate. Looking out the window, the snow was already trampled and scarred. The housekeeper didn’t question Shi Xiu further, closed the door for her, and prepared to leave. After all, her employers’ affairs were none of her business.

However, before leaving, she still felt Shi Xiu’s condition was wrong and couldn’t help but discard her professional boundary of being taciturn: “Madam, please don’t overthink things. Miss cares about you.”

Is that so?

Hearing someone else say Shang Jinyue cared about her, Shi Xiu questioned it in her heart for the first time. She would no longer feel happy because of Shang Jinyue’s “caring” spoken by others.

Her happiness was gone. She suddenly felt completely exhausted.

From that stunning first glance at a banquet during the summer vacation of her sophomore year of high school, Shi Xiu fell in love with Shang Jinyue. She was full of passion, relentlessly pursuing her, following Shang Jinyue like a puppy for three years. She finally got her wish and ended up with her love.

Feng Xinyang said Shang Jinyue must have saved Shi Xiu’s life in a past life for her to be so willing to be with her. A person as inarticulate as Shang Jinyue should be destined to be alone, and shouldn’t let her lover burn herself out.

Shi Xiu didn’t take it seriously. Her burning was vast and magnificent, like an eternal bonfire in the dark night, crackling and warming Shang Jinyue’s world.

But now, the key had turned the lock. Looking into the airtight vault, all that remained in the pitch-black world was a pile of carbonized wreckage.

The moment the door closed, tears started uncontrollably falling from Shi Xiu’s eyes. They landed on her wedding ring, embedded with the lake-blue sapphire, and on the ruby pomelo brooch.

Shi Xiu didn’t know why she was suddenly crying. She just realized that she had burned herself out. What was there to be sad about? She wouldn’t die if she left Shang Jinyue, would she?

Shi Xiu stubbornly wiped her tears, determined to stop them. But no matter how many times she frantically tried, she couldn’t push them back. Instead, they increased. They wet Shi Xiu’s fingers and blurred Shang Jinyue’s handwriting.

The hair Shang Jinyue had brushed aside this morning remained neatly tucked behind Shi Xiu’s ear, revealing her tear-filled eyes. Shi Xiu wondered if, when Shang Jinyue looked at her eyes with satisfaction, she ever considered that she was also cruelly writing betrayal and heartbreak upon them.

This winter felt exceptionally cold. Shi Xiu’s flame had gone out, but she didn’t need to worry about Shang Jinyue being cold anymore.

Shi Xiu looked at the note in her hand with the blurred writing and found a reliable-looking divorce document online.

The printer aggressively tapped out the divorce agreement. Shi Xiu waived her rights to her galleries, only requesting the termination of Feng Xinyang’s contract with the gallery. Her galleries were worth more than Feng Xinyang, making this a stable and profitable agreement that saved much trouble. Shang Jinyue had no reason to refuse.

The printer violently spat out the paper, quickly slicing across Shi Xiu’s finger. Blood seeped out. The newly printed paper was still warm, but the not-too-high temperature still made her fingers tremble.

Shi Xiu looked at the document, unable to discern why her hand was shaking. Her fingers gripping the pen were white. Although there were only a few characters to sign, it felt incredibly long.

The housekeeper had gone to the market. The massive house was empty.

Shi Xiu placed the signed document on the living room table and used the pomelo brooch to weigh it down. It was clear at a glance. Shang Jinyue was better at reading comprehension than she was.

With everything arranged, Shi Xiu dragged her suitcase to the door. On the cabinet in the foyer was a photo of her and Shang Jinyue from New Year’s Eve two years ago. Shi Xiu was smiling more brilliantly back then. At that time, she had gone alone to Saudi Arabia with poor English. From the airport to the hotel, the cold wind cut into her lungs, and her throat was raw. But she still managed to see Shang Jinyue before the New Year’s chime rang, leaving behind that rare memory under the fireworks.

It seemed truly insane. She had once loved this person with such intensity. She truly was the madwoman Feng Xinyang called, the one who didn’t care about dying.

Madwoman.

Shi Xiu muttered the word, sneering and mocking herself. The violent tremor in her chest made her heart hurt, exhausting her even more than her frantic run years ago.

She didn’t regret her ten years with Shang Jinyue.

But if she could start over, she thought she would never go near Shang Jinyue again. She was too tired.

Tired of guessing what a person was thinking, and guessing whether a person loved her. At twenty-seven, Shi Xiu finally understood what it meant to be disillusioned.

As the elevator descended at a steady speed, Shi Xiu opened her contact list. She thought Feng Xinyang’s house would be a good place to stay temporarily. Her friend might even greatly praise her sudden realization and treat her to a big meal to celebrate her singledom.

That’s good.

Shi Xiu tried to summon a happy emotion, attempting a symbolic smile.

But then, everything suddenly went black.

No way, did I go blind just because I forced a smile?

But the elevator buttons that lit up in her vision immediately made Shi Xiu realize that the elevator had malfunctioned.

Nothing is going right.

Shi Xiu stared at the elevator buttons. A suffocating emotion violently crashed inside her body. Only after taking a deep breath did she have the strength to press the emergency button.

“CRASH!”

Something seemed to snap. A sudden sense of weightlessness overwhelmed Shi Xiu. The elevator seemed to be plummeting rapidly. Shi Xiu felt all her internal organs being compressed into one spot. Her heart was pushing against her throat, making her want to vomit.

…

“Sizzle…”

The sound of rushing water intruded into Shi Xiu’s dream, waking her up.

After a period of chaotic darkness, Shi Xiu heard someone calling for her to move aside from behind. She subconsciously took a step forward, but her knee seemed to bump into something.

“Hiss.”

Shi Xiu gasped in pain, finally seeing a standard classroom chair in front of her. Why was this thing here?

Wait.

Shi Xiu felt the surrounding scene was odd. The blackboard with the seating chart, students in school uniforms, and moving desks and chairs rushed into her view. The sunlight was bright and blinding, passing through the leaves and glass, creating numerous Tyndall effects.

Shi Xiu realized that the environment she was in was somewhat familiar, filled with the dusty feeling of memory. Isn’t this her high school classroom? How did she get here?

“Shi Xiu.”

Just as Shi Xiu was feeling lost, a cold voice came from below her. Shi Xiu looked down and suddenly saw that the chair she had bumped into was occupied.

The young Shang Jinyue, wearing a well-fitting school uniform, with perfect proportions and tailored fit, abruptly entered Shi Xiu’s sight. Sunlight caught the bridge of her nose in a streak of gold, outlining her deep-set, clear, and aloof features.

Even seeing the young Shang Jinyue again, Shi Xiu’s heart still uncontrollably skipped a beat.

“Squeak—!”

Someone, tired of shifting their desk, decided to give up and drag it instead. The grating friction sliced through Shi Xiu’s ears, instantly pulling her back to reality.

Liking Shang Jinyue leads to a lifetime of bad luck. Have you forgotten!

Shi Xiu pressed down on her heart and retracted the leg that was about to step back into the ranks of the love-struck idiot. She now felt the scene before her was extremely bizarre. How did she end up in her high school classroom? And at this moment of close proximity with Shang Jinyue?

Wait, when exactly was this?

It seemed to be the beginning of her senior year of high school. The grade had been reshuffled, and she and Shang Jinyue were put in the same class. She was insisting on being Shang Jinyue’s deskmate, and at this moment, she should be relentlessly pestering Shang Jinyue to agree.

How did she arrive at this moment?

Did she reborn, or was she dreaming?

Was the resentment in her subconscious about this incident that strong? Well, it wasn’t wrong. This was the formal beginning of her subsequent ten years of unfortunate entanglement with Shang Jinyue.

Shi Xiu stared obscurely at Shang Jinyue, who was exactly as she remembered, thinking that whether this was a dream or not, she would no longer be Shang Jinyue’s deskmate. Things that were not meant to last should not begin at all. She would personally shut this door of sin and cut off her subsequent ten years of emotional entanglement with Shang Jinyue.

“Since you don’t agree, I won’t force it.”

“Goodbye.”

Shi Xiu took a step back, separating the unexpectedly close distance between herself and Shang Jinyue. Her abandonment was clean and swift. She turned to find Feng Xinyang, just as she had when she moved out of Shang Jinyue’s house.

But before she could take a step, Shi Xiu felt an external force tugging at her jacket. Long fingers were caught on the corner of Shi Xiu’s clothes—a familiarity she lived with day and night. However, the action carried a sense of urgency unlike any other.

This was a side of Shang Jinyue Shi Xiu had never seen. So, Shi Xiu also felt confused.

What’s the deal?

Students moving seats walked back and forth in the classroom, their figures fleeting. Shi Xiu gave Shang Jinyue full patience, watching her cherry-pink lips press into a line, and then watched her open her mouth to say: “I didn’t disagree.”

The bell was ringing. Shi Xiu’s pupils suddenly widened.

It wasn’t because her wish had been granted, but because she was ecstatic. This must be a dream!

Shi Xiu had never dreamed that Shang Jinyue would try to keep her. Of course, she wouldn’t fail her brain’s good intentions. She then put on a calm and gentle smile for Shang Jinyue and said:

“But I don’t want to anymore.”

Author’s Note:

Xiu: Time to start training the dog.