Chapter 780: Chapter 772 Ex-Husband Chapter 780: Chapter 772 Ex-Husband It’s been over twenty years since we last saw each other, yet she hasn’t changed a bit.
Even though she’s a woman in her forties now, her figure is still slender.
Her complexion is healthy, and her choice of clothes remains tasteful.
Her hair is styled into gentle waves, falling just to her shoulders, giving off a stylish and youthful vibe.
Even the corners of her eyes are free of any lines.
At forty, she looks much younger than many women in their thirties.
Her whole being radiates the charm of a mature woman.
If it weren’t for her face, which is exactly the same as it was, honestly, I wouldn’t have recognized her as Zhang Xiangcao, my former wife.
And it had been over twenty years since they’d seen each other.
For Xiangcao, the name Gao Peng had always been a painful spot in her heart that she had sealed away.
If she ever brought it up, it would inevitably hurt.
She hadn’t thought of that name for over twenty years now.
The pain that had once been bone-deep seemed to have no effect on her now.
I wonder if time is too merciless, or if her affection for him had simply waned, eroded away by the years.
Nonetheless, she really hadn’t recognized that he was the Gao Peng from the past.
The same Gao Peng who was once the most respected and handsome intellectual youth in their village, and the man over whom numerous girls had pined.
But time is a butcher’s knife, turning a man who was almost adored by thousands into a corpulent figure with a fat-filled brain, prematurely aged.
Despite being only in his forties, he appeared more like he was in his fifties.
Whenever she recalled Tang Zhijun, who was of a similar age, comparing Gao Peng to Tang Zhijun, the latter really couldn’t be looked at.
“Oh, it’s you.”
Zhang Xiangcao felt nothing special and even her greeting was somewhat lukewarm.
Gao Peng found her perfunctory attitude and her indifference uncomfortable.
In the past, she had been utterly obedient to him.
Whatever he said was right, and whatever he asked her to do was right too.
He was her everything – her sky, her earth.
He thought that even if he had left, given Xiangcao’s nature, she would remember him for a lifetime, that even in death, he would be the only one in her heart.
But what had he just said?
“Oh, it’s you?”
So casual, so indifferent.
What kind of attitude was that?
It has to be said that this disparity was too great for Gao Peng to bear, and it was a blow to his self-esteem.
Still, he didn’t lose his temper.
He knew he was in the wrong, so he had no right to confront Zhang Xiangcao; besides, from the looks of it, she seemed to be doing well.
For some reason, his heart, which had been dormant for many years, ignited the moment he saw Zhang Xiangcao.
He felt as if he had grown younger, his heart leaping with anticipation.
“Xiangcao, let’s sit down first, I have a lot to tell you.”
Gao Peng straightened his clothes, secretly glad that he’d always been particular about his image, ensuring that he was properly dressed for every outing.
This way, his appearance when meeting his ex-wife wouldn’t be too humiliating.
Moreover, he took great pride in his status as a successful person.
“I’m sorry, I really don’t have time,” Zhang Xiangcao didn’t want to sit with Gao Peng any longer, feeling almost nauseous just breathing the same air as him, let alone sitting down for tea.
What nonsense.
She feared she would vomit it all back up.
She had never realized before how hypocritical this man was.
Even now, he could stand before her without an ounce of remorse or apology.
Still expecting her to have tea with him?
What tea could there be between them?
Couldn’t he imagine how she had managed to survive back then?
Tang Yuxin had once said that Gao Peng was a selfish man.
At the time, all Xiangcao could do was laugh it off, constantly making excuses for Gao Peng in her heart.
Yet, as time passed, she realized that all excuses were futile, they were useless.
It wasn’t until now that she truly understood the meaning behind Yuxin’s words: he was a selfish man to the core.
Zhang Xiangcao turned to leave, but someone grabbed her arm.
She looked back to see Gao Peng holding onto her arm, his fingers thick and stubby, no longer reflecting the refinement of his scholarly past.
His body was so plump it seemed greasy; who knows how much he had overeaten these years.
“Xiangcao, where are you going?
I’ll drive you.
I have a car,” Gao Peng said with a sense of superiority.
“No need,” Zhang Xiangcao pulled her arm free from Gao Peng’s grasp.
“I can take the bus.” She had always preferred the bus over cars because she got carsick.
The only vehicle that didn’t make her nauseous was the bus, while any high-end cars were unsuitable for her.
“Don’t be polite,” Gao Peng thought Xiangcao was just being shy.
“Even though we are divorced, we can still be friends, right?”
At that moment, Xiangcao truly wanted to vomit on his face.
How could his face be so thick?
Since when did she want to become friends with him?
What kind of friendship could they possibly have?
Zhang Xiangcao turned and walked away again, too lazy to exchange another word with such a person.
“Xiangcao!” But Gao Peng, not one to give up, stepped in front of her again.
“I don’t really mean anything by it.
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I just want to know how you’re doing.
If you’re doing well, I won’t pester you.
In other words, if you’re not doing well, don’t I still exist?
I can help you,” he said, leaving it to her to decide what kind of help she needed.
“I’m doing very well.”
Zhang Xiangcao held back, but impatience was clearly etched on her face.
“Really?” Gao Peng didn’t believe her.
He knew Zhang Xiangcao was always faithful.
She probably hadn’t married anyone else in her life, right?
“Xiangcao, look at you, you’re off to work, right?
What kind of job do you have?” Gao Peng’s eyes swiveled as he surveyed her clothes.
Dressed so nicely, it might well be all she had.
A woman naturally has to work; if not, what else could she do, breathe in the northwest wind?
“I don’t work,” Zhang Xiangcao had never needed to work in her life.
She didn’t have to, her husband would support her, and everyone in her family had always provided for her, never letting her suffer a single hardship.