At this moment, she was so beautiful as if she had stepped out of a myth, radiant and dazzling.
"Brother," Zhilan stopped in front of He Teng, noticing the cigarette burning at his fingertips. She leaned over, snatched the cigarette butt from his hand, and tossed it on the ground.
After hanging up the phone, He Teng immediately took leave and hurriedly caught a train to the capital. Despite knowing that even if he rushed to the capital, he could not stop Zhilan if she was determined to go, he still went alone to Capital University for reasons he couldn’t quite articulate.
Upon hearing from the dormitory manager that Zhilan had left looking radiant with Senior Zhou from her university, he suddenly felt that his trip was pointless and a bit foolish.
"Did Gu En hit you?" Only then did He Teng notice the red mark on Zhilan’s face and her rabbit-like red eyes.
Zhilan nodded, hanging her head down, biting her lip, "Brother, I was wrong."
"Does it hurt?" Instead of acknowledging Zhilan’s apology, He Teng raised his hand only to suddenly drop it, ultimately refraining from touching her face.
"No matter how bad it hurts, it can’t be worse than here." Zhilan pointed to her chest. Just one question, "does it hurt?" and her tears burst forth.
"Zhilan, maybe it’s not your fault. Perhaps I was wrong, or the He family was wrong," He Teng suddenly sighed. "After we get back, I will file for divorce. Once the papers are ready, I will send someone to handle the procedures. Zhilan, you are free. In the future, find someone who can protect you, someone who won’t allow Gu En to bully you, someone who is worthy of you."
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
Her shattered heart fell to the ground, turning into fragments.
This is what it feels like when all is lost.
She persistently sought her family, but in the end, it was all for nothing.
Her family was no longer hers.
Their marriage ended that day.
"Divorce?" Her voice was slow, her teary eyes resting on his emotionless face, the darkness of the night adding a hint of chill to his stern features.
After a long while, she nodded gently, responded, "Okay."
Her tears fell to the ground with her nod, splashing like water droplets, splattering and disappearing.
Not another word, not another expression, only he himself knew that his hands behind his back, were clenched into fists trying to suppress the inexplicable emotion threatening to burst from his chest.
"After the divorce, can I still be the He family’s daughter? Can I still be your sister?" She asked softly, biting her lip.
Regarding her question, He Teng nodded, "Yes, just like Dongxue."
"Thank you, brother." She thanked him for not casting her out of the He family, allowing her to lose her faith without losing her last harbor, giving her a place to stop when she had nowhere else to go, and letting her know that she was not completely lost, at least, she still had the He family.
"After we divorce, you are still Zhilan. You are still the He family’s daughter and father’s pride. In the future, at school..." He Teng subconsciously wanted to tell her to behave, but instead, he corrected himself sternly, "Take care of yourself and study well. Do not revert back to your old self and cause trouble for the He family again. Father is old and can’t handle any more stress."
She nodded silently, unable to blame He Teng for not believing in her change because she never complied with his words or reassured him while relentlessly searching for her family through any means necessary.
In He Teng’s eyes, she was probably still the prideful woman who was good at acting and pleasing him, a woman of great depth and stratagem.