EHTM | Chapter 15 - I Want a Divorce from Xie Yuming

Xie Shu seemed long accustomed to this. Half of his body remained hidden in the darkness, flicking his lighter on and off, his face betraying little emotion.

Song Ru walked past him arm in arm with Xie Liangfang, as if her youngest son were a complete stranger.

Shen Donghuan watched the couple walk inside. She didn't follow immediately. Instead, she looked back at Xie Shu.

In the dark night, beneath Xie Shu's devilishly handsome face, there was a trace of loneliness.

Shen Donghuan's heart tightened instantly.

She walked over to Xie Shu on her own, reached out, and gently tugged at his sleeve. Then she lifted her gaze to meet his.

"Xie Shu, let's go inside."

Xie Shu lowered his dark, abyss-deep eyes and met Shen Donghuan's clear, water-like gaze. In that instant, he could see straight into the pure depths of her heart.

A flicker of darkness passed through his eyes. His throat tightened.

"...Okay."

The two of them returned to the hall, one after the other.

Inside, the hall was still lively as ever.

Whether they were there or not seemed to make no difference.

Shen Donghuan pressed her lips together lightly. Thinking of her plan, she curled her lips into a small smile and walked toward Xie Yuming and the others, who were gathered in the center playing the perfect happy family.

Xie Liangfang and Song Ru stood before Huo Lingjun, presenting their gifts.

Song Ru took out the jade ruyi she had prepared long ago and offered it to Huo Lingjun.

"Mother, this jade ruyi was specially prepared by Liangfang and me as your birthday gift. May you live as long as the southern mountains and enjoy happiness as vast as the eastern sea!"*

Huo Lingjun had always been particularly fond of jade. Seeing this jade ruyi, she couldn't hide the smile on her face. Her face crinkled with joy.

"Song Ru, you and Liangfang are so thoughtful."

Song Ru covered her lips and chuckled softly. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes gathered into an elegant arc.

"Mother, as long as you're happy, that's what matters. It wouldn't have been worth Liangfang and me spending so much at the auction to win it otherwise."

At these words, the surrounding guests gasped collectively.

"Isn't that the jade ruyi from last week's auction? I heard it sold for thirty million, enough to buy a villa in the city center!"

"The Xie family is truly wealthy! They casually give a birthday gift worth thirty million. I wonder what kind of gift the young madam of the Xie family will give."

"Her gifts are always excellent. In past years, Shen Donghuan's gifts to Old Madam Xie have been the most valuable!"

In an instant, all eyes were on Shen Donghuan.

Song Ru turned slightly and said with a smile, "Donghuan, it's your turn to give Grandma her birthday gift."

Huo Lingjun's cloudy eyes shifted and landed on Shen Donghuan, curious to see what gift she would present.

"Mm."

Shen Donghuan, now the center of attention, looked at them unhurriedly. She held up her empty hands, the corners of her lips slightly raised.

"Grandma, Mother, Grandma was never satisfied with the gifts I prepared in previous years. I thought perhaps Grandma didn't like those expensive, worldly things. So this year, I've chosen a different gift."

She paused, took two steps forward, pulled Fu Ling over, and pushed her in front of them.

Her slender finger pointed at Fu Ling's belly. "Grandma, the child in Fu Ling's belly is the birthday gift Yuming and I are giving you."

"In five more months, you'll have four generations under one roof."

Her words sounded sincere, but a closer listen revealed biting sarcasm.

Huo Lingjun had not expected Shen Donghuan's gift to be this. The expression on her face instantly turned extremely ugly.

"Shen Donghuan, what do you mean by this? Fu Ling carrying the Xie family's child, how can that be considered a birthday gift from you and Yuming? If you don't want to give a gift, just say so. What are you trying to imply by saying this?"

"Are you trying to say the Xie family has wronged you? That Yuming shouldn't have cheated and gotten Fu Ling pregnant?"

The more Huo Lingjun spoke, the more agitated she became. Her aged face was darker than the bottom of a wok.

"Shen Donghuan, if you weren't infertile, Yuming never would have cheated in the first place. All of this is your fault!"

Seeing Huo Lingjun defending her so fiercely, Fu Ling put on a wronged expression and cried in a delicate, affected voice, "Sister, how could you do this? This child in my womb is my child, a living, breathing person. How can you treat them like a gift to be given to Grandma?"

"I know you hate me now because you can't have children and I'm pregnant. I know you wish this baby would just disappear. But this baby is innocent. You shouldn't take your anger out on a child."

Song Ru also looked at Shen Donghuan with displeasure. "Donghuan, I always thought you were sensible. How could you say such ugly things in front of so many guests? Yuming had no choice. Otherwise, why would he have gone looking for another woman? This is all because something is wrong with you. You need to reflect on yourself a bit more!"

Xie Yuming furrowed his brow and looked at Shen Donghuan with an expression that said he couldn't understand her at all.

Shen Donghuan watched as she said just one sentence and they all lost their composure, publicly declaring that if her husband cheated, it was the wife's fault.

She let out a bitter laugh. She lifted her proud head, refusing to let herself show even a hint of defeat.

She swept her gaze across all of them, and spoke softly but firmly.

"Since all of you say that I, as the wife, am the problem, and that's why Xie Yuming cheated, then I want a divorce from Xie Yuming."

At these words, the entire hall fell silent.

Then, an eruption of gasps and exclamations broke out.

"Holy shit, Shen Donghuan actually wants a divorce from Xie Yuming?!"

"Did I hear that right? Isn't the young madam of the Xie family madly in love with Xie Yuming? Didn't she kneel in the snow for an entire day and night just to get her family to agree to the marriage?"

"I remember that. The Shen family was dead set against it. They said Xie Yuming wasn't the right match and didn't want their beloved daughter Shen Donghuan to marry him. They wanted her to give up on that idea."

"But Shen Donghuan was so blind with love that she knelt in the snow in front of the Shen family home, begging her parents to approve the marriage."

"Yeah, after that, she gave up inheriting the Shen family fortune and devoted herself entirely to being the perfect Mrs. Xie. She said she wanted to spend her whole life by Xie Yuming's side, growing old together with him."

"If Shen Donghuan is the second most lovestruck woman in City A, then no one ranks first!"

"And now someone that lovestruck is actually willing to get a divorce?"

The Xie family members were all stunned. Xie Yuming was the first to react.

He stepped forward, grabbed Shen Donghuan's hand, and his eyes were filled with intense displeasure.

"Shen Donghuan, today is Grandma's 80th birthday. This is not the place for your tantrums. Stop saying you want a divorce from me."

"I'm telling you, I will not divorce you. And besides, you can't."

Shen Donghuan held her head high, refusing to back down.

"Xie Yuming, I'm telling you, I will divorce you!"

Huo Lingjun gradually recovered from her shock. She looked at Shen Donghuan with undisguised disdain.

She said loudly, "Yuming, let Shen Donghuan throw her tantrum if she wants. She needs to take a good look at herself in the mirror. She wants a divorce? The Xie family has already shown her great kindness and virtue by not kicking out an infertile woman like her. And she dares to ask for a divorce?"

"Absolutely shameless!"

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T/N: This is a literal translation of a standard Chinese birthday blessing (shòu bǐ nán shān, fú rú dōng hǎi)