Chapter 1: Stop Making a Scene On the giant LED screen, the golden couple standing on stage exchanged tender, affectionate smiles, igniting the audience's enthusiasm to its peak. Su Nian sat on the sofa, clutching a white teddy bear. The dining table was set for a candlelit dinner, yet the candles had long burned out. The meal she had personally prepared gradually turned cold. Shen Wanrou's award ceremony—Gu Yichen was always there. Su Nian opened the gift box and gazed at the luxury watch she had spent two months customizing for Gu Yichen. Her eyes, reflecting the warm yellow light, seemed veiled with mist. With a sharp click, she tossed aside the gift and switched off the television. Stepping onto the balcony, she felt the cool night breeze. Her mind felt heavy, hazy, and blank as she stared dully at the star-filled sky. Darkness enveloped the room, wrapping her in an eerie, chilling silence that made it hard to breathe.

On their first wedding anniversary, she had prepared a candlelit dinner and a gift, only to wait alone at home while her husband accompanied another woman. Not until the moon climbed above the treetops did Su Nian snap back to reality. Her hands and feet were ice-cold as she stiffly dialed Gu Yichen's number. Four calls went unanswered. Lowering her gaze, she watched the phone screen's glow reflect in her eyes like scattered stars, bright yet fading, while her heart grew progressively darker. She instinctively pulled her robe tighter around herself.

Finally, on the fifth call, after a prolonged series of beeps, the line connected.

"What is it?"

Gu Yichen's cold voice carried a hint of impatience. Su Nian choked, her body freezing. A long silence followed.

"Su Nian?"

Gu Yichen's tone rose slightly at the end, his impatience now more evident. Regaining composure, Su Nian lowered her eyes, now dull and lifeless.

"Nothing…"

As soon as the words left her lips, Gu Yichen hung up. In the past, she would have coquettishly clung to him, demanding his company, complaining about her grievances, or even appealing to their elders—but all that did was push Gu Yichen further away.

"Gu Yichen hates feeling constrained."

This warning had come from one of his friends, who simply couldn't bear to watch her suffer anymore. Su Nian looked at the cold candlelit dinner. Her heart felt as though a hole had been torn open, allowing icy winds to rush in, chilling her to the bone.

Suddenly, her phone screen flashed, and a ringtone echoed sharply through the empty, frigid room, stabbing painfully at her temples. It was Gu Yichen calling. Su Nian could hardly believe it; she scrutinized the screen carefully. In their entire year of marriage, Gu Yichen had initiated calls to her fewer times than she could count on one hand.

"Is today our wedding anniversary?"

Gu Yichen's voice remained cold and heavy. Su Nian knew him too well; even through the phone, she could imagine his furrowed brow. She pressed her lips together, her voice trembling between utter desolation and a flicker of joy.

"You remembered?"

"Wanrou told me," Gu Yichen replied bluntly.

Instantly, Su Nian's face turned pale.

Meanwhile, from the other end of the line came Shen Wanrou's laughter-laced voice: "Yichen, today is your and Niannian's wedding anniversary. Niannian needs someone to keep her company. You should go back quickly."

"Can you stay here alone?"

Gu Yichen softened his tone slightly. Shen Wanrou responded sweetly and gently, "Don't worry about me."

Su Nian's eyes reddened, her heart completely frozen. Her hands trembled as she gripped the phone tightly, her knuckles turning stark white.

"Gu Yichen, let's get a divorce!"

Dead silence fell on both ends of the line. This wasn't the first time Su Nian had proposed divorce. After learning about Shen Wanrou's significance in Gu Yichen's life, she had once caused a scene demanding divorce. Back then, she still possessed temper, wildness, and sharpness. Her uproar had been so significant that it alarmed both families' elders. However, she hadn't truly intended to divorce; she merely sought Gu Yichen's attention. Thus, after Gu Yichen's cold remark, "Have you finished making scenes?"

and under pressure from her father, who explained that he and Shen Wanrou were merely ordinary friends, she obediently returned home.

"Su Nian, what nonsense are you up to now?"

Gu Yichen's voice remained chilly, his tone slightly heightened.The autumn wind was too cold. Su Nian shivered, and the courage she had gathered gradually dissipated. Only the pent-up resentment swirling in her heart made its final struggle.

"Let's divorce."

"Don't be ridiculous,"

Gu Yichen's voice was low and powerful, carrying the condescending tone of someone accustomed to dispensing favors from a position of authority.

"I'll be home soon to keep you company."

Su Nian fell silent. So her hysterical outbursts, her aggrieved accusations, were nothing more than a farce in Gu Yichen's eyes—mere unreasonable nagging on her part. Their first meeting in childhood had occurred during her loneliest, most terrified moment; on that rainy night, Gu Yichen had brought her warmth with a lollipop. Yet after their reunion as adults, he had slowly extinguished that very warmth.

"No need,"

Su Nian heard her own voice, mechanical as if coming from beyond the sky, while thunder rumbled in her mind.

"Gu Yichen, spend quality time with your Wanrou. I'm going out for a drive."

She paused briefly, pressing a hand against the hollow ache in her chest. Something threatened to overflow from her eyes, stinging bitterly.

"I'm not joking. Tomorrow at nine o'clock, meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau."

Su Nian hastily hung up. She feared that if Gu Yichen said another word, she would crumble, losing the resolve she had painstakingly built, and take back her demand for divorce. Gu Yichen knew her too well; he understood she couldn't leave him. A mere hint of warmth from him, and she would once again cling to him as she always had.

"Beep… beep…"

Gu Yichen set down his phone, his gaze turning cold and heavy. This was the first time Su Nian had ever hung up on him. Shen Wanrou, dressed in an elegant white gown, exuded grace and nobility. Her smile was gentle and sweet.

"Yichen, Nian Nian must miss you terribly. You should hurry back."

"No need," Gu Yichen replied, slight irritation coloring his tone.

"She's gone out for a drive."

"It might be good to let her calm down,"

Shen Wanrou smiled, offering no further persuasion. * "Nian Nian?" Tang Shi called, her voice cautious.

"Want to drink?"

Su Nian's eyes welled up. The emotions she had suppressed for so long erupted violently, and tears streamed down her face instantly. Overwhelmed by grievance, she choked out, "You saw it too?"

Of course. Such a flamboyant appearance at the awards ceremony, displayed before the entire nation, made ignorance impossible. Anyway, she had long become a laughingstock among the upper-class circles.

"That brain-fucked bastard Gu Yichen…"

Tang Shi exploded as well. Usually the epitome of elegance as a daughter of a prestigious family, she now unleashed a torrent of profanities.

"Scum! Trash! And that shameless Shen Wanrou—knowing full well Gu Yichen is a married man, yet clinging to him every day. Is she really that desperate for a man?"

Listening to this, Su Nian couldn't help but curve her lips, laughing through her tears.

"Let's go drink."

"Nian Nian, listen to me. Let's ditch that scumbag, okay?"

Tang Shi advised dejectedly.

"What do you even see in him? Sure, he's handsome, but I refuse to believe there isn't a single man in the entire country who can compare…"

"Alright!"

Su Nian's eyes darkened slightly. Tang Shi fell silent for a moment, then spoke with a mix of heartache and helplessness: "Nian Nian, you've got to stand tall. At the very least, make that bastard Gu Yichen apologize before you forgive him."

Leaning against the balcony railing, Su Nian curved her lips faintly, enduring the surging, piercing pain. She had promised many times before, yet never once followed through. Everyone knew Su Nian deeply loved Gu Yichen and couldn't live without him. That was precisely why, when she proposed divorce, Gu Yichen had impatiently told her to stop making a scene. He truly had nothing to fear. * "Just drop me here; I'll walk the rest of the way."

Su Nian stepped out of the car. The cramped space inside had made her feel suffocated; she needed some fresh air.

"Uncle Zhou, pick me up at twelve."

The driver expressed concern.

"Madam, perhaps I should wait for you at the entrance."

Su Nian walked along the sidewalk, her high heels tapping out a monotonous rhythm. Her shadow, dissolved within the neon lights, appeared utterly lonely.

Suddenly, a searing pain shot through her shoulder. Someone yanked away her small handbag. Instinctively, Su Nian reached to grab it, but the person shoved her violently.She stumbled backward a few steps, only regaining her footing when someone caught her. All the color had drained from her face; she looked terrified and flustered, crying out hurriedly, "My necklace!"

A gust of wind seemed to sweep past her side. Su Nian instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the thief was sprawled on the ground, pinned by a knee pressed against his back. His hands were yanked up, and with a sharp click, handcuffs snapped around his wrists. Su Nian jogged forward, picked up the small bag from the floor, but her hand froze just as she was about to rummage through it. That necklace was a gift from Gu Yichen, given to her on her twentieth birthday. It was the only thing he had ever personally given her, not delegated to his assistant. It was her most cherished possession.

"Is everything still inside?"

A clear, steady voice reached her ears. Su Nian instinctively looked up at him, her expression still stiff. This man was truly handsome. Even Su Nian, who usually paid little attention to other men's looks, was momentarily stunned.

"Thank you,"

she managed.

"Please come with me to the police station to give a statement," the man said calmly.

Su Nian shook her head. Under the thief's bewildered gaze, she took out the necklace, tossed it onto him, and forced a smile uglier than tears.

"I don't want it anymore."

She clenched her palm, trying to dig out the reluctance in her heart, forcing herself to turn and leave. Letting go of a relationship was never easy; she only hoped that this time she could be firm. No longer confused by love, no longer begging for reconciliation and sacrificing her dignity just to crave a sliver of warmth, making herself so pitiful. Su Nian arrived at the Liyao Club, where a waiter led her to the private room Tang Shi had reserved.

"Nian Nian!"

Tang Shi was waiting at the door. She immediately enveloped Su Nian in a bear hug, beaming.

"No getting drunk tonight unless we're both passed out!"

Su Nian nodded absently, her mind wandering. After all, she had just thrown away her most precious necklace; she had been in a daze the entire way.

"Oh my god, what a handsome man!"

Tang Shi whispered in surprise, tightening her grip on Su Nian with excitement.

"Nian Nian, he's walking toward me."

Jolted by the pain, Su Nian said helplessly, "You're hurting me."

"Oh, sorry."

Tang Shi was about to let go when suddenly she saw a group approaching from around the corner. Leading them were Gu Yichen and Shen Wanrou. Gu Yichen was speaking softly while Shen Wanrou held his arm; the pair looked utterly sweet and intimate. Tang Shi's blood boiled, her temper exploding instantly. She shoved Su Nian forward. If Gu Yichen could appear on TV with another woman, then her Nian Nian could certainly find a man too!

"Ah!"

Su Nian let out a low cry of surprise, pushed back two steps until she collided with a solid chest. A familiar voice. Gu Yichen abruptly looked up, only to see Su Nian snuggling intimately against another man.Author: Muah~ If you like it, please add to your favorites! (^3^)╱~~