Chapter 2: The Heartless Man

Chapter 2: The Scoundrel

Fang Xiaoling’s heart gave a lurch, but she wasn’t truly surprised. She had long foreseen this day, though she hadn’t expected it to come quite so soon.

She clearly knew the reason, yet still clung to hope, typing out her question: Is it because of that female colleague?

The reply came swiftly and decisively: Yes, I’m sorry.

“Scoundrel!” Fang Xiaoling clenched her fists. She wanted to rush home and confront Shen Yi, at the very least to reclaim her car. But before she could send her message, another one arrived: I don’t want anything. You can have it all. Let’s just get divorced.

Fang Xiaoling was stunned. How much must someone dislike another to want to leave them so desperately, no matter the cost?

Unwilling to accept it, she fought back tears and pressed the voice button, lowering her voice to imitate Luo Lan, “No, big brother, I don’t want a divorce, okay?”

She had always believed she could easily become the kind of woman men liked—she simply never cared to change herself for anyone. Yet after sending that message, a long silence followed before Shen Yi replied with just three words: Don’t do this.

Fang Xiaoling stared at the lipstick mark on her half-empty glass, her mind drifting. It seemed as though the whole table was swaying violently beneath her.

“If I looked like her, Shen Yi would never leave me, would he?” Fang Xiaoling let out a bitter laugh. “Forget it, let’s call it a dream. Shen Yi, the moment I first woke up to find you lying beside me, I knew I could never keep you. Sooner or later, you’d leave.”

Just as she was about to leave, her phone chimed again. She thought it might be Shen Yi having second thoughts, but it was a message from Luo Lan: We may take for granted all we possess, even giving away precious things. But we must never tolerate others seizing what’s ours through force.

Each word struck her heart like a hook, stirring up her fighting spirit. She refused to accept it—no matter what happened, even if Shen Yi left her one day, it should never be because someone else took him away.

“Friend, help me.” Fang Xiaoling gritted her teeth and sent the message.

Nervously, she stared at her phone, but no reply came for a long time. Just as she was about to give up, she heard someone knocking on the café’s glass door. It was only then she noticed Luo Lan had been standing outside, waiting.

Fang Xiaoling broke down in tears. She felt so foolish, so thoroughly manipulated.

Luo Lan stood still, expressionless, patiently waiting for Fang Xiaoling to cry herself out before saying softly, “It’s all right.”

It took a great effort for Fang Xiaoling to wipe away her tears. The moment she tried to speak, more tears welled up. Choking back sobs, she said, “Shen Yi wants to divorce me.”

“And then?” Luo Lan replied indifferently. “The sky hasn’t fallen.”

Rubbing her damp eyes, Fang Xiaoling forced a smile. “Isn’t it obvious? We’ve only been married a month and now we’re getting divorced. Won’t everyone laugh at me? Besides, I… I can’t let him go.”

“If all you want is to keep a marriage certificate, you could tell Shen Yi he’s free to do as he pleases while you continue as the housewife.” Luo Lan turned away, speaking as she walked. “But if you want to win back that man’s love… then agree to the divorce.”

“What?” Fang Xiaoling froze. She had thought this beautiful woman who suddenly appeared in her life was sent from above to save her, but now it seemed she was being led into a pit. “I can’t agree to a divorce! And wasn’t it you who just said we must never tolerate others seizing what’s ours?”

“Don’t be hasty,” Luo Lan said without looking back. “I’m not telling you to divorce him—just to agree to Shen Yi’s request.”

Fang Xiaoling hesitated, then hurried after her. “What difference does it make? Isn’t his request a divorce? If I agree, aren’t I just giving him to that little vixen?”

“People are always like this. They see a single green leaf and think they understand the whole forest.” Luo Lan turned a corner, leading Fang Xiaoling into a park. She pointed at a towering tree in the distance. “Do you know that century-old poplar?”

“This is Sacred Wood Park, isn’t it?” Fang Xiaoling walked under the tree and gazed up at the countless red wish ribbons dangling from its branches. “Yes, that’s right. I used to come here as a child. Who in this city doesn’t know this tree? The century-old poplar, revered as the sacred tree—so many people come here to make wishes.”

Luo Lan stroked the trunk. “If I were strong enough to shake this tree, the number of leaves that fell would be random, wouldn’t it?”

Fang Xiaoling stifled a laugh. “Shake it? Do you know how thick this tree is? It would take five or six adults to encircle it.”

“Perhaps what you think is impossible is only so because your understanding is limited.” Luo Lan inhaled deeply through her nose, then slowly raised her right arm. “You believe that if Shen Yi wants a divorce and you agree, divorce is inevitable, correct?”

At this, Fang Xiaoling began to sense Luo Lan’s meaning. “Not necessarily, but it’s very likely. I know what you’re getting at—there are no certainties in the world, right? But why should I gamble on such slim odds? Agreeing to a divorce is worse than trying to beg Shen Yi, maybe if I act cute…”

Before she could finish, there was a loud “bang!” Luo Lan struck the tree trunk with her fist, and the massive tree’s branches and leaves shook violently. She extended her left hand. “There will be ten leaves falling, and all will land in my palm. Who says nothing in this world is certain? With enough skill and experience, what happens next can be fully controlled.”

Fang Xiaoling didn’t blink once, staring as exactly ten leaves drifted down, landing squarely in Luo Lan’s palm.

“You… what are you? No—are you even human?” Coldness crept up Fang Xiaoling’s spine. This seemingly delicate woman had just struck with such force? It was beyond belief.

“It’s qigong,” Luo Lan said, wiping her fist with a tissue. “I’ll explain everything you want to know, but first, let’s resolve your issue with Shen Yi. Trust me—if you reply as I say, he absolutely won’t divorce you.”

“All right, I believe you. What should I reply? I’ll do it now.” Fang Xiaoling was completely convinced. She no longer thought of Luo Lan as some mysterious person, but rather as something beyond human.

“Just reply with one word: ‘Okay.’”

Without further questions, Fang Xiaoling took out her phone and followed Luo Lan’s instructions, sending her response to Shen Yi. “And then?”

“Then…” Luo Lan rose on tiptoe, plucked a red ribbon from the branches above, and handed it to her. “Keep this. You’ll need it someday.”

Fang Xiaoling looked at the wish card’s message, her hands trembling. “Did Shen Yi write this?”

“To be with Xiaoling forever,” Luo Lan recited, not even glancing at the card. “When he wrote those words, he truly loved you.”

“But now, he truly despises me.”

Luo Lan spoke gently, “Everyone must take responsibility for their own happiness or unhappiness. That doesn’t mean misfortune is always one’s own fault. Xiaoling, the first to fall out of love was actually you.”

Fang Xiaoling pondered for a long time but couldn’t grasp Luo Lan’s meaning. “You mean I fell for someone else during my memory loss?”

“I mean you stopped loving yourself first.” Luo Lan stroked the tree as if speaking to it. “You wear overalls not because you like them, but because you think tight clothes that show off your figure would attract unwanted attention. You never wear short skirts because of a faint birthmark on your calf. You read online that only ‘bad girls’ wear big wavy hairstyles, so you changed your hair immediately. You don’t let yourself wear makeup, or buy pretty clothes, or enjoy rest. You cashed in the gold card I gave you for the spa and spent the money buying Shen Yi a gaming pod. You do all the housework to please him, playing the perfect housewife. In the end, it’s because you dislike yourself and always think Shen Yi’s affection for you is just a fluke. Xiaoling, if you can’t even respect yourself, how can you expect respect from others?”

Hearing these words, Fang Xiaoling felt wretched. If anyone else had lectured her so presumptuously, she would have snapped. But Luo Lan was her lifeline, and she knew Luo Lan was no ordinary person—and she was right.

“So what do you want me to do?” Fang Xiaoling realized that, strangely, when she talked to Luo Lan with the mindset of using her, she felt no anger at all.

Luo Lan had already seen through her, but didn’t seem to care. She smiled slightly. “What do you want yourself to do?”

“What do I want?” Fang Xiaoling hesitated, fidgeting. “I want to become beautiful and attractive so that Shen Yi will come back to me…”

“Is that really what you want most right now?”

“I… isn’t it?” Fang Xiaoling felt uneasy, her eyes wandering. “I don’t seem to have anything I want the most.”

Luo Lan patted her shoulder gently. “Don’t suppress your heart. Say what you truly want to do, right now, deep down.”

Fang Xiaoling frowned, struggling for a long time before whispering in a voice barely audible, “I really don’t know…”

“You do know. Don’t consider any other factors—just listen to your heart.” Seeing that she was stuck, Luo Lan offered a prompt. “Try this—imagine your best friend being treated this way. What would you advise her? Would you tell her to dress up and keep trying to please that scoundrel?”

“No!” Fang Xiaoling blurted out, shouting, “What’s the point of longing for a man like that? She should slap him twice and never see him again!”

Luo Lan smiled with satisfaction and nodded slowly.

(End of chapter)