Chapter 143: Conflict

"Honey, listen to me, things are not what you think..."

Back home, Yang Jiekai hurriedly tried to explain to Han Ning. He had no idea what kind of bad luck he had run into today, bumping into Han Ning late at night while he was out with Long Xiaoman.

"There is nothing to explain."

Han Ning wore an iceberg expression, her voice cold. "You and I are just a contract couple. What you do outside is your own business, and you don't need to explain anything to me."

Sweat beaded on Yang Jiekai's forehead in his anxiety. It would have been better if Han Ning had thrown a huge temper tantrum, but this icy demeanor left him completely at a loss.

"The person you saw today is actually just an ordinary friend of mine..."

Halfway through his sentence, Yang Jiekai suddenly stopped, realizing he didn't even know how to go on, because the truth was, Long Xiaoman was indeed his mistress.

"An ordinary friend?"

Han Ning let out a cold laugh. "Late at night, a single man and a single woman, walking down the street arm in arm. Is that an ordinary friend?"

"This..."

Yang Jiekai truly didn't know what else to say, so he resorted to his old tricks, putting on a shameless, ingratiating smile as he cajoled her, "Oh come on, my dear wife, you are magnanimous, please don't hold this against me. I promise that from now on..."

"Yang Jiekai!"

Han Ning suddenly raised her voice, fixing her gaze on him. "I am not in the mood for this right now. Speaking as your contract wife, I want to discuss something with you."

"Say it, whatever it is! As long as it's within my power, I will walk through fire and high water without hesitation!"

Yang Jiekai patted his chest with a loud thud.

Han Ning looked at him, let out a soft sigh, and said, "If possible, I want you to grant me my freedom."

"Restore your freedom?" Yang Jiekai asked in confusion. "I've never restricted your freedom."

Han Ning closed her eyes gently, tilted her head back to look at the ceiling, and calmly spat out a single sentence: "I want a divorce. I hope you will agree."

"What the heck!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Jiekai felt a sudden buzzing in his head. "A divorce?"

Han Ning nodded. "Yes, a divorce. Although I don't know what your purpose was in marrying me, you know it well in your own heart. Now I am formally proposing a divorce to you, and I hope you can agree."

Yang Jiekai felt as if his heart had been ruthlessly squeezed by something. He asked, "But why? Just because of what happened earlier?"

Han Ning gently shook her head. "Not entirely. Yang Jiekai, I have never liked you. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future. I am unwilling to spend the rest of my life with someone I don't love. Dragging this out is meaningless; it will only ruin both my life and yours."

"Whatever your original motives were for using connections to force me into this marriage, I now hope you can set me free so I can live easily in the future. If you have any demands, you can bring them up. You want a division of property? Fine, whatever I have, you can have as much as you want."

Yang Jiekai was completely dumbfounded, his heart torn by a profound struggle.

At the same time, a strange feeling washed over him.

Right, hadn't he originally used his connections to force Han Ning to marry him precisely for the sake of dividing her property, so as to survive the heavenly tribulation that struck with every seasonal change?

Now, within the next three years, the tribulation would not return, he wouldn't need to purchase those exorbitantly expensive pills, and Han Ning was even promising to give him a massive fortune. Wasn't this everything he had dreamed of?

Yet when she proposed a divorce, why did he feel such piercing sorrow?

"Is there really no room for negotiation on this?" Yang Jiekai asked cautiously, rubbing the corner of his shirt like a schoolchild who had done something wrong.

Han Ning took a deep breath, looked away, and stared out the window. "I hope you can respect me."

After a long silence, Yang Jiekai sighed softly and uttered two words: "Alright."

With that, he silently turned and left Han Ning's bedroom.

The moment he stepped out, Han Ning could no longer hold it in. Tears burst from her eyes like a breached dam. She clutched a pillow and bit her lip hard to keep herself from crying out loud.

Yang Jiekai, you bastard!

At that moment, Han Ning wished she could fiercely slap him across the face. Coming into this marriage with some hidden agenda was one thing, but why did he have to treat her so well? Why did he keep coming to her rescue time and time again? Why was he always there to silently accompany her whenever she was sad and hurting?

No one knew why Han Ning had appeared in the city center in the middle of the night. It was simply because she knew Yang Jiekai loved bananas, and having heard about a shop in the city with exceptional fruit, she had gone out to buy some for him to take home. Never did she expect...

Yang Jiekai, you jerk!

She had already been trying to accept him, so why did he have to betray her like this?

Besides, wasn't he always thick-skinned? Why didn't he pester her and act shamelessly like he used to? If he had done that, her anger might have slowly melted away.

Yang Jiekai, you scoundrel, you jerk!

As he walked downstairs, Yang Jiekai ran right into Mother Wang.

"Young master, are you hungry? Do you want me to go whip up a late-night snack for you?" Mother Wang smiled at him, completely oblivious to the strange look on his face.

Yang Jiekai managed a smile in return. "Thanks, Mother Wang, but no need. I have some things to take care of and need to step out. Don't wait up for me."

Leaving the villa, Yang Jiekai got into his car, pressed the accelerator all the way to the floor with no destination in mind, and drove wildly and furiously through the streets.

Finally, he drove all the way up to the winding mountain road behind the estate.

It was nearly midnight. Yang Jiekai parked the car, stepped out, and slowly lit a cigarette.

Looking down from this vantage point, he could see the entire night view of Anhai City.

Below, the lights were brilliant and traffic surged like a river, yet Yang Jiekai felt profoundly alone.

What was wrong with him? Wasn't divorce supposed to be about getting the property? Now that his goal was achieved, why was he in so much pain?

In truth, it wasn't that he hadn't wanted to pester Han Ning earlier; it was just that the moment she uttered the word "divorce," his heart had been struck so violently that it left him gasping for breath. Those two words felt like a sharp dagger ruthlessly plunging into his chest.

Could it be that I've fallen in love with her?

No, no, no, absolutely not!

Yang Jiekai shook his head fiercely. That couldn't possibly be it! How could he ever fall for her? Marrying her was strictly a business arrangement to secure a share of the assets.

Now, safe from the tribulation for the next three years, with money in his pocket and a chance to live a solid life, logically speaking, this divorce should be something to celebrate!

Yet why did his heart ache so terribly?

Yang Jiekai tried his best to rein in his emotions, but his mind kept looping back to every little moment he had shared with Han Ning: a woman who appeared tough on the outside but was incomparably fragile within; a woman who seemed cold on the surface but possessed a heart of gold; a woman bearing far too much pressure on her shoulders...

Just as Yang Jiekai was lost in his thoughts, a Land Rover SUV suddenly roared up the winding mountain road, its high beams blazing and engine howling like a beast, flashing past him.

About a minute later, the Land Rover suddenly stopped a short distance ahead, made a U-turn, and drove back.

The door opened, and a panicked young man stepped out. Upon spotting Yang Jiekai, his face lit up with overwhelming joy. "Master! It really is you!"

Yang Jiekai turned his head to look. It was none other than Wang Xiang.

"What are you doing here?" Seeing this fellow instantly lightened Yang Jiekai's mood a little.

Wang Xiang looked at him in a rush, desperate and breathless. "Heaven is helping me! Master, save me quickly, someone is trying to kill me!"

"Who wants to kill you?" Yang Jiekai asked quizzically.

Wang Xiang kept casting anxious glances behind him. "I'll explain later, but people are definitely out to get me. Master, you've gotta have my back!"

Right at that moment, several black sedan cars roared up behind them.

"Little punk, run! Why aren't you running anymore?!"

Over a dozen fierce-looking thugs spilled out of the cars, every single one of them wielding machetes. The leader pointed straight at Wang Xiang and bellowed, "Keep running, kid! If Grandpa doesn't smash every bone in your body today, I'll change my last name to yours!"

"Don't get too cocky, this is my master!"

With Yang Jiekai standing beside him, Wang Xiang regained his courage entirely.

The gang leader sized Yang Jiekai up, then sneered dismissively. "Oh, look, another busybody looking for trouble. If you know what's good for you, get lost right now, or I'll take care of you along with him!"

Without a word, Yang Jiekai tossed his cigarette butt onto the ground, ground it out with his shoe, and strolled leisurely toward the man.

"Oh ho, what's this? You wanna throw punches?"

The leader looked at Yang Jiekai mockingly, sticking his face forward. "Come on, hit right here. If you dare lay a finger on me today, I'll—"

Before the man could finish his sentence, his vision suddenly went black, and he lost consciousness completely. Without even understanding what had happened, he dropped straight to the ground like a log.

Yang Jiekai was already in a foul mood and had no patience to waste words on these thugs. He waded into the group, fists and feet flying with ghostly speed, dropping several men in the blink of an eye.

When the rest of the gang finally snapped to their senses, they brandished their machetes and swarmed him.

Yet these small-fry were no match for Yang Jiekai. Within seconds, all of them were sprawled across the pavement.

"Master, you're awesome!"

Shocked by the display, Wang Xiang quickly pulled a young girl out of the car. "Xiaoxue, this is my master, hurry up and say hello."

"Hello, Master," the girl said sweetly to Yang Jiekai.

Yang Jiekai nodded in acknowledgment. He recognized the girl; he had crossed paths with her at the university martial arts arena once before.

"What on earth is going on? Who are these people, and why are they hunting you down?" Yang Jiekai asked.

Wang Xiang glanced at the dozen unconscious men on the ground and said, "Master, let me buy you a drink, and I'll tell you all about it."

Yang Jiekai thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Drinks? That suits me just fine."

Feeling thoroughly vexed and restless, accepting an invitation to drink sounded like an excellent idea indeed.