Jiang Tian moved so quickly that by the time Zhao Xueqing snapped out of her daze, Liu Wangfeng’s screams were already echoing in the room.
She rushed over, grabbing Jiang Tian’s arm, her voice filled with anxiety. “Jiang Tian, stop! You promised me you wouldn’t fight!”
“Liu Wangfeng, I don’t want Xueqing to worry, so I’ll let you off this time. But if you dare try anything again, I’ll kill you!” Jiang Tian didn’t even glance at Liu Wangfeng as he tossed out the threat. He grabbed the bottle of coconut juice from the table, took Zhao Xueqing’s hand, and strode out of the room.
On the way back, Zhao Xueqing’s face was icy, her mood heavy with frustration. She hadn’t expected Jiang Tian to attack Liu Wangfeng so violently. Now, their cooperation with the Liu family was surely doomed.
“Darling, are you upset? Did I scare you?” Jiang Tian asked with a placating smile.
“Jiang Tian, how could you be so impulsive? How could you hit someone? You’re acting like a madman!” Zhao Xueqing fumed.
“Liu Wangfeng had bad intentions. He laced the wine with a sedative,” Jiang Tian explained, holding up the bottle of coconut juice. “After I drank for you, he tried to drug you again with this. If you don’t believe me, you can take it to a lab for testing. You’ll see the truth.”
“Are you joking?” Zhao Xueqing scoffed. “Why would he drug me? To assault me? Doesn’t he fear the law? The Zhao family may not be a major power, but we’re not pushovers either!”
“Besides, did you actually see him poison it? How did you figure it out? And if it was really poisoned, why are you fine after drinking it?”
Zhao Xueqing had grown up in a relatively sheltered environment. She had no idea how ruthless and terrifying the top families could be.
“Xueqing, you have to believe me. Just get it tested, and you’ll understand,” Jiang Tian said helplessly, unable to explain further. He had used his “Heavenly Eye” to see the black, toxic aura emanating from the wine glass—something ordinary people couldn’t detect.
Jiang Tian, now at the second level of body refinement, was nearly immune to ordinary poisons. But explaining this would only make Zhao Xueqing think he was even crazier.
“Enough! I don’t want to hear it! You’re driving me crazy! You ruin everything!” Zhao Xueqing was furious and deeply disappointed.
She had thought Jiang Tian was getting better, but now it seemed he was worse than ever—not hitting her, but hitting others instead.
The ride home was silent, the atmosphere thick with tension.
As they neared their neighborhood, Zhao Xueqing received a call from Wei Fang, asking her to come to the Wanghu Villa for an urgent discussion.
“You go home first. I need to see my parents,” Zhao Xueqing said, stopping the car. She looked exhausted and weak.
The storm was coming. The truth was out.
“Xueqing, let me come with you. I caused this mess. I’ll take responsibility,” Jiang Tian offered.
“Take responsibility? With what?” Zhao Xueqing snapped, exasperated. “Just go home and stay out of trouble. That’s all I ask!”
“Fine…” Jiang Tian had no choice but to take the bottle of coconut juice and step out of the car, feeling dejected.
—
At Villa No. 39 in Wanghu, the living room was tense.
Zhao Hucheng and Wei Fang sat on the sofa, their faces dark with anger. Zhao Xueqing quietly brewed tea, not daring to make a sound.
“That idiot Jiang Tian! How dare he hit Liu Wangfeng! Does he have a death wish?” Zhao Hucheng slammed his hand on the table, furious.
“He’s a complete failure!” Wei Fang chimed in, equally enraged. “The Liu family has already said they’ll completely shut down Zhao Pharmaceuticals. We’re finished!”
“Mom, it’s my fault. I didn’t stop Jiang Tian in time. But Liu Wangfeng did attack first,” Zhao Xueqing said tearfully, trying to defend Jiang Tian.
“Just because they attacked first doesn’t mean he had to beat them half to death!” Wei Fang shot back. “That Hailuo guy has a concussion and might end up in a vegetative state. Liu Wangfeng has a broken arm and a minor concussion! Does Jiang Tian have any sense of the law? We’re legitimate businesspeople, not thugs!”
“Auntie, I believe Jiang Tian had his reasons,” Zhao Xueqing said weakly.
“What reasons? He’s a lunatic, completely deranged!” Zhao Hucheng roared.
The room was suffocatingly silent, the air heavy with unspoken tension.
“The Liu family wants to press charges and send Jiang Tian to prison,” Zhao Hucheng said after checking his phone, his brow furrowed.
Zhao Xueqing’s face paled. “Dad, we can’t let that happen. If he goes to prison, his life will be ruined.”
“What can we do?” Wei Fang said coldly, crossing her arms. “He brought this on himself. If we don’t hand him over, the Zhao family will be dragged down with him.”
“Can’t we ask the Jiang family for help?” Zhao Xueqing pleaded.
“The Jiang family is under siege themselves. They don’t have the resources to save a useless member like Jiang Tian,” Zhao Hucheng said bitterly. “Besides, after Jiang Tian hit that young master from Yanjing, the Jiang family cut ties with him. They won’t lift a finger.”
“Then what do we do? We can’t just let him go to prison!” Zhao Xueqing cried.
“The Liu family has offered a condition. If you divorce Jiang Tian, they’ll drop the charges,” Wei Fang said, her tone coaxing. “Xueqing, just divorce him. He’s already lost his mind. There’s no point in holding on.”
“Auntie, how can I abandon him? No matter what, he’s still my husband!” Zhao Xueqing’s tears flowed freely.
“If you don’t divorce him, the Liu family will destroy Zhao Pharmaceuticals along with him!” Zhao Hucheng shouted. “That idiot is a curse on our family. Do you want to watch us all go down with him?”
“Xueqing, don’t worry about Jiang Tian’s future. I’ll give him a million as severance,” Wei Fang said gently, handing over a bank card. “You know Liu Wangfeng has been targeting Jiang Tian because of you. Only if you divorce him will Liu Wangfeng let him go.”
“Liu Wangfeng is targeting Jiang Tian… because of me?” Zhao Xueqing’s mind was in turmoil, her vision blurred by tears.
—
When Jiang Tian returned home, he was restless, waiting for Zhao Xueqing to come back while reflecting on everything that had happened.
He had underestimated the complexity of this world. Strength alone wasn’t enough—he needed to translate that strength into wealth and power.
If he were still a respected guest of the Tang family, with their support, what could the Liu family do to him?
But he had burned bridges with the Tang family. Asking for their help now would be humiliating.
It was past midnight when Zhao Xueqing finally returned, her eyes red from crying.
“Xueqing, you’ve been crying. Are you okay?” Jiang Tian brewed a cup of chrysanthemum tea and brought it to her, trying to be considerate.
“Jiang Tian, let’s get a divorce,” Zhao Xueqing said after taking a sip, her voice steady but her heart breaking.
“What? Divorce? Why?” Jiang Tian was thunderstruck, completely stunned.
In his past life, even during their darkest times, even when Liu Wangfeng had pressured her, Zhao Xueqing had never considered leaving him.
“Why? You’re crazy and reckless. You ruin everything. If I stay with you, I’ll suffer for the rest of my life!” Zhao Xueqing said coldly, forcing herself to appear heartless.
In her heart, she was screaming, Jiang Tian, don’t hate me. I’m divorcing you for your sake. Otherwise, the Liu family will never let you go! You’ll go to prison, and your life will be over!
“Xueqing, don’t divorce me. Believe me, I’ll make you happy!” Jiang Tian pleaded, unable to believe the coldness in her voice.
“Jiang Tian, enough! I’ll never believe you again. Please, don’t drag me down anymore. After the divorce, I’ll date, remarry, have children, and build a happy family. But that has nothing to do with you anymore.”
“The house was bought by your parents, so it’s yours. Here’s a million as compensation. Just sign the divorce papers,” Zhao Xueqing said icily, placing a stack of documents and a bank card on the coffee table before walking into the bedroom.
Jiang Tian sat there, stunned, his heart heavy with sorrow.
He had thought that after returning from his ten thousand years of cultivation, with all his powers, he could protect Zhao Xueqing for a lifetime. But now, just days after his return, they were divorcing.
—
“Watching love crumble, watching emotions fade,
If I can’t give you a future, I’ll give you the present.
A quiet end is another form of love.
When tears fall, the pain is overwhelming.
Separation is another kind of understanding.
The final act of love is letting go.
Don’t let a double bed be separated by an ocean.
Let time slowly bleach the stains of our love…”
Somewhere in the distance, the melancholic melody of Lee Sung-jie’s “Letting Go” drifted from a KTV, filled with sorrow and finality.
Jiang Tian picked up a pen, feeling its weight like never before. He sat there, frozen.
Those few minutes felt like an eternity.
Once he signed the papers, the fragile bond between them would vanish, and they would become strangers.
“In her eyes, I’m a madman, a failure, a burden. She must be so tired.”
“Besides, the Liu family is targeting the Zhao family because of the major families in Jinling. Maybe if I leave her, they’ll back off…”
“Perhaps, like the song says, the final act of love is letting go…”
Jiang Tian’s mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Finally, he flipped to the last page of the divorce agreement and slowly signed his name.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xueqing curled up in bed like a helpless child, her tears soaking the sheets as she choked back sobs.
“Jiang Tian, even though our relationship wasn’t perfect, I never thought I’d abandon you for my own happiness. I always hoped you’d get better, that you’d become a good husband…”
“But if I don’t divorce you, the Liu family won’t let you go. You’ll go to prison…”
“Jiang Tian, I’m sorry. When I walked down the aisle in my white wedding dress, I truly wanted to grow old with you, to spend my life by your side.”
“But now, we’ve made a mess too big to fix. We’ll have to be husband and wife in another life…”
