An Tingyun was currently reviewing a security vulnerability with his subordinates.
He knew Lady An wouldn’t disturb him at work without good reason, so he glanced at the notification. Upon hearing her words, the energy stone in his hand slipped and fell with a clack.
The air around him instantly turned icy.
An Tingshuang was startled by his sudden shift in demeanor.
But An Tingyun ignored them, his expression dark as he activated a holographic projection to respond to Lady An.
Unlike ancient times, the starlight in the sky now came from two stars—one cold, one hot. The vast cosmos bathed his frost-moon-like face in a chilling glow.
His usually calm, dark eyes slowly frosted over, as if veiled in an unfathomable mist.
“Mom,” he said as soon as the projection connected, his voice sharp, “who told you I wanted a divorce?”
Lady An was met with his striking, coldly handsome face against a backdrop of endless space. His gaze held no warmth, only detachment.
She hesitated. Had she misunderstood him before? “But… you’ve never liked her—”
“Consider this conversation as if it never happened,” An Tingyun cut in, his tone frigid. “I will never divorce her. Not even in death.”
He turned away, his words carrying an unmistakable finality.
Despite it being summer, Lady An felt an arctic chill emanating from his eyes.
She stood frozen long after the hologram faded.
Never… not even in death?
Repeating those words in disbelief, she returned home, only to find Ye Shaohua standing at the An residence’s entrance, speaking with two men.
One of them had an intellectual air, his face bearing the marks of a distinguished scholar. Yet Lady An didn’t recognize him.
“Who are you talking to?” she asked. She knew Ye Shaohua had participated in the MA, but the An family had never cared for such events—they were warriors, not scholars. Even if the MA results were trending everywhere online, she paid no attention.
Right now, she was more curious about why her son was so fixated on Ye Shaohua. She studied the younger woman critically.
Ye Shaohua turned to Andrew. “Let’s discuss this tomorrow at the institute. There are two of Professor Joshi’s notebooks I haven’t reviewed yet. I’ll go through them tonight.”
Andrew, deeply engrossed in their conversation about eleven-dimensional space, nodded. “That works.”
Zhuo Yu, standing nearby, sighed dramatically. “You two are already MA champions. Must you grind so hard? Leave some room for us mortals!”
Andrew frowned seriously. “The competition is too fierce. I still haven’t done enough.”
Ye Shaohua added, “While studying history, I found records of time-space anomalies on Gamma Planet.”
Zhuo Yu: “…” (He had so many complaints, but he didn’t dare voice a single one.)
Their conversation was filled with academic jargon—“Zero-dimension is eternal,” “Four-dimensional beings exist in parallel”—none of which Lady An understood. By the time she snapped out of her confusion, Andrew and the others had already left.
“Lady An,” Ye Shaohua checked the time, “my mother mentioned the divorce. I’ve already had Jimmy pack my things. I don’t oppose it—my lawyer is drafting the agreement. It’ll be delivered to the An family in about two hours. Once Young Master An signs it, just send it to me.”
Lady An blinked.
Wait—
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Shouldn’t Ye Shaohua be begging to stay? Why was she so… indifferent?
“I—” Lady An finally managed to interject. “No, I didn’t actually say we wanted—”
Before she could finish, Ye Shaohua’s communicator buzzed. It was a holographic call from Lü Rang. She answered immediately. “Cousin, give me ten minutes. I’ll be right there.”
Lü Rang’s face was flushed with anger, but he kept his tone steady. “Alright. I’ve sent someone to pick you up from the An residence. Don’t rush—safety first.”
After ending the call, Ye Shaohua turned back to Lady An. “This was always just a political marriage. Let’s not pretend otherwise. To be honest, Young Master An and I signed divorce papers long ago.”
With her historic top-three MA ranking, Ye Shaohua was confident she could now suppress any opposition. So she didn’t dwell on why the An family had suddenly brought up divorce now.
Lady An recalled An Tingyun’s “never, not even in death” and nearly stopped Ye Shaohua from leaving.
But after a moment’s hesitation, she let her go. Like many online, she believed Ye Shaohua wasn’t good enough for her son. She had been among those waiting for their divorce.
Now, even though An Tingyun inexplicably refused, Lady An still acted in what she thought were his best interests. She watched silently as Ye Shaohua left.
“Our family has treated you unfairly,” Lady An said finally. “But if the Lü family ever needs help, the Ans will not refuse.”
Ye Shaohua gave a casual nod. Once Jimmy had carefully loaded her belongings—especially her research notes—onto the aircraft, she boarded and left without a backward glance.
Jimmy handled the equipment with extreme care. These were the creations of the brightest mind in the field—priceless artifacts everyone coveted.
Standing outside the An residence, Lady An watched the aircraft disappear into the distance.
She chose to leave on her own. This has nothing to do with me.
With a long exhale, she felt a weight lift.
Ye Shaohua was finally gone.
This was the best news in a long time.
