Chapter 42 Please Allow Us to Divorce, Mom and Dad

An unfamiliar scent and a terrifying sense of approach sparked a surge of strength from unknown depths within me. I scrambled up from the floor and bolted toward the door.

I pushed it open and thrust half my body outside, only for fingers to grip my hair. A sharp pain shot across my scalp as a powerful yank dragged me backward.

The world spun, and I was forced down onto the sofa.

"Running away? Coming to a place like this and getting blind drunk—weren't you just waiting to be played with?"

The man pinned me down mercilessly, reaching out to tear at my collar.

My mind went completely blank. The present moment seemed to overlap with my previous life.

Back then, during a dispute, Zhou Zhizi went missing. Zhou Chenyan forced me to search for her with him, but when he found Zhou Zhizi, he never told me.

I was left searching all by myself.

And I was almost assaulted by a drunkard lunging from the roadside.

How similar this was to the scene before me.

But I would not allow history to repeat itself. Summoning the last scrap of my strength, I bit down hard into his hand. The man let out a miserable scream.

I had nearly bitten a chunk of flesh right off his hand.

To my surprise, this decisive bravery was what saved me. The man's shrieks attracted a waiter from outside.

And unexpectedly, I knew him.

Qian Yushu.

Having just graduated from school, he was strong and robust. He quickly knocked the man to the ground, scooped me up into his arms, and charged blindly outward.

"Sister Mu, don't worry, I'm taking you to the hospital!"

"No need."

I grabbed his sleeve.

"Sister Mu?"

"Help me call a cab. I want to go home."

In truth, I could already feel that the drug in my system differed from the one Zhou Zhizi had ingested; it only left my limbs weak and my body burning.

It lacked that ultimate malicious effect.

Regardless, this was a golden opportunity, and I had to seize it.

Unable to win against my persistence, Qian Yushu helped me into the car and climbed in right after me.

I looked at him.

He simply said, "I don't trust leaving you alone. I'll drop you off at your doorstep before I leave."

I closed my eyes slightly and leaned against the back seat. Through the slits of my eyelids, I watched the figure beside me. He was finally beginning to sever ties with that person from my past life.

Only...

Qian Yushu, can I trust you?

Will you win my trust only to turn into that executioner of a collaborator from my past life?

Before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.

I was simply too exhausted. Although I had seemingly done nothing, my body felt weighed down by an endless, bottomless fatigue, forcing me to close my eyes.

When I woke up again, that bizarre, heavy weariness had finally receded. Seeing me open my eyes, Qian Yushu let out a visible sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, you're finally awake."

I straightened up. "If I hadn't woken up, what were you planning to do?"

The car's air conditioning was off, and it was evident the vehicle had been parked for quite some time.

Yet he hadn't even called out to me.

Qian Yushu said, "I saw that you were very quiet. I couldn't tell if you had passed out or fallen asleep, so I figured I would wait and see. If you still hadn't woken up after another minute, I would have driven you straight to the hospital."

I twitched the corner of my lips. "Thank you."

He got out of the car after me.

"Will you be alright by yourself? Do you want me to walk you inside?"

I steadied myself with a stagger. "I'll be fine."

The battle ahead was one I had to fight alone.

Since Zhou Chenyan and Zhou Zhizi had already handed evidence right into my hands, it would be foolish of me not to make full use of it.

As I stepped into the courtyard, I came face-to-face with Zhou Chenyan.

He stood there rigidly, expressionless, lost in thought.

And I had no idea how long he had been watching.

Giving him a blank look, I slowly walked past his side.

Instead, he grabbed me and shoved me against the wall, his gaze sweeping over me as if searching for something.

"Did you two sleep together?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line. "Show some respect."

"Looking at you like that, could he possibly resist?" Zhou Chenyan's hand rested on my shoulder. He did nothing, yet it inexplicably triggered a sense of crisis within me.

Desperate to break away, I said, "Let go."

"What? You just went on a date with an old flame, and now your legitimate husband isn't even allowed to touch you?"

I was so infuriated by his absurdity that I laughed.

Fine then. Let's hurt each other.

"It's because my legitimate husband is useless, leaving a woman untouched as if guarding his chastity. Naturally, I have no choice but to look elsewhere."

"So, you've fallen for that poor punk."

He ground his teeth.

I replied, "Yes."

"I don't believe a word you say."

He grabbed my collar and yanked it down fiercely, exposing a large expanse of pale, snow-white skin.

"Let me see if you've really cuckolded me."

I was too late to stop him and simply let him look.

His gaze swept across my shoulder, finding no trace of anything that shouldn't have been there, and his gloomy expression gradually softened.

He leaned in close, pressing against me.

"You almost fooled me."

I turned my head away and said coldly, "A lover leaving no trace is the most basic rule of the trade."

His expression darkened again, and he muttered hoarsely, "What good does it do you to provoke me?"

He lowered his head, nearly pressing his lips to mine.

I did not resist, which only encouraged him to push further.

At the very moment our lips were about to meet—ignoring the turbulent haze in his eyes, feeling cold enough to be merciless—I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face!

*Crack.*

Zhou Chenyan turned his face aside. A handprint instantly appeared on his sharply defined cheek, and his gaze turned chillingly glacial.

"Are you insane?" he ground out, word by word.

I remained silent and abruptly drove my knee upward!

"Ugh!"

Zhou Chenyan let out a muffled groan. His face turned instantly ashen as he doubled over, unable to straighten up for a long time.

I pulled my clothes back into place, feeling an immense wave of satisfaction. "This is a warning: never use brute force against a woman, because you never know just how disgusting she can make things for you."

Inside the living room, both my father-in-law and mother-in-law were present.

Mother-in-law wore a worried expression, which only eased when she saw me enter. "You child, where on earth did you run off to all day? You wouldn't answer your phone, and you were nowhere to be found. I've already checked into what you asked me to look into—are you still going to listen or not?"

I took her hand, and tears instantly spilled over.

Mother-in-law was startled. "What is it? Why are you crying?"

At this, even Father-in-law turned his gaze toward me.

Just as I was about to speak, Zhou Chenyan walked in. He tried to act normal, but I caught the cold sweat on his forehead and his unnatural gait.

He certainly knew how to endure.

It seemed the blow just now hadn't been hard enough.

He grabbed me by the arm. "Mom, Dad, I'm taking her back to our room first. I have something to discuss with her."

Naturally, I wouldn't let him get his way. As he dragged me toward the stairs, I put on the performance of a wronged, helpless wife.

"Mom, Dad, save me! He's trying to ruin me!"

The moment those words left my lips, not only Father-in-law and Mother-in-law, but even Zhou Chenyan froze in shock.

"What nonsense are you—"

Before Zhou Chenyan could finish, Father-in-law let out a dark, stern grunt.

"Quiet."

Zhou Chenyan clamped his mouth shut, frustration radiating from him.

I sniffled, tears streaming down my face. "If a friend hadn't happened to pass by yesterday and rescue me, the financial news today probably would have featured the Zhou family's daughter-in-law carousing in a private club with an unknown man, caught in flagrante delicto... I simply cannot stay in this house any longer."

Wiping away my tears, my voice choked yet rang out with absolute clarity.

"I beg Father and Mother to grant us a divorce."