Chapter 38: The Divorce Agreement

Shen Suining shook her head and said firmly, "I will get a divorce."

No matter what her grandmother might say later, she would not change her mind on this. She had completely given up on Jiang Runlang; there was no room for hesitation.

Seeing this, the look in Jiang Ji's eyes softened significantly. He reached out to gently stroke her cheek and said, "If you don't want to talk about feelings right now, then we won't. I am willing to wait as long as it takes, but there is one thing—will you promise me one thing, Sui-sui?"

Shen Suining had an intuition that Jiang Ji was setting a trap for her, but she found herself unable to utter a refusal. After a long moment, she nodded. "Tell me."

Jiang Ji couldn't help but chuckle softly. His fingertips brushed against her skin as he asked, "Aren't you afraid I might make a request that puts you in a difficult position?"

Shen Suining bit her lower lip slightly. "I don't think you would." For no apparent reason, she simply trusted him.

Jiang Ji felt a surge of pleasure. He said, "I want you to promise me that you won't push me away and that you won't reject my attempts to treat you well. Will you?"

Shen Suining was not naive; she had a feeling he would say this. Yet, hearing it from him, she felt utterly at a loss. She didn't dare meet his eyes, looking down at her own toes instead.

"If I do that, wouldn't I just be taking advantage of you?" she asked.

Jiang Ji smiled. "As I said, it is my pleasure." He would only regret not being able to give her enough; how could he ever feel taken advantage of? Besides, what he wanted, from beginning to end, was simply her. Even if she wanted to settle accounts with him, she would have to pay with herself.

Shen Suining realized then that although Jiang Ji said he would listen to her and not rush into a relationship, he had no intention of actually doing so. Round and round they went, nothing had changed. She felt a bit discouraged; she couldn't convince him, and she couldn't overcome her own internal barriers. It seemed they were stuck in a stalemate.

Jiang Ji placed a warm hand on the crown of her head. "Alright, Sui-sui, don't overthink it. Let's just let things take their natural course, shall we?"

Shen Suining could say nothing else but nod in agreement.

Jiang Ji’s mood fluctuated, but fortunately, Shen Suining had not retracted her decision to divorce Jiang Runlang. As long as she remained firm on that, he had all the time and patience in the world to wait for her.

Just then, Shen Suining's phone rang. Flustered by Jiang Ji's gaze, she immediately pulled out her phone and headed toward the balcony. Jiang Ji noticed that the moment she turned away, she let out a long sigh of relief. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed silently. Breaking through the walls of her heart was truly no easy task.

On the balcony, Shen Suining answered the call. It was Ye Yenze. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he said, "Sui-sui, the divorce agreement is drafted. I’ll send it to you; take a look and see if there are any clauses you’d like to add."

Since the last time they went to the law firm together with Ye Pianpian, Ye Yenze had begun calling her "Sui-sui," just as Pianpian did. Shen Suining didn't pay it much mind, but Jiang Ji, standing not far away with sharp hearing, caught the endearment, and his mood, which had just begun to lighten, darkened once more.

Unaware of this, Shen Suining thanked him sincerely, "Thank you, Brother Ye. I appreciate you getting this done so quickly."

Ye Yenze chuckled. "Pianpian reminds me almost every hour; I wouldn't dare be slow."

Shen Suining laughed at his remark and thanked him again before hanging up. She opened her email, pulled up the document, and began to read it carefully.

Just then, Jiang Ji emerged from the room holding a coat, which he draped over her shoulders. "It's windy out here. Let's go inside to read it."

She looked up at him, nodded, and followed him back inside. They sat on the sofa, and Jiang Ji brought over a laptop. "Use this; the phone screen is too small." Shen Suining didn't refuse his kindness, opened the laptop, and logged into her email.

She didn't try to hide it from him, opening the agreement and reading it line by line. Jiang Ji didn't stand on ceremony either; he sat beside her and read along. The more he read, the more displeased he became. There was no doubt Ye Yenze was a brilliant lawyer, but it was clear from this document just how invested he was in her divorce. The terms he had listed were enough to strip Jiang Runlang bare.

Shen Suining didn't notice Jiang Ji's expression; she was becoming increasingly alarmed by what she read. It was far beyond what she had imagined—by comparison, her own initial thoughts were insignificant.

Once finished, she immediately called Ye Yenze back. He answered on the first ring. "Sui-sui, have you finished reading it?"

Hearing him call her "Sui-sui" again, a dark look flickered in Jiang Ji's eyes. He shifted closer to her, pressing his side against hers. Shen Suining, focused entirely on the call, remained oblivious. "Brother Ye, can I really get all that compensation? Isn't this a bit… excessive?"

Ye Yenze reassured her, "Sui-sui, this is all rightfully yours. Jiang Runlang is the at-fault party in this marriage, and this is the price he must pay."

"But…" she said worriedly, "I don't think Jiang Runlang will agree to this."

Ye Yenze replied, "Don't worry, Sui-sui. Since I was able to draft this agreement, I have my ways to force his compliance. Otherwise, he will soon learn just how easy it is for a lawyer to make things difficult for him."

Shen Suining wanted to say more, but the phone was suddenly taken from her hand by Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji spoke directly into the phone, "Then thank you, Lawyer Ye, for your efforts on behalf of my girlfriend. Once Sui-bao'er is divorced, I will take you out for a meal with her. I hope you will do us the honor."

Shen Suining looked at Jiang Ji in astonishment, completely stunned by his sudden intervention.