Chapter 22: A Marriage Without Love or Intimacy (1)

It took her quite a while to steady her emotions. She pulled at the corners of her mouth in front of the mirror, reminding herself that she had known all along he didn’t love her—so why was she so on edge over such trivial matters? Perhaps he was only showing interest in that aspect of their relationship because his mother had mentioned wanting a grandson.

The thought brought a fresh wave of disappointment.

After her shower, Lin Yan was surprised to find Leng Mohan standing on the balcony, appearing deeply engrossed in whatever he was watching.

In her memory, he never set foot in this bedroom unless his mother was present. Yet today, after his mother had left, he not only entered but had stayed for quite some time.

Dressed in loose loungewear, Lin Yan stood behind him, watching his silhouette. She wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. She glanced up at the clear, bright sky—should she really say, "The weather is nice today"? It seemed far too affected for a married couple.

After struggling for a long time, she finally gave up and turned into the small study on the right.

She turned on the computer and logged into QQ. The little penguin icon was blinking—a message from her editor, "Soaring Miles."

Soaring Miles: Yan-yan, I’ve had a look at your manuscript. Overall, it’s quite good, though there are a few areas that still need some adjustments.

Lin Yan scrolled through the message, but Soaring Miles hadn’t specified what needed changing. She typed into the dialogue box: What needs to be changed?

To her surprise, Soaring Miles was online. His gray avatar lit up instantly; he had clearly been in invisible mode.

Soaring Miles: Why does your story end with the leads getting a divorce?

Yan-yan: The man cheated. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. I feel that such a marriage is already dead, so naturally, they must divorce.

Soaring Miles: Yan-yan, you should understand the theme of this piece. The "seven-year itch" is a common social topic, something almost every marriage must endure. It’s merely an interlude, but the marriage is meant to continue, isn't it?

Yan-yan: Why continue a marriage that has neither love nor intimacy?

Soaring Miles: Yan-yan, you’ve written this piece beautifully, and the first half is handled very well. But the ending is unexpected. Since the protagonist knows he was wrong, why must they divorce? If they divorce, you deviate from our theme, do you understand?

Yan-yan: I don't understand.

Lin Yan frowned slightly. She truly didn't understand. If a marriage was stripped of everything, why bother continuing it?

This was the first time she had ever argued with Soaring Miles. In the past, their ideas had always been in perfect harmony; no matter what Lin Yan wrote, Soaring Miles would only make minor adjustments before it was published. Neither of them had expected such a significant disagreement this time.

Lin Yan stared blankly at the computer screen. On the other end, Soaring Miles remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the study door. Turning, she saw Leng Mohan standing in the doorway. He had a suit jacket draped over his elbow and was wearing a silver-gray shirt with no tie. The top two buttons were undone, revealing a glimpse of firm, fair skin—he looked incredibly seductive.

He held his car keys in his hand and looked at Lin Yan with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you going out?" Lin Yan asked indifferently.

"Something came up at the company. I’ll likely be back late tonight," Leng Mohan said, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. "Ye Ye made some porridge downstairs. Remember to have some."