Volume One, Chapter Three: Lin Qiao’s New Love
Qin Yi recovered swiftly and was soon discharged from the hospital. As soon as Qin Tianlang brought his son home, the savory aroma of food greeted them. Xu Mingyue came forward to take the coat from Qin Tianlang’s hands.
“You’re back. Come eat,” she called warmly.
“Wow! It smells amazing!” Qin Yi ran to the dining table, where he was met with a feast of fast food—burgers, fried chicken, French fries—covering every inch of the table, the very things Lin Qiao never allowed him to eat.
He couldn’t wait: his small hands snatched a burger and he took a hearty bite. “So good!”
Qin Tianlang walked over, his brows knitting slightly at the sight of so much fast food.
Xu Mingyue hurried to explain, “It’s all my fault—I’m useless in the kitchen. I could only buy these things from the fast-food place Xiao Yi likes.”
Qin Yi, delighted, stuffed his mouth with another bite, his lips glistening with oil. “Aunt Mingyue, these are so much better than the breakfasts my mom used to make. I love this.”
Seeing his son so happy, Qin Tianlang only said, “Lin Qiao was always too strict. If the child likes it, a little fast food won’t hurt.”
Xu Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, as long as Xiao Yi likes it.” Then she lifted her gaze to Qin Tianlang, her eyes full of tender affection. “I’ll learn to cook from now on, all right?”
But if Aunt Mingyue learned to cook, wouldn’t that mean no more fried chicken and burgers for him? Qin Yi grew anxious. “No, no! I just want to eat this!”
Qin Tianlang said, “Mingyue, you don’t need to learn to cook. A future photographer’s hands aren’t meant for such things.”
Hearing his concern, Xu Mingyue couldn’t help but draw nearer to Qin Tianlang. “Tianlang, all these years... I’ve always regretted so much.”
But Qin Tianlang unexpectedly took a step back. Xu Mingyue quickly masked the disappointment in her eyes.
“Mingyue, Mrs. Liu will come tomorrow to help with the house. Every time we go back to the old house, she’s the one who cares for Xiao Yi. She knows the place well.”
“All right,” Xu Mingyue nodded.
If not for wanting to please Qin Tianlang, she would never have done any of this. Once she married Qin Tianlang, she had no intention of carrying on these charades.
As she watched Qin Yi laughing over his fast food, Xu Mingyue gently stroked his head and cautioned him, “Eat slowly, don’t choke.”
Yet a flicker of distaste flashed through her eyes. Lin Qiao’s son had no place in this home’s future. After all, she and Qin Tianlang would have their own children.
After dinner, Xu Mingyue left first. Qin Tianlang, awkward and inexperienced, bathed his son and put him to bed in his little bed.
“Daddy, I want a bedtime story.”
His mother had always told him stories before bed.
Qin Tianlang refused. “You’re a big boy now. You don’t need bedtime stories.”
It was all Lin Qiao’s fault for raising his son like this. With her gone, it was time for Qin Yi to toughen up.
Qin Yi fussed for a while but, still weak after his hospital stay, soon fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Qin Yi clutched his stomach, tossing and turning, whining softly. “Oww, my tummy hurts.”
Qin Tianlang, roused by the noise, rushed to the bedroom only to find Qin Yi had been sick all over the bed.
Seeing the mess and his son’s frail state, Qin Tianlang didn’t hesitate; he immediately called Lin Qiao.
After two rings, Lin Qiao hung up.
She dared hang up on him!
Qin Tianlang opened his messaging app to text her. The chat showed: Message sent, but the recipient has refused to receive it.
Lin Qiao had blocked him!
Meanwhile, Qin Yi was still whimpering. Qin Tianlang could only suppress his anger and put away his phone.
Seeing that Qin Yi improved after throwing up, he carried his son out of the soiled bed and brought him to his own bedroom.
Qin Yi soon fell back asleep, but Qin Tianlang was now wide awake. He opened the chat with Lin Qiao again, staring at the rejection notice over and over.
He had only intended to give Lin Qiao the cold shoulder. Now, her actions only hardened his resolve to teach her a lesson and to go through with the divorce.
The next morning, Qin Tianlang woke to find the house already tidy. Mrs. Liu was humming as she washed the soiled bed sheets from the night before.
Thinking of last night’s chaos and Lin Qiao’s cold heart, Qin Tianlang privately mocked her arrogance.
She wanted to threaten him by making a scene and refusing to return home?
A mere housekeeper could replace all her work.
This marriage was as good as over.
...
On the way to drop Qin Yi off at kindergarten, Qin Tianlang received a call from his mother, Cheng Ru.
“Today’s the day you’re getting divorced?”
Qin Tianlang replied blandly, “Yes.”
“If she begs you in tears, don’t go soft.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ve always told you—marriages between people of different backgrounds rarely end well. Mingyue may have studied abroad, but her family background is lacking.” Cheng Ru’s tone was critical.
“If only it were the Bai family of Haishi, or the Lin family’s daughter...”
Qin Tianlang cut her off, “Mother, you’re getting ridiculous. Even the Lin family? You dare to dream.”
“All right, all right, I’ll stop. May heaven bless my son with a smooth divorce. Don’t let that orphaned girl cling to you.”
Qin Tianlang hung up decisively.
Lin Qiao’s unreasonable tantrum had gone too far this time. If he yielded even once, who knows what she’d dare demand next.
He was determined—Lin Qiao would learn her lesson. He’d show her just how hard life could be for an orphan without him.
From his car seat, Qin Yi asked anxiously, “Will Mommy change her mind and take me with her?”
“Daddy, I don’t want to go with Mommy. I like Aunt Mingyue. I want her to be my new mom.”
Qin Tianlang knew all too well: Qin Yi meant the world to Lin Qiao. For her to give up custody so easily, he took it as a ploy.
He gripped the steering wheel, and glanced through the rearview mirror at his worried son, his voice steady and resolute. “Daddy won’t let her take you away.”
...
At the divorce registration office, Qin Tianlang had expected to find a haggard Lin Qiao.
Before coming, he’d imagined how he would face her tears and pleas.
But nothing of the sort happened.
Lin Qiao sat quietly as always, waiting for him as she did every day, but this time with a sense of liberating relief. Her fair face was aglow with joy, her brows and eyes sparkling with unconcealed delight.
When she saw him, her tone was calm as she asked for the documents. She handed them to the staff for inspection without sparing Qin Tianlang so much as a glance.
The staff checked the paperwork and asked again, “Are both parties willing to divorce?”
Lin Qiao answered firmly.
“Child custody goes to the father?”
“Yes,” Lin Qiao replied crisply.
Qin Tianlang stared at her. “Lin Qiao, are you serious?”
She truly wasn’t going to fight for custody?
His gaze was as detached as ever, but tinged with curiosity.
After years together, Lin Qiao could read him like a book.
She looked at him, and with earnest clarity declared, “I mean it. I don’t want the husband or the son.”
A crack appeared on Qin Tianlang’s always-calm face, but he forced himself to say, “As you wish.”
The staff asked no more, stamped the documents, and handed Lin Qiao the divorce processing receipt.
With a sigh of relief, Lin Qiao thought: just thirty more days of the cooling-off period, and she would finally be free.
She carefully put away the paperwork, looked up at Qin Tianlang, and said solemnly, “From now on, I’ll leave Qin Yi in your care.”
Qin Tianlang sneered, “You’d better worry about yourself. If you end up begging in the streets, don’t come looking for help at the Qin estate.”
All these years, her husband had shown no curiosity about her, her past, or her achievements. To him, Lin Qiao was merely an orphan from the welfare institution, parentless, rootless. He believed she couldn’t survive without him.
But Lin Qiao was no parasitic vine. She had simply longed for the warmth of family so much that she’d broken her own wings for it. Now, with the sky and sea before her, she would never look back.
“Qin Tianlang, all these years of marriage, and you never truly knew me.”
“I can support myself.”
As she said this, her gaze was steady and bright, with a sparkle like starlight. Qin Tianlang was momentarily dazzled by the light in her eyes. He had never seen Lin Qiao so confident.
As Lin Qiao prepared to leave, Qin Tianlang’s voice turned cold. “Lin Qiao, I’m letting you go. I hope you don’t regret it.”
Lin Qiao didn’t pause for a moment.
Seeing her so resolute, Qin Tianlang, almost against his will, hurried after her.
He caught up with her downstairs, only to see Lin Qiao walking toward a flamboyant sports car, where a tall man waited with a bouquet of roses.
Qin Tianlang’s anger boiled over.
So that was it! She’d found someone new—no wonder she was so eager for the divorce!