Plan A
Running with the Ball 29
Su Xin was in the living room letting her food settle1, and she stood up to walk a few slow laps.
“You might have to see me out in a bit.”
“Hm?”
Bai Jianglan had finished washing the dishes and was just about to take Su Xin for a walk.
“A good show is about to start, and as a main character, I have no choice but to make an appearance.”
Su Xin saw He Qin’s move and knew what she was going to do.
This person was truly one to not choose her methods2, resorting to such methods just to achieve her goal.
But, there was no way things would be so good as to let her retreat with her whole body3.
And He Qin probably wouldn’t be able to achieve the effect of making her unhappy. She would wipe her eyes and wait4.
Bai Jianglan had always found Su Xin to be very mysterious. Su Xin had almost never left her side, yet her plans always seemed to be on their way to being accomplished.
“Can it end tonight?”
“Yes.”
An unreadable light glinted in Su Xin’s eyes, and the corners of her lips curved upward.
She made a call to Wen Linlang, and it was answered quickly.
“Hello, Dajie5, what’s up?”
“I’m inviting you to a good show tonight. Do you want to come?”
“Wow, I have to go! It sounds like it’ll be exciting.”
“I might also need a small favor from you.”
“Righteousness does not permit refusal6. Just tell me.”
“Do you want to beat up Feng Linhan?”
“Holy crap! Of course! Dajie, are you finally making your move?”
“Yes, and I hope you won’t show any mercy.”
“Okay. Oh, right, can I bring a family member?”
Wen Linlang’s last sentence was a little quiet, carrying a hint of sweetness that was not easily detected.
“Xu Yiman?”
“Yes. Dajie, you actually knew, right? About both me and Xu Yiman, and you and her.”
“Do I look like an idiot?”
“So… is it okay then?”
“Mhm.”
Bai Jianglan couldn’t hear what Wen Linlang was saying on the other end, but she could deduce it from Su Xin’s words.
“Actually, you don’t need to ask Linlang. Asking me would be enough.”
Although she had never been in a fight, she had never neglected her training. At least compared to Wen Linlang, beating her would be no problem at all.
“You can just watch from the side. Give Linlang a chance; she’s been wanting to do this for a long time.”
Su Xin was certain the show had already begun, because someone had already raised the curtain for her.
Feng Linhan was about to go crazy when he received the call.
“Qinqin, calm down. Don’t move. I’ll come find you right away, I’m begging you.”
Feng Linhan frantically got dressed at home, hastily gathered the documents, and ran towards his destination.
He Qin stood on the rooftop. Seeing the lights below, her heart seized with panic, but she quickly calmed herself down.
This was a risky move, but it was bound to succeed.
She was dressed beautifully. Although she was pregnant, her belly was not yet very prominent. She sat on the rooftop ledge, her legs dangling over the side.
She didn’t actually want to resort to this, but besides this method of threatening them, she truly didn’t know of any other way to make them divorce.
Feng Linhan was hesitant, and Jiang Xiao didn’t seem to care at all that Feng Linhan was cheating.
As long as those two didn’t want to separate, they definitely couldn’t be separated, and she would be like a beam-jumping petty clown7, a joke on the sidelines. She refused to let these past few years be wasted. If she was going to suffer, Jiang Xiao and Feng Linhan could forget about having an easy time. She no longer wanted to marry Feng Linhan, but she was determined to break them up.
Covered in a cold sweat, Feng Linhan stood not far from He Qin. Everything had been fine yesterday; how had it come to this today?
“Qinqin, don’t be reckless.”
“I’ve really been waiting too long. I can’t wait anymore. Can you just give me an answer? You should have prepared what I asked for, right?”
“Qinqin, must you force me like this?”
“Feng Linhan! You’re the one who has been forcing me from the very beginning! What more do you want from me? You made me a promise. Can’t you be a man and keep it?”
He Qin’s chest heaved violently, and her voice took on a sobbing tone.
“Please come down first, okay? We can talk face-to-face. I’ll agree to anything. But you can’t joke around with your own life and the child in your belly.”
“I want you to divorce Jiang Xiao! Now! Otherwise, you can wait to cry over my and our child’s corpses. My suicide note will tell everyone everything.”
“Okay, okay, okay, I’ll divorce her, I’ll divorce her.”
Feng Linhan had been considering this matter all day. On one hand was his wife, who didn’t love him much but had never wronged him, and who was carrying their child. They had treated each other with mutual respect like guests8 for many years.
The things Feng Linhan felt were missing, the things he wanted to get from his wife, were all things he couldn’t get from Jiang Xiao but got from He Qin.
Moreover, the blueprint He Qin sketched for him was so beautiful, perfectly aligning with what he desired in his heart.
Now that He Qin was threatening him with death, using herself and the child in her belly as leverage, he would certainly agree, no matter what.
Deep down, he somewhat understood that He Qin was unlikely to actually jump.
But he couldn’t guarantee that there was absolutely no such possibility.
“It was always you who wronged me. Although it was my fault for approaching you in the first place, it was me being shameless, but didn’t you not refuse? Does that mean you have no responsibility? Year after year, Feng Linhan, what are you trying to force me to become? I left you for two months to try and think things through, but I—”
“Call Jiang Xiao right now! Tell her to come over!”
“But she’s pregnant. She’s already five months along.”
“She’s known for a long time. Did you still think she was being kept in the dark? She knew about these things long ago, including the things we did in the past. Jiang Xiao is terrifying. When she told me, I still found it incredible.”
“She knew long ago, but she doesn’t care, simply because she doesn’t love you.”
“She… knew?”
“If you don’t believe me, then call her right now. See what she has to say.”
Dubiously, Feng Linhan dialed Su Xin’s number. The call was answered quickly.
“Hello? Is there something?”
“Xiaoxiao, did you already know about the things between me and He Qin?”
“Is that supposed to be a secret? You weren’t very good at hiding it.”
Feng Linhan took a deep breath, feeling a little dizzy.
This whole messy situation, what on earth is it? But this only strengthened his resolve about what he had to do now.
Feng Linhan looked at the divorce agreement in his hand, then looked at He Qin sitting there.
“Jiang Xiao, let’s get a divorce.”
“Okay.”
The unexpected swiftness of her agreement stunned both Feng Linhan and He Qin.
“Is He Qin threatening you? Is she going to kill herself, or jump off a building?”
“How did you know?” Feng Linhan blurted out.
“Tch. Are her tricks that hard to guess? I can even guess where you are. Just wait, I’ll be right over. You should have the documents ready, right? See you in a bit.”
Feng Linhan’s face turned shades of pale and purple. He hadn’t let He Qin hear what Su Xin said. Jiang Xiao was so agreeable, without even a hint of trying to save the marriage, as if she had just been waiting for him to bring this up.
But if she found it so unbearable, why didn’t she bring it up herself?
That tone of complete and utter disdain and contempt made his face burn.
When He Qin saw the look on Feng Linhan’s face, she assumed Jiang Xiao was unwilling.
She couldn’t help but feel a little smug in her heart. In the end, she had won.
Jiang Xiao was nothing more than her defeated general under her hand9.
What right did Jiang Xiao have to laugh at her?
Su Xin walked over, carefully supported by Bai Jianglan. Wen Linlang and Xu Yiman stood behind them.
Wen Linlang cracked her knuckles, a little excited.
“This is our family’s business. Why did you bring so many people?”
When Feng Linhan saw there were so many outsiders, his expression soured even more, even though they were all women.
“Are you suggesting that I, a five-month-pregnant woman, should come to a rooftop alone at night to meet my scumbag husband and his little three? If I were killed, no one would even know.”
“Sign it.”
Su Xin took the document, twirling the pen in her hand.
“Let me guess. If it were just He Qin alone threatening to jump, it probably wouldn’t have scared you this much. Perhaps she’s pregnant?”
“What trash. Is this the kind of method you came up with?”
“If I don’t sign, will you really jump?”
Su Xin looked at He Qin playfully. He Qin’s hands trembled a little, but the expression on her face was still one of being righteous and full of confidence10.
“You wouldn’t dare jump, would you? How could you dare to jump? He Qin, even if I sign this document, don’t forget that you are just a thief. A completely and utterly shameless thief.”
He Qin didn’t speak, just stared intently at Su Xin’s movements.
Su Xin crisply and cleanly signed the two characters for “Jiang Xiao” on the divorce agreement and threw it in front of Feng Linhan.
He Qin carefully climbed down from the rooftop ledge. Her legs were a bit weak, but the earlier unease had been completely replaced by joy.
“Jiang Xiao, I won.”
“You won? Who gave you that confidence?”
“This piece of trash, I haven’t wanted him for a long time. Since you want to take him over, then I am very happy to. But I don’t think you’re very willing to accept him, are you? If you were, you wouldn’t have come to me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Thank you for your fifty thousand yuan. It even let me watch a wonderful performance for free.”
“It was you…?”
“Since you know I was the one who synthesized the photos, then why couldn’t that also have been me?”
“Feng Linhan, are you satisfied with the gift He Qin and I have given you? Though, I never planned for you to lose your job. The one who wanted to destroy you… was her.”
Feng Linhan was completely stunned, as if he somewhat couldn’t understand what they were saying.
This person in the shadows trying to deal with him was actually Jiang Xiao?
The person who sent the video was indeed He Qin.
Feng Linhan looked at the divorce agreement in his hand and finally reacted.
He now… had no job, and no Jiang Xiao… Everything he cared about was gone!
“Qinqin… after Jiang Xiao and I finalize the divorce certificate, let’s go get our marriage certificate in a few days, okay?”
“No.”
He Qin’s face was expressionless.
“Xiaoxiao… we still have our child… Xiaoxiao, a child can’t be without a father!”
“The child is only mine. If you want to take me to court, feel free. But do you dare to bet with me that I will absolutely win?”
Su Xin’s lips curled.
“I will abort the child.”
He Qin said with a wooden face.
Had she won… or lost?
All she had wanted was to break them up, to shatter their family.
She had achieved her goal, but it seemed things were not as she had expected.
Jiang Xiao wasn’t sad at all; she was even very happy.
She was so carefree and swift, as if she had been waiting for this all along.
Not only had her actions failed to make the other person suffer, but they had actually made the other person feel very relieved.
So what was the meaning of her doing this?
“He Qin! You can’t!”
Feng Linhan gripped He Qin’s hand, glaring at her fiercely.
“I can! I can! In any case, I’m not related to you in any way. How can you prove you’re the father of the child in my belly? If I say you’re not, then you’re not. You have no right to control me.”
“He Qin!”
“The moment you decided to abandon me, there was no affection left between us.”
“The bridge returns to the bridge, and the road returns to the road11.”
He Qin had been here for seven years, and now she had gained nothing.
She had sold her house and her flower shop. It was impossible with Feng Linhan now, and the child in her belly would be aborted. Everything was as it had been seven years ago, yet she had lost so much.
And Feng Linhan? His job was gone, his family was gone. At thirty years old, he had nothing left.
【Congratulations Host, mission complete.】
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