Chapter 8: The Abandoned First Wife 1

The Bentley drove toward the urban park district.

A notification chime rang out from a mobile phone. Li Tian'er and Tang Songyuan lowered their heads to look at their respective phones almost simultaneously.

"My sister Li Ya is the best!"

Seeing the message sent by Wu Xiuli, Li Tian'er smiled quietly. Tang Songyuan tilted his head, caught a glimpse of the message on Li Tian'er's phone, and immediately straightened his head to look at the road ahead. He pressed his lips together, suppressing the multitude of words filling his chest.

Tang Songyuan's silence all the way suited Li Tian'er's intentions perfectly. What she feared most was Tang Songyuan showering her with tender solicitude and concern, which would make it difficult for her to bring up the request for separation to Tang Songyuan after returning home.

The Bentley soon turned into a one-way street lined with verdant trees, and then drove into a villa area. A security guard standing at the gate with rigid posture snapped to attention and saluted, watching Tang Songyuan's car enter the community. Li Tian'er looked back through the rear window; the guard at the gate was still maintaining his saluting posture.

The luxury villa area had few incoming and outgoing vehicles, strict security, thoughtful service, and a landscaped environment that looked like a fairyland on earth. This gave Li Tian'er a long-lost sense of familiarity.

Tang Songyuan drove his car into their own courtyard. He got out, intending to go over and open the front passenger door, but Li Tian'er did not wait for him; she got out of the car herself. Standing in the courtyard blooming with flowers, she squinted her eyes and tilted her face upward, letting the sunlight spill across her face to feel the wonderful breath of early summer.

Tang Songyuan looked at Li Tian'er's upturned profile, his gaze freezing slightly once more.

"Let's go inside. The cleaning should be all done."

Tang Songyuan got back into the car and drove it into the garage.

The fingerprint and password door lock opened with a gentle press. Li Tian'er walked into the living room, and a dazzling sensation immediately struck her eyes. The living room was ultra-spacious; a hundred people dancing in it simultaneously would not be a problem.

The crystal chandelier hanging down from the ceiling resembled tens of thousands of stars, creating the illusion that they were within arm's reach.

She didn't care to take another look, hurriedly kicking off the leather shoes on her feet and rushing into the bathroom to turn on the showerhead.

Before long, water vapor filled the entire shower room, and the fragrance lifted her spirits. From this moment on, becoming a healthy and happy person, no longer a terminally ill housewife, achieving financial freedom, gaining social recognition, and earning the respect of the public.

Li Tian'er redefined her identity in her heart.

"Li Ya, why are you taking a shower in the guest bathroom on the first floor? Wouldn't it be more comfortable to go soak in the master bedroom? Or should I go upstairs and draw the bath for you? I've already had someone prepare the essential oils and rose petals for the soak..."

"No need, this is quite nice."

Without resolving marital relations, soaking in the master bedroom's tub wouldn't that be asking for trouble? She knew very well that the master bathroom shared by Li Ya and Tang Songyuan had transparent glass walls; sitting on the custom-made oversized bed, everything going on inside the bathroom was entirely visible. Li Ya usually didn't like using the master bathroom either, always opting for the secondary bedroom's facilities. As for whether Tang Songyuan used the transparent master bathroom, Li Tian'er had found no trace of it in Li Ya's memories.

Tang Songyuan leaned against the railing of the third-floor terrace, looking out toward the horizon in deep thought.

By this time, Li Tian'er had changed into comfortable homewear in the walk-in closet and was prepared to have a talk with Tang Songyuan.

A swing set was placed against the wall of the terrace, featuring a double hanging chair. Judging by the design of the hanging chair, it must have been custom-made, conforming to ergonomics even better than the chairs in furniture stores, and should be quite comfortable to sit on.

Li Tian'er dropped down onto the swing set, gave the floor tiles a gentle push with her toe, and the swing set into motion. In an instant, it felt as if she had returned to childhood. She no longer wanted to discuss marital matters with Tang Songyuan immediately; she wanted to fully enjoy the present moment and experience its beauty.

"Li Ya..."

Hearing movement behind him, Tang Songyuan turned around. Seeing Li Tian'er swaying on the swing, he called out casually, his narrowed eyes involuntarily widening as if he had discovered a new world. He stared at Li Tian'er bobbing up and down, watching her intoxicated and mischievous expression.

This swing was custom-ordered ten years ago when he purchased and renovated the villa. In his childhood, he had a dream of sitting on a swing with the girl he loved, counting the stars together.

On the night they moved into their new home, he had deliberately blindfolded Li Ya's eyes as they walked to the terrace, then led her by the hand to sit on the swing together. He removed Li Ya's blindfold, expecting her to be pleasantly surprised and excited upon seeing the swing. To his disappointment, Li Ya had instead remarked that the swing was impractical, noting that such a large terrace could be used to grow vegetables and flowers, and that even setting up a few tables and chairs for a barbecue on the terrace would be more practical than having a swing.

It seemed she had changed; she had actually grown to like swinging! Unfortunately, everything was too late...

"Li Ya!"

Tang Songyuan walked toward Li Tian'er.

"Oh, go ahead."

Li Tian'er stretched out her foot to stop the swing's motion. Sensing Tang Songyuan's seriousness, she hopped off the swing and walked to meet him.

"Let's get a divorce."

Tang Songyuan knitted his brows as if breathing heavily, pressing one hand against his chest.

"Mhm, alright."

Li Tian'er lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, wanting to laugh yet not daring to. Matters had turned out far beyond her expectations—Tang Songyuan was initiating the divorce himself, sparing her from racking her brains for an excuse to separate from him. Could there possibly be anything better than this?

"You... agreed?"

Tang Songyuan appeared incredulous.

"Ah, agreed, of course I agree. Why wouldn't I agree?"

Li Tian'er's rhetorical question left Tang Songyuan torn between laughter and tears. He reached out and rubbed his face to confirm that everything before him was not a hallucination.

His feelings throughout this entire day had been utterly magical. First, his mistress announced she was pregnant again, demanding that he end his marriage as soon as possible to give their child a proper status. Then, just as he was caught in a dilemma, unsure of how to appease his mistress while allowing his terminally ill wife to peacefully live out the remainder of her life, the doctor informed him that his wife's terminal illness had been a misdiagnosis. He was now facing the difficult choice of severing an eighteen-year marriage with his wife, only for the problem he had brewed over for so long to be casually and readily resolved by his wife.

"All of our shared property will belong to you. I'll have my lawyer process the paperwork for you tomorrow."

Tang Songyuan's brows remained tightly furrowed. Even though his wife had agreed to the divorce, his heart was still filled with deep self-reproach. In fact, he would have preferred it if his wife had thrown a massive fit; that would at least have demonstrated that his wife deeply loved him, and the opposite of love is hate. His wife ought to have hated him for proposing a divorce. Her calm and indifferent agreement could only mean that she no longer loved him, or that she had discovered his sordid and filthy heart and had long since grown disgusted with him.

"Alright, no problem, I'll wait. Can you leave now, then?"

Li Tian'er's heart was blooming with joy. The current situation not only freed her from a marriage with an older man, but also provided a generous property settlement. How could her future life be anything other than smooth sailing? Before long, she would effortlessly become the wealthiest person in this city.

"Li Ya, don't blame me. The relationship between Li Xingzi and me wasn't what you imagined at the beginning. Reaching this point today was also something I was forced into. I'm leaving right now, taking nothing with me, and I'll leave the car for you too."

As if his spiritual pillar had collapsed in an instant, Tang Songyuan's figure seemed to shrink a bit. Without waiting for Li Tian'er to reply, he opened the door and walked out quickly.

"Li Xingzi? What kind of creature is that?"

Li Tian'er caught the key point in Tang Songyuan's words. After repeating it to herself, she seemed to understand—the older man had taken a mistress and abandoned his original wife.