Whenever Rong Chan came up, everyone in Jinling would say enviously,
“She’s so lucky.”
Born into a prominent family, she had been a beauty of the realm since childhood. Though her marriage had taken a disastrous turn, the poor scholar she married back then quickly rose to success, and before he turned thirty, he had already attained the rank of a first-grade official.
Besides, Zhao Shen was famous for his jade-like beauty and gentlemanly bearing, refined and elegant, with a distant air.
Even though Rong Chan had difficulty bearing children, he never once considered taking a concubine.
Everyone said she was truly blessed.
Looking at the table of cold dishes, Rong Chan wondered absently, How many times has this happened now?
On her thirtieth birthday, her husband was nowhere to be seen, and her daughter was far away in the palace...
In the end, she was alone, surrounded by silence.
Zhao Shen came home late at night, only to be greeted by his wife, cold as ice.
“I want a divorce.”
A clap of thunder struck behind him, illuminating his handsome, composed face.
Rong Chan heard him say, “All right.”
·
When Rong Chan opened her eyes again, she soon realized something was wrong.
She pushed away the young man leaning over her and stared at the astonishment rising in those eyes, which had remained as calm and indifferent for decades as they were now.
Furious, she raised her hand to slap him. “We’re divorced already. Why are you kissing me?”
Zhao Shen grabbed her wrist. “...Look around you. Then look at me.”
Lotus blossoms filled the lake, standing quietly in the breeze, their delicate fragrance drifting through the air.
Rong Chan turned around in a daze.
That was... Zhao Shen when he was young.
By a twist of fate, they had returned to the day their marriage was forced upon them.
Rong Chan said, each word deliberate, “In this life, I want nothing to do with you.”
Zhao Shen’s lips twitched. “I told you, you’ll have it your way.”
·
Rong Chan got her wish and avoided that marriage. But their daughter was clever, sweet, and especially considerate. Rong Chan didn’t want her father, but she did want her daughter back by her side.
After meeting a prospective match that day, Rong Chan climbed into the carriage, utterly exhausted.
Suddenly, someone seized her wrist and shoved her against the carriage wall.
A bright flame of anger flickered in Zhao Shen’s cool, clear phoenix eyes.
Rong Chan froze for a moment as he said coldly, “I’ve thought it over. A first marriage is best after all. No one but me is worthy of being your husband, or Qiao’s father. Isn’t that right?”
Theme: Courage and confidence nourish life
