Chapter 82: The Ritual of Divorce
The day I went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to handle the divorce procedures, the sun was shining brightly. Some people on the street were wearing short sleeves, while others were still wrapped in cotton coats.
When they get married, the staff greets them with a smile and sends them blessings enthusiastically. When they get divorced, these steps are missing. After all, no one would be so abrupt to wish a stranger a "happy divorce".
Qin Qi wore a mask and a hat throughout the process. After completing all the formalities, he hesitated in the waiting area and was reluctant to leave. He and Kong Nanzhu did not come in the same car, which meant that as soon as they walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, they would have to go their separate ways.
"Nannan."
Kong Nanzhu turned his head and waited for Qin Qi to speak.
Qin Qi's throat tightened. He wanted to ask Kong Nanzhu if she had time to have dinner together, or to visit her new studio. He had never been there once since the establishment of Kong Nanzhu's studio.
He only knew that after he was gone, Kong Nanzhu's career flourished, her life seemed richer than before, and she seemed to have been reborn, full of vitality.
Kong Nanzhu: "Anything else?"
Kong Nanzhu tried his best to control the bitterness surging in his heart and act calm and indifferent, as if he had no attachment to this marriage.
But just now when she signed the divorce registration form, her fingers couldn't help but tremble.
Can't bear to.
Kong Nanzhu thought she had made all the preparations, but when the day really came, she was still so sad that she wanted to cry her heart out.
She and Qin Qi will no longer have any relationship from now on. They are like two parallel lines that have crossed paths. They could have continued to live together in peace and harmony. Whether she blames herself for being greedy or blames Qin Qi for taking advantage of her, after they met, they can only drift apart.
Qin Qi: "Let's have dinner together tonight. I have reserved a table at Century Building."
Kong Nanzhu was stunned for a moment, "I have something to do tonight."
It's obviously a lie.
Qin Qi pursed his lips and insisted, "It's the restaurant you wanted to go to before but didn't go to. Let's just treat it as a commemoration of our...returning to a brother-sister relationship, okay?"
Qin Qi looked at her with hope in his eyes, and Kong Nanzhu was almost forced to have nowhere to hide.
Haven't I already made up my mind not to be soft-hearted towards him? Why can't I stand his puppy-like look?
Kong Nanzhu, you have some potential.
"We didn't even have a commemorative ceremony for our marriage, so there's no need for a divorce."
Qin Qi's heart ached fiercely, and he was extremely annoyed. Why did he give up going home with Kong Nanzhu because of the birthday party prepared by the fans?
It's ridiculously childish.
There were many moments between them that could have been filled with beautiful memories, but they were all ruined by his willfulness and selfishness.
Qin Qi always believed that Kong Nanzhu fell in love with and married him because of Shen Jun's suggestion. He felt that since he accepted Shen Jun's terms, Kong Nanzhu must have reached an agreement with Shen Jun to some extent.
He is really a mean person who judges others by his own standards.
But in fact, he himself was the hypocritical one who allowed others to manipulate their feelings and marriage.
Kong Nanzhu had no idea what Qin Qi was recalling as he looked painful. After saying those harsh words, she didn't feel happy at all. Instead, her chest became more stuffy and even her breathing became difficult.
On New Year's Day two years ago, Kong Nanzhu and Xu Qingqing wanted to spend New Year's Eve together at the Sky Restaurant on the 25th floor of the Century Building. However, they made arrangements two days in advance and were told that all the seats for New Year's Eve had been fully booked two weeks in advance. They returned home disappointed and ended up ordering two sparklers on the roadside to spend the night together.
Kong Nanzhu also made a video call to Qin Qi at midnight and wished him a Happy New Year.
Just when she was complaining about being homeless and unable to go to the restaurant she wanted to go to, Qin Qi said he had something to do and would talk later, then hung up the phone in a hurry. He was at the crew's celebration party at the time, and as the leading actor, there was no reason for him to be absent when everyone was toasting to midnight.
Kong Nanzhu posted a Weibo post with a picture of a lonely burning fairy wand and a photo taken from above of the high-altitude restaurant, with the caption, "Happy New Year even if it's on the roadside."
It turned out that Qin Qi knew the name of the restaurant she wanted to go to.
It turns out he has a way to book a seat at this popular internet celebrity restaurant.
They had been together for so long, and Qin Qi had countless opportunities to take her here to fulfill her wish, but unfortunately, he didn't.
Now that they have registered for divorce, he has remembered to take her with him.
It's quite ironic.
Qin Qi's expression revealed obvious caution and humility: "You promised me that even if we get divorced, we can return to the position of brother and sister, and we can still get along like before. It's not too much for a brother to treat a sister to a meal, right?"
Kong Nanzhu's chest rose and fell more violently, and it was obvious that she was trying hard to regulate her breathing.
"Yes, I did, but I didn't say we would be like before." Kong Nanzhu lowered his eyes. "I don't want to go back. I was ignored, concealed, no one asked for my opinion, and I couldn't even reveal my identity to the outside world... I'm not complaining when I say this now. I'm just explaining my experience. I hope you can understand. I really don't want to go through it again."
Qin Qi anxiously wanted to grab her hand, but Kong Nanzhu nimbly dodged. The vigilance and indifference in her eyes hurt Qin Qi's nerves.
Why was Kong Nanzhu looking at him with such strange eyes?
They are obviously so close, they like each other, and they have love for each other, right?
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean that. Don't resist so much." Qin Qi's lips were pale and he put on sunglasses to prevent his untimely tears from revealing his mood that was on the verge of collapse.
"Just a meal, okay? I'll take you back before eight."
Kong Nanzhu was inevitably affected by Qin Qi's sadness. She pretended to be calm and looked at her watch. Now she has developed the habit of wearing a watch. Her schedule has become busy and fulfilling. She needs to pay attention to time all the time to catch up with her schedule.
It's 4:30 in the afternoon.
Kong Nanzhu was mentally prepared. She didn't plan to meet Qin Qi again before the cooling-off period was over. Even if it was just a meal, it could be sloppy at the beginning but with a little sense of ceremony at the end, which would be worthy of her youth and time.
Kong Nanzhu nodded in agreement, and Qin Qi was overjoyed, "Then let's first..."
"I have something to deal with in the studio first. See you at Century Building at six o'clock. Is that ok?"
Qin Qi realized that he had no right to say no. He was afraid that if he expressed any dissatisfaction, Kong Nanzhu might go back on her word and refuse to have dinner with him tonight.
"I can wait for you in your studio. I don't have anything else to do during this time."
Kong Nanzhu then remembered that Qin Qi had finished filming.
Last week, the official Weibo account of the crew of "Northward" released a group photo of Qin Qi after the filming. In the photo, he is still dressed like a down-and-out worker, very down-to-earth, which is a far cry from his previous handsome and unyielding image. Fans have expressed that -
[Is there a moment when I suddenly feel that I am worthy of Qin Qi]
Kong Nanzhu subconsciously doesn't want Qin Qi to go to her studio, just as she doesn't want Qin Qi to interfere with her work and career. She wants to completely separate him from her life.
This reaction was like a defense mechanism. Without even thinking, her mouth had already said no.
"Let's meet at the restaurant. My studio is small and the staff is not very organized. It will have a bad influence if you go there."
Qin Qi was stunned. Kong Nanzhu's words sounded like he was shameful.
Qin Qi didn't force it anymore. As long as he could occupy Kong Nanzhu's time for another two hours tonight, he would be satisfied.
In the past two months, they have been in a cold war and have lost contact. Not to mention meeting each other, even if they want to hear Kong Nanzhu speak, they can only do so through her live broadcast room.
Qin Qi understood what it meant to be anxious about gains and losses, and what it meant to be eagerly waiting.
Sometimes he would use a different staff member's number to call Kong Nanzhu, which worked the first few times, but as soon as he spoke, Kong Nanzhu would hang up the phone immediately.
He was almost driven crazy.
It was Kong Nanzhu's birthday, and he watched Song Linyuan eating cake with her. Kong Nanzhu smiled at him so sweetly that he was so jealous that he wanted to penetrate the screen.
How long has it been since she smiled at him?
She looks so beautiful when she smiles, but why is she so stingy with herself?
Well, in that case, they might as well get a divorce. Since she said she wanted to return to the position of siblings, he would start over, pursue her seriously, and make up for all the good things that he had missed because of her.
