CHAPTER 106: CHAPTER 106: I WANT TO BE YOUR FATHER’S DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

Divorce proposal!

Those two words echoed like thunder, reverberating in Shang Ruyi’s mind.

Her heart was like it had fallen into an ice cave; the heat and impulse just now seemed to be swept away by the cold rising from the bottom of her heart, and the blood in her body instantly turned to ice.

She suddenly felt her legs go weak, almost stumbling in haste, but fortunately, the man in front of her reached out and caught her once more, pressing her against the front door.

The door panel behind her sounded with a dull thud again, but this sound seemed to snap her awake.

She raised her head in panic to look at Yu Wenye, only to see a cold sneer playing at the corners of his mouth as he looked down at her face that instantly turned from red to white. He then stepped back, seeming to leisurely enjoy her disarray.

"What do you think?"

"..."

"As long as you agree to the divorce proposal, you won’t have to endure such grievances anymore."

Then he turned and walked towards his bed.

Watching his back, Shang Ruyi felt her heart tearing apart, ripped apart by those two words from his mouth.

Divorce proposal?

No matter how chaotic her thoughts and emotions were, there was one thing that was clear in her life these days. She understood perfectly well why she regretted her marriage and why she married him!

If she agreed to the divorce, she would no longer be his wife, no longer a member of the Yuwen Family, and even less——

She immediately said, "No!"

Yu Wenye paused, turning his head towards her.

Shang Ruyi stood at the door, clasping her hands tightly, her fingers turning white with strain.

At this moment, even though she was in her own room, she felt as if she were a floating weed in a vast ocean, overwhelmed by a wave of fear and shame that threatened to engulf her, making it hard to breathe.

With reddened eyes, she firmly said, "I will not agree to the divorce proposal with you."

Yu Wenye frowned: "Why?"

Shang Ruyi clutched her hands tightly, her nails leaving deep red marks on her pale knuckles. Her face alternated between red and white, as if something were twisting her soul and dignity in turns. She understood the shame of this moment, even more than when she confessed her feelings to him.

Yet, she gritted her teeth, choking out, "No matter why, I will not divorce you."

"..."

Yu Wenye looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow, his expression gradually becoming frivolous and even contemptuous.

He slowly crossed his arms, adopting an even more relaxed posture as he watched the young woman who had just verbally confronted him, and said slowly, "If you don’t divorce me, what will you do?"

"..."

Under such scrutiny, Shang Ruyi felt her dignity and pride shatter at that moment—just now she had spoken those words with righteous severity, even confronting him, but now, after he clearly stated "divorce proposal," she still wanted to salvage things.

His gaze at her probably represented her value in his eyes at this moment—

Worthless.

There was nothing more mortifying than this.

At this point, Shang Ruyi seemed to have lost all her senses but grew a few moments of unwavering determination from her shattered self-respect. She raised her head to look at Yu Wenye and said word by word, "I want to be your wife."

"..."

"I want to be your father’s daughter-in-law."

"..."

"Don’t even think about getting rid of me!"

After speaking, she walked to her bed and lay down, turning her back to Yu Wenye. Even though it was early autumn, her whole body trembled, and no matter how tightly she wrapped the quilt around her, she couldn’t resist the chill rising from her heart.

She could even feel Yu Wenye’s gaze still on her back.

However, she could no longer explore how disdainful or contemptuous his gaze was at this moment.

After some indistinct amount of time, the quiet room was suddenly filled with the sound of footsteps as Yu Wenye approached her bed, a step at a time, steady but with a hint of uncertain hesitation, and in just a few steps, he was at her bedside.

Shang Ruyi’s back tingled.

Even without turning her head, she knew Yu Wenye was focused intently on her, that scrutinizing gaze almost as if it turned tangible, cutting bit by bit into her body, tearing at her soul.

Shang Ruyi gripped the quilt tightly, her palms and forehead covered in cold sweat.

Then she heard Yu Wenye’s voice behind her—

"Shang Ruyi, what are you plotting?"

"..."

Shang Ruyi already had her teeth clenched tightly, fiercely shutting her eyes.

She dreaded Yu Wenye pressing her further, for she truly had no answer, but fortunately, after saying that line, the person behind her slowly turned and walked away, as if it had been not a question but merely a sigh.

The room fell quiet again.

However, this quietness wasn’t restful; instead, it felt like a taut tension spreading throughout the room, and Shang Ruyi’s body felt like a bowstring pulled to its limit, on the verge of snapping.

Just as she was tense beyond measure, Yu Wenye’s voice resonated again in the quiet room.

The deep voice no longer carried any warmth or emotion.

"As long as you know what you want, that’s good."

After he said this, the last bit of wick on a candlestick in the corner finally gave out, collapsing into a pool of hot wax. Following a soft sizzle, the candle flame extinguished.

The entire room immediately plunged into oppressive darkness.

|

That night, Shang Ruyi had another nightmare.

Clearer than ever before, more real than even the visions from her serious illness.

When those soldiers stormed into the grand mansion, slaughtering the women and servants inside, she could almost feel the hot blood splattering on her face, her heart shattered by the screams.

No, no...

None of this can——

As she looked down, the blood had already pooled into a river at her feet, and in an instant, a whirlpool appeared in the river of blood, pulling her in entirely.

"No——!"

While she was lost in a muddled dream, almost suffocating, a warm, large hand reached out, grasping her hand.

The solid, safe feeling jolted her awake, causing her to instantly open her eyes.

Immediately, sunlight pierced into her eyes.

Shang Ruyi quickly shut her eyes, but in that brief moment, a familiar figure, bathed in sunlight, was etched into her vision.

Suddenly aware, she reopened her eyes and saw Yu Wenye already standing by the bed, looking down at her.

One of his hands was tightly clasped with hers.