The hot pot warmed me from the inside out, and Julian Qi's talkative nature made for a pleasant atmosphere.
Afterward, I drove to Shenghua Park, the largest park in A-City. It had a large artificial lake that was beautiful in the summer when the lotus flowers were in full bloom. In the winter, it was covered in a layer of ice, and birds would stop on the surface. Visitors would buy bread, crumble it, and toss it onto the ice for the birds to peck at.
Julian Qi also bought two loaves of bread and gave one to me. "Sis Zoe, you feed them too."
"Alright." I opened the bread, crumbled it with my hands, and threw it onto the lake. A few birds immediately flew over to eat, fluttering about in a lively scene.
After we finished feeding the birds, we walked around the park for a bit. I rarely went for walks like this. Although it was cold, I was quite happy.
Finally, we arrived at the foot of Fuming Mountain. The stone steps were relatively clean, the snow on them having been trodden away by hikers.
As we climbed, Julian Qi suddenly brought up Lila Wei. "I heard she brought a man home to meet her parents, but it wasn't your husband."
That statement was so ironic. I stopped to catch my breath and replied, "I know. Hugh Pei went to find her later. I happened to be at her house at the time."
"You were at her house??" Julian Qi was astonished.
"Yeah, her mom used to be a housekeeper at my place. She's very warm-hearted and got me some Chinese medicine. I went over to pick it up," I said, talking about it calmly.
Julian Qi nodded and continued to climb in silence.
By the time we reached the summit, I was covered in sweat. I took off my jacket, and the cold wind felt incredibly refreshing.
I looked down at the snow-covered scenery of Fuming Mountain. It was truly beautiful. The city at the foot of the mountain looked like a winter wonderland, shimmering in the cold sunlight.
"Sis Zoe, let me take some pictures of you," Julian Qi said, putting down his backpack and taking out his cat. He handed it to me. "How about taking some with him?"
I leaned against the railing, took the cat, and smiled at him. "Okay, let's take them like this."
Julian Qi's photography skills were excellent. I had seen pictures he had taken of Lila Wei on his social media before. After taking about ten shots, he said, "Alright, come and have a look."
I walked over and started to carefully select the best photos. It wasn't until someone was standing in front of us that I looked up.
Evan Yu appeared before me like a ghost. Not far behind him, a group of his colleagues were secretly looking our way.
"Evan Yu, what are you doing here?" I was completely taken aback.
"Year-end mountain climbing team-building," Evan Yu said, not looking at me but at Julian Qi. "Out with Lila Wei's ex-boyfriend again?"
This guy's words were getting more and more unpleasant. What was wrong with him?
Julian Qi's expression also changed slightly, and he looked at Evan Yu with hostility. Young men had more pride and couldn't stand sarcastic remarks.
"Julian and I are friends. It's normal for us to go hiking together. He and Lila Wei broke up a while ago. You don't need to call him that," I said, looking at Evan Yu with some displeasure. "Let me reintroduce you. His name is Julian Qi."
"Are you and Hugh Pei divorced?" Evan Yu didn't react much to my displeasure, instead asking me a question.
That topic really set me off. Since Julian Qi was also in the know, I didn't need to hide anything, so I vented my frustration directly. "Why are you asking me that? I've drafted three or four divorce agreements, but he won't sign. Didn't I ask you to persuade him to divorce me before? Why don't you go and do it!"
Julian Qi looked at me in surprise again, probably not expecting me to be so open with him.
Thinking of Hugh Pei's furious expression when he rushed to the Wei's house, I felt no lingering attachment.
"Sis Zoe, don't be angry. Anger is bad for your health," Julian Qi said, trying to comfort me.
"I'm not angry. I just think this person is unreasonable. Why does he always pick on me? A classic case of helping his own and ignoring reason!" I said, deliberately for Evan Yu to hear.
It was clearly Hugh Pei's fault. Why was he always blaming me?
Evan Yu's eyes darkened. I felt like he was angry, but it wasn't very obvious.
Just then, a woman called out, "Dr. Yu." Evan Yu turned around, and a young woman wearing a matching windbreaker walked over. The adoration in her eyes as she looked at Evan Yu was overflowing.
Since I had been in the hospital for a few days, I recognized the woman. She was a nurse who had given me an injection.
"Everyone is getting ready for the barbecue. Let's go," the young nurse said in a sweet voice.
"Mm." Evan Yu's reply was very cold. He turned and walked away.
After they were gone, Julian Qi suddenly said, "Sis Zoe, you should be careful of him."
I looked at him, confused.
He said with some seriousness, "A man's intuition tells me he might be trying to steal you away."
"Hahaha…" I couldn't help but laugh. Julian Qi, like Ginny Deng and the others, had a huge misunderstanding about Evan Yu.
"What are you laughing at?" Julian Qi asked awkwardly.
"Nothing. Julian, if you said Evan Yu was trying to steal Lila Wei, I might believe you, you know?" I patted Julian Qi's arm. "Let's go, let's see what else is fun on the summit."
Julian Qi and I looked around and found that besides the great view, there wasn't much else to do.
Evan Yu and his group had come prepared. They were setting up a grill in the cold wind, preparing ingredients. I didn't expect him to participate in team-building activities.
A group of pretty young ladies were gathered around Evan Yu, and he seemed very popular.
Unfortunately, he was oblivious to their charms.
"Julian, let's go down the mountain," I said to Julian Qi, no longer in the mood to continue.
Julian Qi nodded and obediently followed me down.
By the time we reached the foot of the mountain, it was already dark. Before we parted, I could tell Julian Qi had something he wanted to say to me, but I was in a bad mood and didn't want any more trouble. Before he could speak, I drove away.
In the rearview mirror, Julian Qi stood by the road, not moving.
A sense of guilt washed over me. I thought it would be best not to give Julian Qi any more hope.
I decided I would sue Hugh Pei for divorce!
With this thought, I went home and immediately told Ginny Deng and the others. They were all very excited. Tilly Ouyang even recommended a lawyer who specialized in divorce cases.
Under the lawyer's guidance, I began to prepare the lawsuit.
Two days later, I filed the complaint with the court. If all went well, Hugh Pei would be notified in seven days. No matter what his response was, I had made up my mind. I had to get a divorce.
As for my parents and in-laws, I would deal with them when the time came.
When Ginny Deng heard that I had already filed the complaint, she was as excited as a monkey. She came to my house late at night and asked, "Is it true? Zoe, does that mean my brother has a chance?!"