"Why?"
Mo Tingyan's arms tightened instinctively around Wen Zhi's waist, as if afraid she would disappear the next second.
Her expression, however, remained distant and cold.
"Because I don't want to spend my life with a liar," she said calmly. "I'm just an ordinary woman. I don't deserve the mighty CEO of Mingguang Group."
He froze.
"You… how did you find out?"
"That doesn't matter," she replied. "What matters is that I don't want to be lied to ever again."
As she spoke, she pointed toward the documents on the bedside table.
"I've already signed the divorce agreement. I don't want anything from you. I just want a clean break. And as for my transfer request at the airport—I'll submit it tomorrow. If you still care even a little about the months we spent as husband and wife, then please don't use your power or status to interfere with my future career."
Her resolve pierced straight through his heart.
"I won't divorce you," Mo Tingyan said hoarsely.
"My decision is final."
"Baby—"
"My name is Wen Zhi."
She looked at him, her eyes filled with a coldness he had never seen before.
He knew he had deceived her. He knew this truth would be hard for her to accept. He even regretted not realizing his feelings sooner, not confessing earlier.
But—
He would not divorce her.
Mo Tingyan reverted to his old shameless tactics. He pulled her forcefully back into his arms, locking her in place, his voice turning pitiful.
"Wife… don't be mad anymore. The packaging's already been opened, you've tested the product countless times, it's heavily worn and can't be returned. Why don't we just… make a little product together?"
Lowering his head, he tried to kiss her.
Wen Zhi raised her hand and shoved his face away without hesitation. Disgust flickered in her eyes as she stared at him.
"Mo Tingyan, I'm not throwing a tantrum that can be fixed by sweet talk. I want a divorce. You lied to me. You treated me as someone else's replacement. I cannot continue living with a liar. Do you understand?"
He frowned deeply.
"I won't divorce you."
She let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
"What? You used me as a substitute and then realized I'm convenient? I cook, clean, keep you company, sleep with you—so now you can't let go?"
"That's not it," he said in a low voice. "I don't want to separate because I like you."
She froze for a brief moment—then laughed mockingly.
"Do you even believe that yourself?"
"I do," he replied firmly. "Because I mean it."
Wen Zhi closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.
"Mo Tingyan, I know your childhood was just as unhappy as mine. I sympathized with you—just as you sympathized with me. But that's all there is. Don't talk about love, and don't cling anymore. Let's part on good terms."
With that, she turned back into the room and pulled her suitcase toward the door.
Seeing that she truly meant to leave, Mo Tingyan stepped forward, seized the suitcase from her hand, and tightly grasped her wrist.
"Come with me."
She struggled but couldn't break free. Frustrated, she snapped,
"Let go! Where are you taking me?"
"You think I treated you as a replacement?"
His voice was low and steady.
"Then I'll take you to see the truth."
This time, Wen Zhi stopped resisting.
They drove in silence.
When the car stopped at the cemetery entrance, Wen Zhi frowned in confusion.
"What does this mean?"
Her mother and sister were buried here. She had brought Mo Tingyan here before—he knew that.
So why bring her here again?
Without a word, Mo Tingyan led her forward, holding her hand tightly, until they stopped in front of her mother's grave.
Wen Zhi turned to him, bewildered—
only to see him suddenly kneel down.
He bowed deeply, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud. When he lifted his head again, his eyes were dark and heavy with grief.
"Teacher Meng… I've come to see you again."
Wen Zhi stiffened.
Teacher… Meng?
Mo Tingyan looked up at her.
"After Gu Nian drove me out of the Mo family, I returned to my biological mother. Back then, she hadn't completely given up on my father. In order to use me to please him and get money, she hired an English tutor for me."
"That tutor… was your mother. Teacher Meng."
"At the time, she was divorced, raising Wen Ruan alone. Maybe she felt sorry for me. She treated me with exceptional kindness—like a real mother caring for her son. It was the first time in my life I felt maternal love. I swore that one day, when I grew up, I would treat her like my own mother and repay her kindness."
His voice trembled.
"That year, I placed in a chemistry competition. The school held an award ceremony and asked parents to attend. My mother… you know her. She never cared. So the night before, I casually mentioned it to Teacher Meng. I never imagined that the next day, she would dress up beautifully and attend the ceremony for me."
"And then…"
His fingers clenched tightly.
"Palm Pearl—if time could be reversed, I would rather have never won that award. Rather have never met Teacher Meng. Rather she had never cared about me. I would give anything for her and Wen Ruan not to have died because of me."
"That day, I noticed something wrong in the driver's eyes. I knew it wasn't a simple accident. But I was too weak back then. Even if I knew, I couldn't take revenge. So I left Jiang City overnight and went to Xingzhou. I spent ten years making myself strong—invulnerable—just to come back and take revenge."
In front of Meng Hui's gravestone, Wen Zhi stood frozen, utterly shaken by everything she had heard.
A gentle breeze passed by, as if her mother's hand were softly caressing her cheek.
After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice hoarse.
"So… you approached me because of my mother?"
"Yes."
"When Teacher Meng talked about you, she always smiled. She said, 'My second daughter is called Palm Pearl. She's incredibly smart and bright. When she grows up, she'll surely be extraordinary.'"
"She said she had no choice back then—she couldn't take both daughters with her. Palm Pearl was more lively, so she left her behind. She said Palm Pearl must hate her, that every time she went to see her, Palm Pearl wouldn't even speak to her."
"She said her greatest wish was to have enough power one day—to take Palm Pearl back from her father. She loved her child and didn't want her to hate her forever."
Mo Tingyan knelt there, fists clenched tightly against his knees, his voice low and broken.
"If it weren't for me, Teacher Meng would have lived a remarkable life. She would have found a way to bring you out of the Wen family. It was me… who caused her death. Me… who deprived you of the chance to grow up with your mother."
"Palm Pearl… I'm sorry."
Wen Zhi lowered her head and closed her eyes.
"So that's it," she said softly.
"So being with me had nothing to do with liking me. Nothing to do with loving me as a person. You were just repaying my mother's kindness."
She looked at him, her voice trembling.
"And when you said you liked me… that was also a lie, wasn't it?