Chu Luyao carefully put away the divorce agreement with trembling hands. This was the last trace Zhou Du had left her.
Everything else in the house related to him had been obliterated by his own hand.
Zhou Du was truly cruel.
Photos, clothes, furniture—anything that could be destroyed had been reduced to ash; anything that couldn't be was sold off.
A flash of ruthless determination passed through Chu Luyao's eyes. She would absolutely not allow Zhou Du to leave.
He could only belong to her.
She had to find Zhou Du and personally explain the relationship between her and Song Yuhuan.
Just then, a lawyer claiming to represent Zhou Du arrived at the door.
"Miss Chu Luyao, Mr. Zhou asked me to hand this over to you."
Chu Luyao opened the document bag. Inside was a stack of equity transfer and asset change documents, all signed and stamped with heavy red seals.
"When did he start preparing this?"
"Half a month ago. Mr. Zhou Du transferred all his shares in the Yaodu company to you. Furthermore, all of his personal assets have already been transferred to your name."
Zhou Du had made up his mind to leave. Yaodu was like a child to him, yet he truly didn't want it anymore.
"Do you know... where Zhou Du went?"
Chu Luyao asked the lawyer, refusing to give up hope.
The lawyer shook his head. After finishing his task, he left, leaving Chu Luyao sitting alone in the hollow, empty villa, lost in a daze.
After a long time, Chu Luyao's assistant called.
"Attorney Chu, I just received news. Song Yuhuan has listed the wine estate you gifted him for auction."
"What?"
Chu Luyao's voice rose unconsciously, becoming sharp and piercing. "Go to the auction immediately! No matter the cost, you cannot let that estate be sold!"
Chu Luyao hurriedly started walking out, but on the other end of the phone, the assistant stammered, hesitating to speak.
"Attorney Chu... the estate has already been bought by a foreign entrepreneur..."
The phone slipped from Chu Luyao's hand and clattered to the floor. The assistant's voice became a blur as her mind went completely blank.
Not long ago, Zhou Du had held the first bottle of wine produced by that estate, asking for praise like a child. He said he wanted to name it [Ai Yao]—to declare his love for her to the whole world.
How is it just... gone?
Chu Luyao lowered her eyes, her entire body radiating a thick aura of grief and despair.
If only I hadn't gifted the estate to Song Yuhuan.
If only I had been firmer back then and rejected him.
Chu Luyao thought these things, but time could not flow backward.
Suddenly, Chu Luyao loathed herself to the extreme, and she hated Song Yuhuan just as much.
Without Song Yuhuan, everything would be different.
Chu Luyao stood in the empty house, a figure of loneliness and desolation.
A patch of white in the trash can caught her eye—it was glaringly bright against the waste. Chu Luyao picked it up. It was the Osmanthus Cake Zhou Du had bought.
The rice cake was cold, hard, and dry. When she swallowed it, the taste was bitter, choking her throat. By the time Chu Luyao reacted, tears were already streaming down her face.
She remembered now. She finally remembered the meaning of this Osmanthus Cake.
Zhou Du had been saying goodbye to her all along, but she had turned a blind eye to it all.