After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

But he quickly looked away, picked up his pen, and muttered, "Okay, okay, let me see..."

He slowly looked at the documents, but his mind was actually on Xiao Su.

Xiao Su stood beside him, not far away, her perfume scent and the unique fragrance of a young woman barely perceptible.

His gaze was fixed on the signature line, but his peripheral vision greedily captured every inch of the scene:

That slender white neck, that soft, sunken waist, and further down... those legs standing together beneath the skirt, encased in thin stockings, outlining the tight curves of her calves.

His mind went blank, his senses were amplified, and he could almost feel the warmth and elasticity of Xiao Su's calves through the thin fabric.

One can imagine the suppleness of Xiao Su's waist as she swayed, and the allure of her legs as she crossed them...

A soft cough jolted him awake. He hurriedly lowered his head, coughed again to cover his mouth, and almost held his breath as he signed his name—Li Shida.

"...Okay." He put down his pen, not daring to look at Xiao Su's face anymore, and quickly pushed the documents over.

"Thank you, Li Ke!"

Xiao Su picked up the document, smiled sweetly, turned and left, leaving behind a faint fragrance.

The door closed gently.

Li Shida picked up the cup of goji berry tea on the table, which had long since gone cold, and gulped down a large mouthful.

The subtle thrill of that moment has quickly faded, leaving only a familiar emptiness.

All they can do is engage in verbal battles and satisfy their cravings.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly to himself.

That's the end of my pathetic thoughts.

Would you really ask him to do anything? He doesn't have the guts, nor the means.

His wife, Yu Yue, was already giving him enough trouble, and at work, he felt like he was walking on thin ice.

Li Shida had just seen Xiao Su off, and the flush on his face had not yet completely faded when there was a knock on the door.

He slowly picked up his goji berry tea, took a sip, waited a few seconds, and then drawled, "Come in—"

When Boss Wang entered, hunched over, Li Shida was slowly flipping through documents.

"Section Chief Li, about my planning adjustment..." Boss Wang said with a smile, placing the file bag on the table.

Li Shida didn't even lift his eyelids: "It's not easy."

He was left waiting for half a minute before he finally pointed to the chair opposite him.

Boss Wang sat down, half of his buttocks dangling, and pushed a thick envelope over: "I know the rules, please take care of it."

Li Shida then glanced at the envelope, pulled out the materials, and flipped through them very slowly.

Upon reaching the third page, he emphasized with his pen: "This is wrong."

"I'll change it right away! I'll change it right away!"

"Just leave it there." Li Shida tossed the materials aside and leaned back in his chair.

Boss Wang breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the family photo on the corner of the table, leaned closer, and lowered his voice: "Section Chief Li, there's something... I don't know if I should say it."

"explain."

"I saw your wife the night before last," Boss Wang paused, "in that old district in the east of the city, at the entrance of the small courtyard with the demolition notice."

Li Shida's eyelids twitched.

"I waited for about half an hour," Mr. Wang said, his voice even lower. "There were so many mosquitoes, she kept stomping her feet and scratching her legs. Later, a man came out of the courtyard, and the two of them talked under the streetlight."

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Li Shida suddenly laughed, shook his head, and said in a relaxed tone, "Boss Wang, you must be mistaken. My wife was working overtime at the company that day."

Boss Wang was taken aback: "But I clearly..."

Li Shida interrupted him directly, "You must have seen it wrong. The streetlights are dim, and people can easily get confused. Don't spread this around."

As he spoke, he pushed the envelope back, his tone casual: "I'll take another look at this matter and let you know if I have any news."

The meaning of seeing the guest off is perfectly clear.

Boss Wang opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't dare to say anything more. He grabbed the envelope and file bag: "Then... I'll have to trouble Section Chief Li."

The door closed gently.

Li Shida was the only one left in the office.

The smile on his face gradually faded, and his gaze fell on the family photo on the corner of the table—in the photo, Yu Yue smiled gently, nestled beside him.

He reached out and picked up the photo frame, and for a moment, he was about to smash it away.

But he just stared at the photo for a long time, and then very slowly put the frame back in its place.

The movements were very light and steady.

It turns out that the night she said she was working overtime, she was waiting for her ex-husband.

So that's how she got the mosquito bites on her legs.

Li Shida leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

After opening his eyes again, he picked up his phone and sent a message:

"Old Zhao, I need to ask about someone. Gong Yuelong, the one who just got his labor service license. What's he been doing lately, and who has he been in contact with?"

After sending the message, I placed my phone face down on the table.

The office lights shone down in a stark white light, and Li Shida sat in the light, half of his face hidden in shadow, motionless.

After sitting for a while, he suddenly smiled, as if he had an idea.

Pick up the phone.

There was supposed to be a dinner party in the afternoon, an invitation from Section Chief Zhang of the Urban Construction Bureau.

He dialed the number, his tone apologetic: "Zhang Ke, I'm really sorry, I have a bit of a cold and need to go back and take some medicine... Next time, next time I'll definitely treat you."

Two more were offered, both with similar excuses.

It was still early when he left the office building. He walked into the vegetable market not far from his home.

At the seafood stall, someone said, "Qingjiang, I'd like a medium-sized one, cleaned thoroughly."

The old fishmonger greeted us with a smile, "This fish is best when braised with scallions! Just wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."

Li Shida didn't reply, he just nodded.

He knew that Yu Yue's favorite dish was braised fish with scallions, saying that the fish was tender and the scallion oil was fragrant.

When we first met, he did it often. Later, he had more social engagements in official circles and came home later and later, so he gave up the skill.

Carrying the cleaned fish, I also bought some scallions and a few pieces of ginger.

On the way back, the hot wind made him irritable. But he couldn't stop thinking about what Boss Wang had said—

"I waited for more than half an hour... feeding mosquitoes while I waited."

Yu Yue is the niece of Deputy Director Yu of the district government.

When he married her, his family all said he had married into a wealthy family.

Although my father-in-law has retired from his frontline position, his influence still lingers, and several of my cousins ​​are in key departments.

This relationship is one of the reasons he has the confidence to take another step forward.

It was also the confidence that Yu Yue had always subtly maintained in marrying down.

But now, she actually went to her ex-husband's house.

Wait?

Back home, in the kitchen, I heated oil in a pan and sautéed scallions and ginger until fragrant.

With a hiss, white smoke rose up.

Li Shida stared at the bubbling oil in the pan, his grip on the spatula tightening.

Gong Yuelong. A construction foreman who came from humble beginnings, with no connections, no background, and no family wealth. How did Yu Yue manage to be with him? And why did they divorce?

Isn't it just because he's useless and can't be helped?

Now look what's happened! I heard that just because someone got a qualification certificate, they've become someone important?

Is it really worth her going out so late at night to catch up with old friends?

With a flick of his wrist, the whole fish slid into the pot.

The hot oil suddenly splattered and splashed onto the back of my hand, stinging painfully.

The fire in my heart, like the oil droplets, suddenly surged upwards.

He took a deep breath, turned off the heat, and put the fried fish into a plate.

The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the doorway.

Li Shida picked up the fish platter, turned around, and put on a gentle smile: "You're back? Perfect timing, the fish is fresh out of the pot, your favorite braised fish with scallions."

Yu Yue stood in the entryway without responding.

She first glanced at the three dishes and one soup laid out on the table, then looked up at Li Shida—

He was wearing that old apron, a smile plastered on his face, looking every bit the perfect family man.

Abnormal.