You're already divorced, why are you so anxious about him becoming a succubus?

"Awake? Go wash up, breakfast will be ready soon." Lu Ci didn't turn around.

Shen Man walked over and gently wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressing her cheek against his slightly stiff back. Her voice was languid and hoarse from just waking up: "Are you still angry? I coaxed you so much last night..."

Lu Ci paused almost imperceptibly while chopping scallions. He didn't turn around, but simply said, "Go wash your face first. The hangover soup is on the table. Drink it while it's hot, or your stomach will feel uncomfortable again later."

Shen Man thought he was still being awkward, so she chuckled and let go of his hand before walking into the bathroom.

She thought that last night's turmoil, like the previous arguments, had been completely put to rest by this hot breakfast.

Ten minutes later, Shen Man sat at the dining table, slowly sipping the hangover soup that was at just the right temperature.

The nausea from the hangover was mostly gone, and my stomach felt warm and cozy.

Lu Ci sat opposite her, quietly drinking the porridge in his bowl.

In this seemingly warm and peaceful atmosphere, the phone next to Shen Man suddenly vibrated.

The screen lit up, and three words appeared on the caller ID: "Gu Mingxuan".

The air in the restaurant seemed to freeze for a moment.

Shen Man froze in mid-air as she drank the soup, a barely perceptible hint of guilt flashing in her eyes.

She subconsciously raised her head and glanced at Lu Ci opposite her.

Lu Ci remained in the position of drinking porridge, without even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard the phone vibrate at all.

The phone kept buzzing incessantly on the glass tabletop, the vibrations driving me crazy.

Shen Man bit her lip, but finally reached out and pressed the hang-up button.

"Maybe...maybe there's some news from the company's major clients," she explained dryly.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than his phone vibrated again, as if determined not to give up until he answered.

Lu Ci finally put down the spoon in his hand and quietly gazed at Shen Man.

"Go ahead and answer it," Lu Ci said softly. "Don't keep your important client waiting."

Shen Man was annoyed by his gaze.

She took a deep breath and, in front of Lu Ci, swiped to answer the call.

"Hey, Mingxuan."

Gu Mingxuan's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Manman...did I disturb your rest? Did I wake you up?"

This deliberately lowered, breathy baritone voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet restaurant.

Even without speakerphone, Lu Ci, sitting opposite him, could hear everything clearly.

"No, I'm already up." Shen Man glanced at Lu Ci.

"That's good." Gu Mingxuan coughed lightly twice, seemingly a little embarrassed. "Actually... it's nothing serious. It's just that last night when we were drinking, didn't you promise to go with me to look at houses in Jiangbei today?"

I just checked the route myself, and Jiangcheng has changed so much in the past few years, I'm completely lost... If it's really inconvenient for you today, then forget it, I'll just take a taxi and wander around aimlessly, I'll just get lost a few more times...

Shen Man glanced at her husband, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Mingxuan, I feel a little dizzy and not feeling well today..."

"Are you feeling unwell?" The voice on the other end of the phone instantly rose eight octaves, filled with anxiety and worry. "Did you drink too much last night? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let you drink those last two glasses. Are you feeling very unwell? Wait for me at home. I'll drive over to pick you up right away. I'll take you to the hospital to get an appointment first."

"No need, I'm just a little hungover..."

"No way! Your health is the foundation of everything. Your stomach isn't good to begin with, how can you tough it out? I'm leaving now, I'll be downstairs at your place in half an hour!"

Shen Man held her phone and subconsciously looked up at Lu Ci again.

At this moment, Lu Ci had completely stopped eating.

He leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him, gazing at her calmly and without any emotion.

There was no anger, it was like watching a stranger put on a show.

That look in her eyes stung and irritated Shen Man more than the heated argument.

A nameless anger suddenly flared up inside her.

Why was he looking at me with such a judging gaze? I was just trying to help an old friend!

The rebellious feeling in my heart instantly overcame the last bit of guilt.

"You don't need to pick me up. Going to the hospital is too much trouble," Shen Man said into the phone, her voice unconsciously rising a few decibels, as if she was deliberately saying it for someone to hear. "Wait for me at the coffee shop on Jiangbin Road. I'll drive there myself in a bit and take you to see an apartment."

"Really? Manman, isn't that pushing yourself too hard?"

"No, I'll just change my clothes and go out."

The phone hangs up.

A deathly silence fell over the restaurant.

As Lu Ci watched Shen Man put down her phone, looking at her delicate features, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Four years have passed. You develop feelings for a dog, let alone a living person.

"What's with that expression?" Shen Man felt uncomfortable under Lu Ci's gaze and broke the silence first, her tone full of displeasure.

Lu Ci slowly stood up: "Go change your clothes. Since you're going out, we can stop by the Civil Affairs Bureau on the way."

Shen Man was stunned, staring at him in disbelief.

"The divorce proceedings won't take long and won't prevent you from going house hunting with him."

These words were like a fuse that ignited a powder keg, instantly setting off Shen Man's emotions.

"Lu Ci, are you sick?!" Shen Man suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

She pointed at Lu Ci: "Are you ever going to stop? You made a scene last night, and now you're making a scene again this morning? All I did was accompany an old friend to look at a house. Mingxuan just returned to the country, and his parents live in the south of the city."

It's too far from the branch office he's taking over. He wants to rent an apartment near the company. He's not familiar with Jiangcheng, so as a friend of many years, I took him there. What unforgivable crime did I commit?!

"I haven't committed a capital crime." Lu Ci looked at her face, which was flushed with anger, and suddenly found it quite ridiculous. "I'm just tired."

"You feel tired? What right do you have to feel tired?" Shen Man said as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"What have you been doing in this house for the past three years? Besides cooking and sweeping, what else can you do? You've been running that run-down bubble tea shop near your university every month, working from dawn till dusk, and you're only making a few thousand yuan a month?"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke: "Don't be so petty, okay? Don't think of everyone's relationships as dirty as you do!"

Do you think that just because you keep mentioning divorce, I'll beg you to stay? Let me tell you, Lu Ci, don't overestimate yourself!

Lu Ci remained surprisingly calm in the face of Shen Manyu's words.

He didn't even frown; he simply listened quietly until she finished speaking, then said clearly, word by word, "I'm not threatening you. I'm serious, Shen Man."

That calm "I'm serious" completely shattered Shen Man's proud and arrogant self-esteem.

As a female CEO worth over 100 million yuan, a pampered princess since childhood, when did she start being treated so badly and asked for a divorce by a man who lives off her?

"Fine! Very well!" Shen Man laughed angrily, her chest heaving violently. She pointed to the door and shouted, "Since you insist on talking about divorce, since you have so much backbone, then get a divorce! Go now! Whoever doesn't get a divorce today is a dog!"