Slow to mature after marriage

Chapter 76 Divorce?

There was a camera right next to her, and Mu Siwan didn't want to talk about her private matters in public. She finished speaking briefly and then didn't say anything more.

Fortunately, the others were tactful; after asking the question, they changed the subject and rambled on to other things.

The private room became lively again.

Mu Siwan glanced down at her phone.

8:47.

She realized she hadn't called Bo Yan today.

So he got up, pushed open the door to the private room, and walked to the end of the corridor.

The night outside the window was deep, and the lights of Haicheng flickered in the distance. Further away, a lighthouse could be faintly seen on the sea, its light flashing and cutting through the darkness.

Mu Siwan leaned against the window and opened the chat window with Bo Yan.

Her finger hovered between "video call" and "voice call" for two seconds.

I ultimately chose the latter.

The ringtone was cut off after only two rings.

She froze for a moment.

The next second, the screen lit up—a video call request from Bo Yan.

Mu Siwan stared at the flashing name, her ears inexplicably burning.

She raised her hand to tidy her hair, which had been ruffled by the sea breeze, and pressed the call button.

The screen was initially dark, then the camera swayed and focused on the man's jawline.

Water droplets slid down his neck, past his bobbing Adam's apple, and into the collar of his bathrobe. He had just finished showering; his hair was still dripping wet, and his bathrobe was loosely tied, revealing a small patch of his chest. The light behind him outlined his entire figure in an ambiguous silhouette.

Mu Siwan's gaze was fixed on that patch of damp skin.

Two seconds later, she looked away and asked softly, "Did you just take a shower? Are you not available right now? If not, I'll hang up—"

"Mu Siwan," Bo Yan interrupted her, "I'm available right now."

He readjusted the camera, and the face finally settled steadily in the center of the frame.

The steam from the recent shower hadn't completely dissipated, softening her features with the moisture, and tiny water droplets clung to her eyelashes. The light from the side accentuated the straightness of her nose, and further down—on one side of the tip—was a tiny mole, clearly embedded in her skin, almost invisible normally, but now clearly visible under the light.

Mu Siwan stared at the mole for two seconds.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"A get-together."

"With whom?"

"People from the production crew."

"What do you want to eat?"

"seafood."

He answers every question directly and honestly, without any unnecessary words.

Bo Yan chuckled softly.

In the video, a woman stands at the end of a corridor, with the vast, deep blue sea stretching out behind her. A night breeze blows, lifting her long, seaweed-like hair, with a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Mu Siwan".

She looked up.

"Don't you have anything you want to share with me?"

Mu Siwan pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"Just some cases, nothing interesting."

Bo Yan curled the corners of his lips, his smile carrying a hint of laziness.

I want to hear it.

He dragged out the last syllable.

"Tell me about it, forensic pathologist Mu."

Mu Siwan was stunned for a moment, and for some reason, she strangely sensed a hint of coquetry in it.

It's probably just my imagination.

Mu Siwan gathered her thoughts and began to speak.

The deceased, the crime scene, the incision, the injected substance, a crime of passion disguised as a medical malpractice. The horrifying details, spoken by her, were as casual as talking about what she ate that day.

He listened, but his gaze remained fixed on the woman's lips.

It opens and closes.

He recounted those bloody details.

Bo Yan stared at that mouth, but only one thought occupied his mind—

I want to kiss you.

"...The body needs to be transported back to northern Beijing for further examination," she continued, "and Meng Qing will cooperate by transferring the hospital's surveillance footage and personnel records—"

Bo Yan came to his senses.

His temples throbbed wildly.

"Wait a minute, Meng Qing?"

The man spoke, his voice several octaves lower than before.

"When did he start managing things in Haicheng? Is his business scope that broad?"

Mu Siwan was completely unaware of the change in the man's tone and replied as usual, "Yes, he is a guest invited by the program team."

The man chuckled, the light in his eyes unreadable.

After hanging up the phone, Mu Siwan went back into the private room and sat down.

Sitting next to her was another forensic pathologist invited by the program team, a woman in her early thirties named Su Jin, who also worked at the Beijing Municipal Identification Center. The two didn't usually interact much, but they had met at meetings and were fairly familiar with each other.

"Did you just go out and talk to your husband on the phone?"

Mu Siwan looked at her with slight surprise.

Su Jin smiled and said, "I just went to the restroom and saw everything."

Mu Siwan nodded.

"Yes, submit a daily itinerary report."

"Your relationship is so sweet." Su Jin's tone was tinged with envy. "Unlike my husband, I've been married to him for three years, and now I get angry just looking at him. This time, I'm on a business trip, and just thinking about not seeing his face for four or five days makes me so happy that I can eat two extra bowls of rice."

A hint of confusion flashed across Mu Siwan's eyes.

"Does calling each other every day to report on your schedule mean you have a good relationship?"

Su Jin was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"What else could it be? It would be a problem if they didn't call. My husband and I are currently experiencing the seven-year itch, and we might get divorced soon."

"Divorce?" Mu Siwan frowned. "Why?"

"We have no feelings for each other anymore. We're just staying together for the sake of the child. Sooner or later, we won't be able to keep it up."

If you have no feelings for each other, do you have to get a divorce?

Mu Siwan was stunned.

This was beyond her comprehension.

In her view, isn't it a good thing if there are no feelings between partners in a marriage?

No need to worry, no need to manage, everyone lives their own life, stable and long-lasting.

Su Jin smiled when she saw Su Jin's dazed expression.

"You've only been married a short time, haven't you?" She put down her chopsticks, speaking with the air of someone who'd been there before. "Take my advice: while you're young and your relationship is still going strong, make the most of it. Marriage is an art; you can't rely on just the initial passion to last more than a few years."

Mu Siwan was even more confused.

"What kind of business do you run?"

"It's about nurturing the relationship!" Su Jin was amused by her reaction. "You silly girl, why haven't you figured it out yet? For two people to live together, they need to talk, communicate, and care about each other. How can they get along without feelings? Do you think feelings fall from the sky?"

Mu Siwan fell silent.

She didn't know how to explain it.

Her marital situation is different from that of ordinary people.

She and Bo Yan—

It means that once feelings develop, divorce is the only option.

We won't discuss feelings. We won't interfere with each other's lives. We'll treat each other with the utmost respect.

This was something they agreed upon before they got married.

Mu Siwan never considered divorcing Bo Yan.

So I never thought I would develop feelings for Bo Yan.

She glanced down at the ring on her hand.

The plain ring shimmered quietly under the light.

What she wanted to maintain with Bo Yan was a long-term, stable marital relationship.