The next morning.

  Wei woke up with a bad headache. Instinctively, he reached out his arm to his side but found the other side to be empty. He slowly opened his eyes and stiffened on realizing that Lihua wasn't there anymore.

  His gaze stared into the emptiness. He had cried for so long last night that he didn't realize when he fell asleep out of sheer tiredness and exhaustion.

  *Meow*

  He lowered his gaze and saw Lihua, the cat, resting on his abdomen.

  So you are awake, human.

  Wei got up and held the cat in his arms. He gently brushed his fingers across her fur.

  "This is the beginning……of my life without Lihua…"

  She purred and rubbed her face against him.

  Don't be so gloomy early in the morning, human. The best way to forget your sadness is to serve this Queen wholeheartedly. So rise and shine and bring my food.

  Wei blankly thought back to yesterday.

  Divorce.

  We are divorced now. I am not her husband anymore……She is not my wife anymore…


  She is not my Lihua anymore…


  He didn't know what to do anymore. Suddenly, everything seemed bleak and directionless. Without Lihua, everything felt meaningless.

  Today was also the day that he would keep his promise to Lihua and surrender himself to the police. He would go to jail and spend the rest of his life behind bars.

  "Before that I need to talk to Renshu……No, I need to brush my teeth first. Or was it breakfast?"

  He had never felt so lost before. His head started to ache even more, trying to make sense of the situation.

  He heard his phone vibrate, and he picked it in a daze. He didn't even know who he was talking to.

  There was a long silence on the other side.

  "……I have to talk about something important."

  Wei blinked his eyes, and they slowly widened as he recognized the sweet voice of Lihua. His lips quivered, and he was at a loss for words.

  "Lihua…"

  His ears buzzed, and he felt as if he was dreaming.

  She called me…


  He quickly double-checked and found that it was really Lihua's name flashing on his phone's screen.

  "Lihua!"

  Wei jolted upright. There was a distinct sense of relief in his voice. Unknowingly, his eyes teared up. His heart couldn't contain its happiness that overflowed by hearing her voice.

  "Lihua…"

  There was silence on the other end.

  "Y-You are there, right?" He rechecked his phone and saw that the call was still ongoing.

  "I am here. I didn't know that I would have to call you just the day after…But it's important."

  Wei quickly said, "Yes, yes! Where should we meet? I-I will come to your place-"

  "No. We don't need to meet. I will tell you on the call itself."

  "No! Pl-please……let's meet. Please…" he hastily said. "I have to talk to you too. Please, let's meet…"

  Silence.

  "Alright."

  He beamed, but before he could say anything more, she hung up. A second later, he got a text of a cafe's address. He remembered that it was a cafe near her apartment complex.

  "Lihua agreed to meet me…"

  Where he was utterly heartbroken last night, this morning suddenly felt lively to him with just one phone call.

  "I need to get ready. I don't want to make her wait…"

  He shut the bathroom door, making Lihua, the cat, jump.

  Dumb human is suddenly so happy.

  She lazily rested her chin on her paws.

  I hope it remains that way…
——

  It was a dark and gloomy atmosphere at the breakfast table. Nobody was in the mood to eat anything. Without Lihua's chattering, it felt lonely all around.

  Old Madam lowered her gaze. "I know it feels empty without her. But we have to eat something. Lihua won't like it if you all remain hungry because of her."

  Jiang Fai gritted his teeth. "Then call her here so that everyone will eat!"

  Silence.

  "Don't be stubborn, Fai…"

  Old Madam glanced at Wei's empty chair. She had already guessed that he wouldn't be coming today.

  Suddenly, they heard rapid footsteps, and everybody was stunned to see Wei rushing out all dressed up.

  "Wei, where are you going?" Jiang Yubi asked in shock.

  But he didn't respond. He could only focus on reaching the cafe as soon as possible. He was already gone.

  Jiang Ruiling asked, "Was it my imagination, or did I see him smiling?"

  Jiang Lanying said, "I don't think it was your imagination. I saw it too. He seemed happy."

  Everybody glanced at each other.

  There could be only one reason for him to smile in this situation. And that was Lihua.

  Was he going to meet Lihua?——

  Wei hastily rushed into the cafe, slightly out of breath. He was so excited that he didn't even let the driver let in and drove the whole way himself. He saw Lihua already seated at a corner table.

  Lihua saw Wei at the entrance and froze. Wei took long strides towards her and quickly reached her spot.

  "Lihua…"

  His hands reached out to hold her, but she moved away. They froze mid-air.

  "Please sit. I want to get this over with as soon as possible."

  Wei pursed his lips. Nevertheless, he was happy to see her again. He sat opposite her and anxiously asked, "You called me…?"

  Lihua clasped her hands together and said, "I know I told you to surrender yourself last night and face your punishment."

  She took a deep breath and stared at him. "But I don't want you to do it anymore."

  Wei blinked his eyes. He tilted his head and stared at her in confusion.

  Didn't want him to surrender anymore?

  Suddenly, he felt hopeful and wondered if it was because Lihua was ready to forgive him.

  His heart raced as he asked, "Not go to jail…?"

  She coldly looked away.

  "Yes. Because right now……Grandma needs you the most. You need to be there for her to fight against Jiang Shan."

  "Jiang Shan?"

  "He is still a threat to the family, and he has tortured Grandma a lot. Grandpa too. You have to find Grandpa and bring him back. That's why……until Jiang Shan is punished, until the danger he poses is completely eliminated, the family needs the Mafia King…… That's why you cannot surrender yourself."