Was she unhappy with him?

  The thought made Xu Wenyang feel like it was hard to breathe. It was as if his heart was being squeezed painfully. So not only was he about to lose Qian, he risked losing their baby at the same time.

  "It's not like you'll physically be there for us when we need you." Lin Qianrou refused to meet his gaze, hoping that dishes would be served soon so there would be something that can disturb her unwanted thoughts right now.

  Xu Wenyang was clearly taken aback by her words. He was about to defend himself, but realized that his wife had made a point. A logical one on top of that. He wasn't always around as a husband, what would make her think that he would be there as a father?

  "Qian, you do understand why I'm working hard, right? I don't want you or our children to suffer in the future just because I couldn't provide for you." His tone this time was a little disheartened. He had no idea how to convince Qian not to divorce him.

  "Give her something you've never given before that holds so much value for her," was the parting words the Empress gave him after their last meeting.

  Had Tang Moyu known that his wife was only asking for his time even before she met Qian?

  It also didn't help that he'd ditched Qian on their anniversary date. If he could turn back time, he wished he'd declined his grandmother's wish to check on his uncle and Meng Yanran because it only brought trouble to his own marriage.

  "Qian, about Meng Yanran, it's not what you think it is." He started to explain. The sour expression on his wife's face told him that Qian was still bothered about his previous relationship with her cousin.

  But there was something Qian didn't know. He'd never been in love with Meng Yanran. While it's true that he used to date and had the intention to marry Meng Yanran, it was because he wanted a wife from a good family, and Meng Yanran fit his need for a wife.

  However, he didn't expect that Meng Yanran would actually discard him in favor of his bachelor uncle. Meng Yanran wanted financial stability, something that he couldn't offer at that point in time. Then he met Qian.

  At first, he treated their encounter as another one night stand, but the second time he met her during one of her exhibits, he fell madly in love with her. Being with Qian felt like it was the right thing to do, like they belonged to each other.

  A year later, they tied the knot and Xu Wenyang felt like he was the happiest man on earth when Lin Qianrou agreed to marry him.

  He'd never thought that there would come a day when she would ask him for divorce. He'd never thought that they would end up like this today.

  She wanted him, and Xu Wenyang decided to grant every wish she had right then, starting with pampering her to no end, if only she would give him a chance to do so.

  Xu Wenyang explained to his wife the reason he had to leave for Guangzhou and why he wasn't able to meet her that day. He didn't miss even a single detail, hoping that Qian would at least listen to what he would say.

  "Qian, I admit it was my fault. I really have nothing to do with Meng Yanran anymore." He sounded defeated right then, when he noticed that Lin Qianrou's face remained impassive. Even after the waiters came back with their orders, she remained silent.

  Lin Qianrou picked up her chopsticks and started eating without preamble. Xu Wenyang stopped speaking, waiting for her to say something, but she only looked at him, her expression telling him to continue.

  Looking at her husband and at herself, she was deeply aware of how different they were. He belonged to the high class society, while a commoner like her would be easily satisfied with good food from a street stall. They were just too different, and that just made Lin Qianrou feel bad about herself as she sat there, across him.

  She always felt disconnected and unwelcomed whenever she attended parties and events as Madam Xu, but Lin Qianrou endured all of it because of him. However, she really needed him, all of him; as her husband.

  Was it really too much for her to ask him to spare her some of his time? To make her feel that he still wanted and needed her in his life, instead of just going home for a few hours after she had gone to bed,?and leave even before she woke up?

  "Qian, I don't want us to divorce. What should I do to change your mind? I understand now that words aren't enough for you to believe me."

  Lin Qianrou stopped her chopsticks midway and looked at him with wide eyes.

  "You want this baby?"

  "Of course, I want it. It's the proof of our love for each other. Why wouldn't I want it? I just didn't think that you wanted a child so soon, so I never asked." Xu Wenyang frowned. What made his wife think that he wouldn't like nor love his own flesh and blood?

  Lin Qianrou sucked in a deep breath. Her husband had only proclaimed his love once, and that was three years ago.