Qin Yinan didn't wake her. He stared at her sleeping face quietly until she woke up. Then, he passed her some water to gargle her mouth. They cleaned up as best as they could on top of the hill before returning to the city.
At 10 am, Qin Yinan's car entered Beijing.
The night before had taken a toll on Cheng Qingchong. As Qin Yinan drove home, she leaned against the chair and closed her eyes to take a rest. When she woke up, the sun was shining generously through the windshield. Remembering that neither of them had eaten breakfast yet, she offered, "What do you want to have for breakfast? Drop me off by the market. I'll go buy some ingredients and cook something for you when we get home."
Qin Yinan nodded and said, "Okay."
Cheng Qingchong smiled. Qin Yinan stared right ahead; his expression was serene, but his eyes had a flash of iciness in them.…
At 10 am, Su Zhinian also woke up. Song Qingchun was still sleeping. He didn't wake her. After brushing his teeth, he walked to the nursery to check up on Little Sesame.
Song Qingchun woke up at 10:30 am. Su Zhinian squeezed the tooth paste onto her toothbrush, practically serving her every need throughout. Then he helped her get into her chosen outfit of the day before they took their Identity Cards, walked down the stairs together, got into his car, and left for the government office.
At 10:45 am, his car parked safely at the office's carpark. Su Zhinian helped Song Qingchun with the door and grabbed her hand as he led her into the hall.
…
At 10:50 am, Qin Yinan's car also stopped at the office's entrance. He found a secluded corner at the carpark to park his car. Cheng Qingchong turned to look at him with surprise, asking, "Aren't we going home? Why are we here?"
Qin Yinan didn't hurry to answer her. He switched off the ignition and leaned slowly on the car seat. He didn't turn to look at Cheng Qingchong, but the gentleness that covered his face earlier had all fallen away to make way for a chilly air.Cheng Qingchong's lips fell open, and a bad omen crept up within her.
There was a minute-long silence before Qin Yinan cleared his throat and spoke in a voice that was devoid of the gentleness that Cheng Qingchong had matched to the man. Instead, his voice was dry, emotionless, and icy. "Cheng Qingchong, let's go in to get our divorce."
Cheng Qingchong was stunned silent. She looked at Qin Yinan without any reaction.
The car was eerily silent. Not far away, a shrill car honk sounded.
After some time, Cheng Qingchong blinked into consciousness. Thinking she had misheard him, she opened her lips to ask Qin Yinan, "What did you just say?"
After asking that question, she even flashed a smile at him.
"I said, let's go in to get our divorce." Qin Yinan repeated the words that he said earlier syllable by syllable.
As his words fell into her ears, Cheng Qingchong's smile froze on her lips, and a single tear gathered at the edge of her eye.
He couldn't have been clearer, and she did hear him clearly. As the tear slid silently down her cheek, her lips moved, and she weakly uttered, "Turn left at the junction in front, and that's the direction to go home. About two hundred meters later, there's a Walmart—it should be open by now…"
