"Su Shui, I need to talk to you!"
Lin Ning stood in the living room, having just come home from work, calling to Su Shui who was gaming in front of the TV.
Su Shui, deep in his match, didn’t look up. "Later! I’m almost done! If you’re hungry, dinner’s in the kitchen."
Lin Ning walked silently to the TV and yanked out the console’s power cord.
"What are you doing?!"
"Let’s... get a divorce."
...
...
At the dining table, Su Shui nervously watched Lin Ning sip soup in tiny spoonfuls.
"Wife... you were joking earlier, right~?" He forced a smile, eyes pleading.
"No. I’m serious. Let’s divorce."
"Why?! Tell me what I did wrong—I’ll change!"
"You always say that!" Lin Ning shot to her feet, slamming her palms on the table. "Ever since we married, you’ve been a shut-in! At first, I accepted it—you’re a coder, you could work from home. But now? You don’t work at all. All you do is game. Game after game."
Su Shui stood too, matching her glare. "And you! You leave at dawn and come back at midnight. People who know you think you’re the CEO—those who don’t think *you’re* the programmer!"
"The company needs me! Business just stabilized—I can’t slack off! But you? No job, no ambition, glued to this couch all day."
"I cook for you! You’re always working, skipping meals. If I didn’t watch you, would you even eat?" To punctuate his words, Su Shui slammed his bowl onto the table.
"Do I need a babysitter?! I’m not a child! Remember when I traveled last month? You lived on instant noodles till I got back!"
"*You* traveled? Three days domestic flights, five days overseas trips! Am I even married? I barely see you. You stumble home, shove food down, and collapse like a dead pig!"
"At least I don’t leave my room looking like a pigsty! Who cleans up after you, huh?"
...
...
They’d yelled at each other for an hour by the table. Now, sulking on the living room couch, they faced opposite directions.
A divorce agreement lay on the coffee table. Su Shui snatched a pen and signed his name with sharp strokes.
"Divorce!"
Lin Ning whipped her head around, eyes wide. She grabbed the papers and ran out the door. Over her shoulder, voice cracking: "You heartless bastard! Fine—divorce it is!"
Su Shui sat frozen, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"So... I’m single again?!"
...
...
In her office, Lin Ning clutched tissues, tears dripping as she sniffled quietly.
Her secretary, hearing the CEO had rushed in crying, burst through the door. She found Lin Ning curled on the sofa, eyes swollen, looking utterly dejected.
"What happened, Xiao Ning?"
"Sister Liu Shuang!" Lin Ning looked up, saw her childhood friend, and burst into full sobs, collapsing into her arms.
Liu Shuang held her, gently patting her back. By the time Lin Ning’s tears slowed, Liu Shuang’s tailored blazer was soaked through.
"What’s wrong?" Liu Shuang whispered.
"That—that bastard wants a divorce!"
"*What?!*"
...
...
Lin Ning lay with her head on Liu Shuang’s lap, recounting everything from her impulsive divorce threat to fleeing back to the office.
"I just wanted to scare him! That idiot actually signed!"
"Then why did you bring a real divorce agreement?!"
"All or nothing, right? I just wanted him to stop being a shut-in..." Lin Ning mumbled, suddenly feeling foolish.
"So go home. Talk it out. You don’t actually want this."
"No! He probably wanted out anyway. If I go back now, I lose. Fine—divorce! I’ll show him I’m better off alone!"
...
...
At home, Su Shui finally processed the truth after staring at the ceiling for ages.
"Why’d I have to be so impulsive?!" He glared at Lin Ning’s abandoned belongings, itching to slap himself.
*Dad, pick up the phone! Dad, pick up the phone!*
He grabbed his phone without looking. "What, brat?"
"*You’re* the brat!" came the retort. It was Zhu Chang, Su Shui’s best friend. Hearing about the divorce, he’d sped straight over. "How’d you get divorced?!"
"Just... a moment of madness." Su Shui replayed the fight.
"Chase after her! What if she disappears?!"
"She always runs to the office when mad." Su Shui sounded confident.
"Then call and apologize! You don’t want this, do you?"
"Why should *I* apologize? I did nothing wrong!" Though his words were stubborn, his hand reached for the phone.
*Beep... beep... beep...*
"Hello." Lin Ning’s voice was flat.
(Unseen by Su Shui, she gripped her phone tightly, shooting a panicked look at Liu Shuang.)
"Wifey~" Su Shui cooed. Lin Ning could practically see his goofy grin through the phone. A smile flickered on her lips—then vanished. Remembering his divorce demand, she hardened her tone: "Don’t call me ‘wifey.’ We’re divorced."
"Come on! It’s all my fault. One more chance, my queen~"
"Too late! You stinky shut-in—rot in your pigsty alone!" She hung up and slumped against the sofa.
"What are you doing?!" Liu Shuang gasped.
"I’ll show him I thrive without him!"
Su Shui sighed at the dead line. "It’s over."
"Hung up? Go to her office *now*!" Zhu Chang yanked him upright, dragging him toward the door.
Su Shui broke free, flopping back onto the couch. "I’ll show *her* I’m better off alone!"
...
...
That evening, Lin Ning stood outside her apartment door, divorce papers in hand. She wavered—should she file them? Mostly, she wondered how to face Su Shui.
*If he apologizes like on the phone... maybe I’ll forgive him.*
She unlocked the door. The first thing she saw was Su Shui holding a beer bottle. *Is he drowning his sorrows? Wait—we don’t even have beer!*
Inside, Su Shui and Zhu Chang were red-faced and laughing, surrounded by skewers of grilled meat. Lin Ning trembled with rage.
"Su Shui," she said, voice icy. "This divorce? It’s happening."
