You helped him have a baby, what do you regret about the divorce? Chapter 041

“To get your divorce certificate.” The staff member’s tone was as flat as if discussing today’s oil prices. “According to national regulations, all divorce applications now have a 30-day cooling-off period. This is to give you time to reconsider.” She paused, then added routinely,

“During this period, if either of you changes your mind and decides not to divorce, you can come back with your ID card and this receipt to revoke the application. If, after 30 days, your decision hasn’t changed, then you can both come back together to collect your divorce certificate.”

Cooling-off period? Lin Gengjin was almost amused by those three words, yet his heart felt heavy. They had already come all the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau; did they still need to cool off? What was the plan after cooling off—to remarry on the spot or something? He glanced at Su Xinyue beside him.

She kept her head down the entire time, her long hair falling to cover the side of her face, making her expression unreadable. Only the hand resting on her lap, clutching her bag strap, had knuckles that were somewhat white, as if she was gripping it very tightly.

When she heard the words “cooling-off period,” her shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. Did she see it as a turning point, or did she feel this delay was more of a torment? Lin Gengjin couldn’t guess, nor did he want to.

“Is it mandatory?” Lin Gengjin’s voice deepened slightly, carrying a hint of suppressed impatience.

“It’s mandatory. It’s the law.” The staff member pointed to a colorful promotional board standing nearby, which explained the “divorce cooling-off period” policy.

It even featured a cartoon figure clutching its heart in a “cooling off” pose, looking a bit comical. “See, it’s all written there. Alright, if there’s nothing else, come back in 30 days.”

She picked up the next couple’s number tag, signaling that they could leave. The process was complete, and her task was done.

Lin Gengjin picked up the flimsy receipt. The date on the paper was clearly marked: thirty days later.

A strange irritation rose in his heart, like watching a thrilling movie reach its climax only to be suddenly told, “To find out what happens next, please tune in for the next episode,” and having to wait a whole month for it.

What kind of nonsense was this? He even felt this regulation had a touch of dark humor, specifically designed to annoy people.

He stood up, his movements stiffer than when he arrived. Su Xinyue also silently rose, her lowered eyelids concealing all emotion.

They exchanged another silent glance, their eyes meeting and then breaking away instantly, as if they had touched something scalding hot.

“Well… let’s go.” Lin Gengjin shoved his documents and the receipt haphazardly into his pocket, his voice a little dry.

Su Xinyue said nothing, merely nodding slightly, still half a step behind him, walking towards the Civil Affairs Bureau’s main entrance. The heavy feeling from when they entered now seemed to carry an added, indescribable layer of meaning.

Su Xinyue still kept her head down, her long hair obscuring her expression, revealing only her delicate, fair chin.

Then, she turned and walked towards a white car parked not far away. It was her car, bought for her by her father before their marriage.

Lin Gengjin watched her retreating figure, slender yet conveying an indescribable sense of detachment. She pulled open the car door, got in, without the slightest hesitation, not even looking back.

The engine hummed softly, and the car quickly merged into traffic, disappearing around the street corner.

Only Lin Gengjin remained, still clutching that flimsy receipt, like holding a hot potato. He self-deprecatingly pulled at the corner of his mouth; this divorce was indeed quite “calm.”

He did not return to the place that was once called “home.” Going back now, facing an empty house, would probably only feel more ironic. He pulled out his phone and checked the time; it was past 10 AM.

This thought popped up almost without deliberation. He needed to do something to fill the emptiness in his heart and that unventable irritation.

Su Xinyue’s hands on the steering wheel were steady, her gaze fixed forward. The navigation’s destination was the name of a high-end apartment in the city center.

She rarely stayed in that apartment; it had been empty since it was furnished, occasionally used by her parents for a few days. Now, it was her only refuge.

The car smoothly entered the underground parking garage and stopped in its designated spot. Engine off, keys removed, the surroundings instantly fell silent. She didn’t get out immediately, instead leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes. The Civil Affairs Bureau staff’s formal voices, the tapping of keyboards, the laughter of newlyweds in the distance, Lin Gengjin’s slightly impatient questions, and that receipt stamped with “thirty days later”… all replayed in her mind.

Her hands on her lap unconsciously tightened. Was it a turning point, or was it a slow, torturous cut? She couldn’t tell herself. Perhaps, it just made this long farewell even more agonizing.

After a long while, she finally took a deep breath and pushed open the car door.

The elevator ascended, numbers continuously jumping. She looked at herself in the mirror; her face was a bit pale, her eyes tired, but her gaze was unusually calm.

Opening the apartment door, the scent of a long-unoccupied space, faintly tinged with dust, wafted out. Furniture was covered with dust cloths, making the place feel somewhat desolate.

She walked to the center of the living room and looked around. Everything here was unrelated to Lin Gengjin; it was a space entirely belonging to Su Xinyue. This realization allowed her tense nerves to relax slightly.

She took out her phone and first called a housekeeping company, booking a deep cleaning and requesting it as soon as possible. After checking, they agreed to arrange a team for early tomorrow morning.

After hanging up, she found a familiar moving company number.

“Hello, is this Master Zhang? This is Su Xinyue.”

“Miss Su! Hello, hello, how can I help you?” The voice on the other end was very enthusiastic.

“I’d like to move, from Emerald Garden. I don’t have much stuff, mainly personal clothes and belongings. When would be convenient for you to arrange manpower?”

“Emerald Garden? Weren’t you living comfortably there…” Master Zhang was a bit surprised but quickly reacted. “Oh, oh, alright, no problem. How about tomorrow afternoon? The housekeepers will have just finished cleaning in the morning, and we can go over to move in the afternoon; the timing will be perfect.”

“Okay, tomorrow afternoon it is.” Su Xinyue confirmed. “Thank you, Master Zhang.”

“No trouble at all, it’s my pleasure.”

…….

On the other side, Lin Gengjin was already sitting in his black car, driving aimlessly through the streets. Eventually, he changed direction and headed towards his company’s office building.

After parking the car and walking into the office building, the familiar office environment helped him regain a sense of reality. He met a few colleagues in the elevator who greeted him with smiles: “Manager Lin, you’re back quite early today.”

“Yeah, ran some errands.” He responded vaguely, forcing a somewhat unnatural smile.

Back in his private office, he closed the door, shutting out the outside noise. He sat in his large office chair, staring at the computer screen for a long time. The screen saver was the default blue waves, rising and falling, like his current mood.

He lit a cigarette, and amidst the curling smoke, his gaze gradually became resolute.

Leave this place.

This thought lingered in his mind. This city held all the memories of him and Su Xinyue, from meeting and falling in love to getting married. Now that their marriage was over, these memories had become stinging thorns. Staying here would be like rubbing salt in a wound.