Because the two arrived early and were handling the divorce, they received the paperwork with almost no waiting.
Jiang Nan Fang did not look at Zhan Bei Jue much throughout the process. Upon receiving the certificates, she turned and left.
Just as she had done when they entered, Zhan Bei Jue remained two steps behind, watching her slender retreating figure until she walked out of the main entrance.
Jiang Nan Fang walked directly to her car and, without looking back at him, closed the door with a decisive movement.
In truth, Zhan Bei Jue very much wanted to go up and say a few words to her, to give her some hint, to ask her to wait for him.
But his intuition told him that anything he said at this moment would be superfluous; Jiang Nan Fang would not listen.
It was better to do something concrete than to speak empty words. He would wait until everything was resolved before earnestly seeking her forgiveness.
Driving alone through the city streets, it was disingenuous to say he wasn't feeling down.
Lately, his days had been too smooth, and he had become lax with his work. Suddenly finding himself idle and with nothing to do, he felt a sense of bewilderment.
Not knowing what to do when she got home alone, she drove for half an hour before calling Chen Jiao Jiao.
She asked if Chen Jiao Jiao had arrived at the beauty salon yet, as she wanted to indulge in some pampering.
Since the beauty salon opened, Jiang Nan Fang hadn't officially patronized it. Chen Jiao Jiao was genuinely surprised that she wanted to go so early today.
"I'm on my way. Bei Bei is also with me, and conveniently, she doesn't have to work today. The three of us can get some good pampering together."
Soon, the three women met up.
They lay side-by-side in a beautiful room, where staff massaged them, applied face masks, and then withdrew.
The three began to chat.
The news about Zhan Bei Jue had been causing a stir, and he hadn't intervened to stop it, so the heat surrounding it was still high.
Yesterday, Zhou Jin Bei had gone to discuss this matter with Chen Jiao Jiao. While they dared not ask Jiang Nan Fang directly, she herself brought it up.
"Actually, I came to find you today to inform you of something."
The three lay side-by-side, all with face masks on, so no one could see the expressions on each other's faces.
Zhou Jin Bei asked what was wrong, "Sister-in-law."
"You don't need to call me sister-in-law anymore. I just got my divorce certificate this morning with your brother."
Zhou Jin Bei seemed to be whipped by an invisible lash, and sat up abruptly.
"What did you say?"
Jiang Nan Fang turned her head to look at her, her tone calm.
"Are you that surprised? You saw the news long ago, isn't it only natural that I divorced him?"
Although they had seen the news, they held a degree of skepticism.
Everyone had witnessed how Zhan Bei Jue usually treated Jiang Nan Fang. How could this happen so suddenly…
"Did my second brother admit it? That woman is really… how is that possible!"
"What's impossible about it? The photos are clear as day. Do you suspect your second brother was threatened with a knife to his neck?"
"..." Zhou Jin Bei was speechless.
Jiang Nan Fang continued, "Men are men. Infidelity is their nature, and your second brother is no exception. Perhaps Ah Zhong is the same."
"I advise you not to think of marriage as too beautiful. Don't rush into having children and becoming a housewife just yet. It's safer to focus on building your career."
Chen Jiao Jiao, lying beside them, reacted much more calmly than Zhou Jin Bei.
After all, she was also someone who had experienced betrayal and weathered storms.
"These men are masters of disguise. Back then, I never imagined Hu Jia Sheng would abandon me so easily at a crucial moment."
"Alright, lie back down. Don't be so jumpy. The face masks are quite expensive."
Zhou Jin Bei lay back down, but her heart still felt a pang of regret for Jiang Nan Fang.
"You're not the type to be easily bullied. How could you compromise so easily in this matter? Hasn't my second brother compensated you for anything? We all saw it. If he dares not give you anything, I'll be the first one to deal with him!"
Jiang Nan Fang smiled. "There's no need."
"It's not like I've never seen money. When there were ten digits in my account, it didn't feel any different than now. If we're divorced, we're divorced. I blame myself for my poor judgment in men. I've learned my lesson, and as long as I don't repeat the same mistakes, what's the point of fighting for those things?"
With her capabilities, she knew she had the means to earn money, which was why she spoke so nonchalantly.
Everyone's situation was different. Since the person involved took it lightly, Zhou Jin Bei had no choice but to say no more.
She just looked at Jiang Nan Fang with sympathy again.
"If you're feeling down, don't keep it to yourself. We're all so close, you can say anything you want. I won't tell your second brother."
"Where are we going later? Do you want me to accompany you out for some fun? We can go drinking too!"
Chen Jiao Jiao also said, "Exactly! If you want to cry, cry. If you want to curse, curse. Doesn't everyone have a moment of weakness!"
"Let's get all dolled up later, and the three of us will go out and have a blast for the day! We'll be strong women again by tomorrow morning!"
"There are so many handsome men in Nan Cheng, many younger and more attractive than Zhan Bei Jue. In fact, divorcing him is good for you!"
Given the circumstances, this was the only way to think about it.
Jiang Nan Fang smiled a couple of times, genuinely feeling grateful.
"Returning to Nan Cheng for a year, I didn't achieve anything significant. My biggest gain was meeting the two of you."
"Alright, today I'll give you a chance to shine. Let's go out together. We won't stop until we're drunk."
While the three women were at the beauty salon chatting, Zhan Bei Jue went to the company to attend a board meeting, using an excuse to explain the work stoppage.
Busy for the entire morning and skipping lunch, he had his driver take him to the kindergarten.
After the children finished their lunch, they were being settled by their teachers for a nap when a security guard entered to inform the teacher that Zhan Jing Rui's parent had arrived.
There weren't many people surnamed Zhan in Nan Cheng, and their kindergarten was of high caliber; not just any family's child could be admitted. The teacher naturally knew whose children Zhan Jing Rui and the others were.
Upon hearing this, she hurriedly brought the four children out.
Seeing Zhan Bei Jue, whom they usually only saw on television and in the news, standing so young, handsome, tall, and with such outstanding charisma in the courtyard, the teacher's face blushed.
Having looked after the four children for so long, this was the first time she had interacted with Zhan Bei Jue one-on-one. She wondered if there would ever be such an opportunity again.
Just as she was contemplating how to strike up a conversation with Zhan Bei Jue, the four children looked up, saw it was Zhan Bei Jue, and promptly ran back.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on? Daddy is here to see you, where are you going?"
The children acted as if they hadn't heard, darting back inside.
Seeing them like this, Zhan Bei Jue's heart ached, and his expression darkened.
The teacher, who witnessed his expression change from sunny to gloomy, was too frightened to even breathe.
"Mr. Zhan…"
"Excuse me, may I come in for a moment?"
"Of course." The teacher eagerly moved to lead him in, but Zhan Bei Jue raised his hand to stop her.
"No need. I just need to say a few words and I'll leave."
With his long legs, he caught up in a few strides.
As the children pushed open a door and were about to dart into a room, he called out in a deep voice.
"Zhan Jing Rui! Zhan Jing Ge!"
After all, they were children he had raised. Hearing this call, Rui Rui and Ge Er couldn't help but stop.
Zhan Bei Jue walked over, pulled them out, and then pulled Jing Yu and Tian Tian out as well.
"I will give you a reasonable explanation. Stop making trouble."