Chapter 11 — IAVD (QT) Chapter 11

Song Ruyue arrived with a grand momentum, but in reality, she had no confidence.

Outside Ji Xiu's residence, before she even saw him, she began to falter. She paced back and forth at the door, hesitating to knock. If she knocked and Ji Xiu refused to open—leaving her stranded outside—how humiliating would that be?

Beside her, Ji Ze shot her a glance and stepped forward, pounding on the door with a loud thud-thud-thud.

Song Ruyue jumped in fright and grabbed Ji Ze's hand. Her nails dug nervously into the boy's flesh as she tried to stop him in a panic. "What are you doing?"

Before Ji Ze could explain, a voice came from behind the door: "Who is it?"

Song Ruyue froze and looked at Ji Ze, signaling him to answer. The voice clearly belonged to Ji Mingzhu. Her relationship with Mingzhu was stiff; if the girl knew it was her, she might not open the door. But it was different with Ji Ze; they would surely get inside to see Ji Xiu.

Ji Ze looked down at the back of his hand, staying silent and looking awkward.

Confused, Song Ruyue looked down as well, only to realize she had pinched her son’s hand hard enough to draw blood. She quickly let go and stepped back, looking uncomfortable. Ji Ze thinned his lips, appearing somewhat aggrieved, and answered the door.

"Mingzhu, it's Big Brother."

"Brother?" Mingzhu’s voice rang out with surprise. "Wait for me, I'll open it right now!"

The door swung open, and she rushed out happily to greet him, only to freeze when she spotted Song Ruyue. Her joyful voice died in her throat. "Brother, you're finally... here."

The three looked at each other, the atmosphere awkward—especially between Song Ruyue and Ji Mingzhu.

Ji Ze couldn't stand the tension. He glanced inside and asked hesitantly, "Is he here?"

Ji Xiu’s announcement about the divorce had been made without warning him. The youth couldn't accept it. Just days ago, Ji Xiu had told him to take care of his sister, and now he was divorcing and taking her away, leaving Ji Ze behind. What was he supposed to be?

Ji Ze felt hurt, feeling he had been tricked and brushed off by Ji Xiu. Angry and brooding, he had refused to call him "Dad" for days. He had even watched them move out without trying to stop them, just out of spite. But the moment they were gone, he regretted it.

His question was exactly what Song Ruyue wanted to know. She chimed in: "Yes, is he in?"

Mingzhu nodded and hesitantly made way. "Dad is in the study. Come in and wait."

Song Ruyue strode in first, afraid of being blocked, and headed straight for the study. Mingzhu froze, wanting to stop her but not knowing what to say. By the time she hesitated, Song Ruyue was already out of sight. Mingzhu stomped her foot and hurried after her.

Ji Ze: "..."

Seriously? I'm the one most hurt in all this, yet I'm the one being ignored and left for last? He suppressed his frustration and shut the door.

When he reached the study, he realized why Mingzhu had been so anxious. Sitting across from his father was a youth—one of the guests from the banquet. He remembered Mingzhu’s joyful reaction when she saw him. He had asked the event planners and learned his name was Ye Yiyang, an old classmate invited by his father.

Ji Ze felt they were more than just classmates. But before he could investigate, the divorce bombshell dropped, and he forgot to run a background check. He didn't expect the boy to be a guest in his father's house, let alone be granted access to the study.

Ji Ze felt a sudden sense of crisis and looked at Ye Yiyang warily.

Ye Yiyang sensed the gaze and offered a friendly smile toward his "brother-in-law." Ji Ze stepped back, even more on guard. Hmph, showing off hospitality for no reason—he's definitely up to no good! Ye Yiyang sighed, unsure what he’d done wrong. He turned to look at the other person: Mingzhu’s mother, Song Ruyue. He had heard the truth of the swapped daughters and knew Song Ruyue’s attitude from Mingzhu; he didn't have a good impression of her. Her barging into the study without knocking only lowered her in his eyes.

However, she was an elder and his crush's mother. He stood up tactfully and signaled for Mingzhu and Ji Ze to leave the room, giving the adults space to settle things once and for all.

The study fell silent.

Ji Xiu sat behind his desk and watched the children leave. He turned to Song Ruyue. "What are you here for?"

Song Ruyue choked, unable to find her voice. Luckily, Ji Xiu didn't seem to need her answer. Before she could speak, he tossed a file envelope onto the desk.

"Since you're here, look at these and tell me what’s going on."

Confused, she picked them up. Her face changed instantly, yet she tried to stay calm. "Why are you showing me this?"

Ji Xiu stared at her, enunciating clearly: "These are the family’s medical records over the years. You were responsible for collecting them. From the very first check-up, Ji Wu’s blood type was different from ours. I was busy with work and never saw her reports—but you did. Tell me, do you not understand basic genetics?"

Song Ruyue’s face turned ghastly. Her mouth moved, but she couldn't speak for a long time. How could she explain? Should she admit that she discovered the truth long ago, but hid it because she feared losing her social standing and becoming a laughingstock?

If she told the truth... In the last month, Ji Xiu had changed completely. He doted on Mingzhu to the point of she being his "reverse scale." If anyone touched it, he handled them cleanly and ruthlessly. He was already divorcing her over minor things; if he knew this, he would hate her forever. There would be no chance of reconciliation.

Song Ruyue’s face went pale, even her lips losing color. Her fingers trembled, and the documents slipped out, scattering like snowflakes on the floor. "I didn't know. I really didn't know."

Under the massive pressure and fear, she couldn't even act anymore. Her mind was blank; she just wanted to get through this.

Ji Xiu looked at her and shook his head with a light scoff. "You and Ji Wu have one thing in common: you have terrible acting skills, yet you think that as long as you don't admit it, it's fine. You really are a match made in heaven as mother and daughter."

Song Ruyue’s heart raced. She shook her head frantically.

Ji Xiu ignored her, looking down at her performance with a cold, ruthless gaze. "What’s the use of regret now? When you first found out, the children were still young. You could have spoken up and brought your daughter home. But you chose to hide it. Even now that they're grown and the truth is out, you still reject the girl. Rather than playing dumb, why don't you tell me: do you have a grudge against Mingzhu? If you do, I won't let her go back to bother you. You can live with your 'precious' Ji Wu; Mingzhu is fine with just having me as a father."

As a normal person, he truly couldn't fathom a mother making such a choice. The more he looked at her, the more he felt she was mentally ill. Ji Xiu cut through the nonsense and threw out the divorce papers he had prepared. "Since you're here, sign them."

Looking at the words on the paper was like a bolt from the blue for Song Ruyue. Her body swayed; she nearly fainted. Previously, when Ji Xiu mentioned divorce, she could pretend it was a joke. But this man had actually prepared the papers...

"Impossible. I won't sign." She spoke with a sudden, uncharacteristic firmness, her usual fragile demeanor replaced by sheer resolve.

Ji Xiu stared at her, his voice carrying a faint chill: "If you don't sign, I assume you want the Song family company to go bankrupt quickly."

Song Ruyue stared at him, her body turning cold. She couldn't believe he would threaten her with that. The company was in her name, but Ji Xiu held shares and it was the product of his years of labor. He would threaten his own blood and sweat just for a divorce?

Meeting his cold eyes, she realized one fact: there was no room for negotiation.

Sign, and it’s a peaceful divorce.

Don't sign, and the company goes bankrupt while they live apart for two years until he sues.

Even if she didn't admit it, Ji Xiu knew the truth. He didn't want her anymore. He didn't care about her at all.

"Fine. I’ll sign." Her tears finally fell. She grabbed the pen and wrote her name, memories flashing before her eyes. Twenty years of marriage, erased in a few strokes.

The terms of the agreement were as Ji Xiu had said: he took only his own assets and cash, leaving her everything else. The amount he took—the accumulation of twenty years of work—wasn't even equal to his total salary. He returned his shares to her, saying that since he failed to care for her as her father requested, he wasn't fit to hold Song family assets. He intended to transfer those shares to Ji Ze eventually.

Once they agreed to divorce, their interaction became oddly calm. Ji Xiu felt relieved; he preferred things to be clear-cut. Seeing her sign, he said, "Pick a day, and we'll collect the certificate."

"Okay," Song Ruyue rasped.

As the last stroke fell, the energy supporting her seemed to drain away. She felt her vision go black; dizziness hit her, and she fell backward. She waved her hands in a panic and caught the arm of the sofa, narrowly avoiding injury. After ten seconds, the darkness faded. She looked up at Ji Xiu.

He was still sitting in his chair, unmoved.

The light in her eyes died instantly. She put down the pen, looked at him once more, and turned to leave. Her retreating back radiated despair and regret. But this was the path she had walked herself. Everything was of her own making; regret was useless now.

…

When Song Ruyue left, Ji Ze saw her state and hurriedly bid farewell to follow her out. Back at home, she remained in that trance.

"Mom, what's wrong?" She didn't speak, entering the master bedroom and locking the door, ignoring everyone. Ji Ze shouted a few times but eventually gave up.

Ji Wu bit her lip. Once Ji Ze left, she went up and knocked. "Mom, what happened?"

The door that Ji Ze couldn't open swung open for her. Song Ruyue stood there, her noble composure gone, her eyes red as she stared at Ji Wu. "I'm divorced. I have no husband anymore..."

Ji Wu was momentarily stunned. Her bond with Ji Xiu wasn't deep, and after he showed such bias for Mingzhu, her last bit of affection had vanished, replaced by resentment. She was secretly thrilled, but she couldn't tell what was going on with Song Ruyue. Isn't divorce a good thing? Song Ruyue caught the flash of excitement and expectation in the girl's eyes. Her shoulders slumped. She suddenly felt ridiculous. What was the point of talking to her? It wasn't her husband, and he wasn't her biological father—of course she didn't care.

"But I care!" Song Ruyue’s mind broke. She slammed the door and went back to bed to cry.

When Ji Wu cried, she had someone to comfort her. But when Song Ruyue cried, there was no one. Children always think adults don't get hurt or cry because they are "strong," but every adult was once a child. Song Ruyue was sensitive; she used to cry a lot when she was young because she had her father and Ji Xiu to soothe her.

Now that she had lost him and couldn't get him back, she realized that in this world, no one would pamper her anymore. She couldn't accept it.

Finally, she fell ill.