Divorced from the Cold CEO Who Lived by the Rules - Chapter 47

After Pu Shuangquan hurriedly left, the atmosphere in the old house became much more harmonious.

With Qin Liaoxing, the great troublemaker, and Tang Yehe, the little troublemaker, present, the elders who usually flaunted their seniority didn’t dare to speak loudly.

They knew their place, behaving meekly eating in silence and refraining from drinking or causing drunken scenes.

Xu Zhen sat with Lan Boyue, while Du Yunhan happened to be seated across from her.

There was no deep grudge or resentment between Du Yunhan and Xu Zhen, so Xu Zhen harbored no hostility toward the Omega. She interacted with her normally, without any deliberate attempts to make things difficult.

Seizing the opportunity, Lan Boyue briefly explained the Du family’s situation to Xu Zhen, likely hoping she could use the chance to befriend Du Yunhan. Xu Zhen didn’t reject the goodwill, nodding superficially to acknowledge the information.

The fact that she and Jiang Ruan had agreed to divorce wasn’t something she could disclose now, let alone let Bai Zhen know.

Bai Zhen’s condition had only just improved. If she were to be agitated by Xu Zhen’s impulsive decisions, though the likelihood of that was slim.

Bai Zhen would be overjoyed if Xu Zhen divorced Jiang Ruan and found a steady, dependable beta instead.

The only thing Xu Zhen needed to worry about was Bai Zhen becoming overly excited upon hearing the news, leading to a sudden spike in blood pressure and unforeseen consequences. If that happened, all of Xu Susu’s efforts during this time would be wasted.

She convinced herself of this internally, successfully suppressing the urge to announce the divorce publicly.

Perhaps, Xu Zhen’s self-awareness was fleeting. She, too, harbored some unspoken selfish desires, wanting to maintain the current situation rather than face the reality of her stubbornness head-on.

Today, Jiang Ruan remained as considerate as ever, much to Lan Boyue’s delight.

If her daughter had continued being as cold and indifferent as before, her wife would eventually be snatched away by someone else. Now that Jiang Ruan had changed, Lan Boyue couldn’t be happier.

Du Yunhan also noticed Jiang Ruan’s attentiveness. Maintaining her smile, the last trace of hope in her heart vanished.

Though the beta appeared indifferent toward Jiang Ruan, subtle shifts in expression revealed her accustomed enjoyment and reliance on these gestures.

The two of them were inseparable, no one could come between them.

Du Yunhan wasn’t Xue Ling, so she couldn’t bring herself to cling desperately to someone who already had a family and a wife, crossing all boundaries.

After the meal, it was time for leisure and entertainment.

An elderly guest, well over ninety years old, had come to the old house today. Xu Zhen watched as Qin Liaoxing fawned over her, coaxing her into high spirits.

Knowing Qin Liaoxing, Xu Zhen was certain she had an ulterior motive.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Zhen approached and took off the necklace around her neck, handing it to Qin Liaoxing. “Mom, return this to Grandmother.”

Qin Liaoxing glanced at it. “Since you bought it with your own money, that means it’s meant for you. Keep it.”

“She doesn’t lack for necklaces anyway.”

Before the words had even faded, the old woman’s cloudy eyes suddenly fixed on Xu Zhen more precisely, on Xu Zhen’s palm. “Aojun?” she called softly. “It’s been so long since you last visited me.”

“Who is Aojun?” Qin Liaoxing reacted swiftly, pressing for answers immediately.

“It’s Aojun, Qin Aojun, that brat Pu Shuangquan’s little girlfriend,” the old woman said with a chuckle. “That girl, though a beta, was such a good person, so gentle, nothing like her name would suggest.”

At this point, it wasn’t just Xu Zhen, everyone present understood. Qin Aojun… she was likely Qin Liaoxing’s biological mother, the one Pu Shuangquan had deliberately avoided mentioning all this time.

Qin Liaoxing’s breath hitched, and when she spoke again, her voice couldn’t help but turn urgent. “Then where is my mother now?”

“She went abroad, didn’t she?” The old woman was still physically strong and mentally sharp. “Back then, she vanished without a trace after leaving the country. Shuangquan was terribly worried.”

“Shuangquan gave her all her savings, leaving herself without a single penny to her name.”

The old woman recounted the story slowly, and with that, the long-buried past was finally unveiled.

Back then, the Pu family was relatively well-off, so Pu Shuangquan naturally received the family’s full attention. They poured all their resources into grooming her, hoping she would marry an Omega from a more prestigious family and lead their own to greater wealth and power.

Pu Shuangquan carried their high expectations, but against all odds, she fell in love with a poor beta named Qin Aojun.

The elders in the family naturally disapproved, using every means possible to tear the two apart. Qin Aojun endured endless hardship and humiliation, but just then, their school offered an opportunity to study abroad as an exchange student. With Pu Shuangquan’s support, Qin Aojun successfully secured the rare chance.

To ensure her girlfriend could live comfortably abroad and focus on her studies, Pu Shuangquan secretly handed over all the savings she had accumulated since childhood not wanting Qin Aojun to suffer any hardship.

At first, after going abroad, Qin Aojun kept in touch with Pu Shuangquan through letters. But less than a month later, all communication ceased, as if she had vanished from the face of the earth.

Pu Shuangquan grew frantic with worry, desperate to rush to the address where the letters had been sent. But just then, the family business ran into trouble, sabotaged by schemers, the Pu family faced near ruin.

To pull the family out of crisis as quickly as possible, Pu Shuangquan had no choice but to suppress her desire to go abroad and prioritize the family’s survival, leading them through the storm.

After nearly a year of relentless effort, the schemers’ plots were foiled, and the family business stabilized. Pu Shuangquan’s outstanding performance earned her a core leadership position in the company.

With the crisis resolved, Pu Shuangquan was finally free to travel overseas in search of her girlfriend.

But when she arrived, she discovered the supposed mailing address was completely fake.

Qin Aojun had deceived her.

Realizing this, Pu Shuangquan was furious, heartbroken, and bitterly disappointed. If Qin Aojun had only wanted her money, she could have just said so.

She loved her so even if she knew the beta had ulterior motives, she would have treated her well regardless.

Pu Shuangquan despised deception above all else, yet she still wanted an explanation. She scoured the place, digging deep, but found no trace of Qin Aojun.

When she returned home, everyone around her said Pu Shuangquan had been played for a fool, toyed with by Qin Aojun.

Pu Shuangquan’s refusal to explain and her silence only served to reinforce this belief.

The deception from her first love and the abrupt end to that relationship had made Pu Shuangquan develop a deep aversion to betas. That was why Qin Liaoxing and Jiang Ruan’s consecutive relationships with betas had infuriated her so much.

The elderly woman grew tired after recounting the events of the past, but she still made sure to add, “This necklace was something I gave to Aojun back then. I’ve always believed she wasn’t the kind of heartless person people made her out to be.”

“She must have had her reasons.”

No one knew the full truth. Qin Liaoxing, unwilling to give up, pressed the old woman for more information about her biological mother.

Xu Zhen and Jiang Ruan had work to attend to, so they left first.

Sitting in the car, Xu Zhen clutched the necklace tightly, intending to ask Jiang Ruan to return it for her. But Jiang Ruan saw through her hesitation. “Keep it for now. If Grandmother asks for it later, you can give it back then.”

Xu Zhen couldn’t argue, so she agreed.

Pu Shuangquan hurried to the small town where Xu Zhen had purchased the necklace.

Standing at the entrance of the antique shop, she hesitated, unable to bring herself to step inside. Would the shopkeeper be Qin Aojun? Was she still alive? How had she lived all these years? And why had she disappeared so suddenly back then, cutting off all contact…

These thoughts weighed on her like a crushing boulder, making her heart race and her breath shallow.

It took Pu Shuangquan a long time to steel herself. Finally, she took a deep breath and strode in, resigned to whatever she might find.

The first thing she saw upon entering was an old photograph on the display shelf. Pu Shuangquan froze, then smiled involuntarily, she was still as beautiful as ever.

Even after decades, after most of their lives had passed, Pu Shuangquan’s heart still raced for her, turning her into a flustered fool all over again.

With clear purpose, Pu Shuangquan walked straight to Qin Aojun’s photo and asked, “How much for this?”

The shopkeeper glanced up. “Not for sale.”

“I’ll pay any price.” The old woman straightened her back. “Name your terms.”

“You know her?” The shopkeeper’s eyes sharpened, her voice rising unconsciously. Pu Shuangquan didn’t deny it. “She was an old friend of mine. I want to know where she is now.”

“It’s been decades since we last met.” Pu Shuangquan paused, her voice growing quieter. “…I’ve missed her.”

“So, I’d like you to tell me everything about her. I’m willing to pay.”

The shopkeeper didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she scrutinized Pu Shuangquan from head to toe before finally pointing her to a location.

Half an hour later, Pu Shuangquan stood alone in the cemetery, staring at a weathered tombstone. The shopkeeper’s words echoed relentlessly in her mind:

“Aojun was killed the very night she arrived here. The case was never solved…”

“I was her junior who came with her. My family was poor, I didn’t have the means to avenge her. All I could do was bury the truth and wait for the heavens to bring her justice.”

“Are you Pu Shuangquan? These are her belongings.”

“Her savings card, her luggage, some jewelry… I’m sorry, but I’ve sold some of the jewelry. I hoped someone might recognize it and come looking for her.”

“Thank heavens, after all these years, I’ve finally found her family.”

Pu Shuangquan’s eyes were red, tears welling up uncontrollably. Fifty years, a full fifty years, she had never imagined their final reunion would be like this.

She would have preferred Qin Aojun had betrayed her, taken her money, and found a good Alpha to live a blissful life with.

Pu Shuangquan instinctively tilted her head back, refusing to let the tears fall.

From the initial fury and resentment, to the desperate letters pleading for answers, to the eventual heartbreak and acceptance only she knew the torment she’d endured through it all.

That soul-crushing pain was something Pu Shuangquan could never forget, even in death.

“I’m sorry, Aojun.” Holding her lover’s belongings, Pu Shuangquan slowly knelt before the tombstone bearing Qin Aojun’s name, covering her face as she wept bitterly. “I came too late.”

“I’ve come, to take you home.”

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