hotmtlnovel Chapter 1446 If your judgment is sound, then why did my dad run away?
Chapter 1446 If your judgment is sound, then why did my dad run away?
Chapter 1446 If your judgment is sound, then why did my dad run away?
The atmosphere in Chenxing Company's conference room was heavy.
The long table was filled with people on both sides. On one side were executives and project leaders from Chenxing, and on the other side were the delegation from Bianti. Qin Hao sat at the head of the table and glanced at the time on his wristwatch.
Today is the monthly meeting to report the project progress to Bianti. As is customary, this meeting should start on time, and all relevant personnel should arrive early to prepare. However, the meeting has been going on for fifteen minutes, and Chen Junsheng, the project director of Chenxing, has yet to appear.
General Manager Lü of Chenxing's face grew increasingly grim. He glanced several times at the conference room door, then furtively stole a look at Qin Hao's expression, fearing that this important partner might be displeased. Everyone else in the conference room held their breath, afraid to speak loudly for fear of incurring his wrath.
Finally, twenty minutes into the meeting, the meeting room door was gently pushed open. Chen Junsheng walked in with his head down, his face showing obvious fatigue, and dark circles under his eyes.
"I'm sorry I'm late." Chen Junsheng's voice was a little hoarse. He walked to his seat and sat down without even looking up at anyone.
Suppressing his anger, General Manager Lü forced a smile: "Director Chen has finally arrived. Let's begin the report. Let's start with the project you're in charge of."
Chen Junsheng nodded, opened his laptop, and brought up a PowerPoint presentation. He began to report on his work progress over the past month, but his voice was weak and his speech was much slower than usual. Worse still, he drifted off into a daze, staring blankly at the screen, as if his soul had left his body.
“...The third quarter is expected to be completed... expected to be completed..." He repeated it twice, but couldn't remember the rest.
The conference room fell silent, everyone staring at Chen Junsheng. Some wore expressions of worry, others gloated, but most were embarrassed—especially those from Chenxing. Chen Junsheng's performance had utterly disgraced the company in front of Bianti.
Finally, General Manager Lü lost his temper and slammed his hand on the table, shouting, "Chen Junsheng! What the hell are you doing? Not only are you late for such an important meeting, but you can't even give a proper report! Do you even want to keep your job?"
Startled by the roar, Chen Junsheng looked up at President Lü's ashen face, then glanced at the varied expressions on the faces of the others in the conference room. A numb expression settled on his own. The double blow to his family and career had brought him to the brink of collapse. He felt like a taut string, ready to snap at any moment.
Just when the atmosphere was extremely awkward, Qin Hao spoke up: "President Lü, calm down. The progress of several projects has indeed been very tight recently, and the workload has been too high. Not to mention Director Chen, even I am finding it hard to keep up. Everyone is having a tough time."
He paused, then looked at everyone in the conference room: "How about this, everyone take a day off today. We'll reschedule the meeting for tomorrow. Only when we're well-rested can we do our jobs well."
Seeing that Qin Hao had already said so, General Manager Lü couldn't possibly disagree anymore. He could only glare fiercely at Chen Junsheng and say angrily, "Then let's do as General Manager Qin says! Meeting adjourned!"
Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly packed their things to leave the meeting room. No one dared to say anything, but the glances exchanged as they left were filled with various speculations and discussions.
After everyone left, only Qin Hao and Chen Junsheng remained in the conference room.
Chen Junsheng sat in the chair, his hands covering his face, his shoulders trembling slightly. After a long while, he lowered his hands and forced a bitter smile: "Old Qin, thanks."
Qin Hao pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Chen Junsheng, looking at him intently: "What's wrong? You seem so out of sorts today. You're not usually like this."
Chen Junsheng took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision, before slowly saying, "I plan to divorce Luo Zijun."
Qin Hao frowned: "Because of that Ling Ling?"
“No, it has nothing to do with her.” Chen Junsheng shook his head, his tone eerily calm: “I’ve thought it through. Even without Ling Ling, my marriage with Luo Zijun was over. I’m just not young anymore, and I want to save some money for my retirement and Ping’er’s education.”
Qin Hao looked at Chen Junsheng and could sense the weariness and despair in his voice. This was not a decision made on a whim, but the final choice of a person who had been suppressed for too long.
He patted Chen Junsheng on the shoulder: "Just think it through so you won't regret it. Since you've made up your mind, get things sorted out as soon as possible. Dragging it out won't be good for anyone."
Chen Junsheng nodded, then shook his head: "I don't want to drag this out either, but Luo Zijun refuses to leave. Yesterday she even cooked a whole table of dishes and waited for me to come home, wanting to apologize to me. But I don't want to give her any more hope. Giving her hope only to have it shattered will hurt her even more."
"Do you need me to recommend a lawyer?" Qin Hao asked. "I know a lawyer who specializes in divorce cases and is very experienced in property division and child custody. He can help you if you need to file a lawsuit."
Chen Junsheng was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Thanks, Lao Qin."
Qin Hao took out his phone, found a number, and sent it to Chen Junsheng: "I've sent you the number. Contact him yourself. Just say I introduced you, and he'll prioritize your case."
Chen Junsheng looked at the message on his phone, his eyes reddening slightly. He knew how fortunate he was to have such a friend supporting him during the most difficult time of his life.
"Old Qin, thank you so much." His voice was choked with emotion.
"Alright, stop being so dramatic." Qin Hao stood up. "Go back and get a good night's sleep, get yourself in a better state. You can't neglect your work, you still have Ping'er to raise, you can't lose your job."
Chen Junsheng nodded and stood up as well. The two walked out of the conference room together and parted ways at the elevator.
Qin Hao watched Chen Junsheng's departing figure and sighed softly. He knew that Chen Junsheng wouldn't have an easy time in the coming period. Divorce is never an easy thing, especially when one party doesn't want to divorce.
But some roads must be walked alone; some hurdles must be overcome alone.
……
Meanwhile, at Luo Zijun's home.
Upon learning from the nanny, Yaqin, that her daughter was going through a divorce, Luo Zijun's mother, Xue Zhenzhu, immediately rushed over with her second daughter, Luo Ziqun. Along the way, Xue Zhenzhu was extremely anxious, constantly muttering, "This silly girl, she's been living a good life for too long and she's gone mad!"
Luo Ziqun chimed in, "That's right, divorce isn't that easy. Besides, Chen Junsheng is such a good catch, where else can you find someone like him after the divorce?"
When the mother and daughter arrived at Luo Zijun's house, they saw her sitting on the living room carpet, holding a bottle of red wine, drinking and crying. There were already two empty wine bottles on the coffee table, indicating that she had drunk quite a bit.
Seeing this, Xue Zhenzhu scolded him with exasperation, "Are you going crazy after living such a good life for so long? Trying to get a divorce like everyone else! Don't you know your own worth? What will you eat and drink without Chen Junsheng? Will you still be able to live in such a nice house and go to such an expensive beauty salon?"
She walked over and snatched the bottle from Luo Zijun's hand: "Still drinking! Will drinking solve anything?"
Luo Zijun slapped Xue Zhenzhu's hand away and said drunkenly, "You think I want a divorce? Now it's Chen Junsheng who wants a divorce from me, what can I do? I begged him, I apologized, I did everything, but he just doesn't want me anymore..."
Xue Zhenzhu was so anxious she was jumping up and down: "Haven't you two always had a good relationship? How come you're suddenly talking about divorce?"
Luo Zijun then recounted the situation in fits and starts. Of course, in her account, she only described herself as making the mistakes all women make—loving her husband too much, which led to jealousy and checking up on him; trusting him too much, which led to spending his money; and relying on him too much, which led to insecurity…
"You blockhead!" Xue Zhenzhu exclaimed angrily, poking Luo Zijun's forehead. "Men care about their pride the most! How could you let Tang Jing investigate whether he was cheating? The worst part is that he found out! Do you know how much this hurts his self-esteem?"
Luo Ziqun chimed in, "That's right. I would never suspect Bai Guang of cheating. Trust is the most important thing between husband and wife. If you don't even give him the most basic trust, of course he'll be angry."
Xue Zhenzhu glared at Luo Ziqun angrily: "You have the nerve to say that! A good-for-nothing like Bai Guang, besides someone as blind as you, who would even look at him? He might want to cheat on his wife, but does he even have the means to do so?"
"Anyway, I just believe Bai Guang won't cheat on me!" Luo Ziqun said defiantly.
Xue Zhenzhu was almost driven crazy by her love-struck second daughter. She took a deep breath and comforted herself: There are priorities. Let's deal with the eldest daughter's matter first, and then I'll settle accounts with you later.
She turned to Luo Zijun and continued to lecture her: "And where did all that money go? Just because someone flatters you a little, you actually think you're a rich lady? Tens of millions! I wouldn't even dare to dream of that! Do you know what that amount of money means? It's enough for an ordinary person to earn for several lifetimes!"
Frustrated by her mother's scolding, Luo Zijun suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "Have you said enough? Others have the right to criticize me, but you don't! Can you even count how many designer bags, clothes, and shoes you've taken from me over the years? And you, Luo Ziqun, all these years of losing money in business, haven't I been the one cleaning up your messes every time? And now you turn around and blame me!"
"Sister, that's not right!" Luo Ziqun quickly retorted, "You spent tens of millions, and I only borrowed from you three times, which adds up to only five or six hundred thousand. Don't try to pin the blame on us! Besides, those bags and clothes were all given to us voluntarily; we didn't ask you for them!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Xue Zhenzhu slammed her hand on the table: "Alright! What a critical moment! You still have the mind to argue! The most important thing right now is to get Chen Junsheng to give up the idea of divorce!"
Luo Zijun finally calmed down. She looked at her mother, tears welling up in her eyes again: "Mom, what should I do? Junsheng doesn't even come home now, he doesn't answer the phone, he doesn't reply to WeChat messages... It's so hard for me to even see him..."
Xue Zhenzhu thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Here's what I'll do: I'll call Chen Junsheng and say I'm inviting him to dinner. I'll swallow my pride and apologize to him. I'll kneel down before him... I'll do anything as long as he forgives you."
Luo Zijun, her eyes red-rimmed, grabbed her mother's hand: "Mom... how can this be... you are an elder, how can you kneel before him..."
Xue Zhenzhu patted Luo Zijun's hand, her voice choked with emotion: "As long as you can live well, my pride doesn't matter. Zijun, I know you. Without Chen Junsheng, you'd struggle to even survive. You absolutely cannot get a divorce; if you do, you'll have nothing left."
After saying that, Xue Zhenzhu took out her phone and dialed Chen Junsheng's number.
The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Xue Zhenzhu was unwilling to give up and called again, but this time it rang a few times before being hung up. When she called again, the message "The number you dialed is currently busy" appeared—clearly, she had been blocked.
"Why can't I get through? I just topped up my phone credit yesterday," Xue Zhenzhu said, puzzled.
Luo Ziqun, standing to the side, pouted and said, "Mom, Chen Junsheng blocked you, so you definitely can't get through."
"Blocked?" Xue Zhenzhu was stunned, then realized the seriousness of the problem. Chen Junsheng had even blocked her number, which meant that he not only didn't want to see Luo Zijun, but also her whole family.
"It seems Chen Junsheng is determined to get a divorce this time..." Xue Zhenzhu murmured, her expression turning serious.
She thought for a moment, then said to Luo Ziqun, "Ziqun, come with me to Chen Junsheng's company. I refuse to believe we can't catch him!"
Luo Ziqun immediately shook her head upon hearing this: "Mom, you said Chen Junsheng cares a lot about his reputation. If we go to his company to ambush him like this, we might end up making things worse instead of achieving our goal. With so many colleagues watching, how embarrassing would that be for him?"
“But now Chen Junsheng has made it clear that he doesn’t want to see us, and he probably won’t even go home. If we don’t go to his company to confront him, we won’t even be able to see him!” Xue Zhenzhu insisted, “At worst, I’ll apologize to him. This matter can’t be dragged on. Once Chen Junsheng makes up his mind to hire a lawyer and file for divorce, there will really be no way to salvage the situation.”
“Then I’ll go with you.” Luo Zijun thought it made sense and struggled to stand up, but Xue Zhenzhu pressed her down.
"Alright, stop making things worse. Right now, the last person Chen Junsheng wants to see is you. Go take a shower, get some sleep, and let the alcohol wear off. Don't let Chen Junsheng come back and see you like this, or he'll change his mind again." Xue Zhenzhu said, pushing Luo Zijun towards the bedroom.
With tears welling up in her eyes, Luo Zijun grabbed Xue Zhenzhu's hand: "Mom, you must bring Junsheng back... I can't live without him..."
Xue Zhenzhu patted her eldest daughter's shoulder and said firmly, "Don't worry, even if I have to kneel down and kowtow, I will make Chen Junsheng change his mind. You stay home and wait, don't do anything, and don't drink anymore."
After saying that, Xue Zhenzhu grabbed Luo Ziqun and hurriedly left the house.
……
In the lobby of a high-end office building, Xue Zhenzhu and Luo Ziqun followed a man in a suit and tried to sneak into the access control area, but were stopped by security guards.
"What are you doing here?" the security guard asked them warily.
Xue Zhenzhu quickly smiled apologetically, "Um, we work here."
The security guard sized them up a few times—Xue Zhenzhu was wearing an overly bright floral dress, while Luo Ziqun was wearing cheap jeans and a T-shirt; they didn't look like white-collar workers in a high-end office building at all.
"Which company are you from? What's your access control system?" the security guard asked.
"Access control...we forgot our access control at home." Xue Zhenzhu said in a flustered tone, "We're from Chenxing."
The security guard looked at them suspiciously: "Chen Xing? What are your names? Let me make a call to verify."
Luo Ziqun panicked upon hearing this and quickly said, "Um... we're not here to work, we're here to find someone at Chenxing."
"Looking for someone? Who?" the security guard continued to ask.
"Chen Junsheng of Chenxing, I am his mother-in-law, and this is his sister-in-law," Xue Zhenzhu quickly identified herself.
The security guard looked at them, then at the registration book, and finally called the Chenxing front desk to verify. Only after confirming that Chen Junsheng did exist and that Xue Zhenzhu and Luo Ziqun's identities were genuine did they register their information and allow them to pass.
As Luo Ziqun entered the elevator, she looked at the gleaming mirrored walls and LCD screens with envy: "This office building is really high-end. The people who work here every day must be elites, right? Dressed in suits, they look so impressive."
Xue Zhenzhu snorted: "You originally had the chance to find a promising man like Chen Junsheng, and now you're living the life of a rich wife. Why would you need to work as a sales clerk in that lousy supermarket every day? Just thinking about it makes me angry..."
Luo Ziqun said discontentedly, "Hmph, Chen Junsheng is a good person, but now he's also getting a divorce from my sister, isn't he? What's the use of being a good person?"
"That's because your sister is stupid! If she hadn't courted death, how could Chen Junsheng have divorced her?" Xue Zhenzhu said with exasperation, "Your mother may not have many other skills, but her eye for men is absolutely impeccable. I saw Chen Junsheng as a potential catch from the start and told your sister to hold on to him. But you just wouldn't listen and insisted on going after that Bai Guang..."
“Your judgment is sound, then why did my dad run away?” Luo Ziqun blurted out.
Xue Zhenzhu was hit where it hurt, and she pinched Luo Ziqun hard: "You'll die if you don't talk back to me, won't you? I raised you two by myself, and this is how you repay me?"
As the two women argued, the elevator reached the twentieth floor. They stepped out and found the glass doors of Chenxing Company. The receptionist politely stopped them: "Who are you looking for?"
“We’re looking for Chen Junsheng. I’m his mother-in-law,” Xue Zhenzhu quickly said.
The receptionist paused for a moment, then gave a professional smile: "Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but we have urgent business with him," Xue Zhenzhu said, and tried to barge inside.
The receptionist quickly stopped her: "Auntie, please wait a moment, I'll contact Director Chen's assistant for you."
She made a phone call, and soon a young woman came over. This was Chen Junsheng's assistant, Xiao Zhang.
"Hello, Auntie, I'm Director Chen's assistant. Director Chen is still in a meeting, and it'll probably be another half hour before he finishes. Would you like me to take you to his office to wait?" Xiao Zhang said politely.
Xue Zhenzhu nodded: "Okay, thank you for your help."
Xiao Zhang led Xue Zhenzhu and Luo Ziqun to Chen Junsheng's office. The office was small but very clean, with bookshelves filled with various professional books and documents.
"Auntie, please have a seat. I'll pour you a cup of coffee." Xiao Zhang said, going to the tea room to make two cups of coffee and bringing them over.
"Thank you, Xiao Zhang." Xue Zhenzhu took the coffee, but her eyes kept glancing out of the office, hoping to catch a glimpse of Chen Junsheng.
After Xiao Zhang left, Luo Ziqun looked out the glass window at the bustling office area. Some of the well-dressed men and women were focused on their computers, some were discussing things in small meeting rooms, and some were hurrying by with coffee. Everyone looked so professional and sophisticated.
"Mom, look at them, they all look so amazing," Luo Ziqun said enviously. "I wish I could work here."
Xue Zhenzhu paid no attention to her second daughter's sentiments. She sat on the sofa, muttering to herself. If you listened carefully, she was practicing what she would say to Chen Junsheng later.
She repeated it over and over, as if she were memorizing lines, or as if she were encouraging herself.
Time ticked by, and three cups of coffee had already been refilled. Xue Zhenzhu's patience was wearing thin. Just as she was about to head straight to the conference room to find someone, the office door finally opened.
Chen Junsheng walked in, his face showing obvious fatigue and impatience.
Assistant Xiao Zhang followed behind him and whispered, "Mr. Chen, your mother-in-law and sister-in-law have arrived. They've been waiting for over an hour."
Chen Junsheng's expression changed, and he lowered his voice to ask, "When did you arrive? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"You've been in a meeting the whole time, and I..." Xiao Zhang said, sounding a little aggrieved.
Chen Junsheng waved his hand, signaling her to leave. He closed the door, turned to face Xue Zhenzhu and Luo Ziqun, and said coldly, "Why are you here? Is there something you need?"
Xue Zhenzhu quickly stood up, her face full of smiles: "Junsheng, we didn't cause you any trouble, did we? We just... we just wanted to have a chat with you."
Chen Junsheng's lips twitched slightly. What else could he say after they'd already put it that way? He walked behind his desk and sat down, his tone still calm: "I'm busy right now. Just tell me what's on your mind. Go back quickly after you're done; I have a lot of work to do."
Xue Zhenzhu looked somewhat embarrassed, but she still forced herself to say, "Junsheng, I've already scolded Zijun severely for you, and she's realized her mistake. Could you please forgive her this time, for the sake of our many years as husband and wife, and for Ping'er's sake? I promise, Zijun will never waste money again, and she won't check up on you anymore. She'll listen to everything you say..."
Chen Junsheng interrupted her, his voice icy: "If that's why you've come, then don't waste your breath. Go back and tell Luo Zijun, choose between a divorce by mutual consent or seeing you in court. If it's a divorce by mutual consent, I can leave with nothing, I only want Ping'er."
"Leave with nothing? The house will go to my sister too?" Luo Ziqun's eyes lit up, and she blurted out.
Xue Zhenzhu glared at her second daughter, inwardly cursing her for her lack of tact. She continued pleading, "Junsheng, I know Zijun's mistake this time is too great, and it's hard for you to forgive her immediately. I'm not trying to excuse her, but you also know that Ping'er is still so young. Can you bear to let Ping'er go without a mother from now on? You know how important a complete family is for a child's growth..."
"Mom." Chen Junsheng looked at her, this was the last time he would call her that. "Let me be frank with you, I can't live with Luo Zijun for even a day longer. I'm determined to get a divorce. You can let Luo Zijun choose between the two options. I still have a lot of work to finish, you can go back now."
As he spoke, he stood up, opened the office door, and gestured for him to enter.
Seeing Chen Junsheng's resolute attitude, Xue Zhenzhu became anxious and suddenly made a surprising move—she knelt down with a thud and hugged Chen Junsheng's leg.
"Junsheng! You can't be so heartless! My daughter has been with you for twelve years and gave you such a lovely son. She's done her part, even if she hasn't done anything special! How can you bear to abandon her like this? How will she live without you..."
Chen Junsheng's mind went blank, and he froze. He hadn't expected Xue Zhenzhu to embarrass him in this way, in front of so many colleagues outside the office.
He quickly closed the office door, but it was too late. Many colleagues outside had already witnessed what had happened. Although the door was closed, the situation inside could still be seen through the glass wall.
Chen Junsheng tried to help Xue Zhenzhu up, but she clung tightly to his leg, crying and pleading, "Junsheng, I beg you, please give Zijun another chance... I'll make her apologize to you, I'll make her change, she'll listen to you in everything... You can't divorce me..."
Luo Ziqun was also stunned by her mother's actions, and stood there at a loss for what to do.
Outside the office, the entire Chenxing office area was in an uproar.
Various private chat groups and WeChat groups started flooding the screen:
"My God! Director Chen's mother-in-law knelt down before him! What's going on?"
"I heard that Director Chen is getting a divorce, and his mother-in-law is pleading for him."
"Director Chen wants a divorce? Why?"
"What other reasons could a middle-aged man have for getting a divorce? It's either infidelity or being cheated on."
"Wow, that's explosive! But is it infidelity or being cuckolded?"
"Director Chen works overtime so late every day, how could he have time to cheat? I bet he's been cuckolded."
In the office, Chen Junsheng finally managed to forcefully help Xue Zhenzhu up. His face was ashen, and his voice trembled with anger: "Get out! Now! Immediately! Right now!"
Xue Zhenzhu wanted to say something, but when she saw the murderous look in Chen Junsheng's eyes, she was too scared to speak.
Chen Junsheng pointed to the door and said, word by word, "Go back and tell Luo Zijun that we'll see each other in court. I've already given her the opportunity for a negotiated divorce. Now, that opportunity is gone."
Xue Zhenzhu and Luo Ziqun were intimidated by his imposing manner and slunk away from the office.
After they left, Chen Junsheng slumped into a chair, covering his face with his hands, feeling an unprecedented exhaustion and humiliation.
He knew that from this day forward, his image at the company was completely ruined. Regardless of the reason for the divorce, the sight of his mother-in-law kneeling in public was enough to make him the laughingstock of the entire company.
Chen Junsheng picked up his phone, found the lawyer's number Qin Hao had sent him, and dialed it.
"Hello, is this Attorney Zhang? This is Chen Junsheng. Qin Hao referred me. I'd like to consult about my divorce case..."
A steady male voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello Mr. Chen, President Qin has already spoken to me. When would be a convenient time for you to meet and discuss this further?"
Chen Junsheng glanced out the window; the sun was setting, and the sky was a blood red.
"Now. I don't want to wait a second longer."