Civil Affairs Bureau, Ji Yu stepped out, holding her freshly issued divorce certificate.
The lawyer behind her called out awkwardly, "Madam—uh, no, Miss Ji, please wait a moment!"
He stopped Ji Yu and pulled out a bank card from a folder.
"…Miss Ji, this is what your husband said to compensate you."
Ji Yu raised an eyebrow but didn't take it.
Her ex-husband had been like this when they got married three years ago, and now he was like this again at their divorce—truly consistent from beginning to end.
Unfortunately, Ji Yu didn't lack money. A man like this, who was as lifeless as a ghost, handled both marriage and divorce through his lawyer, never showed up, and solved problems by throwing money around—sorry, she had no interest.
Ji Yu waved her hand, smiled at the lawyer, and said, "No need. Lawyer Zhang, you can return the card to President Gu. The stuff at home can be thrown away by the housekeeper too. I won't be going back to pack luggage."
Without a trace of sentimentality, Ji Yu ignored Lawyer Zhang's calls from behind and left without looking back.
After walking a distance, Ji Yu pulled out her phone to call her best friend, Feng Qinqin.
"Hey? Qinqin, I'm free now. Let's go out for drinks tonight—my treat!"
That night, at Moon Bar in S City.
Moon was one of the most prestigious upscale bars in S City, with VVIP private rooms that rival the luxury of five-star hotel suites.
From the moment one stepped into the private room, there were KTV facilities, table games, a pool table, a cocktail bar counter, and even a bedroom with an exclusive ensuite bathroom.
The bar only had two such VVIP private rooms, occupying an entire floor, ensuring utmost privacy and luxury.
Typically, reservations had to be made at least three months in advance, but tonight's guests were special—some of them secured their rooms last-minute by paying extra, and all of them carried identities that couldn't be trifled with.
Ji Yu was the host of one of these private rooms.
After her divorce, she had to regain her independence, which required her to pick up her previous work. Ji Yu was moderately famous in her industry, known under the alias "Ji Yu."
"Wow, President Ji, it's been three years—how long has it been since you used the name Ji Yu to invite me out for dinner?"
Feng Qinqin was guided into the private room by a server and excitedly grabbed Ji Yu by the shoulders.
"Here's to celebrating my best friend's return to single life! Honestly, I couldn't tell if you'd married the Jade Emperor or Buddha! After you got married, you stayed home every day—I barely saw you. Anyone who didn't know might've thought you were abducted to northern Myanmar!"
Ji Yu burst out laughing: "That won't happen anymore."
Though it wasn't to the extent of divinity like the Jade Emperor, her ex-husband's identity was indeed extraordinary.
When she married him, Ji Yu had tried not to tarnish the family's reputation, avoiding too much public exposure. But now that she was divorced, she no longer had to worry about schemers using her as a pawn against the family.
Ji Yu was happy to be carefree. She didn't mind when Feng Qinqin invited two male escorts to join them.
Feng Qinqin blinked and said in an ambiguous tone, "Yuyu, now that you're single again, you can really let loose and have fun with me~"
Ji Yu sighed helplessly: "You—after all this time, you're still the same. Aren't you afraid Cai Xun will get mad—"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't say his name!" Feng Qinqin hurriedly silenced Ji Yu with a drink.
She signaled to the two male escorts, who each stood on either side of Ji Yu and toasted her.
"Yuyu, tonight neither of us should think too much. Enjoy yourself—that's the most important thing, okay?"
Ji Yu nodded and allowed herself to get swept up in the atmosphere, drinking far more than she ordinarily would.
Though she seemed indifferent on the surface, perhaps deep down Ji Yu still felt some bitterness about the marriage.
After all, three prime years of her youth had been wasted—how much money had she missed out on earning?
And the root cause? Wasn't it the Ji family…
"Yuyu, we'll head out now. Will you be okay getting back on your own?"
Ji Yu's hazy thoughts were interrupted by Feng Qinqin. She looked up to see Feng Qinqin leaving with the two male escorts in tow.
As an adult and her best friend, Ji Yu instantly understood what Qinqin planned to do.
Ji Yu blushed, swaying as she stood: "Stop it, you two can stay here—I'll go!"
Feng Qinqin, drunk by this point, refused: "No way. They say the best way to get over an old relationship is to start a new one. Yuyu, you need to stay and let yourself have some fun. I've got my eyes on Bing—we're gonna… hic—leave now."
As she spoke, she turned to the other escort: "I'll leave Quan with you… no, he's not handsome enough. Yuyu, for someone as gorgeous as you, even sleeping with an escort means choosing the headliner—"
"Wait, wait, wait! This one's good!"
Feng Qinqin scanned the hallway drunkenly, then suddenly squealed and dragged over a tall man.
The man, dressed in a black suit, looked indistinguishable from the male escorts at first glance.
"Wow, your bar has such premium goods. Why didn't the boss mention him when we were picking earlier? He's perfect for Yuyu!"
Feng Qinqin marveled as she forcibly pushed the man into the private room.
Bing and Quan, the two escorts, exchanged shocked glances. They weren't sure if they should point out that the man didn't seem to be one of their colleagues.
Inside the room, Ji Yu was startled by Feng Qinqin's antics.
"Honestly, Qinqin always gets so rowdy!"
Ji Yu stepped forward to let the man out, but discovered the door was locked from the outside. She sighed.
She took out her phone to call the bar manager: "Sorry, my friend is drunk and causing a scene. I'll have someone let you out right away—"
Before she could finish, the man, who had been silent and lowering his head, suddenly reached out and pinned Ji Yu against the doorframe.
"Mmph!"
Ji Yu gasped, feeling the man's heavy breathing and his scorching skin.
"Wh-what's going on with you?"
Ji Yu instantly sobered up from fear. As she tried to get a better look at him, the man leaned in and devoured her lips.
He bit her fiercely on the corner of her mouth, whispering darkly, "You asked for this."
...
Like a tempestuous storm, waves crashing against the shore.
The night passed; daylight arrived. Ji Yu woke up to the sound of an incessantly ringing phone.
"Who the heck…"
Ji Yu grumbled, frustrated. She'd been up until dawn being thoroughly ravaged, and hadn't slept for more than a few hours. Her annoyance boiled over.
She thought it was her phone ringing, reached out to grab it, and instead touched a man's bare chest and well-defined abs.
Ji Yu's eyes immediately flew open, and fragments of the night's memory flooded her mind.
She had lost her mind—she'd actually had a one-night stand with a male escort!!
Last night, drunk and disoriented, Ji Yu had been shoved into the room with this man by Feng Qinqin. And the man hadn't seemed entirely normal either.
It started with him kissing her, and as the kisses deepened, Ji Yu felt her body heat up irresistibly, eventually forgetting to resist.
Ji Yu wasn't someone who would suffer compromise. Realizing the man had an excellent physique, she let herself indulge and ended up rolling into bed with him in the VVIP suite.
And now…
Ji Yu closed her eyes, overwhelmed with regret for letting herself go.
At that moment, the "male escort" woke up as well, irritably answering his ringing phone: "What is it?"
Ji Yu had planned to sneak away, but reconsidered—she needed to leave a "tip" for his service. Taking out her wallet, she turned back to toss him the money, only for her gaze to land squarely on the man's face.
With just one glance, Ji Yu was left utterly speechless.
Gu Qixiao???
Her ex-husband!!!!!!