Chapter 8: Retrieving My Consort
### **Bodega Vigil**
Chen Liang reclined with a casual elegance against his sleek Audi TT, strategically positioned just outside the majestic and somewhat intimidating auction house. He procured a packet of *Hongmei* cigarettes from a tobacconist who seemed somewhat taken aback by his presence.
"Are you here awaiting your paramour?" the merchant inquired, his eyes lingering with a mixture of admiration and envy on the lustrous chrome contours of the luxurious vehicle.
"She is my beloved wife," Chen corrected him, a gentle and almost wistful smile playing upon his lips as the soft, golden hues of the evening light bathed the scene in a warm, ethereal glow.
"What a fortunate woman your wife must be," the shopkeeper mused aloud, his fingers idly drumming a soft rhythm on the exquisitely polished mahogany counter. "In these modern times, wealthy gentlemen who take the time and effort to come and fetch their wives are as rare and precious as the fabled feathers of a phoenix."
As the relentless and torrential rain continued to cascade down, drenching the darkened asphalt in a shimmering veil of water, Chen remained resolute and unwavering in his position. He had arrived a full three hours prior to the expected time, driven by an intense determination to atone for the neglect he had shown on the previous day.
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### **Coliseum Spectacle**
**Zhao Wan'er's Agony:
- **The Lingering Sting of Memory**: The cruel and mocking laughter of her colleagues, which had resurfaced like a dormant nightmare, echoed hauntingly through the corridors of her mind, serving as a painful and poignant reminder of the abandonment she had endured the previous day.
- **Evasive Strategies**: In a desperate bid to escape the impending humiliation, she sought solace and refuge in the relative seclusion of the restroom, hoping to shield herself from the fresh wave of ridicule that awaited her.
**The Dramatic Entrance:**
- **The Empty Boast**: A haughty and self-assured woman sauntered gracefully towards the unadorned TT, her voice ringing out with a false bravado as she boasted loudly about how *her* vehicle was the one that would truly command attention and admiration.
- **The Unveiling of Truth**: At that moment, Chen Liang emerged from the car, holding aloft an umbrella like a knight brandishing a shield. His voice, strong and clear, rang out across the courtyard: "My dear wife, your chariot stands ready to escort you home."
**Reactions of the Crowd:
- **Shock and Astonishment**: "Is that poorly dressed man Zhao's husband?!"
- **Zhou Li's Imitative Sarcasm**: "Hiring a car just for a show? How incredibly *common* and tasteless!"
- **Wan'er's Swift and Cutting Rebuke**: "Be gone. Even dogs are expected to know and abide by the rules of the road." With a firm and decisive shoulder check, she sent Zhou Li sprawling unceremoniously into the puddles, her expression one of cold disdain.
---
### **Hesperidian Odyssey**
**Inside the Audi:**
- **Wan'er's Reluctant Expression of Gratitude**: After two long years of a strained and distant relationship, she finally managed to utter a grudging "Thank you", a simple yet significant gesture that seemed to break through the thick wall of tension that had separated them.
- **Chen's Ill-Advised Boast**: In his eagerness to share his recent success, he bragged about his e-sports contract, immediately regretting his words as he was met with a cold, piercing stare from Wan'er. *(Note: A classic example of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.)*
**The Transformation at Home:**
- **The Harmonious Culinary Collaboration**: For the first time since their wedding day, Wan'er actively participated in preparing the meal, a small but meaningful step that hinted at a possible thaw in their once-frosty relationship.
- **The Bedroom Impasse:**
- **Wan'er's Mysterious Query**: "Does the study feel cold during the night?"
- **Chen's Rash Response**: "Cold? My blood runs as hot as a Vulcan's forge. I am impervious to the cold!" → His words were met with the thunderous slam of the door, a clear indication of his misstep.
- **Attempt at Damage Control**: "My dear wife! I'm in grave danger of succumbing to hypothermia! Please, open the door!" (Followed by the exaggerated sound of sneezing, an attempt to elicit sympathy.)
Ergo, A Hireling's Farce!
### **Matutinal Disquiet**
After spending a night in self-imposed exile from the marital bedroom, Chen Liang humbly and reverently partook of the sumptuous and delectable meal laid out before him. Nevertheless, his earnest endeavours to restore a sense of normalcy were met with nothing but Zhao Wan'er's icy-cold and unyielding silence, like a frozen wall that refused to thaw.
**Automotive Amphitheatre Confrontation**
- **Wan'er's Authoritative and Stern Decree**: "Put an immediate end to this surreptitious and furtive surveillance, you ominous spectre of marital intrusion!" (Bringing a sudden and decisive halt to the three-year-long routine of his shadowing her daily commute, which had become an unwelcome presence in her life.)
- **Chen's Awkward and Embarrassed Apology, Laced with Sheepishness**: "It was merely... a fortuitous and serendipitous alignment of our walking paths, a coincidence of fate, if you will?"
- **The Moment of Epiphany and Revelation**: With a rough and forceful tug, she pulled him into the bright and sunlit expanse, as if dragging him into the light of truth. "Walk beside me as a loving and equal consort, not as a silly and buffoonish court jester who amuses but does not truly understand."
**Progenital Subterfuge**
Tang Mengru and Zhao Yi made a sudden and breathless entrance, their eyes shining with excitement and avarice, as they stood before the sleek and luxurious Audi TT.
- **The Absurd and Groundless Presumption, Spoken with Disdain**: "Our daughter obtained this magnificent vehicle through her corporate achievements and rise to success!" (Effortlessly and callously disregarding Chen Liang's very existence with a mere disdainful sweep of their haughty gazes, as if he were insignificant.)
- **Guilt-Triggered Seizure of Property**: "Those who drive and possess luxury automobiles are inherently prone to infidelity! As her parents and progenitors, we have every right to claim this vehicular treasure as our just and rightful due!"
- **Wan'er's Silent and Burning Rage, Hidden Beneath a Mask**: She wordlessly mouthed the words "I deeply regret and am sorry" as her parents brusquely snatched the car keys from his hands, a moment of helplessness and betrayal for her.
---
### **Electro-Steed Absolution**
**Chen's Strategic Manoeuvre Based on Timing**:
- He summoned Xiao Tao to retrieve his dilapidated, rust-covered electric bicycle, a humble mode of transport that held a different kind of significance.
- **The Unexpected and Touching Intimacy**: Amidst the bumpy and uneven journey on the electric bike, Wan'er clung tightly and tenaciously to his torso, a rare and poignant moment of physical closeness that broke through the long-standing emotional distance between them, like a ray of sunshine piercing through the clouds.
**Zhou Li's Inevitable and Well-Deserved Downfall**
Consumed and overwhelmed by envy, Zhou Li, a colleague with malicious intent, deliberately and maliciously rammed their electric bicycle into her lover's Passat, a despicable act of aggression.
- **Public and Scornful Mockery, Filled with Schadenfreude**: "Where is your *rented* German chariot now, *Sir Fake and Fraudulent Wealthy Man*?" (The crowd gathered at the auction house burst into raucous laughter, reveling in his misfortune and taking pleasure in his downfall.)
- **Chen's Calculated and Deliberate Response, Full of Purpose**:
1. He promptly and without hesitation disbursed ¥6,666 as "compensation" for the damage, not uttering a single word of protest, showing his calm and composed demeanour.
2. He then sauntered leisurely and unhurriedly towards the bodega, as if he had a plan in mind...
3. He reappeared, brandishing a formidable and menacing **demolition maul**, a sign that he was not one to be trifled with.
Proceed, Dare Thy Desecration!
### **The Ferrous Cudgel Stratagem**
Exuding an aura of unwavering and commanding determination, Chen Liang strode into the bodega, paying no heed to the proprietor's vehement and impassioned remonstrations.
- **Proprietor's Ominous Admonition**: *"Lad, eschew the wanton and reckless ways reminiscent of Dionysus!"* (The shopkeeper relinquished the steel cudgel, his countenance etched with sullen reluctance, as though he were parting with a cherished possession.)
- **Chen's Poised and Resolute Retort**: *"Amidst the common folk's earthenware, I am akin to the exquisite celadon porcelain. Their automobiles are but brittle fragments of terracotta, awaiting the crucible's judgement."*
**Zhou Li's Derisive and Parrot-like Mockery**:
- **Under the Impartial Gaze of Themis**: *"Quail in terror before that quivering cudgel! Go on—*smash my chariot*! The damages shall be magnanimously absolved!"* (Her scornful sneer was as incisive as a scalpel, lacerating his lithe and unassuming frame.)
- **The Unveiling of Deceit**: She was acutely cognisant that her paramour's Passat was ensconced within the impregnable commercial covenants forged by Hephaestus himself.
---
### **Udyrian Furor Unleashed**
Chen invoked the **Ursine Aspect** (through the arcane and intricate gaming incantations):
- **The Eruption of the Crimson Aura of Power**: His myofibrils bulged and swelled with primaeval and primordial might, a spectral metamorphosis perceptible only to the initiated.
- **Udyr's Prophetic Pronouncement**: *"Our lamentation *transcends* the mortal-made laws!"*
**The Cataclysmic and Orchestrated Ballet of Destruction**:
- **The Initial and Devastating Onslaught**: The cudgel cleaved through the car hood with the force and precision of Thor's mighty Mjölnir, rending the clouds asunder.
- **The Threefold Judgement of Chronos**: In the blink of an eye, the automotive corpus was reduced to a mangled heap of scrap metal, plunging all those present into a stunned and awestruck silence.
- **Zhou Li's Abrupt and Drastic Reversal of Fortune**: *"Two hundred and sixty thousand yuan squandered and obliterated!"* (Her paramour emitted a mournful wail over the twisted and mangled remnants of the vehicle.)
---
### **Postlude**
- **The Restoration of Karmic Equilibrium**:
- **The Reckoning of Shame and Penance**: Her paramour's palm connected with her cheek in a stinging rebuke, fuelled by financial rage—*"You harpy! *Your* hubris hath wrought this infernal and costly calamity!"*
- **The Turbulent Brawl in the Marketplace**: Their fierce struggle and entanglement were callously disregarded by the sycophantic onlookers who scurried away in a panic.
- **Chen's Terse and Final Gesture**: He returned the cudgel with Spartan brevity—*"The artisanal restitution is hereby nullified, by *thy* benevolent decree." *
**The Theatrical Reappearance at the Audi Atrium:
The sales attendants gaped in astonishment as Chen docked his electric bike and then hurled his platinum card like a jade-encrusted gauntlet:
- *"Double the inventory of your automobiles."*
- **The Implicit Significance**: Henceforth, no act of larceny or any form of ignominy shall be permitted to besmirch or sully Wan'er's esteemed honour.
Thou Venomous Matriarch!
### **The Second Chariot of Fire**
- **Audi Emporium's Repentance:
The sales assistants gape in incredulity as Chen Liang ignites the engine of an immaculate R8, a veritable carbon copy of the automobile pilfered from him the preceding day.
- **The Somber Paradox**: His corroded electric bicycle stands in stark and poignant contrast to their sumptuous marble showroom, resembling Hephaestus' cast-aside anvil, wordlessly deriding their ostentatious opulence.
- **The Vicious Cycle of Shame**: *"We have groveled and fawned before the affluent elite, those who don the costly sandals of sandalwood... yet why did we disdain this man, who, though garbed as a commoner, wields the might of Vulcan?"*
---
### **Bodega Oracle**
Amidst the murky haze of tobacco smoke and the strewn remnants of lottery tickets:
- **The Tobacconist's Ominous Prophecy of Doom**: *"Prevaricate! Deny thy financial autonomy—*never* confess to possessing hidden wealth"!* (His words are imbued with the scars of having endured a harrowing financial inquisition at the hands of his spouse.)
- **Chen's Enigmatic Quandary**: He finds himself confronted with the formidable task of accounting for the presence of two R8s without divulging the alchemical prowess of his gaming contract, a power that seems to transmute all he touches into gold, much like the fabled Midas.
---
### **Corporate Dichotomy**
- **The Metamorphosis of the Sycophants:
- Those who had harassed him at the break of dawn now proffer Bentleys and delectable baklava, quaking in trepidation at the recollection of his prior display of might with the sledgehammer, an act that seemed almost divine in its intensity.
- **Zhou Li's Banishment to the Shadows**: She skulks in the dim, shadowy recesses of the establishment, her visage a chaotic tapestry of contusions inflicted by her paramour, reminiscent of a canvas splattered with paint by Jackson Pollock.
---
### **Automotive Interrogation**
Within the plush, leather-clad interior of the R8:
- **Wan'er's Multifaceted Inquisition**: *"Whence do these two powerful automobiles hail?"*
- **Chen's Elaborate Fabrication:
1. **The Original R8**: *"This vehicle was a corporate conveyance lent to me by Ma the Antiquarian—it served as a chariot for the procurement of ancient relics."*
2. **The New R8**: *"It is a recompense bestowed upon me by my digital gladiator contract—I am entitled to an annual stipend of six hundred thousand yuan for it."*
- **Wan'er's Fiery Ire**: *"Fool! This trove of wealth could have been employed to staunch the financial hemorrhage plaguing your *lineage"!* (She also endeavors to conceal her mortification concerning her parents' machinations.)
---
### **The Unveiling of the Enigma**
At Ma's emporium, a repository brimming with relics from bygone dynasties:
- **The Supplication for Aid**: Chen entreats Ma for a mythical archer's bow, harboring the hope that it will augment his perception and confer an edge in his digital gaming skirmishes.
- **The Revelation of a Concealed Secret**: Ma alludes to Tang Mengru's spurious cloisonné zun, which transpires to be the identical artifact implicated in Zhang Minghao's fraudulent machinations.
- **The Epiphany:
- Zhang was the mastermind behind the entire episode of his parents' appropriation of the car, a performance as meticulously choreographed as a ballet.
- The matriarch, Tang Mengru, hoards a debt scroll valued at ¥1 million, a debt owed by Chen's father, a pivotal piece of the family's history.
- The demise of his father was, in fact, a meticulously staged event, akin to a kabuki performance, contrived to safeguard the family's honor.
**The Final Imprecation**: *"Thou Venomous Matriarch!"* (The concluding words, like a poisoned arrow, are leveled at Tang Mengru and her malevolent deeds.)
The Descent
*Showdown at Boya Zhai*
**I. Tempest of Vengeance**
Chen materializes in a flash, much like a vengeful apparition, within the interior of the antique emporium. His demand, as keen as a meticulously sharpened stiletto, cleaves through the air redolent with the delicate and otherworldly fragrance of jade: "Bring forth Zhang Minghao, the purveyor of mendacity and duplicity!"
**II. Oath of Hubris**
Zhang Cheng's declaration resounds with the overweening arrogance typical of the aristocratic echelons: "The hallowed and time-honored legacy of Boya Zhai endures unsullied and unblemished. Should any trace of forgery come to light, restitution tenfold shall be disbursed from our coffers without a moment's hesitation!"
*The Subdued Accord of the Crowd:* The patrons mumble their agreement in unison, the sound evocative of the soft rustling of bamboo groves stirred by a gentle zephyr. Their loyalty is as steadfast and immovable as the ancient scholar's rocks, weathering the vicissitudes of time with unwavering resolve.
**III. Web Unraveled**
*The Vault's Inexorable Betrayal:
As Zhang Cheng unveils the so-called treasure grandly and ceremonially, nothing but a thin layer of dust occupies the space where the magnificent cloisonné gu (a priceless artifact of exquisitely enameled craftsmanship) should have emanated its resplendent glow.
*The Quiet Retreat of the Collectors:* The collectors take their leave in silence, withdrawing like the tide ebbing away from the shore. The abandoned treasures they abandon behind clatter and clang, their sounds reminiscent of the sorrowful twanging of broken strings on an ancient zither.
Chen's ultimatum, a portentous whisper laden with foreboding, hangs oppressively in the air: "With every truth you suppress, your era of ascendancy crumbles and dissipates, bit by bit."
**IV. Sanctorum of Dread**
*Zhang Minghao's Tormenting Ordeal:
Tethered and secured to the immaculate white sheets, the younger Zhang writhes and spasms in excruciating agony as Chen's shadow, a towering and menacing presence, looms ominously over his sickroom, casting a shroud of dread and apprehension.
*The Persistent Echoes of His Despair:* "You connived and contrived the downfall of a patriarch... Now, face the dire ramifications and plummet like those who dare to flout the unyielding laws of gravity!"
**V. Harbinger's Gambit**
*The Overwhelming Power of the Spectral Realm:
The emerald glow in Chen's eyes flares up and intensifies, unleashing the nightmarish specter of Fiddlesticks upon the world. Reality itself warps and distorts, bending and contorting in the aftermath of this otherworldly onslaught.
*The Precipitous Plunge into Madness:* Entangled and ensnared by hallucinations of phantom creatures with gnashing claws and terrifying visages, Zhang is transformed into a modern-day Icarus, soaring perilously close to the sun's scorching embrace and now hurtling towards his inevitable demise as he crashes through the glass of the third-story window.
**VI. Looming Shadow**
*The Desolate Epilogue:
The surgeons scurry and bustle around him like a swarm of ants clustering around a shard of broken porcelain. At the same time, Chen's device starts to vibrate, emitting a low and ominous rumble.
*The Revelation of the Caller's Identity:* The name "Tang Mengru" glows with an eerie and foreboding luminance—she is the mastermind and orchestrator behind this macabre and grotesque dance of death.
The Reckoning
#### **Aftermath of the Fall**
- **Clinical Vigil**
Chen peers through eyes swathed in the nebulous haze of nicotine as the surgeons painstakingly and assiduously piece together Zhang Minghao's fragmented physical form—**his shattered limbs nurtured and repaired by the miraculous craftsmanship of medical proficiency**.
- **Ocular Enhancement**: He activates *Aatrox's Blood Well* (an elevated and elaborate neural scanning apparatus) to determine the soundness and completeness of the synaptic interconnections.
- **Severe Justice**: *"A lifetime sentenced to a limping gait... this is the karmic payback for the ancestral blood that was recklessly spilt."*
#### **Smoke-Screen Confessional**
- **Wisdom Through Haze**
Chen exhales sinuous wisps of smoke that wind and meander like serpents outside a 24-hour convenience establishment. The shopkeeper's sagacious utterances slice through the gauzy veil of menthol:
- **Domestic Deceptions**: *"My partner stealthily hoards our financial resources, and my progeny fabricates academic achievements—it is merely the peculiar expression of love within our family unit, rather than an act of betrayal."*
- **Incisive Retort**: Chen's laughter resounds, hollow and frosty. *"But what if their perception of love incorporated *patricide by proxy?" *
#### **Silent Homebound Odyssey**
- **Wan'er's Unspoken Reflections**
- She notices the faint, incriminating stains of tobacco, akin to minute amber markings, on Chen's collar and tenderly suggests that they partake in their **first and intimate private repast**.
- **Evasive Strategy**: His smile is as frigid as the wintry moonlight. *"Our... *ancestors* are awaiting our presence for a meal.*" (The final word exudes a venom as virulent and insidious as that of the pernicious nightshade plant.)
#### **Banquet of Blades**
- **Matriarchal Theater**
- Tang regards Chen's empty wok with scornful disdain as the porcelain crockery clatters and clashes around. *"This household bows to my divine and heavenly command!"* (Her husband, Zhao Yi, flinches and shrinks, contorting his body as if folding into a human origami construct.)
- **Diplomatic Initiative**: Wan'er offers a conciliatory gesture in the form of a communal hotpot meal—**only to have it summarily dismissed**. *"The privilege of nourishment is reserved for the patriarchal figures!"*
- **Verbal Detonation**
Chen launches his words with the force and impact of a powerful explosive. *"I had a conversation with Zhang Minghao, who is now broken and in a defenceless state, today."*
- **Matriarchal Panic**: Tang's eyes, sharp and piercing like daggers, pivot abruptly towards Wan'er—*Has the lowly pawn revealed our closely guarded secrets?*
- **Icy Ultimatum**:
Chen's shadow looms large and threatening over her, like a dense and foreboding tempestuous cloud. His voice is as cold and uncompromising as ice: *"Explain as to why *your* financial assets were squandered on acquiring Zhang's counterfeit jade for a sum amounting to one million yuan.*"
The Crucible
#### **Clash of Celestial Truths**
- **Revelation of Vermilion Deceit**
Chen Liang's disclosure regarding the **acquisition of the spurious cloisonné gu** sends a palpable tremor coursing through the parlour, where the air is suffused with the delicate aroma of jade.
- **Tang's Serpentine Denial**: *"Our ancestral lineage engages solely in the trade of authenticated antiquities!"* (Her gaze, as incisive as twin poniards honed amidst the Machiavellian intrigues of bygone dynasties, pierces through Wan'er's impenetrable cocoon of silence.)
- **Chen's Glacial Smile**: *"Zhang Minghao unravelled your *exquisitely woven tapestry of falsehoods along the Silk Road*—thread by perfidious thread."
- **Chronology Unraveled**
Chen lays bare Tang's meticulous orchestration of **his father's fateful rooftop macabre dance**:
- *"You choreographed his final, fateful plunge to oblivion! Without a scintilla of remorse, without a moment's solemn vigil—does your conscience inhabit the *frigid catacombs hewn from marble*?"*
- **Tang's Biting Repartee**: *"Perhaps the inexorable pull of gravity proffered a more benevolent absolution than the *accursed patrimony of a compulsive gambler* you bequeathed!*"
#### **Theatre of Terminal Velocity**
- **Casement of Echoes**
Chen propels Tang forcefully towards the **third-floor casement**—the very precipice where his father's aspirations shattered like meteors hurtling through the night sky.
- *"If the drama is the sinew that upholds your dominion—*take your final curtain call*!*"
- **Tang's Puppetry Unstrung**: She crumples like a marionette whose silk threads have been severed, **mimicking Zhang's spectral waltz into the void.
- **Wan'er's Paradox Unveiled**
She interposes herself—frail yet as unyielding as the finest Ming porcelain: *"Brother Chen! This path leads you straight into *their* moral chasm!*
- **Chen's Fragmented Utterance**: *"You shield this *venomous viper cloaked in the guise of white jade*? After she *orchestrated the solemn requiem for your husband?"*
#### **Ancestral Foundations Crumbling**
- **Cowardice Unleashed**
- **Zhao Yi**: He trembles uncontrollably beneath the resplendent lacquered rosewood furnishings, his form contorted into a grotesque semblance of **human origami** beneath the ancestral portraits.
- **Tang's Theatrical Lamentation**: *"My flesh and blood has now been transformed into an *assassin*!"* (Her tears evaporate mid-descent, leaving behind constellations of saline stains upon the time-worn tiles of the Song Dynasty.)
- **Ultimate Aria**
Chen's voice crystallises the frigid air around them, and Tang's reflection warps and distorts in the glass caressed by the silvery moonlight:
- *"Soar, resplendent jade phoenix. Let *the libretto of gravity* pen the denouement of our sag"a.*
The Severance
#### **Echoes Over the Precipice**
- **Tang's Vertigo**
Tang Mengru frantically claws at the edge of the casement, **confronting the disorienting and perilous precipice** where Chen's father once defied the very essence of mortality.
- **The Macabre Carnival of Schadenfreude**: Onlookers record her unravelling with their handheld devices, the collective apathy of the crowd solidifying her public degradation and the unveiling of her true self beneath the social veneer.
- **The Petrification of Patriarchal Authority**: Zhao Yi's threats dissipate into the luxurious upholstery, his form **rigid with fear, resembling a statue beneath the ancestral portraits**.
- **Wan'er's Samsara**
She intercedes to quell Chen's blazing anger, unshed tears shimmering in her eyes like molten jade: *"Must blood be shed to perpetuate this ceaseless cycle?"*
- **Chen's Vengeful Oath**: *"Let her prostrate herself in contrition before my father's memory, or I shall *mold her very bones into a testament of regret*."*
#### **The Guillotine Clause**
- **Matriarchal Poison**
Even as Chen relaxes his grip, Tang hisses, her dignity in shambles: *"Sever this familial tie, or his insatiable thirst for vengeance will *consume our entire bloodline*!*"
- **Chen's Financial Retribution**: *"Remove your coddled self from my life—but the Maserati, and that 1.3-million-yuan of *ill-gotten gains* shall be reclaimed by me."*
- **Wan'er's Calligraphic Silence**
- **The Unscribed Elegy**: Her pen hovers above the divorce documents, the ink pooling like the accumulated sorrows of a lifetime in the depths of the night, as Chen **strides purposefully into the darkness of the night**, leaving his keys behind like the abandoned emblems of a bygone era.
- **The Final Sacraments**: She arranges longevity buns beside Chen Liguo's bedside, her smile fissuring like ancient porcelain: *"May these buns endure... *beyond our lifetimes." *
#### **Sanctum of Irony**
- **Spirits' Convergence**
Chen staggers through the antiseptic-scented corridors, the aroma of Shaoxing wine trailing in his wake, only to behold **Wan'er's poignant and final vigil**.
- **Chen Liguo's Blissful Innocence**: *"My devoted daughter brought Peking duck! *You*, however, reek of remorse!" *
- **The Dissection of a Farewell**:
Wan'er's words emerge slowly, in sync with the drip of the IV: *"The dawn approaches... *over this chrysalis of our shared past." *
Chen's whisper melds with the rhythmic beeping of the cardiac monitor: *"The severance... *is now accomplished." *
Oracles & Ashes
#### **Ceremony of Severance**
- **Echoes of Dissolution**:
Chen Liang's declaration chills the sterile air—*"The severance... is now accomplished." *
- **Wan'er's Fragmented Fortitude**: Her shoulders, as delicate and brittle as fine jade, quiver as she amends, *"With this very breath... I bid my last farewell to addressing him as 'Father'."*
- **Chen Liguo's Desperate Plunge**: The patriarch **hurls his IV-tethered form towards the floor**, triggering a dual rescue endeavour—**their palms clasping in a moment of intense, electric connection amidst the erratic static of the EKG monitor**.
- **Ancestral Adjuration**:
Chen Liguo entwines their hands, as if fashioning a bond from the bygone Ming dynasty:
*"Let my very bones bear the weight of our ancestral debt! But never, ever let the sacred bonds of marriage (*hunyun*) be sundered because of pride as fragile and easily bruised as jade!"*
- **The Potency of Ritual**: Their joined hands mirror the **exquisite silks employed in mandarin duck wedding ceremonies**, a poignant symbol of a once-unified bond now tragically fractured.
#### **Vespers of Parting**
- **Pavane of Pretence**:
They exit the hospital **with their palms interlaced, a show for the eyes of their ancestors**, yet sever the contact the instant they cross the threshold.
- **Wan'er's Unresolved Enigma**: *"Does the mythical *qilin* still tread the now-diverged paths?" * The query lingers, haunting the reflections in the rearview mirror.
- **Chen's Self-Imposed Estrangement**: He lurks in the shadows of a gaming den, **a spectral protector stealthily trailing her morning journeys**—**a sentinel veiled in a haze of smoke**.
- **Symmetrical Solitudes**:
- **Wan'er**: She compulsively refreshes her WeChat, staunchly defending Chen's honour: *"He constructs this distance as a sanctuary for our well-being!"*
- **Chen**: At a midnight convenience store, he converses with the sinuous tendrils of Red Plum cigarette smoke, confessing, "This chasm that lies between us...It is what preserves her essence, pure and unblemished like the finest jade."*
#### **Karmic Repercussions**
- **Xu Jialing's Dramatic Irony**:
She derides Chen while tittering about her *"mysterious guildmate"—utterly oblivious to the alternate account and the peculiar matrimonial arrangement it entails.
- **Oracle's Stratagem**:
Ma Lao's call shatters Chen's downward spiral of defeats: *"The Warring States bow you've been so ardently seeking? It is being exhibited in the auction gallery that belongs to *your lawfully wedded spouse*". *
- **Jade-Ring Paradox**: The artefact that holds the key to Chen's salvation is situated within **the very auction gallery he has solemnly sworn to avoid due to his geomantic convictions**—**a cruel, ironic twist of fate, much like a masterfully executed stroke in traditional calligraphy**.
The Jade Phoenix's Shadow
#### **Silent Fractures**
- **Chen Liang's Stagnation**
Following Ma Lao's disclosure regarding the Warring States bow, Chen's gaze fixates on his **inactive gaming avatar**, a digital spectre representing their **fragmented matrimonial cosmos**.
- *"What words can bridge this vast chasm between us now?"*
- **Wan'er's Gilded Prison**
At the auction house, a **boastful antiquities tycoon named Song**, brandishing a Qin-dynasty crossbow, insists on her presence for a nighttime event.
- **Corporate Intimidation**: Her director whispers menacingly, "This deal could ensure the survival of our operations for the next three years. Failure to comply is not an option." *
- **The Facade of Betrayal**: Her colleague, Zhou Li, **offers herself as a substitute escort**, her smirk as sharp as the cruelty hidden within a Ming vase.
#### **Hunt Amidst the Neon Glow**
- **Chen's Wild Pursuit**
Upon seeing Wan'er's silhouette vanish into the revolving doors of the Peninsula hotel, Chen **hails a dilapidated taxi**, his knuckles turning white with tension:
- **The Cabbie's Provocative Remark**: *"Are you chasing after your wife's getaway car?"* → Chen's silence **hardens into a venom as potent as quantum forces**.
- **The Urban Maze**: He loses their trail amidst the arteries illuminated by LED lights, arriving just as the elevator doors **close shut like the sealed engravings of an ancient tomb**.
- **The Lobby's Dirge**
- **Confrontation with the Concierge**: Chen demands access to the digital records, nearly **smashing the marble facade** before invoking **Hawkeye vision** (a reference from *League of Legends*).
- **The Clairvoyant Move**: Channelling Ashe's icy incantation (*"Avarosa guides my arrow!"*), he **scans through 200 metres of steel and glass**, zeroing in on Wan'er's essence, as radiant as jade, in the high-altitude restaurant.
#### **Jade and Envy**
- **A Panorama of Betrayal**
Wan'er, resplendent in **Song-dynasty lace** and **onyx stilettos**, endures Song's caresses that are as unwelcome as **ceramic shards**, while her director **feigns indifference**.
- **The Relic of Sorrow**: Her **well-worn Prada satchel**, a companion through four fiscal years, serves as a reflection of Chen's financial setbacks.
- **The Dagger of a Phone Call**
Chen's voice rings out, cold and clear, through the phone: *"Does the *Château Lafite* taste sweeter than the vows we once made?" *
Wan'er turns around—**their eyes meet through the bulletproof glass**. A **silent tempest rages in the space where their hearts once beat as one**.
The Reckoning's Overture
#### **Volcanic Accusations**
- **Frostbite Dialogue**:
Chen Liang's intonation congeals into a frigid and venomous iciness through the telephone receiver:
*"You flinched even at the merest brush of the ivory chopsticks during our nuptial banquet!"*
- **Wan'er's Scorching Rebuke**: *"So now you're dogging my every step?"* Her visage, as exquisite as jade, suffuses with the incandescent glow of betrayal.
- **Latent Tensions**: Recollections of Chen's thwarted alcohol consumption on their wedding day resurface—**the tender embrace of that moonlit moment now transmuted into the virulent venom of nightshade**.
#### **Glass Prisoner's Ballet**
- **Restaurant Chroma**:
Through the impenetrable bulletproof glass, their gazes lock in a fierce contest of wills—Chen's stare ablaze with a jade-green inferno, Wan'er's eyes cloaked in steely defiance.
- **Wan'er's Sacrificial Ploy**: *"Indeed, the ten-thousand-yuan culinary delights are truly delectable! Are you content now, you relentless hunter?"*
- **Chen's Tactical Withdrawal**: He storms out into the neon-illuminated smog, leaving in his wake Wan'er's unshed, glistening tears—**a victory as barren as ash, a pyrrhic triumph gradually dissipating into the void**.
#### **Carrion Banquet**
- **Song's Chessboard Gambit**:
The antiquities titan leers at Wan'er's vulnerable and exposed state, while her colleague **Zhou Li** executes her strategic move, akin to a rook advancing on a chessboard:
- **Zhou's Sinuous Murmur**: She reclines against Song's lapel, her voice a soft, serpentine hiss: *"Allow my proficiency to augment your... cultural treasures."*
- **Auction House Alchemy**: The Warring States bow is now repurposed as a bargaining chip fashioned from blood jade—Zhou's alluring proposition: *"Evade the conventional guardians of jade to amass profits as boundless as a dragon's hoard..."*
- **Wan'er's Precipitous Descent**:
Forced to imbibe what amounts to ceremonial venom, she staggers through corridors perfumed with the delicate fragrance of orchids: *"That is not my jade seal—desecration of it is strictly proscribed!"*
- **Chen's Timely Intervention**: He materialises just as Zhou is on the verge of delivering Wan'er into the maw of the waiting limousine—**a calamity averted by the most slender of margins**.
#### **Hollow Nest Paradox**
- **Tang Mengru's Barrier Ceremony**:
At the threshold of the penthouse, Wan'er's confidant stands resolute, obstructing her path like a human barricade:
*"You fashioned this abyss! Begone, you mastermind of your karmic destiny!"*
- **Unfinished Symphony**: The ominous shadow of the war bow looms large—**Zhou's intricate web of conspiracy continues to unfurl like the gossamer threads of a spider's silk**.
- **Zhou's Vengeance Sonata**:
Amidst the opulent environs of the Four Seasons hotel, Zhou entwines her limbs around Song's as she weaves her insidious trap:
*"Picture the pandemonium if... we shatter the auction house's jade seals? Then—"* her smile glints with a sharpness reminiscent of Ming porcelain, *"—witness as Wan'er prostrates herself at your ancestral shrine?"*
To be continuous…