Xiang Wanniao blinked her eyes, forcing out a few drops of tears. "Brother An, I can't bear a single day of life in Guiyuan anymore. Gu Jingzhan's mood is so unpredictable every day, it's truly terrifying."
"Qiaoqiao, don't be afraid. Just wait a little longer, and I will definitely find a way to make Gu Jingzhan divorce you."
Xiang Wanniao glanced secretly at Xiao Xu'an and said, "But Gu Jingzhan has already agreed to the divorce, and my father's side has relented as well."
"What?!"
Hearing the news that Gu Jingzhan had agreed to divorce Xiang Wanniao, Xiao Xu'an felt a jolt in his chest, a flicker of panic flashing in the depths of his eyes.
How could this be possible?
No!
He hadn't gotten what he wanted yet. Now was not the time for Xiang Wanniao and Gu Jingzhan to divorce; he still needed this foolish woman Xiang Wanniao to stay by Gu Jingzhan's side as an insider.
If Xiang Wanniao were allowed to leave Gu Jingzhan now, everything he had plotted up to this point would be wasted in vain.
Naturally, Xiang Wanniao knew what kind of scheme Xiao Xu'an was running in his heart.
She hooked the corner of her lips in an imperceptible smile, then continued with a tearful whine, "Brother An, since Gu Jingzhan has already agreed, why don't I..."
"No!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Xu'an hurriedly stopped her.
Xiang Wanniao frowned and asked with a puzzled look, "Why?"
Xiao Xu'an was choked up by her question, but immediately coaxed her in a gentle tone: "Qiaoqiao, now is not the time for a divorce yet. Be a good girl, and when the right time comes, I will make Gu Jingzhan divorce you."
To avoid arousing his suspicion, Xiang Wanniao deliberately put on a reluctant front and threw a tantrum with him.
"I don't want to! I want to divorce Gu Jingzhan right now, and I want to be with you."
"I know, and I want to be with you too, but right now really isn't the time."
"But Gu Jingzhan has already agreed to the divorce. If we don't divorce now, what are we waiting for? Do you expect me to keep staying by his side and suffering abuse?"
Xiao Xu'an held her hand, patting her patiently to steady her urge to get a divorce.
"Qiaoqiao, I know your days by Gu Jingzhan's side are very hard, but for the sake of our wonderful future, please endure it just a little longer, all right?"
He vowed to her solemnly, "I swear, once I firmly establish my footing in the Xiao Family, I will proudly and brightly marry you into my home and make you the happiest bride in this world."
Xiang Wanniao sneered inwardly.
Xiao Xu'an, your so-called established footing is nothing more than stepping on the corpses of my parents, using the family estate of the Xiang Family to consolidate your position within the Xiao Family.
In my past life, it was precisely because I believed the devilish lies of you and Lü Siwei that I brought such a tragic end upon myself.
In this lifetime, I will absolutely never let you succeed.
Seeing that Xiang Wanniao remained silent, Xiao Xu'an poured a bit more genuine emotion into his voice: "Qiaoqiao, won't you trust me?"
Pulling her thoughts back, Xiang Wanniao smiled and nodded. "Alright, I trust you."
Hearing this, Xiao Xu'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her into an embrace.
"Qiaoqiao, you're so good."
In a place where he couldn't see, Xiang Wanniao couldn't help rolling her eyes.
She gently pushed him away and asked, "Brother An, I still don't quite understand. Why won't you let me divorce Gu Jingzhan?"
"Because..." Xiao Xu'an paused, then smiled. "Didn't I just say? I haven't firmly established my footing in the Xiao Family yet. Even if you divorce Gu Jingzhan, it's impossible for me to marry you right away."
He continued, "Besides, having you follow me like this without any title or status would be wronging you. You are, after all, the eldest young lady of a prominent Kyoto family."
"But I don't care," Xiang Wanniao said with deep affection.
"Qiaoqiao, I know you love me very much, and you hate Gu Jingzhan too," Xiao Xu'an coaxed softly. "Rest assured, I won't let you stay by his side for much longer."
Lowering her gaze, Xiang Wanniao answered with helpless resignation, "Alright then, I'll listen to you in everything."
She knew that Xiao Xu'an still did not trust her one hundred percent, so he always held something back from her.
Although she knew about the events of her past life, she always felt that things like Gu Jingzhan being convicted, sentenced, and poisoned to death in prison were not that simple.
Merely relying on some classified documents and the resources of Xiao Xu'an and Lü Siwei wasn't enough to drive Gu Jingzhan to a dead end.
Behind the scenes, there must be another force that could not be underestimated.
At that moment, standing outside the door of the hospital ward, Lu Qingzhou heard every word of the conversation between Xiao Xu'an and Xiang Wanniao, recording it all with his phone.
He couldn't help letting out a cold sneer.
Sure enough, whenever unusual things happen, there is bound to be a demon at work.
He had known that woman Xiang Wanniao couldn't possibly be well-behaved; turns out she had alternative motives.
It seemed he had to make Gu Jingzhan divorce that woman Xiang Wanniao as quickly as possible.
Seeing Xiao Xu'an walk out of the hospital, Lü Siwei honked the horn twice to signal him to come over to her car.
Looking around in all directions to make sure there were no acquaintances nearby, Xiao Xu'an strode rapidly toward the direction where Lü Siwei's car was parked.
Once he got into the car, he pulled Lü Siwei into his arms and kissed her repeatedly.
Lü Siwei shyly pushed him away and chided him, "Don't be so improper."
"Weiwei, I've missed you for a long time."
Xiao Xu'an's hands wandered restlessly, rubbing the small of her back, his eyes brimming with heavy lust.
"That woman Xiang Wanniao has absolutely no charm at all; she's like a block of wood. Someone like you is much more flavorful."
Lü Siwei wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him on the cheek, and asked in a spoiled, sweet tone, "Then do you like Xiang Wanniao or do you like me?"
Xiao Xu'an chuckled, tapped the tip of her nose with his finger, and dotingly said, "Does that even need to be asked? Of course I like you."
"By the way, how is Xiang Wanniao doing now?"
"Don't worry, she won't die." Xiao Xu'an relayed the situation to her. "However, Xiang Wanniao said that because of her suicide attempt last night, Gu Jingzhan agreed to divorce her."
Hearing this news, Lü Siwei was somewhat surprised.
She worried aloud, "Then didn't our clever scheme backfire?"
Instigating Xiang Wanniao to commit suicide was originally meant to intensify the conflict between her and Gu Jingzhan, but she never expected that Gu Jingzhan would actually agree to divorce Xiang Wanniao.
That shouldn't be right!
Didn't Gu Jingzhan love Xiang Wanniao very much?
How could he possibly bear to let go?
"There's no need to worry, though. I've already pacified Xiang Wanniao; she promised me she won't divorce Gu Jingzhan for the time being."
"Really?"
Lü Siwei found it hard to believe. Would this foolish woman really be able to hold back and not divorce Gu Jingzhan?
Xiang Wanniao was the one who despised Gu Jingzhan the most. Now that she had such a great opportunity to divorce him, how could she possibly let it slip by?
Xiao Xu'an answered with certainty, "Of course it's real. Just now in the hospital ward, I coaxed her for a long time before she was willing to agree to keep staying by Gu Jingzhan's side and temporarily put off divorcing him."
"That's good then," Lü Siwei breathed a sigh of relief. "We mustn't let that foolish woman Xiang Wanniao ruin our plans."
"Rest assured, she won't."
"Then..." Lü Siwei twirled Xiao Xu'an's tie with her finger, teasing him, "what are we going to do now?"
Xiao Xu'an chuckled and asked, "You're Xiang Wanniao's good best friend right now, aren't you planning to go see her? Aren't you afraid she'll suspect you?"
"What's there to see about her? She didn't die anyway," Lü Siwei said dismissively. "Besides, how could someone as foolish as her ever suspect me? Apart from me, she doesn't have any other friends."
"You really are the epitome of 'the most poisonous is a woman's heart'."
"Well, that makes a pretty good match for you."
Xiao Xu'an let out a doting chuckle and pinched her cheek. "Let's go, little goblin."