SYLM Chapter 113

Chapter 113 “Leave if you want to.”

Chapter 113 “Leave if you want to.”

Tang Ying spoke of divorce as casually as a daily weather forecast.

As soon as the words fell, the mother and daughter sat face to face, staring at each other. The air was filled with Tang Lan’s faint sandalwood scent, mixed with the lingering smell of cigarettes on her fingertips. The two incompatible scents twisted together into a suffocating low pressure.

The office was spacious and bright. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a pale skyline. The white suit was almost dazzling in the sunlight, making the overly beautiful face on the sofa seem to be covered with a layer of ice. Tang Ying kept a straight face, staring unblinkingly at the person in front of her, waiting for the predicted storm to arrive.

Tang Lan sat on the sofa directly opposite her, wearing a dark blue suit today. The Party emblem on her chest was shining brightly, and her dark hair was meticulously coiled behind her head as it was every day.

Seeing that Tang Lan didn’t speak for a long time, Tang Ying, with a cold face, bent her fingers and knocked on the table, repeating what she had just said with little patience:

“I said I want a divorce.”

“I’m not deaf, I heard you.”

“……”

This was not the reaction Tang Ying had expected.

The high-ranking Director Tang should have slammed the table when she heard the word “divorce,” stared at her with eyes that could pierce steel, and sneered at how fanciful she was.

Not like this.

In the overly peaceful tone, there was even a hint of laughter that made Tang Ying think she was hallucinating.

Damn it, I didn’t check the almanac before going out today.

Tang Ying thought badly in her heart. On the other side, the hot bone china cup made a soft sound when it was put down. Tang Lan looked up at her, with a smile that was not a smile:

“Since you dare to come to me, it means you have made all the preparations, right.”

“……”

Tang Ying narrowed her eyes and did not answer immediately.

What Tang Lan said was true. After all, she was a child who grew up in an atmosphere of power struggles, planning, and calculating interests. Tang Ying was not a fool. Over the years, she had been secretly operating, with funds, stocks, real estate, and even overseas accounts. Even if she broke off all relations at this moment, she could still sit back and enjoy the rest of her life with the assets she had carefully managed in recent years.

And Tang Lan couldn’t possibly not know this.

What was her purpose in saying this?

Tang Ying secretly pondered the other party’s intention, but inadvertently caught a glimpse of the top-quality jade bracelet on Tang Lan’s wrist.

Many years ago, she seemed to have received an identical one. It turned out that this person had broken up the pair and given it to her.

Probably a gift from some subordinate.

Tang Ying collected her gaze, straightened her back, and said coldly:

“Yes, I want a divorce. This is not a negotiation, but a notification.”

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a second.

“It has to be a divorce?” Tang Lan said.

“It has to be a divorce.”

“Just for that little girl named Fu Yi Wen?”

“Yes.”

“Just her?”

“Just her.”

Each answer was like loading a bullet. Tang Ying could almost hear the sound of her own heartbeat.

Now that she couldn’t find Fu Yi Wen, she didn’t need to hide anything. If Tang Lan was angered by this and used her connections to help her find the person, it would save her the trouble.

But contrary to Tang Ying’s expectations, Tang Lan’s expression still didn’t change much. She just tilted her head slightly, and the sunlight shining through the gaps cast a cold reflection on the rimless glasses:

“Does Jiang Ying Xu know you want a divorce?”

“I will notify him.”

“So, I’m the first person to know about this.”

The eyebrows and eyes that had been stern and rigid for a long time, along with the corners of her mouth, curved into a shallow arc, showing a rare gentleness.

It wasn’t an illusion.

Tang Lan was really smiling this time.

Tang Ying felt a burst of dizziness. She stared at the face in front of her that was seventy percent similar to her own, as if she were looking in a mirror. She couldn’t see through this ambiguous smile, whether it was mockery or something else. She even suspected that the famous Director Tang had been driven crazy by her.

After all, in this situation, either Tang Lan was crazy, or she was.

Seeming to see through her thoughts, Tang Lan spread her hands, her tone sounding like a joke:

“It seems you’ve prepared a long speech. Should I take back what I just said and pretend to cooperate with you?”

“You agree to my divorce?” Tang Ying’s voice was mixed with a hint of obvious uncertainty.

“Wasn’t I clear enough just now?”

Tang Lan leaned back in her leather chair, her tone filled with her usual confidence:

“You don’t think I got to where I am today by relying on the Jiang family, do you? You’re wrong. I’m the one with the connections.”

“……”

The speaker looked calm and collected, while the listener’s face changed again and again.

Although Tang Ying didn’t want to admit it, the fact was indeed so.

In terms of office politics, none of the Jiang family members, even if they were all added together, could necessarily outsmart Tang Lan.

But precisely because she understood this person’s strength, the other party’s abnormality at this moment was even more suspicious.

“Are there any conditions?”

“Conditions?”

“You agree to my divorce, what are the conditions?”

There is no free lunch in the world. Tang Ying knew that people like Tang Lan prioritized interests above all else. The reason for agreeing to the divorce must be for her own purposes.

But when she asked this question, she found that Tang Lan’s expression had clearly undergone a subtle change, as if she was at a loss for words, or as if she had never considered what she had just said, “conditions,” to be anything.

Real? Fake?

Tang Ying couldn’t see through her mother.

After pondering for a while, Tang Lan met her daughter’s cautious and suspicious gaze and said:

“Bring Fu Yi Wen to see me. There are some questions I want to ask her in person.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Ying’s face immediately changed. Seeming to understand something, Tang Lan crossed her arms in front of her chest and added leisurely:

“What’s wrong? You’ve been using your power and throwing money around for so long, and you still haven’t found her whereabouts?”

“……”

This sentence stabbed into Tang Ying’s heart like a knife.

Yes, her every move could not escape Director Tang’s eyes.

Tang Ying frowned, took out the cigarette case she had just wanted to take out from her pocket, and her tone was not good: “Can I take it that you want to perish together?”

Seeing Tang Ying take out a cigarette and put it between her lips, Tang Lan didn’t stop her, nor did she say anything. Her increasingly complicated gaze stared straight at the person in front of her.

The crisp sound of the lighter “click” was particularly harsh in the quiet office, but the flickering flame did not move for a long time. The mother and daughter looked at each other for a long time. In the end, Tang Ying still took out the unlit cigarette from her mouth with a cold face.

“Why don’t you speak?” Tang Ying asked.

“Tang Ying, do you really think you can get a divorce from Jiang Ying Xu smoothly?”

“What do you mean?”

“Although it’s not something to be proud of, I know you quite well.”

Tang Lan paused, her tone adding a hint of strange gentleness in Tang Ying’s ears:

“You are a person who doesn’t give up until you achieve your goal. If you can’t find that little girl, you will keep looking until you find her.”

“What exactly do you want to say?”

“I’ll help you get a divorce. After you find her, bring that little girl to see me. That’s my condition.”

“……”

There was another silence.

Tang Ying frowned even more tightly.

This person just said she wanted to help her get a divorce… right?

Everything that was happening was completely beyond Tang Ying’s expectations. There seemed to be some information hidden in Tang Lan’s words that she didn’t understand, but at this moment, her brain refused to think deeply. She could only keep a cold face and cautiously ask:

“Why?”

“What why?”

“Why do you want to help me?”

“Didn’t I mention a condition?”

“Wanting to see Fu Yi Wen is your condition?”

“Can’t it be?”

“Why do you want to see her?”

The coffee was a little cold. Tang Lan’s gaze suddenly drifted out the window: “There are a few questions I want to chat with her alone.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

A conversation that was originally thought to be difficult to continue ended with a sentence “just like that.”

Without the anticipated bloody storm, tit-for-tat confrontation, Tang Ying retreated from this conversation unscathed, and even earned a cup of coffee that tasted many times better than the coffee outside.

Before leaving, with her hand on the metal doorknob, Tang Ying suddenly turned around and asked, “You haven’t found her either?”

“Who?”

“Fu Yi Wen.”

Tang Ying didn’t mind playing the game of pretending to be stupid with Tang Lan.

“Why would I look for her?”

“Even you can’t find her… Where did she go?”

“……”

The mother and daughter answered irrelevantly, each saying her own thing. A crack appeared in Tang Lan’s calm expression, but it quickly returned to normal:

“Don’t be greedy after getting a bargain. If you have nothing to do, get out of my office quickly. I still have work to do.”

Hearing this, Tang Ying looked at her watch in a meaningful way. Before pushing the door open, she sarcastically dropped a sentence: “Enjoy your overtime.”

Then, the sound of closing the door, which was as normal as it could be, rang softly.

Completely different from the frightening slamming of the door that usually occurred when the mother and daughter broke up unhappily.

—-

That night, when the lights in the Education Bureau building were almost completely extinguished, only the window of the director’s office on the top floor was still lit with cold white light.

In front of the desk, Tang Lan rubbed her temples, tapping her fingers on the desk. Finally, she picked up her phone and dialed the number she knew by heart.

At this time, there was only one person she could contact.

The call was quickly answered.

“Hello?” A smiling female voice came from the receiver: “What’s wrong? Are you asking for tickets for your daughter again?”

“……”

Just that once, she helped a colleague of Tang Ying get two tickets for a university art exchange festival, and this person would tease her every time she called after that.

Tang Lan rolled her eyes, even though the other party couldn’t see it: “Stop talking nonsense. Same place, half an hour.”

A chuckle came from the other end of the phone: “Is that how Director Tang asks for favors?”

“Take it or leave it.” Tang Lan hung up the phone decisively, got up, and grabbed the car keys on the table.

Half an hour later, a high-end clubhouse. Private room.

When Jing Hui pushed the door open, the whiskey in front of Tang Lan was already several glasses empty. Compared with Tang Lan’s sharp coldness, Jing Hui, who was wearing a beige business suit, had a kind of gentleness and composure that came from years of experience.

Clearly, she was the one who had asked the person to come, but Tang Lan didn’t even raise her head. Her cold tone carried a familiar sarcasm, just like when she was young:

“It’s so late, is Deputy Commander Lin not worried about you coming out alone?”

“There’s a meeting in the military region tonight, he’s not at home.”

Jing Hui smiled lightly and sat down, placing her bag aside. Her gaze swept over the empty wine bottle on the table, and her smile immediately disappeared:

“You’ve already finished a round of drinking by yourself? Drowning your sorrows in alcohol is not a good thing.”

As Jing Hui spoke, she slowly took out a thermos cup from her bag. Tang Lan glanced at her, her tone still cold:

“I didn’t expect that Commander Jing would also have a day of admitting to being old.”

“When you get older, you can’t help but admit it.”

The lid of the thermos cup was twisted open with the sound of her speaking, and a sweet aroma instantly spread in the air, filling the room. The aroma of ripe apples mixed with the unique medicinal fragrance of astragalus, and there was even a hint of the sweetness of wolfberries. The warm atmosphere instantly diluted the cold smell of alcohol in the private room.

Tang Lan unceremoniously rolled her eyes at Jing Hui’s statement: “You can be an old person yourself.”

After speaking, she waved to the waiter to bring another round of drinks.

As soon as the wine was delivered, Tang Lan was about to drink it, but Jing Hui directly held her hand. The person took out another thermos cup from her bag and handed it to her. Her tone sounded a little dissatisfied:

“What’s wrong with you? I just said that drowning your sorrows in alcohol is not good, why are you still doing it in front of me? How old are you?”

“Oh ho, you’re used to being a leader, and you’re trying to control me?”

Tang Lan sneered. She said that, but she still let go of the wine glass and instead took the thermos cup that Jing Hui handed over.

Opening the lid, the amber liquid glowed with a warm luster under the light. A sweet scent of apples mixed with the unique earthy smell of astragalus floated directly into Tang Lan’s nose.

It smelled pretty good.

“Did you make it?” Tang Lan’s tone was doubtful.

Jing Hui found it funny to hear this: “If I didn’t make it, did you make it?”

“……”

Confirming that it was made by Jing Hui, Tang Lan took a sip. The warm liquid slid down her throat, and the sweetness of the apples and the medicinal fragrance of astragalus blended very well. Adding the slight sweetness of rock sugar, it was unexpectedly delicious. Tang Lan couldn’t help but take another big gulp, and her tense nerves seemed to relax a bit.

Looking at her relaxed shoulders, Jing Hui glanced at the empty wine glasses on the table, and a flash of understanding flashed in her eyes:

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you drink so much alcohol. What’s wrong? Did your daughter threaten you?”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

Tang Lan paused and glanced at the person next to her.

In this circle, as long as Jing Hui wanted to know, nothing could escape her eyes.

Tang Lan put down the thermos cup, and her slightly relaxed shoulders tensed up again. Her tone was cold: “Stop making sarcastic remarks.”

Jing Hui laughed instead of getting angry: “I’m making sarcastic remarks? Who asked me to come?”

Tang Lan turned her face away, the lines of her jaw tight and sharp: “I didn’t beg you to come.”

“Okay, I came here willingly.” Jing Hui smiled good-temperedly: “But then again, Tang Ying is indeed your daughter. In terms of dealing with people, she has your style from back then.”

“……”

Tang Lan suddenly turned her head back, her eyes filled with angry flames. But Jing Hui, who knew she had stepped on a mine, still had a smiling look on her face: “What’s wrong? Why are you anxious? Isn’t it good that your daughter is like you?”

“……”

This person was doing it on purpose.

Tang Lan was too lazy to pay attention to her. She picked up the thermos cup and angrily took another big gulp of apple astragalus water.

The warm liquid slid into her throat, but it couldn’t extinguish the depression in Tang Lan’s heart.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Tang Lan didn’t look at the person next to her and opened her mouth on her own:

“Yes, I once thought my daughter was like me, that she liked money and power the most, but now… ha.”

Tang Ying shook her head with a sneer. As soon as she finished speaking, Jing Hui, who had been smiling, gradually restrained her smile, and her tone became a little more serious:

“People change, and what you were once enthusiastic about wasn’t just money and power.”

“That’s exactly why I know how unreliable love is.”

Tang Lan’s voice lowered, her tone carrying a thorough coldness:

“Only the power and money in your hands are the foundation for survival. She clearly knew this before, why is she being so stupid now?”

“Because people eat whole grains, they all have seven emotions and six desires. Whether it’s family, love, or friendship, no one can escape it. Even a thunderous hand like Director Tang is like that.”

Jing Hui’s words were obviously meaningful. Tang Lan glanced at her, her tone somewhat disdainful:

“Are cultural troupes now starting to become popular as emotional masters?”

“I’m not an emotional master, I’m just a clear-headed bystander. If what you value most is power, then why did you deliberately expose your fatal weakness to your daughter? As far as I know, the solid evidence in her hands is enough to bring you down.”

“I was—forget it.”

Tang Lan’s expression changed, and she didn’t continue speaking. When she changed the topic, her tone suddenly became more deliberately distant:

“Since Commander Jing knows the stakes involved, she should have less contact with me, so as not to be implicated by me.”

“Hmm…”

Jing Hui responded, as if she was really thinking about the feasibility of this:

“What you said makes sense. Although I’m upright and not afraid of shadows, rumors are terrifying. This is indeed not very good. I think it’s necessary for us to maintain… hmm? Director Tang, why are you glaring? You clearly brought up the topic, and I’m just following you, is that not okay?”

Seeing that Tang Lan’s cold and resentful eyes were almost popping out, Jing Hui resisted the urge to laugh out loud and sighed seriously, continuing to add insult to injury:

“Hey, no wonder your daughter is fighting you. The two of you have the same stubborn temper.”

“Get out.”

“Eh, insulting a leader, right?”

“What kind of leader are you?”

“Your leader.”

“Heh, we’re not even remotely related.”

“We’re remotely related.”

The two women, who were over a hundred years old combined, were still arguing like they did when they were young, but neither of them felt that anything was wrong.

Jing Hui supported her forehead, somewhat amused:

“Hey, we’ve had the drinks, we’ve had the talk, Director Tang, if there’s nothing else, hurry home and sleep. There’s a lot to do tomorrow.”

While urging, Jing Hui reached out and pulled Tang Lan’s arm, but the next second, she was stopped in place by the other party’s sudden question——

“Jing Hui, what’s the outcome of liking a woman?”

This sounded like a mockery from the world, but also like a question from the heart.

As soon as the words fell, the private room instantly became quiet.

Liking a woman.

For the current female leaders, one from the military and one from politics, who were both high-ranking officials, this path seemed to not exist from the beginning.

Jing Hui slowly withdrew her hand. After a moment of silence, she tried to ease the atmosphere with a joke:

“I didn’t see it before, but Director Tang is so old-fashioned?”

“I’m old-fashioned?” Tang Lan sneered: “You’re just standing there and not having a backache, right? If Lin Jing liked women, I’d like to see if you’d still be in the mood to make sarcastic remarks?”

The smile on Jing Hui’s face disappeared, but her eyes were still firm: “What’s wrong with liking women? Regardless of whether it’s a man or a woman, as long as that person is truly good to my daughter, it doesn’t matter whether they’re male or female.”

“Even if that person has no power or influence, is as poor as a church mouse, and is 14 years younger than your daughter?”

“Tsk…” Jing Hui sucked in a breath in a very serious manner, but her eyes were filled with a smile: “Is your daughter’s vision that bad?”

“?”

“Sure enough, the saying that mothers and daughters are connected is not wrong. The way you two look at people is so——”

“Get out!”

“Hey, insulting a leader again? Don’t come to me for tickets next time. But it’s so late, I can reluctantly give you a ride.”

“Who needs you to give me a ride.”

“The driver is already waiting outside.”

“…Who needs your driver to give me a ride.”

Tang Lan said this, but ten minutes later, she still got into Jing Hui’s car.

The car was filled with a faint scent of perfume, the Chanel that Jing Hui had been using for more than twenty years.

“How old are you, and you’re still learning from young people and drinking alcohol? Aren’t you afraid of getting a headache?”

“It’s my business, I want to.”

“That’s what you said.”

“What did I say.”

“You just said that you were willing to let me take care of you, Director Tang, every word is worth a thousand gold.”

“……Get out.”

“This is my car.”

“……”

“Tomorrow, I’ll have someone send you more apple and astragalus water. Drink less alcohol, it’s not good for your health.”

“……”

Outside the car window was a rapidly receding street scene. Tang Lan turned her head and didn’t look at Jing Hui, who was sitting next to her in the back seat, but that light “hmm” landed firmly in Jing Hui’s ears a few seconds later.