Kneeling for Redemption: The Ex-Husband's Plea

In the pre-dawn hours of three a.m., LuoXiaoyi stood by the window, her gaze fixed on the tumult outside—howling winds, torrential rains—it was evident that LengMuxiao wouldn't be coming home tonight.

Merely three hours earlier, she had phoned him, a sense of urgency in her voice, imploring his swift return for an urgent affair.

What she received in return were the bitter sounds of his scoffing and the finality of a disconnected call. LuoXiaoyi had long accepted the bitter truth that her husband's affections were never hers to claim.

It was a leverage of gratitude, owing to her act of saving Grandpa Leng's life three years ago, that she compelled LengMuxiao into this union. To outsiders, her marriage into such affluence was seen as a fortuitous destiny, yet none could fathom the sorrow that lay beneath.

Throughout these three years of matrimony, their encounters were few and far between. She had grown accustomed to the cold, empty expanse of their home, to a husband whose absence felt akin to that of the departed.

However, this day was unlike any other; the distressing phone call she had received prompted her to send another message to LengMuxiao, hoping against hope for a moment of his time.

Clutching her mobile device, she succumbed to slumber amidst the excruciating wait.

Time elapsed, undefined, her rest uneasy until a sudden, frigid pair of hands found her waist. Startled, her eyes snapped open, a scream nearly escaping her lips.

By the flash of lightning, she perceived his striking countenance. "You've returned."

Excitement surged, banishing her drowsiness. But as her hands brushed against the damp fabric of LengMuxiao's attire, a shudder took her. "You should remove your wet garments," she suggested cautiously, aware of the risk of illness.

Her words of concern, however, remained unspoken as LengMuxiao seized her wrist with a firm grasp.

"Is this why you beckoned me back? Your desperation is palpable. How did you endure my absence?"

His voice was steeped in scorn and loathsome conjecture.

"I didn't intend—"

Her attempts to explain were brusquely silenced as LengMuxiao's icy finger pressed against her lips, a smirk of impatience and disdain curling at the edges. "Save your breath, let's get on with it."

His advance was predatory, indifferent to her sentiments.

She had tolerated much in the past, cherishing those rare moments of closeness with LengMuxiao, but this time, the pain was truly excruciating.

"Ouch!"

Her eyes, glistening with tears, briefly tugged at his heartstrings. But he was cognizant of her tendency for theatrics.

Just like three years prior, when her deception and feigned pregnancy entrapped him into this marriage, her eyes had pleaded just as pitifully, yet her machinations were utterly repugnant.

"Such a letdown!"

LengMuxiao disentangled himself from her, his gaze briefly acknowledging her lithe and alluring figure writhing in feigned or genuine distress.

Usually, he might have lingered, but at this moment, he felt nothing but distaste.

If LuoXiaoyi's performance was meant to elicit his sympathy, it only served to reaffirm her folly and his indifference.

After a moment of respite, LuoXiaoyi noticed the pain in her abdomen had subsided. LengMuxiao was already preparing to depart, having spared her not a single glance.

Perhaps he suspected yet another act.

The misconception of the false pregnancy had long ago cemented her as a conniving figure in his heart, her pleas of innocence dismissed as insincere defiance in the face of incontrovertible evidence.

Yet her reason for summoning LengMuxiao tonight was genuine.

With gritted teeth, LuoXiaoyi braved the pain, extending her hand across the bed to grasp a corner of his clothing.

"May I beseech you for a mere few minutes of your time? I'm in dire need of your assistance."

Though LengMuxiao brushed off her hand, intending to leave, LuoXiaoyi quickly wrapped herself in a blanket and positioned herself before the door, imploring, "Just one minute."

"Out with it!"

His frigid tone veiled a hint of concession, signaling the utmost extent of his patience.

"Could I possibly borrow five million? The necessity is dire, and I assure you of repayment, with interest included."

The request was a difficult one to vocalize, but her father urgently required the sum for his cancer treatment.

Having just received the call from her stepmother about her father's hospitalization and grim diagnosis, LuoXiaoyi was pressed into a corner. She knew any mention of her father would only solidify LengMuxiao's refusal.

Therefore, she remained silent about it.

LengMuxiao's lips curled into a sneer. "Dropping the pretense? Your feigned agony was merely the overture, now the plea for money takes center stage."

His cold finger lifted her chin, his smirk laden with contempt. "LuoXiaoyi, do you truly see yourself as a prize? Last time it was five million."

"Let me tell you, had you made such a request three years ago, the money would've been yours. Now, you're merely a dispensable indulgence, no different from an inflatable doll."

Tears welled in LuoXiaoyi's eyes, her voice tinged with desperation, "I only wish to borrow, I could even pay interest. LengMuxiao, please, I implore you."

"Assist you? How did you 'assist' when Muqing sought explanations? You cornered her with falsified evidence and drove her away."

LuoXiaoyi shook her head in denial, "It wasn't like that, I truly went alone to explain, and I can't fathom why Qingqing was there."

Three years back, she had shared an intoxicated night with LengMuxiao, undeterred even as he mistook her for Muqing. When Muqing discovered, LengMuxiao beseeched LuoXiaoyi to clarify the misunderstanding.

Despite the pain it caused her, LuoXiaoyi had agreed, only for their confrontation to be interrupted by Qingqing, who exposed the pregnancy test results to Muqing.

Her explanations were dismissed, and within days, Muqing had departed abroad.

"Heh!"

LengMuxiao's disbelief was palpable, the same disbelief LuoXiaoyi had faced repeatedly over the past three years.

Yet she clung to a thread of hope that one day he might see the truth.

"Alright, assume it's all my fault," she conceded, "What must I do for the loan?"

To LengMuxiao, five million was a negligible sum, perhaps equivalent to the price of a timepiece. It was his pride at stake.

LuoXiaoyi's eyes, once his undoing with their beguiling innocence, now only met his immunity.

LengMuxiao's thumb glided over her lips in a gesture of apparent intimacy, but LuoXiaoyi was keenly aware that there would be no kiss; even in their most intimate moments, he had never bestowed such an affection.

"It’s been three years; are you regretting the persona you've crafted? If you hadn't signed that prenuptial agreement, there'd be no need to plead for money now."

Before their wedding, LuoXiaoyi had agreed to a prenuptial agreement that waived any claim to LengMuxiao's wealth.

He viewed her actions as scheming for more than just the title of Madam Leng, but she knew her motives for marriage were never financially driven.

The disdain in his eyes was clear; LengMuxiao had no intention of lending her the money.

LuoXiaoyi possessed her own pride and would not degrade herself further with pleas.

After parting on an unhappy note with LengMuxiao in the wee hours, LuoXiaoyi found little rest, rising at dawn to prepare soup for her father.

She needed to find another way to procure the funds, but first, a visit to the hospital was in order.

Arriving early, LuoXiaoyi caught the doctor's rounds and, after inquiring about her father's condition, was more certain than ever of the impending financial strain.

"Xiaoyi, don't fret. I can manage with just medication; there's no need for a costly hospital stay," her father reassured her, though his private room's daily fees were exorbitant.

LuoJun felt pangs of empathy for LuoXiaoyi. To others, she might be the lady of a grand household, but he knew all too well LengMuxiao's indifference and wished not to burden his daughter.

LuoXiaoyi, resolute, met her father's gaze. "No, we must follow the treatment prescribed by the doctor."

"Don't worry, money is not an issue. Muxiao has provided for us," she lied.

LuoJun, skeptical, pressed, "Really? Has LengMuxiao truly provided funds for my care?"

"Xiaoyi, don't deceive your father."

Three years ago, it was he who, armed with a pregnancy report, approached the Leng family. The matriarch, upon learning the news, insisted LengMuxiao marry LuoXiaoyi. This led to his girlfriend's departure and subsequent emigration. Rumors swirled that on the day Muqing left, LengMuxiao weathered a night in the rain at the airport, resulting in pneumonia.

Since then, LengMuxiao suppressed LuoJun at every turn, reducing him from a research director to a mere clerk to spare his daughter from hardship.

"Truly, I would never lie to you. If he hadn’t given me the money, how could I afford such hospital fees?"

"He's simply too busy to visit. Last night when he returned, he had to pack for another business trip. But he made sure to remind me to bring you the tonic soup. See, Cordyceps chicken soup; please drink up, Dad."

LuoXiaoyi, fearing her father might detect her lie, busied herself with the soup pot.

Her stepmother, Yanglinjing, was quicker, pouring the soup for LuoJun, "It's a blessing I'm here."

"Delicious, isn’t it? See how well your daughter and son-in-law care for you."

While serving LuoJun, Yanglinjing probed about LengMuxiao, "Xiaoyi, when might Muxiao be free to visit? I should prepare to greet him accordingly."

Having been married to LuoJun for two years without ever being graced by the presence of LengMuxiao, the uncrowned king of the business world, nor receiving preferential treatment as a wealthy mother-in-law, her questions stemmed from ignorance.

LengMuxiao coming here? LuoXiaoyi had lied to prevent her father from discharging himself due to financial worries.

Yet her stepmother, oblivious to her discomfort, persisted with inquiries, leaving LuoXiaoyi no choice but to fib, "I can't be certain. Muxiao is incredibly busy, and I'd hate to set a time only to disappoint you all."

"As soon as he’s free, I'll bring him. For now, I must settle the hospital bill."

LuoXiaoyi’s exit was nothing short of a flight.

She wasn't one to lie, and the fear of being exposed by her father was overwhelming.

After much persistence, the doctor granted her a few days' grace.

Relieved, she was about to return to the room when she spotted LengMuxiao and a woman linked at his arm, exiting the gynecology department.

Why was he here?

LuoXiaoyi hid, not wanting to be seen, yet couldn't resist stealing glances at LengMuxiao, sure he wouldn't notice her.

His gaze was so tender toward the woman, in stark contrast to the sharp, cold looks he gave her.

Amidst envy and a pang of sorrow, tears welled in LuoXiaoyi's eyes.

"Mr. Leng, is there something captivating over there?" ZhongJiayi asked, her professional tenderness masking underlying jealousy, soon realizing what—or rather who—captured his attention.

"Ah, isn't that Mrs. Leng? What brings her to the hospital? If she's unwell, shouldn't we go check on her?"

"No need."

If she were truly ill, she would have used it as an excuse for Grandmother to pressure him into accompanying her.

This manipulative game, she played too well.

"But won't she misunderstand? Shall I go explain?"

His steps faltered. "Since when are you so interested in her affairs?"

ZhongJiayi, blind to his irritation, cooed, "I thought you cared, seeing you so focused there."

Her next words lodged in her throat upon meeting his icy gaze, rendering her mute with fear.

"Do you presume to decipher my thoughts?"

Ignoring her panic, LengMuxiao stated, "Your presence today is for business, don't mistake yourself for something more."

"The people around me should know their place, follow rules. If even that's beyond you, go to Director Zhang for your severance."

The mere mention of LuoXiaoyi's name could incite his anger—whether she asked for money or not, it vexed him.

Now, anyone who brought up her name would suffer his wrath.

From LuoXiaoyi's hidden vantage, it appeared as if they were kissing.

It felt as though invisible hands were strangling her, LuoXiaoyi gasping for air, the discomfort unbearable.

She had loved him for five years, endured 1,825 days and nights, only to witness him kissing another.

He had never once looked back at her.

The urge to flee was overwhelming, yet for reasons unknown, she felt paralyzed, drained of all strength.

"Hello, may I have a word with you?"

LuoXiaoyi hadn't noticed ZhongJiayi’s approach; by the time she regained her senses, LengMuxiao was gone.

The woman before her, with lustrous black hair and eyes as captivating as hooks, bore a striking resemblance to Muqing. No wonder LengMuxiao had kissed her; it was still Muqing he yearned for.

She would never surpass his cherished memory.

Standing tall, LuoXiaoyi composed herself for the confrontation with the mistress, determined not to be bested.

"Sure."

...

In the coffee shop adjacent to the hospital:

"I'm sure you've seen me on TV and magazines. The paparazzi have captured Muxiao and me together many times," ZhongJiayi said with marked arrogance, sensing LengMuxiao's dissatisfaction with his wife.

LuoXiaoyi responded indifferently, "Oh, my husband has too many subordinates, I can't recall them all."

A star of her caliber mistaken for just another worker?

"I'm not a subordinate of Mr. Leng, I'm a celebrity, and my relationship with Muxiao is quite intimate."

"Oh, so you're the mistress."

The word 'mistress' struck a nerve. ZhongJiayi retorted, "I'm not a mistress. Muxiao and I share true love. In any romance, the one who isn’t loved is the mistress. Leng doesn't love you at all."

Though she had accepted this truth long ago, hearing it from the mistress was a slap in the face, an utter humiliation.

LuoXiaoyi uttered with a tinge of irony, "It appears that the role of 'the other woman' is now a position to be flaunted."

"What does it matter if LengMuxiao lacks affection for me? On our marriage certificate, his name is joined with mine. I am his wife by law, and you must duly address me as Mrs. Leng."

How could this be? LuoXiaoyi was perceived as malleable, yet now she seems armored in thorns. ZhongJiayi had sought her out to revel in her distress, having provoked LengMuxiao's ire.

ZhongJiayi gritted her teeth, "Yet it's me he cherishes. We've celebrated a year together; he's by my side decking the halls at Christmas, conjuring a romantic galaxy for Qixi, holding my hand on leisurely strolls and cinematic nights, and building snowmen in the winter's embrace. He showers me with gifts for each season and has graced me with his Affiliated Black Card – privileges I doubt you've ev