Volume One, Chapter Five: He Blocked Her Bank Card

After putting his daughter to sleep, Fu Yanzhou noticed it was already late.

In recent days, with Lin Zhiwan away, although there were servants at home, Jinxing had always been cared for by Lin Zhiwan since she was little and disliked being alone with the servants.

So, Fu Yanzhou had no choice but to keep Jinxing by his side.

Over time, Jinxing would inevitably get bored, just like tonight’s auction.

Thinking of the auction brought that woman to Fu Yanzhou’s mind.

She must have calculated that he would attend the auction today, so she waited there for him.

A woman’s thoughts never stray far from such matters.

She probably felt embarrassed to have left home and then voluntarily returned, even finding a man to accompany her to stage this little drama!

Truly idle!

But keeping things tense like this was no solution.

Jinxing needed someone to care for her.

Moreover, if such scenes happened repeatedly, it would certainly become a laughingstock among outsiders.

In the time it took to smoke a cigarette, Fu Yanzhou had made up his mind.

He took out his phone and opened the chat window with Lin Zhiwan; their last conversation was a week ago.

While he was with Jinxing in Paris, Lin Zhiwan had called dozens of times.

Frowning deeply, Fu Yanzhou thought women were always troublesome; Lin Zhiwan had been quite obedient these years of marriage, but now he didn’t know what madness had overtaken her.

Fu Yanzhou closed the chat and opened his banking app instead.

He froze Lin Zhiwan’s card.

Without financial support, how long could she stay out there?

Lin Zhiwan had a good sleep and woke up after eight.

Though it was the heart of winter, the room was well heated, and the sunlight pouring in made it feel warm and cozy.

She brewed herself some coffee and sat alone on the balcony, gazing at the river view not far away, feeling quite content.

Her phone buzzed with a message; it was a notification from the bank.

The auction commission had been credited, and seeing the long string of zeros in her balance, Lin Zhiwan smiled even more broadly.

Soon after, the doorbell rang.

It was the divorce lawyer she had arranged to meet.

Her demands were not excessive; after five years of marriage, she wanted 30% of Fu Yanzhou’s assets—not too much!

After signing the divorce agreement, Lin Zhiwan sent it directly to Fu Yanzhou’s company by courier.

She tidied up briefly and then headed to the faculty residence at Kyoto University.

Although she had steeled herself, when the car stopped, she hesitated long before opening the door.

“Lin Zhiwan, are you sure? Are you really willing to give up your doctoral degree for a man? Don’t you know I set up that doctoral program for you? You’ve already passed the entrance exam, and now you say you want to give up. Think carefully—is the man more important, or your studies and future?”

“Lin Zhiwan, if you dare to leave this building today, consider yourself no longer my student!”

The stern scolding from Teacher Xu seemed like it had just happened yesterday.

For five years, she hadn’t dared to visit Teacher Xu.

Partly out of guilt, partly because those words had become a prophecy: she had foolishly given up everything for a man.

She had once been Teacher Xu’s pride and joy, and during her graduate studies, working on research projects under Xu’s guidance, she successfully published SCI papers.

Her work on using contemporary technology to restore cultural relics had even earned recognition from industry authorities.

Now, Lin Zhiwan was determined to return to being an auctioneer, and she could not neglect the work of antique appraisal and restoration.

She only didn’t know if Teacher Xu would still accept her.

Carrying a gift, she went upstairs and stood outside the door, hesitating for a long time before finally summoning the courage to knock.

“Who is it?”

The door opened, revealing an elderly figure with graying hair and a stooped back.

Lin Zhiwan froze for a moment, her nose tingling with emotion.

Just five years, yet her teacher had aged so much...

“Teacher...”

Xu Wenjun snorted coldly.

“What are you here for?”

“Teacher, I came to see you, I...”

“I told you before, you gave up everything for a man. Don’t call me teacher anymore! I have no student like you! Go away, don’t stay here!”

With that, Xu Wenjun pushed Lin Zhiwan outside.

The door slammed shut in her face.

“Teacher Xu, I know I disappointed you before. I beg you to give me one more chance. I will retake the exam and get admitted to your doctoral program. Please believe me!”

Before her words had faded, the door reopened.

Xu Wenjun stood there, looking at her once most promising student, now tearful and no longer full of youthful vigor.

She had already heard about the auction incident last night from her student.

She had guessed Lin Zhiwan would come to see her.

This girl was the most talented student she had ever taught. She had advised her earnestly, but the girl had been stubborn and wouldn’t listen.

Now, seeing her so downcast, she could guess her marriage had been unhappy without a word spoken.

“You haven’t come in years, but your talent for exaggeration has certainly grown. You’re talking about taking my doctoral exam. Do you think it’s that easy to get in?”

Lin Zhiwan looked at her teacher, who wore a stern face and spoke with no kindness.

Yet Lin Zhiwan wept with joy.

She knew her teacher had forgiven her.

“Teacher Xu, you accept me!”

Xu Wenjun clicked her tongue in feigned annoyance.

“Who said I accept you! I’m telling you clearly, this is my last year recruiting doctoral students. You know I have only one spot. Whether you get in depends on your own ability!”

Lin Zhiwan did not feel daunted. Instead, she smiled and promised she would succeed.

Though she hadn’t worked for five years after marriage, she had never neglected her antique appraisal and restoration skills.

Five years ago, she gave up her studies for a man. This time, she would never repeat that mistake.

At the Fu Corporation’s presidential office, Fu Yanzhou was handling documents when someone knocked on the door.

It was the secretary’s office bringing some files.

“President Fu, this is the vase you won at last night’s auction, and here’s a document requiring your signature.”

Wang Xueying placed the items on his desk.

Fu Yanzhou opened the box. “Mm, you may leave now.”

He took a photo of the vase and spoke softly into his phone, “The item has been secured. I’ll bring it to you next time I go to Paris.”

Seeing Wang Xueying still standing there, he frowned.

“Anything else?”

She shook her head.

Glancing at Fu Yanzhou’s phone, her expression dimmed.

“Nothing else, President Fu. I’ll take my leave.”

“Mm.”

Fu Yanzhou nodded.

He reached for an unopened file folder nearby. Just as he opened it, his phone screen lit up.

He set the opened folder aside.

On the phone was a reply message:

“Thank you, Yanzhou! I have a surprise—I’m returning to the country! The doctoral advisor I planned to apply to just announced they’re recruiting one doctoral student this year, and I want to seize this opportunity. If all goes well, I’ll stay in the country, so I can see Jinxing often.”

Fu Yanzhou quickly replied, saying he would pick her up with Jinxing at the airport on her return.

He also made arrangements for a riverside apartment so she’d have a place to stay.

As for the file folder that had been opened, it lay abandoned on the desk...

Later, Wang Xueying came in to tidy the desk, saw the envelope, assumed the president had already seen it, and filed the documents away.