When Qi Shifeng got home, Xu Tingyu was still awake. She was sitting on the sofa waiting for him.
There was no one else at home. Even Youyou had been sent straight to their former marital home after the memorial service.
When they saw each other, neither of them spoke first.
Before doing this, Xu Tingyu had already prepared herself for a rift with Qi Shifeng.
She loved this man and knew how important the Qi Group was to him.
But if she didn't do this, she couldn't forgive herself, nor could she make it up to Xu Jia.
Old Master Qi could be a cold bystander to the collapse of the Xu Group.
But he couldn't be the perpetrator.
And he definitely couldn't take Xu Jia's life.
"I was the one who did the thing on the trending search. I've already submitted all the evidence," Xu Tingyu's voice rang out in the quiet.
"As for the custody, I still won't fight you for it. But if you're busy later, Youyou can stay with me for a while."
The reason she was able to release the evidence so quickly was that before she was forced to go abroad, she and Shen Yan had already collected some.
Later, after she gained the ability, she never stopped collecting more.
She knew all too well what it felt like to be cornered with no way to fight back, and she wouldn't allow herself to be in that situation again.
She also knew that what she was doing meant a rift with Qi Shifeng.
So before submitting the evidence, she hesitated and struggled for a long time.
In the end, though, she still chose to submit it.
Before Qi Shifeng came back, she had also met with a lawyer and even prepared a divorce agreement.
Their marriage had really been full of twists and turns. She had been heartbroken and proposed divorce, and she had also been forced by Old Master Qi and Qi Ye to divorce.
But up until now, legally, they were still husband and wife.
But before she could take out the divorce agreement, Qi Shifeng suddenly strode over.
When he got in front of her, his pace slowed down, as if every step was heavy.
"Tingyu, do you not want me anymore?"
He knelt down in front of her on one knee, reached out his hand as if he wanted to touch her face, but then pulled it back halfway.
After seeing the news, he was extremely shocked and immediately asked Jiang Li to find out what was going on.
What shocked him wasn't the despicable business tactics Old Master Qi had used. Because after Xu Tingyu went abroad, they had already been investigated.
At that time, the Qi Group had also suffered a great deal.
Fortunately, the Qi Group had taken advantage of that opportunity to quickly transform. Now, all the industries of the Qi Group were legal and compliant and could withstand scrutiny.
What shocked Qi Shifeng was what was said in the article about the gray organ trade and the disregard for human life.
And Jiang Li soon brought back the results of the investigation.
Because Xu Tingyu hadn't hidden the fact that she had gone to see Zhang Wan, nor had she hidden their conversation.
After learning the truth about Xu Jia's death, Qi Shifeng's heart was in a complete mess.
He also felt very sorry about Xu Jia's death.
The expert they had found back then was introduced by the old master through an old friend of his.
But it turned out that they had been plotting from that moment.
They had plotted against the Xu family and also against him.
They had traded Xu Jia's life for Qi Ye's survival.
He was shocked, heartbroken, guilty, and also心疼.
All these emotions were intertwined, making him not even have the courage to face Xu Tingyu.
In fact, he had been back for a while, but he had been sitting in the garden, too afraid to go in.
Scenes of their past flashed through his mind again and again, as did the harm the Qi family had done to Xu Tingyu.
He just didn't dare to think about the future.
He knew what Xu Tingyu's decisions meant.
She must hate them to the extreme.
And was he innocent?
No, he wasn't.
If he hadn't married Xu Tingyu, the Xu family wouldn't have gotten involved with the Qi family, and none of this would have happened.
In this marriage, Xu Tingyu had only suffered harm.
He had no right or position to beg for forgiveness.
Were they really going to drift apart in the end?
The more Qi Shifeng thought about it, the more panicked he became. He even thought meanly about running away and hiding.
Maybe if he waited until Xu Tingyu calmed down a bit, there would still be a chance to save their relationship.
But he also knew that he couldn't be so selfish.
No matter what the result was, it was his punishment, and he should accept it.
When he finally mustered up the courage to go in and saw Xu Tingyu, all his courage vanished.
He could give up everything, including his self - esteem and his dignity.
He wanted to kneel in front of her, hug her legs, and beg her not to leave him.
But when the words came to his lips, he only dared to ask carefully if she didn't want him anymore.
His eyes were red again and again.
In front of Xu Tingyu, his tears seemed to be worthless.
It was really embarrassing to always be seen in such a vulnerable and pathetic state.
But because it was her, it seemed okay.
If she could feel a bit of pity for him because of this, it would be good.
Xu Tingyu also felt bad.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally and even printed out the divorce agreement, when this man really knelt in front of her on one knee, she still couldn't bear it.
They didn't speak for half a minute.
Finally, Xu Tingyu spoke first, "Aren't you mad at me?"
What she had done not only ruined the image that Old Master Qi had painstakingly built over the years but also nailed the entire Qi Group to the pillar of shame.
She just wanted to destroy everything the old master was proud of so that the anger in her heart could be slightly appeased.
Qi Shifeng shook his head. "It's my fault. I didn't do well."
He didn't blame anyone. He only blamed himself for not doing anything well.
He hadn't protected Xu Tingyu, and he hadn't been able to fight against Old Master Qi earlier.
Xu Tingyu stared at him for a while, then sighed softly in her heart and reached out to hold his face.
"It has nothing to do with you."
This wasn't because she loved him and was defending him.
It was because back then, Qi Shifeng was just a young man in his twenties.
All his resistance was like child's play in front of the old master.
So now that she knew the truth, how could she blame him?
Qi Shifeng grabbed her hand and looked up at her. "So do you still want me?"
She had already "sentenced" the others. What about him?
Xu Tingyu looked into his blood - shot eyes and just couldn't say the words, "Let's get a divorce."
She wasn't the kind of person who was indecisive, but this man was always an exception for her.
"Go take a shower and get some sleep first," she said.
He hadn't had a good rest for several days.
They could talk about everything after he had a good sleep.
Yes, that was it.
Qi Shifeng seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but he still held her hand tightly. "Can you stay with me? I want to be with you."
He said it so carefully, afraid that she would refuse.
He was even more afraid that when he woke up, he would never see her again.
Xu Tingyu thought that after she took out the divorce agreement, she might never have the chance again, so she agreed.
So Qi Shifeng went into the bathroom to take a shower, and she was left sitting outside the bathroom door.
The door was open. She didn't look at Qi Shifeng, but his eyes were always on her.