19. Divorce

The remaining materials were just enough for Zhong Zemo and Orange Tea’s puppets to acquire human forms, which was the fundamental requirement for them to transform into Pals.

With puppets now stationed at the three facilities—the artisan, the alchemist, and the messenger—watching them head to their respective posts to get to work, the feeling that such labor would not go to waste was truly satisfying.

During this time, Orange Tea clicked on the store to browse outfits. Seeing that even the most basic ready-made template cost over 30, poverty instantly curbed his inner impulses.

"Moyu, aren't you going to splurge on a set? I saw a red-and-white shrine maiden outfit in the templates yesterday. I’ll send you the keyword; you can find it just by searching."

While admiring his own nun sweating away in the workshop to repair damaged equipment, Jailer Brother laughed happily.

No sooner had he spoken than he realized he had said the wrong thing. His smile froze into awkwardness, eventually fading into a glimmer of caution in his eyes. If Zhong Zemo had absolutely no interest, this would just be an awkward moment for Jailer Brother’s subconscious slip of the tongue, but as it happened, he really did want to buy it.

And so, this sentence effectively locked both of them in place.

Jiang Heyi quickly broke the tension. He looked at Original Flavor Fries, who was busy studying the guild functions.

"Fries, aren't you going to buy a set?"

"Not interested."

An expected answer. Original Flavor Fries was a very rational player who could control his spending impulses well and rarely acted on emotion.

Finding an exit, Jailer Brother immediately mocked himself: "Fair enough, I guess I’m the only whale here."

"Then why don't you just buy one for Moyu? Let me see... it’s not expensive, only 50," Original Flavor Fries glanced at Jailer Brother sideways. "Just skip one 'Crazy Thursday' meal."

This kind of phrasing, similar to "Big Boss, send me 50 to see your strength," usually sank without a trace, but...

"You actually sent it!" Zhong Zemo was stunned after receiving the gift from Jailer Brother.

"Hey, how many years have we known each other? What's a little gift? Call me 'Godfather', and I'll send you more in the future," Jailer Brother waved his hand dismissively.

Just as he was expecting Zhong Zemo to equip the outfit onto his puppet, dangerous red light suddenly radiated from Zhong Zemo’s body. He trembled violently, flickering with phantom images.

"What’s happening?" Jiang Heyi asked, stunned.

"I..." Zhong Zemo’s voice became ethereal. He tried hard to say something, but his voice became inaudible after a few seconds.

The abnormal state lasted for several minutes until, suddenly, a white light overflowed from his body, dissolving into countless light particles right before their eyes.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Was it a game bug, or something else?

As everyone panicked, Zhong Zemo’s cat-eared puppet, now wearing the red-and-white shrine maiden outfit he had managed to equip at the last moment, spoke.

"Connection unstable. My master has temporarily drifted away from the stars."

"Connection?" Jailer Brother was surprised. "A regional network outage?"

"If the signal base station were damaged, I should have been affected too, but I’m still here," Jiang Heyi noted.

After waiting for a long time without seeing Moyu reconnect, the group’s plan to challenge the temple fell through. They had no choice but to group up and go hunting outside Windpod City.

Filled with questions, Jiang Heyi messaged Zhong Zemo immediately after waking up. No response. He dialed his phone; it was powered off.

Sensing something, Jiang Heyi opened the group chat, signaling the anxious Jailer Brother and Orange Tea to stay calm.

In the bottom right chat window, Fries’s avatar flickered.

Original Flavor Fries: "Let's confirm if it's a family issue."

Jiang Heyi sent a sticker of a seal lying lazily on the ice. "Most likely. In this situation, what can I say?"

A red envelope suddenly popped up.

"What does this mean?"

"Go confirm. Travel expenses."

Clicking on the envelope, it was indeed 50. After that, Fries’s avatar went gray.

What the... even though he acts cold to maintain his persona, doesn't he care quite a bit about others?

Jailer Appreciation Expert: "Sent you 50. Go see what’s going on. Whether we can raid tonight depends on you... I'm so anxious! I want revenge on the Stitcher!"

"But you sent 200."

"If it’s as I suspect, use the remaining 150 to get a meal with him. A full stomach might make him feel better."

It seemed everyone had guessed most of it; only Orange Tea remained in the dark.

At noon, Jiang Heyi arrived at the residential complex where Zhong Zemo lived. He didn't know the unit or apartment number, so he had to ask the elderly people chatting at the entrance. Like a neighborhood information hub, these retirees knew everything about the residents.

"Old Huang, they started arguing in the middle of the night, right?"

"Must have been. Oh, you wouldn't believe it. Around 3 AM, there was such a racket. I was going to knock on their door and yell at them, but hearing his wife crying and screaming, it was terrifying."

The timing matched. Jiang Heyi could only sigh.

Just as he was about to ask where Zhong Zemo was, the area suddenly went quiet. Following the gaze of the elderly, he saw a woman with short hair in a beige T-shirt walking quickly, with Zhong Zemo following behind, carrying a large plastic bag with a supermarket logo.

Perhaps because the distance had grown too great, the woman with the exquisite makeup finally stopped to wait. Seeing Jiang Heyi, Zhong Zemo froze. He glanced at the woman, and then, amidst her gaze, which was a mix of confusion and irritation, he whispered an awkward explanation.

The distance wasn't far; Jiang Heyi could vaguely make out the lip movements. Comparing them, he was sure the phrase repeated most often was, "Let's go home and talk."

Unexpectedly, the woman walked quickly over to Jiang Heyi. He stood up from the bench where he had been sitting with the elderly, who tactfully moved away.

Zhong Zemo hurried over, breathless, to explain: "I haven't introduced you yet. My wife, Du Jingwen... this is my good friend, Jiang Heyi. We've known each other for many years."

"Hello." Jiang Heyi remained calm and greeted her politely.

Du Jingwen looked him up and down, and finally, a smile squeezed onto her face, though it looked a bit insincere.

"Zemo's friend? Want to come up and have a meal?"

"No, thank you. I have something to discuss with him," Jiang Heyi emphasized. "A private matter."

"Is it urgent?"

Jiang Heyi had intended to say it wasn't, but for some reason, he felt a surge of anger. He changed his tone: "Yes, it's a bit urgent. Can I speak with your husband alone for a while?"

After a moment of hesitation, she glanced at the eyes fixed on her and nodded.

After Zhong Zemo dropped off the groceries at home, he ran back, panting, to meet Jiang Heyi.

Jiang Heyi asked flatly: "I remember, your favorite is Cantonese cuisine?"

"Huh?"

"Huh what? I'm treating you to dinner. Do you like Cantonese food or not? Speak up," Jiang Heyi said. "Someone else is paying; you don't have to spend a dime."

There was an inexplicable fire burning in his heart, and his voice was much louder than usual.

Receiving an affirmative answer, Jiang Heyi found a restaurant he frequented and handed the menu to Zhong Zemo, telling him to order whatever he wanted.

White-cut chicken, braised meat platter, honey-glazed barbecue pork, and sautéed vegetables were served one after another. Watching Jiang Heyi serve him rice, Zhong Zemo hesitated.

After taking a bite of the succulent pork and using the sweetness to suppress his inner anger, Jiang Heyi opened the conversation.

"Say something."

"She took away my game ring and watch," Zhong Zemo sighed. "That's why I disconnected."

Jiang Heyi pressed his temples with both hands and rubbed them: "We sent you messages."

"My phone is also with her for now."

The two fell into a brief silence, with only the sound of chewing in the booth.

"She has always hated me playing games."

This was the key reason why Zhong Zemo had become increasingly inactive in the gaming group. Zhong Zemo was a man of diverse interests. In his early years, he had cosplayed various Oriental characters, walked through anime conventions, and enjoyed his own hobbies.

Almost everyone who knew Zhong Zemo spoke highly of him. He acted as a guide in many circles, unselfishly sharing his experiences. He was a model enthusiast; when he first joined the group, Jiang Heyi saw him patiently teaching newcomers how to get started. He had been into physical trading cards, participated in offline tournaments, and knew many fellow card players.

But at a certain point, all these hobbies came to an end. He no longer shared his passion for characters in the group. He no longer had time to post tutorials. He even gave his physical cards to Jiang Heyi.

"What about tonight? Can you come?"

"I don't know."

"I won't even mention entertainment that requires your waking hours," Jiang Heyi took a deep breath, his anger rising again. "Do you have to be controlled even when you're asleep?"

Zhong Zemo remained silent.

"Let go of the urge to help others and respect their fate."

Facing a stranger, Jiang Heyi could easily carry out this advice, but the person across from him was his friend...

"In these two years, have you been happy?"

Zhong Zemo remained silent.

Jiang Heyi glanced at his phone, got up to grab a bottle of orange soda from the fridge, and handed it to him. "Orange Tea wanted you to have this."

"And this meal, Fries and Jailer Brother chipped in for it."

"I won't say much more. We'll continue raiding the underground temple tonight," Jiang Heyi said. "Everyone is waiting for you."

Jiang Heyi patted him on the shoulder: "I think you were much more brilliant back then than you are now."

...

...

The key entered the lock and turned. "I'm back."

No voice responded to Zhong Zemo. Several takeout boxes were strewn across the living room table. He cleaned up the table and followed the sound into the bedroom.

Du Jingwen’s eyes flickered, her gaze shifting quickly from Zhong Zemo back to her phone screen. Wearing Bluetooth headphones, she said coldly, "Finished chatting with your friend?"

The room was a mess. The bedside ornaments and pillows thrown during the fight last night were still on the floor, untouched. The computer monitor had been knocked askew by a pillow, leaning against the wall to keep from falling.

Zhong Zemo cleaned in silence. After a long time, he said, "Next time, show my friends some respect."

Wearing headphones, Du Jingwen didn't hear clearly. "What did you say?"

"I said, show my friends some respect next time."

The moment Du Jingwen took off her headphones, Zhong Zemo’s voice came through. It was harsh.

Du Jingwen’s beautiful face suddenly twisted with a fierce expression: "How did I not show respect? Didn't I give you face just now?"

"When it comes down to it, what kind of friend is he? You don't have a colleague like that, so it's about those hobbies of yours again, isn't it?"

Zhong Zemo didn't speak. He gathered her scattered clothes back into the wardrobe, which was already overflowing with new outfits.

"Not talking? So I hit the nail on the head?"

After cleaning up the mess, Zhong Zemo requested: "Give me back the game ring and the watch."

Du Jingwen’s face instantly darkened. "What did I say last night? What did you promise me? Have you forgotten so soon!"

She screamed, "Where did your ambition go? Do you have to play!"

Remembering everything from his meal with Jiang Heyi, Zhong Zemo took a deep breath: "When I'm sleeping, do I have to be 'ambitious' too?"

"Zhong Zemo!"

At this moment, the expression on Du Jingwen’s face was comparable to the witch from the survival series. Her voice was just as similar.

"I get it, you really were flirting with someone else in the game, weren't you!"

Every sentence was not a question, but a confirmation.

Zhong Zemo felt unprecedented exhaustion. He didn't want to explain. He didn't even want to open his mouth. He didn't know why the childhood sweetheart he had known and loved for so many years had turned into this after they walked down the aisle.

Du Jingwen continued to demand an explanation, her shrill crying bombarding his eardrums. What explanation could he give? He had already given everything he could, tolerating her moods daily just to maintain this once-warm relationship.

His tolerance had not brought peace, but rather increasingly intrusive aggression. Zhong Zemo’s phone was to be checked, his online chats were to be checked. If not for the appearance of the Star’s Testimony, he would have had no place left to breathe.

He had finally found his old friends in the Stars, happily roaming another world and enjoying a rare moment of joy... Now, was even this refuge to be taken away?

"She probably doesn't hate you playing games; she just hates you being out of her control."

That was what Jailer Brother had said in a private message. Recalling the past, listening to the accusations in his ears...

"Let's get a divorce."

Du Jingwen didn't hear clearly.

Zhong Zemo stood up. He, who had always been cautious at home, now had no trace of his usual gentleness or subservience in his eyes. Frozen three feet deep is not the result of one day of cold. Recalling everything he had endured over the past two years, his heart was full of bitterness.

Having lost his former vigor, he took a long breath and enunciated clearly.

"Di-vorce."

Knowing his wife's personality, after saying this, he pushed past Du Jingwen, opened the desk, and took his gaming equipment, his phone, and his salary card.

The moment he made the decision, the path forward already appeared in Zhong Zemo’s mind. It wasn't a test, it wasn't a negotiation, there was no hesitation, and there would be no regret. He was simply informing her of his decision.

"You really did cheat in the game!"

"If you dare to walk out, don't ever think about coming back!"

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut, cutting off everything inside. Leaning against the door, Zhong Zemo regained his peace. For two years, he had never felt his body so light.

Zhong Zemo opened the five-person group chat.

"I can log in. Let's continue the raid tonight."

"Also, I'm getting a divorce."

"Come to Chengning another day, I'll treat you to dinner."

Except for Orange Tea, who sent a string of question marks, the others seemed prepared for this to happen. Or rather, they felt that it had taken too long to reach this point, and it was simply because Zhong Zemo was too kind-hearted.

Jailer Brother sent a "seal clapping the ground" sticker: "What did Potato feed you that actually had the power to break the fog?"

"Cantonese food."

A voice message suddenly popped up.

"Diu, that was definitely not authentic. Come to my place, I'll take you to eat the real thing."

Orange Tea was confused. "What is Jailer Brother saying?"

Original Flavor Fries: "I don't know, but I assume he thinks what they ate wasn't authentic enough."

"You can understand it?"

"Guessing."