Chapter 2: The Shattered Teacup
The texture of the teacup was crystal clear.
Yet the bright red stain on it was particularly jarring—dazzling and completely out of place.
Bibi Dong's expression finally changed.
Her heart trembled violently.
"I…"
She opened her mouth to explain, but Qin Chuan cut her off coldly.
"Yu Xiaogang's saliva must be delicious."
Bibi Dong's pupils shrank.
Qin Chuan's eyes brimmed with a cold, inextricable disgust.
"Truly…"
"Disgusting."
"Revolting."
Each word struck like a slap. There was no longer warmth in his voice—only sarcasm, disappointment, and disdain.
He wasn't just mocking Bibi Dong.
He was mocking himself.
Mocking the fool who had licked her boots for over a decade, blindly devoted like a loyal dog.
Mocking how far he'd fallen for a woman who now only filled him with revulsion.
Bibi Dong's heart pounded with panic.
She had known, from the moment Qin Chuan uttered those three words—Yu Xiaogang—that she couldn't hide anything anymore.
But what truly devastated her was the contempt in his tone.
He said she was disgusting?
The man who had been gentle and obedient to her for over ten years, who had always respected her wishes without complaint—he now looked at her as if she were filth?
How could he gaze at her with such cold, scathing eyes?
"Qin Chuan, you…"
Bibi Dong took a shaky breath, forcing herself to speak.
"I can explain. Things aren't what you think."
But as she spoke, she couldn't even meet his eyes.
Her gaze shifted away involuntarily.
The once beautiful and noble face had lost its radiance, pale and uncertain.
"I remember," Qin Chuan said suddenly, his voice flat, "the finals of the Soul Master Elite Competition will be held in Wuhun City."
Before Bibi Dong could answer, he continued.
"You must be very busy these days."
"Many matters require your final decision, yes?"
"Y-Yes," Bibi Dong nodded quickly, unsure of where he was leading.
Seeing her grasp onto this topic gave her a flicker of hope.
"I came to see you last night," Qin Chuan said quietly.
"The kitchen made chicken soup for you. But you said you were busy with official matters. So I told the servants to leave it on the table."
"When I came back this morning…"
"That same bowl of chicken soup was still there—untouched."
Bibi Dong's face changed.
"I… I was just too tired. I fell asleep after finishing my work…"
She tried to explain, her face turning even paler.
But Qin Chuan only shook his head and gave a bitter smile.
"You always say you're the Pope. That this identity binds you. That you must maintain decorum at all times."
"I asked you to travel with me—you said you had no time."
"I made chicken soup for you—you didn't drink it."
"Even if I wanted to call you, I had to go through the palace guards outside the Pope's Hall."
"You're always busy. I believed you. I trusted you."
"But today…"
"Your old lover came to visit."
"You suddenly stopped being busy."
"Not only did you meet him privately within the Pope's Palace, but you even sat in the chair he had used…"
"…and drank from the same teacup."
"Pope, how can you call that busy?"
"You're just… hungry."
Each word landed with the weight of a boulder. Though his tone remained calm, his face was as lifeless as a dead sea.
He had truly given up.
Bibi Dong's face turned ghostly white.
Shame consumed her.
Her body trembled uncontrollably under the weight of his accusations.
"Qin… I… Please, let me explain…"
"I really was just too busy…"
Her voice cracked. She didn't even know why she was trying so hard to explain.
She only knew that looking at his cold, emotionless face made her panic.
As if something precious… was slipping away.
From once within reach, it now felt unreachable.
"Just now… Xiaogang… he's also an elder of the Spirit Hall…"
"Yes," she stammered, "Xiaogang is the honorary elder of the Spirit Hall."
"He only came to ask about the secrets of the Twin Spirit Hall, and I didn't tell him anything."
"Really! I swear I didn't tell him!"
"Xiaogang? Xiaogang? Xiaogang?"
Qin Chuan raised an eyebrow, his sneer cutting deeper than any blade.
"Listen to yourself. You keep calling him Xiaogang… so affectionate."
"But your husband, me? You always call me by my full name—Qin Chuan."
"Bibi Dong, don't flatter yourself."
"You didn't tell him the secrets of the Twin Spirit Hall not because of loyalty to me."
"You simply saw his students as threats. It had nothing to do with him."
"…and even less to do with me."
With that, Qin Chuan turned to leave the Pope's Palace.
"Qin Chuan… No! Chuan!"
"Ah Chuan—!"
"I…"
Bibi Dong's panic erupted.
She subconsciously threw down her gem-encrusted scepter and rushed to grab the sleeve of his robe.
"See how hard that was to say?" Qin Chuan muttered without turning around.
"I didn't…" she whispered.
"I just…"
"You just never cared about me," he said, his voice hollow.
"After all, you never loved me."
"Our marriage was always a transaction—something Qian Xunji arranged to keep me bound."
There were things Qin Chuan had never voiced.
But that didn't mean he didn't know.
"In that case, I'll set you free."
"From now on, I'll never interfere in anything you do."
"You're the Pope now—noble and untouchable."
"Go find him again. Who dares stop you?"
"Bibi Dong, I sincerely hope you and Yu Xiaogang get locked together for the rest of your pathetic lives."
He added coldly, "Also, I'll be resigning from the Spirit Hall today. We'll part ways in peace."
Though calmly spoken, the words were a death sentence.
Bibi Dong stood frozen.
Panic overtook her, and her heart filled with dread.
"No… No!"
She shouted, gripping his arm tightly.
In truth, Bibi Dong had long been satisfied with Qin Chuan as her husband.
She was more than satisfied—she had been blessed.
He was immensely talented, already a Titled Douluo in his twenties.
Over more than a decade of marriage, he had treated her with utmost care and respect, never making unreasonable demands, allowing her to focus on her cultivation entirely.
Qin Chuan was, in every way, the perfect husband.
She didn't want a divorce. Absolutely not!
"Why not?" Qin Chuan's voice pierced her pleading.
"As your husband, I had to find out that you met with your ex-lover in secret…"
"…and I can't even divorce you?"
"No divorce?"
"Am I supposed to just wait until you put a green hat on me?"
"No wonder you never let me touch you in over ten years."
"You were saving yourself for your old flame."
"Bibi Dong, you're truly despicable."
"No! I didn't!" she screamed, nearly hysterical.
His final words cut into her like a dagger.
Her mind shattered.
"No…"
"Ah Chuan, I'm not as dirty as you think… Please believe me…"
Her crown slipped to one side.
Her neatly tied hair fell loose, covering half her face.
Her noble, cold beauty collapsed into panic and desperation.
"I just…"
"I just wasn't ready to consummate our marriage…"