[ENG] Tokyo Love Accident 《东京爱情事故》

Chapter 1 : City Drenched in Heavy Rain

On Wei Xiao's 30th birthday, it's pouring rain.

The whole city looks flooded, and the once-bustling streets are just rushing water now. The city government is doing something they've never done before – urgently telling everyone that 35 roads in town are blocked from flooding, some subway stations on Line 2 are closed, and the whole city's traffic is a mess. Some places have water up to your chest, and the downtown water level hits an all-time high. For safety, they're saying people should be careful until the rainstorm alert is over.

In the fanciest restaurant in City A, there's this really high hall with a giant glass wall. Outside, there's this nice garden with grass. The flowers and plants, all well taken care of, are leaning every which way because of the heavy rain.

Wei Xiao and Shi Yuquan sit across from each other, and the atmosphere at the dining table is even worse than the weather outside.

To outsiders, this couple sitting by the window seems quite contrasting – the man looks outstanding, refined, obviously a well-bred social figure; the woman, with delicate features, manages to give off a commanding vibe in her professional suit, exuding a majestic presence that is perfectly complemented by the calm and composed demeanor of the man sitting across.

On the edge. No one knows they've reached the brink of divorce.

Today, Shi Yuquan arranged to meet Wei Xiao. She didn't want to come; they've been separated for six months, and meeting again is awkward. However, the lawyer earnestly told her that Shi Yuquan clearly doesn't want a divorce. If this continues, and it goes to court, her company might end up being split with him. Wei Xiao values her hard-earned company the most and doesn't want Shi Yuquan involved. So, she agreed to meet him, hoping for an amicable separation.

The waiter removes the main course dishes, and in the gap before dessert, Wei Xiao pulls out a file bag from her purse and places it on the table.

Shi Yuquan's gaze falls on the brown paper bag, hastily retracting as if burned. He turns to look at the rain pounding fiercely on the glass window, muttering, "With such heavy rain, I wonder if Jiaozi is scared at home?"

Jiaozi is the cat raised by Shi Yuquan. Wei Xiao has an average relationship with it, or more precisely, she avoids it when possible. At the beginning, the cat was extremely clingy, always rushing to her when she came home. Shi Yuquan used to be jealous because Jiaozi never showed enthusiasm towards him, even though he was the one feeding, playing, and taking care of it.

Wei Xiao doesn't like cats, especially this one. She always feels that Jiaozi is like a weird creature, completely white with eyes of different colors – one blue and one green. Every time she sees it unintentionally, she shudders. In the early days of their marriage, she tried to accept Jiaozi, wanting it to stay close to her. However, Jiaozi would become lively whenever it saw sunlight, and one day, while she was fetching water, it shredded the design drafts she had worked hard on all week. Furious, she had a big argument with Shi Yuquan, threatening that if Jiaozi came within a meter of her again, she would throw it away on a dark and windy night.

Not sure what Shi Yuquan did, but later Jiaozi became somewhat scared of her. Whenever she comes home, it hides in corners she can't see, and if they happen to cross paths, its eyes are filled with unspeakable resentment.

Back then, her relationship with Shi Yuquan was so good – they were willing to compromise for each other. But later, due to various trivial matters, they argued, gave each other the silent treatment, made up, and the cycle continued.

Even the best relationships now only elicit a sigh filled with regret.

Wei Xiao pushes the file bag on the table towards Shi Yuquan, determined to cut through the mess, "I've drafted the divorce agreement. Take a look at the terms. If you have objections, we can discuss."