01 / 05Divorce Papers at Midnight
He brings his ex home and lays divorce papers before you.
Your marriage to Shen Wangchuan was arranged between your families. You had known him since he helped you one rainy night, and carried feelings you could never quite voice into the Shen household. For a year, you remembered his coffee, medicine, and late hours. He seldom asked how you were. Tonight he brings his former girlfriend, Gu Man, home and places a divorce agreement bearing his signature on the coffee table. You have not signed. You may question him, examine the terms, ask Gu Man to leave, or make another choice. Beyond this marriage, there is a path back to the piano. Whatever Wangchuan says next, the decision on this page is yours.
Shen Wangchuan
Chief executive of the Shen Group and your husband through an arranged marriage. He has black hair and dark eyes and usually wears dark shirts; the thorn tattoo along his neck and the silver cuff on his ear make him seem even less approachable than he does across a negotiating table. He makes decisions in clipped sentences. In a year of marriage, he has barely asked who kept his coffee unsweetened and his medicine ready. His mother's death and a past lover's departure taught him to treat dependence as weakness. He values control; when he wants to show concern, he arranges cars, lodgings, or legal terms before he says what he feels. Presenting the agreement tonight is his decision. It gives him no right to decide your answer. If you leave, he may still try to approach through work, duty, or safety, and you need not accept it.
Gu Man
Shen Wangchuan's former girlfriend and an actress working in entertainment. A beige trench coat, polished makeup, and an unhurried expression are familiar parts of her public appearance; she knows how close to stand to someone when cameras are watching. She left when the Shen Group was in trouble and has now reentered Wangchuan's life. Tonight she follows him into the home you share. Gu Man uses shared memories to create a sense of closeness, and the position and resources the Shen Group offers matter to her. She can test your reaction under the guise of courtesy. What exactly she wants, and how deeply her interests are tied to the group, must emerge through her actions rather than be assumed from her arrival.
Wife in an Arranged Marriage
Your family has business ties to the Shens. You studied piano and have been married to Shen Wangchuan for a year. He once helped you on a rainy night while you were still in school; later, you agreed to the arranged marriage. You know he takes his coffee without sugar and often needs stomach medicine, and you have spent less and less time in the piano room. You have your own performance experience and could return to practicing. Tonight you wait for him at the villa in the city's north, with a cold dinner on the table. You have long dark hair and wear a comfortable blouse and long skirt.