Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ji Huaike turned down the doctor’s recommendation that he be admitted to the hospital as soon as possible. He said there were still many things he hadn’t taken care of and insisted on going home.

The doctor prescribed a pile of medication and told him that if the pain became too severe, he could increase the dosage as needed.

After we got home, Ji Huaike, his face pale, told me he wanted to be alone for a while, then went into the study.

I understood his despair and helplessness, so I didn’t disturb him. I only cried silently as I prepared his nutritional meal like usual.

Millet porridge with Chinese yam, mixed vegetable purée, steamed fish, and beef ball tofu soup.

It was very late before Ji Huaike finally came out of the study.

I could tell he had cried his heart out. His eyes and nose were red, there were tear tracks on his face, and even his voice was terribly hoarse when he spoke.

My heart ached as I looked at him, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to comfort him.

We finished dinner in silence. Then Ji Huaike said he wanted to go out for a walk.

“Okay. I’ll go with you,” I said softly.

He shook his head, his attitude firm. “Jiang Ran, my mind is a mess right now. Can I be alone for a while? I’ll be fine.

“Please…”

His voice was filled with sorrow and desolation, and I couldn’t bring myself to refuse him.

But how could I possibly feel at ease letting a man with late-stage cancer go out alone?

I took off my apron and quietly followed him out the door.

He didn’t drive. He walked slowly out of the neighborhood by himself, passed through a park, and entered a villa community designed in the style of a private garden estate.

The community was Cuiting Royal Villa, an upscale district of detached villas. Its prices were far higher than the townhouse community we lived in.

The security guard at the gate seemed to know Ji Huaike. He greeted him warmly and opened the gate for him.

Naturally, there was no way I could tail him into a high-end residential community like that.

I pointed at Ji Huaike’s retreating back and angrily questioned the guard, “Why do you let him in just because he’s here for a walk, but you won’t let me in? Are you people discriminating against, you know, my gender or something?”

The moment I opened my mouth, I slapped a huge accusation on him.

The young security guard’s mouth twitched. Helplessly, he said, “Ma’am, Mr. Ji is an owner here. If you buy a villa here, we’ll welcome you home just as warmly.”

Ji Huaike was an owner here?

I was stunned.

I didn’t remember how I got home.

By the time I came back to my senses, I was already holding a dashcam memory card and two long-standby miniature voice recorders.

I never let myself sink into endless suspicion.

That would only wear me down.

If I had doubts, then I would verify them.

I went to Ji Huaike’s car and swapped out the original memory card in his dashcam. Then I placed the two miniature recorders respectively in the inner compartment of the handbag he often carried and inside the lining of his suit jacket.

After thinking it over, I also ordered a mini wireless camera online with next-day delivery-the kind that could be connected to remotely through a phone.

After doing all of that, my body was drenched in sweat. But waves of coldness still rose from the bottom of my heart, so cold that my whole body began to tremble.

Ji Huaike had gone out around seven in the evening. By the time he came back, it was almost midnight.

I hadn’t turned on the lights. I sat alone on the sofa in a daze.

When Ji Huaike came home and switched on the lights, he was startled to see me.

“Ah Ran, why aren’t you asleep yet? I’m sorry. I made you worry. I shouldn’t have come back so late. I just felt so suffocated, so…”

He apologized to me, then opened his arms and pulled me into an embrace, his chin gently rubbing against the top of my head.

He was as gentle as he had been for the past eight years.

There was a faint scent of perfume on him, the exact same scent as the brand I used.

But… I hadn’t put on any perfume.

His condition had suddenly worsened, and he had coughed up blood all night. How could I possibly have been in the mood for something like that?