chapter 5

# chapter 5

Meng Chongyu had borrowed Ji Weili’s driver, which meant he could not return to my apartment. The driver knew exactly where I lived, and Chongyu had assumed a false identity precisely because he did not want his uncle to discover us.

I was in no hurry to go home. I wandered along the street at an easy pace.

It was late, and only the occasional car passed. The billboards on both sides of the road blazed against the darkness, one of them thrusting Sun Jieru’s face at me in merciless high definition.

Her old words echoed in my ears.

“Without Ji Weili, someone like you wouldn’t even deserve to carry my shoes.”

Back then, I had answered smugly, “So what? He’d still rather marry someone like me than choose you.”

Then the video of her kissing Ji Weili spread across every screen in the city.

I broke down and demanded that he draw a clear line between them.

He had only said, “Huanhuan, can you stop being so childish?”

That was when I finally woke from my dream.

Of course. They were the superior kind of people.

Sun Jieru was the “little sister” who had grown up beside Ji Weili, the star he had elevated with his own capital. I was merely the wife he kept at home.

We had been married for years, and I did not even know who his nephew was.

It was not because I had failed to care. Ji Weili had never given me the chance.

Perhaps, to him, I had been no more than a dog kept to satisfy his desires.

Through our cold war and all the way to the divorce, he remained convinced I was being unreasonable and would regret leaving him one day.

I did regret something.

I regretted not leaving sooner.

As I neared home, a message from Meng Chongyu arrived: a selfie of him lying in his dorm bed.

Meng Chongyu: *I’m in bed.*

Life truly was theater, and survival depended on one’s acting.

Pretending ignorance, I replied: *Did you only just finish?*

Meng Chongyu: *Yeah. My adviser worked me to death.*

Then came a photo taken beneath the covers.

Meng Chongyu: *I miss you.*

My lips curved. *Good boy. I’ll satisfy you next time.*

The next morning, the sound of my door opening woke me.

I stepped out of the bedroom and met Chongyu carrying breakfast.

“You’re here early.”

He set down the bag, came over, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

*I was afraid you’d be hungry.*

I glanced at the logo. It belonged to a famous breakfast shop a long way from here.

Pleased, I kissed the corner of his mouth.

While washing up, I checked my phone. A trending topic sat at number one.

**#SunJieru’sBreakfastMadeWithLove**

She had posted a photograph of breakfast with the caption: *Thank you to a certain someone who brought me breakfast first thing in the morning. Starting the day full of energy!*

Before closing it, I looked at the logo on her bag.

It was identical to mine.

A coincidence?

Tsk.

My breakfast lost its flavor at once.

When I came out of the bathroom, Chongyu stood guard outside like a door god. A barely perceptible restlessness clung to him.

“Something you want to say?”

He nodded and held up his phone.

*I need to go to Haishi next week.*

“More work from your adviser?”

*I’m seeing a doctor.*

I raised a brow.

*I found someone who may be able to treat my throat. He says I might be able to speak.*

For one dangerous second, I almost burst out laughing.

I had wondered how Meng Chongyu would eventually confess. This was his solution?

I cleared my throat. “That’s wonderful. Do you want me to come?”

His gaze darted away as he hurriedly typed.

*No. Focus on work.*

*I’m afraid the treatment might fail, and seeing that would upset you.*

“It won’t fail. I’m sure you’ll recover.”

How could a perfectly healthy man fail to recover?

After a moment, I added without much sincerity, “Even if it doesn’t work, I won’t mind.”

He seemed genuinely moved and pulled me into his arms.

He had class that morning and left after lingering with me for a while.

Only minutes later, the bell rang again.

“What did you forget-mmph-”

A mouth sealed mine. A familiar scent surrounded me.

I shoved the man away and scrubbed my lips.

“Ji Weili, what kind of insanity is this first thing in the morning?”