Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Over the following period, Jiang Dong became increasingly emboldened by my indulgence.

He blew hot and cold with me, putting on a frantic display of affection when he needed me, only to cast me aside once he had successfully provoked Lin Ge.

It was only when Lin Ge distanced herself from him again that he would remember me, his little tool.

I feigned ignorance through it all, playing the role of his loyal, humble follower with meticulous care.

His friends all knew I was just a stand-in who had thrown herself at him. They made snide remarks about me being a desperate lapdog, sometimes even forgetting to lower their voices when I was around.

Back then, Jiang Dong would only give them a token warning to pipe down.

He was constantly testing my boundaries, and when he realized my indulgence had no bottom, his respect for me dwindled significantly.

I endured the raw heartache of being betrayed and toyed with, using the process to slowly complete my withdrawal.

I could clearly feel it: every time Jiang Dong used Gu Ye’s face to boss me around, my attachment to Gu Ye faded a little more.

I stopped having that dream as often.

The suffocating weight in my chest was almost gone.

I was using this pathetic method to say a long, slow goodbye to both Jiang Dong and Gu Ye.

I thought I was about to succeed.

That night, I dreamed of Gu Ye again. It was as if he sensed something and was saying his final farewell.

He said, “It’s been a long time, Nancy. Are you about to forget me?

“If forgetting me makes you happier, then I’m okay with that.”

In the dream, his silhouette drifted further and further away, the bloody gash I had made with the dagger still visible on his neck.

I woke up with tears streaming down my face, my heart aching so much I couldn’t breathe. In an act of self-preservation, I called Jiang Dong.

He said it was a coincidence; he was just about to look for me.

He told me his car had broken down on a rural road and asked me to pick him up.

I left without a moment’s hesitation.

It wasn’t until I arrived that I realized he had gone to his hometown to pick up a sick Lin Ge.

Before I could say a word, he struck first, warning me not to misinterpret the mutual care between childhood friends.

Whether it was to avoid suspicion in front of me or to continue provoking Lin Ge, he chose to sit in the passenger seat, leaving Lin Ge alone in the back.

As luck would have it, just as the car pulled onto the rural highway, we collided with an out-of-control tractor coming from the opposite direction.

I thought of Gu Ye’s departing back in my dream. Panicking, I wrenched the steering wheel with all my might.

Jiang Dong was unharmed.

I was hit by the airbag, my vision turning a bloody red as I was pinned in the driver’s seat, unable to move.

Through the haze, I heard Jiang Dong’s heart-wrenching screams.

He was calling for Lin Ge.

At that moment, I clearly felt the suffocating pressure on my chest vanish completely. My withdrawal was almost complete.

But when I woke up in the hospital, Jiang Dong’s eyes were bloodshot as he broke up with me.

He looked at the blood-soaked bandage on my forehead, his hands trembling as he said, “I was just playing around. Why did you have to take it so seriously?”

I was terrified. I cried and begged him, “We can break up, but can you just wait a little longer?”

Just wait until my withdrawal is successful.

I was a pathetic, wretched mess, drawing whispers from the people around us.

There was a flash of hesitation in Jiang Dong’s eyes, but in the end, he clenched his fists and fled the room.