Chapter 1

Chapter 1

On Shi Wan’s birthday, I brought several of her close friends home to give her a surprise party.

As the party reached its climax, everyone started chanting for us to kiss.

“Wanwan, you better cherish such a thoughtful boyfriend.”

Shi Wan looked at me, her eyes shining with an incredible brightness as she slowly leaned in.

I lowered my head to meet her. Amidst our friends’ cheers, just as our lips were about to touch…

The door was suddenly flung open.

A man stood in the doorway, drenched from head to toe.

Shi Wan froze.

I looked toward the door and saw a face that looked about sixty percent like mine.

“Wanwan…”

He called my girlfriend’s name in a low voice.

It sounded intimate, familiar.

Shi Wan looked stunned. When she finally snapped out of it, her expression had completely changed. “How did you get so soaked? Go to the room and change your clothes, quickly.”

The friends beside me reacted even faster than I did, greeting him with practiced ease.

“Chu Kuo, why are you back all of a sudden? Done with your wandering?”

The man stood at the door and gave a faint smile. “Long time no see.”

Shi Wan’s gaze remained fixed on him, never once shifting back to me. I wanted to ask who he was.

Before I could speak, I watched as Chu Kuo walked straight toward the second floor.

He headed for the room that Shi Wan always kept locked-the one she had emphasized countless times I was never allowed to go near.

Chu Kuo pulled out a key with practiced ease and deftly unlocked the door.

When he emerged, Chu Kuo had changed his clothes and naturally took a seat in the empty chair at the dining table.

One of the friends, already tipsy, draped an arm around Chu Kuo’s shoulder.

“Brother Shi, stay a bit longer this time. Anyway, Xiao Wan’s home will always have a room reserved for you.”

“Must be nice, always having someone to be your rock.”

“I say, you two should just hurry up and get marr-”

Shi Wan gave a light cough.

She leaned a little closer to me, trying to break the awkwardness. “Ah Yu, thank you so much for helping me celebrate my birthday today.”

The scent of lily of the valley drifted around me, yet I felt a sudden, biting chill.

I had always known that Shi Wan had an unforgettable first love. That man was Chu Kuo.

When Shi Wan first started her company, Chu Kuo had quit his high-paying job at a foreign firm to be her support system without a second thought.

Even now, though Chu Kuo had been gone for several years, Shi Wan’s circle of friends remained close with him.

They laughed and joked together, reminiscing about the past.

I picked up some food with my chopsticks.

I put it in my mouth.

But I couldn’t taste a thing.