chapter 4

The moment I closed the door, a message appeared on my phone.

It was from a younger man I had met while volunteering a while ago. His name was Qi Xiao. Barely into his twenties, he had a face bright with youth and an endless supply of energy. Now, in a shy voice over the phone, he invited me to dinner.

I accepted almost without hesitation.

Near the end of the workday, I called Chen Yingsheng and told him I had to work late. He should not wait for me.

The seed of suspicion sprouted at once. I heard his breath catch, then he asked cautiously, “Could I come to your office and keep you company?”

Since losing his memory, he had not learned where I worked now.

I smiled and refused him tenderly. “How could I make my baby suffer like that? Isn’t the whole reason I work so hard to give you a happy life?”

As I spoke, I tidied my desk with brisk efficiency. Before he could try again, I said an urgent task had come up and ended the call.

I took off my employee badge and walked out with a spring in my step, answering Qi Xiao’s voice call on the way.

The place he had chosen was a newly opened private restaurant. I had once mentioned my tastes in passing, and he had gone to the trouble of remembering them.

We thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

Qi Xiao was a perfect gentleman. His gaze was ardent, and every word held a tentative question without ever becoming intrusive.

See? We never truly crossed a line.

Qi Xiao and I merely shared a secret. We spent time together openly, in broad daylight, without doing anything improper—while excluding the man who was supposedly my lover.

If Chen Yingsheng found out, I could accuse him exactly as he had once accused me.

“Is sex the only thing you can think about? Am I not even allowed a normal friendship with another man just because I’m with you?”

Then I could watch coldly as doubt tormented him day after day until he lost his mind.

After all, I had not done anything. I had not cheated. I went to work honestly, and when he broke down, I would patiently comfort him. Anyone who saw me would call me a wonderful woman.

I had to admit, the life Chen Yingsheng used to lead was remarkably comfortable.

After an evening of easy conversation, I came home to a dark apartment.

Chen Yingsheng was gone.

I did not care. I washed up, got ready for bed, and only then sent him a message.

[Baby, I came home after working late and saw you weren’t here. Did you go out? Be safe. I’m exhausted from overtime, so I’m going to sleep. Tomorrow I have to keep fighting for our future.]

I was still pretending to love him, after all. I could not ignore him completely.

On the dining table, I left a mango cake he used to love. Qi Xiao and I had bought it during our walk.

The truth was that Chen Yingsheng had stopped liking sweets after he started working, and we had been apart for only three months. I still remembered his current tastes and preferences.

I simply had no need to understand him or truly care for him. Doing what was genuinely good for someone did not always win gratitude.

Most of the time, you only needed to make the other person feel understood and cared for.

I had learned that particular form of tender neglect from Chen Yingsheng himself.