Chapter 2
Chapter 2
At that time, Shen Yichuan and I had been married for just two years.
We were doing well.
He stuck to me.
Wherever he went, he would check in with me.
No matter how busy he was, he always made time to reach out.
Every business trip, he brought me gifts-
bracelets, necklaces, handbags…
all pricey.
Sales associates would ask, “What does your wife like?”
He would smile, gentle and indulgent: “She likes the expensive ones.”
Until the time he came back from Italy.
He brought me a gold watch. I loved it.
But when I went to the garage, I found a kraft paper bag on the passenger seat.
I opened it. Inside was a palm-sized Pinocchio.
Not particularly fine.
Obviously some roadside handmade trinket.
But it was fun.
I took it back on purpose.
Right in front of Shen Yichuan, I went to set it on the display shelf.
He sprang up and took it from my hand.
“For someone else?”
“Who?”
He frowned, silent.
After a while, he said, “Ruan Qiao. She got a scholarship. It’s a congratulatory gift. Just a little thing, not worth much.”
By then it had been over half a year since I first heard the name Ruan Qiao.
I felt a little blank, a little unbelieving.
“You’re still in touch?”
I checked his phone.
They’d added each other long ago.
The first thing Ruan Qiao ever sent was: [Mr. Shen, I’m Ruan Qiao.]
He didn’t reply.
Half a month later, she won a debate championship.
She sent him a photo of the trophy.
Two days later, he replied: [Don’t send me these.]
She answered: [I should. I want you to know I didn’t waste the money you gave me.]
From then on, every achievement she made, she shared with him at the first chance.
He seldom replied.
Just the occasional:
[Mm]
[Got it]
[Keep it up]
He thought nothing of it-an arm’s‑length, gentlemanly connection.
But after I said it made me uncomfortable, he deleted her, though he stayed silent for a long time.
After that, they never contacted each other again…
Yeah, right.
If they’d really cut it off,
there wouldn’t have been everything that followed.
We wouldn’t have ended up divorced.