Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When I received Gu Jinzhi’s message, I was helping one of my graduate students review their thesis.

My phone chimed, breaking through the frown creasing my brow.

[Come pick me up.]

Three curt words. Not Gu Jinzhi’s usual style.

Whenever he spoke to me, he always explained the cause and effect clearly and made sure to provide plenty of emotional reassurance, as if afraid I might misunderstand or feel dissatisfied.

[?]

Was this another truth-or-dare game with that boring group of friends of his?

[Honey, we’re about to get married. Can’t you come pick up your dear husband? Everyone else has a wife picking them up.]

Husband?

I supposed he was.

After I brought him home to meet my parents, marriage had moved one step closer.

Life as two people was different from life alone. Making a few changes was only normal.

Fine. I sighed.

I shut down my computer and picked up my car keys.

The wind and rain were heavy today, and I kept hitting red lights.

By the time I arrived, more than an hour had passed.

I shook out my umbrella, handed it to the doorman, and followed the hostess toward the private room on the fifth floor.

“Thank you. I can find my way.”

For years, Gu Jinzhi had always had the same habit: whenever he ate here, he only chose the innermost private room on the fifth floor.

I knew the way.

Just as I was about to knock and go in, I heard one of Gu Jinzhi’s friends ask him:

“It’s raining today. You’re not going to pick up Sister-in-law from work ahead of time?”

Gu Jinzhi took a sip of wine, sounding rather indifferent. “Pick her up for what? It’s not like she doesn’t know the way.”

Someone beside him started jeering. “Oh? Now that she’s almost yours, you can’t keep up the act anymore?”

The others joined in one after another. “Didn’t you say you went home with her last month to meet her parents? When’s the wedding?”

With a thud, Gu Jinzhi set his glass down on the table, his expression impatient. “What wedding? We’ll talk about it later.”

The entire room fell silent.

Sheng Zhuoran couldn’t hold back and was the first to break the quiet. “No, man, what do you mean? What do you mean, ‘talk about it later’? Did you get dumped?”

Gu Jinzhi raised an eyebrow. “Since when have you ever seen me get dumped?”

A woman’s dismissive voice rang out. “You’ve never maintained an interest in any woman for three whole years, and you’ve never actively pursued anyone for more than three months. You never talk about marriage with any woman. There are so, so many things you’ve never done, and yet Yu Buxun is the one person you broke every record for. So if she dumped you now, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

A burst of laughter erupted in the private room, mixed with words mocking Young Master Gu.

“Enough!” Sheng Zhuoran’s expression turned serious as he scolded the crowd, then looked at Gu Jinzhi. “What exactly happened? Did the Yu Family’s parents not approve of you?”

“No.” Gu Jinzhi clicked his tongue, unhurried. “It was me. I suddenly don’t want to get married that much anymore.”

Cries of surprise rose all around. Sheng Zhuoran curved his lips in a smile. “Keep pretending. You chased that untouchable ice queen for three whole years. You’re willing to let her go?”

“Untouchable ice queen?” Gu Jinzhi gave a derisive laugh. “If you’d seen how her parents treat her, you’d feel the same way I do.”

“The same how?”

“That she’s nothing special after all.”