Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sheng Zhuoran sent another message:

[Did you two break up?]

I didn’t reply.

But he showed up with flowers anyway.

“Miss Yu, would you be willing to get to know me with dating in mind?”

“Not interested.”

“Please believe me. I’m sincere. I’m not like Gu Jinzhi.”

“How are you different? You all went to a nightclub. They all ordered girls, and you didn’t, is that it?”

“…”

I didn’t have time to start all over again with Gu Jinzhi No. 2.

Sheng Zhuoran wasn’t very good at keeping secrets.

Gu Jinzhi found out he was pursuing me.

He came to my place, kicked away the bouquet at my door that I was going to throw out anyway, and tore the card to shreds.

The card read: I am willing to change myself for you, until you see my sincerity.

Gu Jinzhi was furious. He asked me if I had wavered because of someone else.

“Buxun, I believe I’m special to you. We’ve already reached the stage of meeting the parents. As long as you nod, you’ll be Mrs. Gu.”

“She’s nothing but a paper-thin ice queen on a pedestal. I have to wear her down and turn her into a wife this young master can use comfortably. When the time comes, smoking, drinking, lovers everywhere-she’ll have to put up with all of it. Once I poke a hole in the condom and tie her down with a child, will she still be able to run?”

I repeated, word by word, what Gu Jinzhi had said in that private room that night.

With every word I spoke, the color drained from his face inch by inch.

“You heard all of that. Then you…”

Even a toxic relationship needs a withdrawal period.

He started struggling again, looking both pathetic and pitiful.

“I was… I was just…”

“You saw a hidden side of my family of origin and thought you could control me.”

“Buxun, I…”

“Have you ever scooped cat litter?”

The sudden change of topic made Gu Jinzhi freeze. Confusion filled his eyes.

“Huh?”

“No matter how long cat waste rolls around in clean litter, it still has to be thrown out. You’re like a lump of cat shit. You’ve stayed in my life for a long time, and yes, you left behind some smell and gained some sense of presence. But the moment I confirm you’re something that shouldn’t be there, you have to leave.”

“When I met you, I already knew you had a rich romantic history and lived recklessly. I accepted you, so I let bygones be bygones. Now that I’m giving you up, I can also leave the past where it belongs.”

Gu Jinzhi began to cry. Silently, soundlessly, only tears sliding slowly down his chiseled face.

“I really did plan to marry you, and then…”

“And then, at some moment afterward, that contempt and disdain would rise in your heart again. Maybe when I’m bloated and weak from pregnancy and childbirth. Maybe when I’m sick in bed, crying until my nose runs. Or maybe when I fail to get a promotion at work. At times like that, you won’t be able to stop yourself from thinking, ‘She’s not that impressive. I don’t know what she’s so proud of. Maybe I shouldn’t have chosen a woman like this. I can find another one outside and trample all over the dignity of this lawful wife. If her own parents could treat her like that, why can’t I?'”

“What is more terrifying than a lack of love is contempt. Once contempt begins, it doesn’t stop. You would start to doubt whether the person you sacrificed your pride to cling to was ever worth it at all. Then you would begin to hate me. Hate me for making a fool of you. Hate me for clearly being unbearable, yet acting unattainable, making you think there were rare treasures hidden behind the flowers, only for you to discover it was just a clump of filth pretending to be a lotus. Before long, you would turn that hatred into action, and every time I needed you, you would push me into an even deeper abyss.”

“The broken windows effect is the touchstone that reveals a vile person, and you, Gu Jinzhi, have been despicable from beginning to end.”

“You failed the test.”

Having cut off contact with my parents for years, I had absolute freedom to decide whether or not to take him home to meet them.

The reason I did it was because I wanted to open my life to him without holding anything back.

My motives were somewhat idealistic. I hoped my future lover would be able to accept all of me.

I didn’t want the person lying beside me to be someone I had to guard against at every moment.