Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Socializing after an awards ceremony is inevitable. Feeling a bit tipsy, I walked out of the Jinyue Mansion underground parking lot, waved off my staff, and headed up alone.

As the elevator ascended, I looked at my reflection in the large mirror. Tonight should have been the most triumphant moment of my life, a time for me to cheer and celebrate.

I vaguely remembered how Zhou Huaian used to sigh and murmur tenderly when I would cry uncontrollably over missing out on some tiny, insignificant award:

“It’s just some obscure award, not worth having anyway. Once you win Best Actress, we’ll show those people who couldn’t recognize your talent. Stop crying, okay?”

I had cried even harder then, asking uncertainly, “Can I really win Best Actress? I can’t even land a minor supporting role. When will I ever win Best Actress? You’re just humoring me again…”

He had smiled and said, “Our Niannian is amazing. If you don’t believe in yourself, at least believe in me. When has Zhou Huaian ever lied to you?”

I had clung to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and wiping my tears on his expensive shirt, making him pinch the bridge of his nose in a display of helpless frustration.

After a shower, I threw myself onto the large, soft sofa and picked up my phone to reply to the congratulatory messages one by one.

My finger paused over a certain name. Our chat history had stopped half a month ago.

Back then, we had been fighting tooth and nail. Exhausted to my limit, I had sat in the passenger seat and told him calmly, “Let’s break up, Zhou Huaian.”

His fingers had tightened on the steering wheel, the veins on his forehead bulging as he gritted his teeth. “Impossible. Don’t even think about it.”

I had smiled gently, yet cruelly. “I’ve already embarrassed you like this. Do you really want to continue?”

He had whipped his head around to look at me, his breathing heavy. After a few moments, he composed himself. “Shen Nian, what are you making a scene about now? I’ve been very tired lately. Just give me some time…”

A quarrel that ended in a stalemate, neither of us willing to be the one to offer a way out.

The doorbell and my phone rang simultaneously, likely from the same person.

I indifferently let them ring for a long time, ignoring both.

It wasn’t until the doorknob turned that I remembered I hadn’t changed the passcode to the apartment yet.

Sitting on the sofa, I looked toward the entryway.

Zhou Huaian stood there, looking travel-worn, his eyes fixed on me with a heavy gaze. The eyes are the organs of desire; those eyes had once been indifferent to everything, until I pulled him down into the mortal realm and then left him to struggle in the sea of longing.

I was much calmer than I expected. Perhaps it was time to settle things once and for all.

“It’s so late. Did you come all the way from Beijing?”

He stood before me, blocking out most of the light. His shirt was slightly wrinkled, his sleeves still rolled up.

After a moment, he sat down and leaned his head gently on my shoulder as if he were exhausted. He sighed, “What are you making a fuss about?”

How much of it was sincerity, and how much was true affection? It was impossible to tell.

Zhou Huaian, can’t you see through this game that’s reaching its end?

I asked him calmly, “Are you thinking that after you get married, I’ll become your mistress?

“Zhou Huaian, don’t degrade me like that.

“Okay?”

He froze for a moment, then said after a long pause, “Give me some time…”

I interrupted him. “We tried, didn’t we? Zhou Huaian, I tried, but I ended up battered and bruised. Do you really have to drag me along to hit a dead end one more time before you’ll stop?”

I looked down at his ring finger and said sincerely, “The new ring looks quite nice.”

Zhou Huaian’s hand instantly went stiff, motionless.

I tilted my head back and looked at him with a smile, just as I had when we first met. “So, can you return the ring I gave you?”