The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

Xiang Ru's lips trembled, and she was about to pounce on Lu Zheng to twist her ear again, but Lu Zheng held her back.

"You've rebelled! You've got this bastard backing you up, and you're rebelling? Fine, go with him if you dare, but never come back. I'll pretend I never had such a lowly daughter as you! You fawn over any man who has a little money, you shameless slut!"

The mother was still cursing and swearing, not caring if Lu Zheng heard her even more offensive words.

She turned around, and Lu Zheng tugged at her, his deep black eyes seeming to ask her: Is this okay?

She shook off his hand and continued walking out.

He was a cold-hearted person to begin with, and today, he finally saw her true colors.

Behind her, Xiang Ru's curses had turned into whimpering sobs: "Fine, fine! Daughters are really unreliable. For a man like this, you've even abandoned your own mother. You and your father are just the same! Fine, very well, I guess I wasted my life giving birth to you..."

The curses echoed down the corridor.

“Auntie, I will be good to Susu.” Lu Zheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly said. Then he helped Xiang Ru, who was slumped on the ground, up, bowed deeply, and then caught up with Su Wen, who was standing not far away.

She stopped walking only after hearing his words.

Such a confident guarantee sounds like a promise. But this promise is precisely the most unrealistic one.

It was nearly midnight when she stepped out of the building. There was no moon, but many stars shimmered like scattered silver in the sky. The wind was strong and cold, making her long hair disheveled. Lu Zheng walked up from behind, took her hand, and placed it in his own.

He didn't say much all night, even when Xiang Ru was whipping him, he endured it silently, but his last sentence was resounding.

"Get in the car? It's windy."

He didn't ask a single question about what happened that night, and she didn't ask him why he was knocking on her door at this hour. She took a step back, pushed his hand away, looked at him quietly, and said, word by word, "The biggest difference between her and me is that I will always rely on myself for my future, and I will never depend on a man. I will not regret what I said today."

Even if he breaks ties with his birth mother, he will not regret it?

After saying this, she seemed to dim all at once. Her thick, long eyelashes covered her eyes, which were like the deep reflections of a still pool, reflecting the sky and clouds, yet carrying a sense of bewilderment and helplessness.

Lu Zheng sighed in the darkness, slowly walking towards her and forcefully pulling her into his arms. She no longer had the strength to struggle, letting him stroke her vest repeatedly, murmuring, "I know, I know everything... whatever you want, I'll be by your side..."

A cold wind swept over her body, and his embrace tightened. This time, Suwen did not resist and silently buried her face in his chest.

*Click*—He lit his lighter, and in the darkness, only a tiny red glow and the indistinct outline of his profile could be seen. Su Wen, draped in his suit jacket, sat on the steps, staring at him blankly. The less she could see him clearly, the more fixated her gaze became.

The night wind made the sparks dance, and he finally lit a cigarette, turning his face from the darkness to look at her.

She deliberately softened her tone and said, "Give me a bite."

He seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before handing her the cigarette he had already brought to his lips.

Su Wen held the cigarette butt in one hand, while awkwardly pinching the mouthpiece with her thumb and forefinger in the other, her posture clumsy and unskilled. Fortunately, she wasn't an expert, and Lu Zheng felt a sense of relief. He also found her smoking posture comically cute, and couldn't help but recall how she had suddenly taken the cigarette from his mouth three years ago, only to choke after taking just one puff.

Just like her appearance in his life, it was so sudden that he wasn't prepared at all. She had already penetrated to the bone, making it impossible for him to let go of her.

In the thin gray veil, her pale face was visible; she was trapped in the swirling smoke, her movements slow and deliberate.

His heart tightened, and the question that had been lingering in his mind finally came out: "Susu, can you tell me how you've spent these past three years?"

How did you get through it?

She seemed to smile, her voice becoming soft, tinged with an indescribable sadness: "The past is the past."

She casually glossed over those days when she was desperate and almost driven to the brink of despair with a single sentence.

She's always like this, so carefree yet so infuriating, yet you can't let go of her.

He didn't press further. The last spark of the cigarette between his fingers burned out, leaving only a wisp of smoke. Su Wen shook off the ash with regret, then suddenly his shoulder trembled and he sneezed.

Lu Zheng stood up and extended his hand to her: "Come to my place, I'll take you directly to the scene tomorrow."

A man invites a woman to his place late at night. It's so easy to get carried away with that thought.

However, these words also awakened Suwen. She had no right to wallow in self-pity now. If she failed to qualify for tomorrow's competition, all her ambitions would be nothing but empty talk.

Suwen calmly placed her hand in his palm and stood up with him.

Lu Zheng parked the car at the entrance of the alley. After getting in, she turned her face to the window, tilted her head and leaned back in the seat. She was very quiet the whole way, and he kept wondering if she had fallen asleep, but she hadn't.

When they arrived at an old street in Dongcheng District, Suwen suddenly sat up and asked incredulously, "You live here?"

She had clearly seen the Lu family mansion before, with layers of guards, like an ancient imperial palace.

"It's just a place to sleep," he explained as he turned the car around.

Since he said that, Suwen didn't press the matter further. It was still a bit cold after getting out of the car, and she sneezed twice, pulling her suit jacket even tighter.

"Let's go up." He locked the car, walked over, and put his arm around her shoulder.

It's not too cold anymore, but...

The old apartment building exuded a heavy, gloomy atmosphere. There was no cleaning service, and you could almost smell the dust on the concrete steps when you stepped on them. When Lu Zheng reached the fourth floor, he took out his key to open the door. The old-fashioned security door was difficult to open, and before he could even open it, the motion-activated light in the corridor went out. Su Wen stomped her foot, and the light came back on.

He shouldn't live in a place like this.

The door clicked open, and he went in first to turn on the light. Suwen followed behind him, standing in the doorway like a fool.

The tiny one-bedroom apartment is completely visible from the outside. The interior is ridiculously shabby, with all the furniture being quite old, and the only television is a mere 21-inch model. The most incongruous element of the entire place is the thick, ankle-deep Angolan wool rug, all pure white, even in the kitchen – truly luxurious.

Nie Suwen felt completely dumbfounded, frozen like a puppet, unable to even take a step. Time flew by, and she vaguely saw a handsome but unsmiling young man on the sofa, patiently massaging his fussy girlfriend's sore back. His eyes and brows were full of tenderness, and then he thoughtfully remarked, "Hmm... this floor should be replaced."

Everything in the house was exactly the same as it had been three years ago when they lived together. Even he hadn't changed, except that his features had become more sharp. At this moment, he was gazing at her affectionately, calling out, "Susu?"

"I am here……"

She just wanted to respond to him, but her throat felt itchy, and she made a sound like she was choking up.

He gazed at her silently, his obsidian eyes reflecting the lamplight as if it were the most beautiful light in the world. He opened his arms and said, "I've been waiting for you."

Everything remained unchanged. It was as if the three years had not passed at all; life was peaceful and serene, and he had been waiting in the same place, waiting for her to return one day, to return to his embrace.

She couldn't speak, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would burst into tears, so she could only throw herself into his arms and hug him tightly.

Suwen entered the bathroom and immediately noticed the couple's mouthwash cups and toothbrushes on the sink. Curious, she picked them up and wondered: "These are the ones I casually bought at the school store years ago, right? Could he have brought them all over the city untouched?"

The pink one was hers; the cup was brand new and smooth, without a speck of dust. Clearly, it was frequently cleaned.

She put down her cup and looked at her sorrowful face in the mirror. It was already two or three in the morning, and in a few hours she would have to get up to do her makeup, rehearse, and practice her stage movements. The finals were supposed to start at eight o'clock in the evening, but in reality, the contestants had to spend the whole day preparing for it.

She promised not to cry, but her eyes were still as red as a rabbit's. She was most afraid that she would wake up tomorrow with her eyes looking like two big walnuts, because even the best makeup couldn't save her then.

She heard the sound of a doorknob turning outside, and her voice tightened: "I'm taking a shower." She quickly turned on the shower.

Then there was silence outside the door.

Suwen quickly pulled the shower curtain closed. She had also chosen the pattern for the shower curtain: large golden sunflowers against a sky-blue background. She wondered where he had found the exact same pattern.

With a click, the door opened, and Lu Zheng stood by the door with the key in his hand. Su Wen's body, exposed to the steam, froze, silently letting the water wash over her. Through the semi-transparent shower curtain, it was impossible to discern his intentions.

Lu Zheng walked in wearing slippers, but didn't even glance at her. He placed the clothes in his hands into the dry laundry basket beside him and said, "These are clean clothes. Change into them after you wash them."

"The towels and everything else are still hanging where they were, you remember?"

“Oh…” she paused for a moment, then answered hesitantly.

After he left, Suwen quickly washed up and came out, taking out the clothes from the dry clothes basket. It was a set of women's underwear and pajamas, brand new, with the tags still hanging on them.

Where did he get this outfit in the middle of the night?

As Suwen changed her clothes, she grumbled to herself. When she picked up her underwear, her expression suddenly became somewhat distorted.

This story begins three years ago when they first moved in together. Suwen was completely taken in and tricked into it. Before she had even packed all her things, she got her period on the very first night she moved in. Her period was so affectionate that she couldn't refuse. Looking at her bloodstained underwear, she was filled with grief and despair.