The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

Lu Zheng laughed and let go of her, picking up his clothes and putting them on: "Go wash up. Be good, we'll go out for a late-night snack when I get back."

"It's so late..."

Suwen stopped in front of the bathroom door and turned back to ask him uncertainly.

It was almost midnight by the time he finished his work, and this extra hassle made Suwen glance at the wall clock, her voice drawn out reluctantly. This gave him the perfect opportunity to cut off her impending refusal.

"I haven't had dinner yet, have I? Aren't you afraid I'll starve?"

Looking at him after his shower, he looked refreshed and satisfied; he didn't look hungry at all.

Suwen slammed the bathroom door shut in frustration, stood under the showerhead, and let the warm water wash over her. The body in the steamy mirror opposite her was covered with countless large and small marks that she couldn't wash away no matter what she did.

I wonder how long this kind of life will last.

Too much happiness came rushing in, and while I was overjoyed, I also felt a little lost.

She sighed softly and picked up the shower gel to wash herself.

Just as she came out wrapped in a bath towel, Lu Zheng returned with the clothes he had bought for her; the timing was perfect.

He was a little smug, leaning back on the bed, leisurely admiring the picture of a beautiful woman emerging from her bath.

Lu Zheng prepared her fully armed: large black-rimmed glasses, a woolen hat, and a mask. In the winter night of Beijing, walking on the street dressed like that wouldn't be considered strange.

Suwen stared at her reflection in the mirror, which was completely covered up except for her bright, dark eyes, which blinked as she looked at him. Her voice, muffled through the mask, said, "In the middle of the night, how can so many people recognize me?"

He patted her head and pressed down the edge of her beanie again: "Put it on properly. I don't want our meal to turn into your personal fan meeting."

That's an exaggeration.

Actually, there was a snack shop that was open all night not far from the company building, but Lu Zheng took his car to take her to a place further away to eat.

Suwen got into the car, her posture strained, still somewhat resentful of the man's almost barbaric behavior in bed. Once inside, she looked listless; after all, it was one or two in the morning, and coming out to find food at this hour was like some kind of nocturnal animal.

As Lu Zheng drove, he said, "Take a nap if you're tired."

This was exactly what Suwen wanted, so she turned her head away and pretended to sleep, not wanting to say a word.

When the car finally stopped, he heard him say, "We've arrived." Suwen immediately opened her eyes, and her action of opening the door and getting out of the car suddenly stopped when she saw the surrounding scenery.

I looked at it once, then again, and finally confirmed that it wasn't just my imagination.

Lu Zheng walked around and closed the car door for her. She hesitated for a moment, so he put his arm around her waist and led her forward: "You're familiar with this place, right? I heard that film school students often come here to eat after class. Any good restaurant recommendations?"

It took Su Wen a while to realize what was happening. Yes, this was the "little canteen" on the back street of the film academy, where students usually ate their own meals. Why had he brought her here so late?

"Whatever." Suwen's voice still carried a hint of weariness. It was already so late, and only a few shops were still open.

Lu Zheng chose a barbecue restaurant that was still quite lively at this time, in the most secluded corner, on the second floor by the window. Calling it a window was a bit of a stretch; it was actually just an open-air terrace covered by a fabric canopy, letting in drafts from all sides. It was alright in summer, but in winter it was a biting, howling wind. Zhou Mo used to jokingly call it "drinking beer while being buffeted by the northwest wind."

Lu Zheng picked up the greasy menu, consulted Su Wen for her opinion, and ordered some grilled skewers, beer, and a dry pot dish. In this weather, sitting in this semi-open-air environment, if you don't eat something hot, you'll really freeze to death.

There were still a few tables occupied by students who hadn't gone home that night. They had ordered beer, were playing cards, and were shouting loudly.

Lu Zheng followed her gaze and smiled, "Were you like them in the past?"

Suwen withdrew his gaze but did not answer. His attitude was ambiguous.

Returning here didn't evoke any feelings of nostalgia. Instead, she recalled the days of working day and night and shamelessly following Zhou Mo around for meals. She instinctively resisted that past.

The proprietress brought out a bottle of wine, and Lu Zheng filled her glass. She took it and tilted her head back to gulp it down, feeling inexplicably irritable. She drank too quickly and choked, coughing violently, her throat and nasal cavity burning.

Lu Zheng got up and came over to pat her back.

"Actually, seeing them reminds me of when I was in the city three years ago," he suddenly said.

Suwen frowned and looked up at him, puzzled.

"If I remember correctly, you were a freshman back then, studying... International Economics and Trade? It would have been good if you had continued studying that major; you might be a white-collar worker in a big company now."

Why bring this up?

"Past"—she hated that word.

Lu Zheng seemed quite happy to mention it: "Of course, your current net worth is much higher than that of an ordinary white-collar worker. Three years ago, I always thought you had gone back to the city or your hometown... I didn't even know where your home was. The only thing I didn't expect was that you actually stayed in Beijing and even changed your major to acting."

"Heh," he seemed to chuckle faintly, but upon closer inspection, there was no trace of that smile on his face.

Time had passed, and memories should have faded, but Lu Zheng's gaze pierced through her guilty eyes, as if it could penetrate the barrier of memory and reach her heart.

She shuddered at the thought. The familiar surroundings, the familiar sounds—she seemed to see someone sobbing softly on the street in the middle of the night. The girl was crouching on the ground, her face buried in her knees, curled up tightly, crying and crying so hard. She looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old. She wanted to ask her if there was anything she could do to help. But her legs felt like lead; she couldn't move an inch and could only stand there, watching helplessly.

Later, the girl finally stood up. She turned around, her face streaked with tears, and bright red blood was still streaming down her forehead. That face was, in fact, her own—

Nie Suwen broke out in a cold sweat, and amidst the sounds of the children drinking and playing, she could hear her own heart pounding.

She sat quietly in her seat, while Lu Zheng continued, "I couldn't find you back then. I tried everything I could. It's been three years, and I haven't gotten a single piece of news about you. I've been back to the city many times, to your school, to places you used to go, but they all said they haven't seen you again... What a coincidence, though, when I returned to Beijing after searching all over the place, I actually saw you sitting in my private room drinking."

Suwen didn't remember who started that bar party; she was just a rich young man's companion, an appendage brought along. She had no idea who else was there that night or what they did. But she definitely remembered the figure she saw brushing past him in the hallway as she returned from the restroom, looking dazed.

That must have been their first meeting three years later. However, Lu Zheng was on the phone at the time and probably didn't notice.

"You'll never know how I felt when I saw you sitting next to another man, hearing him call you 'Susu' over and over." Just as she'd never know how much his heart ached when she left three years ago—a heart-wrenching pain, like it had been ripped open. "Sometimes I think you're really cruel. You're the cruelest woman I've ever met. You can ignore your own heart, and you can completely erase everything I've done for you. No matter what I do, it seems like nothing can keep you..."

"Stop talking..."

He ignored her resistance: "Back then, I felt like a walking corpse, alive but already dead. I returned to the Lu family, bearing the surname I hated most, greeting and seeing off those hypocritical businessmen. I accepted the convenience and flattery that this surname brought me, and accepted Xiao Rong's financial help to build my current company. I owe the Xiao family a favor, so even though I know Yuanyuan's feelings for me, I can't explicitly refuse her. I even thought, if you don't show up in another three or five years, what difference does it make who I marry? By then, maybe I'll accept Xiao Yuan..."

These were the first times he had said these words to her.

This man, who was usually so reserved with his expressions, had never spoken so much to her before. Su Wen felt her voice didn't even sound like her own anymore, and she was a little dazed: "Why are you telling me all this?"

Lu Zheng was smiling at her.

That upward angle, that sliver of moonlight, so warm and gentle.

“Tonight, when you told me… ‘I can’t leave you,’ I suddenly felt a sense of role reversal.” His gaze was thoughtful, as if searching for an accurate adjective. “I felt as if I saw my past self in you—the one who held your hand tightly, afraid that you would leave, but in the end, I couldn’t even see your back.”

Suwen looked up with a start.

His tone made her a little suspicious.

Emboldened by the alcohol, Suwen blurted out, "So now, will you also leave me behind, so that I can't even see your back?"

His expression froze on the smile he had shown a minute earlier.

"I will not give you that chance again."

The moonlight, pale as water, spilled over the man's perfectly handsome face. Su Wen suddenly felt that he was so... captivating.

"..."

The boys at the next table seemed to have finished drinking. They called to each other and stood up to go to the bar to pay their bills. When they got to Suwen's table, one of the drunk boys suddenly stopped, tilted his head, and stared at Suwen's face.

As soon as he stopped, someone in his group nudged him, saying, "Aren't you going to move...?"

Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a surprised voice: "You're Nie Suwen, right? The Nie Suwen who played Wang Jiazhi!" At first it was a question, but later it became a confirmation.

His shout drew attention not only from his friends but also from students at other tables, who frequently peered over in their direction.