The Substitute Lover

When I went to pick up my boyfriend, he was joking around with his friends.

"Brother Yu, still pretending to be poor? Isn't that getting old?"

Shen Yu chuckled, carelessly taking off the silver ring from his pinky finger and tossing it into the artificial lake several meters away.

"If you saw her working extra shifts, burning the midnight oil just to buy me this worthless ring, you'd find it interesting too."

So that's how it was—

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Perfect. I'd been wondering which boyfriend to break up with.

Now the decision was finally made.

1

The conversation continued.

"I'm not trying to criticize you, Brother Yu, but how can you be so cruel to a girl?"

"Li Qingyi is so devoted to you—how can you bear to treat her this way? If it were me, I'd have gone soft ages ago."

Shen Yu glanced at him.

"This bland, tasteless thing? You'd actually go for her? I feel sick every time I see her."

"I think Li Qingyi looks quite nice. Brother Yu, if you really look down on her, you could always give her to me."

"Hey, if I told Li Qingyi about this and sweet-talked her a bit, wouldn't I be able to win the beauty's heart?"

The man narrowed his eyes with a malicious grin, but in the next second, he was covering his face and stepping back several times without another sound.

I was too far away to see clearly, but I vaguely saw Shen Yu make a move against him.

I found it amusing.

Both scumbags, yet still putting on an act?

Thankfully, I'm no saint either.

Shen Yu was the male college student I had taken home some time ago.

In the biting cold wind, he sat alone outside my door covered in injuries, fainting in my arms the moment we met.

I hailed a cab, paid thirty yuan, and told the driver to dump him at the hospital and leave.

And so the unconscious Shen Yu woke up again, giving a terrible performance about how loan sharks had beaten him into such a miserable state.

And his gambling-addicted father, seriously ill mother, and school-age sister.

Good heavens.

So pitiful.

If only he hadn't forgotten to take off his Patek Philippe watch, I might have actually believed him.

But that didn't matter.

Because he had a face that was sixty percent similar to my ex-boyfriend who had disappeared without a word.

Kind-hearted as I am, my heart immediately softened.

Sorry.

I could never bring myself to hurt a man.

Now it seemed these were all just acts to gain sympathy.

I shook my head and sent Shen Yu a message.

The boy with his arms crossed and a cold expression froze for a moment before quickly looking back.

The moment he saw me, he immediately broke into a brilliant smile and ran toward me.

"Jiejie, why are you here so early? Didn't we agree to meet at eight?"

If I hadn't come early, how could I have witnessed such a fine performance?

"Because I missed you, of course."

I curved my eyes, subtly deflecting his probing.

The words felt wrong as soon as I said them.

Sigh.

Blame my mouth—I'm used to saying sweet things.

My gaze shifted, landing on Shen Yu's empty finger.

I hesitated before asking:

"Shen Yu, why aren't you wearing the ring I gave you?"

Shen Yu's smile vanished. He lowered his eyes, his whole demeanor wilting.

"I'm sorry, Jiejie. I accidentally lost it while carrying plates today. This must be very valuable, I..."

Not really.

Two yuan for four on Pinduoduo.

I appropriately showed a hint of disappointment before quickly masking it.

"Don't overthink it. The ring isn't important. Having you by my side is enough."

Perhaps it was the first time they had seen Shen Yu putting on such an obedient act, but his friends were silent for a long while.

They only reacted as we were about to leave.

"Brother Yu, next Tuesday night, at that place on Xinjiekou—remember to come!"

Shen Yu casually agreed.

I merely lifted my eyes.

Shen Yu immediately began explaining in detail.

"Don't worry, I'm just going to help out, no drinking. I'll come home early."

I nodded, my thoughts turning.

Before, Shen Yu had never hesitated to use such excuses.

I had never called him out on it.

Just so I could say break up naturally at that moment.

2

Originally, I wouldn't have minded playing along with Shen Yu for a while longer.

After all, it wasn't like we were heading toward marriage.

He liked to act, and I liked the sight of him trying so hard to please me—it was a perfect match.

Unfortunately, fatal events kept occurring one after another.

The first thing was—

Shen Yanzhou had returned to the country.

On the day this southern small town saw its first snowfall.

Shen Yu lingered to place a kiss on my forehead before leaving, and as I turned around, I found myself face to face with my ex-boyfriend, absent for five years.

Shen Yanzhou looked travel-worn, a well-tailored dark coat making him appear exceptionally tall and straight.

Compared to the last time I saw him, he had lost some weight.

From his angle, he couldn't see Shen Yu's face, but he could see all the intimate details.

He stood in the snow, the corners of his eyes reddened by the biting wind.

"Li Qingyi, I remember, we never broke up."

In that instant.

Many thoughts flashed through my mind.

Most of them rather absurd.

For instance, I already have a boyfriend, don't make decisions for me that turn me into someone dating two people at once.

Or, it's been five years—even counting a cooling-off period, that's enough time for us to get married and divorced dozens of times.

But—

I lowered my eyes to glance at the news headline that had just pushed to my phone.

[Heir of the Shen Family Returns Country, Popular Star Yin Shuyu Sweetly Greets Him—Could Wedding Bells Be Ringing Soon?]

The photo was beautifully taken.

Shen Yanzhou and that Miss Yin gazed at each other across the crowd.

Anyone who saw them would say they were a perfect match.

And me—I had only just learned that the Shen Yanzhou I knew was supposedly some Shen Family heir.

"Is that so?" I curled my lips.

"Maybe so, Shen Yanzhou. I don't remember anymore."

Turn, enter the room, lock the door—the movements flowed seamlessly.

Leaning against the door, I pressed a hand to my racing heart.

Almost.

Almost couldn't keep up the act anymore.

3

The second thing was—

I couldn't sleep until midnight, so I took Shen Yanzhou out of my blacklist and scrolled through all his Moments photos.

In a corner of one group photo, I saw Shen Yu.

Before, I hadn't paid attention, so I had never deeply investigated why Shen Yu approached me.

Now thinking about it, it was probably also because of Shen Yanzhou.

I didn't know what grudge existed between them, or how they learned that Shen Yanzhou and I had something in high school.

But Shen Yu's calculations were probably wrong.

I smiled self-mockingly.

Five years.

Shen Yanzhou had disappeared without a word in his third year of high school.

Then vanished without a trace.

If Shen Yu wanted to make Shen Yanzhou uncomfortable, approaching that Miss Yin by his side would be more effective than approaching me.

Originally, I should have long suspected some connection between Shen Yu and Shen Yanzhou, who looked somewhat similar.

But despite Shen Yu pretending to be poor before me, his unprofessional disguise was practically nonexistent.

And when I met Shen Yanzhou, he was genuinely poor—the kind who went hungry three meals out of two days.

I happened to be poor too.

There weren't many people at school who ran to the subsidized meal area every day.

And not many who walked two hours home to save a few yuan on bus fare.

Shen Yanzhou and I rarely spoke, yet our relationship grew increasingly familiar.

I don't know when it started, but he would casually grab an extra portion of food for me, and I would stand at the school gate for two extra minutes.

Waiting for that figure to quickly walk through the long corridor, turn the corner, slow down upon seeing me, and carelessly sling his bag over his shoulder, saying "You're here."

Winter nights were long and dull, carrying bone-chilling winds.

At such times, the alley would often leave only Shen Yanzhou and me, walking one after the other.

He always fell a few steps behind me, mischievously kicking pebbles toward my shoes.

Much later—

I went to great lengths to get Shen Yanzhou's address from the teacher.

Following in the completely opposite direction, when I found that small, broken-down rented room with its tenants gone—

Only then did I know.

Shen Yanzhou and I were never on the same path.

4

Saturday was my regular day to go back to the orphanage to help Auntie Chen, who had cared for me.

Today was special.

Several trucks were parked at the orphanage entrance, with books, toys, and clothes being carried in box by box.

Auntie Chen called out to me the moment she saw me:

"Hey, Xiao Li, you're just in time! Quick, come help—we could use ten pairs of hands each right now!"

I responded and hurried over to help.

As I distributed books to the排队ing children, I took note.

Unlike the old books in the orphanage library with missing pages or lost covers, every book here was brand new and hardbound—the kind I could never access as a child.

Suddenly, a commotion came from outside.

It seemed the director was personally accompanying someone this way.

"President Shen, you're truly a benefactor rarely seen in a century. In the future, whenever there's anything we can help with..."

My movements froze.

I couldn't hear the words that followed.

The next second, that familiar cool voice indeed sounded behind me.

"It was nothing more than a举手之劳."

I mechanically handed the book in my hand to the next child.

Without needing to turn around, I could feel Shen Yanzhou's gaze resting on me at this moment.

He said something.

The director's voice immediately rose several octaves.

"This, no need, no need, how could we trouble you with such trivial matters? We can handle it ourselves—"

Shen Yanzhou didn't answer, reaching out to hold the same book I was holding at both ends.

His fingers accidentally brushed against the back of my hand.

I subconsciously let go, feeling the place he touched grow somewhat numb.

He insincerely apologized:

"Sorry, I grabbed the wrong one."

Together, the two of us quickly finished distributing the entire box of books.

I remained silent.

My thoughts still wavered between escaping and staying.

"Li Qingyi."

Shen Yanzhou seemed to find it amusing, pronouncing my name word by word.

"Aren't you going to thank me?"

The scraping sound of chair legs against the floor was sharp.

I abruptly stood up.

The figure fleeing that small classroom was probably quite disheveled.

5

"Li Qingyi."

The young-faced Shen Yanzhou called my name.

"Aren't you going to thank me?"

Perhaps, memory was far deeper than I had imagined.

I thought I had long forgotten, but at this moment, even the slight upward lilt in his voice when he said those words came back to me.

He curled his lips, smiling somewhat proudly, a bit childishly.

If you ignored the pile of people lying haphazardly behind him.

They had come to ambush me, but before they could ask why, Shen Yanzhou had knocked them all down.

But I didn't particularly care about the reason either.

"How should I thank you?"

I looked up without expression.

The next second, Shen Yanzhou abruptly leaned close.

Very close, close enough to see clearly the distance between eyelashes.

I discovered Shen Yanzhou truly had a divinely gifted face.

A few seconds later.

He suddenly pulled back, taking a few quick steps as if uncomfortable.

I fell behind.

Watching the roots of his ears gradually turn red.

After a long while, he coughed, stammering:

"N-nothing, I... that, I was just joking."

I followed two steps, thought for a moment, and efficiently pressed Shen Yanzhou against the wall.

The person who had been so arrogant moments ago now had a burning face, looking at me helplessly.

"Li Qingyi, what are you going to do—"

His words remained unfinished.

I grabbed his collar, pulled him down, and kissed him.

Rather than a kiss, it was more like a collision.

Long after, until we walked in two different directions toward the fork in the road, Shen Yanzhou still couldn't utter a complete sentence.

It's laughable.

Let alone mentioning breaking up, in high school, we never even officially said we were together.

No beginning.

Naturally, no need to say end.

6

When I got home, I was still somewhat downcast, like a lost soul.

Facing Shen Yu, I couldn't even keep up the act.

"Jiejie, you went to help at the orphanage again?"

"Mm." I didn't want to say more.

But he was rarely clingy. I escaped to the kitchen, yet he persistently followed behind me, asking this and that.

"I heard that the wealthy Shen family donated a lot of things to the orphanage—did you see it?"

"I saw it. The Shen family is certainly generous."

"And that Shen Family heir..."

My movements paused.

The knife blade was sharp.

A moment of carelessness, and it cut a gash on my fingertip.

Blood seeped from the wound.

Shen Yu quickly came over, pushed me out of the kitchen, found the first aid kit, and bandaged me for me.

"How could you be so careless?"

I lowered my eyes, feeling that only now had I truly awakened from my memories, slightly calmer.

It wasn't a serious injury, but Shen Yu carefully and slowly tended to it for quite a while.

After finishing, he still held my hand in silence.

After a long time.

Shen Yu finally looked up, meeting my eyes.

"Jiejie, today, did you go see someone?"

A few seconds later, I laughed, my expression normal.

"No. What did you want to ask?"

"Nothing, just asking."

"Work has been busy lately, I'm a bit out of it. What are you imagining? Supporting one of you is still more than enough."

I curved my eyes, reaching out to mess up Shen Yu's forehead hair.

He responded softly, leaning in to kiss me.

But I subconsciously turned my head to avoid it.

Silence—

The atmosphere that had just eased up once again dropped to freezing point.

I sighed, pushed him away, and stood up.

"Sorry, I'm tired."

Shen Yu stood in place.

His expression wavered between confusion and guilt.

He hesitantly spoke:

"Jiejie, don't work so hard in the future. Actually, I have some spare money, I can—"

Only the muffled sound of a door closing answered him.

7

Seeing Yin Shuyu again was something I had expected.

After all, it wasn't the first time.

She hadn't changed much compared to before.

Five years ago, she was like this too, looking determined to win.

"You and Shen Yanzhou aren't from the same world. There's a hundred thousand in this card. Take the money—you know what to do, right?"

The eighteen-year-old me didn't understand what her words meant.

But I knew the meaning of a hundred thousand yuan.

A hundred thousand was enough to pay for Auntie Chen's daughter's surgery.

The remaining money could even buy the orphanage children an extra warm piece of clothing.

Yin Shuyu saw through my silence, scoffed, and slapped the bank card across my face.

The sting came.

I hesitantly raised my hand—warmth slid across my palm, leaving a dot of red on my pale school uniform jacket.

"Stop pretending."

She looked at me impatiently, suddenly forcefully turning my face.

Her gaze was like examining a cheap and shoddy plastic toy from a roadside stall.

"Five days. You can't see Shen Yanzhou for five days. After that, do as you please. Isn't that a good deal? Someone like you wouldn't get this price even if you sold yourself."

She didn't even wait for my response before turning to leave.

I couldn't refuse, and she knew it well.

Five days.

Just five days.

I lowered my eyes, pressing a handkerchief to the wound.

In one corner of that handkerchief, Auntie Chen had embroidered a "Yi" character for me with gold thread.

I held it tightly—holding it felt like holding my broken self.

Just five days.

But five days later, Shen Yanzhou never came to school again.

He disappeared without a word, vanished without a trace, leaving me just as I had left him.

I was still too greedy, so I lost him.

Hiding from him for five days cost me five years to repay.

Fair.

The eighteen-year-old me dimly exited the stage.

The twenty-three-year-old me handed the bank card back.

"Here, take it back."

"What?" Yin Shuyu looked at me, confused.

"A hundred thousand, take it back."

Shen Yanzhou.

I've bought you back.

8

A few days later, Shen Yu indeed went to keep his appointment.

I patiently waited an hour before asking at the front desk which private room Shen Yu was in.

The soundproofing of the private room wasn't very good.

I clearly heard Shen Yu's voice from inside, mixed with a woman's flirtatious laughter.

"Of course you're more beautiful."

"Li Qingyi? I just wanted to see what kind of taste Shen Yanzhou's woman had."

"Heh, nothing special."

"Shen Yu."

The moment I spoke, sudden silence fell within the private room.

Shen Yu turned around in disbelief, slowly.

Looking at me.

Two lines of clear tears had already slid down my cheeks.

"Shen Yu, it was all a lie, wasn't it?"

Shen Yu abruptly stood up, shoving people aside as he walked toward me, his voice trembling almost inaudibly.

"No, Jiejie, wait, listen to me explain—"

I shook my head, wildly waving his hand away as I stepped back, landing a heavy slap across his face.

"How much longer will you deceive me? Shen Yu, how much longer must you lie to me before it's enough?"

"I've long known you were lying to me. I just didn't care—as long as you were willing to stay by my side, that was enough."

"But was our relationship fake too? Was that also part of your deception?"

"Shen Yu, do you have any idea how much I like you? I just wanted to stay by your side forever, why..."

Crash—

The sound of a shattering glass came from behind me.

I froze for a moment, my performance interrupted, subconsciously turning back.

I saw Shen Yanzhou being escorted out from another private room, apparently having heard what I just said.

He stared at me blankly, the corners of his eyes terribly red, as if—

I thought with some uncertainty.

As if he were about to cry.

However, the situation was sudden, and there was no time to worry about much more—if I didn't leave quickly, it would be hard to make my escape.

I threw off Shen Yu's hand, leaving this place of trouble before he could react.

Leaving only a dispirited figure behind.

9

Finally, things had come to an end.

I changed the locks, turned off my phone, and collapsed onto my bed to sleep until the world went dark.

However, sleeping too early meant I woke too early as well.

At three in the morning, I opened my eyes on time.

Tossing and turning in bed, I couldn't fall back asleep.

At that moment, I suddenly heard a slight sound at the door.

At first, I thought it was Shen Yu trying to open the door, but it didn't sound like him.

I thought for a moment, then quietly got up, opening the door a crack.

Outside, Shen Yanzhou looked like a drunkard, leaning against the wall, his eyes somewhat swollen from crying.

Seeing me, he gave a silly smile.

"Li Qingyi, you said happiness comes in threes—your third is here."

Me: "..."

I took a deep breath, rubbing my temples.

"We already broke up. Shen Yanzhou, you're number two."

Shen Yanzhou didn't understand.

Shen Yanzhou put his hands together.

"Hands together."

"No, I mean Shen Yu and I already broke up."

"Hands together."

I felt my head starting to hurt.

I was actually trying to reason with a drunkard.

"Shen Yanzhou, what did you come here for in the middle of the night?"

Shen Yanzhou lowered his eyes, his whole person instantly becoming desolate.

I patiently waited for a long time before hearing him say two words in an extremely small voice.

"Jealous."

"What?" I froze.

"I'm jealous. Qingyi, I'm so jealous."

"Why him? Why him? If even Shen Yu could—"

"Then why... couldn't it be me?"

Shen Yanzhou stood up, swaying as he approached, burying his head in the crook of my neck.

His hands restrainedly fell to his sides, but his tears transgressively splashed onto my collarbone.

"I regret it, Li Qingyi, let's not break up."

"Don't want Shen Yu, want me, okay?"

I opened my mouth.

Unable to say "okay," but also unable to say "not okay."

Five years—still too long, far too long.

So much so that times had changed, circumstances had altered.

In the end, two people who owed each other had lost the qualification to say "it doesn't matter" about these five years of days and nights.

I could only take a step back and say:

"Come in first."

10

Originally, I had many questions I wanted to ask Shen Yanzhou.

Why disappear without a word?

Why hadn't he contacted me even once in these five years?

But setting aside whether the current drunk version of Shen Yanzhou could answer clearly.

After feeding Shen Yanzhou a bowl of hangover soup and pushing him to sit on the room's bed, I thought of another serious problem.

The contraceptives at home were long gone...

No.

He was this drunk.

Probably not necessary... right?

I glanced at Shen Yanzhou as if possessed.

This was the first time I had the chance to properly examine the current Shen Yanzhou. Compared to five years ago, his facial features were more defined, his eyes and brows possessing a certain aggressiveness.

Even already drunk to the point of nearly losing consciousness, he was still intimidating when not speaking.

Further down.

Two buttons of his white shirt were undone, beautiful muscle lines faintly visible beneath.

I swallowed, feeling somewhat feverish.

Just my luck, Shen Yanzhou suddenly looked up.

His eyes were blurred with drink, my name tumbling from his lips over and over again.

I couldn't handle it, frantically pushing Shen Yanzhou onto the bed, wrapping him tightly in blankets.

"Shush, be quiet. You, you wait here for me to come back."

I randomly threw on a coat and went out. The biting wind that hit my face helped me feel slightly calmer.

When I returned from the convenience store, Shen Yanzhou was maintaining the same position as when I left, sleeping obediently in my bed.

Heh.

Scaring myself.

I stuffed the plastic bag into the deepest part of the drawer.

Feeling I was truly going mad.

After fussing about for half a day, the time was approaching five in the morning.

Sleepiness returned.

I simply lay down, deciding to sleep some more.

11

When I woke up, I was met with Shen Yanzhou sitting on the bed, his expression completely blank.

After a long daze, he cautiously lifted the corner of the blanket to look, and seeing his intact clothes, his expression held some indescribable mix of disappointment or relief.

In any case, his gaze was very complicated.

Seeing I was awake, he looked over hesitantly:

"Qingyi, I, we..."

"Nothing."

"Oh..."

What kind of tone was that?

Did he think I was some shameless person who would take advantage of others?

Absolutely not.

I expressionlessly got up to wash up.

Passing the cabinet, I subconsciously blocked the drawer behind me.

"Um, why don't you go take a shower and change clothes first."

I put on a calm appearance, but my eyes couldn't help but drift toward Shen Yanzhou.

Thankfully, the doorbell suddenly rang.

This allowed me to escape the current strange situation.

However, the moment I opened the door, I regretted it.

It was Shen Yu.

He urgently wanted to come in, but I firmly blocked him outside the door.

No choice.

I was afraid Shen Yanzhou would come out wrapped in a towel.

That would really be impossible to explain.

Seeing my determined attitude, Shen Yu had no choice but to stand awkwardly at the door, looking at me through the crack.

"Jiejie, I admit that I did deliberately approach you because of Shen Yanzhou at first, and pretending to be poor was just for fun."

"But that was only my initial thought. After truly getting to know you and understanding you, I've always treated you sincerely."

"Believe me, my feelings for you are real."

"Sincere?" I looked at Shen Yu, puzzled.

"The sincerity of going to bars to have women on your arms every few days? The sincerity of treating the ring I gave you like trash and throwing it away? Or the sincerity of verbally humiliating me in front of others time and again?"

"Shen Yu, your sincerity is truly cheap."

"No, I really do like you. I just realized it too late."

Shen Yu frowned, speaking rapidly in a low voice:

"Jiejie, I swear, I've only seen those women once, didn't even remember their names, and won't have contact with them in the future."

"I know, I was a scoundrel before, not a decent person, but those awful things I said weren't sincere. I was just... going along with the act, you know, people in our circle are all like that."

I nodded understandingly.

In their so-called circles, the more devoted and loyal someone was, the more they would be ridiculed, while cynical second-generation heirs were seen as symbols of freedom.

But so what? What did that have to do with me?

Because he had no choice, because he was a prodigal son returning, did I have to forgive and forget?

"Oh, and the ring you gave me, I'll definitely find it back. Jiejie, I'm just asking for one more chance, I..."

Before he could finish, someone interrupted him.

"Little brother, shouldn't you keep some distance from my girlfriend? Is such a simple concept beyond you?"

He really came out!

I turned back and glared at Shen Yanzhou.

Thankfully, at least he wasn't wrapped in a towel. I looked twice more and realized they were clothes I had bought for Shen Yu before, which he had never worn.

I'd rather he came out wrapped in a towel...

"Shen Yanzhou? Why are you here? When did you two..."

Shen Yu was dumbfounded, suddenly turning to look at me.

"Jiejie, you, you're making Shen Yanzhou our mistress?"

"How could I? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Shen Yu slightly relaxed, trying to make an expression willing to listen to my explanation.

Haha, at this point, might as well go all out.

I smiled at Shen Yu.

"He's not. You are."

"I only took you in because you somewhat resemble him. That's all."

"Now that Shen Yanzhou is back, you've served your purpose as far as I'm concerned."

"This ends here. Let's part on good terms."

Since Shen Yanzhou said we hadn't broken up, then Shen Yu was the real mistress.

Reasonable.

Amid Shen Yu's shocked expression, I quickly closed the door.

12

Soon, fierce pounding and shouting came from outside.

But neither Shen Yanzhou nor I had the spare energy to pay him any mind.

Shen Yanzhou's eyes were bright as he leaned closer.

"Was what you said earlier true?"

"What?"

"Shen Yu was just my substitute. Li Qingyi, you still like me, don't you?"

If Shen Yanzhou had a tail, it would be wagging vigorously right now.

I noncommittally raised an eyebrow, asking him in return:

"What about you?"

"Shen Yanzhou, aren't you going to explain your engagement with Yin Shuyu to me?"

For a moment, confusion crossed Shen Yanzhou's face.

"What engagement?"

"I never had any plans for an engagement. It was something the Yin family spread unilaterally—I've already had someone handle it."

Immediately, his dark eyes brightened.

"Qingyi, so you've been following my news all along? I thought... you had long forgotten me."

"No, just happened to see it." I answered stiffly.

"But I just found something in your drawer. What should I do?"

Shen Yanzhou's hand behind his back moved, revealing a corner of the plastic bag.

It was the one I had hidden deep in the drawer yesterday!

My eyes widened, and I reached to grab it without hesitation.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Shen Yanzhou had already seen what was inside, and with remarkable leisure, he even read out the purchase time from the receipt.

"Four AM on December twenty-ninth."

"You! Give it back!"

I lunged forward regardless, but Shen Yanzhou顺势 pulled me into his arms, firmly trapping me.

While grinding my teeth, I had to admit.

Shen Yanzhou was still the person in this world who understood me best.

So much so that with just one look, one movement, he knew what I was feeling guilty about.

Shen Yanzhou lowered his eyes, looking at me with a half-smile, his tone carrying a hint of danger.

"Three boxes, all prepared for me?"

"Qingyi, it's still early. We can take our time."

...

At the most passionate moment, I finally asked the question I had always wanted to ask but could never bring myself to voice.

"Shen Yanzhou, why did you disappear without a word? Why didn't you contact me even once in five years?"

Emotions suddenly surged, my voice trembling.

These five years, I pretended not to care, acted too convincingly, to the point where I almost deceived myself.

Only now did I realize I actually cared very much.

Cared terribly.

Shen Yanzhou was silent for a few seconds, then gently kissed me.

"That incident happened suddenly, I couldn't find you. I'm sorry."

Actually, from his relationship with Shen Yu, and his sudden disappearance five years ago, I could probably guess what Shen Yanzhou had encountered.

Those rumors about Shen Yanzhou being an illegitimate child probably weren't entirely baseless.

Shen Yanzhou forced out a bitter smile.

"I was never any Shen Family heir. I'm Shen Yanzhou—base and dirty, poor and destitute. I wasn't worth you waiting for."

"Then why appear again?"

"Because... my possessiveness got the better of me."

"I thought that as long as you were happy, I could accept you being with someone else. I overestimated my tolerance."

"When I heard you say you liked someone else, Qingyi, I truly almost went crazy."

As Shen Yanzhou spoke, he impatiently pushed his sweat-dampened forehead hair back, subconsciously using too much force.

His words were instantly swallowed by a lingering kiss.

Before completely sinking into drowsiness.

I heard Shen Yanzhou murmur lowly by my ear:

"Qingyi. You are free. No one can trap you. I've known this for a long time."

"So I can only deliver myself to you again and again. Please, please like me just a little more, okay?"

13

After that day, Shen Yanzhou grandly publicized my existence, even claiming that wedding preparations were already underway.

While everyone was speculating about this mysterious fiancée, a certain Shen Group heir was fighting and arguing, insisting on squeezing into a tiny rented apartment with me.

"Who is he?"

Shen Yanzhou held up my phone, his lips pressed into a straight line.

I glanced over.

The contact name on the screen was—Boyfriend.

Ah.

Forgot to change it.

"You have another boyfriend? Seems I'm disturbing you two. I should move out."

Shen Yanzhou sullenly turned around, but I pulled him back, swiftly adding Shen Yu to my blacklist.

"Satisfied now?"

Shen Yanzhou didn't answer, just snorted, though the corners of his mouth had unconsciously lifted.

I shook my head, laughing silently.

I glanced at my phone and saw there was another message.

From Yin Shuyu.

Once again, I came to that coffee shop.

This time there were few people in the shop. Yin Shuyu took off her sunglasses and disguise, propping her head with one hand as she looked out the window.

Only then did I realize she wasn't as forceful as I had imagined. At this moment, her eyes were even slightly red, her face showing some fatigue.

She took a sip of coffee before slowly speaking:

"Shen Yanzhou is an illegitimate child. You didn't know that, did you?"

"That woman secretly gave birth to him, but unfortunately fell ill in her early years. A few years later, she became gravely ill, her body failing, and her delusion of returning to the Shen family to continue fighting fell through."

"In the end, Shen Yanzhou, the puppet, became her only person to rely on."

Yin Shuyu laughed sarcastically.

"She died, and the man named Shen suddenly remembered her good points, insisting on taking Shen Yanzhou back to raise him."

"This matter, I knew earlier than Shen Yanzhou. At that time, I thought he would eventually forget you."

Only then did I understand.

Where Shen Yu's bone-deep hatred for Shen Yanzhou came from.

In the end, it was nothing more than an unresolved account from the previous generation.

"Li Qingyi, I admit, I've lost to you."

"In those years abroad, I was almost always by his side, but he... didn't even remember my name."

Yin Shuyu clenched her fists.

"On graduation day, he was forced to drink by some classmates and sat alone in a corner. I thought he was uncomfortable and sat beside him, only to discover he was crying."

"Five years, Li Qingyi, the name he was murmuring was still yours."

"I gave up. From that moment on, I had already given up. Everything after was just a death struggle."

She stood up, stubbornly meeting my gaze.

"Li Qingyi, I will not apologize to you."

"I only lost once. I wasn't defeated by you."

I smiled, picked up the coffee from the table, and splashed it all over her.

"Perfect. I never intended to forgive you either."

Forgiving too easily would be a betrayal to my former self.

The pain and humiliation I felt in that moment were real.

I won't forgive, nor do I need to forgive.

Just choosing to let everything pass and move forward is enough.

14

At the engagement banquet, Shen Yu attended as a family member.

In these short few months, he had lost much weight, almost to the point of being skeletal.

"Li Qingyi." He rarely called my name, his voice suppressing pain.

"In those few months, did you never truly like me, not even for a moment?"

"Not even a little bit?"

"Every time, were you looking through this face of mine, seeing him?"

I clicked my tongue, patting his shoulder.

"You'll be unhappy if I tell you. Remember to call me sister-in-law next time."

I didn't notice that at this moment, Shen Yu was tightly clutching a ring in his palm, gripping so hard that it cut into his fingertip.

The one I had given him—he had finally found it.

But things that were never possessed cannot be found...

Grand and passionate music played.

Shen Yanzhou held a bouquet of roses, smiling as he looked at me.

"Just as I imagined."

"What?"

"Li Qingyi, this scene, I saw it when I was eighteen."

From youth to white hair, destined by a single kiss.

Remembering what I had heard in the coffee shop, I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around Shen Yanzhou's waist.

"Shen Yanzhou, I haven't told you yet—"

"I like you, I love you."

"Whether you're the poor and destitute Shen Yanzhou, or the Shen Group heir, as long as it's you, it's all the same to me."

The body under my arms visibly tensed.

Shen Yanzhou was nervous.

I couldn't help but laugh.

This person was still the same as five years ago—no matter how well he pretended to be composed, he'd reveal his true colors upon hearing a few kind words.

"I'll say these words many, many more times, until you remember them. So, what's your answer?"

Shen Yanzhou hugged me back.

Using enough force to almost press me into his body.

"Good."

"I feel the same. I like you, I love you."

"So please, please stay by my side forever."

After one thousand eight hundred and twenty-six days, the long times reconverged, proving that—

Two people who love each other enough will surely meet again, no matter how many circles they wander.