Chapter 3

Zong Lu’s voice was utterly cold.

“Your boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” I said.

He looked furious.

Even the slight curve of his lips seemed forced.

“He keeps you on a tight leash.”

5

The next day, I told Chen Zhao about my assignment in Xicheng.

I’d thought it would take a fair amount of persuading.

Instead, he sat there in a daze.

Only after I called his name several times did he look up.

“It’s fine. Go ahead.” Chen Zhao took my hand, stood, and kissed my cheek twice. “Just remember to message me often.”

After knowing him for so many years, of course I could tell something was very wrong.

But work was too busy. I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Over the next few days, Chen Zhao left early and returned late.

He seemed incredibly busy.

Then one day, I happened to find a photograph in his pocket.

Only about an inch across, it looked as though it had been cut out of something.

I recognized the person at a glance.

Chen Jiahe.

Chen Zhao’s unattainable first love.

Without showing any emotion, I turned the photograph facedown.

I didn’t mind someone from his past.

As long as he didn’t cross a line that mattered.

Of course, that didn’t mean I took no precautions.

That night, while Chen Zhao was showering, I unlocked his phone.

But there were no messages.

It was strangely clean.

6

A few days later, I arrived in Xicheng.

The company rented me a small apartment near the office.

At night, all I had to do was look up to see the city lights.

New to the Xicheng branch, I wasn’t familiar with how things worked yet.

That made my workload much heavier than it had been in Haicheng.

I barely had time to worry about Chen Zhao’s odd behavior.

After all…

I was busy enough to drop dead.

Naturally, Zong Lu was even busier.

Just how terrifying was his workload?

Almost every day, however late I stayed at the office, he stayed just as late.

The only difference was that the next morning, he still looked fresh and energetic.

Not remotely like someone drained by long nights.

At eleven that night, I closed my laptop.

I was about to leave when Zong Lu emerged from his office.

Seeing me, he nodded.

“Want to get something to eat?”

We’d been interacting more lately.

We ate together more often too.

His apartment was right across from mine.

We ran into each other constantly.

Every time I tried to decline, he dangled some work matter that required my cooperation, luring me in.

There were indeed plenty of things I needed his guidance on.

And he really was a perfectly competent work partner.

But there were plenty of headaches too.

He was always standing shirtless on his balcony, soaking up the sun.

Sometimes I saw him when I hung out my laundry.

He wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest.

And he kept looking at me for longer and longer…

The streaming comments were impossible to ignore.

【At this point, the only thing Zong Lu hasn’t done is wag his tail in front of her.】

【Let me be your side piece. Let me be your side piece.】

“Cough, cough.”

I turned my face away.

Food caught in my throat.

I immediately searched for a tissue. The next second, Zong Lu came over.

He patted my back gently.

There even seemed to be a laugh in his voice.

“Do I eat people?”

“No.”

I hurriedly put some distance between us.

This was just a little strange.

His outstretched hand stopped in midair.

A long moment later, he withdrew it without another word.

Zong Lu drove me back to our building.

I tried to get out, only to find the door still locked.

I pressed the button. He showed no intention of unlocking it.

He scrolled casually through his phone.

“How long have you and your boyfriend been together?”

“Four years.”

“You have a good relationship?”

“It’s all right.”

Zong Lu put down his phone.

“Zhang Xiaocao, what’s your attitude toward relationships?”

“Huh?”

The change of subject was so abrupt that I was lost.

Half his face lay in the soft yellow light.

His lashes lowered slightly.

Then he said something startling.

“Could you accept a third person in your relationship?”

I broke into a violent coughing fit.

The comments appeared.

【Oh my God. That’s way too direct. I can’t take it.】

【Aaaaaah!】

Zong Lu handed me a tissue.

I took it.

“Thank you.”

“What I mean is…” He looked at me again. “If you found out your boyfriend was cheating, would you stay with him?”

“Would you break up with him, Zhang Xiaocao?”

6

What Zong Lu said kept me awake all night.

Some things were manageable as long as nobody spelled them out.

But with him being that blunt, even playing dumb would be awkward.

After that day, I began avoiding him.

I admitted I wasn’t a good person.

But that didn’t mean I would do something unethical.

Or deliberately disrupt the life I already had.

Fortunately, once I adapted to the new workflow, I no longer needed to interact with him as often.

Zong Lu naturally noticed my attitude.

Sometimes, at the office, I could still feel that cold stare.

But I never once looked up.

On Saturday, Chen Zhao messaged me.

“Honey, I’ll come see you in Xicheng tomorrow.”

“I bought you a present.”

I replied:

“OK.”

The next day, the company suddenly assigned us a new task.

Everyone on the team stayed to work overtime.

When Chen Zhao arrived, I was still busy.

After receiving his message, I told a colleague:

“I need to go downstairs for something. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

I hurried out.

At the door, I ran into Zong Lu.

I nodded.

“Hello, Mr. Zong.”

He gave a cool murmur of acknowledgment.

Downstairs, I spotted Chen Zhao from a distance.

Just like always, he ran toward me, hugged me, and gave me a kiss.

“Honey, I missed you so much.”

Remembering his strange behavior, I couldn’t smile as naturally as before.

But I kept smiling.

“I missed you too, hubby.”

“A present for you.”

Chen Zhao handed me a jewelry box.

I opened it. Inside was a rose-gold necklace.

He put it on me.

Then he stroked my face.

“Honey, get back to work. I have to go too.”

“I’ll come see you again in a while.”

I nodded and watched him leave.

I was about to head back when I saw Zong Lu, hands in his pockets, watching me coldly.

My smile stiffened.

He walked over.

“Your boyfriend?”

“Yes.” I smiled. “I’ll get back to work.”

“Fix your makeup.”

His gaze fell on my lips, almost malicious.

“Your lipstick’s smudged. It looks ugly.”

My eyes went still.

I wasn’t stupid. Of course I could hear the malice in his words.

What shocked me more was hearing that tone come out of Zong Lu’s mouth.

I was someone who always settled a score.

So I looked up, smiling until my eyes curved.

“Thank you, Mr. Zong.”

“I’ll fix it upstairs.”

He said nothing more.

I didn’t look back.

I just made my footsteps deliberately heavier.

Just as I was about to go upstairs, someone caught my arm.

Zong Lu pulled me outside.

Startled, I tried to pull free, but he simply held me firmly with both hands.

“We need to talk.”

7

In the company parking lot, Zong Lu bent to retrieve something from his car.

One hand still gripped me.

Once he had it, he opened the rear door and pushed me inside.

His gaze never left me.

Slowly, he tore open a yellow document envelope.

“Zhang Xiaocao, do you really think your boyfriend is devoted to you?”

He pulled out a photograph and tossed it onto my lap.

“Do I need to tell you that a month ago, while you were working late at the office, he was having dinner with his first love?”

I lowered my head.

Then came a second photograph. A third.

“While you were sleeping at home, he was out walking with her.”

“While you were having dinner with me, he spent hours at her place.”

He leaned down. His cold fingers touched my neck.

“Why do you think he gave you a necklace?”

“Do you really think he missed you? That he couldn’t bear to be apart?”

“No.”

He held my neck and moved closer.

“Because just yesterday, the two of them slept together.”

“He cheated and felt guilty. That’s why he bought you a gift.”

“You think that’s love? He’s just buying himself a clear conscience!”

The final photograph fell onto my lap.

For an instant, everything seemed silent.

I picked up the photographs and examined them one by one.

When I finished, I struggled to suppress my emotions.

“I’ve seen them. So what?”

“Zong Lu, what does my relationship have to do with you?”

“Don’t tell me…” At last, the thin barrier between us was pierced. “You like me.”

His dark eyes rested on me.

For a long time, he didn’t answer.

I tried to push him away and leave.

Zong Lu caught my hand and pushed me back inside.

The parking lot wasn’t brightly lit. He stood with his back to the light, making the car even darker.

That usually cold face now held a reckless air, as though he’d abandoned all restraint.

His lips curved faintly.

“You’re right. I like you.”

“So break up with him, Zhang Xiaocao.”

“Marry me.”

“I hate that he’s your boyfriend. I hate that he kisses you. I hate that he holds you.”

“I hate that he sleeps with you.”

He paused, looking at me again.

Coldly.

“Because I want to sleep with you.”

Once desire had been put into words, there was no taking it back.