Chapter 8: Six Years Loving the Wrong Man

“Tingnan and I both thought those were masterpieces by famous artists.”

“So it turns out you bought every one of them from Qin Sang?”

“Brother Jingheng, I’ve known you for years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen you care about a woman like this.”

“And she’s our friend’s woman, no less.”

The smile on Chu Yusen’s lips turned dark and vicious.

“Qin Jingheng, damn it, tell me exactly when you started wanting her.”

“Do you even know she’s my woman? She was with me for six years!”

“You know she loved you for six years. How did you treat her?”

“Three years ago, the first time you went back to Beijing to fool around, I already wanted to take her away from you.”

“But she knew nothing about it. Her heart and eyes were full of you.”

“When the moment finally came, I regretted it. I couldn’t bear to see her hurt. I couldn’t bear to see her cry.”

“I’ve held back for years. I’m done holding back.”

Qin Jingheng lowered his head and took off his watch.

Chu Yusen suddenly stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar.

At the same moment, Qin Jingheng’s fist slammed into Chu Yusen’s face.

The two men were equally privileged, equally well dressed and polished.

Now they’d lost every trace of decorum, grappling and throwing punches.

I stood beside them without trying to break up the fight.

I called the police, then turned and walked away.

“Qin Sang!”

As I stepped outside, I heard Chu Yusen call my name.

My footsteps faltered, but I didn’t turn around.

The thud of a body hitting the floor, the cries of pain, the fists landing on flesh—

I left all of it behind me.

I’d said it long ago.

The moment I moved out of that house, Chu Yusen and everything connected to him ceased to have anything to do with me.

I opened my umbrella and pulled my coat tightly around me.

Then I walked into the downpour.

I used to be terrified of weather like this.

On a day like this, I’d lost the most important man in my life.

And on a day like this, I’d once thought I’d found the love I’d always longed for.

For the next six years, whenever the weather turned like this, Chu Yusen had been by my side.

I’d thought he would stay with me for the rest of my life, and that together we would overcome the fear that haunted me.

But in the end, I came to understand:

I was the only one who could do that.

And I was all I needed.

Extra Story — Chu Yusen’s Point of View

I never saw Qin Sang again after that day.

She left the city where we’d lived together for six years.

She had no fixed home, yet she lived freely, comfortably, and happily.

Three years ago, one of her oil paintings of Tibet caused quite a stir.

Her reputation soared, and so did the value of her work.

She became a genuinely wealthy woman.

She dated from time to time, but never married.

I heard all this from Lu Tingnan.

The only reason he knew anything about Qin Sang was that he was now Jiang Wutong’s boyfriend.

That’s right. In the end, Lu Tingnan managed to win Jiang Wutong over.

It took him longer than it had taken me back then.

He doggedly pursued her, trying every possible approach, gentle and forceful alike.

Many times, like me in the past, he’d grown discouraged and desperate and decided to give up.

But this time, that brat had been unusually persistent.

In the end, he really did win her over.

They were now in their third year together.

He’d overcome pressure from the elders in his family and was preparing to get engaged to Jiang Wutong.

As for Qin Sang, she was Jiang Wutong’s closest friend.

She would surely return to Beijing for the engagement.

After I heard the news, I started feeling nervous for some reason.

I got a haircut a full week in advance.

Then I kept choosing outfits and ties.

Lu Tingnan teased me under his breath.

“Which one of us is getting engaged—you or me?”

“Why are you more nervous than I am? You’re even dressing better than I am.”

I said nothing, but a strange feeling of envy rose in my heart.

If Qin Sang and I had stayed together, we would surely have been married by now.

Maybe we’d even have children old enough for kindergarten.

Instead, Lu Tingnan had gotten that far ahead of me.

“Do you still think about Qin Sang?”

I didn’t nod, but I didn’t deny it either.

Over the years, our friends had noticed something.

Some had even tried to tell me to let go.

After all, she’d gone through who knew how many boyfriends by now.

There was no need to keep holding on.

I knew there was no need, either.

The first time I learned Qin Sang had a new boyfriend, I was so jealous I nearly went crazy.

Night after night, I couldn’t sleep.