Chapter 1

Just before I step into the elevator, I collide with a long-legged man hurrying out.

A cool fragrance drifts into my nose.

He doesn't have to take his mask off. I already know how handsome he is.

Ahhh...

Enough to turn my bones to water.

I suppress my excitement, moisten my lower lip, and calmly press the close-door button.

In another hour, I'll be making my familiar appearance inside his wardrobe.

The elevator stops on the twelfth floor.

Stooping a little, I follow the route I know so well to the gray door, enter the code, and step into Lin Kan's apartment.

Lin Kan is the handsome man who just bumped into me.

He streams on a platform where his good looks are the main attraction.

And I...

I'm his most devoted fan. Practically fossilized by now.

Today he's wearing the custom perfume I gave him.

Even now, the scent makes my heart burn.

He's lucky.

A thoughtful, devoted fan like me, asking nothing in return.

For over a month, in my capacity as his “landlady,” I've quietly looked after him.

Whenever he's out, I come in to clean, wipe things down, and put everything in order.

He has no idea how much I do.

That's all right.

I don't blame him.

It's all voluntary.

Consider this: for an apartment in the luxury Fangyuan Yipin development, I charge him only two thousand yuan a year.

If he saw the real me, what if he was so touched he insisted on offering himself in repayment?

Oh, dear.

No. No.

Our feelings can't be that shallow.

One day, he'll choose me because our souls understand each other.

Hee hee...

Humming happily, I put on a disposable raincoat, a mask, and medical gloves.

Then I bend over his bed and bury myself in his pillow.

A deep breath.

Ah.

That's the scent.

I had three perfumes made for him.

He's already used two.

The one he wore outside was number one.

On the pillow is number three, the soothing bedtime scent.

How exciting.

If this isn't mutual affection, what is?

But my favorite place is still his wardrobe.

A small space. The fragrance stays longer.

I open it, lean halfway inside, and inspect his clothes one by one.

Wait.

One of them smells wrong.

I've never given him a floral perfume.

Which little tramp left her scent on this?

Rage flares.

I take out the scissors I always carry and slash the “dirty” shirt to pieces.

Then—

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The electronic lock sounds at the front door.

I climb into the wardrobe and pull it shut from inside with practiced ease.

Settling in a corner, I light up my phone.

It's only just past eight.

He streams at ten every night and usually comes home after nine.

Why so early?

The solid-wood wardrobe is completely enclosed.

I can't see outside.

But this is my apartment.

I've installed cameras at several angles, all linked to my phone.

I open the app.

Five or six views appear at once.

I select the front door.

One glance makes me grind my teeth.

Bastard.

He deserves to die!

Lin Kan has brought another woman into our future marital home.

How could he betray me?

She's young-looking, with a small face and straight black hair to her shoulders.

I look down at my own skin, beginning to lose its firmness.

An inexplicable fire races through me.

Immediately, I transfer a six-figure payment to my usual spa and book a Thermage treatment for next week.

On-screen, Lin Kan crouches to remove her slightly yellowed trainers, then finds her slippers.

She rests a hand on his shoulder.

They smile at each other.

That little tramp.

Playing innocent.

Playing at first love.

She knows my Lin Kan is simple and easily deceived. That's why she's using this cheap act.

Her school-uniform-style outfit is obviously a knockoff.

She's here for his money.

Let's see how long she can hide it.

“Jiajia, I'll shower first. Have a look around. There are drinks in the fridge. Help yourself.”

His low, gentle voice comes through my Bluetooth earphones.

That short sentence soothes a little of my anger.

She says nothing, only smiles and nods.

The moment he's gone, the smile disappears.

She gets up, looks around, and takes chewing gum from her coat pocket.

Chewing, blowing bubbles, tapping a foot.

Where's that sweet, obedient girl now?

I roll my eyes.

A fake.

Just as I thought.

Let her enjoy herself a little longer.

Sooner or later, Lin Kan will see what she really is.

Then she suddenly strides toward me.

I lock my phone and curl deeper into the corner, hiding behind his hanging clothes.

Has she noticed something?

I bite my lip and hold still.

Damn it.

She's right outside.

Creak... creak...

The door starts to slide open.

A narrow gap appears. Then it catches.

A scrap of the shirt I cut up is lodged in the track.

She bends down, tugging the door and peering in.

Closer.

Her hair brushes my arm. Gooseflesh rises.

My head buzzes.

Then Lin Kan speaks behind her.

“Jiajia, what are you looking for?”

Bang.

The door slides shut.

I let out a breath.

Only when their footsteps have gone do I turn the cameras back on.

All because of that hateful woman.

Without her, I wouldn't have to skulk around.

I'm only here to keep him company and care for him, as always.

What gives her the right to interfere?

Rubbing my throbbing temples, I check the views.

He's carrying her toward the bed.

Fuck.

In my apartment?

I switch to the bedside camera.

The screen becomes a black blur.

I restart the app.

Still black.

She's stuck her chewing gum over the camera.

I can't see a thing.

I turn up the earphones instead.

Movement. Breathing.

Then Lin Kan's gentle voice.

“Baby... is this all right?”

A muffled response.

I assume they're becoming intimate. Of course I do. That girl knows exactly how to put on an act.

But the next sounds don't seem right.

Sheets rustle.

Her voice grows fainter, as though she can't breathe.

A few minutes later, everything stops.

I raise the volume.

Dead silence.

What happened?

I'm wondering whether to go out when the blackness disappears.

Lin Kan's handsome face fills the screen.

I've looked at it thousands upon thousands of times. Otherwise, I might have screamed and thrown the phone.

He suddenly smiles toward the camera.

As though he knows I'm watching.

My heart jolts.

Has he found them?

No.

Impossible.

I calm myself and lower the brightness and volume.

Those disguised cameras cost me over a hundred thousand yuan to commission.

Each is hidden in a natural-looking ornament: a painted figure's pupil, a crystal on the chandelier...

How would a provincial streamer who's only just begun earning a little in the city notice?

Sure enough, he only mutters, “Huh? Why is there gum on this wall light? I don't remember eating any...”

I relax.

Then my heart leaps into my throat again.

He leaves the bedside to find a bin.