1 – Fiancé’s Infidelity
Haitian Huayuan Garden.
Shu Yang sat motionless on the sofa, holding that position as she stared at the phone in her hands for nearly an hour.
Shu Yang never could have imagined that her fiancé, who had been enthusiastically discussing wedding details with her just the night before, would be lying naked in the arms of a strange woman. Judging from the angle the photos were taken, they had probably just finished doing the deed in bed not long before.
The thoroughly satisfied expression on Su Zixuan’s face was proof enough of the pleasure he’d felt at that moment—an expression Shu Yang had never once seen from him in the five years she’d known him.
Yes, one of the people in the photos Shu Yang was staring at on her phone was none other than her fiancé, the man she was supposed to marry next month—Su Zixuan.
Here’s how it happened: an hour earlier, Shu Yang had received a text message from an unknown number. Out of curiosity, she opened it, and the explicit content and naked photos left her frozen in shock—so much so that even after an hour, she still hadn’t recovered from her daze.
To this moment, she couldn’t understand why Su Zixuan would cheat on her right when they were about to get married.
She also couldn’t believe that the gentleman who was always so courteous, considerate, and gentle in front of her would betray her.
His sweet words from the past still echoed in her ears, but the explicit photos and the provocative message before her eyes all reminded her that this was real. Her fiancé—the good man in the eyes of her parents and colleagues—had cheated!
Was she heartbroken? Of course! At this moment, Shu Yang wanted nothing more than to rush over there and kill that wretched pair.
The thought that she had spent the past month running around busy with wedding preparations, even setting aside her own work and taking leave to arrange next month’s wedding, made her want to slap herself twice.
She had been kept in the dark, happily looking forward to next month’s wedding, while that scumbag of a man was out fooling around with another woman in his arms. In that instant, she felt her blood boiling.
She couldn’t help wondering if that wretched pair was laughing at her right now, somewhere she couldn’t see.
She didn’t know whether Su Zixuan knew about the photos and the message, but without his tacit approval, how would that woman dare to so brazenly humiliate her on the eve of their wedding?
So Su Zixuan was absolutely not innocent!
And Shu Yang would never allow that wretched pair to walk all over her and rub her face in it.
A hundred ways to destroy that scumbag and that shameless woman flashed through her mind, but reason told her that ruining her own life for such a scumbag simply wasn’t worth it.
She and Su Zixuan had known each other and been in love for five years. For the first two of those years, they’d gotten along as friends; for the last three, as a couple.
In the three years she’d been with Su Zixuan, Shu Yang had known happiness and joy—sadness, never.
Su Zixuan had been a very devoted boyfriend. In the three years they’d been together, they had never once quarreled—or more precisely, Su Zixuan had never once lost his temper with her. He really had treated her well: gentle, considerate, attentive, and thoughtful. He had cooked for her and done her laundry, and had even taken time off work specifically to take care of her during her period.
He would also prepare surprises for her on every holiday, from something as big as a handbag to something as small as a bouquet of flowers. Back then, Shu Yang had felt she was the happiest woman in the world—and until an hour ago, she still believed it.
Su Zixuan’s kindness toward her had once made Shu Yang believe she had found true love, and she had decided to spend the rest of her life with him.
But reality had slapped her hard in the face, dragging her out of the beautiful dream Su Zixuan had woven.
Shu Yang finally moved. She shifted her long-numb legs, her mind already made up.
A scumbag like him? Whoever wanted him could have him. She was going to cut her losses before it was too late.
Shu Yang picked up her phone, found Su Zixuan’s number, and sent him a message:
“Come home early after work tonight. I have something to tell you.”
Soon, Su Zixuan’s reply came back:
“What is it, babe? Is it urgent? Should I take leave and come home early?”
Look at that—even now, Su Zixuan was still maintaining his caring, gentle good-boyfriend persona!
Reading his reply, Shu Yang gave a mocking smile. Ha, how had she never noticed what a good actor he was before? She must have been blind.
“No need. Just come home early after work.” Shu Yang suppressed the anger in her heart and replied as usual.
“Got it, babe. I’ll bring you that cake you love from your favorite shop tonight.” A kissing emoji followed the message.
Staring at that glaring kissing emoji, Shu Yang’s stomach churned—she nearly threw up her lunch.
The thought that Su Zixuan was sending her this emoji with the same mouth that had kissed that other woman made her sick beyond words.
Shu Yang didn’t reply. She turned off her phone screen and stood up from the sofa.
Perhaps from sitting too long, she felt a momentary dizziness when she stood. She gripped the back of the sofa and waited until the dizziness passed before straightening up.
She knew crying over a scumbag wasn’t worth it, but tears fell from Shu Yang’s eyes anyway.
Three years. Three years of her life, fed to the dogs!
Shu Yang wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. She wouldn’t give that piece of trash the satisfaction of seeing her broken—she was going to exit with her head held high.
This ridiculous relationship would end on her terms.
After freshening up, Shu Yang planned to pack up all of Su Zixuan’s things so he could take them away when he came home.
Including the bags he had bought her. Looking at them now, she realized not a single one had cost more than five hundred yuan.
Shu Yang laughed at herself bitterly. She really had been blind—couldn’t even tell a man from a dog.
The apartment Shu Yang lived in was one she had bought herself five years ago. She had landed a big deal for her company back then, earning a hefty bonus and commission, and with her parents’ help, she had bought this place outright—a small two-bedroom, ninety square meters. Even by current housing prices in A City, it hadn’t been cheap, though prices five years ago were far lower than now. Thankfully, she had her own place—otherwise, the one packing up and getting kicked out would have been her.
Su Zixuan had his own place too, bought last year with a mortgage—ninety square meters. Shu Yang had even contributed part of the down payment at the time.
The plan was for that apartment to be their new home after marriage. Since Shu Yang already had her own place, and the two of them weren’t legally married yet, she hadn’t thought to ask to have her name added to the deed.
Thinking of this now, Shu Yang wanted to beat her chest in regret. If she’d known, she never would have handed over that money. No—she was getting that money back. Nearly a hundred thousand yuan—almost a full year’s salary.
Since Su Zixuan’s apartment was still being renovated, he had been staying at her place. He had brought all his things over—and there were quite a lot of them, many of which Shu Yang had bought for him.
Shu Yang picked out the things she had purchased for Su Zixuan, planning to throw them into the trash downstairs later. That scumbag didn’t deserve to use anything she had bought.
After sorting out everything she had gotten for him, all of Su Zixuan’s belongings fit into just one suitcase. Shu Yang laughed bitterly at herself. Damn it, she had been playing the fool all these years.
Once she finished sorting through his things, Shu Yang gave the room a thorough cleaning, throwing everything related to Su Zixuan into the trash and disinfecting the room she lived in. Then she sat in the living room, waiting for Su Zixuan to come home from work.