The Moon Lake Bay Villa was eerily silent in the dead of night. Fu Sinian sat alone on the living room sofa, even his breathing sounding unusually loud. The European-style clock on the wall pointed to 1 a.m. He had just returned from the hospital not long ago. His mother, Shen Manjun, was already asleep, while his father and aunt had insisted on staying behind to keep watch. The entire villa felt empty, with only his lone figure sitting in the darkness, unbearably solitary.
He didn’t turn on the lights, letting the darkness swallow him whole.
His phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a message from Lu Zeyan. Fu Sinian opened the chat, and several clear photos instantly stabbed at his eyes… In one, Su Wanning was supporting Gu Jingchen as they entered the gate of an old residential complex, timestamped 7 p.m. Another was a surveillance screenshot from 11 p.m., showing that Su Wanning had not left the building at all.
Fu Sinian’s fingers tightened unconsciously, his knuckles turning pale from the force. He remembered how, at the hospital, his mother’s first words upon waking had been to ask where Wanning was, and he had been forced to lie for her sake. Now, looking at these photos, all he felt was that his kindness had turned into a cruel joke.
The sound of a car engine came from outside. Fu Sinian glanced at the clock… 2 a.m.
At last, he heard the key turning in the lock. Su Wanning stepped in quietly, taking off her high heels at the entrance.
“Did you have fun?” Fu Sinian suddenly spoke, his voice icy in the stillness.
Su Wanning was clearly startled. The bag in her hand slipped and fell to the floor. Flustered, she switched on the living room lights. When she saw Fu Sinian sitting alone in the darkness, her expression immediately became unnatural.
“Sinian… you’re still awake.” She bent down to pick up her bag, her tone filled with obvious guilt.
Fu Sinian slowly stood and walked toward her. The faint scent of hospital disinfectant still clung to him. His eyes were bloodshot, and there was a dangerous aura surrounding him.
“My mother had surgery today.” His voice was quiet, yet heavy as if it carried a thousand tons. “Where were you?”
Su Wanning unconsciously took a step back, her gaze flickering. “I… I told you, Jingchen was sick. Acute gastroenteritis. He needed someone to take care of him…” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“Needed you to take care of him until 2 a.m.?” Fu Sinian cut her off, his voice suddenly rising. “Needed you to stay at his place to take care of him?”
“What do you mean?” Su Wanning’s face turned pale instantly. “Fu Sinian, were you following me?”
Fu Sinian let out a cold laugh and held up the photos on his phone in front of her. “Do I need to follow you? Su Wanning, do you remember you’re a married woman? Do you remember the one lying in the hospital bed is your mother-in-law?”
Looking at the photos, Su Wanning’s lips trembled slightly, but she quickly straightened her back. “Jingchen was sick. He’s all alone in the Capital City with no family or friends. What’s wrong with me taking care of him? Your mother had you and Dad there. It wasn’t even that serious.”
Those words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the last bit of expectation in Fu Sinian’s heart.
“Not that serious?” he repeated, suppressed anger seeping into his voice. “Acute cholecystitis surgery… and you call that ‘not serious’? Su Wanning, do you even have a heart?”
“Of course I have a heart!” Su Wanning suddenly snapped. “It’s because I have one that I can’t ignore someone who needs help! Jingchen was lying alone in a cold rented apartment, without even a cup of hot water. And you? Other than throwing money at problems, what else can you do?”
Fu Sinian looked at her silently, an overwhelming exhaustion washing over him. He remembered how, just hours ago in the hospital, his mother had held his hand and said, “That child Wanning is thoughtful. You should be more understanding with her.” And yet, this “thoughtful” person had chosen to stay with another man when they needed her most.
“So, in your heart,” Fu Sinian said, his voice eerily calm, “Gu Jingchen’s minor stomach illness is more important than my mother’s surgery?”
“That’s not what I mean!” Su Wanning ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. “Why do you always think in extremes? Can’t I have my own friends? My own life?” Enjoying the story? Read on at NovelPing.
Fu Sinian didn’t answer. He only gave her a long, deep look before turning and walking upstairs. Under the lights, his figure appeared tall… and unbearably lonely.
“Fu Sinian!” Su Wanning called after him. “Are you going to do this again? Every time we argue, you shut down and give me the cold shoulder. You never try to communicate properly!”
His steps paused briefly on the stairs, but he didn’t turn back. “Between us,” he said softly, almost like a sigh, “there’s nothing left to say.”
That night, the two people in Moon Lake Bay Villa stayed in separate rooms, as if an unbridgeable chasm lay between them.
Fu Sinian stood by the window in the study, watching the faint light of dawn slowly spread across the horizon. The cigarette in his hand had burned down to the very end.
He remembered how, three years ago when they had just married, Su Wanning used to complain that the villa was too big and that she was afraid to stay alone. Back then, no matter how busy he was, he would always try to come home early to accompany her. Later, she grew used to it… but she also stopped waiting for him to come home.
His phone vibrated again. It was another message from Lu Zeyan: “Do you need me to keep watching?”
Fu Sinian fell silent for a moment, then replied with a single word:
“Yes.”
Putting his phone down, he looked at the gradually brightening sky outside, his gaze as cold as frost. This marriage… had perhaps truly reached its end.
All he needed to do now was gather enough evidence, so that the one who had betrayed their marriage would pay the price she deserved.
Morning light filtered through the curtains, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across his face. A new day had begun… but their marriage had, at this very moment, fallen completely into a bitter winter.