On Monday morning, while Jiang Yi was handling documents in the study of the villa at Jinhua Garden, he realized that an important paper contract had been left behind in the study at Linjiang Garden.
This contract involved key details of a cooperation project between Hengyao Group and an important client, and it was required for that afternoon’s meeting.
He had initially planned to send his assistant to retrieve it, but considering the confidential nature of the contract, he ultimately decided to go in person.
On the drive to Linjiang Garden, his mood was unusually calm, as if he were merely heading to an ordinary workplace.
When he unlocked the door with the new password, he faintly heard the sound of a treadmill running from the living room, along with laughter. At this hour, Shu Jin should have been at work.
He pushed open the living room door, and the scene before him made his steps come to an abrupt halt.
Gu Chen was wearing his limited-edition sports vest… the one Shu Jin had given him as a birthday gift last year. At that moment, he was drenched in sweat, running on Jiang Yi’s treadmill. Shu Jin, meanwhile, stood nearby in a revealing yoga outfit, holding a towel and a water bottle, smiling brightly.
“Are you tired? Do you want to rest?” Shu Jin’s voice was cloyingly sweet, a kind of gentleness Jiang Yi had not heard from her in a long time.
“With you here, I could run another 10 km without getting tired,” Gu Chen said with a grin, turning back to her while running. He casually took the bottle she handed him and drank directly from it.
That intimate gesture made Jiang Yi’s gaze freeze instantly. The water was from a premium brand he often drank. Shu Jin knew clearly that he only drank directly from his own bottle and never shared it.
Their laughter stopped abruptly the moment Jiang Yi entered. The towel slipped from Shu Jin’s hand, her face turning deathly pale. Gu Chen hurriedly stopped the treadmill, sweat running down his face and soaking into the sports vest that belonged to Jiang Yi, leaving dark stains. Get faster updates on g.com.
Jiang Yi’s gaze swept over them indifferently. There was no anger, no questioning, not even a trace of emotion. His eyes were as cold as frozen ground, as if he were looking at two strangers who had nothing to do with him.
“I came back to get a file,” he said in a voice so calm it was unsettling, walking straight through the living room toward the study.
Shu Jin hurried after him, panic in her voice, “Jiang Yi, listen to me, I can explain…”
But he had already entered the study and closed the door. Through the door, she could hear the drawers opening and closing, followed by the faint rustle of papers being flipped. The entire process took less than three minutes.
When the study door opened again, Jiang Yi held a folder in his hand. Without even glancing at the two standing stiffly in the living room, he walked straight toward the door.
“Jiang Yi!” Shu Jin’s voice trembled with tears, “It’s not what you think…”
This time, Jiang Yi finally stopped and slowly turned around. His gaze lingered on Shu Jin’s face for a second. That look made her tremble all over. It was not anger, nor sorrow, but a complete, emotionless indifference.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.”
After saying those three words, he turned and left.
The sound of the door closing was soft, yet it struck Shu Jin’s heart like a heavy blow. She collapsed onto the floor, her vision blurred by tears. In that moment, she clearly understood that something had been lost forever.
Inside the elevator, Jiang Yi leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. The image of Gu Chen drenched in sweat on the treadmill, Shu Jin’s gentle, ingratiating smile, and that sports vest… worn by another man… replayed again and again in his mind.
He thought of how that vest had come to him. On his birthday last year, Shu Jin had handed him the gift with a mysterious smile, saying it was a limited edition from an international brand that she had only managed to get after asking several friends. Although he had found the design a bit too trendy, he had still accepted it happily and even bought a pair of matching sneakers just for it.
Now, thinking back, perhaps from that moment on, there had already been someone else in her heart. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
When the elevator reached the first floor, Jiang Yi stepped out of the building. The morning sunlight was somewhat glaring. He took out his phone and called his lawyer.
“Lawyer Li, how is the divorce agreement coming along?”
“It’s basically done. Just waiting for your review.”
“Send it to me as soon as possible,” his voice remained completely calm, “Also, help me apply for a restraining order to prohibit Gu Chen from entering the Linjiang Garden complex.”
After hanging up, he looked up at the high-rise. The place he had once called home had now become nothing more than a stranger’s coordinates.
Back in the car, Jiang Yi did not start the engine immediately. He picked up the contract, his fingers brushing against a small stain at the edge of the paper… a faint water mark, as if someone had accidentally spilled something while flipping through it.
His eyes darkened slightly as he tossed the contract onto the back seat.
Some things, once tainted, were tainted forever. No matter how much you tried to wipe them clean, they could never return to what they once were.
Just like the last trace of warmth he had felt for Shu Jin… the moment he saw another man wearing his clothes, using his belongings, and enjoying his wife’s gentle care… it had completely turned to ashes.
Outside the window, the morning light over the city was perfect. But inside his heart, there was nothing left but desolation.