As the night deepened, Jiang Yi sat alone in the dark inside the top-floor office of Hengyao Tower. Neon lights from outside flickered across his face, bright and dim in turns, mirroring the turbulence in his heart.
His phone screen lit up. Another message from Shu Jin appeared. “Husband, I made your favorite sweet and sour ribs… I’m waiting for you to come home.”
Jiang Yi’s gaze lingered on the message for a moment before drifting away. Sweet and sour ribs… it brought back the story behind that dish.
It was their second year of marriage. Shu Jin had resigned from her job after a conflict with her superior. During that time, she sank into a gloom, often sitting alone on the balcony in a daze.
Hengyao Group was in a critical expansion phase back then. He was so busy that he barely had time to breathe, yet he still insisted on going home every night to have dinner with her. One night, he returned late and found her curled up on the sofa, asleep, tears still clinging to her face.
“I don’t want to be a woman who only depends on you,” she had told him at the time, her eyes filled with confusion and unease.
So he began setting aside time each day to talk with her, encouraging her to pick up the painting she had loved during her university days. He even arranged a dedicated art studio at home for her. Once, she casually mentioned wanting to learn flower arranging… the very next day, he invited a top floral designer to teach her in person.
What cost him the most effort was helping her secure her current job. The owner of Xingmang Advertising was an old acquaintance of his. Jiang Yi personally stepped in to arrange the position for her, ensuring it was a relaxed role. Not for anything else, just so she could have her own social circle and live each day happily.
“My wife never needs to worry about making a living,” he had told her back then, “but if you want a career, I will always support you.”
Memories surged like a tide, each detail so vivid that it hurt. Jiang Yi stood up and walked to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. The amber liquid swayed gently, reflecting his weary face.
At that moment, a notification sounded from the computer. His assistant had sent over an encrypted file. Jiang Yi opened it. Inside were surveillance videos recorded by a concealed camera near the entrance of his home.
The first video was timestamped on the night after he left for a business trip. In the footage, Shu Jin and Gu Chen walked out of the elevator side by side. Gu Chen’s hand rested naturally on her waist. Shu Jin smiled brightly, her eyes curving in delight… a genuine smile Jiang Yi hadn’t seen from her in a long time.
A chill crept into Jiang Yi’s fingertips as he opened the second video. New chapters come out on g.com first.
This time, it was early dawn. Gu Chen was wearing his silk pajamas, strolling leisurely toward the entrance. The camera clearly captured him bending down to take out Jiang Yi’s custom slippers from the shoe cabinet, his movements so natural as if everything belonged to him.
Jiang Yi remembered those slippers. Shu Jin had specially ordered them from Italy for him last year, even having his initials engraved on the soles. And now, another man wore them freely, walking around his home.
The third video pierced even deeper. Gu Chen stood at the kitchen island in the open kitchen, using his coffee machine. It was a machine Jiang Yi had specially customized from Switzerland, designed entirely around his personal habits. Gu Chen operated it casually, chatting and laughing with Shu Jin off-camera, as if he were the true master of the house.
The fourth video was the hardest to endure. Late at night, Gu Chen sat alone on the living room sofa, casually playing with a jade ornament Jiang Yi had collected. It was a gift passed down from his father, something he had always treasured deeply. Yet in the video, Gu Chen tossed it lightly in his hand, his expression indifferent.
Jiang Yi abruptly shut off the video, his chest rising and falling sharply. He thought of the message Shu Jin had sent that morning. “Gu Chen has found a place and will move out.”
What a ridiculous lie.
He picked up his phone and scrolled through the messages he had ignored earlier.
“Husband, when are you coming back? I’m scared being home alone.”
“It’s raining today, remember to bring an umbrella.”
“I’ve learned how to cook your favorite steamed fish.”
Every word of concern now felt like mockery. While he was away on business, working hard for their future, she had brought another man into their home… wearing his clothes, using his belongings, sleeping in his bed.
Jiang Yi walked to the window, overlooking the city below. Neon lights shimmered, traffic flowed endlessly. The city never stopped… just like the storm inside him.
He recalled that time when Shu Jin had stayed home after quitting her job. No matter how busy he was, he always made it back on time to have dinner with her. Once, just to celebrate her birthday, he had canceled an important business dinner. Back then, he believed everything else could wait… except for the woman he loved.
Now, everything he had given had turned into weapons against him.
His phone vibrated again. A message from Qin Feng appeared. “Do you want me to come over and keep you company?” This story is hosted at g.com.
Jiang Yi replied, “No need. I’m fine.”
Was he really fine? Perhaps. At the very least, he had never been this clear-headed before.
He sat back down at the computer and reopened the surveillance folder. This time, he watched with greater focus, even pulling up the metadata to confirm the exact timestamps of each clip.
In one late-night video, Gu Chen emerged from the master bedroom bathroom wearing his bathrobe, his hair still dripping with water. Shu Jin followed behind him, holding a hairdryer, her smile gentle… painfully so.
Jiang Yi suddenly felt a bitter sense of amusement. Just last month, Shu Jin had complained that the shower system in the master bedroom wasn’t working well, saying the water pressure was too low. He had immediately contacted the manufacturer to arrange for a replacement. Now, it seemed… perhaps what she had disliked wasn’t the water pressure, but the person sharing the bathroom with her.
He closed the video and opened the company’s internal system, forcing himself to deal with the backlog of work. His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard, as if only by doing so could he temporarily numb the pain in his chest.
The night grew deeper. The entire building was dark, except for the light in his office. After finishing the last document, Jiang Yi rubbed his aching temples.
He picked up his phone and looked at the lock screen… Shu Jin’s smiling face. It was taken during their trip to the Maldives last year. She leaned against his shoulder, her smile radiant. Back then, he had believed this was the happiness he would protect for the rest of his life.
Now, the image only filled him with endless irony.
He turned off the screen and tossed the phone onto the desk. Outside, the eastern sky was beginning to pale. A new day was about to begin.
Jiang Yi walked into the lounge and lay down on the sofa without changing his clothes. He needed rest… because tomorrow would be a battle.
And this time… he would not show mercy.