South Bay Apartments stood quietly upon crisscrossing waterways. The vast surface of the lake reflected the lights and cloudy shadows, and drifting snowflakes melted as they hit the water.
The architectural clusters on the peninsula were neatly distributed along the waterfront, while several lake islands situated in the center of South Bay Lake were surrounded by the water system on all sides.
There were only a handful of top-tier luxury residences here, making them truly priceless.
Jiang Man sat on a long bench near the entrance of South Bay Apartments. The glass canopy above her head was already covered with a layer of snow, and her gaze rested somewhere without much focus.
Not until a pair of black leather shoes stepped into her field of vision did she slowly raise her head.
Against the light, she saw a tall, blurry silhouette.
Qi Zhicheng stood in front of her, his figure as upright as ever, his face hidden where light and shadow met. His expression still carried that familiar tenderness, a tenderness so deep it seemed capable of tolerating everything about her.
But at this moment, Jiang Man felt that she could not quite see through him.
“You lied to me.”
Qi Zhicheng leaned down slightly, meeting her gaze at eye level. “I did not lie to you.”
“You didn’t?” Jiang Man really wanted to laugh. “Then why did the security guard here say we lived here after marriage, and why did you take me to Song Garden after I was discharged from the hospital? Qi Zhicheng, just how many things are you keeping from me?”
Qi Zhicheng looked at her silently for a few seconds, straightened his body, and cast his gaze toward the depths of the residential area.
He did not answer her question, only asking, “Have you gone inside to look around?”
“No,” Jiang Man replied coldly.
When she took a taxi to South Bay Apartments earlier, the car had been stopped outside the island. The driver apologetically explained that external vehicles were not allowed inside this kind of high-end residential area.
She had rolled down the window to look outside, and a cluster of island villas stretching across the waters came into view, so beautiful that she could not look away.
It was also at that moment that the guard at the gate recognized her, immediately greeting her respectfully and opening the gates to let her through.
After learning from the guard that she and Qi Zhicheng had lived in South Bay Apartments since their marriage, Jiang Man had been completely distracted. She sat alone on the bench for a very long time, thinking about many things.
She truly did not understand.
Why did Qi Zhicheng choose to hide this from her?
“Since you are already here, why not go in?”
Jiang Man remained silent.
“Let’s go,” he held out his hand to her. “I’ll take you inside to have a look.”
His hand paused in mid-air.
Jiang Man turned her head away, ignoring his hand, and stood up from the bench on her own.
Qi Zhicheng withdrew his hand, his expression unchanged. He followed half a step ahead of her, guiding her inside.
South Bay Apartments was the top luxury residential area in Huai City.
Since it was dusk, lights outlined the silhouettes of the villas, casting reflections upon the water. Ripples fluctuated gently, creating a profound sense of seclusion within the bustling city.
As they walked deeper inside, Jiang Man noticed some signs of construction.
A temporary barrier had been set up near the peninsula villa area, where several workers were busy, and an engineering boat was moored on the water surface.
“A theft occurred over on the peninsula a while ago,” Qi Zhicheng glanced over casually. “Although it didn’t cause much loss, it exposed the issue of an aging security system.”
He continued to explain, “Right now, the security system for the entire South Bay is being replaced, and the project timeline is uncertain, so noise is unavoidable during this period. Back then, you had just been discharged and needed quiet rest. I felt the environment at Song Garden was quieter and more suitable for your recovery.”
Jiang Man stopped in her tracks, her gaze shifting not far away.
It was close to the time to stop work, so most of the workers were packing up, leaving only a few groups doing the final wrap-up.
On the lake, the engineering boat moved slowly in the waters not far from the shore.
They had only been inside for about ten minutes, yet intermittent mechanical noise could be heard from time to time.
Jiang Man withdrew her gaze and looked at Qi Zhicheng.
“But why did you tell me that Song Garden was our home? You even said,”
She paused, “You even said that I would make cookies for you there, that I would read books and chat with you, and you mentioned many things that happened there.”
“Manman, we did indeed live there often, especially during your performance season, we would stay at Song Garden because it’s very close to your dance troupe, making it convenient for you to travel during your busy performance schedules.”
He sighed softly, “Song Garden is indeed our home, but it is merely one of the properties under our name.”
“We have lived in Junyue Mansion in the south of the city, and Yunshui Residence in the western suburbs. Choosing Song Garden was solely because it is currently the most suitable place for your recuperation, and I have never said that Song Garden was our marital home.”
Jiang Man was left speechless by his words.
Searching through her memory, she realized Qi Zhicheng had indeed never explicitly stated that Song Garden was their only home, nor had he ever claimed it was their marital home.
It was just that after her discharge, he had brought her directly there, naturally causing her to develop the illusion that Song Garden was their marital residence.
Qi Zhicheng grasped her shoulders, turning her body around to face him.
Lowering his head, his voice was slow and gentle, carrying a reassuring warmth.
“It’s my fault, I didn’t explain it clearly to you.”
“I thought there was no need to trouble you with such trivial matters, which caused you to misunderstand,” he lowered his posture, speaking with absolute sincerity. “I am sorry, Manman.”
Jiang Man averted her face, her chest feeling incredibly tight.
It felt like a cluster of fire that had just gathered in her chest was completely doused before it could even start burning.
She continued walking forward along the path. The wind by the waterfront grew a bit stronger, messing up her hair and further tangling her thoughts.
Her heart was a chaotic mess, and no matter how she tried, she could not untangle it.
“We’re here.”
Beside her, Qi Zhicheng stopped walking. “Our marital home.”
Jiang Man followed his gaze.
She saw a white building standing quietly in the center of the lake.
The entire villa occupied an independent island, surrounded by water on three sides, with one villa per island. The only connection to the outside world was a floating stone bridge with a highly modern design.
The end of the bridge was also the sole entrance to the island.
The night caused it to almost blend into one with the lead-gray lake surface under the snowy sky.
“Do you want to go inside and look?” Qi Zhicheng said. “If you like it here and don’t mind the construction noise, we can move back.”
Jiang Man looked at the villa, and that patch of darkness seemed ready to swallow a person whole.
It was like a magnificent cage, using its ultimate privacy and luxury to gently and completely isolate her from the rest of the world.
She did not like this place.
Jiang Man shook her head.
“I’m tired.”
Qi Zhicheng reached out, gently grasping her cold fingers, enveloping them with his warm palm.
“The snow is getting heavier,” he said, his voice returning to its usual steady tone. “Shall we go back to Song Garden?”
Jiang Man lowered her eyes and nodded.
The black Bentley pulled up at the entrance of Song Garden.
The temperature dropped after nightfall, making it quite cold.
Jiang Man pushed open the car door, wrapped her clothes tighter around herself, and without waiting for Qi Zhicheng behind her, walked straight toward the brightly lit villa.
Stepping indoors, the aroma of food drifted from the direction of the dining room.
Today was Christmas Eve, and the dining table was covered with a white tablecloth, with an exquisite silver candelabra placed in the center, its dancing candlelight peaceful and cozy.
The tabletop was embellished with pine branches, holly, and red berries, fully capturing a rich Christmas atmosphere.
It was incredibly romantic.
The servants had already prepared everything and were quietly retreating.
“Let’s eat first,” Qi Zhicheng’s voice sounded beside her, gentle as always.
He naturally placed a hand lightly behind her back, guiding her toward the dining room.
Jiang Man silently followed him to her seat.
The white tableware on the table gleamed under the candlelight.
Jiang Man felt stifled inside.
Clearly, back at South Bay, his explanation had sounded perfectly logical, yet she simply could not let it go.
The feeling in her mind was very strange, before this, she had felt angry and sad, but now it was replaced by an empty, unsettled sensation.
Seeing that she was merely holding her utensils without moving, Qi Zhicheng asked, “Is it not to your appetite?”
Jiang Man shook her head, her gaze inadvertently brushing past a corner of the dining table.
An eye-catching dark blue velvet gift bag was sitting there.
She froze for a moment.
Only then did she remember that she had bought this in the afternoon.
Later, when she took a taxi to South Bay by herself, she had only vaguely told the driver she wanted to browse around more, and she had casually left the bag in the car. The driver must have returned it later.
Qi Zhicheng noticed the bag as well.
“For me?” he asked with a smile.
Jiang Man lowered her eyes, using her fork to lightly move the asparagus on her plate. “Yes.”
“Let me guess what Manman bought for me.”
He looked at her, his tone relaxed, seemingly wanting to ease the somewhat stagnant atmosphere at the moment.
“It’s a tie,” she informed him directly, lacking any enthusiasm.
Qi Zhicheng reached out to pull the gift bag over, unwrapping the packaging.
He picked up the tie and smiled at her. “It’s beautiful.”
“I like it very much.”
“The color, the style, I like everything about it.”
“As long as you like it,” Jiang Man replied somewhat perfunctorily, her chest feeling even more blocked.
Qi Zhicheng picked up the dark gray tie. “I’ll try putting it on.”
He raised his hands to tie it around his neck, but stopped while forming the Windsor knot. “There is no mirror here, so I can’t see. It might not look very good if I tie it myself, could you help me put it on?”
Jiang Man was slightly startled.
Tie it for him?
She hesitated a little.
But on second thought, a wife tying a tie for her husband seemed to be a perfectly normal daily occurrence.
Between most couples, such an intimate and ordinary little task must have been done countless times.
She and Qi Zhicheng had already been married for three years, so during these three years, she must have tied his tie an unknown number of times.
Jiang Man set down her utensils, stood up, and walked over to stand in front of him.
Qi Zhicheng was very tall, and though Jiang Man possessed an excellent height as a ballet dancer, standing in front of him, she was still a good head shorter than him.
She barely reached his chin.
At this moment, Qi Zhicheng cooperated by lowering his head slightly.
Jiang Man took the tie, her arms reaching around the back of his neck.
Her fingertips inevitably brushed against the skin of his nape.
Keeping her eyes downcast, she focused on smoothly wrapping the tie around his shirt collar, flipping, crossing, and tightening it with a bit of awkwardness.
The two stood very close.
She was not practiced at it, and it took her quite a while to finally form a passable Windsor knot.
Just as she was about to adjust its position, she inadvertently raised her head.
In an instant, she crashed straight into Qi Zhicheng’s gaze.
He was looking down at her, his eyes carrying an astonishing focus.
Those eyes, which were usually gentle and refined, seemed to be set ablaze at this moment, flashing with an infatuated excitement and delight.
In that split second, Jiang Man was almost frightened by his gaze.
Her hands adjusting the knot froze.
“W-What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Qi Zhicheng quickly recovered his usual composure, smiling as he said, “I just really like the tie Manman gave me.”
Jiang Man withdrew her hands and sat back in her seat.
Glancing at the man opposite her, she found it a bit strange.
It was just a tie.
Was there any need to be this happy?
She could not help but ask, “Did I use to buy gifts for you before?”
“You did.”
“Then in the past, was I quite stingy?” Jiang Man speculated, her gaze falling upon the luxury brand tie which was by no means cheap.
Perhaps in the past, she had always bought him cheap things.
So because she bought an expensive one this time, he was exceptionally happy.
This was the most logical explanation she could think of.
Hearing this, Qi Zhicheng let out a low laugh.
“No,” he shook his head. “I have properly kept every gift you gave me in the past, and I like every single one of them, regardless of their value.”
Jiang Man looked at him across the candlelight.
It had to be said that this gray tie suited him exceptionally well.
Even with the most classic paisley pattern, it brought out a unique sense of nobility on him.
He sat within the candlelight, handsome, elegant, and considerate, fitting every definition of a perfect husband.
Yet facing him, Jiang Man always felt a sense of unreality.
She would often think about how this man before her was actually her husband.
After a brief silence, she could not help but ask curiously, “How did we meet in the past?”
Qi Zhicheng was slightly startled, falling into a brief silence.
Four years ago, the first time he encountered Jiang Man was in the small town of Deadwood, South Dakota, USA.
Starting from March, the United States officially entered the storm season with frequent tornadoes.
He had accepted a friend’s invitation to chase storms alongside several veteran storm chasers.
The small town had just experienced a bout of rain, puddles accumulated on the ground, and during that damp afternoon, the team leader, a Doctor of Meteorology named Bernard, brought along a black-haired Asian girl.
He saw the girl step down from the jeep, her skin blindingly white, her pointed chin buried inside a slightly loose windbreaker collar.
Bernard introduced, “Mandy, she will be traveling with us for this storm chase.”
Ivan, the photographer in the storm-chasing team, went over to strike up a conversation, “Mandy, your long hair is truly beautiful, it looks a lot like soft and highly expensive black satin.”
“Thank you,” the girl thanked him politely.
“By the way, have you ever seen a two-horned rhinoceros? Extremely few Sumatran rhinos exist today, but I once had the honor of photographing a wild one.”
Ivan’s smile was radiant as he talked endlessly, “Actually, I own a photography club in Milwaukee, I wonder if I might have the opportunity to invite you to view my photography works,”
The doctor interrupted him, “I advise you not to hit on her, Mandy does ballet, she has no interest in your two-horned rhinoceros.”
“You do ballet, how cool,” Ivan asked. “Then do you play ice hockey? Aside from photography, I usually like playing ice hockey, we can play together when there’s time.”
The doctor crossed his arms, putting on an authoritative stance, “Ivan, drop your routine, watch out or I’ll beat you up.”
Ivan shrugged, “I was just trying to invite Mandy to visit my photography club and perhaps play some ice hockey together,”
Qi Zhicheng’s ears ached from Ivan’s noisy chatter.
In his past storm-chasing experiences, it wasn’t that there had never been females in the team, it was just that this was the first time Qi Zhicheng had seen Ivan act this enthusiastic.
He lit a cigarette, casting a casual glance over there.
A slender figure, very white skin.
Aside from being pretty, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly special about her.
At night, after checking into the inn, the small town welcomed a severe thunderstorm.
Dense rain suddenly poured down, followed by a barrage of thunder and lightning, creating a loud rumble.
Lightning danced within the black clouds. At the end of the second-floor hallway of the inn, Qi Zhicheng leaned against the window smoking, his gaze falling upon the girl who was slowly walking up the stairs.
Her beautiful long hair was loosely tied behind her back, and she held a photography bag in her arms.
At this moment, the lights in the hallway suddenly flickered, then went out without any warning.
The surroundings abruptly plunged into darkness.
Thunderstorm weather could easily cause voltage instability, and an old inn like this surely wouldn’t possess a perfect power protection system, so encountering a power outage was not unexpected.
Qi Zhicheng adapted to the darkness within a few seconds. In the dim light, he saw the girl, who had walked halfway up, suddenly stop her steps, a panicked expression flashing across her face.
Then, he watched as she felt around to find the stair handrail, moving her steps with extreme caution.
Qi Zhicheng watched her climb up as slowly as a turtle, a slow curve rising at the corner of his lips.
It was somewhat amusing.
After a long while, she finally finished climbing those few steps, standing a few meters away from him. Lightning pierced through the night sky, and during the brief flash of light, she seemed to finally notice someone standing by the window.
“Ivan?” she spoke tentatively.
Qi Zhicheng did not speak.
“Ivan?” Perhaps because there was no response, she asked again, then slowly moved her steps toward his direction.
Though her eyes were clearly looking forward, they could never find a solid point of focus.
The inn hallway was very narrow, and a meter ahead, some miscellaneous items were piled up.
Qi Zhicheng glanced over, making no move to call out a warning.
As expected, he watched the girl trip over the items, her feet staggering as she was about to fall.
He reached out instinctively to support her.
What fell into his palm was an extremely slender waist.
Outside the window, the rain poured heavily and the thunder did not stop, making even the air feel damp and chaotic.
“Apologies,” she quickly took a step back, pulling away to a polite distance. “I am sorry, I have night blindness, I thought you were Ivan.”
“It’s fine,” Qi Zhicheng withdrew his hand, imperceptibly rubbing his thumb against his fingers, his fingertips feeling slightly hot.
A loud crack of thunder brushed past the clouds, white light flashing abruptly with a massive boom, and he saw the girl’s eyelashes tremble slightly.
He gentlemanly shut the window tight, isolating the thunder outside.
“You were looking for Ivan?” he asked casually.
“Yes, that’s right,” she nodded. “Just now Ivan said he wanted to photograph the formation process of ribbon lightning, so he asked me to help him grab his photography bag.”
“Give it to me, I’ll help you pass it to him.”
“Oh, okay,” she handed the photography bag to him. “Then I’ll trouble you, Zake.”
Qi Zhicheng’s brows lifted slightly.
She had forgotten his name.
“Zane,” he reminded her at the right time.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Zane.”
He indeed saw the girl blush with some embarrassment as she corrected his name.
The girl’s voice was soft, and as his name rolled past the tip of her tongue and was gently breathed out, it inexplicably brought him a trace of delight.
“Are you Chinese?”
“Yes.”
Qi Zhicheng switched to Chinese to ask her, “How should I address you?”
“Mandy.”
“I know that. I was asking for your Chinese name.”
“Jiang Man,” she added. “The ‘Jiang’ from ginger, and the ‘Man’ from graceful.”
Qi Zhicheng’s gaze swept over her, resting on her waist wrapped inside her T-shirt.