Qi Zhicheng had clearly not expected Jiang Man to appear here, and his body stiffened noticeably.
“Manman,” he said, putting down his phone and seamlessly shifting back into a warm expression, his voice regaining its usual gentleness. “Are you looking for me for something?”
Jiang Man replied, “I’m sorry, I walked into the wrong room.”
Qi Zhicheng said, “Don’t apologize, Manman. You are the mistress of this house; you can go anywhere in this home.”
His polite, elegant smile was a world away from that cold silhouette she had just seen, making Jiang Man wonder if she had simply misjudged what she saw earlier.
He walked toward her.
Jiang Man instinctively took half a step back, her back lightly pressing against the doorframe.
This action, born entirely out of instinct, caused Qi Zhicheng’s footsteps to falter slightly.
He stopped a pace away from her, his gaze landing on her beautiful eyes.
They held a familiar defensiveness and detachment.
Just like before.
Qi Zhicheng felt extremely annoyed inside, but the curve of his lips did not change at all, as though he had not even noticed her instinctive retreat.
“Right, I brought you a gift.”
He took out a velvet jewelry box containing a necklace.
The centerpiece was a top-tier, D-color, flawless diamond with magnificent fire and brilliance.
It was clearly of immense value.
He took out the necklace. “Let me put it on for you.”
Instead of immersing herself in the warm atmosphere of receiving a gift, Jiang Man simply asked, “What were you, talking about just now? Who is going to jump off a building?”
“It’s nothing,” Qi Zhicheng walked behind her and said dismissively. “Just a competitor trying to gain sympathy. It was just a casual remark; they aren’t actually going to jump.”
He lowered his head and brushed her long hair to one side. “These matters are very boring. There’s no need for you to know too much.”
He adjusted the length of the necklace. “Is this length alright?”
“It looks about right.” Qi Zhicheng did not seem to expect an answer, nodding to himself as if he truly only cared about whether the necklace was comfortable to wear.
With her back to him, Jiang Man could not see the burning intensity in Qi Zhicheng’s gaze.
He was staring intently at the exposed stretch of her neck above her long dress.
This was his favorite place to linger in the past.
During countless nights, he would hold her in his arms, gripping her waist while leaving one light or heavy kiss after another on her skin.
Thinking of this, his breathing grew heavier, and the temperature beneath his fingertips began to burn.
Sensing that the person behind her had stopped moving for a long time, Jiang Man asked, “Is it not done yet?”
Qi Zhicheng gathered his thoughts and fastened the necklace clasp. “Done.”
“I went to the dance troupe’s dinner party today.”
“Yes, I know.” Qi Zhicheng walked in front of her to admire the view. “Beautiful. The necklace suits you perfectly.”
“I plan to return to the dance troupe and resume dancing.”
“Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. I suggest you rest at home for a while longer. The high-intensity training of the dance troupe is not conducive to your recovery.”
Jiang Man shook her head, insisting, “My body is already fine.”
“Manman, the doctor also said you shouldn’t rush. If you find resting at home too boring, Mrs. Lin and the others.”
Before Qi Zhicheng could finish, Jiang Man interrupted him. “I won’t be attending the socialite afternoon teas anymore.”
“What’s wrong, Manman?”
“I don’t want to spend my days sipping elegant afternoon tea while discussing whose new bag is more limited edition or whose jewelry is more expensive with those wives. That isn’t what I want.”
The gossiping voices she had overheard at the banquet coupled with the comments online, those sharp sarcasms had stabbed deeply into her.
An unspeakable wave of sourness and frustration welled up in her heart.
Jiang Man lowered her head, her eyes turning slightly red.
“And I certainly do not want to be an orchid raised in a greenhouse, whose only purpose is to be displayed in a pretty vase. Having no value of my own other than to be admired by others.”
“Who said that to you?”
“No one.” Jiang Man composed her emotions. “I have already decided to return to the dance troupe. Also, thank you for the necklace. It’s getting late, so I’ll go back to sleep first. You should rest early too.”
Back in the master bedroom, Jiang Man lay on the bed.
As she closed her eyes in the darkness, the silhouette of Qi Zhicheng standing before the French windows of his study vividly appeared in her mind.
His detached, mocking coldness was completely at odds with his usual polite and gentle demeanor.
She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.
The business world was full of ups and downs. Facing competitors involved decisions that could easily affect hundreds of millions.
In his circle, people lost their entire fortunes every single day.
Just as he had said, if he sympathized and yielded to every failure, he might not have reached where he was today.
She pulled the duvet up higher to wrap herself tightly. Amidst her chaotic thoughts, she gradually drifted off to sleep.
That night, she had a dream.
In her dream, Qi Zhicheng stood by the bedside holding the diamond necklace.
But in the dream, the necklace in the man’s hand turned into a delicate platinum anklet.
A tiny, exquisite bell dangled from the chain.
He leaned down, his shadow completely enveloping her.
In the room devoid of light, the man’s face carried nothing but a bottomless, gloomy darkness.
“Manman,” he called her softly, “come here.”
Sitting on the bed, she curled back until her spine pressed against the headboard.
The man grabbed her ankle and pulled her down.
The anklet was fastened, and the pretty little bell on the chain let out a crisp ring.
The man tilted his neck, pulled off his necktie, and leaned down with a smile.
“Be good, I’ll be gentle.”
At the end of the dream, her vision blurred, leaving only fragmented sensory details.
A pair of slender, pale ankles looked incredibly fragile and easy to snap under the dim light.
That beautiful little bell swayed, letting out a crisp and continuous sound.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring–
Jiang Man woke with a start, her heart pounding wildly.
The bedroom was silent and peaceful.
She instinctively reached down to touch her ankle; there was nothing there.
She looked at her wrists; there was no necktie bound around them either.
She let out a soft sigh of relief.
Perhaps she had simply thought too much last night, leading to such a bizarre dream.
A small beam of sunlight filtered into the room through the curtains. It was already the next morning.
After washing up and heading downstairs, she found the dining room empty.
The maid said, “The master has already left for the company.”
“Oh.” Jiang Man sat down. In front of her sat a small bowl of light salad, a cup of green fruit and vegetable juice, and two slices of gluten-free toast.
She poked at a few green leaves in the bowl. “Did I use to eat this every morning?”
“Yes, ma’am. This is prepared according to your previous tastes. This is only a part of it; the nutritionist adjusts the menu weekly based on your physical state and body fat percentage. If today’s breakfast isn’t to your liking, we can change it to berry quinoa porridge or steamed eggs with white asparagus…”
“Never mind,” Jiang Man interrupted. “It’s all just variations of these light diet meals anyway.”
She skewered a small piece of avocado and put it in her mouth; it was completely bland and tasteless.
“Change the breakfast to Chinese style from now on.” She put down her fork. “I don’t like the old meals anymore. My tastes have changed, so there’s no need to prepare these in the future.”
Once she went outside, the black Alphard responsible for chauffeuring her was already waiting by the porch.
Jiang Man sat inside the car and noticed a handbag resting on the seat beside her.
“What is this?”
The driver replied, “Ma’am, this was prepared for you by the master.”
Puzzled, she opened the suede bag. Inside lay the athletic wear and dance shoes she would need for training, and there were even muscle relief patches and elastic bandages meant for relieving muscle fatigue.
Closing the bag, Jiang Man looked out the window.
She had thought she would hear another round of persuasion from Qi Zhicheng this morning, or his disapproval of her early return to the troupe.
She had not expected none of that to happen.
This suede handbag seemed to have already demonstrated his stance.
The car stopped in front of the highly modern building of the Huaihai Ballet Troupe. Jiang Man got out and walked inside, and the glass doors of the dance troupe slowly slid open.
Inside the entrance was a vast, high-ceilinged lobby, with production photos of past principal dancers hanging on the walls.
She scanned the unfamiliar faces one by one, finally stopping at a photo on the far right.
It was herself.
She did not know how long ago that production photo had been taken. Under the spotlight, she was wearing the white dress of Giselle, leaping mid-air in the center of the stage.
“Senior sister?”
Jiang Man turned around to see a girl with her hair in a bun running toward her. She did not look very old, and her face still carried a hint of youthful innocence.
“Senior sister, it really is you!” The young girl affectionately took her arm. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon. I’m really happy for you.”
Jiang Man could not recall who the person in front of her was. Seeing the confusion on her face, the young girl introduced herself, “Senior sister, did you forget about me? My name is Liang Yue, your junior sister. I was the one who stood in for you as Kitri in Don Quixote for those few shows after your car accident.”
“Without you in the troupe, it always felt like we lost our soul. When I stood in for you during those shows, the pressure was so immense that I had nightmares every day, terrified of ruining your character.”
The person in front of her gradually matched the photo on the dance troupe’s records.
Liang Yue was a soloist in the troupe and also a junior sister who had graduated from the same school as her.
Jiang Man shook her head. “Your performance as Kitri received a lot of praise.”
“That was also thanks to senior sister’s frequent guidance in the past,” Liang Yue smiled even sweeter, holding her arm as they walked inside, introducing things to her along the way.
“This side is the new administrative office area, over there is the physical therapy room and the lounge area,” she pushed open the door of a rehearsal room. “The floor and equipment in this rehearsal hall have all been newly replaced. Not many people use it usually, so it’s perfect for your recovery training.”
Liang Yue left to take a phone call, leaving Jiang Man alone in the rehearsal room.
She began her basic warm-up.
Just as she completed a simple combination movement, the door to the rehearsal hall was gently pushed open.
Jiang Man had thought Liang Yue had returned, but when she turned around, she saw Xu Yining standing at the entrance.
Seeing her, Xu Yining also seemed to freeze for a moment.
“How rare to see you here. But did you take a wrong turn? The mall next door doesn’t open until ten o’clock.”
Ignoring the mockery in her words, Jiang Man continued her stretching. “I am a dancer of the Huaihai Ballet. Coming here to train is perfectly normal.”
Xu Yining put her backpack down by the wall. “I hope the training you speak of isn’t just posing prettily in front of the mirror.”
“I don’t know if my poses are pretty, but the way you speak with such thorns is quite ugly.”
Xu Yining’s movements to take off her jacket paused. After a brief moment of surprise, she let out a cold laugh. “You’ve certainly become a lot more opinionated after losing your memory.”
Without turning her head, Jiang Man walked to the other end of the barre, her voice calm: “Yes, I only lost my memory. I didn’t turn into a pushover.”
She looked at Xu Yining in the mirror. “Principal Xu, I lost several years of my memory, and I have forgotten some things. I don’t know what kind of grudge we had in the past that makes you mock me every time we meet.”
“There’s no grudge. I simply dislike you.”
“Oh. Then what are you going to do about it?”
Jiang Man pulled her leg off the barre and turned to face Xu Yining. “After all, we are going to see each other very often from now on. You will just have to-”
She gave her a small smile. “Bear with it.”
By the time she returned to Songyuan from the dance troupe, dusk had already fallen.
Jiang Man put down her backpack and went upstairs to the bathroom to take a shower.
Steam rose in the bathroom, and the maid had already filled the bathtub in advance, with a few rose petals floating on the water’s surface.
Jiang Man slowly slid into the water, letting the warm stream soothe her exhausted muscles.
She had just stepped out of the bathroom and was sitting in front of the mirror applying a face mask when she received a call from the client manager at The Elara.
“Miss Jiang, I’m sorry to bother you. This is The Elara VIP Service Center, and I am your dedicated client manager, Kari.”
The Elara was a luxury brand specializing in haute couture gowns. Their evening dresses were highly renowned, making them the preferred choice for many socialites attending banquets and parties.
Jiang Man had absolutely no memory of purchasing anything from their brand. “Hello.”
“Miss Jiang, it’s like this. Regarding your summer-limited fishtail gown that was sent to our workshop for maintenance three months ago, we noticed during the care process that although the speck-like stains on the gown have faded, there is still a very slight color difference.”
The client manager continued, “We are deeply sorry about this, and we sincerely suggest remake a new one for you to ensure your complete satisfaction.”
Remaking a customized gown was a complicated and lengthy process. Not only did they have to communicate with the original designer again to take measurements, but the production alone could take several months, not including the subsequent fittings and adjustments.
“No need,” Jiang Man did not want to cause trouble. “Just send the original one back.”
“Ah, alright.” The client manager quickly responded. “This gown is currently kept in our care center. We will arrange to ship it to you after the final inspections and preparations are complete, which will take about two weeks.”
“Additionally, the gown’s care records have been synchronized to your private online archive, which you can view at any time.”
“Alright.”
After hanging up, Jiang Man dried her hair with a towel while picking up her tablet to log into the brand’s VIP client system.
The Elara maintained detailed archives for VIP clients, covering not only purchase history but also every modification and care record.
At the bottom of the service records page, there was a new notification.
Clicking it revealed a folder named after the gown’s serial number.
It was an ivory-white crepe satin fishtail gown with no extra decorations on the body. The open back had two mother-of-pearl buttons used to secure the shoulder straps.
Jiang Man scrolled down and saw photos of the gown’s condition assessment before it was sent for repair.
She zoomed in, and then zoomed in further.
She saw that one of the two mother-of-pearl buttons had fallen off, while the other hung loosely there. The shoulder strap and the neckline showed subtle tearing, looking as though they had been forcefully ripped.
On the hem of the gown, there were also scattered dark brown stains.
Jiang Man indeed had no impression of this dress, nor did she remember what occasion she had worn it for.
She pursed her lips and shut the tablet.
After finishing her face mask, she went downstairs, pausing her steps when she spotted the tall figure in the drawing room.
Qi Zhicheng stood not far away with his back to her, handing his removed suit jacket to a maid nearby.
He had seemingly just arrived home.
As if sensing her gaze, he turned around.
“Manman,” he spoke first with a warm smile. “Good evening.”
Jiang Man remained silent for two seconds before replying dryly, “Good evening.”
Qi Zhicheng walked over to her. “Did you adjust well today? Are you tired?”
“It was alright.”
“Make sure to rest properly.”
“Yes.”
“Are you hungry? The kitchen prepared your favorite pan-seared cod tonight.”
“I’m alright, not very hungry.”
It was a very ordinary conversation.
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning what had happened the previous night.
“Sir, Ma’am, dinner is ready.”
The maid quietly stepped forward to remind them to dine.
Walking into the dining room one after the other, they took their respective seats.
Pre-dinner snacks were already set on the table, and the ciabatta bread in the wicker basket was toasted to a crispy golden brown, releasing an inviting aroma of wheat.
The maids systematically began serving the dishes.
Jiang Man picked up a small piece of ciabatta, eating it in small bites.
Qi Zhicheng stood up and walked toward the wine cabinet on the side.
“Would you like some wine?” He picked up a bottle of Burgundy and asked gently.
“No, thank you.”
Jiang Man lowered her eyes, taking a bite of the bread.
She heard the soft pop of the cork being pulled, followed by approaching footsteps.
Jiang Man instinctively looked up.
She saw Qi Zhicheng walking toward her, his black necktie hanging loosely down his chest, with the light and shadow weaving across his face.
This scene suddenly overlapped with the images from her dream last night.
The delicate anklet, the bound necktie, and the gloomy man.
The next second, a shadow loomed over her.
Qi Zhicheng leaned down, drawing close.
Her heart seemed to stop at that very moment.
“Don’t-”
Jiang Man practically blurted out, her body jolting back violently until her spine slammed against the back of the chair.
At that exact moment, Qi Zhicheng lowered his head and gently brushed away a breadcrumb from her hair near her shoulder.
“Some breadcrumbs got on your hair.”
He slowly straightened up. “Don’t what?”
Dead silence fell over the dining room.
Jiang Man finally recovered her composure, her lips parting slightly as her breathing remained erratic.
“No, nothing.” She messaged her hair in a disheveled manner. “I just thought of a nightmare I had last night.”
“What dream?”
“I’ve mostly forgotten it.”
Jiang Man knew her reaction had been far too intense, causing immense embarrassment, so she could only lower her head and absentmindedly scroll through her phone.
A news notification popped up on her screen, and the eye-catching headline prompted her to click on it.
【Legal Express】 Our city recently cracked a domestic criminal case. The suspect, Wang, brutally dismembered his wife’s remains and packed them into a suitcase after murdering her. It is understood that Wang is a middle school teacher who was usually gentle, elegant, and humble toward others, but had actually domestic-violenced his wife for decades. Currently, the case is undergoing further investigation.
The accompanying image for the news was a blurred photo of the scene, showing a torn shirt stained with dark brown bloodstains.
Jiang Man was inexplicably reminded of her white gown in The Elara’s client archive just now.
She knit her brows.
She clicked open the comment section.
【My god, he is a teacher from our school. It was completely impossible to tell he was this kind of person.】
【Terrifying. Teaching and raising students by day, punishing his wife by night.】
【This suddenly makes me think of our neighbor sister downstairs who might also be domestic-violenced. The last time I saw her, she had bruises on her arms, and her clothes were torn to shreds.】
【So indeed, the more gentle someone appears on the surface, the more twisted they might be inside.】
【Now, whenever I see a polite man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, I want to walk the other way.】
Jiang Man raised her head, looking at the man sitting opposite her.
Qi Zhicheng was systematically cutting his steak.
The blade sliced through the beef, and a pinkish trace of blood slowly seeped from the meat’s texture.
His well-defined fingers held the knife and fork, and the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose made him appear all the more refined.
He looked up at this moment, meeting her gaze. “What’s wrong? Is it not to your taste?”
“Qi Zhicheng,” Jiang Man’s expression turned solemn. “In the past, did you ever domestic violence me?”