Chapter 5: Leaving It All Behind

I had just wrapped up a call with my mother when I stepped out of the restroom, only for my phone to start buzzing again. This time… it was Zhou Jisheng’s mother.

Realizing the parents had likely gotten wind of the divorce, I hesitated for a few seconds before swiping left and declining the call.

It wasn’t out of disrespect. I simply didn’t have an ounce of energy left to endure another lecture on “wifely duties and marital harmony.”

The Xu family had a long lineage of intellectuals, but our status had noticeably declined over recent years. The Zhou family, on the other hand, had hit an incredible streak of fortune, their wealth soaring by the day.

When we first got engaged, our families were on equal footing, and Mrs. Zhou had always treated me with a pleasant, gentle warmth. But as the Zhou empire took off, her attitude shifted completely. Patronizing, hyper-critical, and gradually pinning every single flaw in our household on me. The most glaring sin of all: failing to give them a grandchild after three years of marriage. In her eyes, every failure ultimately landed at my feet.

Less than five minutes after rejecting her call, my mother tried me again:

“Niannian, don’t you think you’re being a bit rude?”

I let out a weary sigh:

“Mom, go talk to Zhou Jisheng. Please stop calling me.”

I hung up. Before another wave could hit, I powered the phone completely off. Instant, total silence descended upon the world.

Though the peace lasted all of three seconds before a low, smooth voice sounded right beside me:

“Want to come to Hong Kong with me for a while?”

I turned to look at Huo Qisheng. His expression was calm and unruffled, as if he were simply asking whether I had eaten lunch yet.

The thing was… this man was anything but simple. A single phrase “I have zero interest in another man’s wife”, had effectively rendered my entire marriage a thing of the past. Over the course of a single night, I had transitioned from Mrs. Zhou to a single woman. It happened so fast I hadn’t even had time to process it.

Besides… that night in Hong Kong, I was the one who chose him. I was the one who walked into that hotel room. I went to Hong Kong on my own accord. No one forced me, no one dragged me there. Those three days and three nights… I had genuinely enjoyed every second. The only hitch was that back then, I actually believed he was unattached.

“Mr. Huo.” I drew in a quiet breath, keeping my tone steady. “I appreciate the offer, but if you already have a fiancée.”

“Xu Nian.” He suddenly took my hand.

His thumb brushed lightly over the faint impression left by my wedding band on my ring finger. The touch was feather-light, yet it made me freeze.

Only then did a realization hit me: there was no engagement ring on his hand. There hadn’t been one from the very first moment we met.

Not that it proved much. These days, the number of men who “forgot” to wear their rings was beyond counting. I instinctively tried to pull my hand back, but he spoke up before I could:

“Qiao Lu and I have no personal relationship whatsoever.”

I blinked, caught off guard.

“She’s an artist under an entertainment agency I own. I provide her with industry resources, and in return, she helps deflect unwanted entanglements for me. Far too many people try to slide women onto my lap.”

He paused for a brief beat, his dark eyes searching mine:

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

My mind went blank for a few seconds before I picked up on the key thread:

“So Qiao Lu showing up with Zhou Jisheng… was that your doing?”

A faint, fleeting smile touched his lips:

“No. I hadn’t even met you back then. I had no reason to arrange something like that.”

I fell silent. It made sense. At the time, he was still in Hong Kong; he didn’t know me, nor did he have any reason to pay attention to a woman like me.

I slowly let out the breath I’d been holding:

“I understand.”

Honestly, looking back, digging into the details wouldn’t change a thing. Zhou Jisheng’s infidelity had nothing to do with Qiao Lu, it was simply who he was. If it hadn’t been Qiao Lu, it would have been someone else eventually. It felt as though I had suddenly broken free from a endless loop, with zero desire to ever turn back and look again.

“How long would we be going for?” I asked.

“How long do you want to stay?”

I pondered it for a moment. A week? Two weeks?

“Christmas is a month away,” he said in his unhurried cadence. “Why not just spend the holidays in Hong Kong? There’s a yacht party after, with fireworks going off all night.”

He paused, adding smoothly:

“The Zhou family is going to be in shambles for a while. Mrs. Zhou isn’t an easy woman to deal with. And as for your mother… staying here will only bring you headache after headache.”

I looked at him, unable to deny that… every single point he made hit the nail right on the head. And more importantly… I really had enjoyed those three days in Hong Kong with him.

“If you get bored over there, you can always come back. If you want to stay longer, that’s fine too. With me, you won’t have to worry about a single hassle.”

I stayed silent for a beat, then nodded:

“Okay.”

He seemed to brighten, if only just a fraction:

“Let’s head back to my place first. You need to rest today.”

He took my hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as though this was precisely how things were always meant to be.

From that moment on… everything between us began to slide right past our original boundaries.

As I was bending down to take off my heels at his apartment, his arm swept around my waist from behind. The second I straightened up, he pressed me back against the heavy wooden door, leaning down to capture my mouth in a kiss.

Unhurried, yet leaving me absolutely no room to retreat.

I had indulged in a bit too much red wine that evening, my mind floating in a hazy twilight between lucid and dreamlike. All I distinctly remembered was him carrying me into the bathroom while I… buried my face into the crook of his neck, completely stripped of any strength to resist.