A few days later, Jiang Yan ambushed me outside my office building holding a massive bouquet of crimson roses and a velvet box containing a diamond necklace. He wore that exact wounded look that used to turn my heart to mush back in the day.

“Jiang Yan, are you trying to put on a magic show where you pull infinite gifts out of thin air?” I asked, sighing. “Save it. No matter what else you pull out, I won’t like it. And that… includes you.”

“Ninh Ninh… I like you. Really.”

I almost burst out laughing. “I didn’t just like you for three years, it was five. Loving you was the era where I forced myself to grow up, so I don’t regret a single second of it. But from the exact day you quietly deleted me on WeChat… I learned how to move on. I don’t need to stand behind you, staring at your back anymore.”

Jiang Yan went silent, looking utterly lost as he turned on his heel and walked away.

Right at that moment, Lu Cheng’s car pulled up to the curb. Catching sight of his rival’s retreating back, he raised a brow. “He’s back again? Trying to dig under my foundation and steal my girl?”

I reached out, taking his hand with a soft smile. “Yep. Too bad this foundation was built on solid bedrock.”

One evening, I was standing on the balcony enjoying the cool breeze. Glancing down, I caught sight of Jiang Yan’s gaunt, pathetic figure pacing near the entrance.

Suddenly, a wave of warmth pressed up against my back. Lu Cheng wrapped his arms around my waist, gazing down with a dangerously sweet smile.

He effortlessly lifted me into his arms and carried me into the bedroom. “Ninh Ninh. Seeing him down there… do you feel anything?”

I was caught between laughter and tears. “You’re seriously bringing him up now? Talk about a mood killer.”

Lu Cheng lightly nipped my earlobe, his voice growing dark and raspy. “Ninh Ninh. Am I a good cook?”

“You’re… you’re amazing. I’m practically stuffed to death.”

“Good.” He smirked against my neck. “Then you’re having another late-night snack tonight.”

Xu Ning’s presence in my life had always felt like a given. I knew she liked me, but with so many girls chasing after me, I assumed she was just the most persistent of the bunch. I thought, What’s the harm in letting her chase me a little longer? After all, someone who’s always there doesn’t just walk away.

When Cui Li came along, I thought I was just indulging in a little thrill before settling back down into the safe, comfortable routine I had with Xu Ning. Even when I deleted her on WeChat, the thought that she might actually leave never even crossed my mind. I took it for granted that the moment I turned back around, she’d still be standing in the exact same spot, waiting for me.

Until the day I spotted that hickey on her neck… It actually reassured me. It’s fake. It has to be fake. After loving me so desperately for so long, how could she possibly belong to someone else so fast?

But a whole week passed… and Xu Ning never reached out. No texts. No popping up out of nowhere with those bright, shining eyes.

For the very first time, panic set in. I grabbed my phone to text her, only to remember: I was the one who had deleted her WeChat with my own hands.

On my birthday, I had my friends invite her over, treating it as a peace offering to let her “save face” and make up with me. I convinced myself that if she just showed up, I’d finally agree to be with her. But instead, she looked me dead in the eye and asked a question that shattered my whole world: “Exactly how many duplicate keys have you handed out?”

Lu Cheng’s appearance felt like a sharp, violent slap to the face. It hurt like hell, but it woke me up.

Turns out, no one stays waiting in the dark forever. The person who miscalculated from start to finish… was me.

The first time I met Xu Ning was when I was looking at apartments. Her voice over the phone was so soft, so sweet. So… I bought the unit directly across from hers on the spot. Sounds ridiculously dramatic, I know, but my family’s wallet could take the hit.

On the day I moved in, I brought a housewarming gift to her door. Xu Ning was completely sloshed, shoving a thick wad of two thousand yuan straight at my chest with an outrageous offer: “Two thousand. One night, is that enough?”

At first, I had zero intention of taking advantage of a drunk girl. But her strength was dangerously terrifying. I was just about to tell her to calm down when she tackled me, pinned me down, and tied my wrists to the headboard using her own pants.

Xu Ning wriggled around on top of me so wildly that I almost “sacrificed myself for the cause” right then and there.

I didn’t get a single wink of sleep that night. Not because I was in pain, but because I was out of my mind with joy.

The next morning, her dazed, terrified expression, looking like a kitten that had just knocked over a priceless vase, was impossibly adorable. That night was my first time, too. I originally wanted to say, “If you feel guilty, we can always practice a few more times,” but I held back out of fear she’d mark me as a total creep.

It wasn’t until way later that I discovered Lu Cheng’s family actually owned a massive luxury hotel chain. When I confronted him about it, he just modestly replied:

“Oh, it’s really no big deal. Just a little over a hundred hotels.”

Me: “…”

Lately, my chest has been feeling strangely heavy, and I’ve been hit with random waves of nausea. Reflecting on the sheer frequency of Lu Cheng’s late-night “cooking sessions,” a terrifying suspicion began to form in my mind.

Irony at its finest, our joint project still required me to meet with Jiang Yan. Seeing me sprint into the restroom to dry-heave, he rushed over, looking panicked.

“Ninh Ninh, let me take you to the hospital. Even if we can’t be together, at least let me look out for you as a friend.”

I immediately shook my head. “No need. I’m calling Lu Cheng.”

I dialed Lu Cheng’s number, and the moment he picked up, his sweet voice came through the speaker: “Hey babe! What do you want for dinner tonight?”

“Um… I think… I might be pregnant. Can you take me to the hospital for a checkup?”

The line went dead silent for three whole seconds. Then, a deafening CRASH rang through the receiver, followed by a staff member’s panicked scream: “Mr. Lu! Are you okay?! Who mopped these stairs, why are they so slippery?!”

Then came Lu Cheng’s goofy, euphoric laugh: “Great job mopping! Give that person a bonus!”

Jiang Yan insisted on walking me downstairs. But the second Lu Cheng pulled up, Jiang Yan’s face turned darker than the bottom of a burnt pot.

Lu Cheng stepped out of the car, offering a polite, immaculate smile. “Thank you for taking care of my wife, Mr. Jiang. I’ll be sure to send you an invitation to the wedding.”

Once we were inside the car, I gave him a soft nudge. “Who’s your wife? Isn’t it a little too early for that?”

Lu Cheng gently cupped my cheek, his eyes overflowing with warmth and tenderness. “We’ve already got a baby on the way, are you planning to run off with my child in your belly? And even if it’s a false alarm, it doesn’t matter. Either way… I want to spend the rest of my life by your side.”

I let out a soft laugh and rested my head gently against his shoulder. Outside the window, the vibrant city lights glided past us in a gorgeous blur.

This time, I knew with absolute certainty. I had truly won over my beloved.