Volume One, Chapter 66: I Don't Want to Deceive You

Lu Jinnian only found out something had happened when he got up early to have wontons in the old city alley.

The door to the small courtyard had been kicked in.

The attic room was in utter chaos.

The elderly woman with hair as white as snow was shouting that a thief had broken in.

The neighbors nearby were all talking at once, saying they’d heard sirens last night.

The moment the call connected, he heard Sang Wan’s calm voice.

A weight lifted from Lu Jinnian’s heart. “Sang Wan, where are you now? Are you alright?”

“Is there something you need?” Sang Wan didn’t answer, but questioned instead.

Lu Jinnian froze.

Now, it seemed he had no right to ask about her whereabouts.

But she was still Xiao Mu’s mother, the mother of his child.

Surely it was only natural for him to care about her.

“You—”

Beep.

Beep, beep.

Before he could say anything more, the call was already disconnected.

Downstairs was a mess. Lu Jinnian came back to his senses, looking around the attic of less than ten square meters, feeling numb all over.

He had never intended for Sang Wan to get hurt.

Even in that moment when he’d shouted at her to leave the house with nothing, he hadn’t meant to harm her.

He’d only hoped she would soften, as she used to, offer him an olive branch.

But Sang Wan had walked away without looking back.

When he got the divorce certificate, he’d even impatiently wished time would move faster, ever faster.

Let her have nowhere to go, no place to call home.

Let her, in tattered clothes, kneel at his feet and beg him: Jinnian, I was wrong!

By then, even if his eyes brimmed with disdain, his heart would be pleased.

Finally.

She would finally return to him.

He, she, and Xiao Mu—the three of them would be a family again, as they’d always been.

But now, standing in this narrow room, with its mottled, old desk and wardrobe that looked like relics from the last century.

And the bed that at a glance was thin and hard.

To think this was where Sang Wan had lived after leaving.

Lu Jinnian felt no satisfaction.

Instead, he was gripped by a vague panic he couldn’t put into words.

This environment—forget the years she was Mrs. Lu—even the rented flat she once shared with Sun Yueqing was warmer and more comfortable than this.

Yet Sang Wan hadn’t called him even once. She’d just moved in here.

“The company is yours…”

“…The villa can be yours, I’ll just take the apartment in the east of the city…”

Faint words echoed from deep within his mind.

But Lu Jinnian had no recollection of when Sang Wan had said them.

In the end, he’d been so ruthless he didn’t even give her that apartment.

He’d left her in such dire straits.

The room looked as if a fight had broken out, the bed was a mess.

The lamp’s cord had been torn from the desk.

But the wardrobe was empty, the drawers bare—there wasn’t a single thing of Sang Wan’s left in the entire room.

She… had moved out?

What exactly had happened last night?

“Lawyer Yan…”

He quickly dialed a number, turned, and hurried downstairs.

He tried calling Sang Wan again.

…

The phone rang.

Hung up.

Rang again.

Before she could block the number, it rang yet again.

Sang Wan’s patience was worn thin by Lu Jinnian’s relentless pursuit. “Lu Jinnian, will you stop already! We’re divorced. My life is none of your business. Please respect my boundaries, can you?”

“I’ll give you the apartment in the east of the city.”

On the other end, Lu Jinnian’s voice was calm and steady. “That apartment is close to your work… it’ll be easier for you to commute.”

Just from his tone, it was clear he already knew what had happened last night.

Sang Wan fell silent.

One voice inside her was calm and composed: If he gives it to you, take it; it was yours to begin with.

Another voice sneered: Hesitation only brings trouble! Have you forgotten the dress? Today, he’s in a good mood, gives you the apartment and lets you move in. Tomorrow, he might change his mind and have the housekeeper throw you out, and you’ll be like a mouse with its tail in his grasp, living each day at his mercy. Is that any fun? How is that any different from before?

“No need!” Sang Wan rejected coldly. “Save your concern, Mr. Lu!”

She hung up.

Blocked and deleted his number.

Sang Wan lowered her head, gazing at the lush greenery outside the window to steady her mood.

Something furry brushed past her leg. She looked down to see 2S rubbing its little head hard against her calf.

As if it knew she was upset.

“Lou Ye, could I trouble the driver to take me home for a bit?” Sang Wan turned to see Lou Ye had changed into clothes for going out.

He picked up his car keys. “Come on, I’ll take you somewhere.”

“Where… where are we going?” She wanted to say she was busy today, had a pile of things to do.

She also wanted to say, maybe another day.

But as she met the handsome profile of Lou Ye, it perfectly overlapped with the image she’d seen when she woke up that morning.

Their hands entwined, the memory burned hot in her palm.

Sang Wan looked away, unable to find her words.

The Maybach roared out.

They wound along the mountain road, passed through the old city alley.

Within half an hour, the car drove past the CBD and entered a district dense with high-end residential towers.

The elevator ascended smoothly, stopping on the nineteenth floor.

When the door opened, Sang Wan looked inside, puzzled.

Her gaze froze.

A 150-square-meter luxury apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Looking out, she could even see the nearby Lou Group tower.

And there by the entrance, her suitcase, her tote bag…

Even the little pot of green pothos she’d kept on her desk had been packed up and placed on the shelf by the door.

Sang Wan stood there, dazed. “Lou Ye…”

“I won’t lie and tell you this is a friend’s unoccupied place, or some company perk,” Lou Ye said as he fiddled with the code lock, guiding Sang Wan’s hand to register her fingerprint and face. “Consider it a loan from me. If you want to pay rent, fine; if you want to buy it when you have the money, that’s fine too. I don’t mind either way.”

The lock beeped softly, signaling success.

Lou Ye finally looked up at Sang Wan. “Senior, may I come in?”

Sang Wan: …

The apartment was brand new, as if no one had ever lived in it.

But it had been cleaned thoroughly. The air was thick with the scent of freshener.

Three bedrooms and a living room.

Besides the master and guest rooms, there was a spare room that could serve as a study or yoga studio.

But…

Sang Wan didn’t believe in kindness without reason.

Looking back, she realized that lately, she and Lou Ye had indeed grown a little too close.

To her, Lou Ye was a little brother.

The junior who’d chased after her on the university campus, always full of questions, always calling her ‘senior.’

Yet that inexplicable hand-holding before dawn had left her uneasy.

She quickly ran through what she wanted to say.

Sang Wan stepped forward.

“Lou Ye…”

She got straight to the point. “I don’t know if I’m being overly sensitive, but lately… we’ve been seeing a bit too much of each other.”

Lou Ye turned sharply.

Sang Wan clenched her hands and went on, “If you don’t mind, can we just go back to how things were? You know I’ve always thought of you as a younger brother.”

He wanted to ask if this was using him and then discarding him.

She’d used him, and now she was eager to draw a line, wasn’t she?

But in her mind, that phrase—feelings cannot be forced—would not go away.

If he refused, she would pick up her suitcase the next moment and leave, staying far away from him in the future.

She met Lou Ye’s calm eyes, as though a wall had come down between them.

Lou Ye’s lips curled in a smile.

“Younger brother, is it? Sure…”

He stepped closer, looking straight into her eyes. “Does that mean I don’t even need to call you ‘senior’ anymore?”

Sang Wan was momentarily taken aback.

Lou Ye’s face broke into a bright smile. “Sister…”

Ding!

It was as if something had toppled over.

Or perhaps, like after rain, a breeze whisked raindrops against the wind chime beneath the eaves.

A clear, crisp note resounded in Sang Wan’s heart.