Volume One, Chapter 83: We're Even Now!

Sang Wan had a wonderful sleep—so deep she didn’t even dream. When she opened her eyes, the cabin was eerily quiet. She couldn’t even hear the engines. Pulling open the little window shade, she saw nothing but darkness outside. A glance at her phone told her it was half past eight. The plane had landed at eight.

Sang Wan: …

“Awake?” Lou Ye’s voice sounded from beside her. She turned to see him putting away his tablet and rising to his feet. “Let’s go.”

As the car drove away from the airport, Lou Ye turned and asked, “Shall we get something to eat?”

“I…” She was desperate to forget last night’s experience, and that dream she just couldn’t shake.

Sang Wan shook her head. “I don’t want anything. I just want to go home.”

“But I do.” Lou Ye didn’t press further, simply instructed the driver, “Old Town Alley.”

When the light, savory wonton soup was served, hunger awakened within her. Sip by sip, bite by bite, the exhaustion from her business trip melted away with the bowl of wontons.

That night really was just a dream. Heaven knew, the earth knew, but only she truly knew. As for last night… She was back in the Imperial Capital now, and wouldn’t be going to Sicheng for a long time. That brief encounter would remain a secret between her, fate, and that man.

But that man knew nothing about her.

She’d treat it as just a business trip—a little detour for the body, nothing more.

By the time she finished her wontons, Sang Wan had talked herself into peace. Emerging from Old Town Alley, she even accepted Lou Ye’s insistence on driving her home with calm composure.

When the car stopped in front of her apartment building, Sang Wan turned to Lou Ye. “The past few days were work, but now I’m back. I keep my word! If I don’t have dinner plans, you’re welcome to eat at my place!”

“Alright!” Lou Ye replied.

Sang Wan waved and headed upstairs.

After watching her disappear into the elevator, Lou Ye drove off, entering the underground garage. He sent a message to Xu Yiyi, letting her know he was home and she needn’t come feed the cat every day anymore.

Almost immediately, a video call came through. As soon as it connected, Xu Yiyi squinted suspiciously. “Confess! Don’t make me let my imagination run wild, or else…”

Just yesterday, she’d been excitedly sharing tales of handsome men and wet-shirt spectacles. And then, suddenly, silence.

She’d seen the first half but missed the rest, leaving Xu Yiyi so anxious she nearly hopped a flight to Sicheng. No replies to her messages, no answer to her calls. Xu Yiyi knew something had happened.

So when she saw Sang Wan’s message in the morning—“We’ll talk when I’m back”—she knew things were settled! She just didn’t know whether the leading man was the one she’d imagined, or one of those abs-bearing guys from the video.

“You could’ve at least let me in first—I just got home and wanted to tell you everything…”

The elevator doors opened. Sang Wan stepped out, but stopped abruptly, “I’ll call you back.”

By her door stood Lu Jinnian, tall and leaning against the window. Who knew how long he’d been waiting.

He turned at the sound of her voice, his gaze freezing on her. With a phone in one hand and suitcase in the other, Sang Wan looked travel-worn but showed not a trace of fatigue. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks tinged pink. Standing there, she embodied one phrase: radiant.

Lu Jinnian was all too familiar with this side of Sang Wan. As long as he came home early the previous night, the three of them would have dinner, watch TV, and head to bed. The next morning, this was the Sang Wan he’d wake up to—a glow that spoke of marital intimacy and contentment.

Had Sang Wan slept with someone?

The next moment, his suspicion was confirmed. As Sang Wan approached, Lu Jinnian saw the lingering bruise on her neck—a mark poorly concealed by makeup, now exposed after a long day. The red had faded to purple, standing out all the more against her pale skin, unmistakably intimate.

But what stung more was how Sang Wan’s smile faded, replaced by clear annoyance. “Lu Jinnian, what do you want now?”

“Wanwan, let’s talk.”

“About what?”

“Our son.”

Sang Wan froze, keys in hand.

Behind her, Lu Jinnian’s voice deepened. “Ever since Xiaomu came back from your place, he’s been in low spirits. Teacher Tingting spoke to me twice, hoping that our issues as adults wouldn’t affect the child’s emotions.”

“Wanwan, I know you hate me now, don’t even want to see him, but he’s your child too. No matter our divorce, you’re still his mother. You can’t change that.”

“So what are you here for?” Sang Wan looked back at him. “Lu Jinnian, Xiaomu is just a child, but you’re an adult. Can’t you handle things better? If he’s upset, as his father, take him out, spend more time with him. That’s what I’ve always done these past years, haven’t I? If I could do it, why can’t you?”

“I just hope we…” Lu Jinnian faltered, lost in frustration.

Logic told him that after the divorce, Sang Wan dating or being with another man was her business, not his. But his heart refused to accept it. The thought of another man close to her, of her sharing those moments with someone else—it was unbearable.

He couldn’t accept it.

Xiaomu was just an excuse. Lu Jinnian realized that these past days, only in the ten minutes spent outside Sang Wan’s door did he feel any peace. At home, faced with Lin Chaochao’s silent resentment and Xiaomu’s withdrawal, his heart burned with a nameless fury—one he had no outlet for.

“Wanwan, I have to go on a business trip to Toronto tomorrow. I won’t be back until next Friday…” Lu Jinnian’s voice was low. “I know you don’t want to see me, so while I’m away, could you… go to the kindergarten…”

“No.” Sang Wan refused without hesitation. “If he wants to see me, he can have Sister Wang call, and we’ll meet at the amusement park, KFC, or somewhere else.”

Kindergarten. The Lu family villa. She would not return. Not even once.

Lu Jinnian breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright.”

“You can go now.” Her tone was cold as she opened the door.

But as she was about to close it, Lu Jinnian blocked it with his hand.

Their eyes met, anger flaring, and before Sang Wan could curse him out, Lu Jinnian said quietly, “Wanwan, now we’re even.”

Even?

Sang Wan paused, confused.

Lu Jinnian’s gaze was dark. She followed his eyes and saw the red mark beneath her necklace.

Suddenly, she understood. He meant that because he had wronged her with Lin Chaochao, and now she had done the same, they were square. It was over.

“Lu Jinnian, are you out of your mind?” She slammed the door in his face.

Outside, Lu Jinnian’s face was shadowed. Yet in his heart, he felt a strange sense of relief—perhaps because she agreed to see their son, or perhaps because his lingering guilt could finally be laid to rest.

A faint, lingering scent hung in the air—the unique fragrance that belonged to Sang Wan.

Lu Jinnian stood silent a moment, then turned and left.

Back at the Lu family villa, he’d barely entered when Lin Chaochao threw herself into his arms. He instinctively pushed her away and headed for the children’s room. “I’ll check on Xiaomu…”

Lin Chaochao froze where she stood.