Volume One, Chapter 16: Does It Still Hurt?

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Ye Wu didn’t want to face him and used the excuse of going to the restroom. She leaned against the wall, lost in thought, waiting for Zhou Jinghuai to take the hint and leave. About ten minutes later, the restroom door creaked open, and a sliver of white light spilled in through the crack. Zhou Jinghuai then quietly stepped inside. In the dimly lit space, it was just the two of them. Ye Wu refused to look at him or engage in any conversation.

Zhou Jinghuai approached her, his tall figure casting a shadow over her. He reached out gently to touch her cheek, his voice raspy yet tender. “Does it still hurt?” Ye Wu turned her face away sharply. She made it clear how much she detested his touch.

But Zhou Jinghuai was not a man easily dismissed. He positioned himself between her and the wall, one hand lightly holding her chin, stroking her face. His expression was one of deep care, though to Ye Wu it felt bitterly ironic. She tried to brush his hand away, but Zhou Jinghuai caught her wrist. Without a word, he held her slender wrist firmly, his eyes deep with emotion.

In Ye Wu’s memory, Zhou Jinghuai had never looked at her with such intensity before. But what did it matter now? Her voice cracked as she said, “Let me go!” From his pocket, Zhou Jinghuai pulled out a tube of ointment and carefully applied some to her face.

Ye Wu reluctantly accepted it but her eyes were cold, void of any warmth. “Is it done? If so, let go of me.” Zhou Jinghuai’s dark eyes fixed on her. “Does my touch bother you that much?” Without hesitation, Ye Wu replied, “Yes.” At her words, as if unable to hold back any longer, the man lowered his head, wanting to kiss her and awaken old memories. But Ye Wu would never allow it. She struggled fiercely, avoiding any physical contact.

Zhou Jinghuai was strong-willed—the more she resisted, the more he desired her. So in the cramped restroom, the two tangled desperately. In the end, the woman succumbed to the man’s strength, forced to accept his caresses and kisses.

The faint light flickered on her pale skin, droplets of sweat pearling. Veins bulged on Zhou Jinghuai’s forehead, revealing his intense restraint, yet this was neither the right time nor place. After a long while, he buried his face in the side of Ye Wu’s neck, whispering softly, “I’m sorry.”

Her clothes were disheveled. Trembling, she raised a hand and struck his handsome face hard. The sharp sound echoed clearly in the dimness. Zhou Jinghuai did not retaliate; instead, he pulled Ye Wu tightly into his embrace and whispered tremblingly into her ear, “In Zhou Jinghuai’s heart, Wu is the most important.”

Ye Wu tilted her head up, tears glistening in her eyes... After a moment, she gently pushed him away and left without a word.

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Some words are best left unheard. Some people drift apart as they walk. She and Zhou Jinghuai could never return to what they were before. They never truly shared the fruits of their marriage because from the start, it was only Ye Wu’s one-sided longing and devotion.

Now, she no longer wanted Zhou Jinghuai. Who mattered most in his heart was no longer her concern.

During her grandmother’s hospitalization, Zhou Jinghuai visited often. Sometimes when Ye Wu wasn’t around, he would keep the elderly woman company. After four years of marriage, it seemed Zhou Jinghuai finally found the time to spend with Ye Wu’s only close relative.

Yet Ye Wu felt no gratitude. She was still seeking a lawyer to proceed with their divorce. Perhaps because Bai Qianqian’s commotion was too loud and had reached the Zhou family mansion, Zhou Yanli called twice, inviting her home for dinner, but Ye Wu refused both times. After shedding the illusion of Zhou Jinghuai, she no longer bothered putting on any pretenses at the Zhou family residence.

A week later, on a rainy night in late autumn, the gray ground glistened with water. Fallen phoenix tree leaves, soaked by the rain, lay pitifully blending into the earth. Ye Wu returned home from the hospital, with Zhou Jinghuai following close behind. After parking the car, she saw him standing outside, his vehicle parked earlier under the phoenix tree.

As Ye Wu stepped down, Zhou Jinghuai blocked her path. “Let’s talk.”

Ye Wu bypassed him, heading toward the elevator lobby. “There’s nothing to discuss, Zhou Jinghuai. See you in court.”

She went upstairs and he followed. Ye Wu didn’t let him enter the apartment. Leaning her back against the door, she acknowledged that Zhou Jinghuai had been her entire youth; quitting him hurt deeply.

After taking some time to collect herself, she changed into her bathrobe and went to shower and rest. Whether Zhou Jinghuai left or stayed no longer concerned her.

The night deepened. One by one, lights in the windows flickered off. In a black van parked downstairs, a man in black sat silently. Though expressionless, his noble aura was unmistakable. Zhou Jinghuai stared at his phone, looking at photos of Ye Wu smiling softly and gracefully.

He hadn’t seen her smile in a long time. Though they were so close—one upstairs, the other downstairs—she wouldn’t say a single word to him.

Zhou Jinghuai didn’t even know why he wanted to save this marriage—was it to make amends out of guilt or to preserve the status of Ye Wu as the wife of the Rong En Corporation’s president?

The rain fell lightly, drumming on the bare phoenix tree leaves, tracing a scene of decay and desolation.

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The man’s figure inside the car was blurred. Raindrops hanging from the branches fell one by one, striking the car roof with a steady patter.

Early the next morning, Ye Wu took Xiao Bai for a walk. The air was cold, and each step exhaled a misty breath. Ye Wu wore a thin woolen dress, layered with a deep coffee-colored trench coat cinched tightly at the waist. Her long black hair curled softly over her shoulders, exuding an English rose charm.

From inside the black van, Zhou Jinghuai watched quietly.

In the past, Ye Wu never dressed like this; now she seemed to enjoy this style. Was it because of Gu Jiuci?

Zhou Jinghuai opened the car door and approached Ye Wu. Before she could react, he handed her a bag of soy milk and breakfast, his voice gentle: “Have breakfast before we go jogging.”

“Woof! Woof!” Xiao Bai barked furiously at him.

Ye Wu looked down at the lovingly prepared breakfast, feeling only bitterness. When she was Mrs. Zhou, Zhou Jinghuai never cared for her; he treated her like a machine. Now, with a mistress outside, he still played these tangled games with her—who was he trying to fool?

She coldly returned the breakfast. “No need for this anymore. It’s not suitable for us.”

Zhou Jinghuai’s brows furrowed deeply. “Then what suits us? Tell me, Ye Wu. I’ll do as you wish. From now on, we—”

Ye Wu’s expression grew colder. “There is no ‘we.’ There’s only you, and only me.”

Zhou Jinghuai refused to take the breakfast back. Ye Wu walked to the trash bin and threw the two bags away. Turning to face him, she said, “Zhou Jinghuai, let’s be realistic, okay? You’re not the Zhou Jinghuai you used to be. And I’m no longer the Ye Wu I once was. Now, I don’t want you anymore.”

Under the phoenix tree, Zhou Jinghuai stood silently—noble and proud. He watched Ye Wu’s departing figure as a raindrop slid down the tree trunk, falling onto his cheek and gently trailing down…