Mr. Shen, your love-struck wife doesn't want you anymore!

During those years, he treated it like a mission; whenever winter or summer vacation arrived, he would immediately buy a ticket to X city.

He had been silently observing her for five or six years, without her knowing.

He saw both her good and bad qualities.

He saw her suffering and struggle.

For the first two years, he observed her closely, watching her small, thin frame working as a child laborer in the hair salon, washing people's hair from morning till night with her head down.

She doesn't talk much, doesn't smile much, and just quietly does her work every day.

Her eyes lacked the innocence and vitality that one would expect at her age.

She can be very quiet when she's silent, and she can be very loud when she's loud, especially when she's arguing with someone.

At that time, Shen Chengyan thought that she and Deng Wen were nothing alike.

Deng Wen is very gentle, speaks softly, and always has a smile on her face.

Like a carnivorous plant, if you stay near her for too long, she will slowly devour you.

Jiang Yu is like roadside weeds; anyone can step on her, but her vitality is exceptionally strong.

Having spent a long time by her side, I had secretly done some things behind her back.

They lived in a single-story house on the ground floor. He would walk her home late at night in that dark corner of the alley.

She also once picked up a stone from the roadside and threw it hard at the window when Jiang Guodong tried to hit her.

Furthermore, when children her age bullied her, he would stand at a distance and shout at them, scaring the unruly kids away.

The debt collectors hung a dead rat on his doorknob, which he saw and casually threw into the trash can.

He even ate at the restaurant where she worked.

He was wearing a hat and looking down as he ordered the food, while she stood beside him writing down the names of the dishes.

At such close proximity, he could even secretly see the fine downy hairs and scattered freckles on her face.

After leaving the restaurant, his heart was pounding and his palms were sweating.

This kind of thing is like an addiction, always drawing him to do more risky things.

One time, she was riding her bicycle home when she suddenly fell to the ground, bike and all.

He was following behind her on his bicycle, but before he could even react, he jumped off and ran over.

When he came to his senses, he was already squatting down beside her, asking if she was alright.

Jiang Yu was already in her first year of high school at that time, and she was even more vigilant and wary than when she was a child. She was startled when she saw a stranger rushing over, and instinctively grabbed a stone from the ground, as if she wanted to use it as a weapon for self-defense.

After realizing that the other party meant no harm, she said it was nothing, feeling a little embarrassed.

He blurted out, "How could you be so careless?"

Shen Chengyan noticed that she was secretly watching him, perhaps wondering why this stranger was acting so nervous.

He was glad he was wearing a hat and that it was evening. He didn't dare to say anything more or linger. He went to the nearby pharmacy to buy medicine without saying a word.

He gave the shop assistant extra money and asked her to go out and treat her wound.

He knew his behavior was wrong, but he couldn't control himself.

And so the years went by.

Going to university was a turning point for her.

She was going to another city soon, and he knew it was time to end his stalking.

So when she told him on QQ that she was going to study at a university in another city, he also said goodbye to her on QQ.

He said he was going abroad and told her not to contact him anymore.

Even after she went to university, she still didn't stop sending herself messages.

She would share with him everything she met and everything that happened at school, in her own little chatter.

Sometimes when he wakes up and logs into QQ, he can always find dozens of messages from her.

When he's in a good mood, he'll read every message carefully.

When you're in a bad mood, you'll feel aversion.

I hate myself.

He also disliked her.

He might think, "Didn't we agree to completely cut ties with her?"

Why do you still have QQ?

Why do I still find myself unable to stop checking her messages?

She is Deng Wen's daughter, and Deng Wen's blood flows in her veins.

The woman who psychologically manipulated, belittled, and suppressed him, the person who appeared in his nightmares like a ghost on countless nights—anything related to her was bad.

He should stay away from Jiang Yu.

He shouldn't have even had those years of contact; he shouldn't have given her financial assistance or secretly helped her.

The more miserable she was, the happier he was.

Break it off, break it off, break it off with her.

He should stop contacting her and have no further involvement with her. She should not be a part of his future.

So after struggling with the dilemma, he got a new phone.

He locked his old cell phone in the deepest drawer.

For the rest of his university life, he never touched his old phone again, nor did he log into QQ.

He returned to China after graduation and successfully joined the Shen Group.

During the six months he worked at the group, he never even thought about looking at QQ.

He was truly determined at that time, and that was it.

However, Shen Changming's first business trip assignment for him was to X City, where the group had a project approved and needed to send a person in charge to work there long-term.

Shen Chengyan didn't refuse, nor could he refuse, so he took his suitcase and went to X City.

Small places are small places; their development is much slower than that of big cities. The train station, which I've visited countless times, still looks the same.

Even in the following months, when he was in X city and passed by places he had once walked with Jiang Yu, he felt calm and undisturbed.

After nearly four years, he felt he had completely forgotten her.

He thought it was fine this way.

He and she should never have had any connection in the first place.

But everything he believed in collapsed the moment he saw Jiang Yu again.

It had been almost four years since I last saw her. She had changed; she was more beautiful and taller than before, now standing tall and graceful.

But he recognized her at a glance in the crowd.

Seeing her fall, just like before, before he could even react, he jumped out of the car and rushed towards her.

Halfway through the run, I regained my senses and stopped.

He brushed Xiao Yang off and then followed her to the hospital without realizing it.

As she comforted her aunt in the hospital room, he suddenly didn't understand what he was doing.

Didn't I make a decision to never talk to her again for the rest of my life?

What's the point of following me around like an idiot?

So he turned and left.

His reason told him he should leave immediately and pretend he hadn't seen her.

But he couldn't really pretend that nothing had happened.

She was right in front of him.

within reach.

Just like in countless dreams.

As he smoked in the stairwell, he thought that if he still couldn't bring himself to leave after finishing a cigarette, he would just show up in front of her openly.

Before he could finish his cigarette, Jiang Yu reappeared in front of him.

She stormed in, completely unaware that there was someone else in the stairwell.

Shen Chengyan stood there leaning against the wall, watching her with her back to him, cursing loudly at the person on the other end of the phone.

At that moment, his anxious heart suddenly calmed down.

All hesitation and doubt vanished.

After not seeing him for several years, his temper has worsened, and his voice has become louder and louder when he curses.

Shen Chengyan suppressed a laugh, but couldn't help feeling the pain in his hand.

He stared at her for a long time, forgetting that he was still holding a cigarette.

The cigarette burned his head and scalded his fingers.

He hissed softly, took two steps, and tossed the cigarette away from his hand.

Jiang Yu, who had her back to him, was startled by the noise and turned around, bumping into him.