Mr. Lu, stop being such a jerk. Your wife is your nemesis's white moonlight.

Lin Wan'er's eyes widened suddenly.

"...What did you say?"

Lu Yiming paused, then continued, "My parents' accident happened so suddenly back then, I was completely unprepared. Those old foxes in the group outwardly supported me, but in reality, they all had their own ulterior motives. I... was practically a puppet."

"They put me in that position just to wait for me to make a mistake so they can kick me out with a legitimate reason."

"That's when your father found me. He said he could help me solve a cash flow problem, on only one condition... to persuade you to marry Pan Zhenhua."

Lin Wan'er stared at him without blinking, numb like a shell whose soul had been ripped out.

"Wan'er, I'm sorry."

Lu Yiming finally looked at her: "Back then... I lied to you."

Lin Wan'er listened intently until he finished speaking, at which point she blinked.

She couldn't understand.

When the Lin family ran into trouble, her father suggested that she leave Lu Yiming and marry someone from Hong Kong, but she refused without hesitation.

That was the first time in her life she had disobeyed her father.

It wasn't that she wasn't afraid, but for Lu Yiming, she was willing.

She thought Lu Yiming would be moved. But not long after, he came to her instead and said that he was down on his luck and was afraid he couldn't protect her. He didn't want her to suffer with him, so he insisted on sending her away.

She disagreed, but Lu Yiming, not wanting to be a burden to her, insisted on breaking up with her. Lin Wan'er cried and made a scene, even starting a hunger strike, and ended up in the hospital.

When she saw Lu Yiming again at the hospital, she noticed that he had lost a lot of weight and looked haggard and pale.

Seeing Lin Wan'er lying on the hospital bed, looking equally haggard, Lu Yiming's eyes reddened.

"Wan'er, stop fooling around." His voice was terribly hoarse.

"Go to Hong Kong, just for my sake."

"Only when I see you doing well can I focus on dealing with my own troubles."

Lin Wan'er stared at the stubble on his chin and suddenly stopped making a fuss.

"Okay," she said. "I'll go."

She went to Hong Kong to put Lu Yiming's mind at ease.

But now he's telling her it was all a scam?

Do not,

impossible.

That's not the truth!

Lu Yiming clearly loves her, how could he push her away for his own benefit?

She told herself this over and over again.

But a tremendous pain still surged from the depths of her heart. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

She curled herself up in a ball, shivering.

Seeing her like this, Lu Yiming felt bad too.

This was the most despicable thing he had ever done in his life. Even with a thousand reasons, he had indeed betrayed Lin Wan'er's feelings.

He always felt guilty towards Lin Wan'er, and it was precisely because of this that he chose to tolerate her repeated transgressions after she returned to China.

One wrong step leads to another, resulting in the situation we have today.

He sighed, squatted down to help her up, but Lin Wan'er suddenly threw herself into his arms.

"Brother Yiming!"

Tears streamed down her face. "None of that is true! You're telling me it was all a lie!"

"You can go find her, and I'll let you go back to Xu An'an! But can you take back what you said?"

"You love me... I beg you, tell me you love me... Otherwise, what does my life mean to you..."

She wept bitterly.

During those years in Hong Kong, she spent every day thinking about Lu Yiming. Even though she was married to someone else, she never thought that she would be completely separated from Lu Yiming.

Lu Yiming loved her, and she never doubted their relationship.

But now Lu Yiming is telling her that none of that is true.

She didn't accept it.

Whether she's deceiving herself or just fooling herself, she doesn't want the truth.

But Lu Yiming wouldn't even lie to her anymore.

"I'm sorry, Wan'er."

He pulled Lin Wan'er away from his arms again, the movement slow but with cruel force: "I can't lie to you anymore."

"In this life, the only person I have ever loved is Xu An'an."

"Snap—"

A hard slap across the face.

"Why?!" Lin Wan'er screamed hysterically, "You won't even lie to me?!"

Lu Yiming's head was knocked to the side by the blow, and a metallic taste filled his mouth.

He knew he deserved it.

He rubbed his cheek. "If you're still not satisfied, you can hit me again."

Lin Wan'er had almost run out of tears and was trembling all over.

Lu Yiming stood motionless.

After a long while, seeing that she showed no intention of raising her hand again, he handed the card over.

"If you've vented your anger, keep this card. Take the money, move to another place, and start your life anew."

Lin Wan'er did not answer.

She stared at the card, her tears already dried up.

"Lu Yiming... do you really want to get rid of me that badly?"

"This is good for us all."

"Ha, all good..." Her voice was laced with sarcasm. "And then what? You're in such a hurry to chase after your An'an?"

Lu Yiming did not deny it.

"Aren't you shameless?"

"Didn't you see those photos? Xu An'an and Yan Heng have been having an affair for a long time!"

Lu Yiming gritted his teeth: "I was the one who wronged An'an first. Whatever she did, it's all my fault."

Lin Wan'er paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He laughed louder and louder, almost uncontrollably: "Lu Yiming, so what do you want to do now? Be Xu An'an's lapdog? Cry and kneel down begging her to look at you?"

Lu Yiming frowned: "Wan'er, we've gone off on a tangent. I'm here today only to resolve our issues."

Lin Wan'er seemed not to hear, still laughing, her laughter growing increasingly manic: "Lu Yiming, I didn't expect you to say you love her today, hahaha... but did Xu An'an ever love you?"

"Of course." Lu Yiming disliked her sarcastic tone. "An'an certainly loves me."

As if to prove something, he added, "I am An'an's first love."

"First love?" Lin Wan'er finally stopped laughing, her eyes gradually turning sorrowful. "That's what she told you?"

Lu Yiming frowned.

Lin Wan'er gave a soft snort: "Seven years ago, Xu An'an and Yan Heng were already having an affair."

"Don't talk nonsense."

"I don't."

She took a step closer to him, raised her hand, and gently touched his face with her fingertips. "Yiming, have you ever thought about how, six months ago, Pan Zhenhua was suddenly arrested, I was forced to return to the mainland, and then Xu An'an joined the Yan family's film crew... Don't you think all of this is too much of a coincidence?"

Lu Yiming grabbed her wrist. "What do you mean?"

Lin Wan'er struggled but couldn't break free, so she simply went with the force of his hand and slowly drew circles on his chest with her fingertips:

"Brother Yiming, do you know who Pan Zhenhua was closest to before he was arrested?"

She raised her eyes, stared into Lu Yiming's eyes, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"It's Yan Heng."

"From the very beginning, we were completely outmaneuvered by Yan Heng."