I'm sorry, but your fiancé loves me.

Qin Qihan had been waiting all night.

He started messaging her at 10 PM last night, but she didn't reply. He called her at midnight, but her phone was off.

At one o'clock in the morning, he drove to several places she usually went and searched for her, but there was no one there.

He returned here at three in the morning, sat on the sofa in the living room, stared in the direction of the door, and smoked one cigarette after another, piling up layer upon layer of ash in the ashtray.

He kept convincing himself that she was just with her friends, her phone was off, she had drunk too much, and something had gotten in the way.

He gave her a hundred reasons, each of which sounded reasonable, but he knew very well that if she really wanted to contact him, there were a hundred ways she could do it.

She didn't want to contact him.

The thought pierced his mind like a thorn, and he told himself not to overthink it. There had indeed been some subtle tension between them lately—

She would occasionally drift off into thought, her eyes would wander when she talked to him, and her shoulders would stiffen slightly when he hugged her from behind, but he attributed all of this to his own problems.

It was because he didn't treat her well from the beginning.

He was thinking about what he was like when he first met her. Back then, he really didn't take her seriously. She was just a pretty female secretary who took the initiative to come up to him, someone he could take out to social events to save face, or someone he could keep around to relieve boredom.

He bought her bags and jewelry, and promoted her and gave her a raise, but he knew very well that he didn't respect her.

What was she thinking at that time?

He only remembered making all sorts of demands on her, insisting that she come when he wanted to see her and letting her go when he didn't. She never complained and always appeared in front of him with a smile.

Later he realized he had changed.

From a certain day onwards, when she occasionally took leave from the office, he felt that time passed particularly slowly, and he would inexplicably become irritable if she talked to other men for a few extra minutes.

It took him a long time to admit that he liked her.

But after he finally admitted it, she started to back away.

There was something in her eyes that he couldn't understand. Sometimes she would stare blankly in his arms. When he asked her what was wrong, she would shake her head and say nothing was wrong.

Qin Qihan attributed all of this to his own retribution.

He was the one who first treated her like a plaything, so it's normal for her to be a little cold and distant towards him now, and to occasionally stay out all night.

She harbored resentment; she needed time to process the disrespect he had shown her. All he had to do was wait, wait for her to slowly come to believe that he was serious.

At least she's willing to come back, and that's enough.

Qin Qihan looked at her, wanting to ask where she had gone last night, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. He was afraid that if he asked that question, he wouldn't get the answer he wanted.

But he still asked, "Where did you go last night?"

Yun Muqian's gaze remained calm: "I stayed at a friend's house for the night, and my phone died."

Qin Qihan looked into her eyes; her gaze was steady and unwavering. He nodded: "Mm."

She was lying to him.

But he suppressed his unease. He told himself it was okay, she needed time, and all she needed was a reason, even if it didn't sound complete.

He should give her a chance.

The next day, when Qin Qihan woke up, Yun Muqian was still asleep.

He looked at her for a while, then got up and went to the dressing room, where he picked out a dark-colored outfit to change into. When he returned, she had just woken up, and with her eyes half-open, she looked at him and asked him what his plans were for the day.

Qin Qihan stood by the bed, looking at her sleepy face, and said, "I'll take you somewhere."

Yun Muqian didn't ask any questions. She got up, washed, changed her clothes, and followed him out the door. The car drove for about forty minutes, passing through the city and entering an area he rarely took her to.

The plane trees lining the road grew denser, and the architectural style changed from modern high-rises to more rustic detached houses. She began to feel something was wrong, sat up straight, and looked out the car window at the wrought iron gates and courtyard walls that flashed by.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Qin Qihan didn't turn around, only saying, "You'll know when we get there."

The car stopped in front of a black gate, which slowly opened to reveal a driveway paved with bluestone slabs, flanked by neatly trimmed lawns and a boulevard of plane trees.

Yun Muqian's gaze swept across the lawn and landed on the six-story house...

"Qin Qihan," her voice suddenly tightened, "you brought me to your house?"

He had already turned off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed open the car door, and walked around to open it for her. He stood outside the door, looking at her calmly: "Is there a problem?"

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate..." She remained seated in the passenger seat. "Are your family members all here?"

"Yes," he said, extending his hand, palm up. "I told my parents I'd bring you home for dinner today."

Yun Muqian looked at the hand he was extending and felt a buzzing in her head.

She looked at his calm face, opened her mouth, and finally managed to squeeze out only one sentence: "Why didn't you tell me beforehand..."

"It's not too late to say it now," he said, his hand still outstretched in front of her. "Get out of the car."

Actually, he was worried that if he told her in advance, she wouldn't come.

She sat there hesitating for several seconds before finally placing her hand in his palm.

Qin Qihan grasped her hand, his fingers tightening, and led her out of the car. They walked towards the open front door, and as they passed through the foyer and entered the living room, Yun Muqian felt several gazes fall upon her simultaneously.

As Yun Muqian entered the room, she quickly thought about what to say later—she planned to say that she was Qin Qihan's secretary or friend, to get through the situation with a vague identity for now.

She wore a polite and appropriate smile and gave a slight bow to the two elders on the sofa.

"Hello, uncles and aunts, I'm Qin Qihan..."

"This is my girlfriend."

Qin Qihan's voice rang out from beside her, abruptly cutting off her "friend" conversation before she could even finish it.

Yun Muqian's smile froze for a moment. She turned her head to look at him, trying to signal him with her eyes to stop.

In fact, the Qin family already knew that Qin Qihan and Zhou Xue had broken up. Her attempt to claim that they were just friends only made things worse.

The living room was silent for a second or two. Mr. and Mrs. Qin's expressions weren't good, but since it was their son who had brought them home, they still welcomed them with smiles and gentle tones:

"Come, sit down, don't stand."

Looking at Qin Qihan's profile, she suddenly felt that she couldn't understand him anymore.

Her plan was clearly going in the direction she had envisioned—Qin Qihan was going to break off the engagement, Zhou Xue's marriage and happiness were destroyed, and the rift she wanted was widening little by little.

Just when she was about to retire gracefully, why did Qin Qihan suddenly hold her so tightly?

Could it be that she's been too obvious lately, and he's noticed? Why does he seem a little impatient today?