{I will arrange a top-tier luxurious wedding for you 2}

Qian Xu suddenly turned around and saw his black eyes, exceptionally deep, as if speaking the most desired words in her heart with the most solemn and profound language.

However, the shadowy forms appeared again.

This time, it’s not just the shadow of illusory fleeting, the colors become increasingly vivid and real. These flowing scenes of characters are almost three-dimensional, approaching the Shen Qi in her heart realistically. His face, once again, embodies the numbness of all things while considering them as nothingness, echoing the him in many years ago, and coinciding unexpectedly with the future him.

The images grew longer, becoming more detailed, focusing on a certain day in about a year in the future.

In the image, Shen Qi was proposing, but instead of the vague promises he made to her, he had specially prepared a ring for that woman, or perhaps, the ring originally belonged to Cheng Shuangyi.

Years ago, Cheng Shuangyi, in pursuit of her own life, had chosen without hesitation to abandon him and their children, removing the ring as she left.

Shen Qi kept it, with the hope of one day placing it back on Cheng Shuangyi’s finger.

Qian Xu was on the verge of insanity—

Because at this moment, Shen Qi, standing in the open kitchen, appeared perfectly composed, showing no signs of a man about to propose. It was as if he controlled everything related to her, including their relationship.

But in the reflected images, his occasional nervousness and uncertainty when facing Cheng Shuangyi seemed more like the demeanor of a man earnestly proposing in a normal relationship.

He wasn’t devoid of anxiety; rather, his anxiety could only be shown to another woman, Cheng Shuangyi.

Over the years, Shen Qi had spoken countless times about Cheng Shuangyi to her, mostly about her ingratitude and unscrupulousness. Honestly, Shen Qi rarely harbored resentment towards people.

Even when his business partners betrayed him midway through their venture, he remained calm and composed, viewing it with equanimity.

But Shen Qi couldn’t forget Cheng Shuangyi even for a moment. Back then, while they were studying abroad in the United States, his father’s business empire in China collapsed, and Cheng Shuangyi’s demeanor changed as she saw his fortunes dwindle.

Especially since the day Shen Qi’s first credit card was declined, she had been plotting her departure.

She claimed there was an engagement in her hometown that she couldn’t miss, so she had to return early. As for the children, she hoped they could pretend as if nothing had happened.

Consider it a gift to him.

Every time Shen Qi recalled this manipulated affection, the crazed anger in his eyes would rage.

Qian Xu should have realized long ago that strong hatred was rooted in his passionate love for the woman who left him, as they say llove breeds hatred.

She resented herself for not understanding Shen Qi’s feelings earlier, for awkwardly and abruptly intruding into another family’s life, becoming the deserved laughingstock.

It had been three years, and apart from her studies, her life was filled with shadows of him and his children at every turn.

She closed her eyes halfway, but the dream did not spare her lightly.

All these events were not too distant from her. Just after bidding farewell to Shen Qi, a month after his return to China, he would propose to another woman without a care in the world; many vague scenes that should have been obscured flashed before Qian Xu’s eyes, and she carefully distinguished and judged—

It was him, and them.

As it turned out, the plot they followed was one of marriage before love, a clichéd script arranged by their children, and as for herself, she was nothing more than a supporting actress in this story; the scene she had seen outside the dollar store now made sense.

The funny thing is that the author, in order to show her understanding of love, or to express her kindness towards the female characters she wrote about, her fate as a supporting character wasn’t too bad. At least, she wasn’t cruelly killed off.

It was just a meticulously calculated, empty-handed ending—

In the end, she returned to the United States after a series of twists and turns, ending up working in a laundry room.

…

Isn’t it ridiculous? She had scored 110 on the TOEFL and even received an offer from an Ivy League school. It was just because she didn’t have enough money to go to Boston that she ended up in Ohio. Why did she have to degrade herself like this, washing clothes in the laundry room!?

Just because of a man?

Her mind kept repeating what Yan Li often told her, only she didn’t think it was true at that time – “It’s just a man.”

Qian Xu suddenly opened her eyes.

“If you want to leave, I have no objection. I have no intention of trying to win you back,” Qian Xu took a deep breath, trying to appear calm and composed, even forcing a strange and relaxed smile on her face, “But pretending to be affectionate, deceiving emotions, that’s unethical.”

The man’s expression froze.

“What’s wrong, you can’t bear to see me leave, so you’re joking like this?”

Qian Xu immediately began packing up his belongings for him. Perhaps it was her past experience with packing, but she almost effortlessly handled the task.

Before long, she returned to Shen Qi’s side, facing the man who once begged her for help and the shadow of the big shot she saw today. But none of it mattered to her anymore.

Not only did she tidy up for him, but she also took care of the luggage for his children.

Shen Qi and Shen Qi Yue, who were awakened by the commotion, never expected that one day, Qian Xu, who had always admired Shen Qi, would stand in front of him with extreme indifference, uttering the words, “Get out, the farther the better.”