Chapter 1: Half River Shimmering, Half River Red  

At the age of twenty-two, Lu Zhenzhu married Gu Huai without hesitation as soon as she reached the legal age.  

Everyone envied her good fortune—Gu Huai was an unyielding figure in their circle, yet he held her in the palm of his hand.  

On her eighteenth birthday, he had personally risked his life diving into the deep sea to retrieve the largest pearl as her gift.  

Even the title page of every book was inscribed with half a line of poetry: “Dew like pearls, moon like a hook.”  

She had always believed those words were written because of her name.  

Back then, she thought she was the happiest person in the world, convinced that Gu Huai’s love for her ran deeper than the ocean.  

Until shortly after their wedding, when she stumbled upon an old photograph in a drawer—  

The girl in the photo looked strikingly like her, even the mole at the corner of her eye was identical.  

On the back was written the full verse: “Half the river shimmers, half the river red, dew like pearls, moon like a hook.”  

Two different handwriting styles: one delicate, as if written by a girl, the other bold and unrestrained—just like his.  

At the bottom were the signatures: “Jiang Sesè” and “Gu Huai.”  

Staring at the photo, she suddenly understood everything…  

Lu Zhenzhu began to laugh, but as she laughed, tears streamed down her face.  

Clutching the photo, she sat on the floor for a long time.  

Finally, trembling, she pulled out her phone and contacted a law firm to draft divorce papers.  

Just as her fingertip touched the screen, her phone vibrated with a notification from the hospital: “Ms. Lu, you are six weeks pregnant.”  

The phone clattered to the floor, its screen reflecting her ashen face.  

A faint heaviness settled in her lower abdomen, as if something small had taken root there.  

Tears welled up again, but this time they burned hot.  

“Baby…” she whispered into the air, her voice as fragile as pearls scattered on the ground, “What should Mommy do with you?”  

Her fingertip traced the name “Jiang Sesè” on the photo before finally resting on her slightly rounded belly.  

Slowly, she tucked the photo into the deepest corner of the drawer, covering it carefully with a cashmere sweater—as if burying her shattered heart along with it into an abyss of darkness.  

She told herself that even if she had to raise the child alone, she would keep it.  

Just then, her best friend Yu Tang called.  

“Zhenzhu, come to Clubhouse Room 308, quick…” Yu Tang’s voice trembled with suppressed emotion. “I saw Gu Huai with a girl…”  

When her friend asked her to pick someone up at the clubhouse, she never expected to run into Jiang Sesè.  

The moment she pushed open the VIP room door, the cold glow of the crystal lamp mingled with the scent of alcohol and smoke.  

Lu Zhenzhu spotted Jiang Sesè curled up in the corner of the sofa at a glance.  

They really did look alike…  

She suddenly remembered how Gu Huai, whenever he was drunk, would stroke her hair and murmur, “So alike.”  

Her throat felt stuffed with cotton. She wanted to scream, “I’m nothing like her,” but all that came out was: “Gu Huai.”  

“President Gu, your wife is here,” someone called out.  

Only then did Lu Zhenzhu notice the man lounging on the couch—his forehead slightly damp, his tie loose around his neck, a cigar between his fingers, exuding an air of careless elegance.  

When he saw her, the corner of his eye lifted slightly. “Why did you come dressed so lightly?”  

Gu Huai beckoned her over, his voice rough from drinking.  

Silently, she approached, only to be pulled into his arms, the scent of cigars and cologne enveloping her.  

Around them, suggestive laughter rose, someone teasing, “President Gu really dotes on his wife.”  

But she noticed Jiang Sesè in the corner, staring at their intertwined hands, her nails digging deep into her own palm.

Suddenly, someone whistled and pointed at Jiang Sesè, laughing, “Sesè, your ex is right here! Why don’t you beg Director Gu to extend the loan for your dad?”

Amid the jeers, another voice shouted, “You two were so close back then. Just sleep with Director Gu once, and the money will come rolling in!”

Lu Zhenzhu felt Gu Huai’s hand on her shoulder tense abruptly. He lifted his eyes, cigarette dangling from his lips, the ember flickering in the dim light.

She expected him to sneer, but instead, he drawled lazily, “Cut the bullshit.”

Exhaling smoke, he leaned more heavily against her. “If my wife isn’t happy, none of you will be either.”

The room erupted in raucous laughter.

Jiang Sesè’s face flushed crimson instantly.

The man who had teased her slid a greasy hand over her shoulder, reeking of alcohol as he chuckled, “What’s wrong? Did Director Gu dump you?” His fingers hooked into the collar of her knitwear, tugging it down. “Don’t be scared, big bro will take care of you—come with me tonight. Serve me well, and I’ll make sure you never run out of pocket money.”

Lu Zhenzhu noticed Gu Huai’s fingers on the armrest suddenly clench, his knuckles whitening, veins bulging on the back of his hand gripping the bottle.

So, he still cared.

“I don’t want it!” Jiang Sesè fought back tears, lifting her gaze to Gu Huai. “In this lifetime, I’ve only ever acknowledged one man… Even if he doesn’t want me, I won’t let anyone else touch me!”

With that, she turned and stormed off, her high heels tapping out a frantic rhythm on the floor.

Her words struck Lu Zhenzhu’s heart like a sledgehammer.

She watched as Gu Huai closed his eyes, massaging his temples, his fingers tapping an agitated rhythm on the armrest—a telltale sign of his suppressed anger.

The next second, his eyes snapped open, sweeping over the faint shadows beneath Jiang Sesè’s eyes before his voice turned icy. “I’m going to the restroom.”

“And from now on, keep your mouths shut.”

The room fell deathly silent.

Almost involuntarily, Lu Zhenzhu followed him.

At the end of the hallway, under the glow of the emergency light, Gu Huai was wiping the spilled alcohol from Jiang Sesè’s wrist with a damp tissue, his movements gentle, as if soothing a frightened kitten.

She flinched and pulled back, her sleeve slipping slightly to reveal a faint blue tattoo—the cursive English word “Huai” barely visible beneath her skin.

“What is this?” Gu Huai’s fingers froze abruptly, droplets from the damp tissue falling onto her hand like the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat.

Jiang Sesè hurriedly covered the tattoo with her other hand, her fingers trembling. “It’s nothing…” She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, strands of hair obscuring her reddened eyes.

Gu Huai seized her wrist, his grip tight enough to draw a soft gasp from her.

The emergency light cast shadows over his brow, but it couldn’t hide the storm brewing in his eyes. “Answer me.”

“Stop…” Jiang Sesè’s voice cracked with tears, her nails digging into his palm. “Please, don’t ask…”

Gu Huai’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “After your family went bankrupt…”

Jiang Sesè suddenly choked back a sob and buried her face in his chest. “My dad got sick right after… The chemotherapy costs so much money… I had no choice, I had to leave you…”

“Why?” His voice was muffled, but his arms gradually tightened around her. “I could’ve helped you.”

“You were already struggling yourself back then…” Her tears soaked into his shirt. “I couldn’t become another burden for you…”

She pulled up her sleeve, revealing faint scars along her inner arm. “Look, every scar is a night I missed you… I’d rather die than let another man touch me…”

Gu Huai’s eyes were instantly flooded with pain. He lowered his head and kissed the tattoo on her wrist, as if soothing a wounded beast.

Jiang Sesè leaned against him, trembling all over. “I’d rather die than have you think I’m that kind of person… I know you have a wife now…”

She suddenly looked up, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears. “But every time I see her, I can’t help remembering your promise to marry me.”

Jiang Sesè threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Gu Huai didn’t push her away. Instead, he held her tightly in his embrace.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhenzhu stood quietly outside, staring at the message she’d just received from Gu Huai on her phone: “Ran into a business partner. Have a dinner meeting tonight. Won’t be coming home.”

What a clumsy lie—just like when he’d said he loved her. And the old her had actually savored those sweet nothings…