Chapter 41: Confession

What was Lu Yunheng saying?

How absurd—it sounded like he was saying he missed her.

For a moment, Wen Shuyu thought she must have misheard.

She sneaked a glance at Jiang Huaiyu out of the corner of her eye. His expression was sharp and cold, his lips curved in a faint smile, exuding a warm, jade-like grace. Yet, within his deep eyes, there was an inscrutable, dark look.

“He’s crazy. I’m hanging up.” Wen Shuyu said, then ended the call and put her phone on silent.

A supposedly “dead” old crush calling you in the middle of the night, saying he missed you—it’s a mess no river could wash away.

Wen Shuyu quickly explained to Jiang Huaiyu, “He’s not right in the head.”

The room fell into a prolonged silence. No one said a word.

Jiang Huaiyu remained over her, but the tender atmosphere they had just shared suddenly vanished.

It wasn’t entirely without warning—just far too sudden.

Wen Shuyu waited quietly to see what would happen next. The man above her stayed motionless, neither retreating nor advancing.

In the dim light, everything was unknown.

After a moment’s silence, Jiang Huaiyu finally spoke, his thin lips softly whispering, “Yuyu, let’s sleep.”

This was truly beyond Wen Shuyu’s expectations.

Over the years, Jiang Huaiyu never showed any concern for her past with Lu Yunheng, nor did he gossip or ask questions. It had nothing to do with him, after all.

Back in high school, he would wait for her under the ginkgo tree so they could walk home together, as their parents had arranged. But once they started university, their interactions became rare.

Now, she couldn’t understand or guess what he was thinking.

The way he suddenly pulled back made it seem as if she were hiding something.

She didn’t care about Lu Yunheng anymore—not in the slightest. She could barely even remember his face.

Wen Shuyu took the initiative, wrapping her arms around his neck, stopping him from leaving.

Slowly, she said, “No, don’t go. You’re upset, and I don’t know why he would call me.”

Her heart was pounding—what if Jiang Huaiyu simply pushed her away? She wasn’t strong enough to stop him.

But Jiang Huaiyu didn’t resist; he let her hold him, staying obediently in her embrace. “I’m not angry, don’t worry.”

His tone was casual, a slight curve lifting the corner of his lips.

He said he wasn’t angry—not that he wasn’t hurt.

He had thought he would be very angry, but Wen Shuyu’s indifferent tone, without a trace of sadness, left him feeling a bit relieved.

Even though, deep down, he still felt hurt, jealous that Lu Yunheng had once held Wen Shuyu’s affection.

“Then… why didn’t you go on?” Wen Shuyu’s voice was barely audible, hesitant and shy.

“The timing isn’t right,” Jiang Huaiyu said, sounding uninterested.

“Oh, alright.” That last line had already been her limit—how much more openly was she supposed to express herself?

Jiang Huaiyu then turned to lie on his side next to her, gently stroking her back. “I’ll sing you to sleep.”

“Here with you, I don’t feel so far away~ ‘Cause home’s a family so much more than it’s a place. It feels like magic, to see us shining as one.”

His voice, soft with a youthful warmth, was like a winding stream, like a gentle spring rain or the warmth of an autumn sun. There was a faint sense of distance, yet it flowed straight to her heart, taking Wen Shuyu back to her middle school days.

Back then, they’d kept a distance, but not too much—it was probably the reliance they’d developed since childhood.

Thankfully, it felt like they were back to those days. As Wen Shuyu thought about this, her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.

After coaxing Wen Shuyu to sleep, Jiang Huaiyu walked alone to the dining room. Under the full moon, silver light blanketed the ground. He slid the green button to answer the call.

“Yuyu, you’re finally willing to take my call.” Sure enough, it was that familiar, irritating voice again.

Jiang Huaiyu checked the call log. After he hung up, Lu Yunheng had dialed a few more times. Wen Shuyu hadn’t heard the ringtone because her phone was on silent.

After a moment, he replied, “Yuyu is asleep.”

His tone was indifferent, mirroring exactly how Wen Shuyu had sounded when she answered Lu Yunheng’s call.

Was this what they meant by “a married couple growing alike”?

Lu Yunheng hesitated. “Where’s Yuyu? I want to talk to her.”

From the other end, Lu Yunheng’s voice sounded unsteady—he was drinking, just like Jiang Huaiyu.

Jiang Huaiyu tilted his head back, downing a glass of wine with a faint smile. “Calling my wife so late at night—isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Without needing to be told, Lu Yunheng already knew they were married. He gritted his teeth. “Jiang Huaiyu, you took advantage of the situation.”

Jiang Huaiyu toyed with the glass in his hand, light refracting through it in dazzling patterns.

His lips curved slightly, and he reminded Lu Yunheng in a cold voice, “You were the one who chose not to be with her.”

“And another thing—‘Yuyu’ isn’t for you to call. Don’t disturb her again.”

He ended the call, blocked the number, and deleted the call history.

He could be petty, especially when it came to Wen Shuyu’s past with Lu Yunheng.

He hadn’t dared to go further in bed because he didn’t want to admit it—he was insanely jealous.

Afraid of hurting her.

The bottle of red wine was slowly drained. He’d finished most of the remaining half, but Jiang Huaiyu held back his emotions enough to avoid finishing it entirely.

He replaced the cork and put the bottle back in the wine cabinet.

Returning to the master bedroom, he found the woman on the bed still lying in the same sleeping position. As he lifted the blanket, she suddenly called his name, “Jiang Huaiyu.”

Jiang Huaiyu brushed her hair aside. “Hm? What is it?”

There was no response. Wen Shuyu simply turned over and wrapped her arms around him.

“So it was just a dream,” he thought, assuming she was talking in her sleep.

Unaware that she was, in fact, awake, Wen Shuyu took this chance to complete her sentence.

“I like you.”

“Who do you like?” Jiang Huaiyu asked in disbelief, wanting to confirm.

No matter how he asked, there was no reply. Only the sound of her even breathing reached his ears.

The curtains blocked out the bright moonlight, and in the pitch-black night, the man sighed softly, murmuring to himself, “Of course it was just a dream. Why would you ever confess?”

“But, Yuyu, I like you.”

Wen Shuyu’s heart jolted, her delight barely contained.

After that, Lu Yunheng stayed quiet for a few days without bothering Wen Shuyu.

A few days later, Wen Shuyu and Jiang Huaiyu set out for Xizhu City to attend Song Baichuan’s wedding.

Fu Qingzi had rushed back from abroad to join her. Shen Ruoying and Meng Xinhao were on their honeymoon, so she was handling the wedding gift money on their behalf.

The wedding was lovely and typical, like most ordinary weddings. But after a bit too much to drink, some people inevitably lost control of their words.

One classmate said, “It’s too bad Lu Yunheng couldn’t make it. He and Song Baichuan were really close, right, Wen Shuyu?”

And of course, they had to bring her into it.

Wen Shuyu glanced sideways at Jiang Huaiyu and quietly held his hand under the table, already regretting coming to this wedding.

Feigning ignorance, she replied, “Huh? What did you say?”

The comment fell flat, and the topic was dropped.

Another classmate came over to chat. “You two ended up getting married after all that back-and-forth. It’s surprising! I thought we’d be attending your wedding with Lu Yunheng.”

Wen Shuyu smiled. “Not surprising. No one stays in place waiting for someone forever.”

If it weren’t for this being a classmate’s wedding, she might have flipped the table by now.

“I’m going out for a bit.” Wen Shuyu didn’t want to hear their pointless attempts at humor.

There was more than one wedding banquet happening, so the corridor was bustling with people passing by. Behind her, she heard the steady sound of footsteps approaching.

Suddenly, Jiang Huaiyu grabbed her wrist, pulling her into an empty lounge. He buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Yuyu, don’t keep in touch with him anymore.”

“I’m not in contact with him.” Wen Shuyu ran her fingers through his hair. “Jiang Huaiyu, you’ve had too much to drink.”

“I haven’t.” He hadn’t taken a single sip. To their classmates, theirs was just a marriage of convenience, devoid of any real feelings.

Wen Shuyu’s name was still always tied to Lu Yunheng.

Standing in Jiang Huaiyu’s shadow, Wen Shuyu sensed the insecurity in his heart. She lifted her hand to his collar, stood on her toes, and kissed him.

Her soft lips pressed against his cool ones, her lashes fluttering close. Her kiss was clumsy, reminiscent of the first time he kissed her, only knowing how to gently press lips together. Her boldness pleased him.

Jiang Huaiyu wrapped his arm around her waist, stepping closer as he parted his lips to kiss her back.

Outside, the crowd bustled, but inside, they were inseparable.

The one who took the initiative became the passive “fish.”

Jiang Huaiyu brushed his fingers along her lip, smudged with lipstick, and said heavily, “Don’t try to deceive me, Yuyu.”

Wen Shuyu toyed with his cufflinks. “I’m not.”

She had seen the box of cufflinks in the cloakroom, each one featuring a different type of fish—rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pink sapphires…

All set with top-quality gems, yet the designs were childish fish.

He wore them simply because her name had the character “yu,” which sounds like “fish.”

On the night of the wedding, those who hadn’t left gathered for a class reunion.

Xizhu City was by the sea, and it had been a long time since the old classmates had seen each other, so the conversation flowed freely.

After a few rounds of drinks, someone suggested playing Truth or Dare.

The game was simple and never got old.

The heavens do not align with human wishes. In the first round, the bottle landed in front of Wen Shuyu, and the question was, “What was the saddest time you cried, and why?”

Wen Shuyu glanced at Jiang Huaiyu and raised her glass. “I’ll drink.”

Someone answered for her, “Oh come on, it was that time Lu Yunheng went abroad. That was ages ago; what’s there to hide? It’s not like your plastic husband doesn’t know.”

From the tone, she recognized it was Xie Huailin, Lu Yunheng’s good buddy, always lingering around.

Fortunately, after this question, the bottle didn’t land on her again.

Just as she relaxed, the bottle stopped in front of her once more, with the question, “The name of a member of the opposite sex you can’t stop thinking about.”

Wen Shuyu hesitated for a moment, about to answer, “No one.”

But Jiang Huaiyu interrupted, saying, “I’ll drink for Yuyu.”

With his long fingers, he lifted her glass and downed it in one go.

He didn’t want to hear that name come from Wen Shuyu’s lips.

Someone teased, “Wow, he’s really protecting his wife!”

Fu Qingzi stepped in to smooth things over, saying, “Next round, next round.”

The bottle landed in front of Jiang Huaiyu, and the question was, “Would you confess to someone you like?”

Wen Shuyu felt nervous. Did he have someone he liked? Would he confess?

Jiang Huaiyu replied decisively, “I would.”

Fortunately, the bottle didn’t land on them again. The three of them walked towards the hotel, and gradually Jiang Huaiyu fell behind.

Fu Qingzi lowered her voice and said, “Wen Xiaoyu, Jiang Huaiyu is actually more suited for you. Lu Yunheng is too serious and wants too much. He likes you, but not that much.”

As an observer, she saw things clearly; a person’s gaze doesn’t lie. Looking back, Jiang Huaiyu was indifferent to all the girls but was always responsive to Wen Shuyu.

Even when it came to adult advice, at least in terms of character, he was impeccable.

Wen Shuyu patted her on the head and said, “Little Zizi, you’ve become a relationship master.”

Fu Qingzi chased after her, playfully hitting her. “Wen Xiaoyu, I’m older than you!”

Suddenly, someone by the riverbank said, “There’s a shooting star.”

Wen Shuyu immediately clasped her hands together and made a wish, hoping that she and Jiang Huaiyu would have a long and happy life together.

She stood in place waiting for Jiang Huaiyu, her soft little hand linking with his.

“I don’t want to be fed dog food, bye-bye,” Fu Qingzi complained.

After walking around for a bit, she came to understand many things. When Song Jinnan tried to talk to her, she ignored him.

Back at the hotel, Jiang Huaiyu still said nothing. They washed up and changed into their pajamas.

He had been sullen the whole way back, and Wen Shuyu thought to herself that coming to the wedding was truly a mistake.

Wen Shuyu asked the hotel front desk for two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine, filling the glasses with wine.

She took a sip first; it was astringent, slightly bitter, and mildly sweet, quickly bringing a flush to her cheeks.

Pulling Jiang Huaiyu, who was still damp from the rain, she sat down on the cushion.

Jiang Huaiyu didn’t know what she was planning to do, so he waited quietly.

The two sat facing each other, and Wen Shuyu looked at him with bright, clear eyes. “Jiang Huaiyu, you’re not happy. We’ve known each other for 26 years and have been married for so long. Let’s be honest with each other—this is just a game of truth without dares.”

“Every question must be answered, and there can be no deception.”

“Okay,” Jiang Huaiyu agreed with a slight nod.

Before the game had even begun, he downed the first glass of wine in one go.

With the roll of the dice, the first question was posed by Jiang Huaiyu.

“Why do you like Lu Yunheng?”

It was a question he had buried deep in his heart and had always wanted to ask.

Wen Shuyu took a large sip of wine. He was indeed concerned. Back in high school, Jiang Huaiyu had cornered her and asked the exact same question. At that time, her answer had been, “That’s none of your business.”

After thinking for a moment, Wen Shuyu turned her face away and said, “Back in high school, I got my period and stained my clothes. He helped me out of that situation.”

At sixteen or seventeen, girls have usually passed the age where they feel embarrassed about their periods, but when menstrual blood stains their pants and classmates see it, it can still be quite awkward.

Coincidentally, her period had come unexpectedly during gym class, and she didn’t have a jacket to cover up.

That day, Jiang Huaiyu wasn’t around; he was off participating in some competition, though she couldn’t remember which one.

A few boys had gathered nearby, whispering among themselves. The female classmates had sanitary pads but no clean clothes, and she was distressed, not knowing what to do.

Lu Yunheng had a serious expression on his face as he said to the boys, “What are you looking at? It’s a normal physiological phenomenon.”

He took off his jacket and tied it around her waist.

After explaining the situation to the gym teacher, they exited the school gate.

Before leaving, he said to her, “Wait for me.”

Wen Shuyu waited under the tree, although she didn’t know what she was waiting for.

After half an hour, the school bell rang. Wen Shuyu wandered around the tree and looked up to see Lu Yunheng coming back from the school gate.

The boy in the white T-shirt came closer and, when he reached her, scratched his head and handed her a plastic bag. “I bought you a new outfit. I don’t know if it fits, but you can go try it on.”

A tall boy, about 1.8 meters, wearing glasses and looking somewhat refined, stood in front of her, at a loss, with his ears completely red.

“Thank you,” Wen Shuyu said as she headed to the nearest restroom.

Lu Yunheng had bought her a T-shirt and jeans, similar to the white ones he was wearing—simple, without any exaggerated patterns. The size was M, which the sales clerk probably recommended based on his description of her height and weight. At the very bottom of the bag, there were disposable underwear and sanitary pads.

He didn’t understand the sizes and ended up buying a couple of different brands of daily use products.

Wen Shuyu’s face immediately turned red, and she bit her lip to suppress a smile, unable to imagine what a high school boy would look like picking out sanitary pads.

After she came out, Lu Yunheng handed her a small bag. Wen Shuyu reached in and found brown sugar ginger tea, a heating pad, and ibuprofen.

“It seems like your period hurts a lot, and the nurse said this one has good pain relief,” he said.

Wen Shuyu was puzzled. “How do you know?”

She had always endured the pain of her period, and while Shen Ruoying knew, others wouldn’t care about her menstruation.

Although they sat at tables in front of and behind each other, Wen Shuyu and Lu Yunheng had hardly spoken before.

Lu Yunheng smiled but didn’t say anything. Later, Wen Shuyu learned that he had noticed her since the beginning of their first year in high school.

Jiang Huaiyu felt even more distressed upon hearing this. She only remembered the one thing Lu Yunheng did for her but forgot that her first period was also related to him.

She forgot that every time she was in pain, it was he who would rub her stomach.

During the summer of their second year in middle school, when all the adults were out of the house, Wen Shuyu woke up from a nap to find a stain of blood on her sheet. Her scant biological knowledge told her that she had grown up.

Her mother had taught her some basic physiological knowledge, but she panicked at that moment. Coupled with the cramping pain in her lower abdomen, she could only contact Jiang Huaiyu through her phone.

“Brother Huaiyu, my stomach hurts so much.”

At that time, Jiang Huaiyu didn’t think much of it and immediately ran over from his house. It was only when he arrived that he realized it was Wen Shuyu’s first period.

He was a boy, completely unsure of what to do. Wen Shuyu was rolling on the bed in pain, and he didn’t know how to help. What should he check to find a solution?

He went to the kitchen to heat up some water, poured it into a cup, and placed it on her abdomen, but it didn’t help at all. With no other choice, he could only help her rub her stomach, soothing her as he did so. “Yuyu, it will stop hurting soon.”

Wen Shuyu gradually fell asleep again, unaware that his neck was turning red.

That was their first intimate contact; he directly touched Wen Shuyu’s belly.

Because she was in so much pain during her period, the doctor said it was physiological and that there wasn’t a particularly good solution—just medication and soaking her feet.

Wen Shuyu particularly hated the smell of ginger, so he researched methods to alleviate her discomfort and eventually came up with a remedy.

Wen Shuyu always thought that the longan and red date soup she drank from childhood was researched by her mother, but in fact, it was he who provided the recipe to her mother.

“Jiang Huaiyu,” Wen Shuyu raised her right hand and waved it in front of his eyes, “Do you have someone you love but can’t have?”

Jiang Huaiyu’s thoughts were pulled back. “No.”

Because he was already married to Wen Shuyu, it could be considered that his wishes were fulfilled, a different kind of gain.

After drinking the second glass of wine, Jiang Huaiyu’s neck gradually turned red, and his pupils deepened. “If Lu Yunheng comes back to find you, will you go with him? I want to hear the truth.”

Whenever it came to Lu Yunheng, he always felt insecure.

After all, he was Wen Shuyu’s first love.

Wen Shuyu replied immediately, “No, I answered that last time.”

This time there was no hesitation, and Jiang Huaiyu felt a bit relieved inside.

It was Wen Shuyu’s turn to ask, “Have you ever had a crush on someone?”

“No.” Jiang Huaiyu chose to tell a lie, though he didn’t show it on his face.

Over the years, he had learned to disguise his emotions, to restrain his feelings, and to hide the joy and sorrow in his eyes.

“Do you still like Lu Yunheng even a little bit?”

He wanted to confirm again.

Jiang Huaiyu stared intently at Wen Shuyu, clenching his fists, not wanting to miss a single detail. He wanted to see if she hesitated or if she was lying.

Wen Shuyu shook her head. “No.”

It was a straightforward and decisive answer, without any hesitation or reflection.

As the red wine reached the bottom of the glass, Wen Shuyu took a deep breath and locked her gaze on Jiang Huaiyu’s eyes.

In their eye contact, she asked one last question.

“Jiang Huaiyu, for the last question, do you like me?”