Chapter 5 — My Arch-Nemesis Cried at My Wedding

He moved around to the driver's side and started the engine. After a prolonged silence, Lu Yanshen finally spoke.

Speak.

Speak about what?

Your husband.

His hands tightened around the steering wheel until the knuckles turned a ghostly white. What is his name?

Chu Yuan.

What does he do for a living?

He works in international trade.

How did the two of you meet?

Through mutual friends.

He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, but realizing he had lost his composure, he turned his head toward me, his eyes shimmering with a damp, vulnerable intensity. Zhang Niannian, do not lie to me. Are you telling me that after a single introduction, you decided to marry him?

I am not lying. It was love at first sight.

Then tell me this: you have already accepted my betrothal gifts, so why have you still not divorced him?

I turned my head to look at him. The streetlights outside cast shadows across his profile, highlighting his sharp, rigid jawline. He radiated an icy, formidable aura—truly the quintessential embodiment of a cold-hearted, handsome man. It was just that he was being dreadfully bothersome.

Lu Yanshen, whether I divorce him or not, what does that have to do with you?

Because you made me a promise.

What did I promise you?

You said you would reconsider.

Reconsidering means I have yet to make a final decision.

He slammed on the brakes. The car jerked to a halt by the side of the road, and he twisted in his seat to face me. Zhang Niannian, are you happy with him?

Quite happy.

This was the truth—going out to dinner with Zhang Tian and Chu Yuan was, naturally, a pleasant experience. His gaze darkened immediately.

And what about when you are with me?

When exactly have I ever been with you?

Are we not always together?

Is that what you call being together? I have never met a boyfriend who goes out of his way to infuriate his girlfriend to the point of a heart attack every single day like you do.

That is merely standard business competition. Did you not enjoy it? If you did not, why do you always insist on working in the same industry as me? If that is not being together, then what is it?

I simply believed you possessed a keen eye for business, so I allowed you to act as the vanguard to test the waters for me.

He ground his teeth together. Niannian, you cannot treat me this way.

How am I treating you?

You have been battling me for six years, turning my life upside down, and now you want to wash your hands of it and marry someone else? His voice trembled slightly. I will not accept this.

Lu Yanshen, are you under some sort of misunderstanding?

I turned my body to confront him squarely. We are business competitors, not a couple on a date.

To me, we are.

I stared at him, bewildered. Surely not? How far has his imagination wandered? As far as I was concerned, Zhang Niannian, every breath I took was spent treating Lu Yanshen as a ruthless, calculating villain.

Lu Yanshen, what did you just say?

I said...

He took a deep, shuddering breath, as if he were gathering all the resolve he possessed. Niannian, I am in love with you.

The air inside the car suddenly grew heavy and intimate. I stared at him, and he returned my gaze. Lu Yanshen’s eyes were burning with fervor. He reached out, took my hands in his, and brought them to his lips. He pressed a kiss to my right ring finger with a look of pointed significance.

So, do not marry someone else. That man did not even buy you a diamond ring; he has clearly swindled you with nothing but sweet lies. Marry me instead. You can have as many carats as your heart desires. Do not throw yourself away on such a mediocre, common man.

I opened my mouth, at a loss for words. Then, my brain short-circuited, and I blurted out, Lu Yanshen, I cannot be two-timing.

Then get a divorce.

Chu Yuan is a good man. He has given me his first time; I cannot be so callous toward him.

Lu Yanshen’s expression twisted into a knot of confusion and distress. A good man? His first time?

Yes. He is my first love.

I began to spout nonsense indiscriminately, yet Lu Yanshen swallowed every word.

So what if he is your first love?

His voice was filled with an emotion I could not quite parse—was it indignation, or was it wounded pride? Zhang Niannian, I am, too.

You are my first love?

Yes.

I sat there, stunned into silence. You... you are my first love?