Chapter 15 — When the Ex Returns

The composure that Fu Tu-Shen had managed to maintain for three days shattered completely. With trembling, desperate hands, he reached out to grasp Lin Shi-Xia’s wrist.

“Shi-Xia, can you please stop being so cold toward me? If you do not like these things, I will…”

Lin Shi-Xia merely shook her head, her expression indifferent. Slowly, she pulled the ring from her finger.

“Fu Tu-Shen, the three days are up. Let go. From the very beginning, everything has been your own forced obsession. I only agreed to this so that you would finally abandon all hope. This is the best ending for both of us.”

A flicker of raw agony crossed Fu Tu-Shen’s face. He moved as if to kneel once more, but Lin Shi-Xia stepped back, preventing the gesture.

“Self-destruction as a means to earn forgiveness does not work on me.”

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, yet it pierced the most pathetic and cowardly recesses of Fu Tu-Shen’s heart.

“Shi-Xia, is there truly no possibility left?”

Fu Tu-Shen caught sight of Shen Yan-Shu standing behind her, and he asked the question anyway, clinging to a fading hope. Lin Shi-Xia sighed, crushing that final glimmer of expectation.

“I have found someone who loves me, and someone I love in return. There is no possibility left. Fu Tu-Shen, let go. I beg you, stop interfering with my life from this day forward.”

Under his gaze, Lin Shi-Xia turned away and hurried toward Shen Yan-Shu without a single glance of hesitation or longing. At that very moment, the fireworks above them burned out, their brilliance turning to ash as the shadows of Lin Shi-Xia and Shen Yan-Shu faded into the night. Fu Tu-Shen collapsed to the ground. He let out a hollow laugh, a single tear tracing a path down his cheek, while his fists struck the earth in helpless rage. In this instant, the past that belonged to Lin Shi-Xia ceased to exist.

Once they reached the apartment complex, Shen Yan-Shu finally released his restraint, pulling her into a fierce embrace and kissing her.

“Xia-Xia, you scared me to death. I thought I would never see you again. But what I feared more was that you might actually waver…”

Lin Shi-Xia hugged him back, smiling. “I have found the best person; why would I ever look back?”

What she left unsaid was that she had never been the type of person to look back. As for Fu Tu-Shen, from the moment she had been reborn, all ties between them had been severed.

Meanwhile, in another place, a hollowed-out Fu Tu-Shen returned to his country. News of his actions in Moscow had reached the political commissar. Every transgression had walked the thin, dangerous line of military discipline. Inside the office, Commissar Li tossed a stack of evidence onto the desk.

“Tu-Shen, you have lost your mind! Do you realize that any one of these actions, if exposed, would provide enough leverage for your enemies to destroy you?”

Fu Tu-Shen bowed his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “I know. Therefore, I accept whatever disciplinary action the organization deems necessary.”

Seeing his state, the Commissar’s fury softened into frustration. He sighed heavily. “Write a ten-thousand-word letter of repentance and undergo two weeks of confinement. Go.”

Fu Tu-Shen’s shoulders trembled, but he nodded in acceptance. During those two weeks, every time he picked up his pen, he would hesitate. Often, he would sit in his study for entire days without writing a word. His mother watched him, her heart breaking for her son. Finally, after a night where the lights in his study never dimmed, she called him into the living room.

“Tu-Shen, I know what is on your mind. But the past is gone. If it cannot be changed, we must look toward the future.”

Fu Tu-Shen contemplated her words, then suddenly laughed. “Mother, I know you mean well, but I cannot do it. It was only by such a small margin. If I had known my feelings for Shi-Xia sooner, if I had realized my own heart earlier, if I had only trusted her a little more, would things have been different…?”

His mother looked at his agitated face and offered him a cup of hot tea. The room fell into a heavy silence.

Seventeen.

Once his two weeks of confinement ended, the first thing Fu Tu-Shen did was submit a request for a transfer. He volunteered to leave the capital and move to a remote border defense post in the Northwest, where conditions were far harsher. The news shocked everyone. Fu Tu-Shen was, after all, the youngest regimental commander in the capital’s military district. Despite the negative rumors surrounding him over the past six months, his capability remained undeniable. Many even considered him the front-runner for a divisional commander position within the next five years. Yet, indifferent to the confusion and well-meaning advice of his peers, he did not hesitate. After bidding farewell to his mother, he boarded a train and departed the city.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. At a small outpost in the Northwest, Fu Tu-Shen had just finished his daily training. Seeing his subordinates whispering and looking toward the entrance, he frowned. His aide-de-camp hurried over to explain.

“Commander, a group of architects arrived at Seven-Fathom Mountain today for a survey to gather inspiration. They say it is for a construction project in the capital. A few of the architects are quite young…”