Chapter 23

“Let’s break up…”

These three words echoed incessantly in Zhou Chi’s mind.

He believed a considerable amount of time had elapsed, yet in reality, it was but a moment’s blink; he was still confronted with what demanded his attention.

“So, it turns out.” His Adam’s apple bobbed lightly. “that in your eyes, I’m just a worthless person.”

“Isn’t that the case?” the woman retorted, her cold smirk undeterred.

The slight pang of guilt that remained was now replaced by an unyielding stance. All she wanted was a better and more stable life. What was wrong with that?

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Zhou Chi couldn’t provide her with what she wanted, other men could. So, why insist on clinging to this one tree?

Struck as if by lightning, the woman before him was the one he had loved for two years. But now, he couldn’t see the adoration and reliance that once gleamed in her eyes; only irritation and disgust remained.

Since when had it changed?

Zhou Chi’s eyes reflected his confusion.

Maybe it was the moment she became the proprietor of a dessert shop, while he continued as a delivery worker; when the shop raked in tens of thousands in net earnings every month, while he received a fixed wage of just a few thousand. Everything had changed.

After a prolonged silence, Zhou Chi struggled with his parched voice, saying, “If you have a better option, you could have told me in advance…”

“Tell you? And then what?”

“I would let go.”

“Alright, then I’ll tell you now.”

The man’s thin lips curved sharply as he pressed them tightly together. Positioned where Shen Wan had stood, she caught a fleeting shimmer of moisture in his eyes. The tears didn’t fall, but the sight was even more heart-wrenching than if it had.

Zhou Chi agreed. “…Alright, I agree to break up.”

Feng Shuangshuang breathed a sigh of relief, turning to retrieve a suitcase from the corner. “This is your stuff. Take it with you now.”

Although he knew that the breakup was inevitable, this scene still pierced the man’s heart unavoidably.

So, she had planned it all along…

A self-mocking smile crept onto the corners of Zhou Chi’s lips. He took a deep breath, gripped the handle of the suitcase, and left with long strides.

Shen Wan stepped aside, making way for him.

The man descended the stairs on his own, his lowered eyelids shielding his emotions from view, yet his desolate figure betrayed the sadness he felt at this moment.

“Have you seen enough? Are you satisfied now?” Feng Shuangshuang smirked, arms crossed. She didn’t care about being polite to customers now; all that remained was her frustration and the urgent need to vent it out.

Shen Wan met her gaze, unwavering and unflinching. Suddenly, a smile graced her lips.

“You’ll regret this.”

With that said, without waiting for any reaction, she turned around and left.

“Come back here—what do you mean I’ll regret this?! Explain yourself!” Feng Shuangshuang chased after her to the staircase.

Shen Wan turned back, her smirk turning icy, and she raised her middle finger.

Seeing the infuriated state of the woman, Shen Wan was satisfied and pushed the door to leave.

After taking a couple of steps, she saw that Zhou Chi was already seated on the motorcycle, revving the engine loudly.

In the next second, he was about to speed onto the road.

Shen Wan’s expression shifted slightly, and a scene from a past life flashed through her mind—

A slim and delicate young man sat in solitude in a wheelchair, basking in the embrace of sunlight that enveloped his form. The light lent his naturally fair skin a translucent quality as if made of delicate parchment. Meanwhile, his eyes bore a deep, glossy darkness, reminiscent of polished glass.

The blanket in his lap slipped to the ground, revealing his maimed legs—or rather, the absence of legs.

He had undergone an above-knee amputation!

She was startled, clamping her hand over her mouth to suppress the urge to scream.

During that instance, she was being pursued by the bodyguards of Night Paris and had rushed into the residential unit behind Qing Bronze Street. In the little communal garden just outside the building, she glimpsed Zhou Chi basking in the sun.

“Kid! Did you see a tall and slender girl around?” The bodyguard’s tone was hostile.

“She went that way.” he pointed.

And she hidden herself behind the wheelchair, curling her body tightly.