Stepping out of the Golden Coast Hotel lobby, a cool breeze hit me, and I suddenly felt my face was burning up.
Thinking about what just happened, I felt like I'd done the dumbest thing in the world.
I bet that Director Zhang is absolutely furious with me. Not only did I not hook up with Gu Xiaofei, but I also messed up his own plans.
Work troubles are one thing, but what I'm really worried about now is my family.
No matter what, I have to go home and smooth things over with Lu Wan.
A wife means a future.
With that thought, I flagged down a taxi on the street and headed straight home.
The whole way, I was super anxious, constantly staring at my phone.
I was scared my wife would call and I'd miss it, causing an even bigger misunderstanding.
Finally, I got downstairs and saw the lights were on in our place. What a relief!
That meant my wife was home.
As long as she's there, if I explain things properly, everything can be saved. After all, nothing actually happened between Gu Xiaofei and me.
But when I walked in the door, I immediately sensed something was wrong.
My wife was sitting coldly on the sofa, with absolutely no expression on her face.
I couldn't tell if she was angry or just numb, but either way, it made me feel terrible.
I cautiously asked, "Honey, have you eaten?"
My wife didn't answer, so it looked like she still wanted to give me the silent treatment.
I knew that at this point, I just had to beg for forgiveness. A woman's heart is soft, after all.
I don't even know where I got the courage, but I suddenly knelt down in front of my wife.
Just like when I proposed to her, my heart was full of sincerity.
"Honey, it's all my fault. I promise you, I only love you."
Honestly, that was the most sincere thing I'd ever said. I really thought my wife would be touched.
Women are emotional creatures, after all.
But I never, ever expected what happened next. My wife actually scoffed.
"Zhao Jian, your sincerity is only good enough to feed the dog."
I was completely stunned because I never thought my wife would say something like that.
It just wasn't like her.
Just as I was about to plead with her again, my wife suddenly said, "Zhao Jian, actually, there's something I've been thinking about for a long time."
Looking at her calm expression, I knew she'd made the toughest decision in the world.
Suddenly, I felt like I was falling into a deep abyss.
My wife continued, "Zhao Jian, maybe we're just not right for each other."
When my wife said those words, my heart turned to ice.
My wife probably didn't know that I'd even lost my job just now.
And now she was talking about breaking up, which plunged my life into complete darkness.
I still wanted to explain things, but now it seemed pointless.
My wife said, "I've been waiting for you to come back today. I wanted to tell you that I've decided to move out."
I knew my wife's personality well enough to know that this was beyond saving.
After she finished speaking, she didn't say anything else and just dragged two big suitcases out of the bedroom.
It looked like she'd been planning to leave for a while.
I had a sinking feeling that my wife really was cheating on me.
Otherwise, she wouldn't even give me a chance to explain, especially since she clearly knew that nothing happened between Gu Xiaofei and me.
I didn't say anything as Lu Wan left.
Looking at the empty apartment, my heart felt empty too.
I remembered the times my wife and I had been intimate in this place. Back then, I felt like the happiest man in the world.
But all of that was in the past now.
I sat alone on the sofa, not saying a word for ages.
I don't know how much time passed, but then my phone rang again.
I suddenly felt a jolt of excitement, really hoping it was my wife calling.
But when I picked it up, I saw it was actually Gu Xiaofei.
Seeing that woman's name made me angry. I kept thinking that she was the one who ruined everything I had.
I answered the phone with a lot of anger.
"Gu Xiaofei, what the hell do you want?" I roared into the phone.
"Whoa, why so angry? Did your wife tell you she wants a divorce?"
I didn't know what her motive was, but in my heart, I knew she couldn't have good intentions.
"My divorce has nothing to do with you, and there's no way I'm getting together with you."
Saying that felt like burning my bridges, leaving myself no way to retreat.
"Don't be so sure. Your wife wanting a divorce has been planned for a long time. This outcome is what she really wanted."
Those words hit a nerve. I still couldn't believe it was true.
Because I just couldn't accept that reality.
I used to think my wife was the goddess I'd protect forever. If she'd been making me a cuckold all this time, it would only mean that my initial choice was a huge failure.
I didn't believe my judgment back then was worse than a pig's or a dog's. After all, Lu Wan was recognized as the goddess by all the guys in our class.
Everything needs evidence, so I really resented Gu Xiaofei always accusing my wife without any reason.
That's why my anger suddenly exploded at Gu Xiaofei.
"Gu Xiaofei, everything needs evidence. If I ever hear you slander my wife like that again, don't blame me for being rude to you."
That was my warning to Gu Xiaofei because I'd reached my breaking point.
I felt like this woman had ruined most of my family and career.
"Oh, getting angry already? Don't bite the hand that feeds you," Gu Xiaofei said sarcastically. But to me, her words were like ice shards.
Since I knew now that my marriage with my wife was going to end like this, why didn't I just sleep with Gu Xiaofei back then? After all, she was quite attractive, and it probably would have been a passionate experience.
Hanging up the phone, my mood sank to rock bottom. I kept lying on the sofa, smoking and thinking about my troubles.
Yeah, it was definitely time for me to seriously consider my life.
In a daze, I fell asleep.
Once I was asleep, I realized I was out cold.
I don't know how long it was, but I was woken up by a phone ringing.
I picked up the phone and saw it was actually my boss, Zhang Zhiyuan, calling.
Thinking about going to catch Zhang Zhiyuan cheating yesterday made my face burn with embarrassment.
Was Zhang Zhiyuan calling me now to tell me to go through the resignation procedures?
Some things you just have to face, so I answered Zhang Zhiyuan's call.
"Xiao Zhao, you didn't come to work today. What's going on?" Zhang Zhiyuan asked abruptly as soon as he answered.
Clutching at straws, I cautiously said, "Sorry, Director Zhang, something came up at home."
"Ah, I understand how you must be feeling. If you're really upset, you can always go have tea with Xiao Fei. She's free every day."
Hearing Zhang Zhiyuan say that, I had a feeling that he knew everything about what was happening at my house.
Could it be that me going to catch him cheating yesterday was all a setup?
Was it to give my wife a better reason to dump me?
I remembered the ordinary-looking woman in Zhang Zhiyuan's room. She could have just been an actress he hired.
If that was the case, then I was pretty sure that my wife's lover was very likely Zhang Zhiyuan.
I remembered the photos Gu Xiaofei had shown me. Although they didn't prove anything, they definitely showed that Zhang Zhiyuan and my wife had known each other for a long time.
If I wanted to know the truth behind all this, the only way was to find Gu Xiaofei.
I thought to myself, "As Director Zhang's mistress, Gu Xiaofei must also hate Director Zhang being with my wife."
Thinking of this, I went along with Zhang Zhiyuan's suggestion and said, "Director Zhang, I'd like to ask for a day off. Would that be okay?"
Zhang Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Of course, but your new supervisor has just started working recently. If you take too many days off, it won't be good for her work."
I thought of Fang Xinyi, that fresh and elegant girl.
Judging by Zhang Zhiyuan's tone, he seemed to care a lot about that girl.
They say men get tired of the old and like the new. Zhang Zhiyuan was a perfect example.
Judging by Zhang Zhiyuan's tone, he didn't seem to want to fire me and was actually quite satisfied with my work.
That made me even more convinced that this might be a setup.
Damn it, I had to know if my wife had really fallen out of love with me, or if someone was setting me up.
At this point, I'd made up my mind.
Thinking of this, I said to Zhang Zhiyuan, "Director Zhang, I promise I'll go to work tomorrow."
Now that I'd asked for the day off, I needed to plan everything I was going to do today.
I thought the whole thing started with Gu Xiaofei, so all the clues could only be found on her.
So I called Gu Xiaofei.
Gu Xiaofei seemed very surprised to receive my call.
"Zhao Jian, why are you calling me today?"
I thought for a moment and said, "My wife ran off. I'm really upset. Why don't you come keep me company?"
Maybe Gu Xiaofei had a little bit of a crush on me because she agreed very readily.
"How about I come over to your place?" I asked cautiously again.
"No, I'm not home right now."
I looked at the time. It was ten in the morning.
Knowing Gu Xiaofei, she usually didn't go out much at all.
She should have been sound asleep at home right now.
"Where exactly are you?" I asked again.
"If you want to see me, come to the Golden Coast Hotel."
With that, Gu Xiaofei hung up the phone.
I thought back to the scene of catching the cheaters yesterday. This Gu Xiaofei seemed to have a very high status at the Golden Coast Hotel.
Otherwise, the front desk wouldn't have listened to her at all yesterday.
To find a breakthrough in this matter, I had to figure everything out. What I wanted to know was why Zhang Zhiyuan insisted on me trying to get with Gu Xiaofei.