"Hmph!" Kong Chengyu glanced down at her, crushing the cigarette butt under his foot with a mix of disdain and frustration. He sneered, "Leaving someone because you love them? What a noble kind of love!"
Ding Jia, her hand trembling, took his and placed it over her chest, pressing his fingers firmly against the scar that ran down the center. "I was diagnosed with a heart condition back then. I underwent open-heart surgery. This is the scar and the metal pins left in my chest after the operation."
His hand paused, his fingertips brushing against the hard, uneven surface of the scar. Kong Chengyu's cold, sharp features momentarily softened, his dark eyes losing their usual intensity as he stared at her.
"I was terrified. I was afraid you'd leave me, afraid I couldn't give you children. So I went abroad alone for the surgery. I promised myself I'd survive, that I'd come back healthy and stand before you again." Biting her lip, Ding Jia's voice wavered as she recounted the painful memories, her body trembling as if reliving the ordeal.
"You were always healthy. How could you suddenly have a heart condition? Hmph, you can even fabricate such a lie? Aren't you afraid of karma?" Kong Chengyu, regaining his composure, yanked his hand away, refusing to believe her. If she had a heart condition, how could it have gone unnoticed until the night before he proposed, when she vanished without a word?
Tears welled up in her eyes, but Ding Jia managed a faint, sorrowful smile. "Then look for yourself. What woman would willingly bear such an ugly scar on her chest?" She pulled down the shoulder of her tight dress, revealing her bare chest under the moonlight. A straight, pale scar ran from the top of her chest down to her stomach, brutally dividing her once flawless skin.
"You!" Kong Chengyu's eyes widened as he stared at the scar, his body stiffening. He was at a loss for words.
The girl who had once been so vibrant and fearless, who had even ridden the most terrifying roller coasters with him without flinching, now stood before him with this undeniable proof of her suffering.
Heart condition? It had seemed like an impossible joke.
Lowering her head, Ding Jia stared at the scar, tears streaming down her face. She stepped closer, resting her head against his chest. "I wanted to have your child, but without the surgery, it would have been impossible. The doctors said my body couldn't handle the strain of pregnancy. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Her tears soaked through his shirt, but Kong Chengyu remained rigid, his face unreadable, offering no comfort.
As if a dam had burst, all the pain and sorrow she had bottled up came pouring out. Ding Jia clung to him, her body shaking with sobs, seeking solace in his warmth.
"Chengyu, I was so scared. But I couldn't tell you. I had to leave. You can't imagine how much I missed you. You were the only reason I fought to survive, the only reason I pushed myself to recover!" Her voice broke with each word, her lips brushing against his neck as she kissed him, her desperation palpable.
Meanwhile, Hua Lianxi, having overheard their conversation, rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She slid down to the floor, biting her lip to stifle her sobs as the pain in her chest spread.
Shadow lady? So she had always been just a substitute.
Even as a custom-made wife, tailored to Kong Chengyu's desires, she had believed she was playing the role he wanted—someone who could please his grandmother and act the perfect wife at important events. She had thought she existed as Hua Lianxi, even if it was a facade.
But now, the man she had thought she loved, the man she had thrown herself at, belonged to another woman. The man who had scorned her greed had never truly seen her.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and as she tried to make sense of it all, she broke down again, crying uncontrollably. She resolved to rebuild the walls around her heart, to become the greedy woman he had ordered, and to fulfill his custom-made wife contract. After half an hour, she finally emerged from the bathroom, her makeup reapplied, her eyeshadow heavy enough to hide the redness.
As she reentered the banquet hall, she saw Kong Chengyu and Ding Jia walking in from the garden, Ding Jia now wearing his jacket.
Hua Lianxi paused, her clear eyes fixed on them as she waited for them to approach.
Noticing her, Ding Jia quickly looked away, slowing her steps as if to distance herself from Kong Chengyu.
Kong Chengyu, however, strode forward confidently, his expression unreadable. He glanced at Hua Lianxi briefly before wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her back into the banquet hall.
Looking up at his sharp jawline, Hua Lianxi felt her throat tighten, her steps unsteady. She resisted the urge to look back at Ding Jia, her heart aching at the sight of the other woman's deliberate distance.
Kong Chengyu and Hua Lianxi left the banquet without even saying goodbye to Wu Youwei, returning directly to Xiaoyue Residence.
"Mr. Kong, would you like me to prepare dinner for you?" Hua Lianxi asked, forcing a smile as they entered the house. "There are still ingredients in the fridge. Is there anything specific you'd like?"
He had ordered a dutiful wife, and that was what she would be. She repeated this to herself, trying to keep her smile natural and warm.
Kong Chengyu tugged off his tie, slumping onto the sofa. He glanced at her briefly before standing and heading straight to his study.
Watching his retreating figure, Hua Lianxi's smile faded, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.
She turned and walked to the kitchen, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision, and began preparing dinner for herself.
In this world, no one was indispensable. She couldn't lose herself over someone else. She wouldn't repeat her mother's mistakes. No matter how much it hurt, she had to keep going.
After dinner, Hua Lianxi returned to her room, carefully removing her evening attire. She spent half an hour washing away the pain and sorrow, emerging refreshed. She sat on her bed, reviewing her design drafts, forcing herself to focus on her work.
By midnight, the living room was still brightly lit.
Kong Chengyu, his hair damp from a recent shower, sat at the bar in his gray robe. A cigarette dangled from his fingers, its thin smoke curling upward. In his other hand, he held a glass of whiskey on the rocks. His sharp eyes were fixed on the dining table, where an untouched dinner sat.
He drained his glass and immediately refilled it, his movements fluid but his gaze growing darker, as if a storm was brewing in his mind.
Memories of her bustling in the kitchen, of her playful demands for him to feed her at the dinner table, flashed through his mind. She had always prepared dinner for him, every day, with care and creativity.
He had grown accustomed to her waiting for him at home, to the warm, inviting aroma of dinner as he walked through the door. He had grown used to the bright lights and her presence, to the occasional moments when he would pull her into his arms for a tender kiss. He had spoiled her, giving her everything she wanted, everything he thought was the best in the world. And then, one day, he had come home to darkness and silence.
He had been thrust from a world of light and warmth into one of endless darkness, with no explanation, no one to tell him why she had left. He had hated her for leaving so completely.
For years, he had stayed in Xiaoyue Residence, waiting for her to return. But she never did.
Gradually, he had grown used to life without her, burying the past. And then, out of nowhere, she had reappeared, smiling as if nothing had happened, carrying her love and apologies.
He had never understood how love could justify leaving, how it could justify disappearing from someone's life entirely.
Sitting alone at the bar, Kong Chengyu drank until his mind was clear. By the time he stood to leave, he had finished an entire bottle of whiskey.
Unable to sleep, Hua Lianxi tossed and turned, her mind growing more alert with each passing minute. She got up for the third time to use the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face to cool down. Returning to her room, she reached for her water glass only to find it empty.
The vast Xiaoyue Residence was eerily quiet. She couldn't guess where Kong Chengyu was and didn't want to run into him in the middle of the night. After some thought, she decided to endure her thirst and lay back down, focusing on counting numbers to fall asleep.
An hour later, she checked her phone and saw it was nearly 2 a.m. She was wide awake, and her thirst was becoming unbearable.
She turned on the bedside lamp and sat up, pressing her ear to the door to listen for any sounds from the living room. Hearing nothing, she quietly opened the door and tiptoed downstairs, hoping to grab a drink from the bar and perhaps a few glasses of wine to help her sleep.
As she approached the bar, she froze. Kong Chengyu was standing there, an empty whiskey bottle on the counter. Clearly, he had been sitting there for a long time.