Volume 1, Chapter 19: Extreme

There was a long silence on the line. Perhaps she hadn't expected that the fairy I once held in the palm of my hand would, in just a few short days, be cast into the dirt by my own actions.

A moment later, Kuang Li’s furious roar erupted through the phone: "Yu Bin! You bastard! We were husband and wife for years, yet you actually want to face me in court and drag my dirty laundry into the light? Does that make you happy?"

A wave of irritation washed over me, and I replied in a cold, detached tone, "If you're going to fight for this house, then we’ll go to court and see if you can win. The security cameras in my home surely captured the evidence of your infidelity; you won't be able to deny it."

Her roaring continued, but her voice held an undisguisable tremor; she seemed unable to bear my response.

"I spent nine years with you, and this is how you repay me? By taking me to court and humiliating me in front of everyone! Yes, I cheated, but have you ever thought about why I chose him instead of you? I have the right to a better life, and you couldn't give me what I wanted. It’s all because of your incompetence that I ended up with someone else. It’s because you have no money that I became like this. If you..."

By the end, her voice was laced with sobs, but my heart remained unmoved. In my mind, she had already drifted far away.

I let out a breath and said firmly, "Listening to all that just makes me feel sick, and it only strengthens my resolve to seek legal recourse. Thank you for solidifying my conviction."

With that, I hung up. There was nothing left for us to say.

The moment the call ended, I suddenly understood that the distance between us was unbridgeable, a chasm that even nine years of history could not fill. While I hadn't wanted things to reach this point, I felt a sense of relief. I realized that truly letting someone go can happen in an instant, even after nine years of love.

I put down my phone and stretched. Seeing Lin Feifei watching me with a mischievous glint in her eyes, I couldn't help but smile. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lin Feifei reached out and beamed. "Congratulations. You’re free."

I was surprised. As I held her delicate hand, I asked with a bitter smile, "Were you afraid I’d lose my nerve and agree to her terms?"

Lin Feifei nodded firmly, a flash of warmth crossing her face. "When she mocked you for having no money just now, I was thinking that if you had agreed to give her the house, I would have lost all respect for you."

I chuckled dryly. "Heh! Personal attacks are a staple of any PUA's arsenal. She thinks she’s a delicate flower and that I’m just a weed unworthy of her, but there’s one truth she doesn't understand."

Lin Feifei blinked. "What truth?"

"No matter how beautiful a flower is, it will eventually wither, but the vitality of grass is much stronger! It can endure all kinds of suffering and bend or stand tall in the face of adversity."

Lin Feifei’s eyes lit up, shining with a light that reminded me of the vast, azure sky of an autumn day back home.

"That actually makes a lot of sense. I have a friend who is a lawyer; if you need help, don't hesitate to ask."

I arched an eyebrow. "Is it a man or a woman? If it's a man, no thanks."

Lin Feifei let out a huff and gave me a playful glare. "It’s a woman. Are you satisfied now? Do you have any other requirements?"

"As long as she isn't better looking than you! Though, of course, that's highly unlikely."

Lin Feifei shot me another look. Though she still acted put out, the corners of her mouth, which she couldn't suppress, betrayed her true feelings.

When I arrived back at my building, I ran into Zhou Shutong at the entrance. The hallway light hung limply, casting a ghastly, pale glow. Under that light, her natural elegance took on a quiet, serene quality.

"Back so late?"

Seeing me, her vermilion lips curled into a smile, giving her an alluring, dew-kissed appearance.

"Yeah. Didn't you livestream today?"

"No, I’m taking a break today! Have you eaten?"

"I have."

Zhou Shutong’s clear gaze swept over me, and she gave a sly smile. "Out with that same girl you were drinking with last time, I presume?"

I paused, then gave a dry laugh. "Next time, I’ll have to tell her to change her perfume."

Zhou Shutong smiled gracefully and didn't press the matter further. I found this way of interacting with her very comfortable; there was a natural rapport between us—I didn't want to speak, and she didn't ask questions.

We chatted as we climbed the stairs, and eventually, the topic shifted to Kuang Li.

"By the way, I saw Kuang Li earlier."

I was shocked, as if a thunderclap had gone off over my head. "When?"

"Just as I was heading downstairs. She was coming out of your place. You didn't know she was there?"

I was speechless, shaking my head with a bitter, helpless smile.

Back inside, I immediately checked the electrical box outside the door. The spare key was still there, but it was clearly out of place.

I took a deep breath, reining in my emotions, and opened the door. Everything inside was as it had been. A flicker of doubt crossed my mind: what exactly was Kuang Li doing by sneaking back in?

Could she have forgotten something? I dismissed the thought immediately. After she moved out, I had cleaned the place from top to bottom; there was no way she had left anything behind.

After pondering it for a while, I still couldn't figure it out. With a heart full of suspicion, I pulled out my phone to check the day’s surveillance footage to see what she had been up to.

To my astonishment, the app showed that the footage was completely blank—it had been wiped.

I looked up, staring at the camera sitting next to the TV. My heart began to race without warning. The dark lens pointed toward me, seemingly mocking me in silence.

I walked over quickly and opened the back cover of the device. Seeing the empty memory card slot, I was stunned and at a loss.

So, Kuang Li had snuck back in just to take the memory card. My home surveillance system synced footage to both the memory card and my phone, but the memory card was the master copy. Once it was destroyed, the recordings on my phone would be gone as well. It seemed she was terrified that if we actually went to court, the video of her infidelity would be enough to ruin her reputation.

I couldn't help but let out a few bitter laughs. My hand, still holding the phone, dropped to my side, and I felt a sudden chill run through my body.

It seemed she still didn't understand me. I had only mentioned the cameras in passing on the phone; I never expected her to take it so seriously.

Suppressing my frustration, I turned to Zhou Shutong. "I remember you have a camera installed outside your door, right? Could you help me pull the footage to see her entering my apartment?"