"Why did you apply medicine for me? Why did you let me eat the food you made? Why steamed egg custard?"
"You hate that I like you? Fine, then don't treat me like this. Don't curse at me. Don't be so outstanding. Don't get a divorce. Don't give me even a sliver of an opportunity."
"Qi Sui, I didn't have to do these things. You gave me the chance to take advantage."
Qi Sui was furious.
She pulled her hand away.
"Slap!" A red palm print landed on his face. It was a worthy end.
Both Qian Jin and Xiang Yu had each received a slap from her from start to finish.
The man turned his face away, revealing his soft chest heaving with rapid breaths. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed his emotions.
"Are you hitting me because of that man, because of your ex-husband?"
"Do you love him that much?"
His voice cooled, his tone mocking with twisted absurdity.
"Then why divorce? Why not go back to being a housewife?"
"I should be asking you: Do you love him that much?!"
Qi Sui withdrew her arm, her tone icy, determined to make him die more clearly.
"You have a dark red cloud-pattern tie."
Xiang Yu gently fingered his swollen cheek.
"Mm."
"Do you like it? I'll wear it later."
"..."
"You used to be the head of the Planning Department."
Xiang Yu corrected: "Just temporarily; now it's Kevin."
"You had a dinner with the Planning Department in March this year."
The man thought for a moment. "It seems there was. I couldn't refuse at the time, so I was dragged along."
"Then let me ask you," Qi Sui said. "Two weeks ago, Thursday evening—"
"Your birthday, I know," Xiang Yu interrupted.
Qi Sui: "..."
"That's not what I'm asking."
"What were you doing that day?"
"Working overtime, processing documents."
Xiang Yu turned to look at his desk, gesturing to her. "Sitting right here."
"Also—"
"Because I needed to go to headquarters temporarily and my car was in for maintenance, I asked Director Qian from the Planning Department for a ride—"
He paused.
"Qian Jin."
The man frowned, with an indescribable expression, as if unwilling to mention that name.
"He said he had a project to coordinate at headquarters, so I went with him."
Qi Sui nodded, trying to explain the situation calmly and briefly.
"My husband had an affair. The other party was a man."
"Of course, that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that this other party's Chinese name is Xiang Yu, he was once Qian Jin's superior, and they took a group photo at a dinner, which Qian Jin still keeps in his phone's secret album. He and that person talked about love, chatted about the past and future, and occasionally mentioned my existence. He said that without me, the two of them could be happy and open together."
"Qian Jin gave that person a tie, a dark red cloud-pattern tie."
"Xiang Yu, now, do you have any idea?"
"Who is this person? What did this person do?"
She leaned close to Xiang Yu, her breath carrying a faint mint scent landing lightly on his face.
The cut scar had formed a biofilm covering the wound surface. Qi Sui patted his face with her injured hand; it still ached dully.
"Is it you?"
"Is your so-called love, using these means to make me leave this marriage?"
"Don't tell me you would do such a thing for me. Then I'll slap this hand across your face."
"It's not me."
Xiang Yu repeated urgently: "It's not me."
"The tie, I bought it myself. The photo, I have no idea about such a thing. As for the chat records, I've never discussed such private topics with Qian Jin. I wouldn't talk about such nonsense with any subordinate."