The knocking at the door sounded again, like a heavy blow breaking the silence of the room. Lin Wan Ning's heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, she walked toward the door. She knew clearly—there was only one person who would come at this time: Fu Jingchen, the man she had once given everything to.
As she opened the door, just as she expected, Fu Jingchen stood there. He was dressed in a simple black suit, his hair slightly tousled, and his face filled with urgency and anxiety, as if he had walked a long way. An unmistakable tension radiated from him.
"Wan Ning, could you… let me say a few words?" Fu Jingchen asked softly, his voice tinged with unease.
Lin Wan Ning looked at him but didn't respond immediately. Though she had mentally prepared herself, seeing his expression in that moment still stirred a flood of complicated emotions within her. The sweetness and pain of the past intertwined, forming a tangled knot that was hard to explain.
"Come in," she finally said calmly, stepping aside.
Fu Jingchen nodded and entered, his gaze sweeping across the room until it landed on Shen Sihan. Shen Sihan was still seated on the sofa, his expression cold and unreadable, as if he had long sensed Fu Jingchen's arrival. He didn't speak, merely shot Fu Jingchen a sharp and penetrating look.
A tense atmosphere immediately filled the space. Lin Wan Ning stood to the side, waiting for Fu Jingchen to speak. She knew that everything would change today.
Fu Jingchen took a deep breath and finally said, "Wan Ning, I know you hate me right now, but I hope you'll give me a chance to explain."
She looked at him, her eyes full of suspicion. "Explain? Explain what?"
Fu Jingchen paused for a moment, as if steeling himself, before speaking slowly, "You know I made a terrible mistake that night. But do you know? It wasn't something I chose. It was a decision forced on me by my family."
Lin Wan Ning's heart trembled. She had never expected Fu Jingchen to bring this up. A flood of questions surged inside her. "A decision forced by your family?" Her voice was cold, but there was a trace of uncertainty in it.
Pain clouded Fu Jingchen's eyes as he stepped closer to her. "Yes, Wan Ning. I didn't want to break up with you, and I never wanted to hurt you. My family has always opposed our relationship. Under immense pressure and for their own benefit, they forced me to make that choice."
"So you just abandoned me… and chose her instead?" Lin Wan Ning's voice was almost a growl, her anger and sorrow entangled.
Fu Jingchen looked at her with helplessness and regret. "I know I was wrong. I should never have run away when you needed me most. I didn't have the courage to face you. But I never stopped loving you."
"Love me?" Lin Wan Ning let out a sarcastic laugh. "Is this your way of proving love?"
At that moment, Shen Sihan stood up and walked to her side, coldly cutting in, "Enough, Fu Jingchen. Are you here to apologize, or to stir up trouble?"
Fu Jingchen was briefly stunned. He glanced at Shen Sihan, a flicker of provocation in his eyes. "This is between Wan Ning and me. It has nothing to do with you."
Shen Sihan's expression turned even colder, his tone sharper than ever. "She's my wife now. Whatever history you two have, it's over. What right do you have to come here and disturb her?"
Fu Jingchen's face darkened, anger and unwillingness flashing in his eyes. "You two are just in a contractual marriage, Shen Sihan. What gives you the right to judge me?"
Shen Sihan didn't back down. His gaze was icy. "No matter what you say, my relationship with Wan Ning now is not something you can interfere with."
The air between them crackled with hostility. Lin Wan Ning stood silently, her heart filled with conflict and helplessness. She hadn't expected the man she once loved and the man she now trusted to be standing so opposed to each other.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions. Her voice was calm but resolute. "Fu Jingchen, if you came to apologize, then I don't want to hear any more of it. There's nothing you can say that will change anything."
Fu Jingchen froze, pain flashing through his eyes. "Wan Ning…"
"Please leave." Her tone was firm, her eyes cold, as if all her emotions had been locked away.
Shen Sihan stood beside her, maintaining his calm as if he had seen this coming.
A complex emotion passed through Fu Jingchen's eyes as he looked at Lin Wan Ning. In the end, he lowered his head and slowly walked to the door. "I understand. I hope you find happiness." With those words, he turned and left the place he had once cherished so deeply—without looking back.
As the door clicked shut, Lin Wan Ning finally let out a breath. She turned around and saw Shen Sihan standing next to her, his brows slightly furrowed, clearly upset on her behalf.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
She shook her head, eyes slightly red. "I'm fine. It's just…"
"Just what?" Shen Sihan asked, concern in his eyes.
"I just don't know if I'll ever truly forget the past," she whispered.
Shen Sihan reached out and gently held her hand, his grip steady and warm. "You will. You've already taken the first step. From now on, I'll walk the rest of the road with you."
Looking into his eyes, a long-lost sense of peace washed over her. In that moment, she realized that not every love has to be defined by the pain of the past. It was the happiness ahead that she should truly pursue.
4o