After the initial shock and anger subsided, Lin Zhou was plunged into immense confusion and pain.
She couldn't understand. If Shen Che no longer loved her, he could have just broken up with her directly. Why resort to a lie like "going abroad"? And if he still loved her, why was he hiding from her, torturing himself into this ghostly state?
There had to be a reason she didn't know.
She decided she had to find the answers herself.
She began to observe the movements upstairs like a detective. She discovered that Shen Che's life was extremely regular, and extremely isolated. He almost never went out, except on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, when he would leave quietly and return around noon, dragging his exhausted body back.
He never ordered takeout. Lin Zhou could occasionally smell the faint scent of plain porridge wafting from under his door.
He had no visitors. In the past three years, the only person Lin Zhou had seen was the woman she later mistook for his "new girlfriend."
Lin Zhou started to "stake out" the hallway. She wanted to see who that woman was.
Finally, on a Friday afternoon, the woman came again. She looked to be in her early thirties, dressed plainly, carrying a thermal flask and a bag of fruits and vegetables.
Lin Zhou gathered her courage and approached her.
"Hello."
The woman was startled to see her, then recognized her as the emotional girl from a few days ago. A hint of vigilance flashed in her eyes.
"Can I help you?"
"I wanted to ask... what is your relationship with the person upstairs?" Lin Zhou asked directly.
The woman frowned. "That's his private matter. I'm not at liberty to say."
"I'm his... ex-girlfriend," Lin Zhou's voice was strained. "We were apart for three years. I thought he was abroad, but a few days ago, I found out he's been living here all along. I just want to know what happened to him."
Seeing Lin Zhou's red-rimmed eyes and sincere expression, the woman's attitude seemed to soften. She sighed and said, "Miss, some things are better left unknown. He doesn't want you to know for a reason. You should forget him and start a new life. It's for the best for both of you."
With that, she ignored Lin Zhou, knocked on Shen Che's door, and went inside.
The woman's words, instead of dispelling Lin Zhou's doubts, made her heart sink even deeper.
"Better left unknown." What cruel secret was hidden behind those words?