A True Heroine Needs No Man - Chapter 1
I received a new photo.
It was an intimate shot of Shang Luzhou and his new girlfriend. The girl was sitting in his lap, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. The photo didn’t capture their full pose, but the atmosphere was so charged with ambiguity it sent the imagination reeling.
From what my friends had told me about her, I guessed she wouldn’t want a picture like this being seen.
I replied with a few reaction GIFs to push the photo up the chat history.
Then I typed: [Shang Luzhou’s at it again. Send me my half of the money.]
My friend’s sleep schedule was so messed up it was practically in sync with mine in the US. She replied the second my message went through.
[Don’t worry, this money is too easy to make.]
If Shang Luzhou ever found out, he’d probably explode with rage.
When I broke up with him, things got ugly.
His need for control was suffocating, and I couldn’t take it anymore.
The moment I told him that, his face darkened, and he smashed the birthday present I’d given him.
“I’m controlling? That’s because I fucking care about you! Any other woman could strip naked in front of me, and I wouldn’t spare her a glance.”
“Who is he? Did you find some other guy while you were away?”
His eyes grew cold, staring at me as if trying to read the truth on my face.
“There’s no one. Just calm down.”
I reached out to button up his shirt. “I don’t like people interfering with my choices. What I wear is my own business.”
“And don’t use love as a weapon to control me. That’s not how you love someone.”
Love isn’t about causing pain.
It’s not about needing his approval for every outfit I wear.
It’s not about being on call 24/7, expected to reply to messages instantly.
I had more important things to do.
But Shang Luzhou clearly wasn’t listening. He grabbed my wrist and pinned me against the wall.
“Who the hell is he? Do you want me to destroy him?”
He leaned in, his lips about to crush mine.
I turned my head away and kicked him, hard.
I used the moment to break free from his grip, meeting his furious gaze.
Shang Luzhou looked down at the footprint on his trousers, his eyes filled with the ominous calm of a gathering storm.
He was seething, veins popping on his arms as he ground out my name through clenched teeth.
“Shen Fu.”
“The day you come crawling back to me, I won’t even want you.”
He stormed out. That night, he surrounded himself with a flock of scantily clad women.
Photos were sent to my phone from various numbers.
Three days later, I was on a flight to America.
I heard from different friends how furious he was, how he’d gone on a rampage, making everyone’s life miserable.
Shang Luzhou was convinced I had fled the country to escape him.
But the truth was, even if we hadn’t broken up, I would have gone abroad to study.
It was part of my plan all along; the breakup just happened to coincide with it.
I had told him about my plans before, but he never remembered.
