Chapter 1

When my mom called, I was helping Lu He tidy up his bedroom.

Since last month, Lu He had given me the spare key to his place.

I’ve been coming over almost every day lately.

Although he hasn’t officially said anything, it seems we’ve reached a tacit understanding about our relationship.

After asking about the usual trivialities in my life, my mom suddenly mentioned that Zhao Yue had returned to the country.

The hand I was using to wipe the nightstand froze the moment I heard that name.

The next second, I quickly turned off the speakerphone.

Through the slightly open door, I saw Lu He sitting quietly on the sofa, playing with his phone.

His expression was as calm and indifferent as ever, unruffled and composed.

He probably didn’t hear anything.

I thought.

Relieved, I lowered my voice and asked my mom:

“Isn’t she getting married next month? Why did she suddenly come back?”

“You didn’t know?” My mom seemed to hesitate on the other end, as if she wanted to say more but stopped herself.

Finally, she sighed and told me that Zhao Yue’s boyfriend had cheated on her before the wedding, and she caught him in the act. Naturally, the wedding was called off.

Just those two simple sentences were enough to completely unsettle me.

Although Zhao Yue is my cousin, she’s actually only a few months older than me.

We grew up together, and hearing from my mom that something like this happened to her, I couldn’t help but feel bad.

On the other hand…

Zhao Yue was the only girlfriend Lu He ever acknowledged during his entire university years.

Back then, at best, I was just a classmate who was relatively close to Lu He.

After I found out Lu He was dating Zhao Yue, I deliberately kept my distance from them.

But every time I ran into Zhao Yue at family gatherings, she always liked to bring up Lu He with me, intentionally or not.

What she said most often was that if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have met such a great guy like Lu He.

It was only later that I realized she had noticed my feelings for Lu He from the very beginning, and this was her way of making me see things clearly.

This awkward dynamic continued until right before graduation.

The two of them had a falling out over their plans after graduation, and Zhao Yue eventually decided to go abroad for further studies, breaking up with Lu He in the process.

Lu He was devastated for a long time because of it.

During that period, I stayed by Lu He’s side, watching him drink himself into a stupor, then slowly recover bit by bit.

Maybe it was because of that time together, but Lu He has always treated me a little differently than everyone else.