Li Man recalled the first time she saw the photo of the delicate little wife. It was on Cheng Yanyu’s desk, in a photo frame. She was holding a birthday cake, smiling with curved eyes at the camera. The feeling of happiness practically leapt out of the picture.
The second time was during a work conversation. She had asked Cheng Yanyu how many years he had been married—was it a college romance?
Cheng Yanyu looked up and smiled as he replied. Yes, it was a college romance. They had been married for two years, but had been together for five.
She asked what his wife did now.
Cheng Yanyu said she stayed at home.
She responded with an “oh,” and smiled. Then his phone rang—it was his little wife calling. Her photo appeared on the call screen, posing with a peace sign at the camera, still so radiant and lively, smiling as beautifully as a flower in bloom.
But Cheng Yanyu was in a meeting with her and couldn’t answer directly. He declined the call and sent a message instead.
The first one was a sticker: (kiss kiss)
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Lso—
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Fs nyzx.
She really hadn’t known. Lately, she’d only run into Zheng Guili. Last night when she saw Cheng Yanyu, the thunder and lightning had only reminded her of unpleasant memories. The last time she had run into them was at a shoe store, where Li Man had been holding Cheng Yanyu’s arm. That had been his beloved moon—how could he possibly let go?
Seeing Wen Yang’s expression, Li Man propped her chin on her hand and smiled. “Still don’t know?”
Wen Yang narrowed her eyes. “What exactly are you trying to say?”
Li Man let out a soft sigh, still smiling. “He and I weren’t suitable after all. We think too differently, want very different things. We just weren’t meant to be.”
“But he’s different with you. You’re both from Nan’an, right? I’ve been to Zhou City next to it—beautiful environment, very well-preserved historic architecture. I heard your area is quite devout, too. And someone told me girls from there don’t marry out?”
Wen Yang looked at her. “What century are you living in? ‘Don’t marry out’?”
Li Man looked back at her. “Isn’t that true? That’s what I heard. But that’s not important. What matters is the two of you had almost six years together, right? He once told me in college he chased you for a whole year, even worked part-time with you. You two were the happiest couple in your circle, first loves for each other—it sounded truly beautiful.”
She propped her face on her hand again, gazing into Wen Yang’s eyes. “With such deep feelings, such a beautiful first love, you’re clearly a perfect match made in heaven.”
Wen Yang listened to her words—
And subconsciously clenched her teeth. She sneered coldly. “What are you really trying to say?”
Li Man let go of her hand from her face, sat up straight, and smiled. “What I mean is, I think you two are really well-suited. Since Cheng Yanyu and I didn’t work out, I doubt he’ll forget you so easily. So rather than letting things be, maybe you two should just get back together. Just pretend everything was my fault—it was me who caused your divorce. Considering how many years of feelings you two had, give him another chance. He wouldn’t feel so bad then.”
Wen Yang could hardly believe what she was hearing.
She had never seen someone so shameless.
What did Li Man take love for?
Wen Yang stared at her. “Do you think love is a transaction? A business deal? A switch you flip on and off whenever you want? You want to try it, so you take it. You don’t want it anymore, so you give it back? And you expect others to forget the pain and take it back like it’s nothing? How can you be so shameless?”
As she finished, she couldn’t hold back anymore and splashed the remaining coffee in her hand right at Li Man.
Behind her, Qin Mu screamed.
Wen Yang stood up with a swish, towering over Li Man.
Li Man was stunned, lifting her coffee-soaked face to meet Wen Yang’s eyes. Wen Yang looked at her coldly and said:
“Love isn’t a trade, and it’s definitely not a switch. Pain doesn’t just vanish because you say it should. Genuine feelings—others can see exactly how real they were. If you treat love like a game, you’ll never receive real affection. I advise you to treat love with reverence.”
With that,
She threw the cup aside, turned around, and left. Her silhouette looked like that of a warrior—but in truth, she was trembling slightly.
Qin Mu cried out and quickly got down from her chair, holding the dog as she walked over to Li Man, handing her tissues. Li Man took them. Her fingernails, painted a bright red, trembled slightly as she unfolded the tissues. She clenched her teeth—yet her hands were empty. She had no chance to retaliate.
Maybe she’d never expected—
Wen Yang would fight back like that.
And now, in this open-air plaza, surrounded by crowds—
It was humiliating beyond words.1What a shameless bish!/mfn]
Wen Yang walked out of COCO Plaza and hailed a car. It wasn’t until she had already gotten in that she realized she had accidentally chosen the route back to the club. She didn’t even need a car — she could have just walked back to the studio.
But now that she was already in the car, Wen Yang looked out at the blue sky, white clouds, and towering buildings, and simply let it go — she’d just go home instead.
Her phone buzzed.
The message said the coffee and cake were ready for pickup.
But Wen Yang couldn’t go get them anymore. She paused, took a screenshot, and sent it to the Yun Chi group chat.
Suppressing her foul mood, she calmly messaged:
“Something urgent came up, I have to go to Washington. The coffee and cake are ready — Yu Qing, Tao Li, if either of you is free, please go pick them up. If not, just have the delivery guy drop it off.”
Because it was so close, she had initially planned to get them herself.
Tao Li replied:
“Got it, sis.”
Yu Qing, however, sensed something was off. Wen Yang rarely did things this way — not giving a heads-up or changing plans last minute. Even if she really had to go to Washington, she would’ve mentioned it earlier, not after the coffee was already ready.
Yu Qing messaged her privately:
“You’re going to Washington? Are you already in the car?”
Wen Yang:
“Yeah, I’m in the car.”
Yu Qing:
“But Brother Chen Chang already gave a detailed update on the Washington situation today — do you still need to go? Why didn’t he mention anything in the group?”
Wen Yang paused, knowing she couldn’t hide it from Yu Qing. She replied:
“I went home. I’m in the car. Just ran into Li Man at the mall.”
Yu Qing:
“WTF??”
Yu Qing:
“And? Did that b*tch say something?”
Wen Yang:
“She… said a lot.”
Wen Yang:
“I took the wrong route, didn’t realize I called a car back to the club.”
Wen Yang:
“Then I thought, might as well just go home and rest.”
Yu Qing was seething. She knew Li Man must have said a lot. But Wen Yang wasn’t the type to explain too much on WeChat. So Yu Qing quickly replied:
“Go get some rest. You brought your laptop, right?”
Wen Yang:
“Yeah, got it with me.”
Yu Qing:
“Good, as long as you didn’t leave anything behind. I’ll go with Tao Li to pick up the coffee.”
Wen Yang:
“Okay, I’m heading home then.”
Yu Qing:
“Mhm.”
After putting down her phone, Yu Qing immediately called Tao Li and another male friend. Together, they headed for COCO Shopping Center. She knew the odds of running into Li Man were low — but still, what if?
What if they did run into her?
Back at home—
Aunt Zhong had gone grocery shopping, so the place was empty. Wen Yang placed her laptop on the coffee table, then headed to the bathroom for a shower. Her fingertips still smelled faintly of coffee, no matter how she wiped.
So she decided to take a full shower. Afterward, she changed into loungewear, feeling refreshed and a bit more at ease. She opened the curtains, sat down on the sofa, opened her laptop, and began drawing.
Meanwhile, Yu Qing, Tao Li, and Jiang Lang arrived at the outdoor café where Wen Yang had been sitting earlier. The patio area was now empty, with only a server tidying up the table where Wen Yang and Li Man had sat.
There wasn’t much coffee on the table or the floor — most of it had landed on Li Man: her face, her hair, her neck, her clothes. She’d been drenched. Her dress was brown, so the stain wasn’t as visible, but had it been a lighter color, it would’ve looked worse.
After picking up the coffee and cake, Yu Qing asked the server: “Where are the two women who were just sitting here?”
The server recognized her — she came by often to order coffee — and replied, “It was pretty dramatic just now.”
“One woman got splashed with coffee by your designer Wen. That woman, I think, is the owner of Mengbo Jewelry.” The server had pieced together some info and identified Li Man. The women had come often — this was a branded café, after all.
Yu Qing: “Oh? And where is she now?”
Server: “No idea, probably went back to her studio.” She pointed in a direction.
Only then did Yu Qing realize that Mengbo Jewelry was also near COCO Mall. This very plaza was the same place where she and Wen Yang had once eaten lunch and seen Cheng Yanyu — dressed in a suit — standing on the escalator. Back then, she’d thought he looked handsome. Damn it — he was probably dressed up like that just to meet Li Man.
Snapping back to the present, Yu Qing tugged Tao Li’s sleeve. “Let’s go — let’s walk around.”
They took the escalator up, turned a few corners, crossed a skybridge, and followed the signage into a high-end building. On the 6th floor, sure enough, they saw the sign for Mengbo Jewelry Studio.
Some clients were still inside for consultations.
As soon as Yu Qing and Tao Li walked in, a staff member came forward to ask if they were members.
Yu Qing smiled, walked over to where a customer was chatting with an employee, and asked, “Can I see your boss?”
“Do you have an appointment?” the staffer asked.
Yu Qing blinked and grinned: “Nope. I just heard she’s really famous for being a homewrecker. I wanted to meet her — get some tips.”
The room went dead silent.
Everyone turned to look at them.
The staff member’s face turned pale. Her first instinct was to call security. Yu Qing tugged on Tao Li’s arm. Tao Li tried to stand tall but was clearly nervous. She opened her mouth to say something but ended up just stiffening her posture, silently supporting Yu Qing while enduring all the stares.
Yu Qing stared the staffer down: “Why are you calling? I didn’t do anything wrong. Your boss being a mistress isn’t wrong either, right? If you don’t believe me, let her come out and we’ll talk face to face.”
The staffer’s expression darkened even more.
She went to open a door, hoping to escort Yu Qing and Tao Li out.
But Li Man, having heard the commotion from the lounge, came out just then. As soon as Yu Qing saw her, she rushed forward:
“Ms. Li the Mistress — you finally came out?”
Li Man squinted her eyes coldly upon seeing Yu Qing.
Yu Qing grinned and said: “What a pity. Your ex-husband really loved our Wen Yang, you know. Do you have any idea how he used to spoil her at home? Want me to tell you all about it…?”
Too bad.
Security arrived.
Tao Li grabbed Yu Qing’s arm. Yu Qing waved it off, pretending to comply.
As Tao Li dragged her away, Yu Qing shouted back: “Your ex-husband taught our Wen Yang how to play chess… and he set off fireworks for her the whole night—”
Bang.
The door closed.
The two security guards looked at Yu Qing and Tao Li. “Please leave.”
Yu Qing had achieved her goal. She glanced from afar at Li Man, who was still standing there, smiled, and left with Tao Li. Li Man stood with her arms crossed, silent, her fingertips trembling slightly.
—
Aunt Zhong hadn’t expected Wen Yang to be home.
As soon as she walked in, she saw Wen Yang curled up with a throw pillow, typing on the keyboard—typing a little, then stopping. Aunt Zhong immediately asked, “Yangyang, what do you want for dinner? It’s rare for you to be home today, so pick something.”
Wen Yang looked back with a smile and said, “Auntie, can I just have stir-fried noodles?”
She didn’t have much of an appetite and only wanted something simple. Aunt Zhong smiled and said, “Of course. Then we’ll have stir-fried noodles tonight.”
“Mhm.”
“Aunt Zhong, eat with me tonight, okay?”
Aunt Zhong smiled as she replied, “Sure.”
Wen Yang’s eyes curved into a smile. She looked back at the computer. Fu Xingzhou would be home a bit later tonight. She typed on the keyboard, picked up a tutorial beside her, and occasionally replied to some backend customer inquiries.
After dinner, Aunt Zhong went home.
Wen Yang opened the software, pulled up the floral house design document, and tried to find some inspiration.
Her earlier ideas were all written down in the document.
Around 10:10 p.m., Fu Xingzhou entered, loosening his collar. The moment he saw her sitting on the sofa staring blankly at the screen, which hadn’t changed at all, he walked over and asked, “Still haven’t sketched anything?”
Wen Yang looked up at him and nodded. “Mm.”
“You’re back? Did you drink?”
She stood up, stepped on the sofa, walked toward him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Fu Xingzhou pulled her into an embrace and said in a low voice, “No.”
Wen Yang leaned down to sniff his neck.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. He asked, “Smell anything?”
Wen Yang liked his scent. She said, “A bit of sandalwood, and some woody cologne—must be the car air freshener.”
Fu Xingzhou chuckled softly.
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to shower.” There was actually a faint smell of cigars too, but it had been masked by the car fragrance. A few of his uncles were obsessed with cigars—he couldn’t help it.
He let go of Wen Yang and went to shower.
Wen Yang sat back on the sofa, hugged her throw pillow, pulled her knees up, and stared at the screen.
When Fu Xingzhou came out of the shower, his hair was still damp. He dried it off, poured a glass of milk, and placed it beside her. Then he sat next to her, looked at her, and tugged on her wrist.
Wen Yang came back to herself and leaned into his arms.
Fu Xingzhou glanced at her still motionless screen, and asked, “Want to take a trip to Hong Kong? Clear your head a bit.”
Wen Yang looked up at him and said, “I ran into Li Man today.”
Fu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes slightly. “What did she say this time?”
Wen Yang wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned closer. “She said she broke up with Cheng Yanyu… and that I should get back together with him.”
Fu Xingzhou’s eyes darkened.
His arm around her waist tightened.
Wen Yang said softly, “I don’t understand her thinking.”
Fu Xingzhou looked at her completely blank design software, then back down at her. “Let’s get married.”
Sansukini: First of all, what a bish. Li Man is probably thinking she still has a chance to get back together with Fu Xingzhou if Wen Yang went back to Cheng Yanyu. Second of all, we all need a friend like Yu Qing. What a wonderful friendship. And lastly, Mr. Fu is so efficient and charming, Cheng Yanyu has no chance of turning over.
Finally, thanks for the condolences. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)
You can also check out my other translations Here
This woman is Shameless! Waw 😮💨
It’s normal to support you translator-nim. Unfortunately death is stronger than us, we all have to face it one day. It’s an undefeated enemy that takes our lives one away. But I believe than soon death will be no more. I hope your sorrow will ease. Thank you for letting us know.