1

"Mr. Li, is there still an overseas position you mentioned last time? I've made up my mind, I want to go."

My boss, hearing my agreement to go abroad for training, was full of relief in his tone.

"Alright, I'll submit your information right away, but I've heard you're about to get married...."

"It's fine, not getting married, don't worry."

There was a slight tremble in my voice.

To avoid being noticed, I hung up right after speaking.

My eyes drifted to Gu Xian's computer with thousands of photos of girls, lost in thought.

After graduation, we both joined the same company, working in different departments.

Tonight he went to a bachelor party held for him by friends, his phone turned off.

The boss couldn't reach him and urgently needed a proposal, so the call came to me instead.

So, for the first time, I turned on his computer and discovered these photos.

In an instant, eight years of memories flooded my mind.

All this time together, he never had any photos of me on his phone, let alone records of our relationship.

No matter how much I cried or fought, he always said we met every day, no need to commemorate.

It was only now I realized it wasn't unnecessary, I simply wasn't necessary to him.

For eight years, I made excuses for his indifference.

Stubbornly, I was like a joke.

His friend's slip of the tongue when they heard we were getting married suddenly echoed in my ears:

"Alright then, I thought you'd end up alone for Xu Man! Are you really getting married? Not just doing it out of spite?"

I didn't notice Gu Xian's embarrassed look back then, confidently thumping my chest:

"We're doing it for love!"

Now I understand why he asked that, I no longer have the confidence to say it.

I took a deep breath and closed the computer.

I opened my phone to tell Gu Xian I wanted to break up, only to see he hadn't even replied to the message I sent a day ago about choosing a wedding dress.

Opening the friend circle, the background was pitch black, without a single post.

Only one word beneath his profile picture.

[Wait.]

I pulled a bitter smile at the corner of my mouth, collapsing powerlessly on the sofa.

I used to think he was just introverted and not expressive, never knowing he held someone else in his heart.

Thinking about it now, I was naively ridiculous.

I had asked him many times about the introduction in his friend circle, and he had never answered.

Now I finally knew the answer.

With only three days until our brief wedding, I set the countdown as my phone's dynamic wallpaper, reminding myself daily.

Watching the second hand tick on the screen, I rubbed my sore eyes, suppressing my exhaustion.

Just as I was about to book tickets, Gu Xian's friend called me.

"Jiang Ran, Gu Xian drank too much, could you come and take him home? I'll send you the address."

Through the receiver, I faintly heard Gu Xian's familiar voice calling "Little man."

My heart was suddenly clenched.

The other party immediately covered the phone and hung up.

I shook my head to shake off the inappropriate feelings, changed my clothes, and walked to the entrance, only then noticing the couple's keychain I had carefully chosen, with Gu Xian's half carelessly tossed on the cabinet.

I had it custom-made by an original shop based on our experiences.

He said it was childish, never wearing it.

I thought for a moment, picked up the keychain, and tossed it into the trash can.

Looking up, I saw the couple's mugs under the coffee table, unopened.

Like silently mocking my one-person play.

A wave of powerless annoyance surged in me, and I picked up the trash can, throwing all the couple items into the bag.

After dumping the trash, I took a cab to the address his friend sent.

As I reached the private room door, laughter and questions came from inside.

"Why did Little man come back today? Could it be regret after hearing Gu Xian is getting married?"

I took a deep breath, a smile forming at my lips, and reached out to push the door open and enter.

The laughter inside stopped instantly, and everyone's faces were filled with awkwardness.

The man who was supposed to marry me in three days was lying with tenderness and affection in another woman's arms.

The face of that woman, I had just seen countless times on his computer.