"You don't want me anymore." She gave voice to the unspoken meaning behind his silence. "You still haven't forgiven me."
"I've forgiven your silent departure," he replied calmly, "but I will not divorce my wife to be with you."
He had no desire to quarrel with a former lover plagued by illness—after all, they had once shared a past.
"I…" He Meiwei looked at him, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Do you truly not love me anymore? Didn't you once promise to love me for a lifetime? How could you change in just two years?"
To that, Long Yubei had no answer.
"When someone insists on leaving, who in their right mind would remain rooted in place, waiting? We all have to look forward, not back."
"You never truly loved me enough." She rose to her feet. "Forgive me for disturbing you. I shouldn't have come."
"Stop right there!"
The voice came from Gu Lili, descending swiftly from the stairs. She addressed the visitor with deliberate clarity, using another name.
"Gu Xichen's girlfriend—imagine my surprise, discovering you're my husband's ex. The world really is unbearably small. Have you broken up with Gu Xichen? Or are you so desperate to be a mistress you came running over here? Is that your specialty now? Once wasn't enough—you came to snatch my man a second time?"
Long Yubei turned, startled. "She's Gu Xichen's girlfriend?"
"Mm-hmm." Gu Lili nodded with exaggerated calm. "This former flame of yours, she really does have a knack for double-dipping. Can't decide between the bowl and the pot, it seems."
"I was never romantically involved with Xichen. You misunderstood—he's just a close friend. And besides, Beibei and I are in love. You're the third party."
Gu Lili nearly choked on her own breath. If not for the woman's fragile state, she would have happily sent her flying with a slap or two.
This kind of woman? Deserves to be silenced with a brick.
"Honey, did you hear that? She clearly broke up with you, and I'm the one who married you, but now she's calling me the mistress? I don't know which rabid dog chewed through her morals, but thank the heavens you left her—otherwise, what a mess you'd be. Lucky for you, I came along and saved you."
"Yes, yes, my brilliant wife."
He Meiwei's face darkened with humiliation. She let out a strained breath, grabbed her purse, and turned to leave—only to be blocked again by Gu Lili.
"Leaving already?" Gu Lili arched a brow. "You think my house is some kind of revolving door, where you can come and go as you please?"
"What do you want?"
"Nothing, really," she said sweetly. "I just thought I'd let you know—Gu Xichen's been on the line with me this whole time."
She held up her phone. "He heard every word you just said."
He Meiwei froze, her eyes wide with panic. "You…"
At this point, she could offer no excuse. Words had failed her.
"I've already sent him the video from earlier, too—the part before you spoke to my husband. He broke off the engagement with me because of you." Gu Lili laughed, lifting the phone to her ear. "So this is the elegant, educated, perfectly matched woman he chose over me?"
"Tell her—we're done." Gu Xichen's voice came through the speaker, low and icy. "Make sure she hears it."
"Of course," Gu Lili replied with a radiant smile. "Goodbye."
She ended the call and turned to He Meiwei. "How unfortunate. You wanted both the sesame seeds and the watermelon, but ended up with neither. Did you not know I'd be home? Or did you come deliberately, knowing I'd be here? Gu Xichen asked me to tell you this: you and he are finished."
He Meiwei stood her ground with brittle defiance. "I was never with him. He imagined it all on his own. From the beginning to now, the only one I've ever cared about is Beibei."
"Shut your mouth!" Gu Lili snapped, her patience at its end. "Who gave you the right to call him that? He's my husband. You have no business using that name."