Chapter 1 On November 8, 2002, the third year of marriage between Qin Lu and Yan Hui, Qin Lu returned home early and prepared a table full of dishes, waiting for Yan Hui to come back and light the candles. Qin Lu is a representative of the quiet type, with many dirty thoughts in her heart, but she appears very proper on the surface. She works as an ordinary teacher at the university, and has good relationships with others. Every time someone calls her Teacher Qin, she shivers silently. In fact, university teachers are not that busy, but she values face and cannot decline. While other teachers go home or do research, all the paper discussions are pushed onto her. Every day when she enters the office building, there is always a queue of students looking at her expectantly, then like rehearsed they say together, "Good morning, Teacher Qin. Our supervisor asked us to bother you to guide us on our papers." Yan Hui is a certain kind of person, according to Qin Lu's words, a manipulative one. They met at a meeting. The first impression Yan Hui had was that Qin Lu was truly gentle and virtuous, while Qin Lu thought Yan Hui was truly down-to-earth and steady. Both were in their late twenties, so they naturally developed a relationship to try out. As a result, Yan Hui was shocked when Qin Lu made her first crude joke, choking on a piece of steak. Yan Hui successfully convinced Qian Ling by deceiving an extra bunch of leeks from the downstairs aunties.
Before getting married, Qin Lu also fantasized about her future husband, with scenes filled with pink bubbles like a young girl's dream. At the time, Qin Lu planned that her ideal son-in-law must be a man wearing glasses, with hands that look good, dressed with taste, able to fight alongside her on the H front line, accepting her as a fan of yaoi, and tolerating her bad tastes. These standards she never told anyone, nor did she tell Yan Hui. She also used these standards to measure him, and he was her first love. From the perspective of One Piece's touching moments, Yan Hui's romantic history was naturally not as pure as Qin Lu's. He could list a long string of girlfriends he had dated. As a famous senior in school, he naturally received attention from underclassmen. Why did he fall for Qin Lu? Qin Lu was also puzzled. It wasn't until the day before their wedding that Yan Hui told her, because among all the pretentious girls in Yan Hui's life, only Qin Lu pretended most naturally, almost to the point where Yan Hui couldn't even see through it, greatly stimulating his desire to explore. At that moment, Qin Lu just wanted to call off the wedding based on this statement alone, but for the sake of several thousand yuan deposit and a face worth less than a tablecloth, Qin Lu still became Mrs. Yan.
Yan Hui treats her quite well, caring and loving, without any bad temper. He is just a bit perfectionistic and obsessive, which is a common trait among Virgos. In the first year of marriage, the sentence Qin Lu said most often was, "Yan Hui, only I can tolerate you. What's so great about being a Virgo? If you went out now and randomly pulled someone off the street to live with you, they'd slap your face within two days." Yan Hui, sitting in the bedroom reading documents, glanced over coldly upon hearing this, as if it had nothing to do with him. Qin Lu, seeing this, lost her temper and felt how good her eyesight was, thinking how handsome her husband was. At this moment, Qin Lu would drop everything in her hand, stick close to him, and wouldn't stop until Yan Hui kissed her. Back then, she didn't know what shyness was, only knowing that finally there was a man who came whenever she called and could be teased at will. Yan Hui, after some fake resistance, would give in and they would end up on the mattress together.
The director of the office was an old auntie who had promoted Qin Lu no end. When Qin Lu got married, the old auntie was kept extremely busy, offering advice on marital harmony, family recipes, the art of conversation, all without reservation, presenting them all. Qin Lu actually envied Aunt Liu, whose couple had weathered forty years together and remained deeply in love. Every day, Old Mr. Liu came to pick Aunt Liu up from work, which was legendary in the school. Qin Lu heard young girls talking, "Quick, quick, that's Teacher Liu. Oh, I envy her so much. Look how kind that grandfather looks." Chattering away, Qin Lu couldn't help but smile, remembering herself back then, going crazy without regard for time or place. If she could reach that age with Yan Hui, it would be a perfect ending.
Picking up her phone wanting to call Yan Hui, she was afraid of disturbing his work. Qin Lu shook her head, realizing she was overly cautious. Despite how intimate Yan Hui was with her, she dared not act spoiled or stubborn, choosing instead to take the campus bus home obediently.
In the first year, Yan Hui would still take her out to play, places like West Lake, Xixi Wetland, Lingyin Temple. Qin Lu didn't like taking photos, but Yan Hui made her take quite a few. Opening drive D, more than 1GB of photos had already been saved. Back then, she was foolishly chubby, making her look somewhat pitiful. Yan Hui, however, looked spirited, wearing a casual shirt and checkered shorts, resembling the study committee member of her class. On their first anniversary, Yan Hui surprisingly came home earlier than her. He asked her to close her eyes, and when she opened them, she saw a large bouquet of roses in the middle of the living room and the words "Wife, I love you" spelled out with colorful candies. Qin Lu's eyes welled up with tears, and she climbed up to kiss him. Yan Hui's kisses were tender, always making Qin Lu lose herself. Finally, Qin Lu realized that getting married wasn't so bad after all.
Chapter 2 By the second year, life had basically boiled down to mundane chores. Yan Hui was due for a promotion, necessitating frequent socializing and entertaining. Out of thirty days in a month, there were rarely any clear-headed days. Coming home, there was merely a hurried goodnight kiss, even more perfunctory than a greeting. Qin Lu was also busy; the director criticized her for lacking ambition and urged her to strive for the title of Outstanding Youth Teacher. She had no choice but to tough it out. Besides, it was the season for graduation theses, requiring her to guide five or six students a day. Coming home, she was too tired to talk. Missing Yan Hui when she didn't see him, she watched cold TV and ate frozen dumplings, soon feeling drowsy. When Yan Hui came back, she was usually already asleep. She wanted to wait for Yan Hui, but her innate aversion to alcohol prevented her from enduring the smell of liquor, so she decided against following the good wife principle. Rarely, when Yan Hui wasn't busy, he would cling to her all day. Their roles had swapped; Qin Lu no longer clung to Yan Hui, but could instead glare at him confidently. During rare rest days, both parties would cooperate well. They were still young and couldn't remain celibate, so they both looked forward to and were excited by these rare breaks, making Qin Lu care less about Yan Hui coming home late, and Yan Hui complaining less about the empty living room at night.
This year, Yan Hui was promoted from a small employee to department head in September. Life had drastically changed in terms of quality of life, Yan Hui's personality, and habits. Before September, Yan Hui had dark circles under his eyes every day, his computer schedule packed with mostly trivial tasks like serving tea, chatting, and entertaining guests. Qin Lu knew Yan Hui was ambitious, so doing such tasks moved her simultaneously with surprise and emotion. After September, Yan Hui no longer had a schedule on his computer, yet he continued to leave early and return late. Qin Lu was unaware of his promotion until one day during dinner when she asked why he no longer set schedules, to which he arrogantly replied, "How can those little employees keep doing such things forever? Your husband is now the director, free to do whatever he likes."
Qin Lu didn't expect Yan Hui to hide this from her. With her intelligence, she couldn't guess the deeper meaning behind it, but she didn't ask why she didn't know either. Instead, she added the biggest shrimp from her plate to Yan Hui's, proudly kissing him and saying, "I knew my husband would succeed. I am so proud of you." Yan Hui wiped his face with his hand, expressionless, "You have oil all over your mouth." Qin Lu suddenly felt awkward, this person she had lived with for nearly two years seemed unfamiliar, preventing her from pouncing on him and giving him a few more bites. Silently, they finished eating, each on their own computer, speechless.
Qin Lu sensed Yan Hui's changes, causing her some alarm. She wasn't outstanding, but Yan Hui's career was rising rapidly. The gap between them would grow wider. Love alone cannot maintain an unchanging marriage, especially since she wasn't sure if what existed between her and Yan Hui could be considered love. There were far fewer photos taken in the second year. Yan Hui had no time for travel, and the few existing photos were indoor selfies. Qin Lu had slimmed down, appearing somewhat beautiful, but Yan Hui stood beside her, black-rimmed glasses, black shirt, casual long pants, exuding the air of a boss. Qin Lu felt she wasn't qualified to be his secretary; this photo could at most be named "The Boss and His Distant Cousin's Unavoidable Story." This was the gap—Yan Hui could transform from a student to a boss, while she was stuck in that age bracket, both in appearance and mental age. Yan Hui wasn't wrong in calling her immature. Looking at the photos, Qin Lu sighed deeply. She was an active member at school, speaking appropriately to different people, but at home, she found herself speechless. Facing Yan Hui's face, she couldn't utter a single decent word. On November 8, 2001, Qin Lu was guiding students' theses, arranging midterm exam schedules, and preparing for the trial lecture of an outstanding teacher just a few days later. She had forgotten it was their wedding anniversary. Aunt Liu had already left, leaving her alone in the empty office, trembling from the cold, cursing the dampness of the southern weather. Suddenly, the phone rang, Nokia's default ringtone echoing in the office. Qin Lu's pen fell in shock. Picking up the phone and seeing Yan Hui's name, her voice trembled slightly, "Hello?" Yan Hui's pleasant voice came from the other end, "Why haven't you gone home yet? Come out quickly, I'm at the school gate." Qin Lu hung up the phone, hastily tidying her desk, rushing out in high heels. Yan Hui leaned lazily against the car playing with his phone, with a few students nearby pointing and whispering. Qin Lu smiled satisfactorily, unintentionally thinking of Teacher Liu. If Yan Hui could continue picking her up until old age, that would be great.
Seeing Qin Lu, Yan Hui waved to her. Qin Lu recognized those girls; they were freshmen from the School of Science, known for whispering together in class. Seeing Teacher Qin, they seemed surprised, sweetly greeting their teacher, "Teacher Qin, is this your boyfriend?" Qin Lu nodded, "Haha, my husband, isn't he handsome?" The girls, delighted at the close encounter, laughed stupidly regardless of what Qin Lu said. Feeling annoyed, Qin Lu dismissed the children. Yan Hui pulled Qin Lu's face and tugged it left and right, "What's wrong? Pouting, are you unhappy I came to pick you up?" Qin Lu bit him, "You shouldn't have come, with a face that attracts trouble." Yan Hui opened the car door, gesturing for her to enter, "My dear, get in. Let's enjoy our date." Qin Lu was still a bit confused, but only remembered it was their second wedding anniversary once inside the car. Realizing she hadn't prepared any gifts, she mentally scolded herself for being slow.
It wasn't a fancy restaurant, just an ordinary homely eatery like all small shops located on the garbage street opposite the university. The boss was familiar with Yan Hui, effortlessly ordering for him and even providing two bottles of cola. Yan Hui pointed to the opposite university, "See that? That's my alma mater. I used to love eating here. The boss is great, the food is cheap, and I think it will suit your taste." Qin Lu looked at the beautiful architecture, internally shouting "Damn," realizing they weren't of the same level. "So, did you bring every girlfriend you've ever had here?" Yan Hui unscrewed the cola and placed it in front of her, "How did you know? You're too smart." Qin Lu huffed, refusing to argue with him. Yan Hui kissed her, "Why is my wife becoming increasingly jealous recently? I'll only bring you from now on, by the way, about me becoming the director, I originally planned to surprise you today, but I was afraid you might overthink it."
Qin Lu covered his mouth as the boss came to serve the food, "Alright, alright, don't say anymore, as if I'm so petty." That day, Yan Hui took her around the campus, introducing her to each of his former mentors. Qin Lu, overwhelmed with happiness, spoke nonsensically. The two, like young lovers, kissed under the building, letting the passing students inspect them. Yan Hui touched Qin Lu's forehead, "Wife, my wish in university was to one day kiss my lover under this building." Curious, Qin Lu asked, "Why specifically this building?" Yan Hui laughed, "Our discipline director lives here." Qin Lu gave him a look, "Too cold..." "Actually, there's another name for this place, the Breakup Building, a sacred ground for couples breaking up. According to incomplete statistics, an average of twenty-something couples break up here daily. Some couples, disbelieving, come here to test the strength of their love, but inevitably fail." Qin Lu's interest was piqued; the environment was indeed serene, but strangely, no couples came here to rendezvous, showing how superstitious today's students were. "So, are you not afraid I'll break up with you tomorrow?" Yan Hui pretended to ponder seriously, only speaking when he saw Qin Lu getting angry, "How can you believe such childish nonsense? If you broke up with me, I'd definitely chase after you." Suddenly, the lights on the building behind them lit up. Qin Lu looked up, seeing the simplest "I love you." Female students walked by, disdainfully humming, "Which fool is playing this boring game again? If I were that girl, I'd definitely throw a basin of washing water in his face." Yan Hui hesitated for a moment, leaning close to Qin Lu's ear, "Is it too cliché? I think it's pretty good. Actually, I'm glad I didn't use this trick on those shallow younger sisters a few years ago. Wife, do you like it?" Qin Lu tried to suppress her laughter, "Not bad, not bad. Last year it was candy bought out of pocket, this year it's lighting paid for by the company. Clearly, you've learned to misuse public funds. Very much to my liking."
A phone call pulled Qin Lu out of her memories. She picked up the phone, her mother's warm voice as usual, "Dear, how are you planning to celebrate your third anniversary?" Qin Lu didn't want to tell her mother that Yan Hui hadn't come back yet, so she said they were going out for dinner and Yan Hui was showering. Her mother praised Yan Hui as usual, finishing with, "You two should consider having a child. You're not young anymore, why aren't you anxious at all?" Qin Lu responded vaguely, exhausted, slumping on the sofa. Yan Hui had never missed their wedding anniversary before. He said there was a meeting at the company tonight and would return late, telling Qin Lu to eat without waiting for him. Qin Lu didn't expect any unexpected surprises from him. In the afternoon, she received an email from an unknown sender containing a picture of him and a young girl in an intimate pose. His image as a big boy finally found its perfect partner. Qin Lu's first thought was that they really matched.
She quietly deleted the email, drank a glass of water, and stared blankly at the wedding photo on the wall. It was only the third year, was it like eczema, erupting so suddenly? She called her friend Liu Mo, who was abroad on business. Concerned about her penny-pinching, Liu Mo urged her to hang up. Feeling distressed, Qin Lu finally confessed, "Mo Mo, Yan Hui seems to be cheating on me." Liu Mo was silent for a minute before bursting out, "What! You mean that Yan guy is cheating? Shit, how did he guarantee to take good care of you back then? Are his words just hot air?" Qin Lu rubbed her ears, "Don't get mad yet. We don't know if it's true. Don't call him. I still trust him. Just let me vent." Liu Mo was furious, "Just because you're so nice, so saintly, now they're riding roughshod over you. Don't push your saintliness to the extreme, okay! If I were you, I'd slap him twice and kick him out! You, sigh, you're killing me. If I were in the country, I'd make sure they both die." Qin Lu chuckled, "Don't misuse vulgar words. What does 'one death, two lives' mean? Liu Mo, I miss you." Liu Mo sighed, "Alright, darling, I miss you too. I know today is your third anniversary. Don't be too sad. I love playing the game of beating the mistress. If you're still upset, tell me. Don't bottle it up." Qin Lu buried her head in the pillow, sobbing softly. She remembered a phrase, "Brothers are like hands and feet, women are like clothes." So, by equivalent substitution, it should be "Sisters are like hands and feet, men are like clothes." Yes, Yan Hui is just a new style of clothing, nothing special. Look lightly, a woman's wardrobe is always missing one piece of clothing, some control themselves, some buy with money, and some snatch from others. Lying on the sofa, Qin Lu instantly experienced what it meant to have a calm heart.
Dazedly hearing the door open, Yan Hui returned. Seeing Qin Lu on the sofa, he raised his eyebrows, "Why sleep here? Go to bed quickly, don't catch a cold." Qin Lu twisted uncomfortably, not wanting to talk to him, but fearing he would ask about her abnormal behavior. Reluctantly, she responded with a muffled "Mm." Yan Hui went to wash up. By then, it had been two hours past their third anniversary. Yan Hui really didn't remember. Qin Lu hoped he would never remember, sparing her the embarrassment of his attempts to make up for it. After washing up, Yan Hui lay down on the bed, exhaling comfortably, "Wife, are you asleep?" Qin Lu didn't want to speak, feeling blocked. Yan Hui, seeing her furrowed brows, gently asked, "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?" Qin Lu closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. Yan Hui's fingers wiped away her tears, "Wife, I'm sorry. I couldn't spend our third anniversary together yesterday. Don't be mad. Your eyes will swell if you cry. How about I make it up to you another day?" Qin Lu swallowed her tears, "I know you're busy. I just miss Liu Mo." Yan Hui stroked her hair, threateningly, "Oh, you're thinking about someone else even though your husband is here. Watch me deal with you." Qin Lu pushed his hand away, "Yan Hui, I'm tired. Let's rest early." The phone flashed twice. Qin Lu opened her inbox. Liu Mo's text message read only seven words, "Baby, I love you, be strong." Qin Lu sent a "3" and turned off her phone. Qin Lu didn't know how to face this event and person. Life must continue. She didn't want too many people to know about this. Teachers at the university loved gossiping in their spare time, and she didn't want to become the center of everyone's talk.