Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

She agreed to the divorce, and she was the one who turned around and left first at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

From beginning to end, she made all the decisions, and he obeyed.

When they got married, she threatened to kill herself, and he married her anyway.

When they divorced, she produced those photos and recordings, and he agreed to the divorce.

Now she wants to turn back, but he's no longer there.

Su Meng leaned back on the sofa, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes and streaming down her cheeks.

She didn't wipe it; she let it flow.

She remembered how Cui Ying had linked arms with Chen Ping during the day, how he hadn't pulled away, and how he had gotten into that white Porsche with Cui Ying.

Su Meng stood up, folded the clothes on the sofa one by one, put them back in the suitcase, zipped it up, and pushed it to the back of the bedroom closet.

She washed her face, lay down, and pulled the covers up.

The scene from the daytime resurfaced.

Cui Ying rushed out of the car and grabbed Chen Ping's arm.

She wanted to go over to Cui Ying, to take her hand away, to say "He's mine," but she didn't.

Because she knew she had no right to say that.

Chen Ping is no longer hers.

From the moment he turned and left at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, that was no longer the case.

Su Meng pulled the blanket up to cover her entire face, so no one could see if she was crying.

…………

The next morning, as soon as Chen Ping came downstairs, Cui Ying was already sitting at the dining table.

She changed into a light pink sweatshirt and tied her hair in a low ponytail, looking much more energetic than yesterday.

On the table were porridge, steamed buns, and several side dishes. Cui Ying's mother sat opposite her, holding a bowl in her hand. When she saw Chen Ping come down, she nodded but didn't say anything.

"Eat quickly, and I'll take you shopping for clothes after you finish." Cui Ying pushed a bowl of porridge in front of him.

Chen Ping sat down and took a sip of porridge: "No need to buy, I have clothes."

"How long have you been wearing those clothes? Besides, you still have a head injury. Buy some new clothes to change your mood."

Cui Ying's tone left no room for negotiation; it was completely different when she spoke to her mother.

After finishing their meal, Cui Ying pulled Chen Ping out the door.

The white Porsche was parked at the entrance. She got into the driver's seat, fastened her seatbelt, and Chen Ping got into the passenger seat.

As soon as the car drove out of the residential area, Chen Ping's phone vibrated.

He took out his phone and saw a message from Su Meng: "I'm at home. When are you coming to pick up your clothes?"

Chen Ping stared at the screen for two seconds, then typed: "I'll be right there."

Cui Ying turned her head and glanced at him, not asking who it was, but pursing her lips slightly.

"No need to buy clothes, I'll go home and get them. They're all brand new," Chen Ping said.

Cui Ying didn't say anything, but simply turned around and headed straight for the neighborhood where Chen Ping lived.

The car drove to that familiar neighborhood.

Chen Ping got out of the car, stood downstairs, and looked up at the window on the seventh floor.

The curtains were drawn, so you couldn't see inside.

"I'll wait for you in the car..." Cui Ying said.

Although Cui Ying didn't like Chen Ping having any contact with Su Meng, she knew what propriety meant at this moment, so she didn't go up with Chen Ping.

"Hmm!" Chen Ping nodded.

Chen Ping turned and entered the building.

The elevator reached the seventh floor, and the doors opened.

The corridor was quiet, and the motion-activated lights weren't on. He stomped his foot, and the lights came on.

He walked to the door. The door was the same as before, a dark brown security door. The red "囍" character that they had put up when they got married was still on the doorknob. It was faded and the corners were curled up, but it was still there.

He had lived here for five years.

He rang the doorbell.

The door opened.

Su Meng stood at the door, wearing a black turtleneck sweater, her hair down, and without makeup.

There were two dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept well all night.

She glanced at Chen Ping, her gaze lingering on the gauze on his forehead for a moment, before stepping aside.

"Come in."

Chen Ping walked in. The living room was still the same, with the sofa, coffee table, and TV cabinet; even the potted green ivy on the coffee table hadn't been moved.

His slippers were still on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, and everything in the room was exactly the same as when he left.

Su Meng didn't move anything, not even the place where his slippers were.

Chen Ping changed his shoes and went into the living room.

Two suitcases, one dark blue and one black, sat side by side next to the sofa, with the worn-out luggage tags still hanging on their zippers.

Su Meng stood beside the sofa, her hands in her pockets, looking at him.

"I've packed all my clothes. The winter clothes are in the coat compartment, the shirts and pants are underneath, and the shoes couldn't fit in the suitcase, so I packed them in a separate bag."

She pointed to the bag by the door, "It's all your usual clothes, you shouldn't have forgotten anything."

Chen Ping squatted down, unzipped the suitcase, and took a look.

The clothes were folded neatly, stacked layer by layer, and even the colors were sorted.

He zipped up his jacket, stood up, carrying a suitcase in one hand and slung the bag of shoes over his arm.

"Thank you," Chen Ping said calmly.

Su Meng looked at him, her lips moving slightly.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Chen Ping was carrying his things towards the door when he heard her voice behind him as he reached the entrance.

"Chen Ping."

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Could we have lunch together at noon?"

Chen Ping stood there, looking at the dark brown security door in front of him, and at the faded "囍" character on the doorknob.

He was silent for two seconds, then shook his head.

"No need." His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear. "Someone is waiting for me downstairs."

He opened the door and went out.

The door closed very quietly behind him, but he heard it.

Su Meng stood in the living room, staring at the closed door, for a long time.

Then she slowly walked to the balcony, drew back the curtains, and opened the window.

A white Porsche was parked downstairs. Cui Ying was leaning against the car door, wearing a light pink hoodie, holding her phone and looking down at it.

Chen Ping came out of the building entrance. Cui Ying looked up, saw him, quickly ran over, took the paper bag from his hand, opened the trunk, and put the things inside.

She said something, and Chen Ping shook his head and smiled.

Then the two got into the car, the white Porsche started, and slowly drove out of the residential area, merging into the traffic. The taillights flashed as it drove further and further away.

Su Meng stood on the balcony, her hand gripping the window frame, her knuckles white.

The wind blew, hitting her face with her hair, but she ignored it.

The car was out of sight, but she was still standing there.

She slowly squatted down, leaned against the wall, and sat on the ground.

The balcony floor tiles were cool, and the coolness seeped through her pants, but she didn't feel it.

She looked down at the road and at the cars coming and going.

She lowered her head and buried her face in her knees.

My shoulder twitched, then twitched again.

There was no sound, absolutely no sound.

The wind blew in through the window, making the curtains rustle.

She sat there for a long time.