"If you've ever lain with her before, I must admit, I would feel somewhat uneasy," she confessed candidly. "After all, I was a pure maiden when I was with you; it's only fair to be on equal footing."
"And what of love?"
Gu Lili paused, startled. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, what if I still love her? Would that trouble you?"
"Anyone would be deeply troubled by that."
He smiled and pressed on, "And if it did trouble you, what then?"
Gu Lili hadn't contemplated that. "Nothing… Besides, such a thing would never happen to me."
"Oh?" Long Yubei said with a knowing smile, "And why such certainty?"
"If you still loved her, you wouldn't have married me, nor shared such intimacy with me. It's that simple. When one loves another, how could they engage in such acts with someone else—unless forced by circumstance."
"But you must understand, those who refrain from physical relations with others out of love—be it within marriage or otherwise—are exceedingly rare. Most people separate love from physical connection; they love one person but marry another."
"And you?" Gu Lili's eyes grew serious. "Do you still love your former?"
"The moment I made love to you, I ceased to love her."
Her face flushed a deep crimson. "So crude."
"Please omit that last word, or I might think you're complimenting me."
"..."
Once home, he swept her up effortlessly, carrying her upstairs with steady steps. She nestled into his embrace, clutching his neck tightly, suffused with a quiet joy.
Gu Xichen arrived home, expecting a warm meal and to see his beloved as usual, but found the house cold and deserted. He had no idea where He Meiwei had gone.
He called her; the phone connected but no one answered.
Recalling that He Meiwei had seemed melancholy these past days, so unlike her usual bright self, he worried she might be troubled.
After waiting nearly half an hour without her return, he went out searching.
As he opened the door, he found her crouched by the entrance, clearly intoxicated.
"Meiwei," he hurried to steady her arm, "why are you drinking?"
She straightened, casting him a glance before breaking into a sudden, bitter smile.
That smile bore a quiet pallor, as if mocking him—and herself.
"Xichen, do you regret it?"
"Regret what?"
"Gu Lili was once your fiancée."
Gu Xichen hurried her inside, speaking as they walked, "I don't regret it. The one I love is you."
"How can such a thing happen in this world?" she murmured, sinking onto the sofa. "A wild girl raised in the mountains has actually married Long Yubei…"
"Long Yubei's just playing with her," Gu Xichen said dismissively of the newlyweds. "And yet, she really believes she's found a golden husband."
"A wild hen remains a wild hen," He Meiwei sneered bitterly. "Moving into a phoenix's nest doesn't change the fact she's still a wild hen."
Gu Xichen paused mid-pour, then filled her cup and handed it over. "That's harsh. After all, she was raised by my mother—practically another daughter to her. Don't speak of her so."
"Am I wrong?" She glared at him, fiercely smashing the teacup to the floor with a sharp, ringing crash. "She is a wild hen. She doesn't deserve Long Yubei. She simply doesn't!"