Assistant Lin was somewhat surprised. After all, Su Ning'an had been the most cherished person in Lu Shiyan's life for the past two years. He probed further, "Mr. Lu, specifically, which aspects should we investigate?"
"I want to know exactly how Wanwan lost the baby. And what she did to Wanwan behind my back."
Lu Shiyan's frown deepened. I could see the conflict and contradiction within him.
On one hand, he wanted to uncover the truth, but on the other, he feared the truth might be too cruel, tearing to shreds the facade he had built around Su Ning'an.
Because the more despicable Su Ning'an proved to be, the more it highlighted how deeply he had hurt me in the past, and the shameful role he had played in it all.
So he had no choice but to add, "Also, arrange my trip abroad as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir. It's already very late today. You should get some rest first."
Lu Shiyan's flight was scheduled for the afternoon the next day, and he still had a pile of unfinished tasks.
So that night, he didn't go home. Dragging his exhausted body, he went to the company suite to rest for a while.
I hadn't been here in a long time. The layout had changed significantly since my time. The photos of him and me had been replaced, at some point, with pictures of Lu Shiyan and Su Ning'an.
The bedsheets were in a pattern Su Ning'an liked, and her belongings were placed on the side storage shelf.
Lu Shiyan was already very tired, but he froze when he saw that everything in the suite was related to Su Ning'an.
He sat on the bed, loosened his tie with one hand, and lit a cigarette.
He looked both haggard and lonely, staring unblinkingly at the photo on the nightstand.
Perhaps he also found it strange. That was supposed to be his and my space, yet it was filled with traces of Su Ning'an everywhere. What did that make me?
After finishing the cigarette, he didn't wash up. Instead, he found a tote bag and stuffed everything belonging to Su Ning'an into it.
As if doing so could completely erase Su Ning'an from his world.
He intended to temporarily stash the collected items in the closet. But when he pulled the closet door open, he was stunned.
Apart from his own clothes, half the closet space was occupied by Su Ning'an's clothes.
From spring to winter, even including pajamas, bathrobes, and intimate apparel.
Lu Shiyan looked and looked, then started laughing, before flying into a rage, haphazardly pulling several items of clothing onto the floor.
See? Su Ning'an had long infiltrated every aspect of his life. He could clear out the clothes, but he couldn't erase the evidence of her presence.
Frustrated, Lu Shiyan abandoned everything and went to the bathroom, slamming the door shut with a loud BANG.
I crouched on the floor, looking at the bag he had thrown down. The topmost photo frame had fallen out, the glass shattered, a crack running right between him and Su Ning'an.
Now, I felt no sense of comfort whatsoever.
Because I knew all too well that in the past, my photos had probably been smashed and replaced in the same way.
Maybe one day he would discover Su Ning'an's true nature. But so what?
I would never forgive them. I could never come back.
Lu Shiyan was too tired to clean up. He stepped over the mess, lay down on the bed, turned off the light, and tried to sleep.
His elbow rested over his eyes, so I couldn't see his expression.
I could only see the outline of his shoulders trembling slightly. In the quiet room, his voice sounded, "Wanwan..."
I stood with my hands behind my back, by the window, gazing at the bustling metropolis in the distance.
Even at 3 a.m., cars still streamed by, and the lights in the skyscraper opposite blazed brightly.
How many people found sleep difficult tonight?
My family, how many more peaceful days and nights can you sleep soundly? I'm waiting to see.
Lu Shiyan only slept for a few hours. He woke as the first rays of morning sunlight fell on his face.
He opened the wardrobe to choose his clothes for the day. Out of habit, he reached for the light-colored suit, but then, seemingly remembering something, his hand ultimately chose a dark-colored one instead.
Pushing the door open, Lu Shiyan walked out with determined steps.
His first task was to contact his personal assistant. "Throw out all the things inside."
The assistant, Xiao Xu, clearly hesitated. He had been in this role for several years and was well aware of the changes in the suite.
"But... those things all belong to Miss Ning'an. If she sees they're gone next time, she'll definitely be angry."
Everyone knew Su Ning'an's importance to him, especially given her well-known heart condition.
Whenever Su Ning'an visited, everyone treated her like a revered ancestor.
If she were accidentally agitated into a heart attack, who could bear the responsibility?
Xiao Xu's cautious inquiry, however, provoked extreme displeasure in Lu Shiyan.
BANG!
Lu Shiyan slammed his coffee cup down. "She is my sister, not my wife! Is it appropriate to have her things in my bedroom?"
"Inappropriate, completely inappropriate." Xiao Xu nodded and bowed, quickly cleaning up the spilled coffee.
I felt somewhat sorry for him. Clearly, all of this had been permitted by Lu Shiyan himself. Without his tacit approval, how would Su Ning'an have had the audacity to go this far?
Where does he get the face to blame others now?
A junior assistant, needing the job, certainly wouldn't dare speak the truth.
After cleaning the floor, he went to the suite and found the pile of things Lu Shiyan had thrown on the floor.
There was everything from daily necessities to clothing. Uncertain, he asked again, "Mr. Lu, should I throw all of it away?"
Lu Shiyan answered through gritted teeth, "All of it!"
"Understood."
"Wait. After you've thrown out this trash, put Mrs. Lu's things back."
A look of difficulty flashed across Xiao Xu's face. "This... Mr. Lu."
"What is it?"
"The photo frames of you and Mrs. Lu... they were smashed by Miss Ning'an before. I wanted to keep the photos, but she said it wasn't necessary, that there were plenty more, and told me to throw them out."
"And Mrs. Lu's clothes... Miss Ning'an also said they were out of style and had me discard them all."
Lu Shiyan instantly flew into a rage. "How dare you!"