On this sunny day, Xia Liang, as usual, safely delivered her two adorable children to school and returned home in a cheerful mood. However, when she reached her doorstep, the scene before her startled her—a disheveled, haggard-looking stranger sat in front of the door, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.

Xia Liang felt a surge of panic and involuntarily took a few steps back, hesitating whether to step forward and ask. Just then, the woman suddenly stood up and rushed straight towards Xia Liang, shouting, "Xia Liang, you have to help me!"

Xia Liang was about to kick the strange woman, but when she heard the woman's voice, she couldn't help but feel confused and shouted, "Ning Mei? What are you doing here? And what happened to you? Why are you like this?" You see, Ning Mei was always so noble, elegant and poised, and it was hard to believe that she was in such a disheveled state.

Xia Liang quickly grabbed Ning Mei's hand and hurriedly led her home. Along the way, neighbors in the alley curiously peeked out, but fortunately, they were wary of Xia Liang's usual fierce style and only observed from a distance, without coming closer to join the commotion.

Once home, Aunt Liu quickly brought a basin of clean water to help Ning Mei wash and tidy herself up. After Ning Mei was clean and presentable, Xia Liang noticed that her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She hurriedly asked with concern, "What happened? Tell me quickly!"

Ning Mei sobbed, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls. Her voice choked as she said, "How could Liu Yuanyuan betray me?" With each word, her body trembled involuntarily, as if she were suffering immense inner torment. Xia Liang gently patted Ning Mei's back, wanting to comfort her but unsure how to begin. In truth, Xia Liang had felt a sense of aversion towards Liu Yuanyuan ever since their first meeting. Liu Yuanyuan's appearance-based, opportunistic behavior disgusted Xia Liang. Of course, she couldn't comment too much; after all, Liu Yuanyuan was Ning Mei's friend, and as an outsider, Xia Liang shouldn't interfere.

After crying for a while, Ning Mei calmed down a bit. Still sobbing, she told Xia Liang everything that had happened last night: "Last night, my husband didn't come home until very late. At first, I was worried that he was working overtime because he was busy, so I didn't dare to bother him. But when I called his office, Liu Yuanyuan answered! She even said that my husband was taking a shower..." Before she could finish speaking, the tears she had just stopped welled up again.

Xia Liang was utterly shocked upon hearing this. Such a melodramatic plot—her best friend and husband entangled in a complicated relationship—was actually happening right next to her. It was simply unbelievable! She couldn't help but feel heartbroken and angry for Ning Mei.

Xia Liang looked at Ning Mei with a puzzled expression and said, "Didn't you try to verify it? What if there's some misunderstanding?" She knew in her heart that it was better to advise reconciliation than separation; after all, it was a matter between the young couple, and she didn't want to get too involved. She didn't want things to turn out like those stories from later generations, where she kindly tried to persuade them to break up, only to find that they had reconciled and she was telling her partner that she had never thought they were a good match. Otherwise, she would be like Pigsy looking in the mirror—unpopular with everyone.

Ning Mei frowned and replied with a somber expression, "When I heard those words, I couldn't bear it. I was so angry that I hung up the phone and rushed out the door. I originally planned to go back to my parents' house, but if I went back in my current state, my family would definitely worry about me. Besides, they are all old and in poor health, and I really don't want them to worry about me anymore. But I left in such a hurry that I didn't take a single penny with me, and I didn't know where I could go. I sat outside all night last night. Today, I thought I'd try my luck at your door and see if you could give me some advice."

Hearing Ning Mei's words, Xia Liang sighed helplessly. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke up, "Then why don't we go to his company and find him to see what he has to say? Maybe there really is some misunderstanding... just in case..." At this point, Xia Liang suddenly stopped, seemingly hesitant to continue.

If what Ning Mei thought was true, that Lu Zhenting would actually take a bath in the presence of other strange women was obviously an extremely unusual thing! However, she did not want to complicate matters, and she was even less willing to fall into the kind of melodramatic plot where problems were solved face to face, misunderstandings were created, they went their separate ways, and then the truth was only discovered years later.

Xia Liang knew this, so she asked Liu Ma to prepare food for Ning Mei, and then took her to Lu Zhenting's company without hesitation. Upon arrival, the receptionist told them that Lu Zhenting had not returned to work since leaving last night, and asked them to wait in the boss's office.

Since Ning Mei had been here before, the receptionist naturally recognized her and led the two directly into the office. Once inside, the receptionist politely withdrew. Xia Liang began to carefully examine the room, which was approximately fifty square meters in size: it contained a comfortable sofa, a large desk and chair in the center, behind which was a huge bookcase, and to the left of the bookcase was a simple bathroom.

Not long after, the office door was flung open with a bang, and a man rushed in. He spotted Ning Mei immediately and, without a word, pulled her into a tight embrace, saying in a slightly anxious tone, "Wife, where did you go last night? I was so worried! I looked for you all night! This morning, Jing Ang asked me where you were when he woke up, and I was worried about making him miss school, so I lied and said you went to your grandma's house."

At that moment, Ning Mei, who had been nestled in her husband's arms, trembled violently upon hearing the word "evening," and then began to struggle desperately. Lu Zhenting noticed his wife's unusual emotional change, looked down, and saw Ning Mei's tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls. Startled, he quickly comforted her, "What's wrong, Mei Mei? Is something wrong? Tell me quickly, your husband is here, everything will be alright!"

Xia Liang silently watched the scene unfold before her. Lu Zhenting's anxious expression didn't seem like he was indifferent to Ning Mei. However, this alone couldn't prove anything, since some men have a very unique way of thinking—their upper and lower bodies can think about problems completely separately.