Chapter 82 The Secret in the Cellphone

The dinner ended hastily in an unpleasant atmosphere.

Lin Yu suddenly felt a deep weariness of this dangerous relationship of playing both sides, and even absurdly admired Qi Chengshi's ability to seamlessly navigate between different emotions.

It turns out that dealing with two men at the same time, or being caught between two men, is such an exhausting and frustrating experience.

An hour later, she finished getting ready, went downstairs, and got into Jiang Chuan's car parked by the roadside.

As Lin Yu passed the first floor, she couldn't help but look at Chen Guang's tightly closed door. The dark peephole on the door gave her the illusion that he was standing behind the door, watching her leave.

As usual, Jiang Chuan handed her an exquisitely wrapped gift box. He would bring her gifts every time he went on a business trip; it had almost become a routine.

This time, however, Lin Yu felt none of the usual anticipation and joy.

Mechanically, he took the gift, stuffed it into his bag without even looking at it, and then, using the excuse that he was tired from working overtime, turned his head, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.

Jiang Chuan had certainly noticed Lin Yu's subtle coldness and aloofness during this period. However, his recent packed work schedule and consecutive business trips had prevented him from finding a suitable opportunity to have a proper talk with her.

The two had almost never argued before. In other words, in their past interactions, regardless of the size of the conflict, Jiang Chuan was always the one who could accurately grasp the situation and offer her a way out at the right time.

But this time, she seemed determined to maintain this calm and indifferent demeanor to the very end.

The initial desire to have a proper talk had long since been worn away by the daily grind and overthinking. No matter how much Jiang Chuan speculated, he would never have guessed the real reason for her current mood.

He would probably just blame it on his recent frequent business trips, which meant he hadn't spent enough time with her. He'd assume she was just being petulant and complain that he'd neglected her.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, the mattress sank slightly, and the fresh, damp scent of the shower wafted into Lin Yu's nostrils. Jiang Chuan lifted the covers, pulled Lin Yu, who had his back turned and eyes closed, into his arms, and kissed him tenderly.

Warm lips traced the slight curve of her spine, leaving moist and ambiguous marks on her sensitive neck.

His hand slipped inside her clothes, its familiar heat carrying a hint of heat, and moved downwards, tentatively exploring deeper. Lin Yu instinctively wanted to continue her sulking, but her body reacted before her will could.

Under his skillful teasing, her tense waistline gradually softened, and she unconsciously sank into the soft quilt, trembling and moaning softly.

Just as they were about to arrive, Jiang Chuan suddenly stopped, turned her over so that she was facing upwards and directly in front of him.

Caught off guard by the sudden pause, her cheeks flushed, her eyes brimming with desire and a hint of annoyance, and her breathing erratic.

Jiang Chuan's pajamas were wide open at the neckline, his collarbone casting alluring shadows under the warm yellow light. Lin Yu strongly suspected he was entrapping her and felt ashamed of his seductive behavior, yet she still couldn't resist falling for him.

Although she was still feeling awkward inside and didn't look pleased on the surface, she shamelessly reached out and tugged at his arm, silently signaling him to continue.

Jiang Chuan chuckled softly, lowered his head to touch Lin Yu's forehead, and gently kissed the tip of her nose, a kiss that was both close and fleeting.

As their breaths mingled, he asked in a low voice, "What's wrong, hmm?" His voice had a unique sexiness to it.

Lin Yu hadn't figured out how to confront him yet, and didn't want him to discover her secret at this moment, so she could only stubbornly say, "You're overthinking it!"

"Why didn't you keep the bracelet I gave you?" Jiang Chuan didn't give her a chance to escape, directly tearing off her disguise and seeing through her thoughts in one sentence.

"I'm afraid of damaging it, it's so valuable." Her voice was a little dry, and she unconsciously swallowed.

She couldn't resist any longer and, taking advantage of a moment when he was off guard, she asked him in a hoarse voice, "Where did you go on a business trip the time my water was cut off?"

Jiang Chuan couldn't quite remember what happened so long ago, so he thought for a moment before answering, "Beijing? What about it?"

"You really like Beijing? Lately... ha... you've been going there quite often..." Lin Yu's words were abruptly cut off by a finger that suddenly invaded, turning into a rapid gasp.

Jiang Chuan lowered his head and nibbled at the soft flesh of her cheek, his breath brushing against her face. "No..."

He spoke softly and slowly, his fingertips twirling mischievously, sending a shiver down her spine. "Only like..." The sudden, more intense movement made Lin Yu tense her legs. "...Here."

She instantly climbed onto his firm arm, and in the chaos, touched the prominent scar on Jiang Chuan's skin, biting her lip as she endured a new wave of intense and familiar impact.

All the doubts, grievances, and anger about Bai Qianhe were overturned and shattered in these fierce waves. There was no longer any energy left to sort out the root cause of her unbearable pain.

Since Jiang Chuan had an important morning meeting the next day, he unusually didn't linger and easily let go of the already exhausted Lin Yu after the meeting.

Exhausted from the journey, Jiang Chuan carried Lin Yu to wash her clean, then lay back down on the bed, his breathing gradually becoming steady.

Lin Yu's back ached, but his spirits were unusually high. He timed it perfectly and opened his eyes in the darkness. Using the faint light filtering through the curtains, he looked at the man sleeping soundly beside him.

This time, she didn't hesitate much. She took Jiang Chuan's phone with practiced ease, stepped barefoot onto the cold floor, went to the bathroom, and closed the door behind her.

Lin Yu didn't give herself much time to process things, worried that too much hesitation would undermine the courage she had finally mustered. She took a deep breath, unlocked her phone, and opened WeChat.

Lin Yu knew that Jiang Chuan had two WeChat accounts, and the private account only had a few contacts. She clicked on it and scrolled through the list, but didn't find anything unusual.

I switched back to the work account and scrolled through it from beginning to end. Finally, my gaze settled on a chat window with no notes; the thumbnail of the profile picture was a figure in a red dress standing in the back.

When you click on it, the chat history is fragmented, as if it has been manually cleared or is stored on the computer and not synced to the phone.

Lin Yu didn't have much time, so she quickly browsed through the pages from top to bottom. The cold fluorescent light reflected off her pale face. Through the fragmented conversations on the interface, she roughly pieced together the past entanglements between the two of them.

Bai Qianhe was Jiang Chuan's first love. Not long after their breakup, she hastily got married under the arrangement of her family, but her married life was not as happy as she had hoped.

Her husband has a strong tendency towards violence and will beat her at the slightest disagreement. They have no children, so she had been planning a divorce for a long time.

However, her husband's family was wealthy and powerful, and the complicated property disputes made the divorce very difficult. In the end, she had no other choice but to seek help from Jiang Chuan, asking him to handle her divorce case.

The initial conversation was relatively restrained, but as it went on, the ambiguity between the lines became increasingly obvious.

Jiang Chuan did not deny that he had a girlfriend, but Bai Qianhe still made no attempt to hide her regret and longing for him.

During the conversation, she repeatedly expressed her desire to get back together with him after the divorce. She complained that if he had persisted a little longer, their child might be calling him "Dad" by now.

Although Jiang Chuan spoke in a businesslike tone throughout, it was clear that something was taking root and sprouting in the soil of his indulgence.

He could have easily ignored her, could have easily shattered her fantasy, but he didn't.

Not only did he not take on her divorce case, but he also took it on even though he wasn't in Beijing and even though that wasn't his main focus.

Perhaps, in the adult world, it's normal to occasionally say inappropriate things with an ex on WeChat, but when it happens to you, it just makes you feel like you can't breathe.

Jiang Chuan's deep bond with his ex-girlfriend made her feel inexplicably threatened.

There was no provocation, no hostility, and not even a trace of concern for her in Bai Qianhe's words. It was as if Jiang Chuan was still hers for the taking, and as long as she was willing to turn back, he would definitely abandon himself and return to her side.

This was a tremendous insult and denial to Lin Yu. Perhaps in this chaotic love triangle, she had always been humble, disrespected, and even unworthy of being brought into the open.

Lin Yu was so angry that he trembled all over, and decided to give up and do whatever he wanted.

She exited WeChat, opened Alipay, and easily found Bai Qianhe's Alipay account using the phone number Bai Qianhe had saved in WeChat.

Upon opening the transaction records between the two individuals, Lin Yu's vision went black.

Jiang Chuan's money transfers started three years ago, with one transaction every few months or half a year. The amounts were not large, but when added up, they far exceeded the normal range.

The last entry was made six months ago, which was right when the two had just gotten together.

Bai Qianhe accepted the money as if it were perfectly natural, and never even mentioned it in their WeChat conversations, which further revealed the unusual nature of their relationship.

She stared intently at the screen, suddenly unsure of Jiang Chuan's attitude towards Bai Qianhe.

What could possibly motivate a man to continuously lend money to his ex-girlfriend, whom he broke up with years ago? Is it guilt? Compensation? Or some unspoken understanding that she cannot interfere with?

Lin Yu felt a chill run through her body, as if she had been struck hard in the chest with a blunt object. She suddenly realized that she didn't understand Jiang Chuan at all, and might never have truly entered his world.

Bai Qianhe, however, remained in that unreachable shadow, accepting his gifts with nonchalance. Most ridiculously, she wasn't even sure if she had the right to question him.

A sudden, indescribable fear and resentment welled up inside me. I suddenly felt caught in the middle, like a joke.

A relationship that lasted only a few months seemed so fragile and insignificant compared to the other person's ten-year relationship. She even made him a ring herself—how incredibly foolish!

What does she mean to Jiang Chuan?

If he truly loves her as much as he claims, how could he do something to hurt her and make her feel so insecure? If he has no feelings for her, how could he propose to her without any guilt?

Or perhaps, Jiang Chuan simply couldn't face Bai Qianhe's expectations of him, or he still resented that she hadn't stood firmly by his side back then.

So he created the illusion that everything was settled by getting involved with a woman he didn't love but was somewhat interested in, turning the marriage into a means for him to get revenge on his first love.

This explains why his relationship with her progressed so quickly.

Perhaps from the very beginning, Lin Yu misjudged the depth and loyalty of this love. He might have only been a temporary stepping stone for Jiang Chuan. And in his heart, he may have always reserved a place for another life.

But why her? Why was she the only one who was unlucky enough to become part of their game?

Lin Yu was at a loss for what to do and suddenly felt a sense of utter despair regarding the relationship.

The tap was running, the sound amplified in the quiet night. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror: her eyes were red-rimmed, her face was pale, and she was filled with panic and pain.

In an instant, I suddenly felt that there was no need to confront Jiang Chuan anymore.