Wang Hai slept until noon. He reached across the bed with his eyes still closed, but his hand came up empty.

He opened his eyes. The room was empty.

"Honey—"

Wang Hai’s voice was terribly hoarse. He hadn’t slept much last night.

"Honey."

He called out again. When there was no response, he sat up.

He grabbed a bathrobe, threw it on, and went into the bathroom. It was also empty.

He called the front desk. The receptionist knew him because of his connection to He Lang.

"Did you see my wife leave?"

The receptionist replied, "I did. She left a little after seven this morning."

"That early?"

"Yes."

Wang Hai hung up the phone. He stood stunned for a moment, then quickly threw on his clothes. He left the hotel and rushed home.

When he got home, he saw that Meng Ye wasn’t there.

Then he suddenly felt something was wrong. Wang Hai took a closer look and realized many things were missing from the house.

Wang Hai ran to the bedroom and saw that, sure enough, all of Meng Ye’s belongings were gone.

Wang Hai roared, "Meng Ye! How dare you leave!"

He started to wonder where Meng Ye could have gone.

Meng Ye owned an apartment in the same complex. Wang Hai went over to her place and knocked for a long time, but no one answered.

’Her parents’ place?’

And so, Wang Hai spent the entire day searching, but he couldn’t find Meng Ye anywhere.

With no other options, he went to find Xue Yue, looking utterly defeated.

He truly couldn’t think of anywhere else Meng Ye might be.

Xue Yue was her friend; maybe she knew something.

It was only then that he learned from Xue Yue that Meng Ye had gone to her office the previous morning and quit her job.

Wang Hai mumbled, "She quit?"

Xue Yue nodded. "You didn’t know?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Wang Hai shook his head.

He didn’t know. Meng Ye hadn’t mentioned it when she came back.

Meng Ye had gone out yesterday morning. She’d said she was making a trip to her office. It turned out she went to resign.

He Lang asked him, "Have you checked all the places Meng Ye could be in Beijing City?"

Wang Hai nodded. "I’ve checked them all. I don’t know if there are other places she could be that I’m not aware of."

Of course, Xue Yue didn’t know either.

For the next few days, Wang Hai searched everywhere for her. In his desperation, he even filed a police report. But she was an adult who had left of her own free will, so there was nothing the police could do. Not only did they fail to find her, but the report also alerted Meng Ye’s father.

He didn’t confront Wang Hai directly. Instead, he had someone investigate the matter.

The next time He Lang saw Wang Hai, it was to visit him in the hospital. Someone had broken his leg.

"Who did it? Did you call the police?"

Of course, Wang Hai knew who was responsible. "No need. Has Meng Ye contacted your wife?"

He Lang shook his head. "If Meng Ye wants to hide, you won’t find her. I think it’s very likely she’s already left Beijing City."

Wang Hai now suspected the same thing—that Meng Ye was no longer in Beijing City.

’If that’s the case, I’ll never find her.’

A terrible panic seized Wang Hai, and he clutched at his chest.

His hands began to tremble.

Seeing him in this state, He Lang rushed to call a doctor.

Meng Ye had just left, without contacting anyone or saying a word to a soul.

From then on, Wang Hai was like a different person. He was constantly disheveled and scruffy, spending his days either drinking or getting into fights. He even got arrested and spent half a month in jail.

The other woman came looking for Wang Hai a few more times, always asking for money. Wang Hai had someone take the child away and threw the woman out.

He sent the child to live with his parents.

Wang Hai was undeniably ruthless, not only to others but also to himself. He never properly treated the leg that had been broken, and now he walked with a permanent limp.

Sometimes, he would still show up to drink with He Lang—though it was more like He Lang watched him drink.

He Lang tried to reason with him. "Let it go. Life goes on, doesn’t it? You should get that leg looked at by a doctor again, before you end up permanently disabled."

Wang Hai leaned back on the sofa, his words slurring with drunkenness. "Life goes on, sure. But who you live it with and how you live it... how can it be the same? I don’t care anymore. Let it be. The only time I feel like I’m alive is when my leg hurts."

He Lang snapped, "What the hell were you doing before? It’s too late to say all this now! If you ask me, now is when you should be getting your life together. What if Meng Ye comes back someday? Her home is here. If she returns and sees you in this pathetic state, she’ll despise you even more."

Wang Hai closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the sofa as tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.

People... you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

It’s so easy to overlook the happiness right in front of you, but it’s also the easiest thing to destroy. A heart can only take so much torment. Once a wound is there, it will ache and bleed from time to time.

When He Lang went home and told Xue Yue about Wang Hai’s situation, Xue Yue just sneered.

He Lang suddenly leaned close to Xue Yue, staring at her as he asked in a low voice, "Honey, did Meng Ye tell you she was going to leave?"

A flicker of something crossed Xue Yue’s eyes. "No."

He Lang moved even closer, his breath brushing against her face.

"I don’t believe you. Actually, what you said the day Brother Wang came looking for you had a hole in it."

Xue Yue pursed her lips, looking at him. "What did I say?"

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "You said Meng Ye went to her office to resign. You and Meng Ye don’t work in the same department, so her resignation definitely wouldn’t have crossed your desk. That means you either ran into her at the office, or she went to see you. Am I right?"

Xue Yue asked him, "Does Wang Hai know?"

He Lang shook his head. "He didn’t even think of that. I figured it out on my own."

Xue Yue rolled her eyes at him.

He Lang pinched Xue Yue’s cheek. "So, was I right?"

Xue Yue nodded in resignation. "She came to say goodbye to me."

"Then do you know where she went?"

Xue Yue shook her head. "That I really don’t know. I didn’t ask her. I just guessed from what she said that she was planning to leave Beijing City."

"Why didn’t you say anything?"

Xue Yue scoffed. "Why should I? Since that woman on the outside is so wonderful, and he’s got the son he’s always wanted, I guess Meng Ye is disposable, isn’t she?"

As she spoke, she pointed a finger at He Lang. "I really don’t understand you men. How much room do you have in your hearts? It doesn’t matter how good the woman at home is, you still have to taste every piece of shit you find on the street just to see what it’s like."

He Lang’s mouth twitched. He wrapped an arm around Xue Yue’s shoulders. "I say, Honey, can you not be so disgusting?"

Xue Yue said coldly, "I was being nice. A guy like Wang Hai deserves it. Now that she’s gone, he’s putting on this act of being all deep and devoted. Where was all that before? What a piece of work."

"If I were Meng Ye, I wouldn’t have left. I would’ve stayed in Beijing City and found another man right under his nose. No, I’d get a new man every day. It’s not like he’s the only one who can play around. As if anyone can’t live without him. A three-legged toad is hard to find, but three-legged men are everywhere."

He Lang was left utterly dumbfounded by Xue Yue’s bold declaration.

As she spoke, she shot him a look. "And you. From now on, you’d better spend less time with him. Bad habits like that are contagious. If you ever dare to mess around on the outside like Wang Hai, I’ll break your third leg."

He Lang blinked, quickly declaring his loyalty. "I wouldn’t dare. With a fierce wife at home, this humble servant wouldn’t dream of misbehaving."

Hearing this, Xue Yue suddenly broke character.

"Hahaha."