Volume One, Chapter 12: Who Is He?

“Let’s go. I’ll walk you back to your room first.”
Huo Shixu took Su Yuan and left.
Song Nanyi wasn’t there.
Su Yuan’s voice softened even more. “Shixu, how many days will you be on your business trip? I’m alone at home and I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle Sister Nanyi.”
Huo Shixu knew Song Nanyi from before—delicate, willful, but kindhearted.
But now... he really couldn’t understand her anymore.
“She... won’t make things difficult for you.” Even he wasn’t sure.
“I know, I’m just afraid I might do something wrong and make Sister Nanyi angry...” Su Yuan lightly grasped Huo Shixu’s wrist. “Shixu, why don’t you take me with you on the trip? I’ll behave.”
“The work schedule is tight, really can’t...” Huo Shixu looked into Su Yuan’s hopeful eyes. “Yuan, you should try to get along with Nanyi. She’s not a bad person.”
“Oh.” Su Yuan let go of Huo Shixu’s hand, a bit disappointed, then quickly gave him a reassuring smile. “Shixu, I’ll try. I have to get used to living alone with Sister Nanyi anyway. You can go on your trip without worries.”
Su Yuan’s demeanor was very sensible.
Huo Shixu nodded with satisfaction.
Back in the living room,
Song Nanyi was holding her laptop, reviewing the work documents she used.
She didn’t notice him come in.
He stood for a moment, then sat beside her with a hint of distance. “Is work busy lately?”
Song Nanyi didn’t look up and replied, “There’s a project to sign. After you return from your trip, I’ll leave.”
Huo Shixu looked at Song Nanyi’s profile.
She wasn’t a career-driven woman; she preferred shopping, spas, and afternoon tea.
He had promised to support her.
That promise still held.
“Actually, you don’t need to work so hard. We’re not short of money at home.” He handed her a black gold card. “I haven’t seen your spending notifications lately. Take this card, don’t hesitate to use it.”
Song Nanyi closed her laptop.
She turned to look at Huo Shixu.
He was sincere.
But he hadn’t figured out what she wanted, nor what he could give her.
“I have my own income. Take this money back. There’ll be more expenses ahead.”
He understood the unspoken words.
Her expression gradually darkened.
“Nanyi, you really don’t understand...” He didn’t say it outright, but the emotion got the better of him. He threw the card onto the table. “I don’t want you to make a rash decision. We can talk things through.”
Song Nanyi smiled.
Rarely did Huo Shixu take the time to discuss their relationship.
But if it wasn’t about divorce, she’d rather go to sleep now.
“Huo Shixu, I’m not impulsive. I’ve thought this through clearly. There’s no love between us anymore. Living together only tortures us both. It’s better to let go and live our separate lives.”
He remained silent.
A long silence stretched on until Song Nanyi yawned from exhaustion.

He finally looked up at her. “Who is he?”
Song Nanyi was taken aback.
She smiled lightly. “Do you really have to invent someone who doesn’t exist?”
If that’s the case, there’s no point in continuing this.
“On Yuan’s birthday, I saw Lu Weiqian talking with you for a long time.” His gaze was dark, cold, tinged with jealousy. “I checked the surveillance. He’s quite worried about you.”
Lu Weiqian was Huo Shixu’s childhood friend.
Now Huo Shixu was beginning to suspect even his best friend.
This was something Song Nanyi never expected.
How could someone be so shameless?
He was the one who changed his heart.
He was the one who stopped loving first.
Yet he wanted to throw dirt on her.
Song Nanyi was deeply disappointed.
The man she once loved was so despicable.
“If you suspect Lu Weiqian and me have some secret relationship, you can call him here and confront us face to face.”
“I just said he cares about you. What are you guilty about?” Huo Shixu sneered, lighting a cigarette and bringing it to his lips. “Nanyi, there’s a lot tied up in our marriage. I don’t want any changes.”
He crushed the cigarette in his hand.
His large hand gripped the woman’s slender waist and drew close. “Haven’t we been intimate for a while? Feeling down?”
The faint scent of mint smoke was unpleasant to her.
He never smoked in front of her before.
This was already the second time.
Song Nanyi gently pushed him away, picked up her laptop, and stood. “Get some rest. I’m going to bed.”
They parted on bad terms.
Sharing the bed but living separate dreams.
During Huo Shixu’s business trip,
Song Nanyi usually went to the studio early and returned late.
She avoided seeing Su Yuan, and Su Yuan likely avoided her as well.
That evening,
She sat by the pool, lost in thought.
“Sister Nanyi.” Su Yuan, wrapped in a towel, approached. “Are you going to swim too?”
Song Nanyi replied coldly, “I don’t know how to swim.”
“Actually, neither do I, but I like water. Just dipping my feet is nice.”
Su Yuan sat down not far beside Song Nanyi, swinging her feet in the water.
Her feet splashed, dazzling Su Yuan’s gaze.

“How did you two meet?” Song Nanyi suddenly grew curious about things she hadn’t known in her previous life. “I mean, before Huo Shixu introduced you to me, had you known each other for a long time?”
Su Yuan was caught off guard by the question.
After a moment’s hesitation, she softly said, “We met... just like he said, during the rescue. It was about half a year before the charity gala. Shixu felt sorry for me and often came to visit...”
Su Yuan still looked like a little victim. “…Sister Nanyi, don’t misunderstand.”
In other words, in her previous life, from the moment they met until she sent Su Yuan away from Jiangcheng, they had spent over a year together.
The time when love was at its most intense.
No wonder he had taken such revenge on her.
“Do you like him?” Song Nanyi asked again.
Su Yuan waved her hands as if startled. “Sister Nanyi, how could I like Shixu? I just see him as my older brother. We’re not like that.”
Su Yuan didn’t admit it.
Song Nanyi didn’t believe her.
The wind picked up.
Song Nanyi was about to leave.
As she stood, Su Yuan also stood suddenly.
“Sister Nanyi...” Unsure of what to say, Su Yuan turned abruptly, lost her balance, flailed her hands in the air, and tumbled awkwardly into the pool.
Song Nanyi instinctively reached to catch her.
She grabbed Su Yuan, but both of them fell into the water.
Su Yuan struggled, calling for help, continuously pushing Song Nanyi underwater.
Those sinking into water use all their strength to survive. Song Nanyi was pushed down, unable to surface, struggling beneath the water.
“Help...”
“Help...”
“Help...”
Hearing the cries, Huo Shixu dashed into the pool without hesitation.
As expected, he swam toward Su Yuan.
Song Nanyi sank deeper, tears chilling her eyes underwater.
In her previous life, after marriage, she and Huo Shixu often played in this pool.
Whenever he tried to teach her to swim, she would clutch his neck and ask, “Shixu, if something happens to me, would you save me first?”
He would answer without hesitation, “Of course. You are my life.”
But now, he was no longer the Huo Shixu who loved her desperately.
Tears streamed from her eyes underwater.
Song Nanyi sank deeper and deeper, slowly losing consciousness.
After bringing Su Yuan to shore, Huo Shixu turned back to rescue Song Nanyi.
He dove to the bottom, wrapped his arms around her waist, and swam upward. “Nanyi, Nanyi...”