Chapter 3: Everything You Have Is What I Do Not Desire

"Sang Ke, long time no see." Song Linlang abandoned her friends and hurried to the elevator in a few steps.

"Miss Song, you are merely a friend of my husband. We are not that close. Just call me Mrs. Pei," Sang Ke replied, her gaze fixed on the elevator door that had already closed, forcing her to wait for the next one.

Song Linlang's smile stiffened, her eyes tinged with grievance. "Don't say that, Sang Ke. Before I went abroad, you often visited my home and loved my mother's pastries."

"As you said, that was in the past." Sang Ke had no desire to waste time with her and was about to take the stairs when Song Linlang grabbed her arm.

"Sang Ke, I know you blame me for breaking up your marriage. But did you know? Before you and Xuyun married, he had already fallen for me and was planning to break up with you. You got pregnant, and his mother forced him to marry you. That's why I listened to my mother and went abroad. I never expected him to chase after me to France for my sake."

As she spoke, Song Linlang's eyes turned red, her tears barely held back—a pitiful look that made it seem as though Sang Ke was the intruder.

Yet Sang Ke would not be fooled.

Pei Xuyun's change of heart was real, but it hadn't happened before Song Linlang went abroad. Anyone could deduce that five years ago, Pei Xuyun was just a rookie actor at the company. Studying in another country was never his decision; his trip to France was a mere coincidence.

Song Linlang spoke with such conviction—it was the classic performance of someone who lived to play a role.

Sang Ke couldn't be bothered to expose her petty schemes. "You don't need to say all this to me. I've already signed the divorce papers. If you have time to argue with me here, you'd do better to hurry him into getting your marriage certificate. Otherwise, taking all sorts of questionable medicine will only harm the child."

"What medicine? I don't understand. I only came to the hospital for prenatal exams and got some vitamins. Are you misunderstanding something?" Song Linlang wore a look of pure innocence.

"Whether I misunderstand or not is irrelevant. What you should consider is what Pei Xuyun will do when he finds out how you've treated his child."

Song Linlang remained unfazed. "If you tell him, will he believe you? Aren't you afraid he'll slap you again? Go ahead, try it."

During Pei Xuyun's four years abroad, Sang Ke had suspected he was seeing someone else but could never confirm it. When he returned and openly appeared with Song Linlang, Sang Ke finally realized that the third party was the very Song Linlang who had once betrayed her.

Had it been another woman, Sang Ke might not have felt so much pain.

But it was the one person she could never forgive—Song Linlang.

To save her marriage and make Pei Xuyun see Song Linlang's true nature, Sang Ke revealed the truth about her pregnancy, which she had concealed for years. Before that, no matter how Pei Xuyun pressed her, she never spoke, unwilling to relive that humiliating night.

But her self-inflicted wound brought not solidarity from her husband, but a slap across the face. He accused her of being petty and jealous of Song Linlang, of smearing her reputation.

A year had passed.

The pain in her face and heart from that time—Sang Ke had long forgotten.

Looking at the triumphant woman before her, Sang Ke spoke calmly, "Song Linlang, whether it’s Pei Xuyun or everything you have now, it’s all what I no longer want. But if you keep flaunting it in front of me, even if it’s something I’ve abandoned, I will destroy it. I walk barefoot—I’m not afraid of you, no matter how well-shod you are."

She pushed Song Linlang aside and walked away.

Song Linlang watched Sang Ke enter the elevator, her expression suddenly turning cold.

Sang Ke, don’t be so pleased with yourself! The day I become Mrs. Pei, I’ll show you that those who walk barefoot will always be barefoot, destined to be trampled underfoot, unable to stir a ripple!

Back in the hospital room, Sang Ke’s spirits sank again as she looked at her son, who had awoken but refused to speak.

Pei Li was not talkative, but he was unusually intelligent for a child. Even if she said nothing, he must have guessed that his illness this time was serious.

Yet he never asked—just as all these years, he never asked why his father didn’t come home.

Sang Ke touched her son’s forehead and was about to offer him an apple when the nurse came in with the payment slip, urging her to settle the month’s medical fees.

After taking the slip, she handed Pei Li an art book and left the room.

She tried calling Pei Xuyun, only to find herself blocked, as expected.

Sang Ke smiled bitterly, opened her mobile banking app, and stared at the account balance, barely four digits, filled with regret.

She must have been out of her mind to chase after that wretched man overseas, spending her scant savings. Otherwise, the money in her account would have lasted at least three more months.

As she sat in despair, her phone rang.

"Sang Ke, Linlang’s art exhibition is coming up. I have classes at the university and can’t attend. Why don’t you go in my place and take something to her mother for me?"

The caller was Sang Ke’s former mentor, the one who had introduced her to Song Linlang’s mother.

Glancing at her account balance, Sang Ke’s refusal caught in her throat and changed to a single word:

"Alright."

The news of Song Linlang’s exhibition at Starshine spread quickly, and anyone with any status in the capital, regardless of their knowledge of art, scrambled for an invitation.

When Sang Ke got out of the taxi, the street was clogged with luxury cars. She walked nearly ten minutes before glimpsing the famed Starshine.

They say, "No mansion is complete without luxury stone."

Looking at the century-old building, with its towering stone steps, each level crafted from complete cloisonné, Sang Ke finally understood the saying’s weight.

Cloisonné, a stone dubbed "a single raw piece worth millions," needs only to be placed to shine like the stars, dazzling and radiant. Most wealthy businessmen make ornaments from it, for indoor display. Only the Huo family would use it for steps, trod upon by visitors—utterly unique!

Those ascending the steps seemed to walk through the Milky Way.

While Sang Ke marveled, the crowd suddenly stirred.

A flood of journalists surged forward. Every lens and spotlight focused on Song Linlang, stepping from her car, and Pei Xuyun, who opened the door for her.

"My goodness, this scene is gorgeous. No wonder I ship them—they’re perfect together!"

"Song Linlang must have saved the galaxy in her last life! Her art exhibition not only has the Huo family’s support but also the film king as guest of honor. She’s won at life!"

Sang Ke watched Pei Xuyun on the red carpet, dressed in pristine white, his hand poised at the height of the car door to protect Song Linlang’s head. For the first time, she realized: he wasn’t incapable of romance, he just never directed his affection toward her.

"Tch, it’s all superficial. If it’s an exhibition, the real test is the quality of her paintings."

"You worry too much! Her mother is national artist Liu Wanqin. Linlang studied at France’s most prestigious art academy, her graduation piece won an international award—how could she lack skill?"

No longer wanting to hear anything about Song Linlang, Sang Ke silently retreated to the edge of the crowd, waiting until everyone had gone inside before entering herself.

With the ribbon-cutting done, the grand ancient doors finally opened.

The restless crowd quieted at once, lining up to enter in order, not daring to make trouble on the Huo family’s turf.

Sang Ke, unhurried and unobtrusive, was the last to go in—only to be stopped by the security guards.

Her face, deceptively youthful, was bare; her hair had been straightened and dyed black, tucked under a baseball cap. Combined with plain black-rimmed glasses and long-sleeved jeans, she looked exactly like a college fan trying to sneak in for the film king’s autograph.

Even when she produced her invitation, they questioned its authenticity.

Just as Sang Ke found herself powerless, a voice sounded behind her.

"I invited her."