Chapter One: Seven Years, I Was Merely a Substitute

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My wife does not love me.

Even when I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she never spared me a glance.

On our sixth wedding anniversary, she abandoned me to rush into the arms of her first love.

The candles had burned down. I called her one last time.

“Yueyue, when are you coming home? Today is our anniversary, I bought you—”

She cut me off, irritation in her voice. “There’s an anniversary every year, but he only comes back once after all these years. Why are you so anxious?”

“I went to the hospital for a follow-up today, the doctor said—”

“Chu Jianghe, I told you to stop pretending to be sick and pathetic in front of me. I won’t be coming home tonight!”

“If you want to die, then go ahead and die!”

…

My wife, Jiang Yue, was at that moment wearing a red slip dress and holding a bouquet, standing before a sharply dressed man.

That man was her childhood sweetheart, Cheng Jun.

Seven years ago, he left without a word and went abroad.

At that time, Jiang Yue was at her most vulnerable, which is why a lovesick fool like me was able to marry her.

Though I always knew she still had feelings for him, I believed that if I treated her well enough, there was no heart that couldn’t be warmed.

But now—

As a soul, I watched her, eyes red, gazing at Cheng Jun with deep affection.

“Ah Jun, these seven years, I’ve thought of you every moment.”

“From now on, promise me you’ll never leave me silently again, okay?”

In seven years, she had never spoken to me in such a gentle tone.

“I won’t leave again,” Cheng Jun said, gently brushing Jiang Yue’s cheek. “But… you’re married now. Today is your wedding anniversary with Chu Jianghe, isn’t it?”

At the mention of my name, Jiang Yue’s sweet smile froze in an instant.

It was as if a rotten egg were thrown into the calm surface of a lake.

“I never liked him, not from the start.”

“It’s just that after you left, he happened to appear in my life, and by chance, he resembled you a little.”

“He kept pursuing me, and I just needed someone to vent to.”

“Now that you’re back, what does he matter anymore?”

It felt as though a knife was twisting in my chest.

Seven years together, day and night, still could not compare to the return of her beloved.

“All these years, I’ve always kept an eye on your news. He seems to treat you well. Can you really bear to leave him?”

“So what? My parents only agreed to let him marry in because he saved me, cooks well, is obedient, and handles everything at home.”

“To put it bluntly, he’s just a servant in my family. Do you think I would care about a servant?”

“Ah Jun, now that you’re back, I’ll divorce him tomorrow.”

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Seeing the look of disdain in Jiang Yue’s eyes, I felt as if all the air had been sucked from my lungs—a suffocating pain.

Who would have thought that, even after death, emotions still linger.

Around them, many friends cheered for their reunion.

“I always said, the most important man in Yue’s heart was Jun, not that penniless kid Chu Jianghe, who would stop at nothing to marry into a wealthy family!”

“Exactly. He thought marrying into the Yue family would make him the head of the household. What a joke. He should take a look at who he is.”

Indeed, I was just a penniless nobody.

Had it not been for the chance that I saved Jiang Yue from drowning after a breakup, I would never have known her, much less married into her family.

Once, we were not so estranged.

When I first met her, she was kind.

Her family was wealthy, but this pampered heiress would still knit me a scarf by hand for my birthday.

If she made a mistake, she would rewatch the tutorial and unravel it to start anew.

Watching her clumsy but patient effort, I vowed to cherish her as my life’s treasure.

Without hesitation, I became a live-in son-in-law.

Over the years, she forbade me from working outside, afraid I would embarrass her.

So I devoted myself to cooking her delicious meals, picking her up and dropping her off every day.

She had a weak stomach, so I brought her homemade lunches to her office daily.

When she went to business meetings, I accompanied her, shielding her from drinks until I suffered a gastric hemorrhage.

The next day, even burning with fever, I still got up to make her breakfast.

For seven years, it was only because I slightly resembled her first love, and because of my relentless perseverance, that I remained by her side.

Yet these seven years of affection meant nothing more than a widower’s marriage.

No matter how humble and self-effacing my devotion, it was worthless to her.

But reality is often like this—when the long-lost love appears, the substitute must step aside.

Now, her smile is so sweet.

So she does know how to smile.

Cheng Jun gently took Jiang Yue’s hand. “He loves you so much—he probably won’t agree to a divorce so easily.”

“What does his agreement matter?” Jiang Yue laughed softly.

“He’s just a dog my family keeps, dispensable. I can kick him out anytime I want.”

Seven years, seven years of devotion.

And in your eyes, Jiang Yue, I am no more than a dog!

At this moment, countless emotions surged within me.

I hated this woman. I no longer wanted to grieve for her.

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That night, they partied late into the evening before Jiang Yue stumbled home, drunk.

As soon as she entered, she shouted, “Chu Jianghe! Get out here!”

In the past, whenever she came home drunk, I would always take care of her.

Perhaps she’d grown used to it. But this time, there was no one waiting for her into the night.

“Chu Jianghe, do you hear me? Get out here! If you don’t, then get out of my house!”

Between husband and wife, the word “get out” is the most taboo, for it wounds the heart.

But Jiang Yue never cared about me. She never considered me her husband.

The housekeeper, who had already gone to bed, hurried to her side on hearing her voice.

“Miss Jiang, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Yue looked blearily at the housekeeper. “Where’s Chu Jianghe? Where is he? Tell him to get out here!”

“Miss Jiang, Mr. Chu left with a suitcase this evening and hasn’t returned.”

Jiang Yue paused, seeming to sober up a bit, but said nothing more.

She staggered back to her bedroom and reached for a glass of water.

The divorce agreement was pressed underneath the cup.

She picked up the agreement and glanced at it. Her drunken eyes flew wide open.

But soon she sneered, “So he wants to play hard to get? Good, saves me the trouble of preparing the agreement myself.”

I had already signed my name on the divorce papers.

But as she picked up her pen, she hesitated, her brows knitting together.

Suddenly, she tore the divorce agreement to shreds.

Then, in a fit of anger, she pulled out her phone, tapped on my profile, and sent a furious voice message.

“Chu Jianghe! You’d better come crawling back here—stop pretending to be sick and miserable.”

“If you want a divorce, fine, but it has to be me who brings it up. Why on earth would you leave the agreement in my bedroom? Trying to scare me?”

In the past, I would reply to her messages in seconds.

But this time, she waited several minutes without any response.

She grew even angrier, grabbing her phone again and calling me repeatedly in rage.

She was truly anxious now, clenching her teeth, panting with fury, and sent me another voice message.

“Fine! Chu Jianghe, you want to play this game with me, is that it?”

“I must have been too kind to you! Just because you married into our family, you really think you’re something?”

“How dare you bring up divorce? If anyone brings it up, it should be me!”

“Let me tell you, Chu Jianghe, someone as useless as you—even if you really died, it would have nothing to do with me.”

My spirit stood before her, watching her hysterical outburst, my heart filled with desolation.

Jiang Yue, the man you so despise—he really is dead.