Chapter 1, The Hotel to Catch a Cheater

Qian Fei looked at the half-empty room, feeling so sad that she couldn't help but cry

It was only during the move that she discovered an album of her and Wang Ruohai's under the bed of the rental apartment. Looking at the photos in the album, she couldn't help but cry again.

Qian Fei asked her: "Are you sure that Wang Ruohai came here to check into a hotel with a woman?"

One must rent out a part of the house, otherwise she will be overwhelmed by this property

Wang Ruohai's eyes turned red: "When I pursued you back then, you weren't like this at all! Qian Fei, forget it, after all is said and done, it's just that I am too poor. In the future, find someone more capable than me, someone wealthier, and stop living so frugally!"

While wiping her face in annoyance, she asked Qian Fei: "Baboon, what are you planning to do about the apartment you discussed buying with Wang Ruohai? Are you still going to buy it?"

Qian Fei gritted her teeth and said: "Buy it! If I don't buy it, I would be letting down the five years of frugality I have endured!"

Qian Fei took out a tissue to wipe her nose, "Can't you comfort me in a conventional way? Just think about it, it's a seven-year relationship gone in an instant! I have been with him since I was 19, and in these seven years, apart from my father, I have no idea what a man is like!"

After a while, the door opened

Qian Fei felt wronged, "Wasn't I doing this for our future! If we don't save like this, when will we be able to buy a house? This is Beijing! It's not like the third or fourth-tier cities of our families! Three to four thousand yuan per square meter is not the same as thirty to forty thousand! If we don't save like this, how will you buy a house!"

Qian Fei sat on the ground, crying uncontrollably, unable to stop no matter what.

Wang Ruohai retorted dismissively: "What’s wrong with a stepmother? What’s wrong with over a year? What’s wrong with asking for money? What’s wrong with letting her help a little? I can just pay her back later! Talking about relying on oneself, have you even considered how much strength you have? Can’t we live just because we can’t afford a house? Just for the sake of buying a house, do I have to live with you in the old days of eating porridge and pickled vegetables? You also said it, this is Beijing! This is the vibrant Beijing! I don’t want to spend my whole life in Beijing just to have a house and live such a dull life!"

Qian Fei wiped her tears vigorously

Yao Jingjing pounded her chest and stamped her feet, "What is there to doubt? When have I ever had a vision of 1.5 from childhood to now? Besides, I have already told you that Wang Ruohai's condition is not right; he must have someone outside! Who has social engagements every day?"

They have been together for seven years, and she has given him her most beautiful seven years. In order to marry him and buy a house, she saved every penny for the down payment, only to find that in the end, he had saved himself for another woman's bed.

She crawled out of bed, spinning around the room, and while turning, she made a painful decision.

She felt a chill in her heart

In the past, when looking at the stars, I called her "Little Sweetie"; now that I have a new love, I call her "Madam Cow"

Yao Jingjing sighed: "Wang Ruohai is truly a scoundrel! We couldn't tell back in school that he was such a person!"

As they climbed the stairs, Yao Jingjing spoke animatedly, recounting the details: "Tonight, our company is having a dinner at the Chuanban restaurant, and coincidentally, Wang Ruohai was also dining there with a woman. I saw him, but he didn't see me. When he left, I noticed that the woman was all over him, which struck me as odd, so I followed them out. As soon as I stepped outside, I saw the two of them together! Then Wang Ruohai hailed a taxi, and sensing something was off, I also hailed a taxi to follow them. To my surprise, I actually caught them; they took a taxi straight to a hotel room! I went through a lot of trouble to inquire at the front desk, using both tricks and intimidation, and found out that they were in room 1208. I had to hurry; if I took any longer, they might finish their business and start putting their pants back on. At that point, they could easily claim they were just chatting in the hotel room, and there would be nothing I could do about it!"

Qian Fei could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face

Qian Fei bit down on her molars, "If he really dares to come to the door without wearing pants, I will dare to kick his life root!"

I still vividly remember how he relentlessly pursued her during his junior year, yet in the blink of an eye, he could so coldly settle accounts with her in a clear and precise manner

There are murmuring sounds inside

Qian Fei gritted her teeth and walked into the hotel

Doesn't he think she is poor? Didn't he tell her to find a wealthy man? She doesn't believe it; can it be that in this city of Beijing, she cannot live a decent life on her own?

Sir, the service desk indicates that there is a smoke detector alarm in your room. May we enter to check it, please

Your slap was well-deserved, it awakened me. I was still hesitating whether to choose you or her, but with that slap, you completely shattered the feelings we had built over the years

Qian Fei looked at him, her face filled with disbelief: "Wang Ruohai, you know very well that the money in my family was brought by my stepmother, and she has only been married to my father for a little over a year! How can you expect me to ask her for money?"

Yao Jingjing was extremely satisfied, "Well done, you have ambition!"

Qian Fei pondered for a moment and said: "So you believe that there is still a possibility for him and me to reconcile, is that correct?"

Soon after, the house was ready. She worked during the day and spent her evenings and weekends busy with renovations. For the time being, she had no time to dwell on her sorrows. After a month, although she was physically tired, her mental state had actually improved significantly compared to before

Wang Ruohai, you did not say this when you were pursuing me back then

The day after Wang Ruohai was caught cheating, he openly proposed to break up with her

Half a month later, the family transferred the money to her card. She looked at the amount on the card, her nose felt sour as if it had been soaked in vinegar. She knew that her father and Aunt He must have taken out their retirement savings for her. She vowed that she would repay them every single cent in the future

Wang Ruohai waved his hands and said, "Enough, enough, I don't want to argue with you! If you had agreed to let the family help, would we have ended up like this?"

On the first night in her new home, Qian Fei could not sleep. Not for any other reason, but because of money

In the next second, Qian Fei slapped Wang Ruohai across the face

Yao Jingjing was sitting on the sofa in the lobby waiting for her. Upon seeing her arrive, she sprang up and grabbed her, excitedly exclaiming as if the sky were about to fall: "Could you be any slower? I've been waiting for you for almost an hour! If you take any longer, they might finish their business and be ready to go home, and what are you going to do then?"

Yao Jingjing was mumbling nonsense in a high-pitched voice beside her

To enter the elevator, one must swipe a room card. They did not have a card, so Yao Jingjing took advantage of the distraction and pulled Qian Fei towards the stairwell.

Qian Fei felt a sharp pain in her heart.

She was harsh on herself for a full five years, all for the sake of being able to buy a house after paying taxes for five years. She endured for five years, only to find that Wang Ruohai had ended up in another woman's arms.

Qian Fei looked at Wang Ruohai and felt that she was about to no longer recognize him

When he was pursuing her, he said he liked her for being sensible and not spending money recklessly. Now that he has another woman, he starts saying that she is stingy and that he cannot live with her.

They huffed and puffed their way to the 12th floor, walked to the entrance of room 1208, and leaned against the door to listen

The family learned about her breakup with Wang Ruohai and was upset for several days. Later, Qian Fei's father called her and said: "Daughter, your aunt and I plan to sell the large house we currently live in and move to a smaller one. We will also sell the car and the garage. I cannot drive, and your aunt says that at her age, it is no longer safe to drive. In a few days, we will transfer the money from these sales and our savings to you. We calculated that we should have over 1 million. You can use it to buy the house you previously liked, and if it is not enough, you can take out a loan. Your aunt and I will help you pay it back. Your aunt said she treats you like her own child, so take the money with peace of mind. Don't think of it as spending our money. When your aunt and I retire, we will also need to live with you, so this can be considered as us buying a house for ourselves. It is not easy for you to be alone in Beijing; you need either a man or a house. Since Wang Ruohai has gone astray, do not be sad for him anymore. Cheer up and live well, and find someone better in the future!"

After five years of work following her graduation, she had saved up three hundred thousand yuan. She combined this money, set aside one hundred thousand for renovations, and used the remainder as a down payment. Additionally, she secured a loan of over one million from the bank, finally obtaining a bright red property certificate.

Yao Jingjing said: "You ask me about this matter, who knows the companies in the CBD area better than I do! I have investigated thoroughly, and that woman is the niece of a senior executive in their company, which makes her his subordinate. As for how she surpasses you, three points are enough to completely overshadow you: she is richer than you, richer than you, and richer than you!"

At 11 o'clock at night, Qian Fei arrived at the entrance of Changying Hotel by taxi

She sent a WeChat message again to Wang Ruohai: Where are you? When will you come home?

As she listened to this sound, her teeth nearly ground in disgust

Yao Jingjing screamed, "Qian Fei, can you be any more disgusting!"

Qian Fei sighed, "I really want to know who the woman he cheated with is, and what makes her better than me!"

Wang Ruohai stood at the door wearing a hotel bathrobe, while Qian Fei stood outside with a pale face

Yao Jingjing could not bear to see her in such a cowardly state of being unable to let go. She said, "Qian Fei, do you plan to keep it in hopes of one day reconciling with Wang Ruohai, sitting by the window together, watching the stars and the moon, while flipping through this album reminiscing about the hardships of the past and wondering if the present is sweet?"

Wang Ruohai suddenly lost his temper and impatiently said, "Qian Fei, I am most annoyed by you like this! Since we are going to break up, why do you keep digging into the details? Is this interesting?" He irritably kicked the wall and continued, "I tell you, Qian Fei, I have long been unable to stand you! You only know how to blame me for cheating, but why don’t you look at what problems you have? Back in school, you were charming and attracted people, but how did you end up looking like a middle-aged woman after graduation? You say you want to save money to buy a house, fine, but then you start forcing me to not dress up, not go shopping, and not have any entertainment, living every day like a laborer from the old society. You think living like this is simple and virtuous, but don’t you ask me if I can endure it? Every time I go out with colleagues, I am laughed at for dressing poorly. When I want to get a new phone, you block me at every turn, while others use iPhones like they are toys. For my birthday, you bought me a Lenovo worth less than a thousand yuan, and acted like it was a big gift! I at least work for a listed company, but my living standards are still lower than those of the security guards in the building! Qian Fei, I really cannot continue living like this with you! You say you have saved a lot of money over the years, but why do you insist on clinging to the savings book and dragging me to live a beggar's life? What is the point of that?"

The house is located in Shoucheng International on the East Third Ring Road, very close to the CBD. Initially, it was chosen for Wang Ruohai's convenience in commuting to work in the CBD. Now, thinking back, Qian Fei feels that she has truly suffered a loss, as she always considered Wang Ruohai in everything. She works on Financial Street, and the commute from the East Third Ring Road to Financial Street involves taking Line 10 and transferring to Line 1 in the morning, where at every stop, one could be crushed by the crowd. Yet, for Wang Ruohai, she unhesitatingly chose a house on the East Third Ring Road. But what good does that do? In the end, she still faced an unbearable outcome.

He spoke as if he were considering her, and after finishing, he carried his things and left without looking back

She wanted to throw away that photo album and move into her new home feeling refreshed. However, after hovering her hand over the trash can and gesturing with the album about ten times, she could not bring herself to let go. In the end, she pressed the album at the very bottom of a cardboard box and took it with her to the new home

In the past two days, Yao Jingjing has been staying at Qian Fei's house, keeping her company to alleviate her boredom. During dinner, Qian Fei suddenly started to cry while eating. Yao Jingjing stared at her swollen eyelids and rolled her eyes, "Sister, are you okay? It's just a breakup, right? Why are you still crying endlessly? What will you do when you go to work during the day? Can you just cry like this? Didn't you scare your colleagues?"

He dropped such a remark, as if it were she who had a guilty conscience.

About five minutes later, Wang Ruohai replied: I am working overtime with the leadership, I won't be back tonight, you should hurry and go to sleep.

As Yao Jingjing was about to erupt, Qian Fei followed up with a fierce remark: "If it could really be like that, next time I'll cheat too. I'll find a wealthy man, go to a hotel, and make him green with envy!"

She knocked on the door. The murmuring sounds inside came to a halt. An impatient male voice asked, "Who is it?"

Qian Fei threw a tissue at Yao Jingjing's face

She couldn't help but ask Wang Ruohai: "Who is she? When did you two get together?"

She leaned against the corner, sitting on the floor

Upon hearing those words, Qian Fei burst into tears once again. Her mother passed away when she had just entered her senior year of college, and a year and a half ago, her father found a new partner whom she referred to as Aunt He. Aunt He married her father with a house, a car, and money, so most of the family's assets were acquired through her. She always felt that those possessions belonged to Aunt He, and she had no right to covet them, which is why she never considered asking her family for help in buying a house. However, unexpectedly, in the end, she still had to rely on her stepmother. She felt that at her age, it was truly a failure to let her father and stepmother worry about selling the house, land, and car.

She lay on the bed and calculated that although her monthly salary was over 8,000, she had to pay 7,300 for the bank loan each month, leaving her with only 1,000. No matter how she calculated it, this amount was insufficient for her to live on. She could no longer ask her family for money, as they had already exhausted their resources for her house. She needed to think of another way to make some money

She recalled the words spoken by Princess Iron Fan to Zhi Zun Bao in "A Chinese Odyssey"

He packed everything up and left that day. Before leaving, he said: "I will only cover the rent until the end of this month. Starting next month, you will have to pay the full amount yourself. As for the apartment we both liked, I definitely won't take it. The 100,000 yuan deposit will be split equally, so you just need to give me 50,000 yuan. As for our 450,000 yuan savings, let's divide it 70-30, you take 70 and I take 30, and I will cover the usual expenses for food and clothing."