Chapter 16 The Turning of the Tide

A man’s intuition is always precise…

A man’s intuition is always precise.

A week ago in that coffee shop, he might have already noticed some clues.

However, at that time, Du Henian still refused to admit it.

He appeared gentle on the surface, treating people with moderation, but deep down he was still proud, believing that he could be the one to successfully make Tang Man settle down.

When in love, everyone thinks they can make a playboy change his ways, a heartbreaker settle down, but most of the time this is just an illusion, a self-deceptive one.

Du Henian lowered his head to look at the photos on his phone one by one.

A week ago, Tang Man’s whereabouts were still quite clear, shuttling between the apartment and the company, occasionally going out, but still for company affairs.

However, starting yesterday, a man appeared in the photos.

With just a glance, Du Henian recognized that the man was Si Jiahe.

The woman hugged the man in the hospital lobby, with a smile on her face that could be described as surprised and gentle.

They left the hospital together in a car, their actions intimate, holding hands while shopping at the supermarket… The photos after that were not very clear.

The apartment Old Tang bought for Tang Man was in a high-end community with strict security. If you weren’t a resident, you couldn’t get in at all. So the person he hired could only stake out outside, and the photos taken were very blurry, only able to make out a rough outline.

He had always known that Tang Man had a house here, but she rarely came over, so he never asked. He was even afraid of making Tang Man unhappy, so he never mentioned wanting to come here.

He knew that Tang Man had a strong sense of territory and didn’t like others entering her own space. In the three years they’d been together, he had only spent a few nights in the apartment she rented near the school, and rarely stayed overnight.

That apartment was a place he had never been to, and now, Tang Man had brought another man inside.

Countless reasons lingered in his mind, but a man and a woman living together for a night, alone, and with a former boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, it was unlikely that nothing had happened.

It was hard for Du Henian not to overthink.

That man was Si Jiahe. Only he knew how much Tang Man had liked that boy back then, and he was well aware of how difficult it had been for him to win Tang Man over from that person.

He feared the end of this relationship more than anyone.

The hand holding the phone gradually tightened, his fingers sliding across the screen. The smile on the woman’s face was like a needle piercing his heart. As if torturing himself, he enlarged these few photos and flipped through them again.

The distinct knuckles of his fingers turned white from the forceful pressing, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

Countless suspicions surged in his mind. Since Tang Man entered her third year of graduate school, she rarely took the initiative to contact him, often saying she was out interning or completing tasks assigned by her supervisor. The number of times they met was much less than before.

He had pondered over this before, but most couples around them were like this, so Du Henian could only suppress his thoughts, try to calm his emotions, and only then did he manage to secure a meeting every Thursday afternoon.

He couldn’t help but wonder, during the times they didn’t meet, the countless times Tang Man said she was very tired, how much of that time was she really tired, and not just not wanting to see him, and not just being with someone else.

In a romantic relationship, doubting each other’s feelings is unbearable. Once it happens for the first time, then in countless times afterward, a single thought will reignite the suspicions.

His other hand tightly gripped the car keys, the sharp edges of the keys cutting a long gash in his palm from the excessive force, and blood slowly flowed out.

The intense pain brought Du Henian back to his senses. He looked at the two people in the photos for a while longer before opening his phone’s address book, scrolling out a name from the blacklist, and then making the call.

Tang Man sat at the dining table and finished a bowl of porridge. Si Jiahe stood up to clear the tableware, and she helped by taking the plates into the kitchen.

A dishwasher was installed here. Si Jiahe bent down to put all the tableware into the dishwasher, then washed his hands with a clean towel nearby.

Pig’s trotters were still simmering in the casserole pot on the side, and the aroma filled the small space.

She was looking at the steaming casserole lid and was about to speak when Si Jiahe’s phone in his pocket rang.

Si Jiahe was a little puzzled. He took the phone out of his pocket.

There was no contact name, just a string of numbers.

Yet it wasn’t unfamiliar. Three years ago, he had called the other party more than once, telling them not to harass Tang Man anymore, and that man had also sent him some photos more than once.

He still remembered that on a night three years ago, when he called Tang Man, there was silence on the other end and the faint sound of panting, as if flaunting something.

He didn’t say anything more at the time, just hung up the phone, but he cried for a long time alone, his eyes red for several days. He didn’t dare to go see Tang Man or ask, fearing he would get a terrible answer.

He was too naive at the time. That was the first time he truly realized what Tang Man meant by breaking up.

And now, it was just the turning of the tide.

Si Jiahe didn’t answer the call, but directly hung up. He raised his head to meet Tang Man’s somewhat puzzled gaze. Si Jiahe smiled softly, looking exceptionally serene and well-behaved. “Scam call, some agents or advertisements calling.”

Tang Man made an “oh” sound, not paying much attention.

She raised her hand to check the time. It was almost ten o’clock. Seeing that the soup on the side was almost ready, she said, “I’ll go to the hospital to deliver the soup later. Where is your home? I can drop you off on the way.”

Si Jiahe understood the principle of not being too clingy. He was not the same as he was back then. He knew that some things couldn’t be done too obviously or awkwardly, so he nodded.

Then he said, “My home is near Fenghe Bridge, it’s a bit far.”

Tang Man smiled, looking at Si Jiahe’s fair little face. Unable to resist, she reached out and pinched it again. “No big deal.”

She joked, “Anyway, we’re using Assistant Xie’s car fuel, no need to spend our own money.”

He liked the word “our” that Tang Man used, so his eyes brightened a little, becoming even more lively.

“Are Man Man and Assistant Xie very close?”

Hearing Tang Man’s tone, Si Jiahe pursed his lips and smiled shyly before casually asking, then turned around to tidy up the somewhat messy kitchen island, as if he didn’t care about the other party’s answer at all.

The other party’s inquiry seemed completely natural. Tang Man didn’t think much of it and directly answered, “Not bad. You also know that Old Tang didn’t really manage my high school life. All the school matters were arranged by Special Assistant Xie for me.”

Si Jiahe didn’t make a sound.

But Tang Man teased him, “Jealous?”

She didn’t actually think Si Jiahe was really jealous. If he was jealous, it would be of Du Henian. What did it have to do with Xie Li? She was just casually teasing with a question.

Si Jiahe turned around and shook his head.

Tang Man laughed. She hugged his waist, pressing Si Jiahe against the kitchen island, placing her hands on his slender waist, tickling him. When his breathing became uneven, she bit his collarbone.

She didn’t use much force, but still left a tooth mark. Meeting Si Jiahe’s dewy eyes, she raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Marking my territory.”

As Si Jiahe trembled slightly, she stroked his spine and gently patted him, saying a line of insincere sweet talk. “No need to be jealous of him. Compared to him, I still prefer our Jiahe.”

“Soft and sweet-talking.”