"Darling, you're so amazing..." The woman's melodic laughter resounded from the next room, laced with satisfaction.
Shi Qiao, seemingly used to it all, sat listlessly by the window, gazing at the pitch-black night sky outside, lost in her thoughts.
Every time Jiang Chenyu brought a woman home, Shi Qiao would do exactly this: sit by the window, without turning the lights on, and stare blankly into the darkness outside.
Shi Qiao was a very "understanding" woman. Probably this trait enabled her to stay by Jiang Chenyu's side for a whole decade.
Yet, she was nothing more than Jiang Chenyu's mistress, a fact known to everyone in Jiang City.
The flamboyant and wealthy Jiang Chenyu never lacked an assortment of women by his side, constantly changing, yet Shi Qiao's status remained the same for ten years.
Shi Qiao had no clear memory of what she was like ten years ago. Since she gained consciousness, her life had been filled with only one man, Jiang Chenyu.
Jiang Chenyu was like a god who had granted her a second life. He provided for her, spoiled her but never married her. Her status in Jiang Chenyu's heart seemed unshakable, yet at times, she felt like an optional extra.
Shi Qiao wondered what she was like ten years ago. But like a pact, nobody spoke of it, instead, shaking their heads to indicate that they knew nothing.
Over time, Shi Qiao gave up on her pursuit of the past. On rare occasions, vaguely familiar scenes would flash across her mind, but she couldn't grasp them in time.
Jiang Chenyu opened the door, and the man and woman emerging from the room were fully dressed; the man cold and indifferent, the woman visibly disgruntled, yet dared not voice her grievances.
Hearing the noise at the door, Shi Qiao, as usual, quickly crawled into bed, turned her back to the door, closed her eyes and feigned deep sleep.
Indifferently, Jiang Chenyu glanced at Shi Qiao's opened room. A faint fury reflected in his eyes as he gestured the lady to sit in the living room. Moving in more out of habit, he sat by Shi Qiao's bedside. Looking at her face, he found himself wanting to touch her, but hesitated, his hand hanging in mid-air.
A self-deprecating smile traced his lips. He grabbed a tissue from the side and began vigorously rubbing his hands. Once he felt his hands were clean, he caressed Shi Qiao's face—the face he cherished day and night. Her absence filled his mind with her every frown and smile. When she was present, he loved watching her silently.
Shi Qiao opened her bright eyes, somewhat dazzling in the dark night. She blinked, seemingly adjusting to the darkness. Fixing her gaze on Jiang Chenyu, her eyes seemed to be speaking.
"Still pretending to be asleep?" Jiang Chenyu seemed accustomed to her behaviour, smoothing back her hair from her face to behind her ear casually asked.
"Just woke up." Xie Qiao twisted a little under the covers, but did not get up.
Each time after they're done, Jiang Chenyu would check on Xie Qiao, hoping to see something different in her eyes — anger, outrage, resentment, or jealousy. But Xie Qiao's eyes were so bright, so innocent, without a trace of unusual emotion.
She had been his lover for ten years. No matter what he did, she never stopped him. Could it be that until now, she hasn't fallen in love with him?
"If you're awake, get up and make some food. My girlfriend is hungry," Jiang Chenyu ordered nonchalantly. He cast a glance at Xie Qiao, then turned and left the room.
Xie Qiao looked at Jiang Chenyu in surprise as he walked out of the room step by step. That sentence "My girlfriend is hungry" was like an icicle piercing her heart, bone-chilling cold and excruciating pain that made her breathless.
Yet no emotions could be seen on her face, except for a pale complexion. After repeating this for ten years, Xie Qiao was still like this - indifferent, so emotionless.
She deeply knew what she should do and should not do as a lover. As long as she played her role as a lover well in front of Jiang Chenyu, that would be enough...