Chapter 2 Sorry to interrupt, guys. My bad.

“Don’t be sad, Xiao Xiao. Let’s go out and grab some good food—I’ll treat you!” Lin Yan said.

“Okay, I’ll just tidy up a bit and we can go.”

Life had to go on. Nan Xiao freshened up and stepped out, driving to Chenghua Street where she met Lin Yan at a luxury shopping mall.

Nan Xiao stood 171 cm tall, with balanced proportions and a slender, elegant frame—perfectly proportioned, if not for the fact that her skin couldn’t tolerate air exposure, and the mask covering her face. Otherwise, she’d have turned heads all over the place.

They rode the escalator up to the second floor—the women’s handbag section. Lin Yan insisted on buying her a bag to celebrate her divorce. Nan Xiao refused, but Lin Yan dragged her up anyway.

“Xiao Xiao, let’s go over there,” Lin Yan pointed toward the CHANCE counter, grinning. “The saleswoman said they just got in a bunch of new arrivals. You should check them out.”

Nan Xiao nodded and walked toward the sleek, minimalist display. But then she froze.

Standing in front of the counter was a man—over 180 cm tall, dressed in a black shirt and tailored trousers, facing away from her.

One hand tucked casually into his pocket, eyes half-lowered, exuding an effortless, carefree aura. Even in such a relaxed pose, he looked like he belonged in the middle of a movie scene—too perfect, too unreal.

Nan Xiao frowned. Why would Xie Chengyu, her husband who ran multiple companies and barely had time to breathe, be here during broad daylight?

Just then, a woman with long, dark waves approached him, slipping her arm through his. She pointed at a red handbag on the shelf and pouted playfully: “Chengyu, I want that one. Doesn’t it match my dress perfectly?”

Xie Chengyu glanced at it briefly, then said to the saleswoman, “Wrap it up.”

“….”

A deafening silence exploded in Nan Xiao’s mind.

Her gaze locked onto the woman’s profile—the red dress, the delicate curve of her cheek, the way she smiled. Her nails dug into her palms without her even noticing.

“Who is that?” Lin Yan whispered, eyes wide. “Is she… your husband’s mistress?”

She didn’t say the word aloud, but Nan Xiao knew exactly what she meant.

It was summer, yet Nan Xiao felt as though she’d been plunged into icy water.

So she wasn’t just being discarded because she’d become useless to the Xie family—her husband had already been seeing someone else?

“Haha…” The red-dressed woman giggled. “You didn’t even ask how much it costs.”

Xie Chengyu was always distant—elegant, poised, naturally refined—but emotionally detached from everyone. Yet now, he let her cling to him, smiling faintly as he said, “Price doesn’t matter. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

Nan Xiao took two steps back, clutching her chest as pain throbbed beneath her ribs. She wished she could vanish right then and there.

Then she saw Lin Yan move—suddenly, she gasped.

“Yanyan! What are you doing?!”

Lin Yan squeezed between Xie Chengyu and the red-dress woman, leaned over the counter, and grinned. “Catherine, I want that red bag! I messaged you yesterday—I told you to save it for me!”

She slapped a black credit card down on the counter, then turned to the red-dressed woman with a sweet smile—eyes cold, empty.

Nan Xiao’s head spun.

She forced herself forward, refusing to look at Xie Chengyu, gently tugging on Lin Yan’s arm. “Yanyan, let’s go.”

Xie Chengyu had been glaring at Lin Yan, but when he caught sight of a familiar figure approaching, his expression shifted—his eyes narrowed.

“What are *you* doing here?”

His brows knitted together, his voice sharp as he stared at Nan Xiao’s wide, glistening eyes.

Even though they hadn’t seen each other often, he recognized her instantly—the legal wife of Xie Chengyu.

Nan Xiao turned around, fighting to keep her voice steady. “We’re just out shopping. Sorry if we interrupted.”

That set Lin Yan off. She opened her mouth to retort, but the red-dressed woman stepped forward, studying Nan Xiao with cool composure—and extended her hand.

“You must be Miss Nan. I met you at Grandma Xie’s funeral. I’m Xu Ruoxin.”

Xu Ruoxin?

Nan Xiao’s face went pale.

She’d loved Xie Chengyu for eight years. Over those years, she’d heard the name Xu Ruoxin countless times—his first love. The name had haunted her dreams, etched into her soul like a scar.

Her heart ached, but she showed nothing. She reached out and shook the woman’s hand—calm, polite, composed.