Li Bingqing did not sleep much that night.
She lay beside Feng Wuji in the darkness, her eyes open long after the lights were turned off. His back was turned to her, his breathing steady—too steady.
He was pretending.
She knew it.
And yet… she said nothing.
For the first time since their marriage, silence stretched between them not as comfort—but as distance.
########################################
Morning came quietly.
Soft light filtered through the curtains, painting pale gold across the room.
Bingqing opened her eyes slowly.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Then she turned her head.
Wuji was already awake.
He sat at the edge of the bed, facing away from her, his posture straight, rigid. There was no lingering warmth in his movements, no trace of the man who would usually stay a little longer, exchange a few quiet words, or pull her back into the sheets for just a few more minutes.
Today—there was none of that.
He stood up without looking at her.
Without saying anything.
And walked toward the bathroom.
The sound of running water filled the silence.
Bingqing remained still, her fingers tightening slightly around the blanket.
Something in her chest… tightened.
By the time he came out, he was already dressed.
Neat.
Composed.
Distant.
"Wuji…" she called softly.
He didn't respond.
Not even a glance.
He picked up his bag.
Walked past her.
No breakfast.
No "I'm leaving."
No "take care."
No kiss.
The door closed.
Softly.
But the sound echoed far louder than it should have.
Bingqing sat there for a long time after he left.
The silence in the apartment felt heavier now.
Colder.
Her gaze drifted toward the dining table.
She had prepared breakfast.
His favorite.
Untouched.
for the first time since their marriage he left for the office without saying a word to her, without eating breakfast, and without kissing her goodbye.
A faint ache spread through her chest.
It wasn't sharp.
It wasn't overwhelming.
Just… there.
Persistent.
Uncomfortable.
"He's angry…" she murmured to herself.
Of course he was.
Anyone would be.
She lowered her eyes.
Her fingers brushed against the edge of the blanket absentmindedly.
"I didn't want to hurt him…"
And she meant it.
She truly did.
Deep down, she knew—
She loved Feng Wuji.
His steadiness.
His reliability.
The quiet way he cared for her without demanding anything in return.
He was… safe.
A place she could always return to.
But—sun is too important to let go.
Sun Junfeng was something else entirely.
Her expression shifted slightly.
More complicated.
More conflicted.
If Wuji was calm water…
Then Sun was fire.
Unpredictable.
Bright.
Dangerous.
Alive.
She closed her eyes briefly.
Memories surfaced easily.
Too easily.
Sun Junfeng had always been like that.
Even when they were young.
Restless.
Always chasing something new.
Always moving forward.
While she…
Stayed.
Watched.
Followed.
They grew up side by side.
Neighbors.
Classmates.
Friends.
Always close.
Too close, perhaps.
There had been moments.
Of course there had been.
Moments where something could have happened.
Should have happened.
She remembered one clearly.
High school.
A late afternoon.
The classroom empty except for the two of them.
Sun had leaned back in his chair, watching her with that familiar, unreadable expression.
"You know," he had said casually, "people think we're already together."
She had looked up from her book, startled.
"…Do you?"
He had smiled.
Not answering.
And she—
She hadn't pushed.
Later, she found out he was dating someone else.
Time, yes time.... time was never right.
They both had never been single together. if she is single then he is dating or the other way around.
no..... they had been once , in college . both single..
For once, It felt like the timing had finally aligned.
They spent more time together.
Talked more.
Laughed more.
There was something in the air.
Something unspoken. But she hesitated. because she knew sun. He was not the one to settle down. She knew he had feelings for her .But she believed that even she could not pin him down . He was too free spirit for that. He loved quickly, loved deep but then got restless fast.
maybe sun also did not want them to happen because he did not push. maybe they both were afraid to fail, to lose their friendship in the process.
And then—
He got accepted to a program abroad and Left.
Just like that.
By the time he came back…
She was already with Wuji.
#######################################
Bingqing let out a slow breath.
"That's why…" she whispered.
That's why they never happened.
Not because they didn't feel something.
But because they never had the chance to understand it.
Not fully.
Not completely
And now—
Now that chance had returned.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
Because things were different this time.
When Sun came back six months ago…
He wasn't the same.
He was quieter.
More serious.
There was a heaviness in him that hadn't been there before.
"Breakup," he had said lightly when she asked.
But she could see it.
The cracks. the heart broken. The exhaustion.
And slowly—
He started relying on her and in a strange way, became very attentive to her.
At first, it was just occasional messages.
Then calls.
Then longer conversations.
Late into the night.
wuji never questioned her, which made things easy.
And then—
That look.
The way he started looking at her again.
Not as a friend.
Not just as a friend.
"I regret it," he had said one night.
She had frozen.
"…What?"
"Not trying," he said simply. "Back then."
Her heart had skipped.
Just once.
But that was enough.
"I always thought we had time," he continued. "But we didn't."
She didn't know what to say.
So she stayed silent.
"And now?" she asked finally.
He looked at her.
Directly.
"No one understands me like you do," he said.
Those words…
She knew what they were.
Dangerous. Tempting. Poison.
And yet—
She couldn't turn away.
Because a part of her—
Wanted to believe them.
Bingqing opened her eyes.
Her expression conflicted.
But firm.
"Yes…" she murmured.
She wanted both.
She knew it was selfish.
She knew it wasn't fair.
But it was the truth.
Wuji was stability.
A life she could depend on.
A future that was secure.
Sun was something else.
Something she had never experienced.
Something unfinished.
And she didn't want to let that go.
Not again.
Her gaze drifted toward her phone.
Lying on the bedside table.
After a moment, she picked it up.
Unlocked it.
And opened their chat.
Her fingers hovered for a second.
Then typed:
"He didn't agree."
The reply came quickly.
As if he had been waiting.
"What then?"
Bingqing's lips pressed together slightly.
Then she typed:
"Don't worry."
A pause.
Then—
"He'll agree."
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
"You're sure?"
She hesitated for a brief moment.
Then:
"He doesn't have a choice."
There was a pause.
Longer this time.
"That's risky, Bingqing."
Her expression hardened slightly.
"I won't miss this chance again."
She continued typing.
Slower.
More deliberate.
"I want to know what we missed.""What we could have been."
The reply came after a few seconds.
"And Wuji?"
Her fingers paused.
Just for a moment.
Then—
"I'll handle it."
Another pause.
Then:
"What if he reacts badly?"
Bingqing frowned slightly.
Her gaze softened.
She typed:
"He won't."
And then added:
"He loves me too much."
This time, the reply didn't come immediately.
She stared at the screen.
Waiting.
Eventually—
"You're confident."
A small, almost unconscious smile formed on her lips.
"Yes," she thought. She was confident.
Because she knew Wuji.
He was not the type to leave.
Not the type to break.
Not the type to choose chaos over stability.
He would resist.
Of course he would.
But in the end—
He would stay.
He always did.
Bingqing lowered the phone slowly.
Her thoughts drifting again.
"Open marriage…" she murmured.
She didn't see it as betrayal.
Not really.
To her—
This was honesty.
She wasn't hiding anything.
Wasn't sneaking around.
Wasn't lying.
She was telling him.
Giving him the truth.
That had to count for something.
Didn't it?
And it wouldn't last long.
A month. Maybe two.
She hesitated.
give it three. yes three months.
That should be enough.
Enough to understand.
Enough to experience it.
Enough to… let it go.
Because in the end—
She would come back.
She was sure of it.
Wuji was her home.
Sun….Was just something she needed to experience once.
So she wouldn't regret it later.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
Because lately—
Her thoughts had been drifting. More than she wanted to admit.
Even when she was with Wuji… having sex....
She had caught herself thinking of Sun.
His voice. His presence. That intensity.
as if it was sun who was thrusting inside her , filling her with his love stick.....
It unsettles her.
Excites her.
Makes things feel…Different.
makes her wet .....
it has grown so much that it's not wuji's love making that gives her climax..... not anymore ... but its the imaginary sun that takes over wuji's place to bring her satisfiction.
And that was exactly why she needed this.
To get it out of her system.
To understand it.
To finish it.
So she could return.
Without any doubt.
Without any regret.
As for Wuji…
She let out a quiet breath.
He wouldn't look for anyone else. That wasn't who he was.
Yes open marrige is a two way thing..... but wuji ??????
well, he is....Too steady. Too reserved.
Too…
predictable.
And even if he tried—
She didn't think anyone would truly catch his interest.
He wasn't the kind of man who inspired that kind of reaction.
Not easily. which women would want him? be involved with him ?
The answer is none....
Which meant—
There was no real risk.
##############################
She would explore.
He would wait.
And in the end—
Everything would return to normal.
That was the plan...
Bingqing placed her phone back down.
Her expression calm.
Resolved.
Outside, the morning continued as usual.
But inside—
Something irreversible had already begun.