Xiao Churan, feeling dejected, went upstairs to her room. Neither her father nor mother noticed the emotional turmoil she was in.
She was used to this. Her parents seemed inherently incapable of empathy. In this household, aside from Ye Chen, no one cared about her feelings or emotions.
At that moment, Xiao Changkun and Ma Lan were entirely focused on how to make their Maldives trip worth the cost, oblivious to Xiao Churan’s red, swollen eyes from crying.
Back in her room, Xiao Churan washed her face with cold water, trying to calm her emotions, and began thinking about how to leave Ye Chen in a way that would minimise the impact on him.
First, she needed to confirm Ye Chen’s plans for the second day of the second lunar month, the Dragon Head Raising Day.
So, she picked up her phone and sent Ye Chen a voice message on WeChat: “Darling, how do you plan to spend your birthday this year?”
At that moment, Ye Chen was idly backstage at Tawana’s performance.
Receiving Xiao Churan’s message, he replied without hesitation: “Sweetheart, you’ve always liked Gu Qiuyi, haven’t you? Her final farewell concert happens to be on the second day of the second lunar month in Yanjing. How about we go to Yanjing for a romantic getaway and catch the concert? What do you think?”
Xiao Churan was stunned for a while after receiving the message.
If she hadn’t met Tang Sihai, she wouldn’t have thought there was anything wrong with Ye Chen’s plan. She might even have been touched that he was thinking of taking her to a concert on his birthday.
But now, knowing Gu Qiuyi was Ye Chen’s fiancée, her heart ached at his arrangement.
Gu Qiuyi choosing to hold concerts on Ye Chen’s birthday twice was clearly no coincidence.
In that moment, Xiao Churan felt a deep resistance and reluctance toward Ye Chen’s plan.
But after calming down and thinking it over, she realised this was actually a good opportunity to leave him.
She and Ye Chen could go to Yanjing for Gu Qiuyi’s concert, and she could arrange for Tang Sihai to take her parents away in the meantime.
After her parents left, she’d find a way to slip away from Ye Chen’s side.
Then, the three of them would vanish from Ye Chen’s life. She’d leave a letter at their Jinling home, explaining everything when he returned and read it.
Xiao Churan didn’t plan to hide her reasons for leaving. After all, Ye Chen had concealed his true identity for years, and she didn’t want to do the same.
She intended to tell him in the letter that she knew about his background and the path of vengeance he faced. To avoid hindering him, she was leaving so he could focus on confronting his enemies without worry.
As for whether they’d meet again, Xiao Churan thought long and hard before deciding. In the letter, she’d tell Ye Chen not to look for her. Their marriage was tangled with too many things beyond love—arranged marriage, deception, and a vast gap in status. Since Ye Chen was truly Ye Chen of the Yanjing Ye family, not the Jinling orphan, their marriage certificate likely held no legal weight. Ending the marriage would be better for both.
