On the streets of City A, it bustles with traffic.
I've spent the last two hours in a coffee shop called "Encounter," tucked into the corner, directly across from the barista counter. A young girl wearing a sky blue apron is busily brewing a myriad of drinks.
She's about 1.6 meters tall, likely doesn't weigh over 90 pounds, she's slim and fair, always flashing a charming smile. Her thick, black hair is pulled into a high ponytail, with crescent-shaped eyes that sparkle with infectiously joyful laughter.
"Would you like another refill, ma'am?" She walks over, asking me with her radiant smile.
How embarrassing, I zoned out there for a moment, staring at the young girl. I thank my lucky stars I'm a woman, otherwise, I might be mistaken for a creep or a pervert.
"Sure, I'll have another black coffee." I return her a courteous smile, speaking in a light tone.
Soon, she brings me another bitter black coffee. She doesn't leave immediately, instead, she hesitates and then meddles, "Ma'am, this is your second cup of black coffee. Although it can be a great pick-me-up, too much can be harmful. How about... you save the next cup for your next visit?"
She is kind and outgoing, her voice as crisp as wind chimes, tinkling pleasantly to the ears.
Looking at the black coffee on my table, I grab my purse and get up, "Okay, I'm ready to check out."
The girl seems delighted that I took her advice. She runs off to take care of the bill, finally calling out to me, "Ma'am, your total today comes to 87 dollars. Will you be paying by cash or mobile payment?"
After silently settling the bill, I quickly step out of the coffee shop.
"Madam." Little Li, seeing me exit, gives a respectful nod and opens the car door for me.
"Let's go home," I say with a faint smile, instructing him.
As the ride smoothly starts, I close my eyes in the back seat, but my mind keeps drifting back to the young girl in the café, her youthful and radiant face.
Could it be her? The same girl who, a year later, would compel Pei Heng to sever ties with his family, pay a hefty price, and divorce me.
I never expected that in my reincarnation, the first thing I would do is to find her current workplace and observe her like a voyeur.
I was too curious, wondering what kind of girl could steal away the man whom I loved for ten years.
In my past life, I had never even met her. I only found a name and a few photos. Pei Heng protected her as if she were a rare treasure, and I ended up in complete defeat without ever seeing who I was competing against.
She was young, beautiful, pure, kind, and cheerful... all of these positive adjectives seemed appropriate to describe her.
Her only disadvantage was that she had no family background, which was a stark contrast to Pei Heng's high status.
Suddenly, Xiao Li spoke, "Madam, today is your wedding anniversary with Mr. Pei."
I slowly opened my eyes, momentarily disoriented.
It turns out that this year marks the fifth year since I married Pei Heng. Every year on our wedding anniversary, I would always be busy preparing a candlelit dinner and a gift.
This year, I'm 27, and he is 29.
"I know." I said, rubbing my throbbing temples. "You don't need to remind me."
Perhaps Xiao Li sensed that I was different from previous years, which is why she reminded me.
But why was it always me who had to put in the effort? Why did I have to love that man? In my previous life, I contemplated this on my deathbed. For Pei Heng, I lost everything and ended up with nothing but a tragic fate.
Deep in thought, the car pulled up to the mansion I share with Pei Heng, a wedding present from both our parents. It was an opulent villa on a gold worth property, covering more than a thousand square meters
To my surprise, Pei Heng's car was also parked outside. He was home.
I felt a mix of emotions. What sort of face should a person who has reborn, put on when encountering the one who was the cause of her previous downfall?
I thought I would hate Pei Heng, who for a woman, drove his wife who shared a bed with him for five years to a dead end. He had the audacity to turn his back on my parents who were unconditionally generous towards him, bringing about their demise under his hands.
However, when I met him again, unexpectedly, my hatred seemed to be less intense than I thought. Instead, I felt more release.
In my past life, Pei Heng offered me an opportunity: a peaceful divorce. As compensation, he would give me a portion of the Pei family's shares, enough for me to spend extravagantly for a lifetime. But I refused. Despite having spent ten years without gaining a shred of his affection, another woman managed to bewitch him within just a year, turning him against everyone else.
I tried everything possible to salvage our relationship, walking all the way towards a confrontational position where it became kill or be killed.
Now, these events have yet to transpire. Instead of bearing hatred, I am more inclined to change the self-inflicted tormenting ending.
"Why are you standing there?" Pei Heng sits in the living room, casually propping his long legs up. The cigarette between his fingers has burnt out; he adeptly stubs it out in an ashtray. He then lifts his eyes to glance at me, his gaze remaining as indifferent as ever.
On our wedding day, Pei Heng unabashedly declared that our relationship was merely a partnership, a long-term cohabitation, and he felt nothing for me.
"It's nothing, I just didn't expect you to be at home," I reply, while bending down to change into slippers. They were an Hermes elephant grey pair, a minimalist design in a restrained colour. Other than their comfortability, there didn't seem to be any other appealing aspect to them.
An image of a girl in a coffee shop wearing a blue apron pops into my mind. There was a red flower pinned on her apron with a smiley face, a unique feature that apparently nobody else had.
In contrast, all my clothes were expensive yet monotonous - the designs were simple to a fault, and the colours were dreary.
I suddenly despised this pair of slippers, discarded them to one side, and walked barefoot into the living room.
Upon seeing my bare feet, Pei Heng’s eyebrows slightly wrinkle and a flicker of surprise flashes across his eyes. “Not wearing shoes?”
“Hmm, I just didn’t feel like wearing them,” I casually responded as I sat down across from him.
“Quite unusual, what got into you?” Pei Heng actually chuckled a bit, asking me in a rare light-hearted tone.
Your future true love got into me, I thought.
I looked down at my own pale feet. They looked rather skinny and bony, since I was too thin.
In contrast, Weilan was different. Although she was slim, her skin was tight and elastic, unlike mine, which was merely skin over bones.
Five years of lonely marriage had taken a toll on my health. I lost interest in food, hence I kept losing weight, increasingly resembling a skinny ghostly figure.
"Pei Heng."
"Hmm?" Pei Heng was looking at his phone, not bothering to raise his head.
He was dressed in a black shirt and trousers that felt exceptionally good in quality. His slender figure, and perfect height to body ratio, gave him a distinctively handsome look. Add in the smooth facial features and delicately deep facial characteristics, he was definitely a heartthrob for countless young women.
I withdrew my gaze from my feet, focusing on the man across me, with a slightly husky voice, "Let's get a divorce."
No sooner had the words left my mouth, than I heard Pei Heng's scoff.
He tossed his phone onto the sofa, glanced at me with a cool and familiar look, and asked, "Xu Zhiyi, what tricks are you playing now?"