Li Man tried hard to recall the time she had spent with Chen Shi in the past.
Back then, she was still young and didn't understand much about love and romance. She only saw Chen Shi as a companion, as a friend.
She really had no romantic feelings towards Chen Shi.
Li Man apologized, "I'm sorry, I really didn't know. I've always treated you as a friend, and I never thought that you would have feelings for me."
If it weren't for what happened just now, Chen Shi wouldn't have known when he would have the courage to confess to Li Man.
Now that the words were out, Chen Shi calmly said, "I've liked you for a long time, but I never dared to tell you. I was afraid of being rejected and losing our friendship."
Li Man didn't know how to describe her current feelings. She didn't feel the joy of being confessed to at all. Thinking about that woman's hysterics just now, and her painful expression, Li Man couldn't help but furrow her brows. "What's the deal with you and your ex-wife? If you don't like her, why did you marry her?"
Chen Shi sighed heavily and said with some annoyance, "I didn't want to get married either, but my mom forced me to the point of threatening to die. Could I not listen to her?"
"But since you married her, you should have treated her well and lived a good life with her. What you're doing is irresponsible!"
Though she felt a bit self-righteous, Li Man couldn't help but speak up. As a woman herself, she could understand the pain of Chen Shi's ex-wife. And she could tell that Chen Shi's ex-wife liked him. It was because she liked him that she reacted so strongly.
But Li Man also knew that feelings couldn't be forced.
Chen Shi lowered his head, his eyes empty, and said in a pained voice, "I tried to have a good life with her, but I realized I couldn't. I... just can't forget about you. Being with her fills me with guilt. I really don't want to hurt her. She deserves a better man. What she wants, I can't give... And I'm not talking about material things. I divorced her, and I left with nothing. I gave her the house. I know I've let her down, but I really can't go on with her. Every day is torment for me."
Li Man couldn't have imagined that she would hurt someone without doing anything.
She was innocent, but Chen Shi's ex-wife was even more innocent.
Li Man didn't know what to say anymore.
"I'm sorry," Chen Shi said, "I didn't expect her to hurt you."
Li Man shook her head, somewhat helpless, and said, "What's the use of apologizing to me? The situation has already happened."
The two sat there in silence, neither saying a word.
Li Man suddenly remembered that Chen Shi's ex-wife seemed to know her, so she asked, "Your ex-wife seems to know me?"
Chen Shi lowered his head even further and said, "She secretly read my letters, and there was a photo of you in them."
Li Man thought for a long time before remembering. When she was in high school, she had sent him a photo during their correspondence.
It was taken during a school spring outing.
When she wrote back to him, she had told him about her spring outing and attached a photo of herself from the trip.
Li Man had been keeping those letters all along, locking them away in his study. He just never expected that Li Ting would stumble upon them.
Seizing the opportunity while Chen Shi was at work, Li Ting pried open the lock that had always kept them hidden. It was then that she discovered the reason why Chen Shi had been unwilling to be with her all this time – he had someone else in his heart.
If it hadn't been for that one occasion with Chen Shi, Li Ting would have thought that he wasn't capable of love. But he clearly was, he just didn't want her for himself.
