The next day, Jeffrey, upon seeing Edward’s unkempt, stubbly face, exclaimed,
“Boss! Didn’t you go home again?”
Edward, already on edge, frowned deeply at the unwelcome voice.
“Yeah. So what?”
“Well, obviously, for the peace and happiness of your family.”
At the mention of ‘family peace and happiness’, Edward’s brow furrowed even more.
He hadn’t gone home yesterday, afraid of facing the empty house.
Just the thought of walking into a house without Louisa, confronting the stark reality of her absence, seemed paralyzing.
Noticing Edward’s silence and grim expression, Jeffrey cautiously added,
“I’m also worried about your health, sir.”
“Just come over and work.”
Edward gestured brusquely to the chair beside him. But Jeffrey, undeterred, ventured his guess.
“Hope you don’t mind me asking, but did you have a fight?”
“What?”
“With Mrs. Allen, sir. Did you two have a quarrel?”
“That’s nonsense.”
Edward immediately dismissed the idea. But Jeffrey was persistent.
“It’s obvious something’s wrong.”
“Shut up. What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t made any progress for days. Don’t you see?”
Jeffrey retorted incredulously, waving his notebook.
“Be honest. We can’t afford any more delays.”
Edward, silent and irked, turned away from Jeffrey.
“I had a fight with Louisa.”
“Ah, I thought so.”
Edward slammed his mug down in annoyance.
“Be quiet.”
“But you hardly paid any attention to such things before.”
“What?”
“Come on. You’ve always been focused on your work, even when upset. There must be another reason. Can you really keep up with our schedule?”
Silent, Edward faced forward, lost in thought.
Another reason? Louisa said she wanted to break up.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.
Finally, Edward decided to be candid.
“Louisa said… she wants to end things.”
“End things? Wait, what?”
“Don’t make me repeat it.”
“Damn. I knew it, sir. I should’ve seen this coming!”
Jeffrey reacted with a series of exclamations, pressing his forehead in frustration.
Despite his irritation, Edward kept his composure in the face of Jeffrey’s exasperation.
“You knew it would happen?”
“Not seeing you go home, is that what a loving couple looks like?”
“Why not? And how could you know just from that?”
Edward retorted, slightly irritated.
How could Jeffrey understand his situation or the feelings he had for Louisa?
“Ah, yes, of course. A love so hidden that not even your wife sees it. I completely missed it.”
Jeffrey’s sharp wit left Edward speechless.
Seeing Edward’s mood darken, Jeffrey decided to stop prying and asked,
“So, what did you do?”
“I sent her to Quenel to take a break and clear her thoughts. We’ll talk again after that.”
Jeffrey almost blurted out that Edward should have begged on his knees instead, but he swallowed his words and replied more diplomatically,
“Well… it’s better than pushing her too hard.”
Edward’s eyes widened, clearly agitated.
Jeffrey, sensing he had touched a nerve, quickly tried to defuse the situation.
“Still, Mrs. Allen might send a telegram, as she often does.”
“A telegram?”
The unexpected topic slightly softened Edward’s attitude. He glanced towards his desk.
In the far-left corner, neatly arranged, were letters and telegrams from his wife.
“If one comes, make sure to reply this time. Got it?”
“Do I look like a child? That I need to be reminded?”
“Would be good to reflect on your past behavior.”
“That was different. There was no real issue then. But now there is.”
Jeffrey wanted to end the frustrating conversation, but remembering the affection between the Allens back in Greenberg, he couldn’t ignore Edward.
“Well, since Mrs. Allen is away to rest, don’t expect a telegram. Just focus on work.”
Stung by Jeffrey’s remark, Edward glared at him. Jeffrey quickly ducked his head down.
After the mention of the telegram, Edward kept glancing at the clock.
First every 10 minutes, then every 5, and finally every minute.
But the news he hoped for never came. Jeffrey, unable to bear it anymore, exclaimed,
“Come on! If you’re so anxious, go send one yourself!”
At this, Edward suddenly stood up, startling Jeffrey, who asked,
“Sir?”
“Why?”
“Are you really going to do it?”
“Why not? The telegraph office isn’t far.”
“But you’ve never left work like this before.”
True. Edward had no retort. He quietly picked up his coat.
He gave one last look to the letters and telegrams from his wife on his desk, pulled his hat down, and walked out.
The yellow and red autumn leaves glowed more intensely in the sunset.
“Ma’am, look at this!” Rachel, sitting next to Louisa, extended a ginkgo leaf she was holding.
Sitting on a bench, Louisa reminisced about a ginkgo leaf she had once received, vividly yellow, resembling her hair, and given as a bookmark.
The man’s affectionate touch as he brushed her short hair, the warmth of his hands still lingering in her ears with the wind’s sting, and his sheepish smile apologizing for the simple gift.
Louisa summoned her memories of Edward, cherishing the past happiness, then shook her head, thinking,
‘I decided not to reminisce.’
If she forgot Edward suggested this place, Quenel was indeed a lovely retreat.
Forget every memory of autumn, the familiar scent of the earth, and practice not thinking of him.
It seemed like a path to happiness.
She glanced at her feet.
As a young girl, oblivious to Edward, she loved stomping on fallen leaves.
Louisa rolled her feet a few times.
Crunch. Crunch.
The dry sound of crushed leaves under her shoes echoed.
Seeing her action, Rachel commented,
“You like that too, Ma’am?”
Rachel joined Louisa, giggling as they crushed leaves together.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound tickled their ears.
Louisa captured the laughter of the red-haired child, reflecting the sunset, in her eyes.
Her laughter joined the young servant’s innocent joy.
Noticing their elongated shadows, Rachel exclaimed,
“Ma’am, looks like the sun’s about to set!”
Hearing this, she quickly went to the bench where they had left their belongings and began to pack.
Pressured by Rachel’s urging, Louisa decided to head back to the hotel.
All the way, Rachel chattered brightly.
“The hotel is splendid, Ma’am! I didn’t know such grand hotels existed outside the capital. How did the master know about this place?”
Agreeing with her, Louisa played along. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the hotel.
But as they passed through the lobby, a uniformed front desk clerk approached Louisa.
“Mrs. Allen from room 805, correct?”
Pondering why the clerk sought her, Louisa replied,
“Yes, that’s me. Is there something you need?”
“You have a telegram, Ma’am. Here.”
The clerk handed her a neatly folded piece of paper.
Louisa’s heart sank.
Receiving a telegram here meant it could only be from her husband.
She usually didn’t even respond to telegrams, so him contacting her at the travel destination indicated something serious might have happened.
Anxiously, she unfolded the paper.
“……What’s this?”
Louisa felt a sudden drain of energy. As she murmured with a voice full of questions, Rachel glanced at her, concerned, and asked,
“Is it from the mansion? Is there any trouble…?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s nothing to worry about. Just some trivial matter.”
Louisa quickly reassured her, not wanting the child to worry unnecessarily.
She gazed intently at the paper in her hand.
Instead of speaking softly, she simply looked at the words printed on it, then folded it and slipped it into her coat.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
