The plane took off at 11:40 p.m.
The city lights below the window gradually disappeared.
For the first time in years, I was leaving without telling Xie Wenzhou where I was going.
No explanation.
No apology.
No final goodbye.
And strangely…
I felt calmer than I expected.
Maybe because the person sitting beside me was no longer my future husband.
He was just someone I had finally seen clearly.
Three hours after the plane landed, my phone turned on again.
Hundreds of notifications appeared.
Messages.
Calls.
News alerts.
The internet had exploded.
The video of Su Nian wearing my wedding dress had spread everywhere.
But what surprised me wasn’t the public reaction.
It was the comments from people who had attended the wedding.
The same people who had laughed when I entered the hall.
The same people who said I was “too sensitive.”
Now they were saying:
“How could a groom let another woman wear the bride’s dress?”
“That wasn’t a joke. That was humiliation.”
“President Xie crossed the line.”
I looked at the screen silently.
A week ago, I would have cared about those opinions.
Now…
I didn’t.
Because the person whose opinion mattered most had already chosen someone else.
When I arrived at my family’s residence, my assistant was already waiting.
She rushed toward me.
—President Rong.
I nodded.
—How is the company?
She hesitated.
—There is something you need to know.
I looked at her.
—Tell me.
She handed me a tablet.
On the screen was a financial report.
The Xie Group’s latest investment project.
And my name was listed as the main strategic partner.
I smiled faintly.
Of course.
That was why Xie Wenzhou had been so confident.
He believed I would never leave.
Because he thought I loved him more than I valued myself.
My assistant lowered her voice.
—President Rong, the Xie family has contacted us several times.
—What did they say?
—They want to arrange a meeting.
I put the tablet down.
—Refuse.
She looked surprised.
—But they said it was urgent.
I looked out the window.
—From today onward, any cooperation between Rong Holdings and the Xie Group will be reviewed again.
My assistant froze.
—President Rong… are you saying—
I interrupted her.
—Yes.
Cancel everything that was based on my personal relationship with Xie Wenzhou.
The next morning, Xie Wenzhou came himself.
He stood outside my office.
The same man who had stood beneath the flower arch yesterday.
The same man who had watched another woman wear my wedding dress.
But today…
His expression was completely different.
No arrogance.
No anger.
Only anxiety.
When I entered the office, he immediately stood up.
—Rong Chi.
I walked past him.
—Why are you here?
His eyes followed me.
—You really canceled the partnership?
I sat down.
—Yes.
His face changed.
—You know what this means?
I looked at him calmly.
—Do you?
He froze.
I continued:
—For six years, everyone said I was lucky to marry Xie Wenzhou.
I smiled slightly.
—But they forgot something.
I am Rong Chi.
Not Mrs. Xie.
Silence filled the room.
For the first time…
he looked at me like he was seeing me as a person.
Not a wife.
Not someone who would always stay.
—Chi Chi…
His voice softened.
—It was just a joke.
I stared at him.
A joke.
That word.
The same excuse.
Again and again.
—Do you know why I left?
He didn’t answer.
—Not because Su Nian wore my dress.
Not because she walked the red carpet.
I leaned forward.
—Because when I appeared at my own wedding, you didn’t ask if I was hurt.
His expression changed.
—You only protected her.
Xie Wenzhou opened his mouth.
But no words came out.
Because he knew.
I was right.
Then the office door opened.
My secretary walked in.
—President Rong, someone is here to see you.
I frowned.
—Who?
She looked at Xie Wenzhou.
Then said:
—Su Nian.
The room became silent.
Xie Wenzhou immediately stood up.
—She came here?
Before I could answer, the door opened.
Su Nian walked in.
But she wasn’t wearing the innocent expression from yesterday.
Her eyes were cold.
Confident.
Different.
She looked at Xie Wenzhou first.
Then at me.
And smiled.
—Rong Chi.
—There is something you should know.
I watched her carefully.
Because I suddenly realized…
Su Nian hadn’t come to apologize.
She had come because she believed she had already won.
She placed a document on my desk.
—Actually…
She smiled.
—You should thank me for leaving that wedding.
I looked down at the document.
And the moment I saw the name written on it…
my expression changed.
Because it was impossible.
The secret hidden inside that file…
was something even Xie Wenzhou didn’t know.
And it would change everything.
TO BE CONTINUED — PART 3: The Secret Behind Su Nian
