Staring at the glowing phone screen, I sat frozen for a long time.

It felt like a pair of huge hands were twisting my heart repeatedly, making it hard to breathe.

Looking at the plate of braised bamboo shoots—once my favorite—I suddenly felt nauseous.

Acid rose in my throat, and a wave of sickness hit me, followed by a sharp pain in my stomach.

That damn stomach problem was acting up again.

Li Ranran walked back after finishing her chat, looked at the leftover food on the table, and frowned.

"Why haven't you cleaned this up yet? Are you waiting for me to do it?"

She didn't notice I was covered in cold sweat from the pain—she just picked up her phone and sent a voice message.

"Okay, okay, I'll head out soon."

Then she went into the room to get her bag, not sparing me a single glance.

Bending down to put on her shoes at the door, she said, "Xu Chengwei, clean this up when you get back. Drive me to Xinguang Department Store first."

Clutching my cramping stomach, I turned to look at her. Big drops of cold sweat rolled down my forehead.

When I didn't respond, she finally stood up straight and looked at me. "What's wrong with you?"

She walked over, frowned, and said, "I told you to watch your diet, but you never listen. The stomach medicine is in the drawer."

I thought she'd finally noticed how much I was suffering—finally cared about me.

But her next words plunged me into an ice cave.

"Never mind. You look too bad to drive me. I'll just drive myself."

"A Zhe and I have plans. If I'm late, he'll be waiting for me."

"Today's his dog's first birthday party. I'm going to help him buy dog food and decorate the venue. Don't wait up for me for dinner."

I couldn't tell if my stomach hurt more or my heart.

The intense pain made my eyes redden.

In her heart, was I not even worth as much as her childhood sweetheart's dog?

I suddenly couldn't take it anymore!

"Li Ranran, can't you see I'm in so much pain I can barely move?"

She already had one foot out the door. She glanced back at me. "So you want me to get you water and feed you medicine?"

My emotions exploded, and my voice involuntarily rose. "You're my wife! Isn't caring about me the least you can do?"

"You remember his dog's birthday, but what am I to you?"

She looked at me in surprise, her brows furrowed tightly. "Are you crazy? You're a grown man—stomach pain isn't life-threatening. Just take the medicine yourself."

"That dog was adopted by A Zhe and me. What's wrong with me helping out? I don't know why you're making such a fuss!"

She was always like this—dodging the real issue, never paying attention to what I was actually trying to say.

Instead, she blamed everything on me, thinking I was being unreasonable.

She made me feel like a joke!

"A Zhe and I are childhood sweethearts, and our families are old friends. It's normal for us to keep in touch. Don't use your dirty mind to think about us!"

She put on her shoes, opened the door, and walked out. The sound of her footsteps faded away with a "tap-tap-tap."

The words I'd been choking on finally came out. "I'm not making a fuss. I just want you to spare a little thought for me."

But she was already gone—she wouldn't hear me.