1
I and Yang Song met at a friend’s gathering.
That day, we happened to be seated together during dinner.
While picking dishes, our arms kept bumping, and that’s when I realized he was left-handed.
After a few more accidental bumps, I felt awkward, and when the next dish came, I hesitated to use the chopsticks.
At that moment, Yang Song called the waiter over to bring another pair of chopsticks. With each new dish, he would first pick some and put it in my bowl with those chopsticks, then pick some for himself with his own chopsticks.
Such a thoughtful gesture instantly touched me.
After the gathering, as Yang Song was the only one who hadn’t been drinking, he took responsibility for driving each friend home.
He saved me for last. Since it was my first time meeting Yang Song, I hesitated to bother him, suggesting I could take a taxi. However, he insisted on giving me a ride, humorously saying, “If you insist on taking a taxi, just take mine.”
So, I stood at the hotel entrance waiting for Yang Song. That night, under the moonlight and gentle breeze, I felt inexplicably happy.
After dropping off the last friend, Yang Song’s car finally returned.
I ran over, feeling a sense of excitement.
Yang Song got out of the car, opened the passenger door in advance, let me in, and then leaned down to carefully fasten my seatbelt.
Being so close to each other, his hair still carrying the fragrance of shampoo and a hint of hormones, made me dizzy for a moment.
It was then that Yang Song suddenly kissed me. Surprisingly, I didn’t resist at all, instead reaching for the back of his neck and responding to him, wanting to make that hurried kiss feel stable and deep.
Love arrived unexpectedly like this.
2
Being with Yang Song, I truly enjoy his attentive care.
Previously, I would just grab something to eat at the canteen during lunch breaks at work or order takeout. He believed outside food lacked hygiene and nutrition, so he prepared delicious meals for me every day following recipes, keeping them in a thermos, then drove over thirty miles to deliver them to me after work.
I like nuts, so he would buy packs and shell them by hand, placing the kernels in a food container for me, making it easy for me to snack on them.
Countless such small, thoughtful gestures.
I found myself growing more attached to him amidst all the touching moments.
3
However, Yang Song was not without his faults.
After dating for a while, I noticed he rarely bought me gifts. Even on special occasions, he would just gift me a pack of snacks.
I had some grievances about his stinginess.
On Valentine’s Day, after hints and clear indications from me, Yang Song finally bought me a branded bag. I was deeply moved.
The next day, coincidentally a colleague was getting married, I proudly carried that bag, feeling a bit showy, to attend the wedding.
During the wedding, I sat with a lady, and a sharp-eyed colleague saw that we had the same bag, pointing it out teasingly, “Haha, matching bags.”
We placed the bags together for a detailed comparison, and I instantly blushed with embarrassment.
In terms of craftsmanship, my bag was much rougher, obviously a knockoff.
When I returned, I exploded in anger at Yang Song, questioning why he used a fake bag to deceive me and threatened to break up with him.
Furrowing his brows, Yang Song earnestly explained to me, “Indeed, the bag was a high-quality imitation, and it was my fault not to tell you the truth. But I genuinely feel that for people like us in the working class, it’s unnecessary to spend so much on luxury items. Living a down-to-earth life is more important. This is my attitude towards life, and if you don’t agree, I respect your choice.”
I seriously considered Yang Song’s words, finding them reasonable, so I reconciled with him on my initiative.
4
After over a year of dating, with the urging of both parents, our wedding plans were set.
We immediately started house hunting, and finally found a three-bedroom apartment in the city center. Both sets of parents expressed willingness to split the cost for us.
Just as my parents were ready with the money, Yang Song came to me saying his parents had arranged to fully pay for the house.
He then requested the money my parents prepared for buying the house to be used for the apartment’s future renovation and furnishing.
The sudden change left me bewildered, and when Yang Song asked, “Our family has settled the full payment for the house, aren’t you surprised?”I managed a forced smile, “Not really, it’s just that everything happened too suddenly, and I’m a bit caught off guard.”
As I was about to leave, Yang Song kept reminding me about asking my parents for the money.
5
Discussing the matter with my parents, they also found it suspicious that Yang Song bought the house without any prior notice.
Coincidentally, my cousin’s cousin worked at a law firm, so we called to consult him on the implications of Yang Song’s actions.
To our surprise, he exclaimed, “This boy is too calculating! By doing this, isn’t the matrimonial home considered his premarital property? Frankly speaking, if in the future, your sister doesn’t get along with him and divorces, she won’t get anything!”
I felt like I was plunged into an ice cave, having always seen Yang Song as family, never expecting such a guarded move from him.
Following my cousin’s advice, we insisted that my name be added to the property deed of the matrimonial home.
Yang Song hesitated, saying the house was bought by his parents, and the deed was in their name; he couldn’t make decisions.
My dad said, “That’s fine, let’s use the money we set aside to buy a house as a gift before marriage, buy her a small apartment with the property deed in her name only.”
Yang Song refused, mentioning buying another house would leave us with no funds for renovations. He argued that since his family paid for the house, the renovation and furnishings should be covered by our family.
In his view, the house was his premarital property, with no connection to me, yet I would have to cover the renovation costs. His plan sounded too self-serving.
My dad intended to negotiate further with him, but I suddenly felt an unprecedented exhaustion. I tugged at my dad’s sleeve, “Dad, let’s go back! I’m not going through with this marriage anymore!”
I pulled my dad away without looking back, while Yang Song trailed behind, endlessly explaining his perspective.
On the way back, passing by the hotel where I first met Yang Song, memories flooded my mind. I shed hot tears, a mix of sadness and reluctance, but I had no regrets about my decision to break up with Yang Song.
A man who schemes like this before marriage, how can you expect him to treat you sincerely after marriage?
Luckily, I realized it wasn’t too late. In matters of the heart, cutting losses in time is always the right decision.
