Too Deep to Know Where Love Lies [Light Suspense]

[Postdoctoral biology lecturer X criminal defense lawyer]

Le Changeng had always been certain that Luo Hao was the man who loved her most in the world. They had been together for nine years, spent five of them in different countries, and he had said, "When you come back, we'll get married."

The day Le Changeng returned to China, their mutual friend Shao Qiming met her at the airport. In the height of summer, a chill ran through her from head to toe.

In the mourning hall, where sobs rang out without end, she held Luo Hao's portrait and couldn't shed a single tear.

She looked at the wedding ring on her middle finger, refusing to believe he was dead.

One evening, Le Changeng went to visit Luo Hao's grave.

Among the endless rows of headstones, Shao Qiming sat slumped in front of his grave. A few drunken words made her notice something amiss.

The circumstances of Luo Hao's death were shrouded in mystery. Everyone told a different story, and after her return, everyone seemed to be acting strangely around her.

Luo Hao's usually sharp-tongued mother suddenly treated her like her own daughter, while his younger sister, Luo Qi, looked at her as if she were a venomous snake.

Her best friend, who used to tell her everything, suddenly had a lot of secrets.

And Shao Qiming, the friend she trusted most, was becoming more and more like her dead fiance.

She began to wonder: was Luo Hao really dead?

On New Year's Eve, Le Changeng joined the Luo family for their reunion dinner. The others sighed and took her hand, urging her to move on.

The dead were gone, and the living had to make new lives for themselves.

Across the table, Shao Qiming glanced at her and silently slapped himself in his heart.

A friend's wife is off-limits. Anyone could fall for her, but he couldn't.

Later, the old friends went camping together. The moon hung bright over the mountainside, while shadows shifted in the dim tent, sordid and tangled.

People always commit their crimes at night and repent in the daytime.

They repeat the cycle, never learning their lesson, then blame it all on the moon.

Later, one of her students recognized her and saw the two of them acting so intimately. Envying them, the student said, "Teacher Le, your fiance is so handsome."

Changeng's soul seemed to leave her body. Her lips trembled. "He's not..."

"My fiance... He's dead." Changeng's tears streamed down her face.

More devastating than an unattainable first love is a first love who has died.

Even though they loved each other, every flutter of her heart lost its brightness whenever she thought of Luo Hao.

-

One day, Le Changeng's phone broke, so she borrowed Shao Qiming's to log into WhatsApp. She was surprised that he had the app, despite having always lived in China.

Curious, she opened his account.

She was stunned.

It was... Luo Hao's account.

At last, Le Changeng learned the truth about Luo Hao's death.

It turned out that what had once stood between them was

betrayal, a criminal case, and a man who loved her even more.

P.S.

The original title of this novel was "Qiming and Changeng." The protagonists' names were inspired by the various names for Venus listed on Baidu Baike. Venus in the morning is called the Morning Star, while Venus in the evening is called Changeng. In the end, they are the same star, symbolizing how Shao Qiming and Le Changeng, the protagonists of this story, were destined to end up together despite having once missed their chance.

Theme: Love means protecting and caring for one another.