In the seventh year of our long-distance relationship, I secretly quit my job to surprise my girlfriend and propose to her. When I arrived at her company, the receptionist heard me ask for Summer and said: “Our CEO is still in a meeting. Please wait a moment.” I was quietly surprised—Summer had never mentioned getting promoted. Then I heard the receptionist whispering with her colleague. “He must be Miss Summer’s lover!” “If Mr. Gilbert finds out Miss Summer’s cheating on him, all hell will break loose!” I was about to ask if they’d misunderstood. Before I could speak, a dignified man walked out. The employees immediately fell silent, respectfully addressing him as Mr. Gilbert. Mr. Gilbert was on the phone: “Honey, I’m downstairs. You’re coming with me to the prenatal checkup today, no excuses!” A clear female voice came through the phone: “Got it. The meeting’s almost over. Wait for me in the reception room.” I’d heard that voice for seven years—I knew it all too well. It was my girlfriend, Summer.
With a thud, my backpack hit the floor. As I crouched down to pick it up, a prenatal examination report fluttered down near my feet. Twelve weeks pregnant. In the mother’s name column: Summer’s name. During that period, Summer kept saying she was too busy, only answering my calls once a week. One time when Summer finally agreed to a video call, I clearly noticed a hickey on her neck. “Mosquito bite,” Summer immediately explained. “Mason, in all these years of long distance, have you ever seen anyone else around me?” I believed her and even apologized to Summer for being too suspicious. Now, she’d become someone else’s wife. She was even carrying his child. The man took the prenatal report from my hand, smiling as he thanked me. Seeing me standing there motionless, he asked, “Are you here to see Summer too?” I nodded. “Let’s go up together then. Summer’s meetings always run long.” In the reception room, the man introduced himself. His name was Gilbert, the head of the Gilbert family in Harbor City. “Summer acts tough but has a soft heart. She always says she’s too busy, but she obediently comes with me to every prenatal checkup.” He looked at the prenatal report in his hand, his eyes full of affection. “She’s been working overtime constantly lately, says she needs to earn enough for the baby’s formula. As if the whole company doesn’t belong to her family—making up excuses to humor me.” I gripped my bag tightly, suppressing my rage. Summer had lied to me, saying she was just an ordinary employee, bullied at the company, struggling to get promoted. Seven years of long distance—she complained our distance was too far, kept dragging her feet about marrying me. So after finishing my last project at year-end, I immediately quit my job and specially rushed to Harbor City to propose to her. Footsteps sounded from the doorway. Several men in suits passed by the reception room, greeting Gilbert one after another: “Mr. Gilbert here waiting for his wife again?” When Summer entered the reception room, her colleagues immediately teased her. “Miss Summer, your husband’s here checking up on you again!” Gilbert stepped forward and naturally wrapped his arm around her waist, his tone complaining. “Honey, what kind of meeting takes this long?” “Today ran a bit late, won’t happen next time.” Summer kissed the man’s chin, softly soothing him. She looked up and saw me, the smile on her face instantly freezing. Just for a second—then she regained her composure, speaking coldly: “Why are you here?” Gilbert turned to look at me. “Honey, who’s this?” The colleagues exchanged glances, laughing as they explained for Summer. “What else could the relationship be? Must be Miss Summer’s friend.” “Don’t worry, Mr. Gilbert. Everyone knows how much Miss Summer adores you.” Summer stepped forward, positioning herself between me and Gilbert, explaining with polite distance: “He’s my college classmate.” She turned to her assistant: “Please see this gentleman out. Don’t let him interfere with everyone’s work.” I looked at her in disbelief. But her gaze was entirely on Gilbert. When the assistant came to escort me out, Summer only focused on holding Gilbert’s hand. “Let’s go, honey. Time for the prenatal checkup.” Gilbert lowered his head to kiss her, laughing: “Such an obedient wife.” As he passed by me, Gilbert glanced back. “Honey, leaving your classmate like that isn’t very nice.” Summer didn’t look back at me. “Just a classmate I barely know. How could he be more important than you?” Tears fell uncontrollably. Passing employees watched my humiliation with mocking eyes. Ten years together, seven years long distance, traveling over a thousand kilometers—only to receive “just a classmate I barely know” in return. On my phone still lay a message Summer had sent three days ago. She’d said: “Mason, give me a little more time. Once my work stabilizes, I’ll marry you.” For those words, I’d quit my job and traveled a thousand miles to her. Never imagining it was all a lie.
My phone vibrated. A message from Summer popped up. [Go back with my assistant first. I’ll explain later.] I stared at those brief words, my heart clenching. Finally I couldn’t help questioning her: [Why did you lie to me?] Summer’s cold reply: [Go back first. Behave. Don’t embarrass yourself at the company entrance.] I remembered how every time I wanted to visit Harbor City before, she’d make excuses to put me off. Turned out she was afraid my appearance would embarrass her. Just as I looked up, I heard them whispering, taking photos of me with their phones. “A kept man daring to show up here—absolutely shameless!” “A young guy could do anything for a living, but he chooses to be someone’s mistress. Pathetic.” I immediately raised my hand to cover my face, choking out an explanation: “I’m not a kept man. Summer lied to me…” The only response was a burst of laughter. The assistant grabbed my suitcase, roughly shoving me into the car. Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a villa. Summer clearly lived in a mansion, yet she’d told me she was squeezed into a cramped rental. I’d worried about Summer struggling in Harbor City, sending her half my salary every month. The assistant pushed me inside the house. With a click, she locked the door. “Wait here for Miss Summer to return.” The air held a faint scent of men’s cologne—the same scent I’d noticed on Summer a few months ago when she visited Maple City. I turned around, instantly freezing in place. On the living room wall hung an enormous wedding photo. Gilbert in a black suit, holding Summer in a pristine white wedding gown. The date in the bottom right corner pierced my eyes. The day they took their wedding photos was also my birthday. That was the first time Summer hadn’t spent my birthday with me. She said work was too busy, she couldn’t get away. I rushed into the bedroom like a madman. On the walls hung various photos of Summer and Gilbert together. In the closet, Summer’s sexy nightgowns hung next to men’s shirts. On the vanity sat an array of luxury brand cosmetics. My last shred of hope shattered completely when I saw the nearly empty box of condoms on the nightstand. So when Summer said she was “busy,” she meant busy building a family with another man. I slid down onto the cold floor, holding my head as I sobbed. I came from nothing. My parents were both from the countryside. I studied desperately to get into a big city university. Whenever I didn’t have class, I’d work part-time jobs off campus. That’s how I met Summer. I was a poor student who’d tested out of the mountains. She was a fallen heiress who’d run away to escape her family’s arrangements. Without family support, we could only rely on ourselves. A few months later, we got together. Our classmates jokingly called us the “poverty couple.” We really were poor back then. But every birthday, Summer would scrape together money to buy me gifts I liked. She could eat only two meals a day just to save money to buy me limited edition sneakers. She said other guys had nice things, and I shouldn’t go without. No matter how hard things got, she never shortchanged her boyfriend. After college graduation, I stayed in Maple City while Summer went to Harbor City. I rented a bargain apartment in Maple City for eight hundred a month. Summer came back to Maple City every weekend. We’d tangle together in the darkness, the shabby bed creaking beneath us. Summer would kiss my reddened eyes, hoarsely swearing to me: “Mason, once my work stabilizes, I’ll marry you.” To save enough money for marriage, I worked hard, often staying at the office until 2 AM. Eventually my body gave out and I collapsed at the company. When Summer learned I was sick, she immediately took leave and rushed to the Maple City hospital. She called me an idiot, her eyes red as she gripped my hand tightly. Summer requested leave to stay in Maple City and care for me. Her supervisor chewed her out. It was the first time I’d seen her speak so submissively to someone, a bitter smile on her lips. I urged Summer to go back to work, not to worry about me. But she said very seriously: “Mason, in my eyes, nothing is more important than you.” In that moment, I completely believed Summer loved me. That belief in her love sustained me through seven whole years.
When Summer returned home, she saw my eyes red and swollen from crying. She hugged me tightly, her eyes full of guilt and heartache. “Mason, I’m sorry.” “When my dad died from illness, I had to return to Harbor City to inherit the family business. Your background was too humble—the family elders would never let me marry you.” I couldn’t listen anymore. I pushed her away forcefully. “So you married someone else? Summer, what were these seven years of long distance for?” Summer looked down at me condescendingly, her eyes regaining their calm. “Mason, I’m the heir to the Summer family. I have my responsibilities. Gilbert and I are well-matched. Our marriage benefits both families.” “Gilbert said as long as you behave yourself, he can turn a blind eye and let you stay by my side.” I looked up at her, tears rolling down my face. Summer reached up to wipe the tears from my eyes. “Mason, we’ve been together so many years. I won’t treat you badly. If you want to stay in Harbor City, I’ll arrange for you to join the company as my assistant.” Instead, I slapped her. Under her shocked gaze, I grabbed my suitcase and rushed out the villa door. As I left in a taxi, Summer sent me a voice message. “Mason, don’t be childish. Not just anyone can work at Summer Corporation. I’m giving you three days to think it over.” Then she transferred me a hundred thousand dollars. Before, to maintain her persona, her red envelopes never exceeded a thousand. Now she casually sent a hundred thousand. I didn’t reply, returning all the money. After renting a place and settling in, I opened my phone again. The trending topics had exploded. Someone had posted video of me at the company entrance online. In the video, my evasive gaze looked especially pathetic. The trending topics all accused Summer of cheating, the kept man boldly showing up. I was clearly Summer’s legitimate boyfriend, yet I’d become the despised homewrecker, the kept man. I posted our entire relationship history and chat records online. The timeline clearly showed I’d been with Summer long before she married Gilbert. Public opinion reversed again. The entire internet condemned the cheating woman. Summer called several times. I hung up directly. A few minutes later, Gilbert posted their marriage certificate on social media, saying the couple’s relationship was harmonious, accusing me of staging everything for attention. Summer Corporation’s PR team personally stepped in, pointing out the chat records were “faked,” threatening to send me a legal letter for defamation. Marketing accounts spread wild rumors, calling me a kept man challenging the legitimate husband. The post’s comment section completely collapsed. “Male homewrecker’s counterattack fails, even gets a legal warning—hilarious!” “Still gotta hand it to the real deal—a few words and he crushes this arrogant kept man!” “Being a homewrecker, destroying someone’s family, then trying to gain attention from it—absolutely disgusting!” … My private messages filled with abuse. Some even cursed me to die. Half an hour later, the post disappeared and my account was banned. For the first time I understood how laughable I was in the face of absolute power. My phone rang again and again. When I didn’t answer, they kept calling. Reluctantly, I pressed accept. The caller wasn’t Summer—it was Gilbert. “Mr. Cross,” his laugh held contempt, “let’s talk.”
Early the next morning, Gilbert asked me to meet at a café. When he saw me again, his eyes showed no surprise. “Mason, I recognized you at first glance yesterday at the company.” I froze. The next moment, he calmly explained: “Before marrying Summer, I knew about you. In our circle, women keeping male lovers on the side isn’t unusual. Summer’s been quite restrained—you’re her only one.” I immediately objected: “I’m not a lover!” “Your status doesn’t really matter.” Gilbert gave a cold laugh, handing me the latest prenatal report. “Summer’s already pregnant. Our two families will have descendants. I wasn’t planning to deal with you, but you made it to trending topics. I had no choice.” He pushed over a confidentiality agreement and a blank check. “Sign this agreement, record an apology video, leave Harbor City in two days. Fill in whatever amount you want.” I pushed the items back, standing to leave, but Gilbert stopped me. “Mason, you can’t survive in Harbor City. If you change your mind, come find me anytime.” Gilbert was right. That morning alone, I brought my resume to several companies. The HR reps shook their heads after seeing my information. The reason for rejection: poor character, damages company image. Some mocked me directly: “Why look for work when you’re a homewrecker? Just find another sugar mama.” Photos of me going to companies for interviews got posted online. Someone directly tagged Summer’s social media account. The next second, Summer called. “Mason, how long will you keep embarrassing yourself? I offered you a job and you refused. Now you’re out there making yourself a laughingstock. Stop this, okay?” “Summer, do you also see me as a homewrecker?” Harbor City’s cold wind cut like knives across my skin. Summer fell silent for a long time. “Mason, I…” I didn’t want to hear her explanations. I hung up. A few minutes later, my phone vibrated again. On the other end, Mom’s heartbroken sobs came through. “Mason! How could I give birth to a son like you? Being someone’s kept man for seven years!” “Your father had a heart attack from the stress. The surgery costs five hundred thousand. Where does our family have that kind of money…” Thud—a snowball hit hard against my head. Two kids pointed at me shouting: “Kept man! Hit the kept man!” Snowballs pelted me one after another. They ran away laughing, turning back to make faces at me. I knelt in the snow, tears falling onto my phone screen. With trembling hands, I dialed that number. The man’s mocking laugh came through the receiver: “Made up your mind so quickly?” My voice hoarse, I said: “I agree.”
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