I had seen this book before.

Back when it first gained popularity, someone brought it to me, pointed to the words on the title page, and nervously asked, "Grace, do you think the person she talks about resembles Jason?"

I read it word by word and then said, "Yes."

Why was I so sure?

The male protagonist in the book had an Instagram handle that was always the unchanged letter y. In his senior year of high school, he gave up being recommended and went abroad. He was 184 cm tall, had a small mole at the corner of his eye, loved playing basketball, and enjoyed watching dance performances because his mother was the mainstay of a top dance troupe. His favorite expression was raising his eyebrows and putting people on a pedestal, only to say, "Boring."

The key point is, his last name was Crowe, and he had a childhood friend who was practically a sibling.

He was a natural star, adored by many.

During those years, I was the only one who could stand beside him.

And now, I was holding a divorce agreement, and he lowered his gaze, the anger in his eyes slowly dissipating. Finally, he said, "Interesting?"

Just moments ago, I had been sitting at his desk, finishing the entire novel within four hours. My neck was already sore. I rubbed it and looked up, saying, "Mm."

Then, in a half-joking tone, I said, "If you don't sign, I won't leave."

He looked at me, frowned slightly, and was about to say something when his phone rang.

It was an old song.

One of the lyrics had appeared in the book.

How could I have the courage to chase after shadows all this time?

It's like drinking ice in winter and falling ill.

Holding the agreement, I saw Jason nervously clear his throat. A hint of a smile appeared on his usually calm and reserved face. "What made you think to call me?"

I took a deep breath, put down the book as he said, and walked out.

I even closed the door for him considerately.

For the days after this, I didn't see Jason for a long time.

At the mall, they suddenly started playing the trailer for the TV series adapted from the novel.

A friend stood beside me, glanced at the screen, and said, "I heard Jason invested in it."

I said, "Yes."

The male lead was handsome, and the female lead was beautiful. Jason meticulously oversaw every detail, putting considerable effort into selecting the actors.

He praised her as if making up for years of neglect.

"Hasn't he signed the papers yet?"

I shook my head lightly. "No, but he will eventually."

After saying this, I couldn't resist sending him a message.

"I've put a copy of the agreement on every table in the villa. Whenever you see it, remember to sign it."

Shortly after I sent it, I saw the words 'Jason is typing' on my screen.

But I waited a long while without receiving a reply.

It wasn't until night that I got his message.

"Where have you been these past few days?"

I didn't answer him.

After a while, he sent another message. "Come home tonight. Let's talk."

I replied, "Okay."

Outside the villa, I stood in the shadows and watched as Jason's car pulled up.

After a while, he got out of the car.

He was alone. He lit a cigarette and slowly raised his left hand, waving it in front of his face.

The streetlights were bright and illuminated his tall, slender figure. He stared at the ring on his finger for a long time, then pressed his lips together and sighed almost inaudibly.

I stood where I was and suddenly burst into tears.

I didn't know how long I had been standing in the cold wind before I finally gathered my emotions and pushed the door open.

To my surprise, Jason had not gone back to the room. Instead, he was lying on the couch in the living room, no blanket covering him, eyes closed as if he was already asleep.

I walked closer, thought for a moment, and then picked up a blanket to cover him. But as soon as I leaned over, his eyes snapped open.

We were face to face.

He frowned slightly, then without a word, pushed the blanket I'd been holding aside. “Why are you back so late?” he asked.

He rarely showed me any patience, and yet I made him wait so long.

I pressed my lips together and lied, “Oh, I was meeting with the lawyer.”

“I have been thinking about the previous agreement,” I continued. “I realize I could actually get more out of it.”

“We’ve been together for three years, and now that we're getting divorced, I have to look out for my best interests, right?”

He was stunned for a moment. After a while, he regained his composure and said in a probing tone, “Can the lawyer you hired be better than Anton Colton?”

I was silent. Of course not.

Everyone knew that in the courtroom, Attorney Colton, with his undefeated record, was Jason’s best friend.

Seeing the blank expression on my face, he finally smiled. “I'll pretend you said this because you’re angry. Don't let there be a next time.”

Before I could respond, he went straight upstairs.

It took me a long time to understand what he meant. He thought I was talking about divorce just to spite him. He had promised to have a serious conversation with me, but in the end, he made the decision on his own, as if I would always love him and never leave.

I didn’t return to the master bedroom but sensibly went to the guest room. In the past, I might have thought that I would eventually warm Jason’s heart, but now that idea was completely gone. His heart had been warmed by someone else, and no matter how hard I tried, it would be to no avail. All it would do is annoy him even more.

I didn't expect to see Tina Hollis so soon. She was wearing a well-fitted suit, with light makeup on her gentle face. She looked like a girl who had just walked out of a painting, with a cultured air about her. When she saw that it was me who opened the door, a look of embarrassment crossed her face. After hesitating for a while, she asked, “Is Jason here?”

I nodded and found her a pair of slippers. “Yes, he is. Come in and wait.”

She was reluctant to come in. “I’ll wait outside,” she said.

To see her like that, she seemed to overlap with the heroine of a novel—the shy, quiet, and unassuming type. I smiled and extended my hand. “Hello, Miss Hollis. I’m Grace Bishop.”

She pursed her lips and after a long time, finally shook my hand.

This scene, seen by the just-awakened Jason, turned into my being aggressive for some reason. He came over, stepped in front of me, and said to the small figure opposite, “You came looking for me?”

She said yes, that she wanted to thank him and had specifically asked someone for his address. She didn’t expect...

She didn’t finish her sentence, glancing at me quietly, clearly not expecting that Mrs. Crowe would be at home.

I should have pretended not to understand and brushed it off lightly. Or I could have flown into a rage, accusing her of ruining my family and being a homewrecker. But I did neither. I merely raised an eyebrow and said, “Huh?” Then I waved it off, nonchalantly. “It’s fine, you two talk. I’m about to leave anyway.”

I even repeated it for emphasis. “Really, it’s fine. Jason and I are getting a divorce.”

Tina’s eyes widened in disbelief, her expression barely suppressing a flicker of joy.

But Jason’s gaze hardened ever so slightly.

After I left, I didn’t have much to do. A friend shook my shoulder, exasperated. “Grace, they’re practically taking over the house, and you just leave them alone? Who does that?”

“He must be thrilled. In his dreams, he’s probably laughing out loud,” I muttered. To him, my lack of drama was undoubtedly perfect.

"I should have warned you back then," my friend said.

“I regret it too,” I whispered.

“What?” She missed my murmured words.

“Nothing,” I replied.

I didn't repeat myself. Instead, I said, "My show is coming out soon. Remember to help me promote it."

She was surprised, "So soon?"

"Yeah."

This was the first show I had produced as the head producer. It held significant meaning for me.

Jason and I were married out of convenience.

But in reality, those words didn't really apply.

If you think about it, it was because of my parents' slight acquaintance with his that kept me glued to his side, from childhood to adulthood, unable to shake me off.

My family and the Crowe family, we're not on the same level anymore. But when we got married, for the sake of appearances and the Crowe family's reputation, the entertainment news reported it as a union of two families, a perfect match, talents and beauty, complementing each other wonderfully.

For a moment, it was considered a lovely story.

So everyone forgot that Jason never actually had feelings for me.

His willingness to marry me was merely because I had planned it all along.

At a Crowe family banquet, I stayed with him in his room all night.

By the time everyone found out, everything that should've happened had already happened.

Before that, Jason had always seen me as a sister.

He had never expected me to do something like that.

So later, on our wedding day, when the officiant asked ceremoniously.

"Mr.Crowe, do you take Grace Bishop to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, and to be faithful to her?"

He did not answer, but raised his brow, and said the one word I will never forget.

"Hah."

At our wedding, he stood aside and watched the farce that belonged to me.

The officiant was taken aback and asked me the same question.

I blushed uneasily, quickly recovered and said, "I do."

From that day on, I became a joke in that circle.

But I brought this upon myself, who could I blame?

Now, I can only hope that it's never too late to fix things.

Recently, a question has been circulating wildly online.

It's from Tina's novel.

How are things between you and the person you secretly loved?

Some people shared photos of their partners at 3 AM and captioned it.

We've been married for five years.

Others said they lost contact long ago, met once a few years ago, and the charming youth in their memory now had a beer belly.

A lot of people laughed.

Of course, one answer got the most attention, topped the list.

Many liked it.

The person said, she gave me a divorce agreement, wanting to end our marriage.

When I saw that, I couldn't help but laugh.

How ironic that such a coincidence would happen in this vast world.

This question gained immense popularity. In the end, it was all promoting that novel.

The Years I Secretly Loved You soared to the top of the spotlight.

It's clear how much effort Jason put into it.

And as for the show I'm writing, many people had been looking forward to it, but suddenly, it's become unnoticed.

The lead actress who knew the inside story called me.

Asked, "Grace, aren't you Mr. Crowe's wife? Why isn't he helping you but helping someone else instead?"

My heart skipped a beat, unsure how to respond.

I could only tell her, "It's okay, it hasn't premiered yet."

But after hanging up, I couldn't help but sigh.

I know that if Jason makes a move, he never fails.

If he wants to promote Tina, she will undoubtedly rise to the top and shine brightly.

The Years I Secretly Loved You hit the trending topics on its release day.

Netizens were deeply moved, sympathizing with the female lead's silent dedication.

Clips of interactions between the male and female leads were edited with music, and views skyrocketed.

The adaptation's fidelity to the original showed how much thought was put into it.

Soon, word spread that the CEO of Crowe Group personally spearheaded the adaptation.

Despite his busy schedule, he chose to do something he had never done before.

But even in a new field, he accomplished it perfectly.

No wonder. No wonder that book in his study looked like it had been read thousands of times.

I could imagine.

Every day after work, he came home exhausted, sat at his desk, flipped open that book, his fingers carefully tracing each word, reminiscing the past he had overlooked through those sentences.

Then, after much deliberation, he would put pen to paper, thinking about how to bring those moments to the screen.

Sigh. What could I do?

Not long after, Jason registered and verified an Instagram account.

He shared the show's promotions himself, and at the end also tagged Tina Hollis.

With a concise message.

"Expect a hit."

This confirmed the rumors.

Jason and Tina, one a decisive CEO, the other a rising new writer.

How could people not envy them?