The CEO's Substitute Ex-Wife-Chapter 458: Ten Years of Ambiguity

"Because you’re in London."

The words were spoken casually, an understatement. Wushuang looked out at the sea with a composed smile, as if this was the most natural declaration. The answer flowed out without a hint of embarrassment or self-consciousness.

Kaka’s self-control was astounding. He wasn’t particularly shocked by her words, but he stared deeply at Wushuang. The sea breeze lifted her long hair, seemingly clouding his eyes. He suddenly recalled an event from ten years ago.

That year, Wushuang was fifteen.

She was already a stunning young woman, slender, tall, self-assured, and utterly free-spirited. Freshly returned from field training in the Middle East, she carried an air of competent dominance and a subtle darkness. Perhaps because she was just emerging from two years of intense, brutal training, the Wushuang of that time hadn’t yet learned how to temper her sharpness or naturally display a typical side of herself.

He could tell at a glance that she had just walked out of a living hell.

A strange ripple stirred in his heart—a feeling of mutual empathy. He took Wushuang all over London. After being confined to two years of training, Wushuang’s need to have fun was intense. That was the first time he’d seen her drunk.

She went to a disco to dance. The stage was crowded, the music was loud. Men and women were moving their bodies, releasing the day’s stress and seeking the thrill and freedom of youth. Wushuang seemed to be venting something too; her dancing was fervent, attracting the eager attention of the young men around her.

She was mixed-race, with blood from several nations. Her features were deep-set but leaned East Asian. Her height was comparable to Western women, and her appearance was nearly perfect, breathtakingly beautiful. Every man who saw her was instantly captivated.

Kaka, afraid she might be taken advantage of, went onto the stage—despite his dislike of excessive physical contact in crowded places—and carved out a space for her to dance freely.

If anyone tried to invite Wushuang to dance, he’d place his arm around her waist, and his cold glare would make the other men keep their distance. Then, Wushuang suddenly hugged him.

They had grown up together, so a hug was normal.

But the murmur in his ear plunged him into an endless abyss.

She said, "**Kaka, I like you.**"

It was direct, unconcealed. She hugged him and spoke her feelings so starkly.

Without warning, without giving him any time to react, she simply laid her heart bare for him, leaving him free to accept or deny. How could he not be shocked?

He had no preparation. He even tried to tell himself the music was too loud, too chaotic, and that he must have misheard.

*Yes, I must have misheard.*

She was drunk and dancing so wildly; she didn’t know what she was doing. Even if she said she ’liked’ him, it was normal. This affection might not have been romantic.

It could have been the affection of a childhood friend.

Afterward, Wushuang seemed to forget the incident, utterly unaware of the great shock her words had given Kaka. She continued to shop and eat with him, go on missions, and playfully ask for his company. Kaka was extremely busy during that period, traveling back and forth between North America and the Middle East. Wushuang followed him everywhere, and she never brought up her feelings again. Kaka finally convinced himself.

It was just a momentary illusion.

The dazzling lights of the disco, the booming music, the colorful illumination, the radiant Wushuang, and the seemingly heartfelt confession—it was all a dream he had accidentally experienced.

Neither of them ever mentioned it.

This continued until New Year’s Eve. That year, Chu Li, Rong Yan, and Kaka came to Rome to spend the holiday at the Mo family castle. In Wushuang’s room, he accidentally knocked over her pen holder and saw Wushuang’s diary.

Wushuang didn’t really have a habit of keeping a diary. To be precise, what he found was a journal dedicated to him and her, recording everything about him and Wushuang. He had no idea Wushuang had such deep feelings for him.

From the journal, he learned that his experience in the disco was no illusion—Wushuang truly did say she liked him.

From the journal, he also learned that Wushuang was not drunk that night, nor was it a spur-of-the-moment impulse. She was afraid she wouldn’t have the courage to speak, so she had deliberately pretended to be drunk. If she confessed and Kaka rejected her, she could use the excuse of drunken rambling, and neither of them would be embarrassed.

If they couldn’t be lovers, they would always be friends.

Kaka, as she had anticipated, didn’t react, and Wushuang knew what to do, remaining silent about the matter, letting Kaka believe it was an illusion.

He didn’t want to violate Wushuang’s privacy, but compelled by a strange force, he read the entire diary. The entries started before Hǎilán’s death, intermittent, including her thoughts about the Queen, the Princess, and the Prince. He understood all of it.

It was only then that he realized the depth of Wushuang’s feelings all these years.

She never revealed it to him, and he couldn’t have known. It wasn’t that he was slow-witted, but that Wushuang was too good at hiding it. How could others know what she didn’t want them to know?

His mood became a mix of sorrow and happiness.

To be loved by her so deeply for so many years was his good fortune, but her misfortune.

He tried to put the diary back nonchalantly, but Wushuang happened to walk in and saw the diary in his hand.

The panic and surprise were fleeting. Wushuang acted calmer than he did, calmly taking the diary from his hand and putting it back. She smiled and asked, "Finished reading?"

He nodded, just looking at her without speaking.

Wushuang sat to one side and played a game, seemingly having nothing to ask him.

He wondered if every girl whose most intimate secret was revealed would act as composed as Wushuang. She showed no surprise, as if the matter was perfectly normal.

They didn’t speak a single word about the diary until Little White came up to call them down for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

At the dinner table, both of them appeared normal, conversing and joking. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In terms of composure and resilience, Wushuang and Kaka were well-matched.

It wasn’t until the clock struck midnight that Wushuang asked him what he thought.

He knew what Wushuang was asking. Since he now knew her feelings, whether he liked her or not, whether he accepted or rejected her, it was a matter of one sentence.

Little White and Mo Chen were setting off fireworks.

The midnight fireworks were spectacular. They stood beneath the brilliant display—a beautiful, romantic sight. But the fireworks reflected in his eyes held no trace of splendor. He smiled and said, "**I’m sorry. I can’t forget Hǎilán.**"

He rejected her.

Hǎilán was just a pretext. It was partly because of Hǎilán, but not entirely. Even he wasn’t sure why he had rejected Wushuang.

It was an immediate... rejection.

Wushuang was very straightforward. The two of them agreed to remain good friends and never bring the matter up again.

She turned and walked away gracefully, leaving him with a firm, strong silhouette.

A year later, he was with Fang Jiaqi.

After he started dating Fang Jiaqi, the first person he told was Mo Xiaobai.

Everyone in the Mo family knew that Wushuang liked him and had been rejected. Mo Xiaobai was a walking announcement, so telling him was the same as telling Wushuang. As Kaka expected, Wushuang called the next day to congratulate him.

...

He thought his relationship with Wushuang had ended quietly, but who knew things would slowly begin to change.

Wushuang rarely sought him out anymore.

A month later, Mo Xiaobai made another announcement: Wushuang also had a boyfriend. He was an Italian, a famous actor who had been in several films. Little White had introduced him. The man was extremely handsome, dubbed the most beautiful man in Italy, with a melancholic, princely air. Wushuang was deeply involved with him. Little White had kept it a secret from Kaka until Kaka read about Wushuang’s new boyfriend in the newspaper himself.

Italian men are known for being romantic and passionate. This actor was already famous and well-off, and he typically had several women rumored to be his love interests. However, after he started dating Wushuang, he became very devoted, cutting off all other flings, showing affection only for Wushuang.

He was incredibly loyal and passionate.

The media had even taken photos of Wushuang entering and leaving his villa, pictures secretly taken around five or six in the morning. Everyone knew what they were doing.

The media had speculated that they might marry.

Little White had even let slip while playing a video game that he might have a brother-in-law soon.

Later, Mo Yao needed to discuss something with him. Mo Yao was originally going to fly to London, but Kaka offered to go to Rome instead, personally visiting the Mo family to discuss the matter. When Wushuang saw him, she acted normally—still free-spirited, and her attitude toward him hadn’t changed.

But Kaka could still sense that Wushuang was deliberately keeping her distance, retreating to the boundary of friendship, and no longer crossing the line.

This was what he had wanted, but when it actually happened, he felt vaguely... **unhappy**.

Yes, very unhappy.

That night, he had some drinks with Mo Yao, Mo Chen, and Little White. Slightly tipsy, he returned to his room. His guest room was directly across from Wushuang’s. Driven by a strange impulse, he went into Wushuang’s room.

Wushuang had just gotten out of the shower, wrapped in a white towel. Sixteen-year-old Wushuang’s body hadn’t fully matured, but she was extremely captivating. Her pale skin, jade-like legs, and the hint of her cleavage were all visible. Water droplets still clung to her porcelain skin. She was utterly tempting and incredibly sexy.

She was already dazzling, and a beauty emerging from a bath was infinitely alluring.

Wushuang saw him and showed no shyness, seemingly not treating him as a man. She casually asked if he needed anything. Kaka thought that if not for that night, his relationship with Wushuang wouldn’t have become the ambiguous yet twisted thing it was now.

He seemed to be possessed. He kissed Wushuang.

At the time, he truly seemed to be under a spell. By the time he regained his senses, they were already in a passionate tangle on the bed, their clothes discarded. One had harbored feelings for a long time, and the other was a man of passion. Neither had tasted the forbidden fruit. The atmosphere was right, the feeling was right, and before they knew it, it happened...

But they didn’t go all the way...

That level of intimacy was essentially the same as going all the way. They passionately explored each other’s bodies, giving each other the most pleasurable sensory experience. Physical pleasure wasn’t only achieved through true penetration; hands, mouths, and other methods could be used. They were like a fusion of **fire and water**, half-rational, half-mad. This complicated feeling was even more intoxicating.

From then on, their relationship became extremely peculiar.

They weren’t friends, weren’t lovers. They were utterly intimate, yet always maintaining one final barrier. Both were very busy and couldn’t meet all the time. Sometimes, they met only five or six times a year, and every meeting would inevitably end up in the bedroom.

But he never truly took her.

For ten years, he gave Wushuang all the privileges a husband gives a wife, all the affection a man can give a woman.

One could say she was utterly unrestrained.

As long as Wushuang was willing, as long as Wushuang wanted it, as long as Wushuang was happy, he never refused her.

And he cooperated willingly.

He became obsessed with this feeling.

Ten years...

It had been ten years since he found out Wushuang’s feelings.

If things were to happen all over again, what would he do?

He didn’t know. Perhaps he would still make the same choice. He thought of Fang Jiaqi and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Wushuang had been looking at the sea. Kaka was silently thinking about the past. She suddenly turned and smiled, bright and radiant. "Do you need to be so shocked? I was just joking..."

Kaka didn’t smile. He just looked deeply at her.

*"Because you’re in London."*

Could a joke be uttered so spontaneously, so casually?

"Kaka, what’s wrong?" Wushuang asked. Why was he silent?

Kaka snapped out of his thoughts, gently pursing his lips. "Nothing, just suddenly remembering some things."

"Were you thinking of me?"

"What do you think?"

Wushuang scoffed. "I’m right next to you. How could you be thinking of me? You must be thinking of your Princess Jiaqi. Don’t look so troubled. She’ll be back in a few days."

"Shut up."

She reached out and tugged his shirt, her purple eyes shimmering. "You dare? You’d tell me to shut up?"

Kaka gave a wry smile. A few children ran past on the beach, curiously looking at them. Wushuang released Kaka, but he immediately took her hand, carefully holding and rubbing it in his palm.

Her hands weren’t soft like ordinary women’s. Years of firearms training and proficiency in all eighteen martial arts had left Wushuang’s hands covered in thin calluses. Her reputation was in no way inferior to the young Ye Wei. She was also the international number one assassin, a sharpshooter with perfect accuracy.

With such skill, no amount of fine balm could completely eliminate the calluses on her hands.

The callus on her index finger was noticeably thicker than on her palm.

Even though they weren’t soft, he still loved holding Wushuang’s hands.

"Interested in my hand?"

"Are your hands as good-looking as mine?"

"Narcissist."

Kaka smiled, holding her hand dearly. He said softly, "Wushuang, are you really going to the Middle East?"

"Yes, I want to go. Chengtian will be in the Middle East soon, too," Wushuang said. Kaka frowned. *Long Chengtian again.* He really wasn’t used to Wushuang constantly mentioning Long Chengtian.

He smiled. "**Dump him.**"

Wushuang raised an eyebrow. "I haven’t even won him over yet. It’s too soon to talk about dumping him."