Probably because she had been woken up after falling asleep, Nan Qiu left, and Gu Anyun tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep no matter what.
In the end, she could only open WeChat, find her best friend’s chat, and open the conversation page.
Gu Anyun: 【Caicai.】
Caicai: 【Wait, am I seeing things from drawing design drafts? It’s already two in the morning, and our delicate vase lady is actually still awake!】
Gu Anyun: “…”
“Vase lady” was the nickname given to her by the wealthy socialite circle in Beicheng after she married into the Jin family.
Because Gu Anyun, both before and after marriage, had no career pursuits aside from enjoying a refined, luxurious lifestyle, most of those socialites were jealous of her for marrying Jin Chenyue and held deep-seated hostility and prejudice toward her.
But Gu Anyun never cared about any of that.
So what if she wanted to be a delicate vase lady?
Being born into the right family is a skill—those who start ahead in life shouldn’t trouble themselves over irrelevant people!
Gu Anyun quite enjoyed watching those socialites’ sour expressions.
Gu Anyun: 【Working on new designs?】
Caicai: 【Yeah, spring collection!】
Caicai: 【What’s going on with you? Feeling down?】
It was no wonder Lian Caige asked this. For Gu Anyun, nothing in the world was more important than sleep. Influenced by her actress mother, her knowledge of health and beauty was practically ingrained in her genes.
Unless she was being “exhausted” by Mr. Jin, Gu Anyun always went to bed early. It was even more unusual for her to be up at two in the morning looking for someone to chat with.
Gu Anyun: 【I’m going to the civil affairs bureau with Jin Chenyue tomorrow to get our divorce certificate.】
Caicai: 【???】
A few seconds later, the other person sent a video call request.
The sudden ringing in the quiet, empty master bedroom startled Gu Anyun, causing her phone to slip from her hand and nearly hit her in the face.
Flustered, she sat up, picked up the phone, and swiped to answer.
“What’s going on?” On the other end of the video, Lian Caige held a paintbrush, her face full of Jiangnan charm and concern. “Did you have a fight?”
Gu Anyun curled her lips helplessly. “Caicai, I just discussed this with you last week.”
On the other end, Lian Caige’s screen froze.
It wasn’t a network issue—she was just stuck in a memory recall mode.
A few seconds later, Lian Caige slapped her forehead. “Sorry, sorry, I’ve been so busy I’m dizzy. You mentioned last week that the three-year deadline is up.”
“Mm.” Gu Anyun bent her knees, resting her chin on them over the blanket, holding her phone with both hands. Unintentionally, she gave Lian Caige a “death angle” shot—her nostrils facing the camera.
Lian Caige stared for a few seconds before letting out a heartfelt sigh. “I’m so jealous! Only the vase lady herself could pull off this death angle!”
“Hey!” Gu Anyun frowned. “If you’re going to chat like this, I’m hanging up.”
“Don’t! I’m just expressing my most sincere admiration for things of extreme beauty. You know, as a designer, I have zero resistance to beauty.”
Lian Caige was a Jiangnan girl through and through. Although she now lived in Beicheng, the temperament and Jiangnan accent she developed from childhood were already ingrained, giving her speech an unintentional, soft, coquettish tone that never felt contrived.
Gu Anyun shot her a reproachful look. Her usually cool and aloof face only showed lively expressions in front of Lian Caige.Lian Caige was three years older than her. They had met at Lian Caige’s new product launch event—a rather chance encounter.
Gu Anyun was initially drawn to Lian Caige’s work. As the biggest customer at that show, Lian Caige was introduced by the organizers and proactively explained her design philosophy to Gu Anyun.
After listening, Gu Anyun’s first words were, “Are you interested in starting your own business?”
Lian Caige was stunned for a moment but still nodded earnestly.
Not long after, Lian Caige resigned and started her own business, opening a small-scale studio. Whenever her non-conformist works were released, Gu Anyun was always the first to buy the entire series.
She lent Lian Caige five million, allowing her to operate the studio without pressure in the early stages and focus on creating new products.
Lian Caige suggested letting her become a shareholder, but she refused, putting on a haughty expression that seemed to say, “I just have too much money and want to help others for fun.” At the time, Lian Caige felt like hugging her leg and weeping with gratitude for three days and three nights.
“So, you can’t sleep now because you’re too excited?”
Gu Anyun thought for a moment, lazily blinking her eyes. “Sort of.”
“To be honest, you’re pretty impressive.”
Gu Anyun frowned. “How so?”
“Your husband… no, now he’s your soon-to-be ex-husband.”
Soon-to-be ex-husband?
Gu Anyun chuckled. “That’s a fitting title.”
Lian Caige tapped her nose with a paintbrush. “Jin Chenyue married young at twenty, started ‘working part-time while studying’ at eighteen, and in just three years under his leadership, the Jin Group reached new heights. Plus, he’s handsome, and his figure… oh right, is his figure good?”
Gu Anyun was caught off guard by the question and instinctively recalled before nodding sincerely. “Pretty good. He exercises every day.”
“Eww~” Lian Caige raised an eyebrow at her. “That’s why I said you’re impressive! A man like Jin Chenyue, and after sleeping with him for three years, you didn’t feel the slightest bit moved! Truly the pampered young lady of the Gu family, untouched by even the finest things in this mortal world!”
“Yeah, I’m just not interested,” Gu Anyun replied softly.
Though the response sounded arrogant, Lian Caige noticed the young lady’s eyes were lowered, her thick lashes hiding her pupils, making it impossible to discern her emotions.
Lian Caige tilted her head. As someone who had never been in a relationship, she wondered inwardly: Is she really not interested?
$-$
Gu Anyun chatted with Lian Caige for half an hour. Perhaps Lian Caige’s gentle Jiangnan accent had a hypnotic effect, as Gu Anyun began to feel sleepy and rubbed her eyes.
Lian Caige said, “Seeing you yawn makes me sleepy too.”
“Then let’s hang up,” Gu Anyun stared at her face. “And don’t stay up so late. With the camera this close, I noticed two spots near the corner of your eye.”
Lian Caige: “…”
Thanks, your thoughtfulness just made me burst into tears 〒▽〒
“Goodnight.”
“…Goodnight, my vase of a lady.”
“Please roll away gracefully.”
Amid Lian Caige’s roaring laughter, Gu Anyun ended the video call.
She placed her phone on the nightstand, turned off the light, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
She slept fitfully, as if she had dreamed, but remembered nothing upon waking.
Gu Anyun stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, then sat up and checked the time.
Seven-thirty—she hadn’t slept for many hours.
Nan Qiu knocked and entered, attending to her as usual for washing, dressing, and grooming.While selecting clothes, Gu Anyun thought for a moment and rejected the outfit Nan Qiu had picked out. Instead, she pulled a very casual knit dress from the corner of the closet.
This was a dress she had worn three years ago. Paired with skinny jeans and no jewelry, this look made her seem exactly like an innocent college student.
Youthful and vibrant.
Nan Qiu felt that Gu Anyun was a bit different today—not just in her appearance and style, but different from the inside out.
She seemed to be in a rather cheerful mood.
Nan Qiu smiled and asked, “Does the young madam have plans with someone today? This outfit looks very casual. Could it be that you’re going to the university district with Teacher Lian?”
After all, she was dressed so much like a college student.
“I do have plans with someone,” Gu Anyun said, turning in front of the full-length mirror. “I have plans with Jin Chenyue.”
Nan Qiu’s eyes lit up. “So you’re going on a… date with the young master?”
Dressed like a college student to stroll through the university district with the young master?
Nan Qiu immediately began imagining a romantic drama. “The young master has finally come to his senses, knowing he should take the young madam on a date. You look very cute today, very much like a college student. Actually, no—you and the young master are practically college-aged yourselves…”
“Nan Qiu,” Gu Anyun interrupted, looking at her with a hint of helplessness. “I’m not going on a date with Jin Chenyue.”
“Ah?” Nan Qiu’s smile stiffened slightly. “Then what are you doing?”
“We’re going to the Civil Affairs Bureau,” Gu Anyun said, meeting Nan Qiu’s shocked gaze, a faint smile curling her pink lips. “To get a divorce.”
Nan Qiu: “?!!”
Can anyone understand? The couple I’ve been shipping for three years suddenly broke up 〒▽〒