The rain outside had stopped, leaving the roads damp and cold.
Si Yuan emerged from the hotel and quickly walked to her car.
Everything today had unfolded as expected.
Except for Song Yan and Lin Shuangyu’s engagement, and encountering Jiang Wang.
Just as she was about to open the car door, her phone suddenly rang.
The characters “Song Yan” on the screen stung her eyes.
She hesitated for a moment before answering the call.
“Xiao Yuan, where did you go?”
Song Yan’s voice came through the receiver, still gentle and polite, yet carrying a familiar, unyielding tone she recognized. “Everyone’s cutting the cake. I saved a piece for you. Come quickly.”
Si Yuan’s throat tightened as the memory of that unforgettable day flashed before her eyes—Lin Shuangyu and her lackeys pressing down on the back of her neck, shoving her face violently into the birthday cake. The suffocating sensation of cream clogging her nostrils was something she could never forget.
“I don’t like cake.”
She heard her own voice, calm yet distant.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
“But you used to like it. Every year on my birthday, you’d have an extra slice.” Song Yan’s tone carried a hint of helplessness. “Xiao Yuan, don’t be difficult right now.”
Difficult?
“Brother, I used to like it,” Si Yuan said, gazing at the blurred neon lights in the distance, enunciating each word carefully. “But not anymore.”
Another pause on the other end.
“Why?”
Si Yuan closed her eyes. “Because Lin Shuangyu once shoved my face into a cake. Is that reason enough?”
The line went completely silent.
Song Yan’s eyes, always warm with a gentle smile, now held a trace of bewilderment, his brows slightly furrowed.
“That was just high school kids messing around. Didn’t you say…” His voice suddenly softened. “…you didn’t care about it anymore?”
A sharp pain pierced Si Yuan’s chest.
“Yes, I don’t care anymore.” Si Yuan whispered, her fingers unconsciously tracing the scar on her wrist. “So now I can tell you the reason without caring, and say I don’t like cake.”
Song Yan seemed about to say something but was interrupted by a burst of noise.
“Yan Ge! Come have some cake!” Lin Shuangyu’s coquettish voice came through the receiver. “Your sister isn’t being that unreasonable, is she? Everyone’s waiting for her!”
Si Yuan’s stomach twisted into knots.
This woman was truly nauseating.
The fact that Song Yan had liked someone like this for so many years—what did that say about him?
Perhaps it meant he never deserved all those years she had spent liking him.
A rebellious thought suddenly surged within Si Yuan.
So what if she was unreasonable? What could Lin Shuangyu do about it?
“Brother, your fiancée is calling you. I won’t disturb you anymore. Make sure you all have a great time.”
She finished with a light laugh and quickly hung up.
Song Yan stood frozen amidst the bustling lights, phone still in hand, struggling to process what had just happened.
Fiancée…
Si Yuan had used that term twice today.
He couldn’t help feeling that introducing Lin Shuangyu to Si Yuan had been too rushed, that he had been inconsiderate.
She had been abroad for five years, returning without even telling him—just like when she left. Was she angry because of this?
Sitting in her car, Si Yuan’s hands trembled as she frantically twisted open the medicine bottle and swallowed an antidepressant pill.
The bitter taste of the medication spread across her tongue. She leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes, and waited for the effects to kick in.
The car pulled away from the hotel as the rain gradually lightened.
The neon lights outside the car window blurred into hazy patches of color in the rain, their shifting glow dancing across her delicate, petite face.
Five years ago, after that turmoil, Mother Song had hastily sent her abroad, not even giving her time to pack her luggage before abandoning her in a foreign land.
Before she left, they had only given her a key.
A villa far from the Song family, claimed to be her “new home.”
It was essentially a separation from the family.
The car entered a quiet villa district.
This was the villa the Song family had prepared for her.
The location and decor were excellent, but it was very far from the Song family.
In the past, Si Yuan had felt sad, believing she had been abandoned, but now she was quite satisfied with the arrangement.
After parking the car, Si Yuan pushed the door open, and a crisp, post-rain breeze greeted her.
Her mood lifted slightly.
But as soon as she took a step, Si Yuan froze in place.
Leaning lazily against the black Maybach nearby was a familiar figure.
Jiang Wang held a cigarette between his fingers, its crimson tip flickering in the night.
He tilted his head slightly, watching her through the haze of smoke.
“You…”
Si Yuan’s throat tightened. Recalling the ambiguous words in the elevator, the tips of her ears burned unconsciously.
She gripped her bag strap tightly, forcing composure as she said, “Young Master Jiang… I don’t quite understand what you mean. If it’s because of the past… we were all young back then. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Jiang Wang narrowed his eyes, giving her a slightly peculiar look before letting out a low chuckle.
Without a word, he extinguished his cigarette, straightened up, and walked forward.
Si Yuan stood frozen, her heart pounding like a drum.
Watching Jiang Wang’s tall, slender figure, her mind raced through countless possibilities—had he followed her here?
Or…
If he intended to do something tonight, how could she resist?
Jiang Wang had always been unpredictable—whether driving recklessly on the highway or acting on impulse, he did whatever crossed his mind.
Just as Si Yuan began considering whether to leave immediately, Jiang Wang stopped at the door… next to her villa, and deftly entered the passcode.