She hung up the phone.
Tang Wei’s fingers tightened around her phone. She lowered her gaze, a chill of desolation spreading from her heart to every limb.
Her young assistant, Luo Ran, looked at her with pleading eyes, on the verge of tears.
She had watched Tang Wei build the studio from the ground up and knew how much it meant to her.
There had been hardships and exhaustion along the way, but out of her love for photography, she had persevered.
She had finally achieved success, only to be forced to shut it down.
She couldn’t bear to imagine what a devastating blow this was for Tang Wei.
“Sister Weiwei…”
Luo Ran looked at her, both sad and worried.
“I’m fine.” Tang Wei suppressed the bitterness in her heart and forced a smile to comfort her.
“Contact the clients who have bookings for the next few days and cancel them. Agree to any compensation as long as it’s not unreasonable. Let me know if there’s anything you can’t handle.”
Luo Ran blinked, tears welling up in her eyes. “Sister Weiwei, is there really no other way? I don’t want to lose you…”
Tang Wei reached out and wiped away Luo Ran’s tears, smiling. “Come on, I’m just closing the studio. It’s not like I’m dying. We can still see each other.”
“Pfft, don’t say the word ‘die’.”
Luo Ran was genuinely afraid she might do something rash. With reddened eyes, she threw her arms around Tang Wei. “Sister Weiwei, tell me who it is. I’ll curse them out for you! I’ll put a hex on them!”
Tang Wei blinked. The studio was her whole world. If Luo Ran couldn’t bear to let it go, how could she?
But what could she do?
In terms of ability, tactics, and sheer shamelessness, she was no match for Qi Yanzhi.
But if he thought he could force her to give in this way, he was delusional.
She patted Luo Ran’s back and said softly, “Don’t cry. It’s not a big deal. I’ll handle it.”
Luo Ran pouted. The studio was closing—how was that not a big deal?
She knew Tang Wei didn’t want to drag her into it, but that only made her feel even worse for Tang Wei.
Leaving the studio, Tang Wei lowered her eyes. Gone was the calm she’d shown while comforting Luo Ran. She stared at the tips of her shoes and let out a long sigh.
A car horn blared.
She looked up and realized a black car had pulled up in front of her at some point.
The window rolled down, revealing a handsome face.
The man’s features were sharp and striking, his face extraordinarily refined. As he turned his head to look at her, his deep black eyes held an incredibly gentle gaze.
Tang Wei simply stood there, watching him silently.
The face was the same as before, but the person was no longer the same.
The face that once seemed gentle now only appeared hypocritical and disgusting to her.
Tang Wei coldly averted her gaze, not giving him another look.
Qi Yanzhi’s eyes darkened. Just as she turned to leave, he spoke. “Get in the car.”
Tang Wei acted as if she hadn’t heard.
Qi Yanzhi frowned and called out in a low voice, “Weiwei.”
Tang Wei closed her eyes, the anger and grievance inside her igniting, the warmth in her gaze dropping to freezing point.
She curled her lips into a cold smile. “The studio is closed, just as you wished. What more do you want? Let me think—what else can you threaten me with?”
As she spoke, she lowered her head and counted on her fingers as if seriously considering it. “The studio’s gone, so there’s not much left. Oh, right—that apartment is one I bought myself. You can’t force me to move out again, can you?”
Qi Yanzhi couldn’t stand her sarcastic tone. His heart ached. “Get in the car. Let’s talk properly.”
Talk?
A mocking smile flickered in Tang Wei’s eyes. “Does Tang Yining know you’re here?”
Qi Yanzhi grew irritated, his tone turning threatening. “Weiwei, get in the car. I’m just taking you to dinner. Don’t make me use force.”
Tang Wei hadn’t expected him to say something so shameless. Once she confirmed he was serious, she glanced around—there was no one nearby.
If he resorted to force, she really wouldn’t stand a chance.
“What exactly do you want?”
“Get in the car.”
Just two words, but they carried an unyielding command.
Tang Wei took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and reached for the rear door handle.
The door didn’t open at first.
Seeing her expression had already turned extremely grim, Qi Yanzhi feared she might really walk away. He swallowed the words he’d wanted to say about sitting in the front passenger seat and unlocked the rear door.
Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to push her further.
Tang Wei slammed the door shut with a bang loud enough to deafen the ears.
Qi Yanzhi gripped the steering wheel tightly, bitterness swelling in his chest.
Once in the car, Tang Wei remained silent, arms crossed and eyes closed as if dozing, leaving Qi Yanzhi with no chance to speak.
They drove in silence to the restaurant, where Qi Yanzhi had already reserved a table of dishes.
“Weiwei, this is your favorite fish. I still remember our first date was here. You said this restaurant’s fish was your favorite, but what you dreaded most was picking out the bones.”
With a gentle expression, he placed a piece of deboned fish into Tang Wei’s bowl, looking at her with a smile in his eyes.
To an outsider, he seemed the perfect picture of a tender, doting boyfriend.
But Tang Wei just sat there, not even lifting her eyelids, unmoved by his words.
Not in the slightest.
As if the woman in his story had nothing to do with her at all.
Qi Yanzhi felt deeply desolate, his heart constricting as if gripped tightly by someone, yet he still smiled gently, “Back then, you even said you wanted me to pick out fish bones for you for a lifetime.”
Tang Wei clenched her fists, unable to bear it any longer, “Can you stop saying such disgusting things?”
Yes, she had said those words.
But it was precisely those words that reminded her of how foolish she had been back then.
Qi Yanzhi’s expression stiffened, and he said very seriously, “This isn’t disgusting. I remember every word Weiwei has said.”
Tang Wei suddenly felt a wave of nausea. She glanced at the fish on the table—something she had once loved most now failed to stir any appetite, only making her feel even more sickened.
The faint smell of fish still lingered in her nose, and her stomach churned again. Tang Wei raised her hand to cover her mouth but couldn’t hold back a retch, “Ugh~”
Qi Yanzhi’s face was full of concern as he reached out to support her, “Weiwei, what’s wrong?”
Tang Wei flung his hand away, clutching her chest as she gasped for air. Just as she felt a little better, the sight of his worried expression made her nauseous again.
As if a thought had struck her, she curled her lips into a faint smile, “It’s nothing, I’m pregnant.”
Qi Yanzhi’s whole body went rigid, his face instantly turning pale, “Weiwei, don’t talk nonsense.”
Tang Wei smiled, “How is this nonsense? Have you forgotten? Wasn’t it you who personally had…”
“Enough!” Qi Yanzhi barked out, his expression turning extremely grim.
Tang Wei only felt nothing but irony, “What, you’re getting angry at your own actions?”
A dark undercurrent surged in Qi Yanzhi’s eyes. After a long moment, he said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t yelling at you. You can’t keep this child. I’ll take you to the hospital to have it aborted.”
Tang Wei let out a snicker, tears almost spilling from laughter.
She stared at Qi Yanzhi, her tone as cold as the biting winter wind, “Can having an abortion make it as if none of this ever happened?”