Sheng Yun was led by a waiter to the door of a private dining room.
She was just about to enter when she heard Li Xingyun’s urgent voice.
“What did you bring her here for? Sheng Yun will be here any minute.”
Sheng Yun stopped the waiter from opening the door and continued listening.
“So what if she comes?” Lu Zili’s voice was full of disdain. “Do you think I’m afraid of her?”
“Ancestor[1]A humorous or exasperated form of address in Chinese, used when pleading with someone who is being especially troublesome or difficult. It does not imply a literal family relationship. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3706624_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3706624_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, I’m begging you, don’t make a scene,” Li Xingyun said. “You can do whatever you want in private. Sheng Yun has been giving you and the Lu family face[2]In Chinese culture, “giving face” means protecting someone’s dignity, reputation, or social standing by avoiding public embarrassment or humiliation. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3706624_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3706624_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, turning a blind eye. But now you’ve brought her right in front of Sheng Yun—that’s a slap in the face to both the Sheng family and Sheng Yun.”
“Do you think the eldest Miss Sheng will swallow that insult?”
Lu Zili let out a disdainful chuckle. “Even if she can’t swallow it, she’ll have to. What else can she do—break up with me? Would she really be willing to? Would the Sheng family?”
Li Xingyun failed to persuade him and could only sigh helplessly. “You’re taking this too far. Be careful, or you’ll end up desperately trying to win her back.”
“Heh…” Lu Zili chuckled dismissively.
“Desperately trying to win her back? What, do you think this is some novel?”
Sheng Yun pushed the door open and entered.
She looked at Lu Zili.
He was sitting in his seat, with a beautiful young woman beside him. The woman had an outstanding figure, and her breasts were practically pressed against Lu Zili’s arm.
When Lu Zili saw Sheng Yun looking at them, he gave her an indifferent glance. The woman, meanwhile, flashed Sheng Yun a provocative smile that vanished in an instant.
“Sheng Yun, you’re here.” Li Xingyun smiled awkwardly. “Have a seat.”
Sheng Yun withdrew her gaze, nodded, and found a seat.
In the past, she had always sat beside Lu Zili. But now, it was obviously inappropriate.
When Lu Zili saw her sit somewhere else, his expression darkened. He gave a cold snort but said nothing.
Soon, everyone arrived one after another.
Today’s dinner had been organized by Li Xingyun. The guests were seven or eight close friends from their social circle.
None of them had brought anyone else. Only Lu Zili had brought a woman.
Everyone glanced at Lu Zili, Sheng Yun, and Su Xiangwan, their expressions varied, but no one spoke first.
They chatted about other topics while eating.
Suddenly, Lu Zili spoke. “Wanwan, toast your Sister Sheng.”
Sheng Yun looked at Lu Zili.
So did everyone else.
Lu Zili smiled. “Why is everyone looking at me like that? Shouldn’t a younger sister offer her older sister a toast? Shouldn’t she make herself known to her older sister?”
Everyone fell silent.
Older sister? Younger sister? Formally acknowledge her?
Was Lu Zili trying to make Sheng Yun acknowledge this “mistress”?
Everyone felt that Lu Zili had gone too far.
He could fool around however he wanted in private, but they were not even married yet, and he had brought it right in front of Sheng Yun.
Miss Sheng might not accept this.
Su Xiangwan knew what Lu Zili was like, and she felt somewhat unwilling.
But she understood her own position. She obediently picked up her wineglass, stood, and said to Sheng Yun with a smile, “Sister Sheng, let me offer you a toast. I hope you’ll look after me in the future.”
Sheng Yun looked at Su Xiangwan without moving from her seat.
Su Xiangwan turned to Lu Zili with an aggrieved expression. “Brother Zili, does Sister Sheng dislike me?”
Lu Zili wore a careless, roguish smile.
“It doesn’t matter if she dislikes you. As long as I like you, that’s enough.”
“Come on. Feed me a drink.”
Su Xiangwan asked, her face flushing, “How do I feed you?”
Lu Zili smiled, casual yet brazen. “What do you think?”
Su Xiangwan glanced at Sheng Yun, drained the wine in her glass, then cupped Lu Zili’s face and pressed her lips to his.
She passed the wine to him mouth-to-mouth.
Lu Zili did not resist. He swallowed the wine while watching Sheng Yun from the corner of his eye.
The others did not dare make a sound.
Sheng Yun watched the scene with a calm expression.
She knew that she and Lu Zili were over.
After feeding him, Lu Zili gave Su Xiangwan’s bottom an approving pat.
Su Xiangwan sat down with a flushed face, her eyes sparkling with seductive delight as she looked at Sheng Yun provocatively and triumphantly.
“Lu Zili.” Sheng Yun looked at him. “Are you having fun?”
Lu Zili raised an eyebrow, his expression half-amused and half-mocking. “What? Do you want to join in?”
The others did not even dare breathe too loudly.
Sheng Yun shook her head. “You like playing these disgraceful games, but I don’t. I can’t join in. We’re not the same kind of people.”
“So let’s break up.”
The others froze for a moment and looked at Sheng Yun in astonishment.
But deep down, they also felt that they could understand her.
Anyone would have been unable to endure being humiliated like that in public by Lu Zili.
Lu Zili was the Capital’s Crown Prince[3]A figurative title for a privileged young heir with considerable influence among the capital’s wealthy and powerful families. It signifies elite social status rather than actual royalty. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3706624_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3706624_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, and Sheng Yun was an equally proud and esteemed young lady.
“Sure.” Lu Zili smiled. “Let’s break up.”
Sheng Yun nodded. “I’ll notify my parents. You notify yours.”
The smile suddenly vanished from Lu Zili’s face. He glared at Sheng Yun with a dark expression.
Sheng Yun stood and said to the others, “You all keep eating. I’m leaving.”
Then she turned to Li Xingyun. “I’ll pay the bill today. Consider it a celebration of my return to being single—and a celebration of Young Master Lu finding a new love.”
With that, she gave a faint smile and left.
She did not even spare Lu Zili a glance.
Everyone in the private room watched Lu Zili’s grim, ugly expression and did not dare say a word.
“Why are you looking at me?” Lu Zili said with a smile. “Eat.”
Though he was smiling, his eyes were utterly cold.
“Brother Zili…” Su Xiangwan reached out, trying to link her arm with his.
Lu Zili suddenly swept her hand away and shouted harshly, “Get lost!”
Su Xiangwan froze. Her eyes instantly reddened, and she bit her lip as she looked at Lu Zili aggrievedly.
Lu Zili did not even look at her. He took out a cigarette and held it between his lips, but could not find his lighter.
Just as he was about to lose his temper, Su Xiangwan hurriedly took out a lighter and lit it for him.
Lu Zili said nothing and did not look at her. His face cold, he smoked in silence.
Sheng Yun left the private room and walked into the main hall to pay the bill. One of her friends hurried after her and said, “Sheng Yun, don’t be angry with Zili. He was deliberately putting on a show for you.”
Sheng Yun nodded. “Mm. I’m not angry.”
Her friend looked at her calm face suspiciously. “You’re really not angry?”
Sheng Yun smiled and nodded. “Really. We’ve already broken up. Whatever he does has nothing to do with me.”
Her friend frowned. “Sheng Yun, stop joking around. You and Ali[4]An affectionate nickname for Lu Zili, formed by adding the familiar prefix “A-” to “Li”, the final character of his given name. It is commonly used by people close to him, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3706624_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3706624_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); have been together for so many years. How can you break up over something this minor?”
“After you left, Ali got angry at that woman and told her to get lost. He doesn’t care about her at all.”
Sheng Yun sighed and looked at her friend. “When have you ever seen me joke about breaking up?”
Her friend froze.
After thinking about it, the friend realized that Sheng Yun and Ali had indeed been together for many years. Ali had always been reckless and unruly, and Sheng Yun would get angry and argue with him, but no matter how heated things became, Sheng Yun had never once said the words “break up.”
Ali… had gone too far this time. Even their friends felt that he had gone too far.
“Lu Zili treats relationships casually and tramples all over other people’s feelings, but I’m not like that,” Sheng Yun said.
“When I say we’re breaking up, I mean it.”
Her friend fell silent.
At that moment, a group of people approached from the opposite direction, making quite a commotion.
One of the men was surrounded by the others.
References[+]