A cafe in a certain city.
Beautiful music drifted slowly through the air.
“Why?”
Suddenly, a pleasant female voice rang out from a corner. Amidst the slow music, the sudden spike in volume caused the patrons in the cafe to instinctively look toward the couple seated there.
The girl in the corner was strikingly delicate.
With long eyelashes, fair cheeks, and a slender frame, she looked like someone who would instantly evoke a protective instinct in others.
The girl gazed at the man opposite her with a face full of resentment. Seeing this scene, the patrons simultaneously thought of the word “breakup.”
“There’s no specific reason. The main thing is that as long as I marry Mannyun, I can save myself many years of struggle. I do like you, but compared to my future, that’s nothing!”
The man, with his sharp-featured face, spoke in a cold tone, though a trace of reluctance lingered in his expression.
However, as soon as he thought of his future, the reluctance vanished, replaced by a look of resolve.
Hearing his cold words, the girl instantly masked all the emotions in her eyes and spoke calmly.
“I understand.”
There were no pleas, no accusations. She accepted his reason so calmly that it was as if the person who had just lost control wasn’t her.
In truth, the two were childhood sweethearts, but the girl’s family background was indeed unremarkable.
She hadn’t expected her childhood sweetheart boyfriend to break up with her for the sake of his career.
“I’m sorry!”
The man pushed up his glasses, his tone carrying a hint of apology.
“No need. You haven’t done anything to be sorry for. In fact, I should thank you. If you hadn’t made things clear, I’d still be in the dark!”
After saying this, the girl took her wallet out of her handbag, left money for the coffee, stood up, and walked away.
Seeing her decisive departure, the man said nothing, merely watching her leave in silence.
He sat there for a long time before finally getting up to go.
What he didn’t know was that the moment the girl turned to leave, the tears in her eyes finally fell uncontrollably.
The girl’s name was Wei Lihua, and she was childhood sweethearts with the man in the cafe.
They had grown up together and later got into the same university.
She never expected to encounter such a thing upon graduation.
Although Wei Lihua felt terrible, she also felt a sense of relief.
In fact, she had noticed something was off quite a while ago.
Because they had been together for so long, she had chosen to trust him.
She hadn’t expected reality to slap her in the face so hard—that man had dumped her just to save himself thirty years of struggle.
A mocking smile appeared on Wei Lihua’s face. So, feelings were this cheap.
No amount of affection could withstand the temptation of money. Perhaps she really should think carefully about what to do next.
Wei Lihua returned to the small room she had rented for three years. In her freshman year, she had moved out to live on her own because of her part-time jobs.
Looking at the small room, she felt a sense of loss.
Though small, the room had been meticulously decorated by Wei Lihua to be very cozy.
The orange curtains and the small flowers on the computer desk gave her a sense of inner peace.
After living there for three years, she was indeed reluctant to leave, but she had already decided to go home.
No matter how much she hesitated, it was time to move on.
Just then, the phone in her bag rang.
Seeing the familiar number on the screen, Wei Lihua suddenly felt a wave of grievance.
She forced back her tears and answered the call.
“Hello, Mom. I’ve thought about it. I’m going to come home to work after a while. I’m not looking for a job here anymore.”
Previously, Wei Lihua’s plan had been to find a job here to stay with him.
She hadn’t expected him to break up with her right after graduation.
“It’s good to come back. A woman has to get married eventually. Once you’re back, you and Little Zhao can get married!”
On the other end of the phone, Wei Lihua’s mother, Zhang Xiuli, thought her daughter was coming home with her boyfriend. She felt that a woman’s destiny was to marry and have children.
It would be perfect for them to marry after coming back. Besides, since they were both college graduates, they wouldn’t have to worry about making a living back home.
“Mom, I’m coming back alone. Zhao Yi and I broke up.”
As she said this, Wei Lihua’s voice trembled with a sob.
Even though she had been so decisive, how could nearly ten years of feelings be set aside so easily?
“What happened? Didn’t you say you two were doing fine last time?”
Zhang Xiuli was shocked by her daughter’s words. They were fine just a short while ago, and now her daughter was coming home alone.
“He fell for someone else.”
Wei Lihua’s words were laced with irony. Regardless of everything, Zhao Yi was someone she had loved for nearly ten years.
They had been classmates in middle school and went to high school and university together. Wei Lihua was still willing to leave him with that shred of dignity.
“I see…”
Upon hearing her daughter’s explanation, Zhang Xiuli’s heart actually settled.
Although she knew her daughter wasn’t telling the whole truth, she understood her daughter’s personality.
Her daughter was strong-willed, but to put it simply, she was the type who could be coaxed but not driven. For her daughter to be this upset, Zhao Yi must have done something terrible to betray her.
Besides, a breakup now was better than that boy changing his mind after marriage.
Overall, her daughter hadn’t lost out, but they couldn’t just let the boy off so easily.
However, the priority now was to comfort her daughter.
“If you’ve split, then you’ve split. It’s a good chance for you to come home and rest for a while. There’s no rush to find a job!”
Although Wei Lihua’s family wasn’t well-off, she was ambitious.
Aside from her freshman year, she had earned all her tuition for the remaining three years of university herself.
Because of this, the family’s financial situation wasn’t too bad.
“Mhm, I will. Don’t worry, Mom.”
There was no hurdle that couldn’t be crossed, and Wei Lihua wasn’t someone who couldn’t let go.
Since he is heartless, I am through—those weren’t just empty words.
“Be careful out there by yourself. We’re waiting for you at home!”
Zhang Xiuli was still worried, but she knew that since her daughter was away, they couldn’t help much even if she was being mistreated.
It was better for her to come home first, and then they could discuss things further.
As for Zhao Yi, even though they had broken up, their families lived quite close.
There would be plenty of opportunities later. The Wei family wasn’t one to be bullied.
The two families had agreed long ago that they would marry after university. In the countryside, there wasn’t much difference between an engagement and a marriage.
The only difference was that engaged couples didn’t live together, while married ones did.
Now that her daughter said Zhao Yi had a change of heart, they had to reclaim their dignity somehow.
Otherwise, who knows what the villagers would say about their family later!
Of course, she couldn’t tell her daughter any of this yet.
“Mhm, I will. I plan to head home in a couple of days once I’ve settled everything here.”
Actually, Wei Lihua had planned to develop her career back home for a long time. If she hadn’t found her “reliance,” she wouldn’t have been prepared to return.
Speaking of her reliance, Wei Lihua felt like she was in a dream.
She remembered the day before yesterday, after finishing a tutoring session for her last student and heading home.
It was drizzling that day. While waiting at the bus stop, she saw a small, glowing stone on the roadside.
Thinking it was pretty, she picked it up and put it in her pocket.
Later, while cooking, she accidentally cut her finger. When she reached for a tissue, she accidentally touched the stone.
To her surprise, the stone contained a Small Space. Although the space wasn’t very large, it was empty for the most part, containing only some medicinal herbs and about ten mu of land.
There was also a well of Spring Water. Because she was so shocked at the time, she hadn’t looked closely.
However, the Spring Water in the space was good stuff. Out of curiosity, she had taken a sip, only to end up with a bout of diarrhea immediately after.
A layer of impurities had also begun to seep out of her skin. Worried that her physical changes were happening too fast and might be noticed, she had taken to applying a layer of powder to her face whenever she went out these past two days.
“Lihua, don’t worry. Just take care of yourself. Don’t think too much. The daughters of the Wei family aren’t unable to find husbands. we can’t cling to someone like that, you know?”
Although Zhang Xiuli knew her daughter’s temperament, the bond between those two children had been very deep.
She was worried her daughter wouldn’t be able to let go. If her daughter really tried to save that relationship, even if they reconciled, she would be looked down upon by the Zhao family in the future.
“Mom, what are you thinking? Am I that kind of person?”
Hearing her mother’s words, Wei Lihua smiled helplessly. She had just been thinking about her Small Space.
Her mother’s thoughts had wandered off to such a place; she really wanted to tell her mother she was overthinking it.
While she wasn’t some peerless beauty, with the Small Space and its magical Spring Water, was it worth it to try and win back a man like that? Actually, in the beginning, Wei Lihua had considered telling Zhao Yi about the Small Space after they married.
However, she felt the whole thing was too miraculous and feared that knowing about it might put her in danger.
She hadn’t decided whether to tell Zhao Yi about the space in the future, especially since she was already planning to move back home.
She hadn’t expected that before she could even mention moving back, Zhao Yi would be the one to break up with her.
“Lihua, I don’t ask for you to be incredibly successful; I just want you to be okay. I’m worried you won’t take this well.”
Zhang Xiuli caught the meaning in her daughter’s tone. Seeing her like this, she knew her daughter was fine.
“Mom, I’ll be back in a few days. Don’t worry. Besides, I plan to develop my career at home. Don’t overthink it. I’ll be living right under your nose from now on.”
Parents always worry about their children’s safety, especially given the breakup.
Wei Lihua knew the breakup was a reality, and saying anything more would be pointless.
Didn’t Zhao Yi just think she was poorer than his current girlfriend’s family? Well, she had the Small Space now.
As long as she managed the Small Space well, she believed she wouldn’t be inferior to anyone else in the future.