The restaurant fell into an eerie silence.
Li Yueting wondered if he had misheard, but for some reason, his heart sank heavily.
It felt as though something tied with a rope had plunged into his heart.
“What did you say?” His face turned extremely unpleasant.
“You heard me.” Pei Yan met his faintly furious gaze directly. “Let’s brea—”
An expensive soup bowl was flung from Li Yueting’s hand, crashing onto the floor. Splattered broth and the sharp shattering of porcelain interrupted Pei Yan’s words.
Pei Yan pressed her lips together, her own anger ignited.
She immediately shoved the photos and videos on her phone right in front of his eyes.
“Li Yueting, open your eyes and see clearly. You’re the one fooling around all the time.”
“If you don’t like me, why are you throwing a tantrum here?”
“I should be the angry one right now. Should I thank Young Master Li for three years of deception?”
“Xiao Ran? If you can’t forget your first love, why did you come confessing to me?”
“That’s not it, Xiao Yan.” Li Yueting instinctively defended himself. “It’s not what you think. Listen to me!”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Fury gathered between Pei Yan’s brows. “I don’t like you anymore, and I don’t want to be with you anymore. Can’t I break up?”
Li Yueting argued back angrily, “I told you, these don’t prove I did anything to betray you.”
His face twisted momentarily. Where did Pei Yan get this video?
He had checked that woman’s phone himself.
Even the hotel surveillance had been deleted by him.
In the video, his words “Xiao Ran, I like you” played on a loop.
Li Yueting had nothing to say. Seeming to sense something, he retreated to the balcony.
But the wind outside did little to ease the discomfort in his stomach.
Pei Yan followed him and, under his astonished gaze, yanked the butterfly gemstone brooch pinned to his shirt collar.
“What are you doing? Give it back!” Li Yueting reached to snatch it.
But Pei Yan held it high. “This is the brooch I gave you after we got together. I designed and made it myself. Do you know what it symbolizes?”
Li Yueting pressed his lips together, silent.
Pei Yan continued, “You know, don’t you? You know the meaning of this brooch I gave you. The butterfly represents breaking free from the cocoon.”
Li Yueting’s lips trembled as if he wanted to speak, but Pei Yan gave him no chance.
“Even though you’re the eldest son of the Li family, you’re suppressed by your younger brother. You want to achieve something to prove yourself to the elders.”
“But the elders all think you’re less capable than your brother and just laugh it off.”
“People in Sui River mock you because, as the eldest son of the Li family, you lost to your half-brother. Even your mother resents you for it.”
“But back then, you said you would break free from your cocoon one day. I always looked forward to that day.”
Li Yueting abruptly cut her off, “Stop it.”
Pei Yan went on, “It has another meaning too. In the West, there’s a saying: ‘Butterflies in the stomach.’ It could be understood as the nervousness I felt when I was falling for you. But you don’t deserve it.”
Seeing his expression grow even uglier, Pei Yan felt a surge of satisfaction.
Without a hint of nostalgia, she tossed the brooch into the lawn below. Li Yueting grabbed her wrist, “Are you insane?”
Pei Yan shook off his grip and sneered coldly, “Li Yueting, let’s part on good terms. It’s not like I have no temper.”
Li Yueting nervously swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Xiao Yan, let me explain.”
“No need.”
Pei Yan turned and walked away.
It took Li Yueting a long moment to collect himself before he finally strode after her, only to see the elevator doors close just as he arrived.
He pounded fiercely on the elevator doors, but there was no response from within.
Watching the floor numbers descend one by one, he finally roared, “Do you think I can’t live without you? Leave if you want!”
The empty corridor offered no reply. Staggering back as if lost, he collided with the wall and slumped to the floor.
Then, remembering something, he desperately pressed the elevator button again.
Upon reaching the first floor, Li Yueting rushed into the lawn and began frantically searching.
He didn’t even understand what had come over him—after all, he didn’t even like Pei Yan.
Pei Yan had no idea Li Yueting was searching for that brooch.
To her, keeping it would only cause discomfort, so throwing it away was for the best.
She used to wonder why Li Yueting never showed her affection during their time together.
Now, she had a fair idea of the reason.
It was simply because he was still in love with Ning Ran.
But he never should have dragged her into this mess.
It was Li Yueting who had pursued her for three months first and confessed his feelings.
Back then, she was at an age full of romantic expectations, and having developed feelings for Li Yueting, she naturally accepted.
However, after they got together, Li Yueting wasn’t as passionate as he had been during the pursuit.
Around that time, Li Yueting’s grandmother passed away, so Pei Yan assumed he was grieving and didn’t press the issue. Later, he returned to his home country, and they maintained a long-distance relationship for quite some time.
Once, Pei Yan had jokingly asked him why he never kissed her.
Li Yueting patted her head affectionately and said, “To me, you’re still that crybaby from childhood. I selfishly confessed my feelings, but I can’t bring myself to kiss you yet. Let’s wait until you’re a bit older.”
Now, the memory made Pei Yan’s stomach churn with disgust—she had been 24 at the time.
Her first hopeful, beautiful romance had been utterly ruined by Li Yueting.
Why did he have to deceive her like this?
What exactly did she owe him?
But none of it mattered anymore. The outcome held no significance for her now.
Pei Yan was the treasured daughter of the Pei family, showered with boundless affection since childhood.
This grudge was a matter of the heart—she wouldn’t involve her family.
No matter how the elders interacted after the broken engagement, she and Li Yueting would remain strangers from now on.
Walking slowly toward the main gate due to her foot injury, Pei Yan had dismissed her chauffeur upon arrival.
Unbeknownst to her, at the very moment she and Li Yueting broke up, the video from her phone had already been leaked online.
Entertainment headlines flooded the internet: “Blue Sail Entertainment’s Heir Dislikes His Fiancée,” “Li Yueting Claims Engagement to Fuyao Jewelry’s Second Young Miss is Mere Arrangement, Devoid of Feelings,” “Who is Xiao Ran?” and similar titles proliferated.
Major news outlets were dominated by Li Yueting’s video, sparking fervent discussions among netizens:
“This man is utterly disgusting. My heart aches for the Second Young Miss Pei.”
“Li Yueting is a regular at entertainment venues—what on earth did the Second Young Miss see in him?”
“So even the wealthy face rocky romances.”
“Romance, my foot! This is clearly an arranged marriage. Will the Second Young Miss come out to defend her fiancé soon?”
“Business interests trump all in wealthy families.”
“There are no decent men left in this world.”
“I thought they were the perfect golden couple, but it turns out they’re worse off than ordinary pairs.”
“…”
Before long, Blue Sail Entertainment and Li Yueting were frequently trending on hot searches, but the other protagonist, Pei Yan, left almost no traces online.
Even when mentioned, comments were mostly along the lines of “Feeling sorry for Second Miss Pei.”
Fu Huaizhou sat in his car watching the entrance to Li Yueting’s residential compound, but never caught sight of that familiar figure.
He estimated it would take less than half an hour for paparazzi to swarm Li Yueting’s neighborhood.
His phone rang. Fu Huaizhou narrowed his eyes slightly as he answered, “Any updates?”
“The online sentiment is completely one-sided now. Blue Sail Entertainment has started making moves—they’ll probably use their signed artists to divert attention.”
Fu Huaizhou said, “Appropriately leak some of the Li family’s internal scandals too. Just make sure not to leave any traces that could be traced back to us.”
“Understood.”
Just as Fu Huaizhou ended the call, Pei Yan emerged from the compound gates.
Fu Huaizhou immediately pulled forward and made a U-turn. Pei Yan was about to call her driver when a black Cayenne stopped beside her, its window rolling down.
The first thing that caught Pei Yan’s eye were Fu Huaizhou’s striking, well-defined features—his deep-set eyes and distinct brows.
Pei Yan froze for a moment, her gaze questioning, “What are you doing here?”
Fu Huaizhou leaned over and pushed the car door open, gesturing for her to get in.
Pei Yan stood still for a few seconds, thinking, then got into his car.
Just minutes after the Cayenne drove away, Li Yueting’s residence was surrounded by paparazzi.