Zhao Jiaqi’s gaze fell on the woman and she said in surprise, “Although I can’t see her face, judging from her figure and back, she must be an absolute beauty.”
Gu Xiaoxiao followed the direction of her finger and saw a black Maybach parked by the roadside. Lu Chen was dressed in casual black attire, one hand in his pocket, standing beside the car while talking to the woman next to him.
The woman wore a light yellow long dress. Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders. With her back facing Gu Xiaoxiao, her face couldn’t be seen, but her delicate, petite figure with its graceful curves showed she was surely a sweet and beautiful young girl.
Lu Chen was speaking with her, his side profile sharp and handsome.
Gu Xiaoxiao froze on the spot. She had just said earlier that Lu Chen would definitely appear before her within three days, and she hadn’t expected it to come true so quickly. But he wasn’t alone—he was with another girl.
His gaze lingered softly on the woman beside him. Though her face wasn’t visible, Gu Xiaoxiao could faintly see her fair earlobes and slender neck, with faint red marks upon them.
The two of them standing together looked like a pair deeply in love.
In that instant, Gu Xiaoxiao felt a stabbing pain in her chest, as if struck hard by something.
“Is that really Young Master Lu?” Zhao Jiaqi asked uncertainly.
“It’s him,” Gu Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes, hiding the dim light in them. She knew that figure too well. Even from dozens of meters away, she could recognize him instantly.
“Oh my, it really is him,” Zhao Jiaqi widened her eyes in disbelief. “He just fired you and already he’s shopping with another woman? Isn’t this change of heart way too fast?”
Her words pierced Gu Xiaoxiao’s heart, filling her chest with an unbearable ache. She clenched her teeth and stayed silent, simply staring ahead while secretly tightening her fists.
“Xiaoxiao, what’s wrong?” Zhao Jiaqi patted her arm, noticing her face turning pale and then ashen. Worry filled her voice. “Are you alright?”
“It’s nothing.” Gu Xiaoxiao forced a smile and said, “Maybe the wind earlier made me cold.”
“Nothing? Your face practically has ‘heartbroken’ written all over it. Lu Chen really is a scumbag!” Zhao Jiaqi snapped, “Come on, let’s confront him face-to-face!”
She grabbed Gu Xiaoxiao’s arm, about to march over, but Gu Xiaoxiao quickly stopped her, her expression calm. “Forget it, no need.”
“You…” Zhao Jiaqi wanted to argue, but Gu Xiaoxiao cut her off gently. “I’m fine. Lu Chen already fired me. If I go running up to him now, won’t I look cheap? Besides, we never had any real relationship. Even if he has another woman, it has nothing to do with me, right?”
“But…” Zhao Jiaqi muttered unwillingly, “I saw you were about to cry just now.”
“I wasn’t,” Gu Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together stubbornly. “There’s nothing between us. Why should I cry over someone unrelated to me?”
“But you yourself said he still likes you!” Zhao Jiaqi tried to persuade her, “Xiaoxiao, think carefully. Maybe you two just quarreled. That woman must’ve taken advantage of your absence. If you avoid him now, won’t she win?”
Gu Xiaoxiao lowered her head, staring at the hand Zhao Jiaqi was clutching. Her gaze dimmed, but she still insisted, “Anyway, he already has someone new. Why should I force myself into the picture and make things worse?”
“But that was your place, Xiaoxiao!” Zhao Jiaqi said, her voice rising.
Hearing those words, Gu Xiaoxiao’s eyes instantly reddened. Yes… she used to be the one standing beside Lu Chen, basking in the envious gazes of passersby, enjoying his love and care.
At the company, she had been admired and flattered, colleagues eager to please her. As a new intern, she had never experienced workplace bullying. Every day at lunch, Lu Chen would send someone to deliver her a special homemade meal.
At those moments, her female colleagues looked at her with jealousy and admiration. From rejecting at first, she eventually accepted it and even enjoyed it.
In everyone’s eyes, she was a lucky girl showered with affection, Lu Chen’s cherished treasure, the company’s most dazzling little princess. Even her parents and relatives praised her, saying she had found a wealthy young man who truly loved her.
But now, everything had changed. She had lost her job and been thrown out. Lu Chen had another woman. He no longer needed her.
Her position had been taken. She was now the abandoned one.
Everything they had shared vanished the moment she left the Emperor Group.
Only now did Gu Xiaoxiao truly realize—Lu Chen no longer belonged to her. She was no longer the pampered little princess of Emperor Group.
At that thought, her whole body went cold. She hugged herself tightly, shivering.
“Xiaoxiao, don’t be scared,” Zhao Jiaqi quickly tried to comfort her when she saw how badly she trembled. “I’m here. Come on, let’s go give him a piece of our mind!”
She pulled Gu Xiaoxiao forward a few steps, but Gu Xiaoxiao broke free, shaking her head. “No, I don’t want to go!”
“Why not? We can’t let ourselves be humiliated!” Zhao Jiaqi said angrily.
Gu Xiaoxiao closed her eyes tightly, forcing down the bitterness rising in her throat. When she opened them again, she looked firmly at Zhao Jiaqi and said, “I said I don’t want to go.”
Zhao Jiaqi stared at her blankly, wanting to say more, but eventually sighed in frustration.
Just then, when she lifted her head and glanced toward the Maybach, she froze. “Wait… he seems to have seen us.”
Gu Xiaoxiao’s heart clenched. She followed Zhao Jiaqi’s gaze and indeed saw Lu Chen looking in their direction.
She took a deep breath, straightened up, and forced an elegant smile onto her face.
“Since he saw us, let’s go talk to him,” Zhao Jiaqi whispered.
“Xiaoxiao!” Zhao Jiaqi glared at her in frustration.
They had been university classmates for four years and later became roommates after graduation. She knew Gu Xiaoxiao too well. Her standards had always been high, never sparing a glance for the men who pursued her.
So when she saw Gu Xiaoxiao’s sadness now, she knew Gu Xiaoxiao had fallen deeply. But she was a proud girl, hard on the outside yet soft inside—pretending to be carefree but in reality fragile and sensitive.
Zhao Jiaqi understood her struggles more than anyone. “We should confront him directly. I don’t believe he can really bear to give you up!” she encouraged.
Gu Xiaoxiao lowered her head, silent. On the surface, she tried to appear calm, but inside, she was a mess. Should she go or not?
Forget it, just go! If she couldn’t even face him, what kind of dignity would she have left?
After a long inner struggle, Gu Xiaoxiao slowly raised her head, looking toward Lu Chen. “Alright, let’s go.”
But just as she was about to step forward, she noticed his gaze. It was cold and distant, completely devoid of the tenderness and affection of the past. There was no trace of longing or guilt.
He glanced once, then quickly looked away, as if she were nothing more than a passerby.
He even turned his head, no longer looking at her at all.
Gu Xiaoxiao’s heart sank. Her steps faltered, and she froze in place.
“What’s wrong?” Zhao Jiaqi turned to her in confusion.
Gu Xiaoxiao stood stiffly, staring at Lu Chen’s profile, her face pale as a ghost. How could he treat her like this? Didn’t he remember the sweet words he had once whispered to her?
“Xiaoxiao?” Zhao Jiaqi tugged nervously at her sleeve.
Gu Xiaoxiao shook her head blankly. “I don’t want to go anymore. Let’s just leave.” She forced herself to swallow the bitterness inside and pulled Zhao Jiaqi along. “I want to get a hot drink to warm up. Come with me.”
Zhao Jiaqi looked deeply at her, hesitating to speak, but in the end, she only nodded.
…
At the same time, the steward glanced at his phone and respectfully reported to Lu Chen, “Young Master, Gu Xiaoxiao has left. It seems they went to buy milk tea.”