She had originally planned to take the initiative to propose a breakup and collect the breakup fee in advance.
That way, she could find out sooner how much more she needed to make up the fifty million.
But that guy refused to break up.
Trash man, a total scumbag.
Why did Lin Yanchen even agree to the original Song Tang’s confession in the first place?
The novel never explained it.
Forget it, that wasn’t important.
In any case, Lin Yanchen was a scumbag.
Song Tang leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, her mind a complete mess.
No, she had to gather that money. Otherwise, the Song family would be headed straight for bankruptcy.
Song Tang sat up again, forced herself to refocus, and continued messaging Lin Yanchen.
【Why?】
Lin Yanchen was playing ball when his phone rang again.
He opened it and saw Song Tang’s message, replying briefly: 【Not breaking up now. No reason.】
Song Tang felt her vision go dark.
So Lin Yanchen was really going to wait until that moment before breaking up?
No, she had to think of another way.
At nine in the evening, Song Tang, who had been troubled all day, was curled up on the sofa scrolling her phone when Cen Zhi’s message popped up.
Cen Zhi: 【Come out and have fun. Your boyfriend is here too.】
Cen Zhi: 【
】
Song Tang tapped the video.
Dim lighting, noisy background music, the camera swept across a private room.
Someone was singing, someone was drinking, someone was lounging on the sofa playing with their phone.
The camera shifted and landed on a figure in the corner.
Lin Yanchen.
He was seated on the innermost sofa, one leg crossed over the other, holding a glass in his hand, eyes half-lowered.
His face looked especially defined under the shadows.
The video was short, and Lin Yanchen only appeared briefly.
But that single glimpse was enough to leave a strong impression of his striking looks.
Song Tang straightened up and replied to Cen Zhi.
Song Tang: 【Why are you two in the same gathering?】
Cen Zhi: 【My boyfriend is good friends with Lin Yanchen and his group.】
Cen Zhi: 【I come out with my boyfriend sometimes, and we run into Lin Yanchen occasionally.】
Song Tang: 【Send me the address. I’m coming right now.】
Cen Zhi replied happily: 【Sent it. Come quickly, we’re waiting.】
Song Tang changed her clothes, got into her car, and headed straight there.
Twenty minutes later, she stood outside the private room and pushed the door open.
Not a sound could be heard from outside, but the moment she stepped in, lively music filled her ears.
A young man was singing a love song at the moment, full of emotion.
But when he turned and saw Song Tang suddenly enter, he immediately went off-key in shock.
Everyone in the room noticed his sudden mistake and followed his gaze toward the door.
Song Tang stood there in a simple white fitted long dress, her hair loose, light makeup on her face.
The lighting fell on her, outlining her features in an almost breathtaking way.
Who was this top-tier beauty?
For a moment, no one recognized her.
Until Cen Zhi stood up and waved toward the door. “Tangtang, over here!”
Only then did everyone remember.
Among Cen Zhi’s friends, the only one with “Tang” in her name was Song Tang.
But this beauty was Song Tang?
That same Song Tang who used to wear heavy, exaggerated makeup that made her face look like a white wall?
The next second, Song Tang walked over to Cen Zhi and said with a smile, “Long time no see.”
Cen Zhi linked arms with her and looked her up and down. “You look so beautiful today. This light makeup really suits you. You should always do this kind of look.”
Song Tang smiled back. “Thank you.”
Cen Zhi then introduced her to the others. “This is my good friend Song Tang. I called her over to hang out.”
Everyone exchanged glances.
Why was Cen Zhi hanging out with Song Tang again?
They didn’t need the introduction to recognize her.
But knowing her and welcoming her were two different things.
Someone forced a subtle smile as a greeting.
Someone lowered their head to their phone, pretending not to see her.
Someone lifted a glass and gave a perfunctory toast.
Song Tang took in all of their reactions.
But she didn’t care.
She was here for Lin Yanchen. Her gaze swept through the room and landed in one direction.
Lin Yanchen was still in the same posture, seated on the corner sofa, eyes slightly raised, looking at her.
Song Tang met his gaze directly.
Lin Yanchen quickly looked away, completely indifferent.
Song Tang also withdrew her gaze and said to Cen Zhi, “I’ll sit over there.”
She pointed toward the seat beside Lin Yanchen.
Cen Zhi immediately understood and lowered her voice. “Go ahead. Although no one usually sits next to Lin Yanchen, you’re his girlfriend, so you can.”
Song Tang suddenly felt a bit uncertain.
So the reason there was an empty seat beside Lin Yanchen was because no one was allowed to sit there?
What kind of girlfriend was she anyway? Would she be chased away if she sat there?
But tonight, she had to find Lin Yanchen.
Even if she wasn’t allowed to sit there, she would sit anyway.
So she gritted her teeth and walked over.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she sat down beside Lin Yanchen.
The room fell silent for a second.
All eyes were on her.
Waiting for her to be driven away.
So what if she was Lin Yanchen’s girlfriend? They had heard he was already tired of her.
Some even thought Song Tang was just using Cen Zhi to get closer to Lin Yanchen.
Cen Zhi’s boyfriend, He Ji, thought the same.
He glanced at Cen Zhi, then at Song Tang, his expression darkening slightly.
He wasn’t unaware of what Song Tang used to be like.
Calling Cen Zhi affectionately when needed, ignoring her completely when not, replying to messages only when convenient.
And Cen Zhi, the fool, still treated her like a best friend.
He Ji took a sip of wine and looked away, too lazy to watch any further.
He would talk to Cen Zhi properly after they left. She should stop associating with Song Tang.
Lin Yanchen leaned back on the sofa, his glass untouched.
He turned his head slightly and looked at Song Tang sitting beside him.
They were about a fist’s distance apart.
Not too close, not touching him, but close enough to share the same sofa.
She was looking down at her phone, the screen light reflecting on her face, making her neck look especially pale and clean.
The girl who had said in the daytime that she wanted to break up had now come chasing after him at night.
Was Gu Zhao right? Was she using retreat as advance?
She was overthinking it.
No matter what she did, when the time came, he would immediately propose the breakup.
The room gradually became lively again. Some continued singing, some drank, some started playing dice.
Song Tang lowered her head and messaged Cen Zhi.
Song Tang: 【Thank you so much.】
Cen Zhi: 【It’s fine, I get it.】
Cen Zhi: 【Take good care of your boyfriend. Good luck~】
Song Tang felt a warmth spread in her chest.
This silly girl was truly kind to “Song Tang.”
She suddenly remembered that in the original plot, after “Song Tang” jumped into the river, it was Cen Zhi who paid for her burial plot.
She would treat Cen Zhi well on behalf of “Song Tang.”
Song Tang put her phone down and glanced at Lin Yanchen beside her from the corner of her eye.
On the surface, she looked calm, but inside she was already calculating wildly.
How should she start? What should she say?
Why was it so hard to ask a simple question?
From the corner of her eye, Lin Yanchen leaned back on the sofa, fingers resting on his glass, as if thinking about something.
From the moment she sat down, he hadn’t said a word or looked at her again, as if she didn’t exist.
“Lin…”
“Song Tang.”
Before she could finish speaking, a girl suddenly called her from the side.
She looked up.
A young girl was standing in front of her with a smile, holding a microphone.
Song Tang recognized her from the original body’s memories.
Qin Yuwei, who had secretly loved Lin Yanchen for many years.
She spoke softly and looked delicate.
“I saw you sitting alone and looking bored.”
Qin Yuwei handed over the microphone with a sweet smile. “I picked a song for you. It suits you perfectly. You should sing it.”
Song Tang glanced at the microphone, then at the screen.
The title displayed was “Fate.”
She had heard this song before. It had a lot of high notes, difficult for most people.
With the original Song Tang’s tone-deaf skills, she would probably crack within a few lines.
She looked at Qin Yuwei.
Qin Yuwei was still smiling, gentle and harmless.
But Song Tang still caught the faint trace of provocation in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Yuwei tilted her head. “You can’t sing it? Should I change it?”
Someone nearby let out a quiet laugh before quickly stopping.
Song Tang stood up and took the microphone. “No need to change it.”
“I know this song.”