Yu Youwei held her red, swollen cheek and sat down with Bai Luo in one of the inner seats. When she was being scolded by Mu Wanzhou earlier, her heart had been full of resentment, but now, that resentment was overshadowed by a deeper sense of grievance.
The man across from her sat down and immediately started ordering food from the waiter, acting as though she didn’t exist.
Grievance surged within her, but she couldn’t afford to lose her temper in public.
At this moment, she couldn’t help but miss Jiang Yan.
Back then, when she accidentally scraped her knee, Jiang Yan would squat down and gently stop the bleeding, disinfecting the wound with care.
As he wiped her skin tenderly, he would lift his head and ask softly if it hurt. That version of Jiang Yan—so gentle, so attentive—no longer acknowledged her. He had drawn a clear line, so thorough that it made her heart feel like it was being eaten away by ants. Her eyes turned red, filling with tears once again.
“Can I have an ice pack, please?” Yu Youwei’s voice was hoarse.
Bai Luo, flipping through the menu, finally noticed her expression.
His heart skipped a beat. It was his first time dining in such a high-end restaurant, and all he had cared about was ordering the most expensive dishes—he had completely forgotten to check on Yu Youwei.
The waiter brought over the ice pack.
Bai Luo quickly took it and leaned forward to place it gently on Yu Youwei’s swollen cheek. “Weiwei, does it still hurt? Let me hold it for you.”
“It’s fine, I’ll do it myself.” Yu Youwei pushed his hand away and held the ice pack on her own. She was in a terrible mood and had no energy to deal with Bai Luo.
As she stared at the luxurious delicacies being served one after another, she felt no appetite at all.
“I’m really sorry. I wanted us to have a pleasant dinner, but I didn’t expect things to turn out like this. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t invited you, none of this would’ve happened.” Bai Luo hung his head, full of self-blame.
“It’s not your fault,” Yu Youwei said, unable to bear his guilt. “Mu Wanzhou started it. She insulted you first. I couldn’t just stand there and say nothing.”
“Thank you, Weiwei. You’re so good to me. Let me tell you…” Bai Luo launched into stories about his time studying abroad, rambling on.
But Yu Youwei wasn’t really listening. Her mind had drifted the moment she heard Mu Wanzhou’s name. She was here at Yunjin Pavilion tonight too. Yu Youwei instinctively glanced around the restaurant.
Suddenly, a familiar figure entered her view.
At the same moment, she spotted Mu Wanzhou sitting directly opposite that figure.
Their eyes met. Mu Wanzhou raised an eyebrow at her, wearing a smug smile like a fox who had won the game.
Yu Youwei’s face turned pale.
On Jiang Yan’s side, he noticed Mu Wanzhou looking past him, seemingly staring at someone behind him in the distance. He asked with confusion, “What is it?”
He was about to turn around, but Mu Wanzhou stopped him with a casual remark, “Just someone you’re not interested in. Don’t bother.”
Jiang Yan withdrew his movement, his gaze dimming slightly. He had a guess who it was. But so what? They had broken up. Naturally, he wouldn’t care about her life anymore. She no longer interested him. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
…
“Weiwei, are you even listening to me?” Bai Luo, noticing her wandering attention, waved a hand in front of her face.
“Huh? What did you just say?” she snapped back to reality, distracted. Bai Luo added a piece of foie gras to his plate.
Mu Wanzhou’s dinner companion was Jiang Yan. Why would Jiang Yan be with her? He had just sent the breakup message yesterday, and today he was already dining with another woman?
Did he really not love her anymore?
Did Mu Wanzhou tell him about her and Bai Luo? How did Jiang Yan react? Was he angry? Jealous? Hurt?
What should she do? How was she supposed to explain?
A flood of questions rushed into her mind, leaving her overwhelmed.
“I was saying, I’ve returned home after graduation and have no clue what job to take. You know how hard it is for arts students to find work. Your company is in the entertainment industry, right? Maybe I can join you guys. I majored in piano, so my future’s definitely in the entertainment circle.”
“Mhm.” Yu Youwei absentmindedly responded, “The entertainment industry is a mess. It’s a waste of your talent.”
“It’s fine. Every industry has its pros and cons. I’m not afraid of hard work. I’ve planned out my future. There’s a new talent show program…”
“Mhm. I’m going to the restroom.” Without waiting for Bai Luo to finish, Yu Youwei abruptly stood up and left.
“…???” What was that?
Bai Luo’s face darkened. His eyes turned gloomy. She didn’t even let him finish. Yu Youwei, are you serious?
From the moment she spotted Jiang Yan, her attention had been completely diverted. When she saw Jiang Yan getting up and walking somewhere, she didn’t even pretend to listen to Bai Luo anymore. She simply interrupted and walked off.
Jiang Yan was smoking outside the back hall.
“Jiang Yan!” came a furious shout.
He turned around to see Yu Youwei striding over quickly in high heels.
Jiang Yan gave her a brief glance before turning back to his cigarette.
As she got closer, Yu Youwei smelled strong alcohol on him and frowned. “You’ve been drinking!”
“None of your damn business!”
The sharp words left Yu Youwei speechless for a moment. Still unwilling to give up, she asked, “Why are you with Mu Wanzhou?”
“That’s none of your business either!”
“Jiang Yan!” Yu Youwei raised her voice.
Only then did Jiang Yan finally turn around and look her straight in the eye. Yu Youwei wore a white evening gown, the lace at her chest and arms delicate and dreamy, and the skirt below flowing like mist—pure and beautiful. Read the latest chapters at g.com.
“We’ve broken up. Why are you still clinging to me?”
“Says who? I never agreed to that!”
Jiang Yan let out a sarcastic laugh, “First time I’ve heard of a breakup needing both sides to agree.”
“Yu Youwei, you always treated me as a substitute. We’re both adults, so I didn’t make a fuss about it. If there’s no love left, we can part peacefully—with dignity for both sides.”
Looking at her dressed in white, Jiang Yan suddenly recalled how, during their relationship, she rarely gave him gifts. Once, she did give him a shirt—a plain white one. After he put it on, she gazed at him with a look of fascination.
Now that he thought about it, perhaps she wasn’t looking at him but through him… to see her white moonlight.
Remembering how excited he had been to hug her at that moment made him feel utterly sick.
How ironic, wasn’t it?
Jiang Yan’s words left Yu Youwei stunned.
She asked instinctively, “Jiang Yan, do you not love me anymore?”
“Did you ever love me?” Jiang Yan shot back.
Yu Youwei fell silent.
She clutched her chest. It hurt.
Had she ever loved Jiang Yan?
The answer was painfully clear.
She slowly looked up, her gaze complicated as she stared at his cold expression.
Back then, she had been with him because his face vaguely resembled Bai Luo’s.
But now, as she looked again, she couldn’t see even the slightest resemblance.
It was the same handsome face, yet somehow, something had changed.
Jiang Yan had changed—so much that he felt like a stranger.
Jiang Yan simply stood to the side, watching her expressions shift with indifference.
…