Chapter 2

Chapter 2

On the night we broke up, I moved out of Shi Yan’s house and back into the apartment I shared with my best friend, Shan Shan.

“Weren’t you staying at Shi Yan’s place lately? Why are you back?”

I set my suitcase down and said gloomily, “We broke up.”

“Why?”

I wiped the corners of my eyes, feeling a sudden urge to cry. “Because he doesn’t love me at all. To him, I’m just a suitable candidate for marriage.”

Four months into our relationship, Shi Yan suggested visiting my family. He arrived with bags of gifts, spoke with perfect decorum, and was incredibly polite. My parents were both very satisfied with this potential son-in-law.

Later, marriage was put on the agenda, and we even started renovating our future home. He gave me a high limit on his linked payment account, bought me the gold bracelet I liked for my birthday, and even took the initiative to notarize the house so that half of it would be in my name.

It was just that… he didn’t seem to love me that much.

“Every time we have a conflict, we can’t even have a proper fight. He always has that cold expression, as if I’m the one being unreasonable.”

I frantically kneaded the StellaLou plushie in my hands. “Is it wrong that I wanted to paint the walls dark green? Is it wrong that I wanted to install feather lamps in the living room? Does Shi Yan always have to be right? Is he beyond questioning? Pfft, I’m done serving him!”

Shan Shan knew my temper, so she let me vent for a while before asking cautiously, “Do your parents know yet?”

My momentum collapsed. “No… I’m keeping it from them for now.”

In truth, though I spoke harshly, my heart was aching. Because I really, truly liked Shi Yan.

Life after the breakup wasn’t much different from before, except I suddenly had a lot of free time. I made a point of dressing up beautifully to go out for meals and take selfies in the commercial district. Then, I posted the perfectly edited photos to my WeChat Moments with the caption: “My mood has improved a lot lately.”

Shi Yan remained indifferent, not even giving me a single like.

Actually, he never used to browse Moments much, but every time I visited him, I would take his phone and like all my recent posts one by one.

During the 618 shopping festival, Shan Shan and I combined our orders to hit the discount threshold. As it turned out, the haul included a dozen pairs of men’s underwear she had bought for her boyfriend.

When I paid, I accidentally used the linked payment account Shi Yan had set up for me.

At one in the morning, this man-who never stayed up late-sent his first message since the breakup: “?”

The next second, my phone rang.

I picked up, and Shi Yan’s deep voice came through the line. “New boyfriend?”

My heart trembled violently. I realized I liked him even more than I had imagined. But I still kept up a stubborn front. “Yeah, we just started dating. He’s way better than you.”

In the quiet of the night, his tone was calm and deliberate. “Judging by the size, that doesn’t seem likely.”

I froze for two seconds before it clicked. “Shi Yan, you pervert!”

“Are you using a pervert’s money to buy things for your boyfriend?” he asked coldly.

“…”

I was speechless. I hung up the phone in a huff and transferred the money back to him.

But once I calmed down, I suddenly started missing him. If we hadn’t broken up, on a night like this, Shi Yan would definitely be patiently blow-drying my damp hair. Once it was mostly dry, he would set the dryer down and slide his warm, dry hand under the hem of my nightgown.

When we kissed, he would take off his glasses. His long eyelashes would brush against my eyelids like a gentle provocation. Not only was he handsome, but he was also naturally gifted and performed exceptionally well in other areas. Being in a relationship with him was a dual enjoyment, both physically and materially.

Still, the fact that he called me in the middle of the night after seeing me buy things for another man… did that prove Shi Yan still had lingering feelings for me?

At that thought, my spirits lifted.

The next morning, I drove to N University, where Shi Yan taught, and waited for him under the shade of the trees outside the teaching building. When the bell rang, Shi Yan walked out carrying his laptop bag.

He was naturally tall and stood straight, possessing an elegant, refined aura that made him stand out from the crowd. In the sea of people, he didn’t seem to notice me.

I took a step forward, about to call out to him.

Suddenly, a woman in a long floral dress appeared from the side. She waved at him with a faint smile. “Teacher Shi, let’s grab lunch together.”