Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After I spoke, the room fell silent for a long time.

I couldn’t help but look up at Liang Yansheng. He was studying me, seemingly trying to discern if I was being serious.

Suddenly, he let out a soft chuckle.

“Break up?” He looked at me and leaned down, his eyes reflecting two tiny versions of myself.

“Ranran.” He clicked his tongue, appearing to reminisce. “How old were you when you first met me? Nineteen or twenty?”

He shook his head. “I don’t remember. Anyway, back then, you didn’t have much going for you other than being a bit well-behaved. You had those thick bangs and a pair of black-rimmed glasses that took up half your face.”

“I asked if you wanted to give us a try?” He straightened up and adjusted his cuffs. “You nodded with a flushed face, without a moment’s hesitation.”

“I even told you that I’m a real scumbag. I don’t force anyone to stay with me, and no one can force me to love only one person.”

He looked at me with a touch of feigned heartache and sighed. “Do you remember what you said then? You said you were willing.”

“And now you’re using a breakup to threaten me.” He wiped away my tears, looking genuinely perplexed. “Don’t you think that’s a bit unfair to me?”

“Alright, stop crying. Haven’t you adapted well all these years? This time was my mistake; I won’t let you run into things like that again.”

He gripped my shoulders and turned me around, resting his chin on my shoulder.

Before us was a massive floor-to-ceiling mirror, reflecting his utter lack of concern and my tear-streaked face.

“Do you know how old that girl just now was? Twenty. If I remember correctly, you’re twenty-six this year, aren’t you? Instead of using such childish tricks like breaking up to keep me, you’d be better off spending more time on beauty treatments and fitness…”

“After all, we’ve been the most compatible over the years. Everyone else is just a passing traveler; there’s no need to take them to heart.”

He was as cruel as ever, but it was always masked beneath a beautiful exterior, to the point where even words like these sounded like a soulful confession.

I no longer had the strength to struggle or argue. I felt like a marionette in Liang Yansheng’s hands.

I moved slightly but remained firm. “Liang Yansheng, let’s break up…”

He smiled, indifferent. “Fine, I get it. Break up all you want.”

He checked his watch, picked up his suit jacket, and gave me an overwhelming kiss.

“Be good. Remember to check out of the room. I have a meeting.”

“I’ll have someone send this season’s new shoes and bags to your place.”

“As for the rest, I’ll make it up to you properly when I get back tonight.”

Perhaps the words “break up” had appeared between us too many times, so they had lost every bit of their deterrent power.

In the beginning, it was Liang Yansheng who brought up breaking up most often.

He knew the threatening power of those two words long before I did.

“Ranran, if you can’t stand it, we can break up.”

“You know I can’t bear to see you sad.”

I was easy to appease, so he would always smile and coax me back into a good mood with a casual gesture.

Then, he would simply brush it aside.

But this time, I told myself:

Don’t let your heart soften. Don’t back down.

Besides, a breakup doesn’t require the other person’s consent.