Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In Zhou Jinyan’s heart, I was a girlfriend in name only.

In reality, I was just a substitute for Lu Sisi-a low-budget version at that.

It was only natural; she was a glamorous, high-profile star, the center of everyone’s attention.

Meanwhile, I came from humble beginnings.

Zhou Jinyan had spent three hundred thousand yuan, and that was enough to buy my self-respect.

The day Lu Sisi returned to the country, topics related to her dominated the trending searches.

Zhou Jinyan went to the airport to pick her up for a party. Before leaving, he dropped only one sentence for me.

“I won’t be home for dinner tonight.”

However, after I had been reading for only an hour, he called again.

“There’s a bottle of vintage red wine in the cabinet. Find it and bring it to the restaurant.”

I sighed as my study session was interrupted. After hanging up, I found the bottle in the cabinet and drove over to deliver it.

The restaurant’s private room was exceptionally secluded, brightly lit, and dripping with luxury.

At the center of it all, surrounded like royalty, were Lu Sisi and Zhou Jinyan.

She wore a shimmering silver gown and leaned slightly toward Zhou Jinyan in an intimate posture.

Everyone was cheering. “Sisi is finally back. You have no idea how long Ah Yan has been waiting for you.”

I walked over and stopped in front of Zhou Jinyan. “The wine you wanted. I found it according to the label; it should be the right one.”

The originally harmonious atmosphere froze for a moment upon my arrival.

Setting the bottle down, I turned to leave.

Lu Sisi spoke up behind me in a cool tone. “Wait.”

“Come here, open the wine, and pour it for us.”

I turned my head and instinctively looked at Zhou Jinyan.

He was leaning back in his chair, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, looking at me with a detached gaze. “Didn’t you hear her?”

“I heard her,” I said, lowering my eyes. “I’ll go find someone to get a corkscrew.”

The moment I stepped out, I heard Lu Sisi’s interrogation behind me: “Is this the kind of trash you’re into now?”

Zhou Jinyan remained silent.

A friend beside him argued on his behalf. “Don’t be angry, Sisi. Brother Yan only has eyes for you.”

“Yeah, you can’t blame Brother Yan. She’s the one who’s been clinging to him like a parasite. He can’t even get rid of her.”

Once the wine was poured, Lu Sisi still refused to let me go.

She was venting her frustrations, making me serve her soup and peel her shrimp. Then, she asked me with a bright smile, “Which college did you graduate from?”

“University of Technology.”

“A school that famous didn’t teach you anything about self-respect or self-love?”

Her face darkened, and she suddenly raised her hand, splashing more than half a bowl of soup onto my chest.

“Clinging to Ah Yan with such a thick skin-don’t you have any shame? Are you that desperate to climb the social ladder?”

The liquid soaked through my clothes, leaving a searing, stinging pain on my skin.

Zhou Jinyan held Lu Sisi’s hand, soothing her with gentle movements, never sparing me a single glance.

“I’ve ordered that pink diamond necklace you liked. Stop being mad at me, okay?”

One of the friends, looking for trouble, mixed red wine, white spirits, and beer into a full glass and pushed it toward me. “Drink it. Consider it an apology to Sisi.”

Another person shouted in dissatisfaction, “Giving her such expensive wine is a total waste.”

In Zhou Jinyan’s social circle, Lu Sisi was everyone’s White Moonlight.

Consequently, not a single person respected me; they went out of their way to make things difficult and mock me.

Zhou Jinyan never stopped them.

Especially not this time, right in front of Lu Sisi.

I picked up the glass of murky liquid and downed it in one go.

The intense burning sensation from the alcohol spread from my throat all the way to my stomach.

Tears welled up instantly.

I doubled over, unable to stop myself from gagging as I leaned against the table.

“Fine, don’t ruin our appetite. Get out.”

Zhou Jinyan casually picked up the corkscrew and tossed it at me.

He didn’t control his strength; it struck me on the temple. After a sharp, stabbing pain, blood welled up and trickled down my cheek.

He froze for a moment and instinctively stood up, taking a step toward me.

I covered my forehead, gave a bow, and turned to run out as fast as I could.