CHAPTER 17

The following plot need not be elaborated, as Xue Jing still vividly remembers the circumstances of their breakup.

On the day of graduation, with the best of intentions, Xue Jing invited Ha Yue to visit his home.

After dating for two years and having lived together, it was only natural that their relationship would enter the next stage after graduation. This was a responsibility Xue Jing took on voluntarily.

Even though Ha Yue wasn’t yet thinking about marriage, his attitude had always been clear and open. He was dating Ha Yue with the intention of finding a long-term partner. He was completely satisfied with her both inside and out and hoped that his parents would bless their relationship.

He could sense that Ha Yue was always hesitant and wavering in this relationship, and he wanted to do what he could to give her certainty.

Since his son had already given them a heads-up, the meeting with his parents went very smoothly.

Xue Jing’s mother, Feng Yun, was a person who was well-versed in socializing. Her greatest joy in life was hosting friends and family for entertainment at her home. She didn’t cook herself, but she had the chef prepare a sumptuous meal in advance. Even Xue Jing’s father, Xue Lianwu, who was usually traveling for work, made a special effort to come home on time to join them for the meal and conversation, giving the young couple plenty of respect.

When it was time to leave, the couple gave Ha Yue a thick red envelope as a parting gift.

Just as Xue Jing thought everything was going smoothly and moving in the right direction, the next day, when he returned to their small apartment from his parents’ house near Shichahai, he discovered that all of Ha Yue’s belongings were gone.

The only thing left on the dining table was a stack of untouched cash.

Ha Yue not only returned the red envelope to him, but also told him that she no longer wanted to be with him and that they were not compatible.

“Did my mom say something to you? Did she tell you not to be with me?” Xue Jing stared at the hotpot in front of him, its oil surface already congealing, and a cold, silent expression appeared on his face.

“No.” Ha Yue shook her head. In soap operas and light novels, it’s often shown that a wealthy family throws millions at the poor to knock them out, but in real life, self-made first-generation wealthy individuals aren’t people who simply throw money around. The shrewd and refined Feng Yun didn’t use a single penny but instead crushed Ha Yue with her impeccable subtlety.

That day, Feng Yun first complimented the handbag Ha Yue was carrying, and then discussed the recent business trends of rosewood furniture with her.

After this subtle probing, at the dinner table, Feng Yun appeared calm and composed, saying nothing of what had transpired earlier, happily serving Ha Yue food, and expressing how much she admired young girls with an independent spirit. She mentioned how society was developing too rapidly, with values upended, but Ha Yue was steady and proper, quite different from those superficial girls.

The four of them sat together, talking about marital harmony and the funny things that had happened when Xue Jing was a child. Ha Yue listened intently, and in the perfect family atmosphere, it was hard for her not to become dizzy with emotions, as she had missed the warmth of such a childhood.

Who could have imagined that not only did she fall in love with Xue Jing, but she also became deeply enamored with his parents?

At the end of the meal, Feng Yun, with a soothing tone, told both Xue Jing and Ha Yue that it was fine if they decided not to go abroad for now. It was not a big deal for young people to take a year off, as they weren’t the kind of rigid thinkers.

She went on to explain that parents earn money to make life easier for the next generation. They supported Xue Jing’s writing but believed that there was no need to give up studying to achieve one’s dreams.

Enriching one’s knowledge was a shortcut to realizing dreams. Working hard in a small domestic apartment was putting the cart before the horse.

They didn’t have much to offer, but they could certainly invest in their children’s education. If they decided to marry this year, even funding both of them to study abroad next year wouldn’t cost much. This was the kind of long-term investment that was bound to pay off.

Beyond that, they had no intention of interfering with their child’s choice of a spouse, trusting him to choose based on his preferences, as long as the person had good character—everything else didn’t matter.

Xue Jing was the perfect boyfriend, and his parents seemed like the ideal couple from a luxury car commercial—one smiling sweetly, the other graceful and charming.

It was hard to believe. Ha Yue had been so fearful for so long, yet every little detail of meeting his parents seemed like a dream come true.

The joy she felt when she received her admission letter from Ji University as a young girl who had never stepped beyond her hometown was nothing compared to this. This time, she had once again received an invitation to a life of happiness.

Throughout the evening, the butterflies in Ha Yue’s stomach never stopped fluttering. She left the Xue family home almost in a state of awe, and when Feng Yun hinted at wanting Xue Jing to stay home for the night, Ha Yue even tugged at his sleeve, agreeing with her mother-in-law’s nurturing tone, seemingly already considering herself part of his new family.

On the way back in the taxi, her hidden excitement had not yet dissipated when her phone rang.

From the sound of the voice on the other end, Xue Jing had not tried to hide the conversation from anyone. He was still chatting with his parents in the living room. He sounded happy, because Ha Yue had gotten along so well with his parents.

He first asked about her whereabouts and when she would be home, then lazily repeated what his mother had just said: “Nothing much, my mom said she wants to pick out a bag for you tomorrow at the store. She wants to know what color you like.”

“Did she spill water on your crocodile skin when you were having tea together? She’s so clumsy, don’t be polite with her. She said that bag you’re carrying is worth quite a lot, and just the matching accessories alone could buy a house. If it gets wet, it’s ruined? I don’t get what you like, but just ask her to replace it with a better one.”

In an instant, Ha Yue’s face turned pale, and her blood seemed to flow backward. She hadn’t said anything yet when Xue Jing mumbled something to Feng Yun, who could be heard in the background, and then spoke cheerfully into the phone like a parrot mimicking: “Yes, she also said that our apartment is too shabby. There’s a large flat next to your company, and it was already renovated when they bought it a few years ago. It just needs a few proper pieces of rosewood furniture. Since it’s too good a deal to pass up, she’s free this week and wants to visit your dad’s factory to pick some out, asking Uncle for a family discount. Once it’s set up, we can stay there for free. Where did you say the factory is? She says she must’ve heard wrong because you mentioned a place with non-standard materials.”

In the distance, Xue Jing’s voice could be heard, followed by some teasing remarks from a woman.

Soon, Xue Jing’s teeth clicked together lightly, and he laughed into the phone. “My dad says, ‘Three thousand yuan a ton for South American rosewood? That’s like fake goods!’ They even got into an argument over it. Honestly, it’s hilarious.”

He was speaking without much thought, just making small talk and appeasing his parents.

But Ha Yue felt as if she had been struck by a hammer. Back then, she had blindly trusted that a “genuine item from the counter” was the mark of authenticity. She didn’t know that crocodile leather, when alive, could be amphibious, but once dead and turned into a bag, it couldn’t touch water. She didn’t realize that by choosing a carefully selected, understated bag from a “personal shopper,” she had unknowingly bought a counterfeit that couldn’t even meet the standards of the luxury world. If her bag had been real, it could have been auctioned off at Christie’s.

Let alone the rosewood furniture she knew so little about.

Money has its boundaries, and so does family atmosphere.

Feng Yun and Zhao Chunni had very different approaches to handling things. Feng Yun didn’t immediately expose the fact that Ha Yue was carrying a fake bag, nor did she scold her when she discovered Ha Yue’s lies. Rather than a harsh confrontation, she preferred to play the part of a reserved lady.

But just like every moment in her childhood that made Ha Yue feel deeply inferior, that banquet felt like a tectonic shift. After a subtle buildup, the delayed destruction, wrapped in a sugar coating, didn’t soften at all. In fact, it was more intense, as if the earth were splitting apart.

Ha Yue didn’t even know how she ended the call. All she remembered was that after hanging up, a rush of blood filled her mouth, and she felt as though she was being strangled, unable to breathe.

She covered her mouth and desperately pounded on the back of the driver’s seat, signaling for him to pull over.

The car came to an abrupt stop, and she scrambled out of the backseat, stumbling up the stairs. Before she could reach the green belt, she vomited everything she had eaten that evening onto the sidewalk.

The stomach acid corroded the abalone, foie gras, and beef into green mush, and the expensive gold leaf, caviar, and truffle all turned into fluid that resembled waste.

They all rushed out of her body, mocking her, disdainful of her.

Tears dripped from her chin, mingling with the filth. Ha Yue fell and scraped her knee, the skin bleeding, but in such a state, she didn’t protect her body first. Instead, she instinctively clutched the most expensive item in her life—the bag: a fake crocodile leather bag disguised with embossed cowhide.

The stitching, hardware, and embossing—nothing was up to standard.

That’s when she finally realized what Xue Jing’s parents had meant when they repeatedly mentioned “good character.”

Xue Jing’s parents probably didn’t truly believe that when their son was choosing a girlfriend, other qualities didn’t matter.

Their family’s standards weren’t so low that any small fish could easily leap to greatness. They were just very discerning, and from the first glance, they could tell that Ha Yue, just like her bag, was a counterfeit not worthy of entering the noble circles.

Since they had already seen through her, why bother tearing the facade?

In today’s world, clowns will eventually reveal their true nature, and their confidence allowed them to remain unaffected, let alone make a direct effort to ruin their son’s relationship.

They only needed to quietly wait, observing her foolishness from a position of superiority, enjoying her downfall.

Like a cat playing with a mouse, they always had to toy with her first, and she was foolish enough to believe it all.

So she ran away without a fight, finding an excuse to break up, and when Xue Jing angrily confronted her with all her flaws, she didn’t deny them, going along with it, letting him think she had already found a better choice.

A love that began with deceit ultimately ended with deceit, yet it was a kind of closure.

But the only thing that made her feel guilty all these years was recalling that hot summer evening in the apartment.

After she proposed the breakup, Xue Jing came to see her one last time.

In a stress-induced reaction, she recklessly hurt Xue Jing’s feelings, as if possessed by Zhao Chunni, shouting at him, using violence against someone who had once been close to her.

And now, with no time machine to turn back, she had been given an opportunity to face the past and reconcile with herself.

She psychologically needed this closure, and she desperately wanted to apologize to Xue Jing, which is why she wanted to treat him to this meal.

Suddenly, a cold breeze blew through the hotpot restaurant. After paying the bill, Xue Jing opened the glass door in front of Ha Yue.

The meal was over, and Xue Jing, expressionless, walked behind her, holding the door for her. Once she was outside, he followed, closing the door behind him.

After saying what he needed to, Ha Yue suddenly felt much lighter. An apology was just that—simply a way to achieve inner peace. She had made many mistakes in the past, and now all she wanted was to make amends without leaving any regrets.

Fortunately, Xue Jing was so successful now. He had probably already forgotten the hurt she caused him. That was such a relief.

After crossing a street, Ha Yue escorted Xue Jing to the hotel lobby. As they parted, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, still smiling as she bid him farewell with a soft tone, “I was too immature before. I’m really sorry.”

“Here’s a belated comment,” she added, “Actually, all these years, I’ve been silently supporting you in my heart. The first time I saw your writing, I knew you’d make a name for yourself because you truly have talent in writing.”

“Your book is really good, it’s the best piece of work I’ve ever read. Especially the way the writing gives such a strong sense of power; sometimes I think, how can someone as warm as you analyze such dark character traits? It seems that not everything needs to be learned—talent is the most important thing.”

“Who knows, maybe the next time I see you, it’ll be on the global best-seller list.”

These were heartfelt compliments, and no matter how much they might be flattering, they shouldn’t have been too offensive.

But Ha Yue didn’t know that her confession, like everything she had said before, made Xue Jing feel extreme disgust.

Xue Jing was initially staring at the cars passing by on the street, trying to spot a taxi with a green light, eager to shove the person in the back seat and get the driver to speed away, taking with her his relief and smile, out of his sight.

But when he heard those words, he could no longer suppress the swelling maliciousness in his blood. He casually responded, “It’s been years, and you’re still as vile as ever.”

“What?”

Perhaps because the atmosphere at dinner had been too good, Ha Yue hadn’t expected Xue Jing to suddenly lash out at her. She froze for a moment, a look of surprise on her face, doubting that her ears were having issues, and then, in a bit of a panic, she took her hands out of her pockets and waved them slightly, “You misunderstood me, I really feel sorry, that’s why I... everything I said is true.”

There was no need for her to lie to her ex-boyfriend at this point. If there were any omitted details—like her parents’ divorce, her mother’s illness, the struggles of working while studying, the failure of her business venture—it was only to avoid sounding like she was begging for sympathy.

She didn’t need anyone’s sympathy; she didn’t intend to win Xue Jing over.

But standing before her, her well-mannered ex-boyfriend didn’t let her finish speaking. Clearly, he didn’t empathize with her insecurities and wasn’t buying her apology. He turned back and interrupted her with an impatient gesture, his words sharply cutting through the air, “How could it be a misunderstanding? I heard it right. You’re saying your dad’s selling fake rosewood?”

Ha Yue nodded.

“Your bag is fake too?”

Ha Yue nodded again.

Xue Jing’s brows furrowed slightly, and his handsome features revealed a look of scornful pity Ha Yue had never seen before.

His features were striking, and anything exaggerated he did could be easily digested. It seemed like he was enjoying seeing her nod repeatedly in confusion, even scrunching his nose as if coaxing a child, softly guiding her, “Hmm, the reason for the breakup is also fake, right? It wasn’t because I was bad.”

Ha Yue, though tall among women, still had a height difference of about ten centimeters when standing face to face with him.

Just like when they used to exchange sweet words, Xue Jing leaned down slightly to match her confident expression.

The closer he got, the stronger the woody scent from his body became, and in her line of sight, his narrow, fox-like eyes seemed even sharper, like a beast showing its fangs in the moonlight, ready to hunt.

In his almost burning gaze, Ha Yue leaned back, holding her breath. She instinctively felt like she had fallen into some kind of trap, but still nodded for the third time, because Xue Jing had understood her correctly.

Suddenly, without warning, Xue Jing smiled at her, and this time, it wasn’t just a smile at the corners of his mouth—his entire expression was a grin that barely showed his eyes, so much so that he had to touch his nose with his bent index finger to stop his laughter from getting out of control.

And in his breathless laughter, his hostile words were like an arrow shot from a bow, piercing through the consistency of her self-deception, “But you don’t want me to be sincere, do you?”

“Even if you’re a bumpkin, a walking fake, lying about your family background to everyone, you still chose to give up on me, and it wasn’t even because you were forced. Did I misunderstand you about that?”

“Are you apologizing to me?”

“It’s really fucking hilarious.”