Chapter Five: A Fateful Meeting on a Dark and Windy Night
“Jun, I’m sorry. I love Lizan no less than you do. I hope you can let us be together.” He Jingjing’s face was full of sincerity, not a trace of shame, her reasons so dignified and effortless, as if the whole thing was nothing more than clouds drifting by. Perhaps, they didn’t need her forgiveness or her blessing at all…
Her boyfriend had cheated on her, and the other woman was her best friend. There were no words left in Mai Xijun’s vocabulary to describe it, except for bitter irony… She felt wretched—He Jingjing was truly the perfect best friend!
You raise a best friend, she borrows your clothes, tries on your shoes, accompanies you and your man to dinner, and one day, she’ll steal your beloved and end up in his bed!
Mai Xijun arched her brows, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly, a trace of sorrow hidden within her beauty, her eyes dim and mournful. “Don’t worry, He Jingjing, I’ll wish you all the best. I’ll wish that Xue Lizan, who abandoned me, will one day abandon you too! Believe me, when I see you both miserable, I’ll finally be at peace.”
Her tone was sharp with mockery, yet her heart ached as if torn apart.
She turned away, faster than her tears could fall.
Only with harsh words could she mask her utter humiliation… In truth, she was not as strong as she appeared. After all, she had loved with all her heart, had relied with all her soul on that person…
Walking along the bustling streets, her eyelids felt too heavy to lift. A few heavy drops of water clung to her long lashes, their origin uncertain. She blinked several times and they slipped down, shimmering and falling. Her vision blurred, and through the watery mist, she caught sight of her own dazed and uncertain reflection…
* * *
Yuwen Si stood at the doorway, glancing back now and then at the unconscious figure on the bed. At last, unable to wait any longer, he made another call. “Hello? Where are you? Get here quickly!”
After hanging up, Yuwen Si went downstairs and instructed the staff to prepare some food. He had something urgent that required him to leave for a while.
Mai Xijun awoke in an unfamiliar room. As soon as she sat up, she pulled out the IV and got out of bed.
Whenever she thought of that disgusting video from Venice, she felt sick to her stomach. But what gave her an even bigger headache was that, in a moment of reckless impulse, she’d given away the most precious thing she’d kept for over twenty years to a stranger, all under the noble pretense of “saving a life is worth more than building seven pagodas.”
Not even the wildest novels played out like this!
Maybe she just wanted an explanation—if Xue Lizan could give her a reasonable one, she could accept it with peace of mind. When she saw that video in Venice, she thought she could face it all bravely. But the reality was different…
When she saw the two of them together, all her defenses crumbled in an instant. She wanted to cry, but now was not the time…
There were still a few days before the jewelry exhibition. She had to seize this last chance in her life and gamble everything she had left. If she lost, she would lose it all. If she won, at least there would be something left in this world worth holding on to.
“Hey, miss, where are you going? Miss! You can’t leave! Miss—” A woman in her fifties, who worked in Yuwen Si’s house, saw Mai Xijun running downstairs in a panic and hurried after her, calling out from behind.
Her steps felt leaden, her head splitting with pain, and several times she nearly stumbled. But she couldn’t stop. She had to grit her teeth and press on—this was her last bargaining chip.
Mai Xijun jogged out. The lighting in the villa district wasn’t great; the shadows were deep. As she turned a corner, she almost collided with a car but managed to dodge it just in time and ran off.
The housekeeper stood at the corner, watching Mai Xijun disappear from sight. Then a blinding light approached—a car drove up the slope. Looking closely, it was a Cayenne Turbo S, the one Shen Yanlie most often drove.
“Young Master Shen?” Once she recognized Shen Yanlie, the confusion on her face deepened.
This was Yuwen Si’s house, but Yuwen Si rarely came back. Usually, it was just her and another woman of similar age, taking care of the villa. But what kind of wind was blowing today?
It was a dark, windy night. Yuwen Si had returned—and brought back a mysterious young woman. Then, most importantly, Shen Yanlie had shown up as well.
So many strange things had happened in this one night. It was truly baffling.