To Shang Lu, nothing was more important right now than ending the terrible relationship between her and Jiang Yi.
And Jiang Yi was reasonably intelligent; connecting the circumstances that led to Shang Lu blocking him, he immediately understood why she was angry.
This time, Jiang Yi knew he was in the wrong. When facing Shang Lu, he rarely softened his tone, explaining: "When you called me, I didn't know what had happened. That comment wasn't arranged by me. I only told them to teach you a lesson. I didn't expect…"
"Only?" Shang Lu interrupted Jiang Yi, repeating: "You want to say you only wanted them to teach me a lesson? You want to say you didn't expect them to humiliate me in that way, so this isn't entirely your fault, right?"
Under Shang Lu's interrogative tone, Jiang Yi instinctively wanted to retort, but he opened his mouth and couldn't say anything, finally nodding: "…Yes."
Shang Lu closed her eyes, her hand resting on the doorknob trembling slightly, feeling that the man before her was disgustingly unfamiliar.
Whether he had expected such a thing to happen wasn't important. The production crew staff were merely following his instructions. No matter what, his motive had been malicious intent toward her.
What attitude, what words had he displayed to make others think she was someone who could be humiliated like that?
They had known each other for decades, yet he hadn't even left her this bit of respect in front of outsiders.
But Shang Lu didn't want to engage in meaningless arguments with Jiang Yi. She didn't have the time or energy for that; she only wanted to resolve the problem.
So Shang Lu took a deep breath, trying her best to remain calm, and said directly: "Whatever you're thinking isn't important. My only thought is to break off the engagement, the sooner the better."
Although he didn't understand why Shang Lu would suddenly make such a decision, to Jiang Yi, Shang Lu's attitude of avoiding him like a virus made his expression turn ugly as well.
So Jiang Yi's voice also turned cold, saying directly: "Shang Lu, don't be so childish. Our engagement was arranged by our parents' generation. Behind it lies the commercial interests of both families; it isn't something that can be changed with a word from you or me. Even if we cancel the engagement, Uncle Shang won't easily agree."
Jiang Yi had always been good at using "for your own good" rhetoric to persuade people. Seeing that Shang Lu didn't retort, he increasingly felt that everything was still under his control, continuing: "Get some rest and calm down. Tomorrow evening at five, I'll pick you up. My parents just returned from abroad and want to have dinner with you."
After speaking, he left, not wanting to waste any more of his time with Shang Lu.
The next evening, five o'clock.
Jiang Yi's car stopped in front of Shang Lu's apartment, yet he still couldn't get through her phone, and no one answered the door.
Not knowing where Shang Lu had gone again, Jiang Yi prepared to wait here patiently for a while, just like yesterday.
But at that moment, Jiang Yi's phone rang.
The person calling Jiang Yi was his long-time friend, and also the only son of the wealthy Chi family of the Imperial Capital—Chi Yan.
Once the call connected, the other side asked directly: "A new racetrack opened in the southern district. Want to go check it out?"
Jiang Yi was somewhat surprised, because except for those high school years when Chi Yan had been relatively enthusiastic toward him, in recent years the two hadn't actually interacted much privately.
Especially after Chi Yan entered the Chi family company and began taking over the business, whenever Jiang Yi heard Chi Yan's name, the latter had already become in the shortest time "Young Master Chi" at the negotiation table—someone those old foxes both feared and respected—and was acknowledged as the most outstanding existence of their generation, directly leaving him behind by a considerable margin.
But Jiang Yi didn't think he was inferior to Chi Yan in any way. The gap between them now was merely due to family background, and sooner or later he would catch up.
However, because of the title of "Chi Yan's friend," it had brought Jiang Yi and the Jiang family quite a bit of convenience, so Jiang Yi had always actively maintained his relationship with Chi Yan.
When Chi Yan took the initiative to call him and ask him out, Jiang Yi naturally wanted to go. Especially after he had focused on entertainment industry projects this year, some people who had originally approached him to curry favor with Chi Yan were starting to lose trust in him. This was a good opportunity to prove that his relationship with Chi Yan was as close as ever, letting those people firmly believe that as long as they worked hard to please the Jiang family, they would have a chance to connect with the Chi family.
But he really couldn't leave, so he could only refuse: "I have something today. Another day I'll contact you after arranging things. Let's also call everyone from high school; it's been a while since we all gathered."
Chi Yan chuckled softly, not explicitly agreeing, only saying: "Let's talk about it later. Right, there's something else I wanted to ask you."
"Go ahead."
Chi Yan asked leisurely: "About the photo Shang Lu posted on her Moments today, the bag she's carrying while traveling is quite nice. I want to give one to my mom. Can you help me ask her where she bought it?"
The air seemed to still for an instant.
Jiang Yi grasped the key point in Chi Yan's words, yet it took him a full half-minute to digest it, asking: "What did you say? What did she post on her Moments?"
Chi Yan's voice was still relaxed: "You didn't see it? She posted it at noon, the one about vacationing at the beach."
"…Send it to me."
Very quickly, a screenshot of Shang Lu's Moments was sent to Jiang Yi.
The timestamp showed three hours ago, geotagged at a famous tourist city that took five hours to reach from the Imperial Capital by high-speed rail.
In the picture, Shang Lu wore a light blue sundress, holding a cup of iced drink in her hand, smiling brilliantly toward the camera.
She did look to be in a good mood.
However, Jiang Yi was the opposite, his knuckles faintly turning white.
He couldn't comprehend it; he only felt it was absurd.
Under the premise that he had clearly said he would pick Shang Lu up to go home together, Shang Lu had completely ignored his words and even gone to a place she absolutely couldn't return from in time.
Could it be that Shang Lu's words yesterday about canceling the engagement weren't just angry words spoken in the heat of the moment?
No, that was absolutely impossible.
The moment this thought appeared, Jiang Yi rejected it.
That was Shang Lu, after all.
The Shang Lu who had followed behind him since childhood, who had never left once no matter how coldly he treated her or how harshly he hurt her with words.
But no matter what Shang Lu was thinking, the fact that she was avoiding him now was reality.
Jiang Yi opened the car door, took out the cake originally prepared to coax Shang Lu from the passenger seat, and threw it into the roadside trash bin.
Then he got back into the driver's seat, stepped on the accelerator, and left Shang Lu's apartment.
And at this moment, Shang Lu stood by the window, watching Jiang Yi's car leave, then pulled the curtains open again.
Shang Lu sat cross-legged on the sofa and sent a message to Chi Yan.
[Thanks, I'll treat you to a meal when I get the chance]
The way Chi Yan and Shang Lu met could be described as an ill-fated bond.
It was back in their first year of high school. Right after the semester started, rumors spread wildly through the school saying that a senior and a delinquent from the neighboring high school had a conflict over liking the same girl and decided to fight to compete for the right to pursue her.
Then Shang Lu and Chi Yan arrived even earlier than the people who were going to fight. The two awkwardly met at the back door of the neighboring high school, both wearing their school uniforms.
At that time, Chi Yan frowned and asked Shang Lu: "What are you doing here?"
Shang Lu answered honestly: "I wanted to watch the excitement, and also check out the beauty. What about you?"
Chi Yan palmed his forehead with one hand, then extended his hand: "…Same."
Then the two high-fived.
But something even more awkward happened after that.
When the two of them were perched on the wall watching the people from both schools fight, hearing the name of the beauty they were arguing over was "Shang Lu," they fell silent together.
Shang Lu: "…"
The hand braced against the brick to support her body trembled slightly.
What a waste of time.
The beauty was actually herself.
And Chi Yan had laughed so hard he almost fell off the wall. The fact that the two of them were eavesdropping was directly and unfortunately exposed.
So the delinquents from both sides united against outsiders and began chasing them.
And Chi Yan pulled Shang Lu through more than ten alleys. Clearly exhausted, he still teased: "They really do like you; they're all chasing you—"
Literally.
Shang Lu: "…"
Shut up already :)
After finally shaking off those two groups, Shang Lu was completely exhausted. Even when walking her legs were trembling. In the end, it was Chi Yan who, with an expression of disgust, reluctantly carried her on his back and sent her home.
Actually, Shang Lu had been somewhat worried then. Being harassed by those delinquents would have been very troublesome.
But somehow, later on, those delinquents who claimed to like her would actually cross the street to avoid her when they saw her at school.
But Shang Lu didn't dwell on it for too long. After all, back then there was only Jiang Yi in her heart and eyes.
Later on, Chi Yan somehow became Jiang Yi's friend. He was also the only person in Jiang Yi's circle who treated Shang Lu well.
He would speak up to stop Jiang Yi when the latter said hurtful things to Shang Lu in public. He would also rush over when Shang Lu stood at the school entrance waiting in the rain for Jiang Yi, who wasn't coming at all, cursing that there was something wrong with her brain while forcefully stuffing her into his car to send her home.
So even though Chi Yan had been notoriously unruly since childhood, with behavior so arrogant that calling him lawless wouldn't be excessive, Shang Lu knew that he was, barely, a good person.
So this time, after much consideration, she sought Chi Yan's help to at least get Jiang Yi away for now.
As expected, Chi Yan still harbored the same troublemaking attitude as back then and very easily agreed to help her.
Right at this moment, Chi Yan sent another voice message.
"The photo you posted is from last year. Aren't you afraid he'll see through it if you use it to fool Jiang Yi?"
Shang Lu lowered her eyes, then typed a reply.
[He won't remember.]
Looking down from the window, the cake thrown into the trash bin could be identified at a glance as the most signature strawberry mousse from a certain internet-famous shop. Yet after all these years, Jiang Yi hadn't remembered—or possibly never even known—that the fruit she hated most was strawberry.
Not to mention trivial matters like where she had gone, what clothes she had worn, or what photos she had posted.
If he cared about her even slightly, those photos were full of holes.
For example, her period had arrived. She had menstrual cramps. It was impossible for her to go to the beach and drink iced beverages on such days.
For example, her shoulder had been injured during filming at the beginning of the year, leaving an ugly scar, yet in the photos her skin was fair and flawless.
Thinking of these things, Shang Lu suddenly felt a bit pathetic, or rather, she felt some disgust toward who she had become.
She had clearly been saying she didn't care, comforting herself that it was all the influence of the book's plot. But how could she possibly have no feelings at all for someone she had truly followed for so many years?
Even though he now disgusted her, she would still occasionally think of the Jiang Yi from back then.
When she was seven years old, she had accidentally broken her mother's keepsake and was locked by her father in a storage room piled with miscellaneous goods for a whole week.
Except for the servants who would regularly deliver water and food to the door, for all the other long and boring hours, young Shang Lu could only stay alone in that empty room.
According to Father Shang's words, it was to let her properly reflect.
Shang Lu's mother had lost her life giving birth to her. She was born as an existence in debt and should understand even more to respect her mother and everything her mother had left behind.
And during that week, a little boy appeared, sending her milk and cookies through the window every day, chatting with her by passing notes, and leaving a stuffed toy to keep her company in his place.
That was the first friend in her life, and also the first person who was good to her, who would care about her and worry about her every day.
Later, Father Shang finally let her out.
Shang Lu quietly asked the family's nanny. During that week, only the young master of the Jiang family had stayed at the Shang residence, studying calligraphy with Father Shang.
And on the day Shang Lu was released, she only caught a glimpse of Jiang Yi's departing figure. She hugged the stuffed toy in her arms tightly.
At such a young age, how could she understand what love was? But Shang Lu knew from that time that she wanted to be closer to Jiang Yi.
But the Shang family's children all had private tutors teaching them at home during elementary school; Shang Lu could almost never see Jiang Yi.
So when a few years later Father Shang asked her if she was willing to marry Jiang Yi when she grew up, she felt as if she were dreaming and joyfully agreed.
Only everything afterward couldn't be considered beautiful.
And right at this moment, Chi Yan directly called, interrupting those memories that should have been turned over long ago.
Chi Yan's voice was lazy: "So, my dear young lady, I've helped you with your task. Shouldn't you tell me what exactly happened? Did Jiang Yi bully you again? Do you want me to teach him a lesson for you?"
"It's nothing." Shang Lu's voice was still calm, saying: "I'm just preparing to break off the engagement with Jiang Yi."
The other side was silent for a few seconds. Chi Yan asked: "Are you hiding somewhere crying again?"
Shang Lu: "?"
Shang Lu was speechless: "You're overthinking too much. Don't bring up ancient history anymore."
"So what exactly did he do this time."
It was not a question, but a statement.
From Chi Yan's perspective, over the years, who knew how many excessive things Jiang Yi had done to Shang Lu, yet she had still liked him so much.
So what excessive thing had Jiang Yi done this time to make Shang Lu give up on him.
"I just suddenly came to my senses, that's all." Shang Lu didn't want to explain too much. If she told Chi Yan that she discovered she was the villainess in a book, he would probably hire a psychologist for her.
Then Shang Lu asked again: "Why do you still seem unhappy? Didn't you used to scold me for having something wrong with my brain for liking Jiang Yi?"
"I still think so now. Forget it, let's not talk about this. Anyway, remember what you just said." There was an inexplicable strangeness in Chi Yan's voice that he couldn't suppress. He didn't say anything more, only leaving behind the words "If things don't go smoothly, you can use me as a shield" before hurriedly hanging up.
Shang Lu thought that Chi Yan might truly be a jinx.
Because this matter really was extraordinarily difficult.
Shang Lu had prepared herself for the engagement annulment being very difficult, but she had never imagined that Father Shang would actually put down his work abroad and rush back to the country specifically to have her come home and discuss this matter face-to-face.
And Jiang Yi along with his parents had also come together. It was obvious they had already privately discussed and decided on the outcome. This was clearly a trap.
Shang Lu washed her face, tied her hair in a ponytail, wore no makeup, and dressed in simple sportswear before returning to the Shang residence.
The moment Shang Lu entered the door, the housekeeper followed behind her and quietly warned: "The Master's mood is very bad, Miss. You must endure in a moment, otherwise if an argument breaks out, you'll be the one to suffer."
"I understand." Shang Lu said so, but she clearly didn't mean it.
It had been a full year since she had last seen her father.
Yet this time, Father Shang had rushed back to the country specifically for the engagement matter. This proved that, as Jiang Yi had said, her wanting to break off the engagement was an extremely difficult matter.
In the hall, everyone was seated on the sofa, seemingly chatting.
Father Shang, dressed in a suit, betrayed little emotion as usual. The moment he saw Shang Lu walk in, he took a sip of tea from his cup. Seated to his left were the Jiang parents and Jiang Yi.
Shang Lu lowered her eyes and called out: "Father."
After likewise greeting the Jiang parents, she sat on Father Shang's right side, directly opposite Jiang Yi.
Shang Lu was tired of meaningless false civilities. Before the Jiang parents could exchange pleasantries, she directly feigned ignorance and asked: "Everyone is here in full attendance; does that mean we can break off the engagement directly today?"
Father Shang's face still betrayed little emotion, but he glanced at Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi stood up. His expression was clearly trying hard to suppress itself but was still somewhat ugly, saying: "I'm sorry, Lulu. I know there are some misunderstandings between us, but an important matter like the engagement—I hope you won't make such a hasty decision. At least give me a chance to apologize and make it up to you."
"Oh?" Shang Lu curved her lips, asking with an innocent face: "You don't want to break off the engagement with me. Then that means you like me and want to marry me and have children, right?"
Jiang Yi was stunned, seemingly not expecting Shang Lu to ask him such a question.
The answer was no. He had never thought that the person he would spend his life with would be Shang Lu.
But it was precisely Jiang Yi's hesitation that made the atmosphere turn even more awkward.
"That's of course." Jiang Yi's mother was a woman with a very gentle appearance. She hurriedly came out to smooth things over, saying: "Your engagement has been in place for so many years; it really should be settled sooner."
"Is that so? Thank you, Auntie. I'm truly so happy." Shang Lu smiled as she looked at Jiang Yi's mother, then said: "Then I find it very strange. Since I'm Jiang Yi's fiancée, why does the outside world say I'm the third party in his relationship with someone else?"
"Shang Lu!" Jiang Yi directly stood up, his voice carrying a warning: "This matter has nothing to do with her."
Shang Lu also stood up to look at Jiang Yi and retorted: "But what does your love have to do with me? You hate me, but you need me and you need the Shang family, so you can continue to shamelessly use me.
Jiang Yi, you can't expect all the advantages to go to you alone, right? There's no such good thing in this world."