When Lu Qingyue finished from the mall, it was close to nine o'clock. The late autumn night was dark, starless.
She was carrying the stuff Lin Zirou wanted and was waiting for the car at the intersection. The downpour came without warning and she was caught in it.
Unable to get a taxi, fearing the clothes she bought for Lin Zirou would get wet, Lu Qingyue held the paper bag to her chest and bravely ran down the fast lane.
Amid honking car horns and cursing drivers, Lu Qingyue vexedly took out her phone to call her boyfriend Gu Xianzong.
The phone rang for a while before Gu Xianzong answered, hastily saying, "Hello?"
"Are you home? I can't get a cab and it's raining. Can you come and pick me up?" There is a trace of bewilderment and helplessness in Lu Qingyue's voice. Under normal circumstances, Gu Xianzong would have been very anxious.
But not today.
"Qingyue...I'm still at the office. As you know, the company's been really busy and I can't get away...wait for me where you are. I'll be right there."
Lu Qingyue instantly understood what Gu Xianzong meant, "No problem, you continue with your work. I'll wait a little longer. Head home and rest once you finish your work."
As unobservant as she was, she noticed something was off with Gu Xianzong. His tone was overly obvious, indicating that he didn't want to come pick her up.
The rain turned the night into a hazy mixture of grey and black. After hanging up, Lu Qingyue put her phone in her pocket. She was about to brave the rain and try her luck at the upcoming traffic lights, when a familiar black Maybach came down the slow lane.
She recognized the car license- it belonged to none other than Gu Xianzong, her boyfriend, who had just claimed to be at work.
Her body reacted before her brain, and Lu Qingyue instinctively spread her arms in the middle of the slow lane. Although the Maybach wasn't driving fast, it still had to screech to a halt to avoid hitting her.
Her long black hair and dark green coat were already wet. The confrontation with the car's headlights made her gaze even colder.
Everything in front of her was blurred as she saw Gu Xianzong get out of the car with an umbrella and a delicate silhouette of a woman in the passenger seat. She was dumbfounded.
"Gu Xianzong, didn't you say you were at the company? Who is she?" Lu Qingyue pointed straight at the woman behind the windshield on the passenger side, her beautiful face showing indifference.
Gu Xianzong was surprised by Lu Qingyue's appearance. He looked at Lu Qingyue uncomfortably, yet had a flattery smile on his face: "Qingyue, I was really working just now. She...she is one of my business partners. It began to rain after we finished discussing business, there's nothing wrong with me offering her a ride home."
Gu Xianzong reached out to grasp Lu Qingyue's hand, "Honey, let me have the driver take you home first."
Lu Qingyue skillfully evaded his gesture, a hint of coldness appearing on her lips: "You don't have the time to bring your own girlfriend home, but you have the time to send a business partner?" Due to the heavy rain, Lu Qingyue couldn't make out the face of the woman on the passenger side. She cast a glance at Gu Xianzong, quickly moving towards the passenger seat of the Maybach, "I would love to see who this business partner of yours really is!"
Gu Xianzong tried to stop Lu Qingyue, but it was too late. She opened the passenger door and was taken aback by the person inside. She stepped back, dropping the paper bag she had been carefully holding in her arms.
"Zi...Zi Rou?" It was Lin Zirou. An incredulous Lu Qingyue widened her eyes.
Lin Zirou's delicate face showed an awkward smile, "Qingyue."
Gu Xianzong walked up and pulled Lu Qingyue back. He held an umbrella with one hand, his face no longer filled with discomfort: "Qingyue, since you've already seen this, I don't need to bother explaining... As you can see, Zi Rou and I are together."
Lu Qingyue couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked at Lin Zirou, as if waiting for her explanation.
The usually gentle Lin Zirou met Lu Qingyue's gaze, holding onto Gu Xianzong's hand, "Yes Qingyue, Xianzong and I were wondering how to tell you about this. Now that you've found out, we might as well be honest. It's better for all of us."
Lu Qingyue took a deep breath, her fingers clenched, her eyes reddening.
Lin Zirou, who came from a humble background and was timid, was always looked after by Lu Qingyue for fear that she would be bullied in the entertainment industry. Lu Qingyue protected Lin Zirou like a hen protecting its chick, but she never thought that one day she would be severely hurt by the chick she had protected.
"So, you two are really together?" Lu Qingyue's voice was dry and strained.
Lin Zirou nodded, "Yes Qingyue, Xianzong and I are together."
Her voice was firm and resonant.
After years of being close friends, the woman she had considered a confidante was now involved with her boyfriend – it was truly ironic.
"Clear Moon, as a woman, you're a total bore. I just can't see anything girlfriend-like about you," Gu Xianzong said without hesitation, he put one arm around Lin Zirou's shoulders, looking straight at Lu Qingyue. "Zirou can give me what I truly desire."
Lu Qingyue clenched her teeth, her sharp nails sinking into the flesh of her palm.
Leaning into Gu Xianzong's embrace, Lin Zirou looked pityingly at the disgraced Lu Qingyue and spoke, "Qingyue, don't blame me, emotions aren't something one can control by sheer willpower. I..."
"Get lost," interrupted Lu Qingyue, quickly wiping her nose. Pointing ahead, she ordered, "Both of you, just get out—"
Before Lin Zirou could say another word, Gu Xianzong had pulled her into his car.
The engine roared to life, and the tail lights of the Maybach soon disappeared into the curtain of rain.
Lu Qingyue stood alone, soaking wet, a cold breeze chilling her to the bone.
She looked at the expensive clothing and their packaging, crushed them under her foot, again and again.
That night, Lu Qingyue fell seriously ill. After recovering, she sold the villa where she resided in the western suburbs of the city. Her grandmother's death and betrayal by her boyfriend and best friend made her wish to leave the city. However, she quickly regretted selling her villa.
On Weibo, she saw Gu Xianzong announce his relationship with Lin Zirou. To generate publicity for Lin Zirou, Gu Xianzong intentionally allowed some paparazzi to catch them in an intimate moment. The unabashed photos of them togeter deeply hurt Lu Qingyue.
Gu Xianzong and Lin Zirou were the ones who had done something shameful, not her, Lu Qingyue. Why should she be the one to hide? They should be the ones leaving tail between legs!
The more Lu Qingyue thought about it, the angrier she became. Moreover, the villa in the western suburbs was filled with memories of her and her grandmother. How could she just up and sell it!
Regretting her rash decision to sell the villa, Lu Qingyue decided to buy it back, regardless of the price set by the owner.
Lu Qingyue thought, teeth clenched, she only had herself to blame for the hasty decision.