"I didn't know that would happen."
"Qin Chu, please let me go, really. These seven years without you, I've lived very well. Now you've come back and caused trouble for my family again. I deeply regret ever being with you, do you know that? If I hadn't been so naive as to get involved with a rich heir like you, my stepfather wouldn't have died, and my mother wouldn't hate me so much. It's been seven years, and she still hasn't forgiven me. Now that I've finally found a normal life, please don't disturb it again."
"Is that what you truly feel?" Qin Chu looked at Huo Mian, a flash of bitterness in his eyes.
Huo Mian pressed her lips together, then slowly replied, "Yes, that's how I truly feel. And I'm getting married soon. Ning Zhiyuan and I have been together for three years, and our relationship is very good. Let the past stay in the past."
Qin Chu just quietly looked at Huo Mian after hearing this, no longer speaking.
"In short, I won't see you again, and there's no need for us to meet. If you bother my family again, I will call the police. That's all." With that, Huo Mian placed a hundred yuan on the table, then stood up and left.
Her personality was actually quite similar to seven years ago; she always acted decisively, without dragging things out or hesitating.
And it was this strong-willed girl that he loved.
Regarding Huo Mian's family, Huo Mian might have misunderstood him; he genuinely wanted to make amends.
A million yuan wasn't a huge amount, but it should have made their lives more comfortable. However, Huo Mian's mother not only refused to accept it but also cursed at him. He knew that Huo Mian's stepfather's death, though not directly caused by him, was nevertheless because of him.
And since the dead cannot be brought back, it was understandable that Huo Mian hated him.
Looking at the two cups of water on the table, Qin Chu sat alone for a long time before finally leaving the cafe.
After her conversation, Huo Mian returned to her rented apartment, her mood still heavy.
Although she felt she had been very clear, she wondered if Qin Chu would listen.
They hadn't seen each other in seven years. A lot must have happened in those seven years. He was abroad, did he not have a girlfriend?
Her thoughts began to drift again.
Only when she heard the key turn in the lock did she snap back to reality.
Ning Zhiyuan pushed the door open and walked in. He showed no surprise at seeing Huo Mian at home.
"Zhiyuan, you're back. Have you eaten?"
"Mm," Ning Zhiyuan replied, his face sullen, then walked towards the bedroom.
He completely ignored Huo Mian on the living room sofa.
Huo Mian got up and followed him in. "Did you have many surgeries today? Are you tired?"
Ning Zhiyuan didn't answer. Instead, he began to open the wardrobe and pack his clothes.
"Zhiyuan, what are you doing?"
"I won't be living here anymore," Ning Zhiyuan said coldly.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to see your face," he replied bluntly and maliciously.
Huo Mian fell silent.
"I'm going to live in the new house. I don't want my things here anymore. As for the money you paid for the down payment...? I won't be giving it back to you. After all, I spent quite a bit on you these past three years. Consider it repayment, and we'll owe each other nothing from now on."
"Zhiyuan, it's not about the money."
"The problem is I don't have money, heh. Your ex-boyfriend is so wealthy, the esteemed heir of GK. Huo Mian, I truly underestimated you. With such an impressive ex-boyfriend, why were you with me? Was I just for your amusement?"
From his tone, it seemed Ning Zhiyuan already knew Qin Chu's identity.
Indeed, it wasn't hard to find out; Qin Chu's name was frequently seen in financial newspapers and on television now.
Huo Mian patiently explained, "Zhiyuan, I talked to him today. I won't see him again. I just want to be with you, please don't be angry anymore, okay?"
"Do you think I'd believe your nonsense? Do you think I'd still marry you? Am I crazy? Do you want me to wear a cuckold after we're married?" With that, Ning Zhiyuan angrily picked up his suitcase and walked out.
"Zhiyuan, have you calmed down? Are you sure you're not just saying this in anger?" Huo Mian reached out to stop him and asked again.
"Get lost, I don't want to talk to you. I advise you to resign. After all, it's not good for us to be in the same hospital. As a doctor, I naturally won't resign. You, a nurse, don't have much of a future anyway. Why don't you go find your ex-boyfriend and continue living your fairy tale life?"
With that, Ning Zhiyuan roughly pushed Huo Mian's hand away, opened the door, and left.
Looking at Ning Zhiyuan's retreating back, Huo Mian felt no sadness at all.
It was as if a burden had finally been lifted, but... why was that?
She herself was a bit stunned.
After a while, she took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Zhu Lingling.
"Lingling, what are you doing?"
"Just flew back, eating instant noodles."
"Let's go for a drink. I broke up, shouldn't I be sad?"
"Cough, cough... Broke up? What happened? Did Qin Chu go abroad again?"
"Please, big sister, my current boyfriend is Ning Zhiyuan."
"Oh, that kid, you should've dumped him ages ago. He wasn't good enough for you anyway."
"Alright, no more nonsense, are you coming out?"
"Of course. You pick a place, I'll be right there."
Sure enough, a good friend always delivered. Twenty minutes later, at Dark Night Bar, Zhu Lingling arrived as promised.
As a flight attendant, her demeanor was impeccable. Dressed in a tight black dress, she was incredibly alluring.
In contrast, Huo Mian looked nothing like she was out to have fun; she looked more like a waitress.
"Please, when we go out, can you dress a little better? Don't look like an old maid."
"I don't have many clothes to begin with," Huo Mian said with a faint smile.
These past few years, half of her salary went to her brother's schooling, and the other half was saved for buying a house with Ning Zhiyuan. She was reluctant to spend frivolously on herself.
She truly didn't have many nice clothes. Even the dress she wore to the class reunion was one Zhu Lingling had bought previously but didn't want to wear anymore, so she gave it to Huo Mian.
As a woman, a beautiful 24-year-old woman, she certainly didn't live a refined life.
"Xiao Mian, leaving Ning Zhiyuan is nothing. He didn't know how to cherish you. How does that saying go? The world doesn't recognize jade inlaid with gold, mistaking pearls for dust. He was blind to give you up."
"Don't say that. I'm not as good as you think," Huo Mian replied softly, holding her glass.
"Who says so? In my eyes, you're one of a kind. You're a genius with an IQ of 130...?"
"Alright, enough about that. You'll probably talk about this forever." Before Zhu Lingling could finish, Huo Mian quickly cut her off.
But Zhu Lingling was right. Huo Mian was 24, but her classmates were all 27 or 28 because she had skipped three grades.
And she had gotten into the city's best aristocratic school, C City Second High School, with a score of 697 on the middle school entrance exam.
It was important to remember that the perfect score back then was only 700. It caused quite a sensation at the time, and she even made it into the newspaper.
Back then, her stepfather was still alive. That night, the whole family celebrated by going to a five-star hotel for a luxurious buffet.
Now, things had changed drastically.
If she hadn't been with Qin Chu, hadn't been seen as a thorn in the side by the Qin family, her stepfather wouldn't have died.
Her life should have been bright. In her second year of high school, she received an invitation from America's most prestigious university, along with a full scholarship.
But to be with Qin Chu, she gave up several opportunities, only to end up with a ruined family.
Just then, a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hi, Huo Mian, long time no see." A low voice sounded. She turned her head, and after seeing the man's face clearly, she was a little surprised.
"Why you?" Huo Mian's attitude was not friendly.