Jun Meiyu walked into the school courtyard with her bag slung over her shoulder, her steps steady though her body still felt heavy from the sleepless night.
"Teacher Jun, are you okay now?" her colleague, Ms. Li, asked as soon as she saw her. Concern filled her eyes. "You suddenly took sick leave yesterday, we were worried."
Jun Meiyu smiled, but it never reached her eyes.
"I'm fine now. Just a little tired yesterday. Thank you for worrying."
Ms. Li nodded and let her go. Jun Meiyu made her way to her classroom, set down her bag, and busied herself arranging the lesson notes. Her hands moved quickly, efficiently—anything to keep her from thinking.
Her phone buzzed against the desk. She didn't need to look to know who it was.
[Meiyu! Why aren't you answering my calls?]
[Did I do something wrong?]
[I miss you. Please call me back, love!]
Gu Jianhong.
Jun Meiyu's lashes lowered. The screen lit up again and again, messages coming one after another, but she didn't so much as reach for the phone.
She forced her lips into a faint curve, humming a little tune as if nothing was wrong. To anyone watching, she looked the same as always—calm, cheerful, unbothered.
But her nails, pressed against the back of her chair, dug deep crescent marks into the wood.
"Teacher Jun!" a student poked his head in. "The principal is looking for you."
Jun Meiyu froze for half a second, then stood with a nod. "Alright. Tell him I'll be right there."
She slipped her phone into her pocket without a glance. Whatever Gu Jianhong had to say—she didn't want to hear it.
---
Meanwhile, in the Azura Veil Club pulsed with dim lights and murmurs, a mix of clinking glasses, laughter, and whispered deals.
Gu Jianhong leaned lazily against the sofa, phone in hand, eyes fixed on the screen that stubbornly refused to show a reply.
"Tsk." A man beside him chuckled. "Still no answer? Don't tell me the great Young Master Gu is actually hung up on this little schoolteacher."
The others burst out laughing, glasses clinking. A woman draped in sequins giggled and leaned closer. "Young Master Gu, are you in love?"
Gu Jianhong scoffed, tossing the phone onto the table with a smirk. "Love? Don't make me laugh. She's just a toy. I'm only doing this to make my fiancée happy."
One of his friends raised a brow. "By pretending to be her boyfriend?"
"By ruining her life," Gu Jianhong corrected coldly. His lips curved, but there was no warmth in it. "Jun Meiyu thinks she can ignore me? Let's see how long that lasts."
Someone whistled. "You're cruel, Jianhong."
"That's why I win," he said smoothly, sipping his drink.
The group exchanged glances, some amused, some uncomfortable, but none dared to question him further.
The door opened, and a tall man strode in with a woman clinging to his arm, her laughter light and sticky.
"Gu Jianhong," the man said with a mocking smile, "you're really something. Everyone knows you and Feng Xinyue have been rivals since childhood. Yet every time a woman makes her mad, you're the first to ruin her. What kind of twisted loyalty is that?"
The woman at his side sneered, "Tsundere, they call it these days, don't they? Hate on the lips, but…possession in the heart."
Gu Jianhong leaned back, unbothered. "And you're any better?" His gaze flicked to the woman on the man's arm, then back to him. "Pretending to be a loving husband at home while dragging your first love everywhere? My fiancée knows exactly what I am. Can your wife say the same? Zhou Shunhao!"
For a moment, the room went still. The name hung in the air like a blade.
Zhou Shunhao's eyes narrowed, but Gu Jianhong only smirked wider, his fingers casually spinning the glass of wine in his hand.