Back at the villa, An Junxing cooked some plain noodles, treating them as longevity noodles for a quick meal. Today was her birthday. In previous years, she would pester Lu Jiaming to celebrate with her, but this year, there was no reason to. Recently, she had been feeling unusually sleepy, dozing off on the sofa while watching TV, half-asleep, half-awake. “Why are you sleeping on the sofa again?” a familiar and cool voice rang out. An Yunxing opened her eyes wearily, only to see Lu Jiaming entering, dressed in a black coat. At that moment, it felt like a dream. “Brother Lu, why are you here?” “Isn’t today your birthday?” Lu Jiaming glanced at the barely touched bowl of plain noodles on the table, his brows furrowing slightly. “Is this all you’re eating?” An Yunxing hadn’t expected him to remember her birthday. She got up to turn on the heater. “Have you eaten? I’ll cook something for you.” Over the years, whenever Lu Jiaming visited, it felt like he was coming home or staying over. An Yunxing, whose skills were once limited to typing, had learned to cook quite well due to his discerning palate. “No need, this is for you.” Lu Jiaming handed her an exquisite cake. An Yunxing stared at the cake in surprise. “Don’t you like it?” Lu Jiaming asked, his thin lips parting, his gaze shifting to a jacket belonging to Mu Tao, his expression cooling. “No… I like it.” An Yunxing took the cake, placed it on the coffee table, and lit the birthday candles. “Brother Lu, do you know? You’re the only one who ever gives me a cake.” Her words carried an indescribable emotion. Lu Jiaming felt somewhat more at ease. He turned off the lights in the living room and let An Yunxing make a wish. She closed her eyes for about half a minute, then blew out all the candles. “This will be the last time I celebrate your birthday with you.” Lu Jiaming cut the cake and handed her a slice. An Yunxing, without asking any questions, took the spoon and started eating the sweet cake, one bite after another. “It’s really delicious…” Watching her, Lu Jiaming felt an inexplicable bitterness. He stood up. “I’m leaving.” An Yunxing just hummed in acknowledgment, not bothering to see him out. As the villa door opened and closed, the vast living room was left with only An Yunxing. She continued stuffing cake into her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. Mr. Lu might have forgotten, or perhaps he never knew, she was allergic to sweets…
An hour after Lu Jiaming left, the sound of an ambulance filled the entire Lanwan Villa.
Chapter Five: The Couple’s Photo
The emergency surgery light had been on for two hours. When An Yunxing was wheeled out into a regular ward, she looked unrecognizable, her face and hands covered with dense rashes. Her best friend, Tang Xiaoxue, was by her side, her eyes red. “An Yunxing, are you trying to kill yourself? You’ve known since childhood you can’t eat sweets, and yet you ate so much cake! If I hadn’t come, you wouldn’t have seen tomorrow’s sun!” This was the first time An Yunxing had seen her always composed friend, a lawyer, lose control. She gently squeezed her hand. “Xiaoxue… I’m sorry.” Tang Xiaoxue’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Is it worth it for a man?” An Yunxing, pale-faced, shook her head. “It’s not worth it, but I couldn’t control myself…” Tears fell, wetting the pillow. She only told Xiaoxue that she had broken up, not daring to reveal that the cake was from Mr. Lu, nor that for the past five years, Mr. Lu had been calling someone else’s name…
“Does it still hurt?” Tang Xiaoxue applied ointment on her. An Yunxing shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt.” How could it not hurt? Her whole body was covered in rashes; it was terrifying to look at. Tang Xiaoxue didn’t expose her, her touch growing gentler. “By the way, I’m handling Lu Jiaming’s ex-girlfriend Cheng Xinxin’s estate division case. My client is the deceased’s son.” An Yunxing froze as she continued, “According to my investigation, Cheng Xinxin was not a good person. A few years ago, she broke off her engagement with Lu Jiaming for money and immediately married my client’s father, who was sixty-six at the time!” An Yunxing had heard Cheng Xinxin was married, but not that her late husband was so old. “If it wasn’t for money, who would believe it? Now that the old man’s dead, after only five years of marriage, she wants half of the family’s property without having contributed anything. How could there be such a good deal?” Tang Xiaoxue was indignant. An Yunxing was puzzled. If what Xiaoxue said was true, why did Mr. Lu help Cheng Xinxin and marry her? Could love really make one tolerate everything?
Tang Xiaoxue had to go to work and left after settling An Yunxing. After she left, An Yunxing couldn’t help but open her phone, looking through the history of the TYG team and Cheng Xinxin. There were few reports online, but she found a photo in a forum post. It was from years ago, with Cheng Xinxin standing among the old team members. An Yunxing also saw Lu Jiaming, looking less stern than he did now, his gaze fixed on Cheng Xinxin with a tenderness she had never seen before…
Days Later
Heading to Happy Valley, An Yunxing, bundled in thick clothing, a knitted hat, and a mask, boarded the bus. Her first sight was of Lu Jiaming and Cheng Xinxin sitting together. “Star, over here!” Not far away, Mu Tao waved at her. Coming back to her senses, she walked over to sit next to him. “Why are you wearing so much? Winter hasn’t even started.” Mu Tao turned up the air conditioning and covered her legs with his jacket. From the front seat, Lu Jiaming’s gaze drifted over, his expression unreadable. He took out his phone and typed. Soon, An Yunxing received a text. She opened it to find a message from Lu Jiaming: “You can skip this if you’re not feeling well.” Her eyes darkened, she replied, then saw Lu Jiaming pass his phone to Cheng Xinxin. Her hand stiffened, and she quickly retracted her message. When they arrived at Happy Valley, the first snow of the year began to fall. The team took a group photo. Before playing, someone suggested, “Boss, Cheng Xinxin, let’s take some couple photos for you.” An Yunxing stood there, watching Lu Jiaming, who had always refused to take photos with her, now standing beside Cheng Xinxin. “Click!” The photo was taken, freezing the image before her. At that moment, she recalled a song she had heard long ago, with lyrics saying: “It’s clearly a movie for three, yet I’ve never had a name.”
Chapter Six: Loneliness
Happy Valley today had fewer children than usual, mostly couples. The team members went off to enjoy their favorite attractions.
