The day before Qian Fei returned to Beijing, Jin Tian approached Li Yifei, asking him for a favor—she wanted him to take her to the business cocktail party the following evening.
That party would be attended by many investors and film directors, including one of the hottest and most renowned directors at the moment. Soon, he would be directing a large-scale public service advertisement with extensive reach, and they were currently holding open auditions for the female lead. Whoever was fortunate enough to land this ad would have the opportunity to collaborate with the famous director on his next big-budget film, paving the way for a meteoric rise to stardom. Many actresses were eager for this chance, but the director had stated he wanted to cast a fresh face—someone who hadn’t yet appeared on the big screen.
The production company the director was signed with was a publicly listed company, and Li Yifei’s firm had acted as the sponsor for its IPO. Because of this, Li Yifei had some connections with the company’s executives as well as the director, who was also a shareholder. Jin Tian wanted this advertising opportunity, so she came to him, hoping he could take her to the party and introduce her to the director.
When Da Jun first introduced Jin Tian to Li Yifei, the latter had intended to pursue a romantic relationship with her. But somewhere along the way, he had unwittingly developed feelings for Qian Fei. Later, when their relationship had progressed beyond friendship but hadn’t quite reached romance, he called it off, acknowledging Jin Tian as a younger sister instead. He also promised her that if she ever came to him with a problem in the future, he would help her.
So when Jin Tian came to him this time, he felt he couldn’t refuse. However, the timing of the party clashed with his plans to pick Qian Fei up from the airport, so he had to enlist Da Jun as a substitute.
When Da Jun learned of his plan, he was far from pleased. “I want to go to the party too!” he protested.
Li Yifei replied, “If I’m going to the party, I’ll be taking a female companion. Your gender is questionable, so just focus on picking her up for me!”
Da Jun, defeated but unwilling to concede, tried to argue back, only to be silenced by Li Yifei’s retort.
“Do you want me to tell your mom you’ve been playing online games?”
Da Jun obediently went to the airport, while Li Yifei took Jin Tian to the party.
He had originally thought that if he could quickly introduce Jin Tian to the director, he could wrap things up early and slip away to see the one who occupied his thoughts.
But as luck would have it, the director’s flight was delayed, and by the time the party was more than halfway over, he still hadn’t arrived.
Left with no choice, Li Yifei had to linger with Jin Tian.
During this time, other acquaintances—such as his father’s business partners—would spot him and come over to say hello. While he was busy smiling and socializing with them, Jin Tian would stand obediently to the side, sipping champagne or taking selfies.
When the director still hadn’t arrived, Jin Tian struck up a conversation with him, asking if he had someone he liked.
He nodded and said yes. Jin Tian then asked, “Is it that landlady of yours?”
(｡♥‿♥｡)
In response to Jin Tian’s question, Li Yifei smiled openly and answered, “Yes.”
Jin Tian looked up at him and smiled too. “I really envy her! It seems love doesn’t follow any rules of first come, first served. I was the one who started things with you first, yet it’s her who won your heart!”
Li Yifei thought for a moment before correcting her. “Well, I wouldn’t say it’s about who came first. After all, she was already playing Landlord with me every afternoon before I even met you!”
At one point, Qian Fei sent him a WeChat message, and he pulled out his phone to reply.
Jin Tian, standing beside him, asked, “Is it her? Does she know you brought me here today?”Li Yifei tucked his phone away and said, "I didn't tell her. She just got back from a business trip and is pretty tired. Let her rest properly."
Jin Tian looked at him with a faint trace of melancholy in her expression. "I thought you were just that kind of cold, unfeeling person who never shows consideration or gentleness toward girls. But now it seems you're not incapable of being considerate—it's just that your consideration isn't directed at other girls or me, but at that one specific person. To be honest, I'm a little jealous of her!"
Li Yifei laughed. "Am I being considerate to her? I think I'm the same as always!"
Jin Tian also smiled, though her smile seemed forced.
As the cocktail party was winding down, the famous director finally arrived. Li Yifei seized the opportunity to introduce Jin Tian to him.
The director expressed great optimism about Jin Tian's potential and agreed to give her an audition the following week.
After chatting for a while longer and staying a bit more, the party ended. In the middle of the night, it was hard to hail a cab, so Jin Tian begged Li Yifei to take her somewhere with better taxi availability. Li Yifei had originally planned to check on Qian Fei, but he felt it wouldn't be right to leave Jin Tian—dressed in an off-the-shoulder evening gown—stranded on the roadside at such an hour. Weighing his options, he decided to visit Qian Fei the next day instead and opted to see Jin Tian all the way home.
On the road, Qian Fei sent him a message. He replied at a red light, telling her to get some sleep.
After dropping Jin Tian off at her place, as she was getting out of the car, she suddenly asked him, "Now that you've helped me this time, will I have no more reasons to contact you in the future?"
Li Yifei thought for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and said, "That depends on her. If she likes chasing celebrities, I'll bring her along to hang out with you!"
Jin Tian smiled bitterly. "I really am jealous of her."
For a second, Li Yifei wondered if he was being too harsh—it seemed he had broken one girl's heart for the sake of another.
●︶3︶●
By the time he got home from the banquet, it was technically already the next day. Suppressing the urge to call Qian Fei just to hear her voice, he sent her a message instead: "Finished my business and am home now. This young master observed the heavens tonight and discovered my mood will be excellent tomorrow. Thus, I've decided to take you out for a good meal."
Then he washed up and went to bed.
But by the next morning, Qian Fei still hadn't replied to his message.
Unable to hold back, he sent several more messages: "Did you get my text?" But there was no response.
His face remained stormy the entire morning. During lunch break, he called Qian Fei. The phone rang twice before cutting to a busy signal.
●︶3︶●
Li Yifei stared at his phone in disbelief—she had actually rejected his call.
He tried again, only for the same thing to happen after two rings.
Rejected again.
Frowning, he called once more with identical results.
He picked up his phone to text her.
"Busy?"
After a long while, there was still no reply.
He sent another: "What's going on?"
Still no response.He felt a faint irritation. One of the main reasons he liked Qian Fei was that she wasn’t like other girls—she wasn’t delicate or prone to petty tantrums. Unlike most men, he had no patience for the affected, coquettish moods some girls put on—those little fits where they’d sulk over some unspoken grievance, giving the silent treatment until they were lavishly coaxed back into good humor. He had zero tolerance for such antics. If any girl tried that with him, he’d ignore them outright, refusing to indulge their drama until they grew bored and came crawling back to him on their own.
Now, he sensed Qian Fei was pulling something similar.
Suppressing his annoyance, he texted her: "If you keep giving me the silent treatment, I’m coming to your office this afternoon!"
This time, he finally got a reply—and it came with a photo attached.
Qian Fei sent a picture with the caption: Say hi to her for me.
Li Yifei stared at the image, irritation instantly flooding his mind.
●︶3︶●
The photo bore a Sina Weibo watermark, and Li Yifei spotted Jin Tian’s name. Damn it, he thought. Who knows what nonsense she’s spouted this time? And since when did Qian Fei care about celebrity gossip? Aside from Da Peng, she never paid attention to the entertainment world—so how had she stumbled onto this photo?
Amid his frustration, a smug satisfaction flickered in his chest. She’d been quietly keeping tabs on his supposed ex-girlfriend’s social media.
Li Yifei grabbed his phone and logged into Weibo to check Jin Tian’s profile, but the photo was nowhere to be found.
After a moment’s thought, he went to find Zhao De. The guy had a crush on Jin Tian—he’d definitely be following her.
Zhao De was slumped over his desk, napping during lunch break. Li Yifei ruthlessly shook him awake. Zhao De groaned as he sat up, rubbing his temples blearily. "What’s up?" he mumbled.
"You follow Jin Tian on Weibo, right?" Li Yifei asked.
Zhao De blinked, his expression shifting to sly curiosity. "Yeah! Wait, didn’t you two break up? Are you getting back together? Yesterday, I saw her post a photo of you two at some banquet, but she deleted it pretty quick! I meant to ask you about it this morning, but you seemed in a bad mood, so I held off."
"Do you remember what she wrote?" Li Yifei pressed.
"Nope," Zhao De admitted.
Li Yifei scowled. "What kind of memory is that? It’s a miracle you’ve lasted this long in investment banking."
Zhao De scrolled through his phone, shooting back, "You sure you wanna keep insulting me while asking for favors?" He thrust his screen toward Li Yifei. "I didn’t memorize it, but I took a screenshot! Years in this business taught me that post was gonna disappear fast, so I saved it."
Li Yifei snatched the phone, tossing out one last jab. "Go back to sleep. You look like a sheet of toilet paper, yet you’ve still got the energy to yap."
He glanced down at the screen.
"Midnight stirs the heart, restless with longing. Fondness unspoken, so I call him ‘brother.’ Brother, after tonight, I hope you’ll still stay by my side like this…"Li Yifei looked at the suggestive text and inwardly groaned, realizing things had taken a turn for the worse.
●︶3︶●
Before leaving work, Qian Fei received another message from Li Yifei: "Let's meet after work. There's something I need to say about yesterday."
This time, Qian Fei didn’t play coy. She felt some things needed to be addressed face-to-face.
She replied, "Let’s meet at the UBC Coffee in Parkson."
When she arrived at the café, Li Yifei was already there.
He got straight to the point. "About last night, I want to know how you interpreted it."
Qian Fei was taken aback. His overwhelming presence made her feel like she was being preemptively accused.
With that kind of attitude, it was no surprise he didn’t think he was in the wrong.
She took a sip of water, cleared her throat, and said, "There’s not much to interpret. I just saw with my own eyes that you took your ex-girlfriend to a banquet. It was purely a visual shock—nothing deep enough to affect my senses. My mom used to tell me that if I wanted to live a long life, I should eat well, sleep well, and not worry about other people’s business. Just enjoy the show."
Li Yifei’s expression darkened. "Other people?" He took a slow breath, suppressing his irritation, and said, "Qian Fei, let’s not be childish about this. Let’s talk it out. I promised Jin Tian I’d help her with something, so when she asked me to take her to the banquet, I couldn’t refuse." He paused, then added, "I didn’t think there was anything shady about it. Helping her once would settle things between us. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was necessary—it’s not like we’ll cross paths with her again. But I didn’t expect her to post those ambiguous words on Weibo, and for you to see them and overthink it. What I’m saying is, what she wrote was her own doing. I don’t have any feelings for her. If we let this come between us, wouldn’t that be a waste?"
Qian Fei was silent for a moment before frowning. "Li Yifei, I think you might have misunderstood. Do you think I’m being jealous or petty? That’s not it. What I’m really thinking about is whether we’re even from the same world. In your world, today’s girlfriend can become tomorrow’s ‘little sister.’ In my world, a breakup is a breakup—exes don’t turn into siblings."
Li Yifei looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Did I ever say she was my girlfriend?"
Qian Fei countered, "Are you trying to tell me she never was?"
Li Yifei neither confirmed nor denied it.
Qian Fei scoffed. "That’s even worse. You led her on for so long without ever giving her a proper title, then turned around and called her your ‘little sister,’ neatly cutting all ties and absolving yourself of any responsibility. Can I just say—I have a feeling Jin Tian might not be the first to go through this routine? And if I were to join in, I probably wouldn’t be the last either?"
Li Yifei’s expression grew increasingly stormy.
"Qian Fei, can’t you tell the difference between how I treat others and how I treat you? Don’t you know whether you’re part of this so-called routine? Or is it that when women get emotional, they suddenly forget everything a man has ever done for them?"Qian Fei said, "See, I haven't even said anything yet, we haven't even gotten to that point, but your impatient zero-tolerance attitude toward your ex-girlfriend is already showing."
A mocking smile tugged at Li Yifei's lips. "Qian Fei, I've never bothered explaining myself to women before. You're the first one I've ever sat down and taken the time to explain things to. If this is what you call impatience and zero tolerance, then I don't know what to say."
Qian Fei replied, "Look at how you've automatically positioned what should be an equal exchange between a man and woman as you condescending to lower yourself. With such an unequal power dynamic between us, I really don't think we can ever meet in the same world."
Watching Li Yifei's face darken with suppressed anger, she continued, "Right now, you're still holding back your temper. But how long can that last? When a girl looks for a boyfriend, she doesn't just want him to be wonderful when he's in a good mood—she also hopes he can be tolerant and considerate even when he's upset."
She understood this principle, but she didn't think Li Yifei truly did. He was the type who, when affectionate, would love recklessly, willing to pluck the moon from the sky to make you happy. But when angry, he would still act without restraint, capable of saying the cruelest words.
Ultimately, he loved himself more than others, prioritizing the venting of his own emotions above all else.
She wasn't like that. The love she desired was patient and enduring—not passionate and intense, but steady and long-lasting. Even when angry, she would still consider the other person's feelings, making an effort to control herself and avoid saying things that would hurt each other.
So he lived freely, while she lived exhaustedly. And they would always remain in different worlds.
"Li Yifei, before I was foolish and single-minded, thinking you were just an affected, vain poser trying to act cool and chase wealth. But looking back, maybe you really are a rich second-generation heir. The people you associate with, the things you discuss, the circles you move in, the places you frequent for leisure, the extravagance of your lifestyle—when you think about it carefully, none of it aligns with ordinary people, much less with me. You live high above me, separated by who knows how many levels. We're truly not the same kind of people."
Li Yifei looked at her, a trace of irritation in his eyes. "Who told you I'm a rich second-generation heir? Screw that—I'd never be some spoiled rich kid! I told you my dad's just a small business owner! How are we separated by so many levels?"
Qian Fei chuckled dryly. "Even if he's just a small business owner, I suspect he's no ordinary one."
Li Yifei gave up. "Qian Fei, is your period coming or something? Why are you being so melodramatic today?"
Qian Fei's smile faded. "I'm not being melodramatic. I'm being serious."
After a thoughtful pause, she spoke slowly, as if carefully considering her words. "Maybe we should just leave things as they are. You can think of me as lacking courage and confidence, as being a coward. Let's just go back to being friends who nod and smile when we see each other. If we force ourselves to be lovers, with me being so timid and cautious and you being so unrestrained, our relationship would probably burn out before it even begins."
Li Yifei's face finally darkened with anger."Is this little thing really worth you making such a big deal out of it? Just one photo, and all the things I've done for you are suddenly meaningless? We've been through some things together, but the moment Jin Tian posts a Weibo, you forget all that? Have you ever truly seen or cherished what I've done for you? If that's how it is, fine, let's do as you say—just nod and smile when we meet!"
Angrily, he turned and walked away first.
Qian Fei sat on the sofa, feeling despondent. At least, she thought, she hadn’t fallen too deeply yet. After all, he was still a spoiled young master, always keeping track of what he had given. But she was the opposite—when she loved someone, she always forgot how much she had given.
Their perspectives on love would never align. No matter how much they liked each other, what was the point?
She rubbed her sore eyes and stood up to leave.
Author's Note:
Finally fucking logged in!!! I’m so done!!! Absolutely insane!!!
Let me say a few words—don’t mind the rant.
I think a person is who they are. They can’t just change overnight because they fall in love. Change takes opportunity and process. Even though Li Yifei likes Qian Fei, all his old bad habits are still there. He needs to realize, through conflicts with her, that his attitude of "not indulging women’s whims" can’t hold up against "missing this woman"—and eventually, he’ll have to compromise.
Last chapter, someone commented under another reader’s post: "Rare to see a good story about to fall into clichés." Honestly, I see this kind of comment everywhere. Whenever an author writes any kind of twist, there’s always this kind of voice. But let’s be real—are there any romance novels that aren’t clichéd? There are only so many plots, and every single one has been done to death. Take my story, for example. If we’re talking clichés, it’s been clichéd from the start! Cheating, catching someone in the act—what part isn’t clichéd? I think people say this for two reasons: first, the plot isn’t going the way they expected, and second, they’re getting a little tired of it by now. It’s like watching the Spring Festival Gala—no matter how hard the production team tries, it always feels worse than the year before. For the second point, I’ll do my best to make the story more engaging. As for the first point, all I can say is sorry—I want to write the story I want to write. Even if some readers think it’s about to "fall into clichés," I think this development is necessary. These two chapters are meant to discipline Li Yifei’s bad habits, to make him drop his young master attitude. If you’re dating an ordinary girl, you’ve got to get real. I want to see him compromise in the face of his own flaws!
Lastly, writing has been getting harder lately. I might not be able to update at 8:00 tomorrow because I have things to do during the day and might not finish in time. TT But I’ll let everyone know on Weibo, the synopsis, or in the comments when I’ll update. Please check the synopsis or Weibo, and bear with me. I’m trying my best, really! Fists clenched!
Thanks to all the generous readers who sent gifts!!! In these tough times, you’re saving money on tea eggs to support me—so touched TT
← Check out Xiao Jiumei’s story! [Oh yeah, thanks Xiao Jiumei for letting everyone know I couldn’t log in, mwah!]
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