What she remained utterly unaware of was that, the moment Gu Xichen severed ties with her so resolutely, he had irrevocably resolved never to cross paths with her again, even unto death.
Unbeknownst to her, she lingered deliberately by the stairwell where Gu Xichen would pass.
Upon seeing her, Gu Xichen feigned oblivion, turning his gaze away.
"Xichen!" He Meiwei clung to his arm beseechingly. "Could you spare me just five minutes to talk?"
Gu Xichen shrugged off her grasp, his eyes cold as ice. "Why do you still seek me out?"
"I wish to apologize," her eyes reddened with unshed tears. "I have wronged you. I've avoided you lately—partly because of my poor health and convalescence, partly because I needed time to reflect. You treated me with such kindness, yet I repaid you with betrayal. I regret my actions deeply. I still wish to be with you."
"Or is it that you want me to keep funding your existence?" Gu Xichen cut through her pretense mercilessly. "Don't utter empty words about wanting to be with me. I am no fool. Renting a place in this complex with barely a penny to my name, do you think I'd reconcile with you? He Meiwei, whenever I see you, I can't help but recall how disgracefully you behaved—it truly makes me nauseous."
As he turned away, panic surged within He Meiwei. "Though I don't love you, I did care for you while we were together. I was with Long Yubei for a year, and when he learned of my illness, he even helped find a donor and arranged my surgery. Now that I'm penniless and need medication, can you help me?"
Gu Xichen's gaze snapped back. "Do you really think your breakup with him for your illness can compare to why we parted ways? He left out of pity and sympathy, nothing more. As for me, you brought me nothing but shame. I would not give you even a penny's worth of compassion. I once thought Gu Lili was no match for you—now I see she utterly eclipses you. Compared to her, you fall hopelessly short."
He Meiwei stood frozen, staring after the retreating man who entered the elevator without a backward glance, a chill seeping through her bones.
He deemed her inferior even to Gu Lili?
How bitter…
In that moment, it was as if Gu Xichen had delivered a silent but stinging slap across her face.
Long Yubei had wed Gu Lili and refused to divorce her for He Meiwei's sake—was that not a tacit declaration that, in his eyes, she truly paled beside Gu Lili?
Two men, her former lovers.
Both shared the same verdict.
Resentment surged within He Meiwei's heart.
She returned home and wept bitterly.
In that instant, she felt abandoned by the entire world.
Stripped of everything, left utterly bereft…
How had things come to such a pass? She could not pinpoint the origin of her downfall.
She burned with indignation, injustice, and unwillingness to yield!
Now, though desperate to fight for Long Yubei, the man she loved most, she was powerless.
At this juncture, money was all she craved. Only sufficient funds to quell worries over medical and living expenses would afford her the luxury to contemplate anything beyond mere survival.
Yet, a common job offered meager wages and brutal toil; though she had undergone the transplant, her body could no longer endure heavy labor.
Her estranged parents were out of the question—no help there.
Nor would she ever ask them for a cent.
Thus, she was caught in an agonizing dilemma.
After much deliberation, He Meiwei's mind conceived a sudden, daring plan.
Gu Lili, ever a woman of decisive action, was determined to fulfill her vision of becoming a proper wife.
Each day she joined the head chef, Chang Tai, in the kitchen, learning the arts of cooking, baking, and simmering nourishing soups.