"I'm sorry... I don't want this," Jiangg Yao's voice grew increasingly quiet, almost inaudible by the end.
She was hugging Chen Yuan tightly.
Chen Yuan had never been hugged like this before. He could barely breathe. The fabric of his shirt on his shoulder was so tightly gripped it was starting to lose its shape.
Right now, she bore no resemblance to the prim and proper teacher from school. Instead, she was like a guilty little girl, completely immature.
She could only express her emotions through her actions.
Chen Yuan felt Jiangg Yao's body trembling slightly. He froze for a second before gently patting her on the back.
"I'm the one getting dumped, Jiangg. Shouldn't you be the one comforting me?"
"I don't want to break up, but if the school finds out I'm dating a student, I won't be able to stay here. I worked so, so hard to get everything I have now..."
Jiangg Yao was on the verge of tears, her eyes already misty.
She wasn't crying for herself, but for her sister.
The two sisters had a very unusual upbringing. They were born into a prestigious and wealthy family—the kind of family that had a private chauffeur drive them around since they were little. But after their parents divorced, their mother, who already had an overbearing personality, became even stricter in her control over them.
It reached an almost pathological level.
She forbade them from having too many friends or too much personal space. Their grades had to be perfect; anything less resulted in corporal punishment.
Every day after school, they had to report on everything that happened in their classes.
Even their weekends were packed with all sorts of art lessons!
They weren't allowed to speak during meals. The slightest transgression would earn them a harsh reprimand.
Life like this was undoubtedly suffocating. Because Jiangg Yao's grades weren't good enough to meet their mother's expectations, she was punished frequently. At night, Jiangg Ning would often hold her little sister, comforting her and wiping away her tears.
More than anything, she wanted to help her sister escape that life.
So, she threw herself into her studies and earned a master's degree from a university abroad. After fighting with her mother for it time and time again, she finally secured a teaching position in Lanjing and brought Jiangg Yao with her.
For the past two years, Jiangg Yao had been happier than she had been for the previous twenty-plus years of her life. She transformed from a quiet, withdrawn girl into a lively, cheerful young woman. She no longer had to worry about things like being forced to kneel for hours just for being caught playing a game.
Their mother was on the board of directors at Lanjing University. In other words, even with her newfound freedom, Jiangg Ning had not completely escaped her mother's grasp.
Dating a student, and one who's eight years younger!
Something like that would never be tolerated.
The world of the upper class was absurd. Most of those people were sophisticated egoists who cared only for personal gain. Family matters were never to be discussed publicly.
This was why neither of them had even had their first online romance until they were twenty-six.
"Okay, let's eat," Chen Yuan said, trying to comfort Jiangg Yao. He didn't know what else to say.
'I never would have thought that the glamorous Jiangg had it this tough. Her strong exterior is just a shell. She must have sacrificed a lot to get to where she is today.'
'Lanjing University is one of the top-ranked schools in the country, after all.'
'To be a teacher here at her age... that's an incredible achievement in anyone's eyes.'
'Chen Yuan's heart ached a little. The adult world really wasn't easy. I've been too shallow, thinking it was just about the age gap and the difference in our statuses. I hadn't considered the more practical realities.'
Jiangg Yao lifted her head from his shoulder. Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over. The sight of her, so pitiful and lovely, combined with a face stunning enough to captivate anyone, left Chen Yuan momentarily stunned.
They stared into each other's eyes. They were so close they could feel each other's breath.
Jiangg Yao's hands were still resting on his shoulders.
Even for strangers, it would be hard to say nothing would happen with this kind of proximity and eye contact—let alone for a couple who were dating.
"You..."
"Jiangg... if you're done hugging me, maybe we should get back to our food," Chen Yuan managed to say. He was eighteen; it was incredibly hard to hold back, and he was already using every ounce of his self-control.
"You... can you kiss me? It's my only wish."
Jiangg Yao didn't know how she'd managed to say those words. Her way of thinking had always been naive and simple. A suffocating, oppressive family life inevitably leads to a warped psyche. As a girl who rarely left home, Jiangg Yao had the life experience of a sixteen-year-old, at best. Her mindset was just as immature.
She had fantasized countless times about the person she liked standing right in front of her.
Two people loving each other with everything they have.
'Is there anything in the world more romantic than that?'
A kiss, even a goodbye kiss... She wanted this first love to leave something behind.
So that when she looked back on it, it wouldn't just be the hopeful yearning from their online chats.
...
In the corner, Jiangg Ning, who had been spying on them, clenched her fists.
She watched in disbelief as her sister and Chen Yuan got closer and closer—holding hands, hugging.
And now, they were about to kiss!
'Jiangg Yao, what on earth are you doing?! Have you completely forgotten your mission?!'
'This won't do. I should have known I couldn't count on her.' Jiangg Ning hurriedly scanned her surroundings, her gaze locking onto a nearby waitress.
She yanked the waitress over, who flinched back in fright.
"Wh-what's wrong, ma'am?"
"Shh!"
Jiangg Ning made a shushing gesture, pointed toward Chen Yuan's table, and whispered, "Those two... one's my boyfriend, and the other is my best friend. They're cheating on me behind my back! Look, look! They're about to kiss!"
The waitress glanced over, her face a mask of shock. Her eyes lit up with the fervent gleam of someone who just stumbled upon some juicy gossip.
A woman's love for gossip is innate. When the waitress took another look at Jiangg Ning's completely concealed appearance, she was more than halfway convinced.
"I need you to break them up."
"I can't do that. The customer is always right... Please don't put me in a difficult position. I'll get a complaint filed against me."
Seeing the waitress shaking her head frantically, Jiangg Ning didn't say another word. She opened her small handbag, pulled out a thick wad of cash, and stuffed it into the waitress's pocket.
"You don't have to do much. Just grab a glass of water, pretend to trip, and splash him. Tell that 'two-timer' to go to the restroom to dry off. Leave the rest to me. Otherwise," she threatened, "if I cause a scene in your restaurant, it won't be good for anybody."
Jiangg Ning's mind was incredibly sharp. In just a few moments, she had constructed the perfect plan.
The waitress, who had been completely unwilling, was suddenly overcome by the sense of "justice" now residing in her pocket.
"Ma'am, it is my solemn duty to serve you!"
With that, she crisply poured a glass of water and strode toward table 13, her expression now full of righteous fervor. Her eyes held a different light.
...
"I'm so sorry, sir! So sorry! I was in a rush and didn't see you!" The waitress executed a beautiful, staged fall.
'Her movements were so graceful that Jiangg Ning couldn't help but marvel at her professionalism.'
Caught completely off guard, Chen Yuan felt warm water SPLASH all over his sleeve. The waitress, looking flustered, immediately began dabbing at it with a napkin.
The romantic atmosphere was shattered in an instant. Jiangg Yao wiped away a tear and slipped back into her own seat, sneaking a glance in her sister's direction.
"It's fine."
"I'm so terribly sorry. There's a dryer in the restroom, sir. You should go dry it off."
"Okay."
Chen Yuan got up and went to the restroom.
The moment he was gone, Jiangg Ning scurried over. She didn't even have to glare; Jiangg Yao immediately cowered and lowered her head.
"What do you think you're doing!?"
"I told him we have to break up."
"This is you breaking up with him? You two were hugging... What would have happened if you'd gotten any closer!"
"Sis, I couldn't bring myself to do it... You're being mean..."
The sight of her sister's pitiful expression made Jiangg Ning's brow furrow instantly. She grabbed her by the sleeve and started dragging her outside. "I never should have let you do this! Go wait in the car!"
She all but threw Jiangg Yao out of the restaurant. Then, she took off her own mask, sunglasses, and hat. She had come prepared, even wearing the exact same outfit as her sister, precisely for a situation like this.
'When it comes to being heartless, it takes an 'old woman' like me.'
Jiangg Ning took a deep breath. As she walked toward the restroom, she pulled the tie from her hair. Freed from its restraint, her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
Her "ice queen" aura was the real deal, not an act. The moment she stood up, the temperature in the restaurant seemed to drop a few degrees.
The eyes of the other diners who happened to glance her way all lit up with admiration.
'Jiangg Ning was supremely confident. Growing up, she had received enough Love Letters to build a small mountain, and she'd rejected enough guys to fill all the men's dorms in Lanjing. As for breaking one heart, making an eighteen-year-old boy give up all hope?'
'Heh. A piece of cake.'
'I don't even need to sit down. One sentence explaining the situation will be enough.'
'She even had the money ready. A hundred-thousand-yuan breakup fee!'
Jiangg Ning stepped into the restroom. As it happened, Chen Yuan was at the sinks with his back to her. His expression was calm as he used the dryer on his sleeve, his thoughts unreadable.
"Have you thought it over?"
"Yeah, I've made up my mind." Hearing her footsteps, he turned around. He knew it was her.
"So, you agree to it?"
She stood with her arms crossed, her expression cold and hard.
Chen Yuan rubbed his nose, looking a bit awkward. But then he took two steps forward. His heart was undoubtedly racing, and he felt a little shy. It was his first time doing something like this, after all.
His advance puzzled Jiangg Ning slightly, but she said nothing.
Then, without any warning, Chen Yuan grabbed her hand, lowered his head, and cupped Jiangg Ning's face in his.
"Hey? What are you—Mmph!"
In that instant, the air froze, and her eyes slowly widened.