An Ting took a deep breath and stared straight at him.
"Are you serious?"
Song Qian nodded solemnly. "Very. My intention to break up is extremely clear. I prepared these things carefully. I hope you'll accept them, and then we can part ways."
Tears silently streamed down An Ting's face.
She opened her handbag, calmly picked up the three items on the table, and put them into her bag—one by one.
"Waaah—Song Qian, I never thought you'd be this heartless…" she sobbed dramatically. "Fine. Since it's come to this, there's no point forcing things. Let's break up amicably."
She slipped the apartment key into her bag last, then looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
"Oh, right. Please remember to change my name on the property certificate. Thank you."
Song Qian stared at her in disbelief.
"An Ting… you've changed."
She shook her head, tears clinging to her lashes. "No. I haven't changed. When I loved you, I couldn't see money. After breaking up, I suddenly could."
Song Qian's expression stiffened.
"So I was wrong about you all along. You're actually such a vulgar, greedy woman."
"But you didn't fall in love with me even when I wasn't vulgar or greedy."
Song Qian was rendered speechless.
After a long pause, he waved his hand weakly. "It must've been hard for you to hide your true nature around me."
An Ting wiped her tears calmly. "It wasn't that hard. You only showed up a few times over the past year and a half anyway."
Song Qian: "..."
An Ting touched the keys in her bag and sighed softly.
"Now that we're really broken up, you can go chase your true love. Happy breakup."
She stood up to leave.
Song Qian watched helplessly and instinctively grabbed the hem of her clothes.
"What is it now?" she asked.
He hesitated, struggling. "At least… leave me one thing."
An Ting stared at him in disbelief.
"So all this time I was blind. You're actually such a stingy, unreliable man."
Song Qian's ears instantly turned red.
He hadn't intended to be stingy.
He was a well-known rich kid at school—famous for his money. Logically speaking, compensating an ex-girlfriend shouldn't make him flinch.
But his father knew he was useless and kept him on a tight leash. His allowance was limited, and the luxury house and car were technically his father's—just for show.
The house and car he brought out today were ones he'd bought himself over the years.
As for the five million yuan—that was three months' worth of living expenses.
In this environment, Song Qian was rich, but also painfully frugal.
Giving An Ting all three was already extremely generous by his standards.
He hadn't expected her to take everything.
Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, Song Qian suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye.
"Qianqian!"
An Ting followed his gaze.
Standing a short distance away was a beautiful woman.
The moment An Ting saw her, recognition struck.
Ye Qianqian—the female lead of Queen of Pop.
The pure, innocent girl who had completely captivated Song Qian.
In the original story, Ye Qianqian also appeared at this coffee shop at this exact moment. But back then, the original An Ting had already left, humiliated by the breakup gifts.
Song Qian, in a bad mood, ran into Ye Qianqian by chance. After learning she lacked funds for her music career, he handed over all five million yuan.
That money allowed Ye Qianqian to hire a top-tier musician to produce her debut single—one that propelled her career forward.
An Ting frowned.
She really didn't want him coming back later to ask for money already sitting safely in her bag.
But then—
She saw something shocking.
A translucent filter appeared in midair, five or six centimeters in front of Song Qian's eyes. He looked at Ye Qianqian through it, admiration clearly shining in his gaze.
As a veteran photographer, An Ting was intimately familiar with cameras and Photoshop—these were her bread and butter.
She recognized that filter instantly.
Lowered color temperature.
A standard Photoshop adjustment.
Her heart skipped.
Could this be the female lead's cheat?
Are those so-called "adoration buffs" just… filters?
As if responding to her thoughts, a black panel suddenly appeared in front of her.
At the top-left corner were two familiar letters.
PS.
Photoshop.
All the tools were there—but grayed out. Untouchable.
So I really brought this with me…
Now wasn't the time to investigate.
Song Qian and Ye Qianqian had already started talking.
An Ting minimized the panel and turned her attention back to them.
"Qianqian, what are you doing here?" Song Qian asked.
Ye Qianqian smiled gently. "I'm meeting a musician for dinner."
"Working on a single?" His voice softened. "You mentioned it before."
"Yes, but the cost is too high. We haven't reached an agreement yet…" She lowered her gaze sadly. "Maybe… it won't work out."
Seeing her disappointment, Song Qian immediately said, "Money isn't a problem. How much do you need? I'll give it to you."
Then, worried about hurting her pride, he hurriedly added, "I mean—I can invest in you. You're so talented. Your potential is limitless."
Ye Qianqian looked at him gratefully.
"Thank you, Song Qian. I really am in trouble right now, so I won't refuse. This project might cost… five million."
"Leave it to me!" Song Qian said confidently—then froze.
He remembered.
All his money was with An Ting.
He no longer had the five million Ye Qianqian needed.
His gaze instinctively shifted toward An Ting.
An Ting raised an eyebrow. "You're not thinking of getting that money back, are you?"
Song Qian hesitated. "Qianqian really is in a tough situation. An Ting, you're a good girl. You'll help me, right?"
"No," she replied calmly. "You just said I was vulgar and greedy."
She turned to leave.
Furious and humiliated after being slapped in the face repeatedly, Song Qian instinctively reached out—
"You're not allowed to leave!"