She had wavy hair, thick eyebrows, and large eyes; her lips, painted with bright red lipstick, were as alluring as a midnight vixen.
Su Mianmian had never seen this girl in Tang Yunzheng's circle before. Just as she was about to ask him who she was, Tang Yunzheng suddenly stood up and walked towards the woman.
In front of everyone, he hooked his arm around her shoulder and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Not too late at all," he said, "let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Lin Jiaojiao." As soon as he finished speaking, Su Mianmian's mind went blank.
The room fell silent. Gazes darted back and forth between her and Lin Jiaojiao. A few seconds later, it felt like an eternity to Su Mianmian. A burst of cheers erupted in the room.
"Brother Zheng is such a good secreter! We didn't even know he got a girlfriend!" Tang Yunzheng laughed heartily, his bright eyes looking at Lin Jiaojiao with doting affection.
"It's been almost a month, hasn't it? Jiaojiao is shy and didn't want to go public so early. She only reluctantly agreed this time because of Su Mianmian's birthday." After saying this, Tang Yunzheng took Lin Jiaojiao's hand and walked to Su Mianmian.
"Little Mianmian, let me formally introduce you to my girlfriend, Lin Jiaojiao." He then introduced her to Lin Jiaojiao. "This is Su Mianmian. You can call her Little Mianmian, just like I do."
Lin Jiaojiao blinked her beautiful eyes and, with an air of familiarity, took Su Mianmian's hand. "Mianmian, Yunzheng always mentions you to me. Today I finally meet you in person. You're so beautiful. And happy birthday."
Lin Jiaojiao shook her hand, the bracelet on her wrist, representing "love of my life," swaying gently.
Su Mianmian stared blankly at the bracelet. She had imagined countless times today that Tang Yunzheng would put the bracelet on her wrist, but she never expected that the bracelet belonged to someone else.
She knew she should say something, but feeling the various gazes upon her, she opened her mouth, then closed it again, finally uttering, "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom." It was practically a hasty retreat.
Su Mianmian stayed alone in the restroom for a long time. Looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes were bloodshot, her face deathly pale, like a ghost who had been used and abandoned. Su Mianmian felt like a joke, responsible for all the laughs and complaints in the private room that night.
She desperately wanted to leave, but in her haste to leave, she hadn't even taken her bag or phone. Su Mianmian could only steel herself and walk towards the private room. As her hand gripped the doorknob, she heard Song Zhi's angry voice from inside.
"Tang Yunzheng, all these years, what have you taken Su Mianmian for?" Su Mianmian's fingers tightened, and she heard Tang Yunzheng chuckle lightly, his voice casual and unrestrained. "Song Zhi, what's wrong with you?"
"Su Mianmian is my childhood sweetheart, of course! What else could she be?" At that moment, Su Mianmian clearly heard the sound of a heart breaking. Her blood rushed to her head, feeling as if it was about to burst forth.
Her hand, gripping the doorknob, slowly dropped. Su Mianmian walked out of the club like a zombie. A gust of wind blew, raising goosebumps on her exposed arms.
Su Mianmian rubbed her arms, giving a bitter laugh. She had even gone back to her dorm to change into a new dress for tonight's party. Now, it all seemed incredibly ironic. She looked up at the sky; it was dark and gloomy, mirroring her current mood.
Sigh, it seems her twentieth birthday wasn't so great after all. Su Mianmian kicked at a pebble on the side of the road and walked aimlessly along the street.
She hadn't walked far when she heard the sound of tires rolling on the road behind her. A familiar car slowly pulled up beside her, the back window rolling down to reveal Gu Yizhou's deep, clear face. "Brother-in-law?"
Gu Yizhou slightly raised his chin, glancing at her crossed arms. "Where are you going? I'll give you a ride." Su Mianmian hesitated, wanting to say no, but then remembered she'd left her phone and bag in the private room; there seemed no need to be stubborn.
"Oh," she said softly, silently opening the back door. The back seat was spacious; Su Mianmian and Gu Yizhou each sat on one side, with ample space between them.
The car was filled with a calming scent of sandalwood. As Su Mianmian inhaled the fragrance, a sudden wave of emotion washed over her; her nose stung, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. Gu Yizhou, who was reading documents, heard the soft sobbing beside him and looked up at Su Mianmian.
"What happened?" Su Mianmian quickly shook her head, wiping away her tears sheepishly, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed, showing no sign of stopping.
Just as she felt incredibly embarrassed, a dark blue handkerchief suddenly appeared before her, and Gu Yizhou's deep, cello-like voice sounded softly. "Wipe your tears, you can talk about it when you're done crying."
He then had the driver pull over, got out of the car, and gave Su Mianmian ample space to vent her emotions. Su Mianmian's eyes were swollen from crying, and her emotions gradually calmed down.
She saw Gu Yizhou leaning against the car, a crimson cigarette burning at his fingertips, flickering with his movements. Feeling bad for keeping her waiting so long, she cleared her throat and rolled down the window. "Brother-in-law, I'm done, you can get in."
Gu Yizhou glanced at her, stubbed out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray, and then looked at the shop not far away. "Wait a minute." With that, he strode towards the shop. Su Mianmian assumed he was going to buy cigarettes, so she looked away and silently sat in the car. A moment later, the car door opened again, and Gu Yizhou, carrying a faint scent of tobacco, got in and casually handed Su Mianmian a strawberry mille-feuille. "Happy birthday."
Su Mianmian suddenly looked up. "Brother-in-law, how did you know it was my birthday today?" Gu Yizhou smiled. "Your sister mentioned it a few days ago." Su Mianmian said "Oh," she should have expected it, and pursed her lips. "Thank you, brother-in-law."
She thought her birthday would end miserably with being dumped for unrequited love, but unexpectedly, she'd get a piece of birthday cake. She took a small bite with her fork; it tasted good, and her mood improved a little. She looked up and saw Gu Yizhou quietly watching her.
Su Mianmian was taken aback, misunderstanding. "Sorry, brother-in-law, I forgot to ask if you wanted some." Gu Yizhou shook his head, looked away, and continued reading his documents. "I don't like sweets, you eat it."
Su Mianmian silently ate her cake, her eyes catching a glimpse of his hand resting on the documents—fair, slender, with distinct knuckles like a jade fan. A phrase suddenly popped into her mind: "A gentleman as handsome as jade, unparalleled in the world."
Of course, it would be even more fitting if he weren't so aloof. After finishing the cake, they arrived at the entrance of University A. Before getting out of the car, Su Mianmian looked at Gu Yizhou, "Brother-in-law, could you please not tell my sister about tonight?"
Her sister had been preoccupied lately, and she didn't want her to suffer any more because of her. Gu Yizhou hesitated for two seconds. "Can you handle what's bothering you properly?"
Su Mianmian felt a pang of sadness. Gu Yizhou was indeed a seasoned businessman; with just one sentence, he both offered her a way out and saved her face. Su Mianmian nodded. "It can be resolved." Gu Yizhou raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I won't tell your sister."
...Su Mianmian had just returned to her dorm when Song Zhi chased after her. "You brat, why didn't you tell me you were going back to school? I had to search for you all over the club!" Su Mianmian changed the subject. "Did you get my phone and bag back?"
"Yes, I got them back." Song Zhi cautiously glanced at Su Mianmian's face, and seeing her swollen eyes made her even angrier. "Mianmian, don't cry for that scumbag Tang, he's not worth it at all!"
"I asked him what he considered you, and he actually said he considered you his childhood sweetheart! Seriously! Has he no shame? How could he say something like that!" Su Mianmian's voice was muffled. "Maybe I've misunderstood. Nothing ambiguous has happened between us."
Song Zhi spat, "How can you blame yourself? He's always with you, anyone with eyes would misunderstand your relationship!" Su Mianmian took her phone out of her bag, along with a jewelry box.
The box fell to the ground, bounced open, and a heart-shaped necklace fell out. Song Zhi grabbed it. "Damn it, you say you've misunderstood? If he doesn't have those feelings for you, why does he always do things that lead to misunderstandings!"
Su Mianmian glanced at the necklace, her mind flashing back to the "My Life's True Love" bracelet on Lin Jiaojiao's wrist, and a pang of sadness welled up inside her. She took the necklace back and put it back in the box.
"Zhizhi, can you please stop? The more you talk, the more ridiculous I feel." Song Zhi's lips moved, but she didn't rub salt into Su Mianmian's wounds.
"I'm sorry, Mianmian, it's all my fault. I thought Tang Yunzheng bought that bracelet for you, otherwise you wouldn't be so disappointed." Su Mianmian shook her head. "Let's cut our losses. We'll find out sooner or later anyway." "So, are you still keeping this necklace?"
Su Mianmian casually placed it on the table. "I'll return it to him tomorrow."