For Shang Lu now, nothing is more important than ending her terrible relationship with Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi, being somewhat clever, immediately understood the reason for her anger when he considered the cause and effect of being blocked by Shang Lu.
Jiang Yi knew that he was in the wrong this time, and when facing Shang Lu, he rarely softened his tone and explained, "I didn't know what happened when you called me. That comment was not arranged by me. I just wanted them to teach you a lesson, but I didn't expect…"
"Just wanted them to teach me a lesson?" Shang Lu interrupted Jiang Yi's words and repeated, "Are you trying to say that you just wanted them to teach me a lesson and it's not entirely your fault that they humiliated me in that way, right?"
Under Shang Lu's accusatory tone, Jiang Yi instinctively wanted to retort, but he couldn't find the words, so he could only nod and say, "…Yes."
Shang Lu closed her eyes, and her hand holding the doorknob trembled slightly. She felt that the man in front of her was disgustingly unfamiliar.
Whether he expected it or not was irrelevant. The program team's staff were just following his instructions. Regardless, his intentions towards her were malicious.
What kind of attitude and words did he use to make others think that she was someone who could be demeaned like that?
She had known him for decades, but he didn't even leave her with a bit of respect in front of others.
However, Shang Lu didn't want to argue with Jiang Yi meaninglessly anymore. She didn't have the time or energy for that. She just wanted to solve the problem.
So Shang Lu took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm as he said directly, "No matter what you think, it doesn't matter. My idea is just to cancel the engagement as soon as possible."
Although Jiang Yi didn't understand why Shang Lu suddenly made such a decision, Shang Lu's attitude of avoiding him like a virus still made his face look ugly.
So Jiang Yi's voice also turned cold, and he said directly, "Shang Lu, don't be so immature. Our engagement was arranged by our parents, and it's related to the business interests of both families behind the scenes. It's not something that can be changed with just a few words from you and me. Even if we cancel the engagement, my father won't easily agree."
Jiang Yi has always been good at using the rhetoric of "for your own good" to persuade others. Seeing that Shang Lu didn't argue back, he felt more and more that everything was still under his control, and he continued, "Take a good rest and calm down. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow evening at five o'clock. My parents just came back from abroad and want to have dinner with you."
After saying that, he left, not wanting to waste any more time with Shang Lu.
The next evening, five o'clock.
Jiang Yi's car stopped in front of Shang Lu's apartment, but he still couldn't get through to Shang Lu's phone, and no one answered the door.
Jiang Yi didn't know where Shang Lu had gone again, so he decided to wait patiently here like yesterday.
Just at this moment, Jiang Yi's phone rang.
The person calling Jiang Yi was his longtime friend and the only son of the Chi family, top wealthy family in the capital, Chi Yan.
The phone was connected, and the other end asked directly, "There's a new racetrack in Nancheng, want to go and play?"
Jiang Yi was a bit surprised, because apart from the few years in high school when he and Chi Yan were quite close as friends, they hadn't interacted much privately in recent years.
Especially after Chi Yan entered his family's company and took over the business, Jiang Yi rarely heard about him. Chi Yan had quickly become the feared and respected young CEO at the negotiation table, and he was widely recognized as the top talent of their generation. He had created a significant gap between them in a short period of time.
But Jiang Yi didn't think he was inferior to Chi Yan in any way. The difference between them was simply due to their family backgrounds, and he believed that he would catch up with Chi Yan sooner or later.
However, because of his title as Chi Yan's good friend, it had brought convenience to Jiang Yi and his family. So Jiang Yi had always taken the initiative to maintain his relationship with Chi Yan.
When Chi Yan took the initiative to call him to ask him out, Jiang Yi naturally wanted to go, especially since Chi Yan had focused on projects in the entertainment industry this year. Some people who had initially wanted to collaborate with him to please Chi Yan had started to lose faith in him. This was a good opportunity to prove that his relationship with Chi Yan was still as strong as ever and to make those people believe that as long as they pleased Jiang's family, they would have a chance to connect with Chi family.
But he was really busy and couldn't get away, so he had to refuse: "I have something to do today. Let me make arrangements and contact you. I'll invite all the high school friends as well. We haven't had a gathering for a long time."
Chi Yan chuckled lightly, without explicitly agreeing, just saying, "Let's see about that. Oh, and there's something else I wanted to ask you."
"What is it?" Jiang Yi asked.
Chi Yan leisurely asked, "It's about the bag that Shang Lu carried in the travelling photo she posted on her WeChat Moments today. It looks nice. I want to buy one for my mom. Can you ask her where she bought it?"
The air seemed to quiet down in an instant.
Jiang Yi grasped the key point in Chi Yan's words, but it took him a full half minute to digest it before asking, "What did you say? What did she post on her Moments?"
Chi Yan's voice remained casual, "Didn't you see it? She posted it at noon, the one where she's on vacation by the seaside."
"…Show me."
Soon, screenshots of Shang Lu's Moments were sent to Jiang Yi.
The timestamp showed that it was posted three hours ago, and the location was a famous tourist city that would take five hours by high-speed train from the imperial capital.
In the picture, Shang Lu was wearing a light blue spaghetti strap dress, holding a cup of iced drink, and smiling brightly at the camera.
She seemed to be in a good mood.
However, Jiang Yi felt the opposite. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.
He couldn't understand. He just found it absurd.
Despite his clear statement that he would pick up Shang Lu and go home together, she completely ignored his words and went to a place that she wouldn't have time to come back from in time.
Could it be that Shang Lu's words about canceling the engagement yesterday weren't just a momentary impulse?
No, this is absolutely impossible.
This idea was immediately denied by Jiang Yi.
After all, she was Shang Lu.
She was the Shang Lu who had always followed him since childhood, no matter how cold and hurtful he was to her, and had never left him once.
But no matter what Shang Lu was thinking now, the fact was that she was avoiding him.
Jiang Yi opened the car door, took out the cake he had prepared to coax Shang Lu with from the passenger seat, and threw it directly into the roadside garbage bin.
Then he got back in the driver's seat, stepped on the accelerator, and left Shang Lu's apartment.
At this moment, Shang Lu stood by the window, watching Jiang Yi's car leave, and pulled the curtains back.
She sat cross-legged on the sofa and sent a message to Chi Yan.
[Thank you, I'll treat you to a meal when we have the chance.]
The acquaintance between Chi Yan and Shang Lu could be described as a fateful coincidence.
It happened in their first year of high school. At that time, there were rumors spreading about a conflict between senior students and delinquent boys from the neighboring high school over a girl they both liked, and they decided to have a fight to compete for the right to pursue the girl.
Then Shang Lu and Chi Yan arrived at the scene earlier than the others who were about to fight, and they awkwardly ran into each other at the back door of the neighboring high school, both still wearing their school uniforms.
Chi Yan frowned and asked Shang Lu, "What are you doing here?"
Shang Lu honestly replied, "I wanted to watch the excitement and see who the pretty girl is. How about you?"
Cai Yan placed a hand on his forehead and then extended his hand, saying, "… Me too."
Then the two of them high-fived.
But the more awkward part came next.
When they were leaning against the wall, watching the students from the two schools fight, they heard the name of the pretty girl they were fighting for as "Shang Lu," the two fell silent together.
Shang Lu : "…"
Her hand supporting her body against the brick wall trembled slightly.
It turned out that the beauty they were fighting over was herself.
Meanwhile, Chi Yan was laughing so hard that he almost fell off the wall, exposing the fact that they had been eavesdropping.
So, the delinquent boys from both sides unanimously turned their attention to them and started chasing after them.
Chi Yan pulled Shang Lu and they ran through a dozen alleys. Even though they were exhausted, Chi Yan kept teasing, "They really like you, they're all chasing after you, huh?"
Really being chased.
Shang Lu : "…"
—Could you just shut up? 🙂
After finally shaking off those two groups of people, Shang Lu was completely exhausted, her legs trembling even as she walked. It was Chi Yan who reluctantly carried her back home on his back, despite having a disgusted expression on his face.
In fact, at that time, Shang Lu was a bit worried that she would be harassed by those delinquent boys, which would be troublesome.
But for some reason, later on, whenever those delinquent boys who claimed to like her saw her at school, they would intentionally avoid her.
But Shang Lu didn't really care for long, after all, at that time, her heart and eyes were only on Jiang Yi.
Later on, Chi Yan somehow became friends with Jiang Yi as well, and he was the only person in Jiang Yi's circle who treated Shang Lu kindly.
He would speak up to stop Jiang Yi when Jiang Yi said hurtful things to Shang Lu in public, and he would rush over when he saw Shang Lu waiting for Jiang Yi at the school gate in the rain, even though Jiang Yi never showed up. He would scold her for having a problem with her brain while forcefully putting her in the car and sending her home.
So even though Chi Yan was notorious for being a troublemaker since childhood, described as unruly and lawless, Shang Lu knew that he was barely considered a good person.
That's why this time, after much consideration, she turned to Chi Yan for help, at least to keep Jiang Yi away for now.
Sure enough, Chi Yan still had the same attitude of enjoying the show without caring about the consequences, and he easily agreed to help her.
At this moment, Chi Yan sent another voice message.
"The photos you posted are from last year, won't Jiang Yi see through your deception?"
Shang Lu lowered her gaze, then replied with a text.
[He won't remember.]
Looking down from the window, she could tell at a glance that the cake thrown in the trash can was the signature strawberry mousse from a certain shop that was popular online. However, over the years, Jiang Yi had not remembered, or perhaps didn't even know, that strawberries were her least favorite fruit.
Not to mention where she had been, what clothes she had worn, and what photos she had taken, all these trivial matters. If he had cared about her even a little, those photos would have been full of loopholes.
For example, she was on her period now and suffering from menstrual cramps, so she wouldn't have gone to the beach to drink cold beverages.
Or, her shoulder had been injured and left an ugly scar during filming at the beginning of the year, but the girl in the photos had flawless, fair skin.
Thinking about these things, Shang Lu suddenly felt a sense of self-pity, or perhaps she was disgusted with her current self.
She had always claimed not to care, reassuring herself that it was just the influence of the plot in the books. But how could she not have any feelings for someone she had followed for so many years?
Even though she now found Jiang Yi repulsive, she would still occasionally think about the past with Jiang Yi.
When she was seven years old, she accidentally broke her mother's keepsake and was locked in a room full of piled-up miscellaneous items by her father for a whole week.
Except for the maids who would regularly deliver water and food to the door, young Shang Lu had to stay alone in that empty room for the rest of the long and boring time.
According to Father Shang's words, it was meant for her to reflect on herself.
Shang Lu's mother lost her life after giving birth to her, so she was born indebted, and she should understand how to respect her mother and everything her mother left behind.
During that one week, a little boy appeared who would bring her milk and cookies from outside the window every day, chat with her through notes, and even left a doll to accompany her.
He was her first friend in life, and the first person to be kind to her, caring for her and worrying about her every day.
Later, Father Shang finally let her out.
Shang Lu quietly asked the nanny at home, and found out that during that one week, only Young Master Jiang from the Jiang family stayed at the Shang family, studying calligraphy with Father Shang.
But on the day Shang Lu went out, she only caught a glimpse of Jiang Yi's departing figure, and she hugged the doll tightly in her hands.
At that age, how could she possibly understand what it meant to like someone, but since then Shang Lu knew that she wanted to be closer to Jiang Yi.
However, the children of the Shang family were taught at home by private tutors during primary school, so Shang Lu hardly ever saw Jiang Yi.
So when Father Shang asked her years later if she would be willing to marry Jiang Yi when she grew up, she felt like she was dreaming, and happily agreed.
But later on, nothing was going well.
At this moment, Chi Yan's call came through, interrupting the memories that should have been turned over long ago.
Chi Yan's voice sounded lazy. "Miss, I've helped you out, so why don't you tell me what happened? Did Jiang Yi bully you again? Do you want me to teach him a lesson?"
"It's nothing." Shang Lu's voice remained calm. "I'm just planning to cancel the engagement with Jiang Yi."
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, and Chi Yan asked, "Did you cry somewhere again?"
Shang Lu was speechless. "You're overthinking things. Don't bring up old grudges."
"So what did he do this time?"
It wasn't a question, but a tone of certainty.
From Che Yan's perspective, over the years, Jiang Yi had likely done many things to Shang Lu that went too far, but she still liked him so much.
So, what did Jiang Yi do this time that made Shang Lu give up on him completely?
"I just suddenly sobered up, that's all." Shang Lu didn't want to explain too much. If she told Chi Yan that she had discovered she was the malicious supporting female character in a novel, he would probably suggest she see a psychologist.
Then Shang Lu asked, "Why aren't you happy yet? Didn't you used to criticize me for having a problem with my brain because I liked Jiang Yi?"
"I still feel the same way now. Anyway, just remember what you're saying now." Chi Yan's voice had a strange sense of restraint that couldn't be suppressed. He didn't say much more, and only left a sentence of "If things don't go well, you can use me as a shield" before hastily hanging up the phone.
Shang Lu thought that Chi Yan might be a jinx.
Because this matter was really not going well.
Shang Lu had prepared herself for the difficulty of canceling the engagement, but she never expected that her father would return from abroad and specifically ask her to come home for a face-to-face discussion about this matter.
Jiang Yi and his parents had also come, indicating that they had already privately discussed and reached a decision. This was a difficult situation.
Shang Lu washed her face, tied her hair into a ponytail, and put on simple sportswear before returning to the Shang's house.
As Shang Lu entered the house, the butler followed her and whispered, "Master's mood is not good. Miss, please try to endure later, or you'll end up at a disadvantage."
"I know." Shang Lu said, but it was clear that she was just perfunctory.
It has been a whole year since she last saw her father.
However, this time, her father specifically returned to the country for the matter of the engagement, which proves that, as Jiang Yi said, it would be extremely difficult for her to cancel the engagement.
In the living room, everyone was sitting on the sofa, seemingly engaged in conversation.
In his suit, her father, as usual, had a cold expression on his face. He took a sip of tea when he saw Shang Lu walk in. On his left hand side were Jiang's parents and Jiang Yi.
Shang Lu lowered her gaze and greeted, "Father."
After greeting Jiang's parents, she sat on her father's right hand side, directly facing Jiang Yi.
Shang Lu was tired of meaningless polite words, so before Jiang's parents could exchange pleasantries, she played dumb and asked directly, "Since everyone is here, does that mean we can cancel the engagement today?"
Her father's face still showed little emotion, but he glanced at Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi stood up, obviously trying hard to suppress his emotions but still looking displeased, and said, "I'm sorry, Lulu. I know there have been some misunderstandings between us, but for such a big matter as the engagement, I hope you won't make a hasty decision. At least give me a chance to apologize and make amends."
"Oh?" Shang Lu curled her lips, looking innocent as she asked, "So you don't want to cancel the engagement, which means you like me and want to marry me and have children with me, right?"
Jiang Yi was stunned, not expecting that Shang Lu would ask him such a question.
The answer was negative. He had never thought that the person he would spend his life with would be Shang Lu.
But it was precisely because of Jiang Yi's hesitation that the atmosphere at the scene became even more delicate.
"Of course," Jiang Yi's mother, a seemingly gentle woman, quickly stepped in to mediate, saying, "Your engagement has been for so many years, it's indeed time to settle down."
"Is that so? Thank you, Aunt. I am truly happy," Shang Lu smiled as she looked at Jiang Yi's mother, then continued, "But I am curious, if I am Jiang Yi's fiancee, why does the outside world say that I am a third party in his relationship with someone else?"
"Shang Lu!" Jiang Yi stood up directly, his voice warning, "This has nothing to do with her."
Shang Lu also stood up and looked at Jiang Yi, questioning, "But what does your love life have to do with me? You hate me, but you need me and the Shang family, so you shamelessly continue to use me for your own benefit.
"Jiang Yi, you can't take advantage of everything, can you? There are no such good things in this world."