At this moment, the world was silent.
Guan Qingtong's fingers turned white as she gripped the business card, her ears catching the faint, deepening sound of the elegant woman's breathing beside her. The tension in the air made her inexplicably nervous.
Had she said too much about not knowing anything?
Was the sister starting to have second thoughts?
"Sister, I can learn any job. I promise I'll never disobey you," Guan Qingtong quickly reassured her. "As long as you help me save my mother, I don't mind a lower salary, and I'm willing to endure any hardship..."
Su Yirao remained silent for a moment, her gaze lingering on the tightly held business card. Eventually, she sighed softly in her heart, feeling a twinge of sympathy.
"Sister, give me your bank account number."
Guan Qingtong's eyes lit up like stars.
"Sister, you're so kind!"
I'm such a fool…
Su Yirao's red lips pressed together as she silently added the thought.
"Sister, here's my bank account."
The moonlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, reflecting the brightness in Guan Qingtong's eyes.
Su Yirao took the bank card and, without hesitation, began the transfer.
Her generosity left Guan Qingtong hesitating before she spoke, "Sister, I'm not in a hurry. I can wait until we sign the contract tomorrow to receive the advance…"
Su Yirao said nothing, quickly pressing the confirmation button.
She just wanted to leave as soon as possible and avoid further entanglements with the female lead.
It didn't matter if she couldn't retrieve the business card. She could just stop using the number on it.
"Ding!"
The bank sent a notification of the deposit.
Guan Qingtong, who had never seen so many zeros in her account, counted the digits in disbelief several times.
"Sister, you transferred the money so easily—aren't you afraid I might run off with it?"
Su Yirao responded with a playful, half-smile, "Did you forget? The transfer can be revoked within 24 hours. If you don't contact me tomorrow, I'll just cancel it."
"Oh, right." Guan Qingtong nodded eagerly, her voice filled with gratitude. "Don't worry, Sister! I'll contact you first thing tomorrow and start working as soon as possible!"
Su Yirao smiled warmly, though she added silently: I hope we never meet again!
"Okay, see you tomorrow, then! Take care getting home, and good night!"
After they parted ways, Su Yirao's bright smile gradually faded into a wry one.
As her mood settled, she walked briskly home.
Once she arrived, she wasted no time searching through her belongings for a spare phone card she had put away recently. She then began the process of switching all her apps to the new number.
Next, she contacted her mobile carrier's customer service to suspend her primary number and scheduled an appointment to cancel it the following day.
Even after taking all these steps, Su Yirao didn't feel completely at ease.
She was done with the female lead, but what about the male lead, Yu Xingye? She couldn't sever ties with him completely yet.
It seemed that the task of breaking off the engagement, which was initially led by the male lead in the original story, would now have to be handled by her.
...
Morning light bathed the world in its warmth, and the once-silent surroundings began to stir with life.
Guan Qingtong had spent the night slumped over the hospital bed, yet she woke up feeling refreshed.
Stretching her arms, she tenderly adjusted the blanket around her sleeping mother.
Despite her morning routine, her attention remained fixed on the clock, eagerly counting down the minutes until nine o'clock.
Soon, the hour arrived as expected.
She set aside the now watery bowl of congee, picked up her phone, and nervously but excitedly dialed the number from the business card.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable."
Unavailable?
Guan Qingtong's smile froze as she tried calling again and again, but the same cold voice greeted her each time.
After a moment's hesitation, she added a hundred yuan of credit to Su Yirao's phone account.
Yet, the number remained unreachable.
Guan Qingtong didn't want to overthink it, but a sense of unease began to creep in.
How could someone as kind-hearted as that sister, who had fearlessly stepped in to help, be deceitful?
And there was no reason for her to be deceived!
Guan Qingtong quickly checked her bank balance and was relieved to see the transfer hadn't been revoked.
By the afternoon, Guan Qingtong checked her account balance again, realizing something was off.
The 24-hour revocation window should mean the transfer wouldn't be finalized until then.
But she had already received the full amount the day before!
Did the sister make a mistake?
Unable to figure it out, Guan Qingtong dialed the number on the business card again, anxiety creeping in.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service."
No longer in service? Disconnected?
She was the one who owed money—why would the sister's number be disconnected?
Could something have happened?
Guan Qingtong stared at the address on the business card for a long time, unable to shake her concern.
Finally, she bit her lip, left the bank account untouched, and hurried to the address on the card after informing her mother.
...
Su Yirao was nothing if not efficient.
Having decided the night before to take charge of the breakup, she had already booked a hotel to announce it.
After finalizing the evening's menu with the hotel's lobby manager, she sat in the lounge and began notifying friends and family through WeChat.
Some of them, unable to reach her by phone, called via WeChat, concerned about her well-being.
She offered them a simple explanation: I want a fresh start.
A few astute relatives sensed something unusual in her invitation and discreetly reached out to her parents for clarification.
While Su Yirao's father was clueless, her mother, knowing her daughter well, reassured everyone and invited them to the hotel that evening.
She also gave her husband a heads-up.
...
In the monochrome minimalist office, despite the bright windows, there was still an air of oppression.
"Mr. Yu, there's a young woman urgently looking for Miss Su."
Yu Xingye set down the documents in his hand, his gaze falling on the empty corner of his desk.
Usually, there would be a cup of his favorite iced Americano there.
Ever since Su Yirao had wormed her way into the company, that cup of coffee had appeared without fail. Today, however, it was conspicuously absent.
He looked up, his tone indifferent as he asked, "Didn't Su Yirao come to work today?"
"No, she didn't."
"Why is this young woman looking for her?"
"She said she couldn't reach her by phone and was worried something might have happened," the secretary suggested cautiously. "I tried calling Miss Su myself, but I couldn't get through. Do you have another way to contact her?"
Without replying, Yu Xingye dialed Su Yirao's number.
Hearing the automated message that the number was no longer in service, his brows furrowed slightly. He scrolled through his contacts and found another number for Su Yirao.
Just as he was about to dial, a WeChat voice call request popped up on his screen from Su Yirao.
For the first time, her voice sounded calm as it came through his phone.
"Yu Xingye, tonight at 8 PM, at the X Hotel…"
"Is something wrong?" he asked hesitantly.
Since yesterday, Su Yirao's attitude had been drastically different from usual. Combined with the young woman's concern, it prompted him to ask.
Hearing his uncharacteristic question, Su Yirao paused momentarily.
Then she smiled and replied, "What could be wrong? Just get ready—tonight, I'll grant your wish. We're breaking off the engagement and will have nothing to do with each other from now on."
Before he could process her words, she ended the call.
Yu Xingye stared at the WeChat screen for a moment before slowly typing a message.
Yu Xingye: What happened?
As soon as he sent the message, a red exclamation mark appeared.
His brows furrowed deeper as he pulled up her contacts and tried both of her numbers again.
Neither worked.
Immediately, he looked up at the secretary, who was still waiting for instructions.
"Take me to the young woman who's looking for Su Yirao."
...
On the third floor of X Hotel, the soft music and clinking of glasses filled the air.
Su Yirao, dressed in a form-fitting gown, smiled as she bid farewell to yet another relative who had come to chat with her.
When the crowd finally thinned out, she glanced at her watch once more.
8:10 PM.
Yu Xingye was late.
Quickly, she walked over to her friend Zhou Huiying.
"Can you call Yu Xingye and ask him where he is?" Su Yirao had blocked all of Yu Xingye's contact information and didn't want to reach out to him unless absolutely necessary.
"Sure…"
Before Zhou Huiying could finish her sentence, voices began greeting Mr. Yu from all around.
Su Yirao turned her attention to the source of the commotion.
Yu Xingye, dressed in a sharp suit, walked in with a distant expression, his gaze tinged with disdain as he looked at the people around him.
As their eyes met, Zhou Huiying tugged on Su Yirao's arm, whispering, "Are you sure about this? You used to say you wouldn't marry anyone but him."
Hearing that, Su Yirao's lips twitched slightly, cringing at her past naivety.
Coming back to her senses, she said, "Some things you only realize are wrong after you've experienced them. I liked him, so I know it was a mistake."
Yeah, having seen how the story played out, it's as if I've already lived through it.
"It's good that you've realized it in time," Zhou Huiying said, hesitating before adding, "But making such a big scene by breaking off the engagement—won't it embarrass the Yu family…"
In the original story, when Yu Xingye called off the engagement, he did so in a very public manner, without even informing her.
Did he consider the Su family's reputation back then?
This time, she was the one eager to break off the engagement, but at least she had given him advance notice, allowing him time to prepare. That was more than enough.
Su Yirao's tone was calm as she replied, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"If I say no to breaking off the engagement, what then?"
A deep voice interrupted her thoughts, carrying a certain pressure due to the proximity.
There was no doubt—it was Yu Xingye who had spoken.
Su Yirao frowned slightly and shifted her foot to put some distance between them.
That's when she noticed the young woman standing beside Yu Xingye.
"Sister Su, I'm so glad you're okay!" The young woman's eyes were bright with sincerity.
Guan Qingtong!
Why was the female lead here too?
Without the original plot's dramatic first meeting, how had they met in just one day? What had brought them together?
Recalling her own inexplicable moments of stupidity in the original story, Su Yirao's heart raced, and her toes curled up again.