"Fang Jueyu, after our argument that day, I got drunk alone in the school's park. A friend of mine carried me back and took care of me all night. Nothing inappropriate happened between us, but his thoughtful care made me develop feelings for him. Later, he persistently pursued me, and yesterday we got together. So now I have a boyfriend, and you shouldn't come looking for me anymore."
Fang Jueyu read the text message and immediately felt a deep sense of sorrow. He couldn't believe that over such a trivial matter, his girlfriend of two years had seamlessly moved on to a new boyfriend.
"Heh, this is your explanation?" Fang Jueyu sneered coldly. For the first time, he felt like his intelligence had been completely trampled by a woman. Would any sane man believe something like this?
Fang Jueyu and his girlfriend, Jiang Yuan, were both third-year students at Jiangnan University. They had met at a school event, quickly developed feelings for each other, and became an enviable couple.
Not long ago, Jiang Yuan had thrown a huge tantrum because Fang Jueyu failed to get tickets to a concert by Su Lun, a top-tier singer whose shows always sold out within seconds, sometimes even crashing the ticketing system.
Jiang Yuan had always had a bad temper, but Fang Jueyu had constantly indulged her. This time, though, she went too far, and in his frustration, Fang Jueyu decided to take a break and calm down.
The next day, Jiang Yuan sent him a text saying she wanted to break up. Fang Jueyu thought she was just acting out and spent a long time trying to appease her, but he never even got to see her in person.
To his surprise, within a week, he received a message like this.
"Hey, guys, come out and drink with me!" Alcohol might not be good, but it was the best remedy for a troubled mind. Fortunately, over the past two years, Fang Jueyu had made a lot of friends. Even though the holidays were approaching, most of them hadn't gone home yet.
They went to a nearby bar and ordered a ton of drinks. Fueled by the alcohol, Fang Jueyu spilled everything that had been on his mind.
"Fang Jueyu, you're like a magnet for heartless women!" A slightly chubby guy pointed at him—this was Fu Jun, Fang Jueyu's high school and university friend. Fu Jun had witnessed Fang Jueyu's entire relationship history since high school.
Fang Jueyu was of average height, reasonably good-looking, and came from a moderately well-off family. He also played the violin and piano, so by all accounts, he shouldn't have had trouble finding a girlfriend.
But for some reason, he either had poor judgment or an unusual taste in women, as he had never dated a normal girl.
His first crush was in his first year of high school. They dated for only two days before the girl broke up with him, saying she was worried it would affect her studies. Ironically, Fang Jueyu went on to get into a top university in the province, while that girl only got into a third-tier college.
Getting dumped in two days immediately became the biggest joke in Fang Jueyu's life. His desk-mate Jiang Yi mocked him for three years, even leaving him with a parting shot: "Fang Jueyu, don't feel too bad. You'll meet girls who'll dump you in a day or three next."
It was almost like a curse. Jiang Yi's words kept coming true, and the reasons the girls gave for breaking up with him were always ridiculous.
One girl broke up with him the day after agreeing to date him because her ex-boyfriend wanted to get back together. Another dumped him because Fang Jueyu was too nice, making the relationship boring.
Fang Jueyu was utterly bewildered, wondering if he had been some kind of notorious playboy in his previous life, now doomed to suffer all these bizarre women as punishment.
Then he met Jiang Yuan. He thought he had finally found true love. For two years, he treated her with the utmost care and affection, becoming the "ideal boyfriend" in the eyes of her roommates.
But after this incident, Fang Jueyu felt like half of his world had collapsed. He could almost feel the glowing green hat on his head—it wasn't pretty, but it fit just right.
"Jueyu, I think there's something I should tell you." After hesitating for a long time, his roommate Ding Minghui finally decided to speak up.
"Go ahead. Things have gotten to this point; there's nothing you can't say." Fang Jueyu replied as he chugged half a bottle of beer.
"The guy who's with Jiang Yuan—I've heard of him. His name is Wang Xuan, and he's a well-known rich kid at our school. His dad is an executive at DaoGu Ticketing," Ding Minghui said. "Two weeks ago, I saw him having dinner with Jiang Yuan, but I wasn't sure, so I didn't tell you."
"DaoGu Ticketing?" Fang Jueyu suddenly felt like everything clicked into place. "Hahaha, I get it now. So that's how it is."
DaoGu Ticketing was the largest ticketing platform in the country, handling sales for over 80% of all events. As the son of a senior executive, it would have been incredibly easy for Wang Xuto get tickets to Su Lun's concert.
Whether Jiang Yuan did it for the tickets or to hook up with a wealthy guy, Fang Jueyu no longer had the desire to find out.
"Jueyu, don't be too upset about a girl like that. With your qualities, finding a good girl should be easy," his friend Cheng Kai chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. He grinned mischievously. "I hear there are plenty of beauties still single on the school's top ten list. Want me to introduce you? I've got insider info!"
...
After drinking until midnight, Fang Jueyu staggered back to his dorm and collapsed into bed, hoping that sleep would wash away all his troubles.
The next morning, the sound of his phone ringing woke him up. Groggily, he answered it without opening his eyes. "Hello? Who is this?"
"I'm your mother!" came the voice of Fang Jueyu's mom on the other end. "You little rascal, when are you coming home? The kid from next door, who's studying in Beijing, is already back. You're not even that far from home, and you don't want to come back?"
"I'll come back, I'll come back this afternoon!" Fang Jueyu muttered, picturing his mother Cao Lan's beautiful face—a face that looked far younger than her actual age. It wasn't just because she was his mother; Cao Lan's beauty was genuinely beyond description.
However, her fiery temper didn't match her perfect appearance at all.
Not only that, but Fang Jueyu's father, Fang Huai, also had the face of a young man in his twenties. From as far back as Fang Jueyu could remember, time seemed to have left no trace on his parents' faces. What was even stranger was that his parents never used any skincare products. The only things on Cao Lan's vanity table were a few lipsticks.
"Alright, come back soon. Your father and I have something to discuss with you tonight!" With that, Cao Lan hung up.