The charity gala was in full swing when Qin Lan arrived. The grand ballroom was bathed in golden light, chandeliers sparkling overhead, and the soft hum of conversation filled the air. Waiters moved gracefully between guests, offering champagne on silver trays, while a live orchestra played softly in the background. It was a scene of wealth and luxury, the kind of event that Qin Lan had become accustomed to attending since her marriage to Lu Yan.
But tonight, the opulence felt hollow.
As she stepped into the ballroom, eyes turned toward her—some in admiration, others in curiosity. She could feel the weight of their gazes, the silent questions about her husband's absence hanging in the air. Qin Lan lifted her chin, refusing to let the whispers affect her. She had learned long ago how to navigate these circles with grace, even when she felt like an outsider.
A familiar voice called out from behind her. "Qin Lan! Over here!"
She turned to see Xia Li, one of her few genuine friends in the upper social circles, waving at her from a nearby table. Xia Li was all smiles, her fiery red dress a stark contrast to Qin Lan's more subdued emerald gown.
"Where's Lu Yan?" Xia Li asked, looking around as Qin Lan approached.
"He couldn't make it," Qin Lan replied smoothly, the practiced lie slipping easily from her lips. "Something came up at work."
Xia Li's expression faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered, nodding in understanding. "Work, of course. You know how these business types are. Always chasing the next deal."
Qin Lan forced a smile. "Yes, exactly."
But the truth was, she had no idea where Lu Yan was. He hadn't called or messaged since the day they had spoken in his office. She had stopped expecting explanations from him, knowing that his thoughts were elsewhere—always elsewhere.
Xia Li gestured toward a glass of champagne. "Well, we'll just have to make the most of the night without the men, won't we?"
Qin Lan accepted the glass, grateful for the distraction. As they chatted, she let herself fall into the rhythm of polite conversation, but her mind kept drifting to the phone messages from the mysterious sender. The words haunted her—"He won't show. You know that, right?"—and she couldn't shake the feeling that someone at this very event was watching her, knowing more about her life than she did.
She scanned the room, searching for familiar faces, when her eyes landed on a figure standing near the entrance.
Lu Yan.
Her heart skipped a beat. There he was, impeccably dressed in a black tuxedo, his expression as unreadable as ever. For a brief moment, relief washed over her—he had come. But that relief quickly turned to confusion when she realized he wasn't alone.
Standing beside him, her hand casually resting on his arm, was Ji Yi.
The room seemed to spin around Qin Lan. Ji Yi. The woman whose name had been whispered in her marriage like a ghost. The woman who had left but never really left. The woman who had been the center of Lu Yan's world.
Qin Lan's chest tightened as she watched them together. Ji Yi was beautiful, effortlessly so. Her long black hair cascaded down her back in loose waves, and her dress—an elegant ivory gown that clung to her slender frame—made her look like something out of a dream. She was everything Qin Lan wasn't. Everything Lu Yan had wanted.
For a moment, Qin Lan felt rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to breathe. She had always known that Ji Yi was a part of Lu Yan's past, but seeing them together now—seeing how natural they looked side by side—made it painfully clear that Ji Yi wasn't just a memory. She was real, and she was back.
Xia Li's voice broke through her daze. "Isn't that… Ji Yi? I thought she left the country years ago."
Qin Lan swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "Yes… it's her."
Xia Li glanced between Qin Lan and Lu Yan, her brow furrowing in concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Qin Lan lied, though every part of her wanted to flee the ballroom, to escape the suffocating weight of the past that had suddenly come crashing into her present.
Before she could make a decision, Lu Yan's gaze found hers across the room. For a split second, their eyes locked, and Qin Lan saw something flicker in his expression—surprise, maybe even guilt. But whatever it was, it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared.
Without breaking eye contact, Lu Yan gently removed Ji Yi's hand from his arm and began walking toward Qin Lan.
Her heart pounded in her chest as he approached, every step feeling like a countdown to something inevitable. She had no idea what to say to him, no idea how to even begin to process what she was feeling. All she knew was that this moment—the moment she had dreaded for so long—was finally here.
"Qin Lan," Lu Yan greeted her, his voice cool and composed, as if this were just another business interaction. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
Qin Lan forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace. "I could say the same."
He glanced briefly toward Ji Yi, who remained by the entrance, watching them with an unreadable expression. "Ji Yi returned unexpectedly," he explained, though there was no apology in his tone, no acknowledgment of how devastating this reunion must have been for her.
Qin Lan nodded, her throat tight. "I see."
For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence between them, the weight of everything unspoken pressing down on her. She wanted to ask him why Ji Yi was here, why he had brought her to this event, why he hadn't warned her. But the words wouldn't come.
Instead, Lu Yan spoke first. "You look beautiful tonight."
The compliment caught her off guard. It was the first kind thing he had said to her in what felt like months, but it only made her feel worse. It felt hollow, meaningless in the face of everything that had just happened.
"Thank you," she managed to reply, though the words felt like ash in her mouth.
Lu Yan's gaze softened, just for a moment, and she thought she saw a flicker of something—regret, perhaps—but it was gone before she could be sure.
"I have to attend to some business," he said, his voice returning to its usual cool tone. "But I'll see you later."
Qin Lan nodded, her heart heavy as she watched him walk away, back toward Ji Yi. The two of them exchanged a few quiet words before disappearing into the crowd, leaving Qin Lan standing there, alone once more.
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Later that evening, as the gala began to wind down, Qin Lan found herself wandering through the garden outside the ballroom, seeking solace in the cool night air. She had managed to get through the rest of the evening without falling apart, but the image of Lu Yan and Ji Yi together was seared into her mind.
She had known, deep down, that Ji Yi would always be a part of Lu Yan's heart. But seeing them together, seeing how easily they fell back into step with one another—it was a pain she hadn't been prepared for.
Her phone buzzed in her clutch, pulling her from her thoughts. She pulled it out, expecting another cryptic message, but instead, it was a message from Li Ming.
"I heard about what happened tonight. If you need an ally, you know where to find me."
Qin Lan stared at the message, her mind spinning. Li Ming's offer from the previous meeting suddenly felt much more tempting. An ally. That's what she needed. Someone who would be on her side, who wouldn't leave her in the shadows.
But could she trust him? Could she trust anyone?
She slipped her phone back into her clutch, her decision still unclear. One thing, however, was certain: she could no longer rely on Lu Yan. He had made his choice, and now it was time for her to make hers.
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End of Chapter 7
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