It just rained, and the temperature finally dropped to a pleasant coolness.
That night, at the Bulgari Hotel.
The 13th-floor banquet hall was filled with elegantly dressed guests, the air carrying a sweet and intoxicating fragrance.
Pink and white flowers and balloons decorated the space like a dream straight out of a fairytale.
In the corner, a violinist played gracefully, while a waiter in a tailcoat slowly wheeled in a swan-shaped cake.
Every detail at the scene showcased that this was the birthday banquet of a prestigious young lady from a wealthy family in B City—someone born with a diamond spoon in her mouth, whose biggest worry in life was probably how to enjoy it to the fullest.
Guests continuously arrived, guided by waiters to offer their birthday wishes to the star of the evening.
The young lady of the Gao family, the birthday girl, stood gracefully among a group of her close friends, elegantly responding to the greetings.
She smiled and politely thanked each guest for their well-mannered and refined wishes.
Everything was smooth and effortless until she noticed a particular figure approaching her.
For a brief moment, the sweet smile on Miss Gao’s face seemed to stiffen slightly.
Her friends beside her also faltered in their expressions.
They stood together, and as they faced the approaching figure, someone’s brows instinctively furrowed.
Their gazes swept over her from head to toe, carrying an innate arrogance that came with their social status.
The girl approaching them wore a ladylike pink knee-length dress, carried a white seashell clutch, and had a pearl necklace—the kind favored by older relatives.
Her long hair was half-pinned back with a delicate hair clip, exuding a gentle elegance.
Even her white Mary Jane heels were chosen for comfort and stability rather than extravagance.
Individually, each piece was high quality and undeniably expensive.
But when put together on one person, appearing in the midst of this high-end, elite social gathering, it immediately brought to mind a term often seen online—“exquisitely tacky.”
A carefully curated look, where every detail was meticulously polished, yet still completely out of place in this setting, unable to hide an underlying sense of unsophisticated taste.
Si Nian walked up to Gao Xinyu, holding her seashell clutch.
She pretended not to notice the ambiguous glances directed her way.
Taking a glass of white champagne from a passing waiter, she smiled sweetly and sincerely as she offered her birthday wishes to the host of the evening.
Gao Xinyu was momentarily dazed until one of her friends subtly nudged her back to reality.
She quickly regained her polished smile, reaching for Si Nian’s hand with a warmth that suggested they were the closest of friends.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, she even suggested they go shopping together next time.
Then, she watched as Si Nian walked away towards the guest area.
Only then did the stiffness in Gao Xinyu’s smile finally fade.
Her friends swirled their wine glasses, their gazes lingering on Si Nian’s retreating figure—so perfectly mismatched with their world—before finally voicing the question that had been simmering in their minds.
“Xinyu, why did you even invite her to your birthday?”
Gao Xinyu withdrew her gaze and let out a small sigh.
“My parents insisted.”
“They said, after all, she’s Lu Shuyan’s publicly acknowledged girlfriend.
No matter what, they’ve been together for years now, and if she really does become Mrs. Lu in the future, we should start building a connection now.”
“Oh, come on, as if that would ever happen.”
“Your parents are overthinking this.”
“Si Nian was already ridiculously lucky to have caught Lu Shuyan’s attention in college.
Does she really think she’ll become his legitimate wife?”
“I wouldn’t even wear a dress that tacky when I was in elementary school.”
“That necklace? My mom would call it outdated.
Does she think dressing like a socialite makes her a real one?
As if someone like her could ever become Mrs. Lu.”
“Exactly! Even if she’s his public girlfriend, so what?
I heard Lu Shuyan has never taken her to the Lu family home.
Clearly, he has no intention of taking things further.
And the Lu family elders would never approve of her.”
“She just got lucky meeting Lu Shuyan in college—nothing impressive about that.”
The words “Mrs. Lu” seemed to trigger an unspoken irritation among the group.
Surrounded by the soft melody of the violin, they continued their hushed but cutting commentary.
Once again, all eyes landed on the lone girl in her pink, ladylike ensemble—an attempt at elegance that completely missed the mark in this elite gathering.
Their thoughts drifted back to five years ago, when B City’s high society was shocked by the news—
The prestigious Lu family’s young master, Lu Shuyan, had been “snatched up” by a completely unknown female classmate during his exchange studies in China.
The socialites, known for their impeccable expressions, struggled to maintain their composure.
In the end, they could only comfort themselves with the same thought:
A girl from an ordinary family could never truly belong in their world.
They would break up eventually.
The birthday banquet lasted until nearly 9 PM.
Those closest to Gao Xinyu moved on to an exclusive all-night party, while most other guests took their leave.
A Rolls-Royce, its starlit ceiling glowing softly, awaited outside.
Si Nian was not among those heading to the after-party.
Finally free from the event, she slumped into the back seat, tossing aside her clutch.
The driver in the front seat asked quietly, “Shall I take you back to Mingjing Mansion?”
Si Nian responded with a soft “Mm.”
She took out her phone, intending to scroll through social media to relax.
But as soon as she opened her feed, she saw a post from Gao Xinyu—
A nine-picture collage of her lavish birthday party, posted just ten minutes ago, captioned:
“I don’t need a lot of money. I just want a lot of love.”
Si Nian’s lips, which had been slightly curved upward, instantly froze.
Her momentary good mood evaporated.
The car drove steadily through the city streets.
The main roads were smooth and open, streetlights flashing by in rhythmic succession.
Above, a bright full moon hung in the sky, with the city’s radio station announcing that it was the largest full moon in half a year.
Si Nian gripped her phone, leaning back in her seat, but she didn’t look at the moon outside.
She never liked attending these high-society gatherings.
She never liked pretending to fit in, smiling as “Lu Shuyan’s girlfriend” while enduring hours of polite conversations.
She was exhausted inside and out.
Finally, she had hoped to relax in the car, but the moment she closed her eyes, Gao Xinyu’s post—
“I don’t need a lot of money. I just want a lot of love.”
kept looping in her mind like a curse.
Annoyance surged in her chest.
She had mentally cursed Gao Xinyu at least a dozen times, wishing she could grab her precious hair and say
“If you don’t need a lot of money, then give it to me!
I don’t need a lot of love, I just need a lot of money.”
Frustrated, she sat up and mindlessly tapped at her phone.
Her gaze finally landed on a small app in the corner
A daily countdown journal titled “Days Matter.”
She opened it, revealing only one entry:
“Waiting for Lu Shuyan’s breakup compensation, Day N.”
Si Nian stared at the screen.
She still remembered how excited she had been when she first created this journal.
Back then, she had just started dating Lu Shuyan.
Rumors in high society said that although he changed girlfriends frequently, he was generous.
Every ex-girlfriend received a hefty breakup payout.
His last girlfriend had only dated him for three months and left with an eight-figure check.
Eight figures.
For some, it was just pocket change.
But for most, it was a fortune they could never earn in a lifetime.
She had finally become one of those lucky girls who could stay by his side for a while and walk away with a hefty sum.
She had once dreamed of the moment she’d receive that check.
But as the countdown went from 1 to 10, from 10 to 100, and kept growing, she watched the number climb higher and higher
Until today.
The journal displayed:
“Today is Day 1712 of waiting for Lu Shuyan’s breakup compensation.”
Si Nian remained motionless, staring at the overwhelmingly large number that had almost become despair-inducing.
If the first day had been sheer joy, like winning the lottery…
If the 180th day had been a calm anticipation of cashing in a ticket that was already hers…
If the 365th day had been a self-assured acceptance after mild frustration over the long wait…
If the 730th day had been the stubborn determination to endure through the darkness…
Then the 1712th day…
On the open nighttime road, the Rolls-Royce driver, who had been silently focused on driving, suddenly heard two loud thumps from the backseat.
He immediately glanced at the rearview mirror and saw his boss’s girlfriend sitting in the back in a rather ungraceful posture, her chest rising and falling in irritation.
A strand of hair had stuck to her pale cheek, which she impatiently tucked behind her ear.
Si Nian’s knuckles still throbbed from pounding the seat.
Noticing the driver’s gaze, she quickly adjusted her posture and sat upright, as if nothing had happened.
Their eyes briefly met in the rearview mirror.
The driver, catching Si Nian’s composed expression, quickly looked away and continued driving.
Si Nian knew exactly what he must be thinking.
Probably wondering why she had become so irritable lately—when she was with Lu Shuyan, she was always gentle and obedient, yet the moment she was alone, she started acting in all sorts of strange, inexplicable ways.
As if she were slowly losing her mind.
And maybe she was.
Si Nian slumped into the seat, exhausted.
If the breakup payment was the salary, then from the moment she schemed her way into Lu Shuyan’s life for money and successfully secured the title of his girlfriend, being with him was essentially like having a job.
She had assumed it was just a temporary gig—get in, get paid, and get out.
But somehow, after getting “hired,” the work period kept extending indefinitely.
She couldn’t clock out.
Day after day, she remained stuck in this endless shift.
Even regular jobs offered at least a weekly day off, but she, as Lu Shuyan’s girlfriend, had now been “working” continuously for 1,712 days.
Long enough to have a child and raise them to the age of running errands.
And yet, she hadn’t seen a single cent of that breakup payment.
Si Nian tilted her head back and let out a hopeless chuckle.
The Rolls-Royce finally pulled into the underground parking lot of Mingjing Mansion.
The driver quickly got out and opened the backseat door.
Si Nian dragged her heavy legs out of the car, waved him off for the night, then stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the 19th floor.
The elevator silently ascended.
Si Nian stared at her reflection in the mirror.
An outdated, unfashionable evening dress.
A pearl necklace straight out of her grandmother’s collection.
A ladylike hairstyle from another era.
Every detail of her appearance screamed of someone desperately trying to fit into high society—yet failing due to an inherent lack of taste and refinement.
The perfect target for Gao Xinyu and her socialite friends to mock behind her back.
Si Nian thought of how Gao Xinyu and her friends had acted tonight—polite on the surface, but with obvious disdain lurking beneath.
She wasn’t angry.
After all, her role had always been that of the obedient, unsophisticated girlfriend from a lower-class background who had never seen the world.
That was exactly the impression she wanted to maintain.
Still, she looked away from the mirror, slowly pulled out her phone from her purse, and, after hesitating for a moment, forced herself to like Gao Xinyu’s recent post:
“I don’t need a lot of money.
I just want a lot of love.”
After hitting like, she returned to her chat window and noticed a few unread messages.
Fifteen minutes ago, from Lu Shuyan’s assistant, Zhao Chao.
Lu Shuyan had been away on a business trip recently.
And now, Zhao Chao had sent her a polite and professional message informing her that Lu Shuyan’s itinerary had changed—he had cut his trip short and would be arriving back in the country tonight.
Most likely, he would land at 1 a.m. and head straight to Mingjing Mansion.
The elevator chimed as it reached her floor.
But Si Nian remained frozen inside, not stepping out.
Lu Shuyan, returning early, tonight, at Mingjing Mansion.
She stared at the message, processing the key details, as if refusing to believe it.
She read Zhao Chao’s text over and over again.
And when she finally accepted that it was an undeniable fact, it felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her.
Her already fragile mental state completely collapsed.
She braced herself against the elevator wall, staring into the cold, empty silence around her.
Tonight, not only was she unable to clock out,
She might even have to fulfill her “bedtime duties.”