That was an antique Ru-ware teacup he had treasured!
Elio’s Notes: Ru ware is an exceptionally prized Chinese celadon tradition associated with the Northern Song dynasty and is famous for its rarity. Lu Jin Wen’s horror here is therefore about much more than an ordinary broken teacup.
Lu Jin Wen, who had been sitting nearby watching the excitement unfold, looked heartbroken. He was just about to angrily berate Jiang Shao when he saw Jiang Shao’s expression change drastically as he shot to his feet in disbelief.
Lu Jin Wen: “?”
Did the sky actually fall?
What else could possibly make Jiang Shao lose his composure this badly?
Lu Jin Wen no longer even had the energy to mourn his teacup. He quietly set down his phone and pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on the call.
Jiang Shao’s voice was bone-chillingly cold, every word squeezed through his teeth. “What. Did. You. Say?”
Yu Yue Ning thought Jiang Shao’s voice sounded a little strange, but did not think much of it. Assuming Jiang Shao genuinely had not heard him clearly, he loudly repeated himself. “I said Qi Mu’s white moonlight is back!”
Jiang Shao gripped his phone so tightly it creaked. His chest rose and fell heavily, and he barely managed to preserve a shred of composure as he said, “Didn’t you tell me he doesn’t date? That all he cares about is work?”
Yu Yue Ning replied, “I never said he’s never dated anyone. I only said he doesn’t date now. Vanessa was Qi Mu’s first love! She’s the only girlfriend he ever had, back when he was at university. They didn’t date for very long, though. Vanessa dumped him and went abroad, so I suspect he never got over his first love and that’s why he refused to date anyone afterward!”
Jiang Shao felt as though the cold tea he had drunk moments ago had possessed considerable delayed strength.
Only now did he feel its chill flowing straight through his chest.
Still, he immediately caught the most important point.
Jiang Shao’s voice turned deep and cold. “You suspect?”
So this was only Yu Yue Ning’s guess, wasn’t it? Could anything this idiot said actually be trusted?
Yu Yue Ning immediately became annoyed. “Are you questioning my judgment? Everyone knew Qi Mu liked Vanessa! Besides, you’ve never met Vanessa. Vanessa was universally acknowledged as a goddess! If a gorgeous woman like that dumped me, I’d never get over her either!”
A vein jumped at Jiang Shao’s temple.
His phone was nearly crushed in his hand, and his eyes were as cold as polar ice. Yet his voice regained its calm as he slowly said, “Oh? Then tell me about her in detail.”
…
At the same time—
Qi Mu, who was resting at home for the weekend, received a phone call from Xu Wei Ran.
Vanessa was Xu Wei Ran’s English name.
Qi Mu answered with a smile. “What made you think of calling me?”
Xu Wei Ran laughed. “I’m back in the country.”
Qi Mu asked, “When did you get back?”
Xu Wei Ran complained playfully, “You really don’t care about me at all. I’ve already been back for several days.”
Qi Mu paid no attention to her tone. They had known each other for many years, after all, and this was simply how Xu Wei Ran spoke. She had always been extraordinarily familiar with people. Even if Qi Mu had only met her today, he had no doubt she would still tease him this way.
Sure enough, Xu Wei Ran quickly changed the subject. “I came back to hold an art exhibition. You’d better come show your support.”
Qi Mu cautiously asked, “When?”
Xu Wei Ran replied, “Tomorrow. Sunday. Don’t tell me you’re working overtime again.”
Qi Mu smiled. “I’m not. I’ll be there.”
He happened to have nothing scheduled tomorrow.
If he had needed to work overtime, he simply would not have gone.
Xu Wei Ran gave a satisfied little snort. “I’ll send you the invitation.”
Qi Mu ended the call.
A moment later, he received the electronic invitation to the exhibition.
Qi Mu looked at the name printed on it.
And calmly remembered the past.
He and Xu Wei Ran really had dated briefly once.
Back then, they attended the same university. They had been regarded as the campus heartthrob and campus belle, and because they were both attractive and came from well-matched family backgrounds, plenty of people shipped them as a couple.
Everyone seemed convinced that they would end up together, and so one day, the two of them seemed simply to go along with the flow and became boyfriend and girlfriend.
Qi Mu could no longer remember exactly how the relationship had started. It had left very little impression on him. All he remembered was that their time together had been calm and ordinary, much like any other campus couple. Apart from occasionally having someone beside him when he ate or studied, his life had hardly changed.
But less than a month later—
Xu Wei Ran suggested they break up.
The day she broke up with him, Qi Mu happened to be studying. He walked out of the library, received the news, and discovered that he did not feel sad or upset at all.
Instead… he almost felt relieved.
Only then did Qi Mu realize that he probably had never liked Xu Wei Ran romantically. He should not have drifted into a relationship with her merely because everyone around them thought they were a good match. Now that Xu Wei Ran had taken the initiative to end things, that presumably meant she had realized they were unsuitable as well.
It had been an exceptionally civilized and peaceful breakup.
Qi Mu nodded to show that he understood, then went straight back into the library to continue studying.
Not long afterward, Xu Wei Ran went abroad.
So although the two had briefly dated, they had always gotten along more like friends. Nothing unpleasant had ever happened between them from beginning to end. Besides, everyone belonged to the same social circle, so they had never cut contact after breaking up.
Today, they were actually quite good friends.
And since they were friends, Xu Wei Ran had returned to the country to hold an exhibition, so naturally Qi Mu ought to go show his support.
…
The next day, Qi Mu left home on time.
The exhibition was being held at a newly built art museum in the city. The surrounding area contained many cultural and creative shops and frequently hosted events and art exhibitions, making it a popular gathering place for the city’s artsy young crowd.
Qi Mu arrived neither especially early nor late. After showing his invitation at the entrance, he walked into the museum.
The building was predominantly white, its interior winding like a cavern with paintings hanging along the walls. Qi Mu walked slowly as he looked around. He only knew that Xu Wei Ran had gone abroad to study art and had later heard in passing that she was doing quite well overseas and had become a moderately well-known artist.
Qi Mu was hardly the artistic type, but the beauty of the paintings drew him in. Walking among them felt like entering some hazy dreamscape, and before long, he became engrossed.
There were quite a few people inside the exhibition.
Besides ordinary visitors who had bought tickets, Qi Mu ran into many familiar faces Xu Wei Ran had invited.
Occasionally, he stopped to exchange greetings.
He continued strolling leisurely, stopping and starting along the way. After climbing several steps and turning through several bends, he reached a broader platform and finally saw Xu Wei Ran.
Xu Wei Ran wore a black-and-white cocktail dress that day. The couture design was simple without sacrificing elegance, outlining her tall, graceful figure, and was clearly the work of a major luxury designer. Her naturally wavy chestnut hair fell down her back, while even her understated makeup could not diminish her striking features.
Several men surrounded her, all apparently talented young elites, speaking to her attentively. Xu Wei Ran remained composed and handled them effortlessly.
Their gazes happened to meet.
Qi Mu stopped and gave Xu Wei Ran a polite smile. Seeing that she had people around her, he had no intention of approaching.
Xu Wei Ran’s eyes, however, immediately brightened when she saw him.
The men beside her were reasonably handsome themselves, but next to Qi Mu they still fell somewhat short, the comparison immediately making the difference obvious.
For once, Xu Wei Ran found herself remembering their university days.
Back then, Qi Mu had been universally acknowledged as the school’s heartthrob. It was not merely because he was handsome. He also carried a clean, refreshing air, and there had been countless girls who liked him.
Qi Mu, however, had probably never noticed because all he cared about was studying.
A lot of people had shipped the two of them back then. Xu Wei Ran remembered that during an off-campus activity, everyone had played Truth or Dare. When it came to Xu Wei Ran and Qi Mu’s turn, their classmates began egging them on to hold hands. Qi Mu had been so shy and embarrassed that Xu Wei Ran eventually took the initiative and held his hand herself.
After that incident, becoming boyfriend and girlfriend somehow seemed like the natural next step.
Of course, Xu Wei Ran had allowed things to progress that way herself. She was perfectly satisfied with Qi Mu’s looks, and as a boyfriend he was practically impossible to criticize. Qi Mu would save her a seat at the library and ask her out to eat or watch movies. If she absolutely had to name something she had been dissatisfied with…
It was that Qi Mu had been far too gentlemanly and far too shy.
He had never once taken the initiative to hold her hand, let alone initiate anything more intimate.
Xu Wei Ran had grown up surrounded by admirers, and this had not been her first relationship. She knew very well what it felt like when a man liked a woman, and she had never once sensed that kind of romantic attraction from Qi Mu.
And so Xu Wei Ran had broken up with him.
Only for Qi Mu to look positively relieved before turning around and going straight back to his studying as though nothing had happened.
Honestly…
Xu Wei Ran had been somewhat angry at the time.
But during the years she spent abroad—
Xu Wei Ran flourished overseas, going through boyfriend after boyfriend. As long as she set her sights on a man, she had never failed to win him over.
Eventually, she came to understand that the anger and unwillingness she had felt back then had not come from heartbreak. It had been frustration more than anything else.
Put plainly, her competitive streak had been acting up.
After all, Qi Mu was the only man she had ever failed to win over.
But she had long since stopped caring about that. She had no intention of settling down and marrying anyone anyway. She simply enjoyed losing herself in the beauty of romance and repeatedly experiencing the excitement of new relationships. She had no intention of dragging a serious man like Qi Mu into that sort of life. Put simply, they were romantically incompatible.
Qi Mu might not have suited her as a boyfriend, but he made an excellent friend. That was why the two had remained on good terms all these years.
Xu Wei Ran left the people surrounding her and walked over with a smile. “Qi Mu.”
Qi Mu smiled. “Vanessa.”
Xu Wei Ran asked, “It’s rare for you to actually come. Want me to show you around?”
Qi Mu glanced at the people behind her. “If you have things to do, go take care of them. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Xu Wei Ran naturally had nothing she needed to do. She had no interest in those men anyway and had only been dealing with them politely. Qi Mu’s arrival gave her the perfect excuse to escape.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes curving with her smile. “You came all this way to support me. Accompanying you is the important thing.”
Qi Mu said nothing more.
Xu Wei Ran and Qi Mu walked and chatted together. Whenever they encountered a painting that caught Qi Mu’s interest, she would stop and explain a little more, sometimes telling him the story behind the work as well…
Listening to Xu Wei Ran’s explanations before looking at the paintings again genuinely gave Qi Mu a different impression of them.
As Xu Wei Ran spoke, she glanced sideways at Qi Mu. Seeing him studying the paintings so intently without once looking at her, she gave a quiet sigh.
She had matured considerably over the years and understood relationships far better than she once had. Qi Mu, however, did not seem to have changed at all. He was still the same romantically oblivious blockhead from back then. She had heard that he still had not dated anyone after all these years. Who knew when this man would finally figure things out?
Xu Wei Ran drew herself from her thoughts and continued with a smile. “…The inspiration for this painting came from the aurora. At the time, my boyfriend and I were vacationing in Northern Europe, and while we were there…”
Yu Yue Ning had also received an invitation from Xu Wei Ran.
He arrived fashionably late.
He had already expected the event to be fairly boring. Paintings, art, and all this cultured stuff had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Just as he was beginning to grow drowsy from looking around, Yu Yue Ning rounded a corner and spotted Qi Mu and Xu Wei Ran. They were standing before a painting, with a dreamlike floor-to-ceiling artwork behind them. Qi Mu was gazing upward in fascination while Xu Wei Ran stood very close, her red lips moving as though she were murmuring softly beside his ear…
Without even thinking, Yu Yue Ning pulled out his phone and took a picture.
He looked at the photograph and clicked his tongue appreciatively.
They had already been out of university for years.
Yet the two of them still looked so good together!
The longer Yu Yue Ning stared, the more an idea began to take shape.
He had originally been somewhat worried when he heard Xu Wei Ran was returning. He had been afraid Qi Mu might remember his heartbreak from back then. But judging from Xu Wei Ran’s attitude toward Qi Mu now, perhaps her old feelings had never completely disappeared either. Maybe the two of them actually had a chance!
If they could get back together and Qi Mu could reclaim his “white moonlight,” wouldn’t that be a perfect ending for everyone?
The more Yu Yue Ning thought about it, the more promising the idea seemed…
He desperately wanted someone to share this revelation with, but this was not the sort of thing he could casually tell an outsider. Then he remembered his newly acquired good brother, Jiang Shao. The two of them were secret allies now, after all.
Yu Yue Ning opened WeChat and immediately sent Jiang Shao the photograph.
Then he excitedly added a message: I think they’ve got a really good chance of getting back together!
＊,
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