Volume One, Chapter Fifteen: Sang Wan, Well Done!

Sang Wan's steps faltered. Behind her, Lu Jinnian’s voice sounded cold and deep, “No more ties to the Lu family, is that right? Sang Wan, since you’re so resolute, so determined to make a clean break—then take off the gown you’re wearing.”

Sang Wan spun around abruptly.

Lu Jinnian stood before her, his expression frosty and severe.

Sang Wan knew this was a threat.

Either she could back down, apologize to Su Baohui, to all the guests, confess that it was all her fault, that she had lost her composure without reason and ruined the occasion—if she did, he would spare her some dignity.

Or, as he said, she would strip off the gown here and now, in front of everyone, lose all face, and be cast out of the Lu family house, exposed and humiliated.

The surrounding guests exchanged uneasy glances.

Su Baohui and Lu Zhiyi looked thoroughly vindicated.

Lin Chaochao couldn’t hide her glee. “Sang Wan, that dress was custom-made for me by President Lu. He only lent it to you, no one said it was yours to keep!”

Sang Wan trembled with rage.

She wanted to ask Lu Jinnian if he even had a heart.

She wanted to curse him, ask if he could act like a human being.

She opened her mouth, her lips quivering violently.

Fearing that she might betray her tears if she spoke, Sang Wan bit her lip hard and reached behind to find the zipper.

Lu Jinnian’s gaze sharpened.

Sang Wan unzipped the dress, and it slipped from her shoulders like a silken stream.

“Sang Wan!” Lu Jinnian’s voice exploded in anger.

Yet when he took in the scene, he was both relieved and furious, his face thunderous. “Excellent. Very good! Sang Wan, you’ve really outdone yourself!”

She had known from the moment she changed that the dress could never have been meant for her.

Even though it was brand new, the thought of someone else having tried it on made her skin crawl.

She hadn’t even touched the lace underwear in the box—she’d only changed out of her chiffon blouse.

At this moment, Sang Wan was deeply grateful for that small, unintentional act of self-preservation.

On her upper body, she wore a white lace camisole that reached her waist.

Her lower half was still clad in her own jeans, cuffs rolled up a little.

Her shoulders were elegant; her collarbones beautiful; her waist slender and delicate.

At a glance, she seemed every inch the stylish young woman on a summer street—youthful, radiant, and dignified.

Kicking aside the pile of lake-blue silk at her feet, she slipped off her high heels as well, one by one.

Sang Wan looked up at Lu Jinnian. “Would you like to search me?”

Lu Jinnian’s face was livid, his eyes blazing with fury.

Sang Wan cast him a cold glance, turned on her bare heels, and walked away.

With a crash, the villa’s doors swung open, and a thunderclap split the sky. A brilliant flash of lightning illuminated Sang Wan’s slender silhouette as she strode out, never looking back.

She hesitated for a moment between retrieving her blouse and white sneakers from Lu Zhiyi’s house and leaving as quickly as possible.

Resolutely, Sang Wan turned and walked away.

Raindrops, sparse at first, landed on her hair and face, cool and damp.

The pavement beneath her feet was still scorching from the recent sun.

Step by step, Sang Wan pressed forward, each stride difficult but determined.

She had barely made it halfway when the rain began to pour in earnest.

Meow!

A faint cry sounded, and the world spun before Sang Wan’s eyes.

A streak of color darted out from the shrubbery and latched onto her pants leg.

Meow! Meow, meow…

A yellow-and-white tabby tugged at her jeans, pulling her toward the bushes.

It seemed to say: It’s raining, silly, come take shelter!

Sang Wan froze in place, unmoving, while the little cat circled her anxiously, refusing to abandon her for cover.

“Ju… Juju?” Sang Wan murmured in a daze.

The tabby, delighted at being recognized, ignored the rain and flopped onto its back, exposing its pinkish-white belly.

Sang Wan blinked, stunned.

At sixteen, she’d fallen for Lu Jinnian.

At eighteen, after college entrance exams, she’d accepted his confession and become his girlfriend.

At twenty, they married.

At twenty-three, she became pregnant and gave birth to Lu Xiaomu.

She had loved Lu Jinnian for twelve years, but he didn’t want her.

She’d raised Lu Xiaomu from birth to five years old, but even he didn’t want her.

Yet now, this little tabby—whom she’d only fed a handful of times—recognized her and wanted to share its shelter from the rain.

Tears streamed down Sang Wan’s face, as heavy as the rain.

“Juju…” she choked, squatting down to stroke its head. “I have nothing left, I can’t afford fancy cat food or treats anymore. Will you… come with me?”

Meow!

The tabby sat up on its haunches, patting her arm with its paw and nuzzling her tear-streaked cheek.

Sang Wan scooped the cat into her arms and walked on.

The rain fell in sheets.

In moments, Sang Wan was soaked to the skin.

Still, she pressed on without pause.

Under the bemused gaze of the security guard, she left the gated community behind.

The downpour blurred her vision, strands of hair plastered to her face, the road ahead nearly invisible.

Each step sent pain lancing through her feet.

Passing cars splashed her with muddy water, drenching her anew.

Sang Wan seemed numb to it all, her face devoid of expression as she forged ahead.

Beep. Beep, beep.

A car horn blared, and Sang Wan edged closer to the curb.

A black business car pulled up at an angle and stopped in front of her.

The door slid open, and Lou Ye jumped out, grabbed an umbrella from the trunk, and opened it over her head, his face clouded with anger. “What happened?”

The white lace camisole revealed a sweep of pale skin above her chest—her lovely collarbones were exposed.

But Lou Ye knew this wasn’t Sang Wan’s usual style. She’d never dressed like this before.

And she was barefoot.

She looked utterly disheveled.

“Get in the car,” he said, not giving her a choice, pushing her inside. The driver, tactful and efficient, handed over a blanket and turned on the heat.

Lou Ye climbed in after, his presence carrying a chill. “Home.”

“Yes, sir,” the driver replied, and the car glided smoothly into the rain.

She wanted to say, You don’t have to, just drop me at a hotel.

She wanted to thank him.

But with the words on her lips, she caught sight of Lou Ye’s rain-soaked coat and hair, and remembered how he had seen her at her lowest.

Sang Wan gave up resisting.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped in the underground garage.

Lou Ye took off his suit jacket and handed it to Sang Wan, then reached for the blanket in her arms.

As the blanket slid away, a furry head appeared. “Meow…”

Lou Ye: …

“Senior, you must not have paid much attention in your last life as an immortal,” Lou Ye said, half amused.

Sang Wan looked up.

Lou Ye chuckled. “You can barely keep your own head above water, and you still have time to rescue a cat?”

“I…” Sang Wan began, but words failed her.

Lou Ye took the blanket and the cat from her hands.

“Careful!” Sang Wan called out anxiously.

The blanket and the cat landed safely in Lou Ye’s arms.

This was the same tiny kitten that used to bristle and hiss at Lu Jinnian like a prickly cactus; the same one who would crouch warily at her feet, butt in the air, not wanting to be caught by Lu Xiaomu.

Whether dazed by the rain or groggy from sleep, now it was utterly relaxed.

It lazily cracked one eye at Lou Ye, then closed it again, nestling its head comfortably in his arms.

Sang Wan: …

“Come on, let’s go home,” Lou Ye said, stepping into the elevator.

Sang Wan wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or to the cat.

She glanced at the soggy, chaotic backseat, hesitated for a few seconds, then followed Lou Ye into the elevator.