After Breaking Up With The Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After the boisterous class dinner, everyone had to head home. Most of the students staying behind tonight were still living in the dorms; after all, renting an apartment cost money.

Those living off-campus, like Fang Yu, received a warm lecture from their counselor. She told them to be safe on the way back, not to linger outside so late, to rest well over the weekend, and to keep an eye on the class group chat.

The counselor had drunk a bit too much and was rambling. “Gosh, you were only seventeen or eighteen when you first entered this school. You look so much more mature now. I’m so proud…” As she spoke, she actually began to cry, leading a group of students to wipe her tears, making her laugh and cry at the same time.

Fang Yu, who usually didn’t feel much during such events, found herself moved. Her nose prickled slightly, though she wasn’t as dramatic as the others.

The students said their goodbyes one by one. Fang Yu watched Tan Yunshu exit the restaurant with her own classmates before she finally bid the counselor farewell and walked out at an unhurried pace.

It was only 8:30 PM. There were still buses running at the station across from the school. This was the place where she and Tan Yunshu had their first real interaction; she would never forget it.

Thinking of the firm words Tan Yunshu had spoken that evening about “new developments” after graduation, Fang Yu took a deep breath, the smile in her eyes deepening. Why hasn’t graduation arrived yet? She looked forward to it more than anyone else.

Electric scooters zipped by on the road. Fang Yu reached the bus stop, the warm streetlights stretching her shadow into an indistinguishable shape on the ground. Just as she sat down on the bench, her phone rang. It was Tan Yunshu.

Fang Yu checked her surroundings. Seeing no one she knew, she answered with relief. “What is it?”

“I’m across from you.”

Fang Yu froze, then adjusted her glasses and looked across the street. Opposite her was the main gate of Liucheng University. Vehicles weren’t allowed to enter or exit there, so waves of students were moving in and out.

Tan Yunshu was standing in a direct line with her, separated only by the wide boulevard. Traffic sped between them, the flashing headlights illuminating Tan Yunshu’s elegant silhouette. Her thick, long hair flowed in the wind, and she stood tall, holding her phone and looking straight across the distance at Fang Yu.

“I see you.” Fang Yu paused. “I didn’t expect our two classes to eat together.”

Tan Yunshu gave a soft laugh. “And?”

“And…” Fang Yu’s eyelashes fluttered. She gathered her courage and issued an invitation. “Can you stay with me tonight, Tan Yunshu?”

Fang Yu rarely initiated such things. She was usually the one waiting for a notification. But at this moment, she missed the version of Tan Yunshu that only she could see—the Tan Yunshu who discarded all elegance and poise to sink and fall at her fingertips.

Once the words were out, the world seemed to go silent. By chance, the bus she needed to take pulled up, cutting off her line of sight to Tan Yunshu. A few students returning from a night out got off through the back door.

By the time the bus moved away, Fang Yu still hadn’t received an answer. She looked across the street, but Tan Yunshu was gone. The call had also been disconnected.

Another sudden call, another sudden hang-up.

Fang Yu gripped her phone. She felt a bit cold, wondering if a T-shirt wasn’t enough. Her lashes drooped, a sour feeling rising in her chest. A few seconds later, before her sigh could even leave her lungs, she received a text.

xxx: I have to go pick up a friend right now. Next time.

Fang Yu stared at the message, her lips pressed tight. Which friend was she picking up? The one from the hand-holding photo?

Fang Yu had guessed correctly. The person Tan Yunshu was picking up was indeed Shen Yingzhi.

With graduation approaching, the Shen family was in utter chaos. Shen Yingzhi had older cousins who shared her surname, but they had never gotten along. They would fight until they bled over a single item—which was why Shen Yingzhi had chosen to go to university as far away as Beijing. She just wanted some peace.

“I just didn’t expect them to not even leave me a drop of soup,” Shen Yingzhi said, sitting in Tan Yunshu’s passenger seat with a sneer. “The old man said my cousins think I’m still young and it’s time for me to have fun that I shouldn’t take over company business so early. But what about them? They’ve been rooted in the company from the start, building their own factions and planting people everywhere…”

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, her expression grim. She had rushed back to slap her “useless” cousins in the face. She hadn’t notified anyone except Tan Yunshu not even Liang Pei, because Liang Pei was on good terms with her cousin.

What is a “surprise,” after all? It’s appearing suddenly when others are unaware.

Shen Yingzhi gave a cold smile, then turned her head to look at Tan Yunshu, who she had summoned to be her driver. Her smile faltered. Her situation wasn’t truly desperate; she still had room to fight with her family.

But Tan Yunshu didn’t.

“Yunshu…” Shen Yingzhi looked at her friend’s exquisite profile and said hesitantly, “You and Lu Jizhou…”

Tan Yunshu didn’t wait for her to finish. She gave a calm “Mm” and said, “It’s settled.”

Shen Yingzhi bit her lip hard. After a long silence, she asked, “When you saw him on the cruise recently, did you fall for him? Did you feel a heartbeat?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Whether I like him or not doesn’t matter, Yingzhi. I only want what I want.” Tan Yunshu’s volume was steady, devoid of emotional fluctuation. “The wind is free. I am not.”

For several days, Fang Yu spent her breaks scrolling through her phone. She wasn’t looking at chat logs; she was looking at gift guides posted by netizens, trying to find something to buy for Tan Yunshu.

She couldn’t buy perfume; Tan Yunshu had plenty. Makeup and skincare were out of the question; Tan Yunshu lacked for nothing and had enough lipsticks to start her own counter. She wanted something visible something that could be seen at a glance.

She considered jewelry. Tan Yunshu looked beautiful in earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. It felt as if even the ugliest item would be granted a high-end filter once placed on her. Tan Yunshu was the kind of person who would glow even in coarse burlap.

But Tan Yunshu had a lot of jewelry. More importantly, through her years of part-time work, Fang Yu knew that everything Tan Yunshu wore was high-end; nothing was cheap. If she gave a piece of jewelry worth 2,000 yuan, it might actually look out of place on her.

No.

Finally, after days of searching, she decided on a brooch. Tan Yunshu didn’t seem to have one, or at least she had never seen her wear one. After work, she visited several malls in Liucheng and finally bought a brooch priced at 2,198 yuan.

The brooch was shaped like a cloud, using gradients of red, orange, and gold, looking like a cloud at sunset. Fang Yu could already imagine how Tan Yunshu would look wearing it while hosting a program.

Seeing how much Fang Yu liked it, the salesclerk continued her pitch: “This brooch is a master’s work. It symbolizes the state of ‘clouds rolling and unfolding’ (Yun Juan Yun Shu) it’s a beautiful metaphor…”

The words “Yun Shu” (the same characters as Tan Yunshu’s name) struck a chord in Fang Yu. She immediately flashed a brilliant smile and said with certainty, “I’ll take this one. Please wrap it exquisitely. Thank you.”

Fang Yu loved the gift more the more she looked at it. She kept the bag on her desk at home, checking it twice before she left and twice when she returned. This was the first time she had bought such an expensive gift. For anyone else, it would be impossible. But Tan Yunshu was the exception; she had special privileges.

She would work hard to earn more money. She wanted to close the economic gap between herself and Tan Yunshu, even if only by a little.

On the night of May 29th, Fang Qin returned from the Tan residence and saw the bag in the room. She asked curiously, “What did you buy?”

“A graduation gift for a friend,” Fang Yu said a bit guiltily. “It wasn’t expensive, Mom.” She couldn’t reveal the actual price.

Fang Qin gave her a look. “I just asked a question, why are you so nervous?” She was curious. “What is it?” She didn’t say she wanted to see it; her daughter had her own privacy.

“It’s a brooch.” Fang Yu tried to keep it brief. “It’s shaped like a cloud. Clouds are free. I hope she can be unconstrained…”

Fang Qin listened with her arms crossed and smiled, the wrinkles on her face deepening. “I’m happy you found such a friend. When you have time, I’d like to treat you and your friend to a meal. This is the first time I’ve heard you talk about a ‘best friend’.”

“…Okay, Mom.” Fang Yu’s scalp felt numb.

Once her mother returned to the living room, Fang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at the gift, her eyes curving. But it had been four days since Tan Yunshu said “next time”…

Sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the chat log, Fang Yu suppressed the slight unease rising in her heart once more. She didn’t know where it came from. Was it because of Tan Yunshu’s hot-and-cold behavior? When they weren’t together, they rarely chatted online. But when they were in the same room, communication was natural. Maybe Tan Yunshu just didn’t like texting; she had so many activities, unlike her.

Fang Yu let it go.

Then, on the night of June 1st, Fang Yu heard a knock at the door. Fang Qin was working at the Tan residence tonight. The only person who would knock on her door was Tan Yunshu.

Fang Yu opened the double doors. Sure enough, the person she missed was standing there. The voice-activated light in the hallway wasn’t very bright. Tan Yunshu’s long lashes cast a shadow. Hearing the door open, she lifted her eyelids to look at the surprised Fang Yu.

Fang Yu smelled alcohol in the air. It was faint, but combined with Tan Yunshu’s glassy eyes, everything was clear. Last time, she called after drinking; this time, she had come in person.

Fang Yu grabbed her bag from the floor and reached out to support her. Her voice echoed softly in the hallway. “Why did you drink, Tan Yunshu?”

Tan Yunshu bit her lip and stared at her, not answering. Fang Yu led her into the room, unable to stop herself from asking, “You didn’t drink and drive, did you? You can’t…”

“I called a designated driver.” “That’s good.”

The two doors closed. Tan Yunshu wrapped her arms tightly around Fang Yu’s waist, burying her face into her neck, smelling of fresh alcohol. With the height difference, it was easy for Tan Yunshu to encircle her.

Fang Yu was tense, but remembering it was Tan Yunshu, she relaxed her nerves and gently patted her back, saying nothing. They embraced in the small entryway for a while before Tan Yunshu released her. A second later, she leaned in to kiss the corner of Fang Yu’s mouth.

Her fingertips, now free of nail polish, stroked Fang Yu’s face. In a husky voice, she repeated that phrase:

“You are mine, Fang Yu.”

After a pause, she added two more words: “Right?”

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