When the Heartthrob Meets the Cold-Hearted Ex - Chapter 23

“I told you to stop coming to see me! Are you deaf or something?”

The tall girl had barely finished speaking before she grabbed a cocktail from the table and hurled it straight at the long-haired girl in front of her.

The long-haired girl had just managed to clutch the tall girl’s sleeve when she was suddenly drenched. The multicolored liquid streamed down her face, blurring her vision, yet she stubbornly refused to let go.

“Let go!” The tall girl yanked her arm free, shoving the other girl back with such force that she stumbled nearly two meters.

Luckily, a bystander rushed forward and steadied the long-haired girl by the shoulders, preventing her from falling.

The onlookers buzzed with chatter, many of them regulars who seemed all too familiar with this scene.

“Here we go again. One day they’re inseparable, the next they’re acting like sworn enemies. How many times has it been now? It’s like watching a soap opera.”

“What a mess. You’d think they were enemies, not lovers.”

“If they’ve got issues, they should sort them out behind closed doors. Why make a scene in public?”

Tang Yeran helped the long-haired girl up. By now, she was sobbing uncontrollably, tears mixing with the alcohol, smearing her makeup into a tragic mess.

The murmurs around them only fueled her tears once the floodgates opened, there was no stopping them.

“Enough! All of you, just stop!”

Tang Yeran’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the noise like a blade, carving out a pocket of silence.

The crowd quieted, leaving only the long-haired girl’s hiccupping cries.

“And you, stop crying!”

Tang Yeran rubbed her temples, already regretting stepping in. She’d acted on instinct, but now she was knee-deep in this mess.

The long-haired girl froze mid-sob, though her nose still twitched, as if she was holding back tears with all her might.

Tang Yeran grabbed a handful of tissues and wiped the sticky mess from the girl’s face.

Most of the alcohol was gone, but the tears kept coming, as if her eyes had sprung a leak.

Tang Yeran, her hand aching: “…”

“Do you feel wronged?”

The long-haired girl nodded.

“But you brought this on yourself.”

The girl stiffened.

“If someone doesn’t value you, why don’t you value yourself?

“Clutching onto someone who doesn’t care, offering up your dignity to be trampled, how do you think your family would feel if they saw you like this?”

The long-haired girl paused, her tears halting momentarily.

“She’s treated you like this. Do you still want to be with her? To keep living like this?”

After a few seconds of hesitation, the girl shook her head, biting her lower lip hard enough to leave marks.

Tang Yeran saw the conflict and pain in her eyes. She picked up a cocktail and pressed it into the girl’s hand.

“If you’re done with her, then settle the score right here.

“She threw a drink at you. Now it’s your turn. Why should you take this lying down?”

The tall girl, who had been watching smugly from the sidelines, took a step back, her face paling.

“What the hell are you saying? Are you insane?”

She’d thought this pretty stranger was here to play peacemaker and help her cut ties. Who knew she’d turn out to be this unhinged?

The long-haired girl hesitated, still holding her glass, when Tang Yeran nudged her forward a few steps, her sharp gaze fixed on the tall girl.

“Since you could splash others so freely, why can’t others do the same to you? Since when does the world work so conveniently in your favor?”

The long-haired girl swallowed hard, stammering, “Th-that was because she wouldn’t leave me alone! How is it all my fault? D-doesn’t she bear any blame?”

“Of course she does. She misjudged people and was too weak to stand up for herself. So, now she needs to correct her mistakes.”

With that, Tang Yeran gently lifted the long-haired girl’s hand holding the glass, no further action was needed.

The next second, a full glass of cocktail was poured over the tall girl’s head.

The tall girl’s temperament was clearly the polar opposite of the long-haired girl’s. Her first reaction to being splashed was to grab a chair, ready to fight.

The staff, who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines, finally stepped in, blocking her path. “No causing trouble in the bar.”

Unable to resort to violence, the tall girl could only curse incessantly.

Words that would usually cut deep to those closest to her now seemed to lose all effect.

The long-haired girl set down her glass and gave Tang Yeran a sincere smile.

“Thank you, sis. The moment I splashed her, it felt like a knot inside me suddenly came undone.”

She glanced at her former lover someone she once found irresistibly charming but now saw as almost grotesque. “I really don’t like her at all anymore.”

Xu You, who had watched the entire drama unfold, clicked her tongue in amazement.

“Who would’ve thought? Editor Tang always seems so easygoing and cheerful never expected this side of her.”

“Now I finally believe it when they say she was the one who dumped you back then.”

Su Yang shot a sidelong glance at the instigator and turned to leave, only to be stopped.

“Hey, don’t rush off. Since we’ve run into them, let’s say hello.”

Su Yang looked reluctant but kept pace with Xu You.

Before they could get close, they heard An Xin beside Tang Yeran exclaim dramatically.

“Wow, just wow. A woman scorned is truly terrifying, one move and she’s already dismantled a whole relationship.”

Tang Yeran rolled her eyes. “That kind of toxic bond should’ve been broken ages ago. Wait, who said anything about me being scorned?”

An Xin patted her shoulder like a seasoned veteran.

“Come on, no need to front with us. Weren’t you so worked up just now not just out of righteous anger, but also because it reminded you of you and Su, Su Yang!”

The last two syllables shot up in pitch before abruptly cutting off.

Tang Yeran turned around and sure enough, Su Yang and Xu You stood just two meters away.

One wore a frosty expression, the other a friendly smile.

“Editor Tang, what a coincidence running into you here.”

Xu You’s grin was almost exaggeratedly bright, a far cry from her usual composed and professional demeanor at work.

Without waiting for Tang Yeran’s reply, she extended a hand toward An Xin. “And this must be Editor Tang’s friend? I’m Xu You, Su Yang’s business partner.”

“Director Xu, pleasure to meet you. I’m An Xin, a college friend of Tang Tang and Su Yang.” An Xin shook her hand warmly.

Her usual job was in self-media, so she was naturally familiar with Xu You’s reputation. When the two met for the first time, they effortlessly switched into social mode.

This, in turn, made Su Yang and Tang Yeran beside them appear particularly introverted.

Well, to be fair, one of them was naturally introverted to begin with.

“Since we’ve met by chance, why don’t we stop chatting in the middle of the road and share a table instead?”

“Great idea! I was just thinking the same.”

The two newcomers were so in sync that they didn’t even give the other two a chance to object.

Life often has a way of being dramatic. Just a few days ago, it seemed like two people would never interact again, yet now they were forced to sit at the same table, staring at each other in silence.

Xu You and An Xin, on the other hand, hit it off immediately, chatting away happily.

If anyone were to leave now, it would just dampen the mood.

Tang Yeran lowered her head and focused on the small cakes on her plate.

There were eight cakes in total, each a different color red, yellow, blue, purple vibrant and eye-catching.

With the other three at the table either deep in conversation or lost in thought, the responsibility of not wasting food fell squarely on her shoulders.

She had just tried a chocolate-flavored one quite tasty so now she reached for the yellow one.

Just as her hand hovered mid-air, a cool voice suddenly spoke up, “That one’s lemon-flavored.”

Tang Yeran had always been a bit of a foodie, willing to try almost anything except lemon.

Once, she had accidentally taken a bite and the sourness had made her scrunch up her face in agony. She had buried her head against Su Yang’s shoulder, tearfully whining, “I’ll never touch lemon again, even if you beat me to death!”

Back then, Su Yang had just patted her head indulgently, but she had remembered it ever since.

Tang Yeran’s hand paused mid-air before she redirected it to the red cake beside it. “I wasn’t going to take that one anyway.”

Here, two old acquaintances reunited, exchanging only a single sentence before falling silent again.

Over there, the two newcomers were already chatting animatedly.

In just a little over ten minutes, they had gone from work anecdotes to school memories, and now they were discussing a newly opened museum and how lively and interesting it was.

Tang Yeran, listening in, couldn’t help but wonder: How can human thought processes jump around so much?

“Speaking of which, this museum is open 24 hours. It’s only seven in the evening now, if we take a cab, we can get there in half an hour. Plenty of time,” An Xin said, glancing at her phone.

“Since we’re on the topic, and it’s the weekend anyway, why don’t we go check it out now?”

These two were the type to act on impulse, and suddenly, the other two, who had been silent all this time found rare agreement.

“I’m not going!”

“Don’t worry, we weren’t planning to drag you along anyway,” An Xin said, standing up and placing her hands on Tang Yeran’s shoulders.

“Tang Tang, you’ve already kept me company all day you must be tired. Just sit here and rest. If you get bored, you can chat with Su Yang.”

Xu You nodded in agreement, turning to Su Yang. “I know you don’t like crowds. This spot is quite perfect for you.”

The whole scene felt like being dragged to an awkward blind date by overbearing parents who then deliberately left the “kids” alone to bond.

Tang Yeran saw right through it and glanced at the pile of shopping bags on the chair. “You bought so much stuff, don’t you need me to help carry them?”

“I’ll carry them, I’ll carry them!”

Xu You displayed remarkable efficiency at that moment, grabbing two bags in one hand and dashing toward the bar’s entrance. “I drove here, so don’t worry,” he said.

An Xin patted Tang Yeran on the shoulder and quickly followed Xu You. “I’m going out with President Xu tonight, don’t disturb me.”

“Let’s all enjoy a wonderful evening.”

“Rest well and get along nicely.”

The two of them reached the door, then turned back in perfect unison, as if they had rehearsed it beforehand.

Su Yang, Tang Yeran: “…”

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