Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Jiang Shixu, It's Time for Me to Say Goodbye to You Too. Li Lanxi flicked her hair with a seductive charm, then reached out and linked her arm through Jiang Shixu's, staking her claim. "So you're Miss Ruan? Hello, my name is Li Lanxi. I'm A-Xu's girlfriend." A-Xu. Girlfriend. Chu Tang lowered her lashes, her gaze locked tightly on where Li Lanxi's hand rested, her heart feeling as if something had pierced it. Jiang Shixu stood still, his gaze sweeping coldly over the woman's hand on his arm. His Adam's apple bobbed as if he wanted to explain, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. Chen Yuanyuan couldn't watch any longer. She rushed over and yanked Li Lanxi's hand away. "Take your hand off him!" "If you want to show off your love, go do it somewhere else! This isn't the place for your little display!" Yuanyuan's face was red with anger, her big eyes blazing with fire. "What's the matter? The great young master of the Jiang family can't afford a hotel room?" That was a bit harsh. Qin Yan was startled and quickly stepped in as a peacemaker. He pulled Yuanyuan back. "Alright, alright, calm down. We're all friends here. Don't make this ugly." Yuanyuan struggled. "Let go of me! Don't hold me back!" Qin Yan held on tight, desperately signaling Yuanyuan with his eyes. Li Lanxi wasn't bothered. She smiled good-naturedly and said softly to Jiang Shixu in a sweet voice, "A-Xu, it seems your friends don't welcome us. How about we get our own room and enjoy some time alone together?" Li Lanxi truly deserved her title as Best Actress. Every smile and frown was perfectly executed, her demeanor and tone capturing the essence of a white lotus and green tea bitch just right. Chu Tang's heart ached at those words. Her doe-like eyes instantly welled up with a layer of moisture, her nose stinging with the urge to cry. But she refused to shed tears in front of Jiang Shixu and Li Lanxi. She stared at him stubbornly, her voice trembling even as she tried to sound calm. "Shixu, you have your reasons, don't you? Tell me—I can understand. Don't be like this. I'm really hurting... Can we just talk things through clearly?" The wetness in her eyes grew stronger, and her voice cracked with tears. "Didn't you say that as long as I never brought up breaking up, you would never leave me?" Jiang Shixu's dark eyes were as deep and impenetrable as a lightless sea. He curled his lips into a mocking smile. "Miss Ruan, we're all adults here. You actually believe words meant to fool children?" All the color drained from Chu Tang's face. Her eyes were filled with pain, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something, but no sound would come out. Jiang Shixu was stung by the look on Chu Tang's face. He couldn't bear to look at her anymore, so he averted his gaze, his voice cold as if laced with ice and snow. "Miss Ruan, I've made myself perfectly clear. Stop with the meaningless clinging. Let's both keep our dignity." Chu Tang deflated like a punctured balloon, her shoulders slumping. Her body swayed, unsteady, as she shuffled two steps to the side, clearing the way to the door. Zhou Xueluo, worried about Chu Tang, walked over and gently pulled her into an embrace. "It's okay, Tangtang. You still have us. It's okay..." "Jiang Shixu, don't go too far!" Chen Yuanyuan was so furious she wanted to charge at him and throw a punch, but Qin Yan held her back tightly. "Yuanyuan, don't be impulsive! Don't be impulsive!" Qin Yan was beside himself with worry. Zhou Xueluo comforted Chu Tang while signaling her brother Zhou Zheng'an with her eyes. Zhou Zheng'an walked over and said something quietly to Jiang Shixu. Jiang Shixu left with Li Lanxi. "I'm so mad, I'm really so mad! They're way out of line!" Chen Yuanyuan cursed under her breath. Qin Yan held onto her, his head spinning. Suddenly, Chen Yuanyuan whipped around and glared at Qin Yan. Qin Yan's heart screamed that trouble was coming. Sure enough, Yuanyuan took her anger out on him, throwing a punch his way. "You get lost too!" "Dear lady, this has nothing to do with me!" Qin Yan felt more wronged than Dou E herself. Yuanyuan fumed. "If you hadn't butted in and called Jiang Shixu over, none of this would've happened! Today was supposed to be about comforting Tangtang, but before I even got the chance, she got hurt a second time! Get out, get out—just get out of here!" With that, she shoved him out the door. Zhou Xueluo said to her brother, "Brother, why don't you leave with Qin Yan? Yuanyuan and I will stay here with Tangtang. It's easier for us girls to talk." Zhou Zheng'an didn't say anything, just nodded, and pulled Qin Yan out with him. ... Jiang Shixu and Li Lanxi walked out of the room. The moment the door closed behind them, he shook off the woman's hand. Li Lanxi shrugged, unconcerned. The two reached the elevator. Li Lanxi asked casually, "So what's your plan now? I can tell you really hurt your lady today. How are you going to fix this later?" Jiang Shixu's lips were set in a rigid line, his long fingers clenched into fists at his sides. He didn't answer. His mind was filled with nothing but Chu Tang's bloodless face and those wounded eyes. Saying those hurtful words against his will—the pain in his heart was no less than hers. As long as she never said the word "break up," he would never abandon her. When he had said those words back then, he never imagined that one day he would say to Tangtang in a mocking tone, "You actually believe that kind of kid's stuff." ... Inside the suite. After the men left, the room fell quiet. Chen Yuanyuan took two bottles of fine red wine from the liquor cabinet. "Tangtang, don't be sad over a scumbag like that—he's not worth it. Let's drink our sorrows away tonight. You're gorgeous and your family's loaded—what kind of man can't you find?" Chen Yuanyuan pried open the bottle as she spoke. "In this world, the one thing there's never a shortage of is men! Tomorrow, I'll hook you up with some male models—ten of them!" Chu Tang sat on the sofa, her gaze filled with pain, unable to muster any enthusiasm. After a few glasses of red wine, Chu Tang began to feel dizzy. This was her first time drinking. Chen Yuanyuan held a wine glass in one hand and her phone in the other, opening her Moments. "Let me tell you, Tangtang, I have so many good-looking guys on my list. Look, here—this one's 187 cm, has an eight-pack, and he's still a college student." Chen Yuanyuan leaned over to show Chu Tang the photo. "Pretty good, right?" She was about to say that although this guy wasn't as handsome as Jiang Shixu, he was still at the level of a campus heartthrob at their school. More importantly, he was a young college student—youthful and full of vitality—something that old man Jiang Shixu could never compare to. The words reached her lips, but she swallowed them back. She couldn't mention Jiang Shixu. Chu Tang's gaze swept over the photo on the phone, and she smiled dizzily. "This one's really not bad." "Right, right? I've got plenty more—let me scroll through them for you." Chen Yuanyuan's finger slid across the screen. "Look at this one—he's 190 cm, a sports major, great physique too. His skin's a bit dark, but that wheat-colored tone makes him look wilder and more sexually charged. Should I send him your way?" Chu Tang couldn't hold her liquor well and was already getting tipsy. She giggled and said, "Sure." The three girls drank and chatted, and time passed quickly. The countdown to the New Year's midnight began. "Nineteen, eighteen, seventeen..." The three girls raised their glasses and counted down together, shouting in unison: "Three, two, one—Happy New Year!" Brilliant, dazzling fireworks bloomed across the night sky. Downstairs, the crowd was packed and bustling. Chu Tang sat cross-legged, barefoot on the cashmere rug in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, her eyes intoxicated as she gazed at the fireworks filling the sky. A new year had begun. Jiang Shixu, it's time for me to say goodbye to you too. In the new year, I wish you happiness every day. Goodbye, Shixu-ge.