A Total Defeat

The conversation at the gathering moved from studying abroad and daily work to blind dates and marriage.

Yu Tiantian was always the center of attention. Her family was the wealthiest; she had been smooth-tongued and socially adept since childhood, able to fit in anywhere.

Her family was worried she wouldn’t live well overseas, so they bought her a villa there and sent over the household staff to prepare all three meals a day for her. Everything she ate, wore, and used was top of the line.

Hua Yu listened to her casually talk about the expenses, but what kept running through her mind was someone else.

Wei Yin had finished her undergraduate degree and never gone on to further study. Over the years, she had only worked to make a living. While life ground her down until she looked exhausted and worn, Yu Tiantian had been living in extravagant luxury across the ocean.

What had Yu Tiantian said that year?

[You’re a doctor. Even if you study until you go bald, you still won’t amount to anything. You’re older than Wei Yin, and your family is only middle-class. It’s only reasonable that Wei Yin doesn’t want to be with you.]

[Of course, the most important thing is that Wei Yin doesn’t like you.]

[If you don’t believe me, ask her. Would she choose you or me?]

She chose you, so how did she end up like this? What exactly happened to her all these years…

Hua Yu drained a glass of wine.

When the table turned to marriage, someone asked Hua Yu about glands.

Hua Yu pulled herself out of her thoughts and gave a simple explanation. “The gland is an organ, just like any internal organ. Keep a healthy routine, exercise more and sweat more, and get your pheromones checked regularly. That’s enough.”

“I heard researchers abroad developed a technique that can wash off a mark without leaving a trace.”

Hua Yu shook her head and said seriously, “A mark can’t be erased. If you forcefully wash it off, the gland will lose a layer of skin. There’s no such thing as leaving no trace; you have to think it through carefully.”

“Okay, okay.”

Hua Yu was dressed gracefully and appropriately; she could draw attention just by sitting there and doing nothing, let alone when she was already so outstanding. Several people who had played with her as children and later lost touch moved closer, chatting with her in a friendly way.

And Hua Yu was not as cold as she looked. She was polite and gentle; everything she said was measured and proper, never giving the impression that she was brushing people off. Talking to her was a pleasant experience.

At that moment, Yu Tiantian stood with a glass of red wine and raised it toward everyone. “I’ve called a driver; there are private rooms downstairs too. Tonight, just relax. Let’s celebrate the friendship we’ve had since we were children.”

After drinking for a while, Hua Yu went out to the balcony for some air, a slim rose-colored cigarette pinched between her fingers, unlit. A cool night breeze blew straight toward her.

Someone came up behind her, and with a click, a lighter sparked to life.

“Want one?”

Hua Yu didn’t move. With a flick of her fingers, she pressed the thin cigarette into the crystal ashtray shaped like a koi. “Sorry, I’ve quit smoking.”

Yu Tiantian’s hand froze in midair as she offered the lighter. After a pause, she casually withdrew it. “Still this disrespectful, Hua Yu.”

Hua Yu said nothing. Half her face was hidden in the dark, as if she hadn’t heard Yu Tiantian at all.

Yu Tiantian changed the subject. “Xu Ya Qing isn’t young anymore either. Why is she still as reckless and childish as she was when she was little? As her cousin, you should talk some sense into her.”

Hua Yu straightened from her half-leaning posture. Her gaze finally shifted; she glanced at Yu Tiantian, the unspoken meaning clear enough in her eyes. “Anything else?”

“Can’t I talk to you if I have nothing else?” Yu Tiantian tightened her grip on the lighter, keeping a fake smile in place. “You’re so eager to send me away; are you guilty?”

Putting on an intimate front while obviously hating her inside—Hua Yu felt tired just watching it, and she wasn’t even the one doing it.

Without another word, Hua Yu turned and walked away cleanly.

“Stop right there!” Yu Tiantian barked in a low voice. “You really are as annoying as ever.”

Hua Yu gathered her cape and stepped out of the shadows. Under the light, her face had been beautiful since childhood. Even Yu Tiantian had to admit that heaven had given Hua Yu an exceptional face.

Good grades, high differentiation rank, good at everything… She was truly infuriating.

Hua Yu said, “Done pretending?”

Yu Tiantian tilted her head innocently. “Aren’t you pretending too? You stayed for dinner for my girlfriend’s sake, didn’t you? So you’re still that concerned about Wei Yin. Acting like nothing was wrong the whole night was ridiculous.”

“Ex-girlfriend,” Hua Yu said lightly, drawing in a breath. Her tone was colder than the night breeze. “Your ex-girlfriend who dumped you.”

Yu Tiantian immediately shot back, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Then explain why Wei Yin became your ex-girlfriend.” Hua Yu smiled faintly, the deep blue of her eyes like a lake as she looked at Yu Tiantian. “I’m very interested.”

Yu Tiantian gave a cold laugh. “We broke up peacefully. As for why, that’s between Wei Yin and me. It has nothing to do with you.”

After saying that, Yu Tiantian put on a considerate smile of her own. “Of course, I know you like her. If you want to hear the details of our relationship, I can tell you for free.”

Hua Yu nodded, showing no sign of offense or displeasure. Following her words, she asked, “All right then, I’d like to hear it. Come to think of it, Wei Yin’s gland development wasn’t good. I accompanied her to the hospital several times back then. Did you later take her to see a doctor? How did her gland recover while she was with you? Could you smell Wei Yin’s pheromones?”

A string of questions slammed into Yu Tiantian’s face, but she couldn’t answer a single one.

She had never been able to smell Wei Yin’s pheromones.

Hua Yu looked at her quietly for a few seconds and said nothing more before turning to leave.

So what if you got Wei Yin? If you don’t cherish her, don’t care about her, don’t think she matters, then you lose her.

Now Hua Yu was certain that there was truly no more connection between Wei Yin and Yu Tiantian.

Cleanly severed, cut off in one stroke; that was good.

Behind her, Yu Tiantian said, “Wei Yin likes me. She chose me between me and you. Even if we did something, she still wouldn’t like you. She didn’t back then, and she never will in the future.”

Hua Yu’s calm voice drifted back from the front. “Thanks for the information. I look forward to your success, President Yu.”

Yu Tiantian had started a medical equipment company and planned to build a business for herself, but entrepreneurship was never easy. She was having trouble getting started now, and the reason she held this gathering was to expand her network.

That title, “President Yu,” felt like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, instantly clearing her mind.

Hua Yu was warning her that Hua Yu came from a family of physicians; if Yu Tiantian wanted to start a business, it would be best not to offend her.

“Hua Yu!” Yu Tiantian could no longer worry about anything else and rushed forward in a few steps, grabbing Hua Yu.

Hua Yu raised a hand and shook Yu Tiantian off. The cold in her eyes was impossible to melt.

Stung by the chill in Hua Yu’s gaze, Yu Tiantian took a step back and stammered, “I, I just now…”

Regret and embarrassment flashed across her face. She hadn’t wanted to make a scene with Hua Yu, especially since she needed Hua Yu’s help right now.

Come to think of it, it was all Hua Yu’s fault for setting the bar so high from the start; she had no choice but to bring up Wei Yin to keep Hua Yu here.

But that was exactly where things went wrong.

Yu Tiantian forced out a sincere smile. “I was only joking just now. I really did want to have a meal with all of you.”

As she spoke, she tried again, reaching out to lightly pat Hua Yu’s forearm. “We did grow up together, after all. There should still be some affection there, right?”

Hua Yu’s expression was hidden in the dim light, impossible to see clearly.

Half a minute later, she seemed to smile.

“Let’s talk next time.”