Chapter 1

Rose 1: Your Heart’s Troubles, the Night’s Goodnight.

The forecast had promised a clear, cloudless day, but just as the sun was about to set, a light wind picked up and the clouds thickened by the minute.

The air carried that damp, chilly smell that always came before rain.

Fu Chaoying caught a familiar whiff of jasmine drifting on the breeze. “It’s going to rain soon.”

Her voice was slow and calm, as if she were stating nothing more than an ordinary fact.

“Didn’t you get enough sun today?” Ye Yian leaned in, her tone light, and slipped an arm around her. “Make a wish already!”

It was the third anniversary of Fu Chaoying and Ye Yian’s relationship, and the atmosphere was lively and celebratory.

As always, Ye Yian gave her the chance to make the wish, as if everything were still exactly as it had always been.

“Teacher Fu, if you don’t make a wish now, the candle’s going to go out,” someone teased, and the rest laughed with them.

Fu Chaoying’s gaze landed squarely on the woman in the red dress; then she closed her eyes, as if nothing were wrong.

When sight was cut off, her hearing and sense of smell sharpened. The wind whispered in her ears, the candle flame flickered before her closed lids, and once again that jasmine fragrance—unsettling in a way she couldn’t quite explain—drifted to her nose.

Her heartbeat quickened slightly, but soon settled again. Before anything was confirmed, anxiety and unease were useless.

“I hope Ye Yian... still loves me.” She silently repeated the words to herself, then opened her eyes and blew gently.

Unexpectedly, the candle did not go out. Instead, it flared back to life.

Fu Chaoying startled. She blew harder, but the flame returned again. Her heart skipped as she looked up and met Ye Yian’s eyes for a brief instant.

After that one second of eye contact, Ye Yian put on her signature smile and soothed her. “Let’s blow it out together.”

But even with both of them blowing, the candle still refused to go out, and the room fell briefly silent.

Fu Chaoying looked at Ye Yian’s slightly blank expression and let a smile curve her lips. “Yian, you’re fooling me again...”

Before she could finish, the assistant stepped in at just the right moment to cover for them. “Teacher Fu is too clever! It’s a trick candle; you can’t blow it out, hahaha...”

The room burst into laughter again.

Ye Yian turned and pointed at the assistant’s nose, laughing as she scolded her, “Now even you’re acting on your own? Careful, your bonus this month disappears, okay?”

After the joking died down, Ye Yian pressed her hands together and made her wish to the candle. “May Ah Ying and I be together forever, never separated.”

Then she took a pair of scissors and neatly snipped the wick; at last, the flame went out.

Together forever.

Fu Chaoying tilted her head to look at Ye Yian. The smile on her face was easy and natural, as if that vow were nothing more than a routine performance.

Fu Chaoying lowered her lashes, her fingertips quietly tightening. Was this really the Ye Yian she knew?

After the cake was finished, a downpour seemed ready to break at any second. The assistant spoke up at just the right time. “Alright, let’s take a group photo and then we’ll head out.”

Someone chimed in with a teasing laugh, “Ahem, we won’t disturb your two-person world, then...”

Two-person world... Fu Chaoying froze slightly. Instinctively, she looked toward Ye Yian, only to have her waist pulled as Ye Yian told her to face the camera.

Even though she wasn’t exactly willing, Fu Chaoying found it hard to openly embarrass Ye Yian in front of so many people. She managed a perfectly polite smile, only for Ye Yian to suddenly kiss her on the cheek.

The camera happened to catch it perfectly; it was exactly the kind of shot Ye Yian’s alt Instagram account would love to post.

And yet a nameless chill rose suddenly in Fu Chaoying’s heart.

She thought of the comments from Ye Yian’s fans; she thought of that perfume scent, carved deep into her memory. Her breath caught for a beat, and she clenched her fist reflexively, but said nothing.

After seeing the guests off, the doorbell rang again. Standing outside was Yu Qingqi, in a red dress and meticulous makeup; she was one of the artists signed to Ye Yian’s studio.

Yu Qingqi shrugged and winked at Fu Chaoying. “Sorry, Sister Ying, I left my phone behind.”

Ye Yian said nothing, just stood quietly to the side with a faint frown.

Fu Chaoying nodded slightly and exchanged a few polite words with her. When Yu Qingqi passed by, that familiar jasmine scent rushed straight at her, tightening her chest.

Two months ago, Fu Chaoying had already begun suspecting Ye Yian of cheating; the suspicion had started the moment she caught Ye Yian staring stupidly at a chat window with someone else.

She had been waiting ever since. Only today, after smelling that jasmine fragrance, did she finally identify the likely person: Yu Qingqi.

After sending the guest away, Fu Chaoying made the excuse of going upstairs to remove her makeup.

Back in the dressing room, Fu Chaoying stood before Ye Yian’s perfume cabinet, staring at the bottle on the top shelf: Night’s Goodnight.

It had been a birthday gift she had specially commissioned for Ye Yian last year; there was only one bottle in the world.

And yet tonight, the scent on Yu Qingqi was so similar. Could it really be a coincidence?

Fu Chaoying rose onto her toes, opened the glass door, and took out the bottle.

But it was still heavy in her hand, as if no one had ever sprayed it. Was it really a coincidence?

A buzzing phone interrupted her thoughts. Fu Chaoying opened the message and looked at the photos the photographer had sent, and cold anger rose from the bottom of her heart so sharply that she could only let out a suppressed, bitter laugh.

She put down her phone and immediately thought of another possibility. Without delay, she picked up a test strip and pressed the pump.

The moment the tuberose fragrance burst out, she understood clearly: this was not Night’s Goodnight.

The truth was almost right in front of her now: Ye Yian had secretly switched perfumes, given it to Yu Qingqi, and even let the other woman use it as a tool to provoke her.

Fu Chaoying’s fingers tightened around the perfume bottle, trembling slightly.

“Ah Ying.” Ye Yian was calling her.

Fu Chaoying put the perfume back where it belonged and turned toward the makeup area.

Ye Yian appeared at the dressing room door. “Ah Ying, something suddenly came up at the set. I have to go over now.”

Her voice was gentle, slightly grave, and perfectly composed.

Fu Chaoying set down the makeup remover and looked up. Under the warm light, her exquisite features seemed wrapped in a soft veil.

Ye Yian was stunned by her beauty for a moment; then, the next second, she was unsettled by those deep, unreadable eyes. Had she found out? How could that be?

Fu Chaoying’s lips curved faintly instead. Her voice was flat. “It’s our anniversary today. Is it really necessary for you to go?”

Ye Yian hesitated for a moment, then pretended to relax. “You know the studio invested in it too.”

Thunder cracked outside. Fu Chaoying stared at her face and did not try to stop her; she only answered lightly, “Alright. Be careful on the way.”

Ye Yian stepped forward, intending to hug her, but Fu Chaoying raised a hand and gently stopped her. “I’m just starting to take off my makeup. Don’t get it on your clothes.”

Ye Yian paused, assuming she was just being a little petty, and smiled again. “Alright then. I’ll bring you crab roe buns tomorrow morning.”

Ah Ying is easy to placate.

The door shut. Fu Chaoying picked up her phone and scrolled through their old photos.

In every picture where the two of them appeared together, Yu Qingqi was standing beside Ye Yian, and the body language between them said everything. Tonight’s group photo was no exception.

So Ye Yian’s affair partner was very likely Yu Qingqi.

And tonight? Was Ye Yian really going to the set, or was she going to see Yu Qingqi?

Fu Chaoying stood up almost at once, grabbed her car keys, and left.

The city was in the opposite direction from the film base, so Fu Chaoying drove toward downtown; but at the fifth intersection, she spotted the silhouette of Ye Yian’s car.

Ye Yian really hadn’t gone to the set. What was she doing in the city?

Fu Chaoying’s hand tightened on the steering wheel, and countless possibilities flashed through her mind at once.

How many young couples could grow old together? Especially when Ye Yian was in the complicated and ever-changing entertainment industry.

She shouldn’t be making such a fuss.

Twenty minutes later, the entrance to Nanyan Club came into view. Fu Chaoying watched with her own eyes as Ye Yian parked, walked into the lobby, and disappeared into the elevator.

Memories came surging back like a tide; when they were eighteen, they had also entered this hotel together.

At that moment, standing before the empty lobby, Fu Chaoying’s mind was unexpectedly calm.

Impulsiveness would only put her at a disadvantage.

Fu Chaoying lowered the car window and let the cold wind pour into the car as she steadied her breathing and forced herself to think clearly.

Ye Yian certainly wasn’t stupid enough to let hotel staff discover she was cheating. She must have used work as a pretext to go to that person’s room.

After deciding that, Fu Chaoying took an umbrella and got out of the car.

The front desk recognized her and greeted her warmly. “Miss Fu is here too.”

Fu Chaoying smiled back. “Hello. Yian left a document behind, so I came to bring it to her.”

She asked for the room number without changing expression.

The receptionist looked a little troubled. “I’m sorry, Miss Fu. Young Miss Ye went straight upstairs; we don’t know exactly which room she went into.”

Fu Chaoying added, “She said she was going to talk to Yu Qingqi.”

The receptionist immediately understood. “Oh, then it’s room 520.”

520... what a mocking number.

Ye Yian had said “I love you” to her countless times before, and now she was staying in a hotel with another woman.

What had she come to a hotel for? Didn’t she say she was frigid?

Fu Chaoying took a deep breath and forced down the churning emotions. Then she turned and left.

Raindrops began to fall all at once; pea-sized drops struck her face, cold enough to sting. Fu Chaoying’s steps were heavy, but she did not stop.

She understood clearly that the ending had already been decided, and she had to face it herself.

By the time she returned to the car, the seat had already been dampened by rain.

Fu Chaoying took out a tissue to wipe it dry, then slowly sat down and stared through the blurred car window at the world outside.

The lights there shone as brightly as day, and the pink magnolias were swaying in the pouring rain.

Thoughts crowded her mind; memories kept surfacing.

Back when they used to pass those magnolias, Ye Yian had even joked that she should plant a few in the courtyard someday, so Fu Chaoying wouldn’t keep pining after other people’s flowers.

But now it seemed the one truly obsessed with wildflowers was Ye Yian herself.

No wonder the wish Ye Yian made tonight was that they would be together forever, not that they would love each other forever.

Fu Chaoying laughed at herself and drove into the torrential rain.

The rain grew heavier, traffic became difficult, and all Fu Chaoying could think about was getting home safely.

The moment she saw the warm light in the courtyard, her mood suddenly settled, and even the next steps of her plan became clear.

But before she could act on it after getting home, the doorbell rang.

It was Ye Jiayuan’s assistant, Ye Yian’s biological older sister. “Hello, Miss Fu. Sorry to disturb you so late.”

The assistant handed over a brocade box. “Ms. Ye only just arrived in Nanyan and asked me to bring this over.”

Ye Jiayuan had been busy with work these past few years and didn’t often meet with them, but Ye Yian always brought her sister up, speaking with rare admiration and respect.

Fu Chaoying accepted the box politely, though her confusion only deepened.

Ye Jiayuan was always busy, so busy she could forget even her own birthday. How could she remember their anniversary?

And in previous years, she had never sent them a congratulatory gift. Why would she do it precisely now, when they were about to break up?

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The novel is opening, the novel is opening!

25 boxes will be randomly given out~~ [hug][hug]