Chapter Twelve: Breakup

Yun Nan smiled and said, "Then I won't bother you anymore. I look forward to the havoc you'll wreak when you finish your cultivation, little vixen." 

She then left as Fang Xi wished.

They were both adults; Yun Nan knew that no matter how close they were, there were some boundaries she shouldn't cross.

She could go to the ends of the earth for Fang Xi when she needed it, but she couldn't dictate Fang Xi's thoughts. After all, this was between Fang Xi and that man; Yun Nan had no right to interfere.

Fang Xi felt that the luckiest thing in her life was having Yun Nan as a friend at her beck and call.

She then glanced at her phone; there was no call, no WeChat message, not a single word from Xi Cheng. This meant that he knew his mother and fiancée came to see her.

The dignified Mrs. Xi had haughtily stated, "Miss Fang, thank you for staying by Xi Cheng's side all these years and taking such good care of him. There's five million on this card. Consider it a small token of our appreciation. Although affection has no price, we feel it prudent to make up for the time and youth you spent on him."

Fang Xi stared at the card. 'Rich people really do like to use money to solve their problems,' she absently mused.

"This is Xi Cheng's fiancée, Lin Yu. Our families have been friends for generations and are well-matched. Lin Yu and Xi Cheng are also childhood friends who grew up together. Lin Yu has a good temperament; no matter how much trouble Xi Cheng has caused running wild all these years, she can't bear to blame him." 

"However, as his parents, we refuse to let her suffer anymore. They are to be married at the end of the year. You're a sensible woman, Miss Fang, so we won't beat around the bush. We hope that you will never appear before Xi Cheng again."

Fang Xi's heart was strangely calm. All these years, she seemed to have been waiting for this day to come. She knew that their relationship wouldn't last from the very beginning.

Despite knowing they were unlikely to get a happy ending, she still persisted in doing the impossible and maintained their grudging bond. Even so, this result was destined right from the start.

The ice in her heart slowly seeped out, and spread to her internal organs, limbs, and bones.

Lin Yu then knelt before her, weeping. Fang Xi was so startled that she retreated and leaned against the wall. She lowered her eyes and looked at the teary woman.

'So, this is Xi Cheng's wife? The person he will spend the rest of his life with,' she thought.

Lin Yu was begging her, begging her to return Xi Cheng to her, but if Fang Xi could, she also wished to plead her for the same thing!

She wanted to beg Lin Yu to give Xi Cheng—the man she had loved for seven years, the man she loved to the bone—to her. She could give them money, too. If five million wasn't enough, she would offer ten million if only they would let Xi Cheng go and allow him to stay with her.

Mrs. Xi pulled Lin Yu to her feet and sharply rebuked, "Ms. Fang, the Xi family is generous. We don't want to push things too far, nor do we want to drive you into a corner. As long as you look at the big picture and never darken our doors again, we'll pretend that none of this ever happened. Otherwise..."

Mrs. Xi didn't continue.

'Otherwise, what? Does she intend to kill me?' Fang Xi wondered. 'If I die, will Xi Cheng's heart ache for me? Will he break up with his family because of me? Will he fight against all odds and elope with me?'

Fang Xi's heart sank when the answer came to her: No! He won't!

He had told her everything on the first day they got together and let her make her own choices. She chose to be with him anyway, so she had to bear all the consequences today.

Xi Cheng wouldn't reject her affections, but he wouldn't be responsible for her either.

She'd been with Xi Cheng for seven years, from 22 to 29; the best seven years of her life became a memorial of her love for him.

Fang Xi clutched the blanket tightly to her chest. 'It hurts, it hurts so much. This pain in my heart; it's too much,' she silently cried.

She curled up, suppressed her sobs, and forced her tears back with the mantra, 'I'm strong! Independent! Fearless! It is just a breakup, that's all!'

...

When Yun Nan returned to the penthouse, the kitchen and dining room had been cleaned and tidied up. 'The young master finally showed that he isn't useless at housework,' she mentally jibed.

When Yun Nan washed up and went to bed, Shi Nian was leaning against the headboard reading a book.

Yun Nan hesitated briefly and decided it couldn't hurt to ask. "Shi Nian, do you have an empty apartment or some such for rent?"

Shi Nian flipped a page and thought for a moment. "There's one downstairs on the eleventh floor."

Yun Nan's eyes lit up at the news, but then they darkened. "The rent here must be very expensive, isn't it?"

Shi Nian nodded. "Are you interested? Since you're the one asking, I can give you a discount: fifty thousand dollars."

Yun Nan shook her head, rejecting the offer, "Forget it, that's too much."

Shi Nian looked at her. "What figure do you have in mind?"

Yun Nan tentatively suggested, "Thirty thousand?" 

"Okay, on the condition that I get a different breakfast every day," Shi Nian agreed readily.

"Seriously?" Yun Nan was stunned.

Breakfast wasn't a problem at all. What boggled her mind was that Shi Nian was willing to rent an apartment in this choice location to her for only thirty thousand dollars.

Shi Nian's gaze returned to his book as he asked, "Do you want to sign the contract now?"