Chapter 67

In a foreign land, Liu Ran unexpectedly ran into Lisi. It was Lisi who spotted her first and rushed over to say hello. Only then did Liu Ran remember that they had met on the beach in Country B.

Lisi was there on vacation. She glanced behind Liu Ran and asked with a grin, “Where’s your girlfriend? Didn’t she come with you?”

“My girlfriend?”

“The beautiful Omega you were with in the hotel back then—wasn’t she your girlfriend?” Lisi raised an eyebrow. “That afternoon after you left, I wasn’t ready to give up. I went back to the hotel for several days hoping for another chance encounter. Then I saw you with an Omega, looking pretty intimate. That’s when I understood why you’d turned me down. I thought about pushing forward anyway, but your girlfriend didn’t seem like someone to mess with, so I backed off. Unless I got it all wrong?”

Liu Ran had no answer. She wasn’t sure if Ming Siyu had ever been her girlfriend, or if they had ever truly been together. But the term “girlfriend” stabbed at her heart, blurring her vision.

In the moment she zoned out, Lisi realized something. “You two now—”

They had never been together, not even in a way that allowed for a breakup.

Liu Ran said hoarsely, “We… broke up.”

Hope reignited in Lisi’s eyes. “Does that mean I have a chance now?”

Liu Ran kept her head down. “I don’t want to date. Sorry.”

Lisi could clearly sense that Liu Ran wasn’t the same as the vibrant, curiously exploring girl she’d met on the beach in Country B. She seemed like a soulless shell, in no state for romance. The one Lisi liked was the original Liu Ran, full of spirit for the world.

Was it the breakup that had hit her so hard?

“Haha, no worries. I totally respect your choice. Actually, a couple days ago in Country D, I saw your… uh, ex-girlfriend. I wasn’t entirely sure at the time since I hadn’t seen her much, but her looks and aura are so distinctive—hard to forget. I thought you two were traveling together, but then I see you here. Now I’m even more convinced it was her I ran into in Country D.”

Liu Ran looked up, a flicker of light finally appearing in her vacant eyes. “Country D?”

Ming Siyu had gone back to Country D? Hadn’t she just returned from there not long ago? Was it for a company project?

“Do you have a photo of her?”

It was Lisi’s turn to be stunned. “Nah, I didn’t have my camera on me.”

Liu Ran blinked in a daze, then drooped her head again, lost in thought.

The local bar was famous. Lisi, a young woman who loved trying new things, invited Liu Ran to check it out, purely as friends.

“Come on, give it a shot. Sure, they say alcohol leads to trouble, but I think it can be good sometimes. Lots of people figure out their nagging problems only after getting drunk. Maybe you’ll decide to let go… or keep wallowing.”

Liu Ran felt like she did need to unwind. But she knew her tolerance was low—she couldn’t let herself get blackout drunk. She ordered a low-alcohol cocktail, just enough to stay thoughtful yet relaxed in a pleasant buzz.

Propping up her slightly flushed face, Lisi looked at Liu Ran’s despondent state and said softly, “You still like her.”

Liu Ran hugged her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

“You could try talking to her again. Who knows, there might be a chance to get back together? People’s hearts are made of flesh, after all. How will you know if you don’t try?”

Liu Ran shook her head repeatedly. “No… it’s impossible now…”

If only she could forget the harm Ming Siyu had caused her and her family. If only she hadn’t filed that report. Maybe then she and Ming Siyu would have had the slimmest hope.

But there were no “ifs.” Liu Ran knew better than anyone how much Ming Siyu despised betrayal. The report had branded her a traitor forever. From now on, Ming Siyu would only feel disgust and hatred toward her. She had severed all paths back with her own hands.

Alcohol couldn’t numb her nerves. Instead, it fueled her agitation. Her conflicting emotions felt like they were piercing her through, and the unfamiliar surroundings drained her even more. She had wanted so badly to escape Ming Siyu before—now she wanted just as badly to return to her side.

On the way back to the sanatorium, they passed a dimly lit alley without streetlights, where footsteps echoed. As soon as she entered, Liu Ran heard sneaky steps behind her. Her heart raced; she glanced back quickly. Two women in black hoodies, hands in pockets, were walking side by side. Had Ming Siyu sent people to drag her back? Liu Ran reached into her pocket and gripped her foldable fruit knife tightly. The faster she walked, the closer they followed, her nerves stretching to the breaking point.

The moment the hooded women passed her, Liu Ran’s arm tensed with bulging veins, nearly drawing the knife in defense.

But they walked right by without a care, one asking the other if she’d bought tickets for the art gallery tomorrow. Just random passersby.

Liu Ran released the knife, panting in lingering shock. A strange, inexplicable disappointment crept in. She quickly suppressed the odd thought. Did she actually want to be caught and taken back by Ming Siyu?

She staggered back to the sanatorium, looked up at the lit window that was her mother Bai Yu’s among the many, and felt her stomach twist. She pulled out the plastic bag from her pocket— she hadn’t found a trash can to toss it yet—and leaned against the side entrance railing to vomit.

She hadn’t drunk much, but every vein burned wildly, as if tearing her apart. Liu Ran tied the bag, clutched the railing, and began to sob.

In the summer night, with a cool breeze blowing, she felt like a weed by the wall, forever lost in darkness, untouched by light. She cried until she was dizzy—not from the alcohol, but from the tears. Trembling, she pulled out her phone, punched in a number at random, and called.

“Hello…”

“Shen Yunhe, do… do you even remember that name? She was my mother. She… she passed away… You don’t remember, do you? Because you never cared about the pebble you kicked away…

“Why did you do it? Why, after everything you’ve done to me, can’t I bring myself to hate you completely?

“I… I kind of miss you.”

…

Daylight broke. Liu Ran woke on the small bed by Bai Yu’s, last night’s memories flooding back. Her back went cold. She grabbed her phone as fast as she could.

It had to be a dream. A dream, a dream. No call, no crazy ramblings like a lunatic. If they traced the call here, her escape would be for nothing.

Her phone had died overnight. Panicking, she dug out the charger. The two minutes waiting for it to boot felt longer and more tense than waiting for her college entrance exam results. Her upper body cramped in pain, forcing her to hunch over. When the screen lit up, she fumbled into the call log. At the top was a number with “(16)” in brackets. In her haze last night, she’d called Ming Siyu sixteen times.

Her mind exploded. She was done for. Those words were as good as suicide. With icy fingers, she checked the details: all calls missed.

Ming Siyu hadn’t picked up. Not a single one.

Liu Ran didn’t know if she should feel relieved or sad. She ought to breathe easy—those drunken words unheard by Ming Siyu. Yet her first sensation was desolation. Last night’s bizarre disappointment resurfaced.

It wasn’t just ignoring the calls. Over a week since her escape, she hadn’t seen a single soul connected to Ming Siyu. She was gradually accepting the truth: Ming Siyu hadn’t looked for her at all.

She thought for a moment and called Ming Siwei. Ming Siwei had helped her flee A Country, found her a doctor to remove the locator embedded in her flesh. Only after did she learn it was just a tracker—the bomb was a bluff by Ming Siyu to scare her.

Ming Siwei jumped right in. “Running out of money already?”

“No. Has Ming Siyu… really not looked for me at all?” Liu Ran asked with difficulty.

“She looked a bit, then gave up.” Ming Siwei’s voice turned cold. “She got investigated for two days, but it turned out fine. I didn’t expect you to go that far.”

Liu Ran bit her lip, speechless.

Ming Siwei continued, “Don’t worry, big sis won’t come after you anymore. She’s abroad now, probably blowing off steam. Forget all about your thing with her—the sooner, the better. And stay away from domestic news, or you’ll just get sentimental.”

Liu Ran mumbled something and hung up.

Though Ming Siwei told her to avoid domestic news, Liu Ran couldn’t help checking trends related to the Ming Group and real estate. Ming Siyu used to pop up occasionally in financial news, but lately, she seemed to have vanished. Probably scattering her mind overseas, as Ming Siwei said. Lisi had spotted her in Country D, after all. Was she alone? Or with someone else? Had Ming Siyu found a new, more attentive Mao Rongrong? If so, how were they getting along?

Liu Ran could only ask herself these questions in her heart, with no answers.

Lisi was just touring and planned to visit other countries. After two days, she came to say goodbye to Liu Ran. With Lisi gone, Liu Ran’s heart felt even emptier. Her only acquaintance was the comatose Bai Yu. Apart from necessary exchanges with medical staff, she sometimes went a whole day without speaking. Life lost direction. She knew it was time to start anew, embrace a new phase—but something always held her back, trapping her in place.

After nearly half a month of moping, Liu Ran decided to find a job to keep busy. Young, beautiful, efficient worker, decent with languages—she quickly landed a part-time gig at a nearby milk tea shop. Daily pay eased some of her anxiety about burning through savings. The boss liked her. Business was so-so; after observing for two days, Liu Ran suggested repositioning: drop the cheap drinks, target the mid-to-high-end milk tea market. The boss tried it her way for a few days, and foot traffic improved noticeably.

On June 30th, Liu Ran took the day off to renew her and Bai Yu’s visas.

It happened to be Ming Siyu’s birthday—the passcode for the phone lock screen she’d used for a year. From the moment she woke, her heart felt heavy. On the way, she nearly got hit by a sedan. Coming out of the immigration hall, she got a call from an unknown A Country number. She hesitated, then answered.

“Liu Ran?” The voice sounded familiar.

“Who is this?”

“It’s He Qiange.” He Qiange sniffed. “Si Si passed away. The will’s about to be announced—it might involve you. Find time to come back to A City.”