Chapter 49

The driver’s skills matched his strong sense of justice perfectly. He didn’t let her down, tailing the car all the way to the entrance of the residential complex’s parking lot.

“Miss, should we keep following?”

Bo Ranying recalled the name of the complex she’d glimpsed earlier: 【Hanhai Garden】. She committed it to memory.

Her slim hope hadn’t materialized. Nan Qi had truly brought Tang Lian back to her home.

The movie date had been real, too.

This realization hit Bo Ranying hard. Specks of vulnerability dotted her face, and a profound sense of fragility enveloped her. Even the driver hesitated to speak, not wanting to disturb her.

He began to wonder. Could the deadbeat who owed her money be an ex-boyfriend? Had he dumped her and run off with her cash?

“No need to follow anymore.”

Bo Ranying spoke softly. There was no point in continuing from here.

She paid the fare and was about to step out when she noticed the car ahead pulling over. Nan Qi got out from the driver’s side, carrying a bag in her hand—and she was heading in Bo Ranying’s direction.

Bo Ranying jolted in surprise. The leg she’d extended toward the door snapped back, and she ducked behind her seat, trying to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

Her eyes locked onto Nan Qi just a few meters away. What was she up to?

Had she spotted the tail and come to confront her?

After watching for a moment, Bo Ranying realized Nan Qi wasn’t heading for her at all. Instead, she walked toward the nearby trash bin.

With a casual toss, the bag arced through the air and landed inside with a heavy thud.

The muffled sound carried real weight.

Bo Ranying’s chest tightened inexplicably in response.

Nan Qi didn’t linger. After dumping the trash, she returned to her car and drove into the underground garage.

Only when the car’s taillights vanished did Bo Ranying finally emerge from the taxi.

Once the cab drove off in a cloud of dust, Bo Ranying paused in place. She couldn’t follow anyone into the complex now without looking like a total creep.

Nan Qi’s slightly odd behavior piqued her curiosity, though.

She approached the trash bin where Nan Qi had stopped, craning her neck to peer inside. She could vaguely make out the outer packaging bag, but the dim light and jumble of refuse hid whatever was within.

By all rights, she should have walked away.

But Bo Ranying’s heart burned with a fierce determination to find out. She couldn’t just let it go.

She glanced around. It was her first time doing something like this, and she felt a thief’s guilt mingled with waves of shame.

Night had fallen quietly, the dim yellow streetlights casting their glow a short distance away. The garage entrance lay shrouded in the city’s shadows, enveloped by the foggy darkness. Aside from the occasional passing vehicle, no pedestrians traversed the road.

Seizing the moment when no one was watching, Bo Ranying quickly reached in and hooked the bag by its handle, pulling it out.

Held in her hand, she could feel its substantial weight.

She tore open the bag. When she saw what was inside, her pupils contracted sharply, her face filling with utter disbelief.

There, unmistakably, was the gift she’d given Nan Qi years ago.

The Cinnamon Dog Ashtray, specially bought from the Disney Collaboration Store.

Back then, Nan Qi had just purchased her first car. They’d gone shopping for it together.

Once it was decided, Nan Qi naturally handed over the interior decorating to Bo Ranying. “Go wild,” she’d said. “Make it match your tastes.”

For over a month, Bo Ranying had eagerly selected all sorts of decorations, showing them to Nan Qi each time.

Nan Qi would always smile and approve, arranging everything just as Bo Ranying wanted. She’d even ruffle her hair, saying, “It’s got that Ranran style—delicate and cute, just like you.”

Bo Ranying had asked back then, what if they wore out or she grew tired of them?

She’d pestered Nan Qi for a firm answer.

Nan Qi had pulled her into an embrace, murmuring solemnly into her ear like a vow: “If they wear out, Ranran can buy me new ones. I won’t get tired of them. Anything you buy, I’ll love. And the old ones? I’ll keep them safe, set them aside properly.”

It all felt like a distant memory now.

But what about today?

The item she’d promised to cherish was in a trash bin, discarded without mercy.

Trembling, Bo Ranying reached in and lifted out the ashtray. Touching its ceramic edge, she saw it had cracked into several pieces from some impact. She picked up one shard, stroking its unbroken side.

Bo Ranying examined and felt it closely.

The surface showed peeling paint and yellowing—signs of real age. Replacing it was understandable.

But what gnawed at her was this: Who would replace it? Nan Qi herself? Or… Tang Lian?

If she was tossing the old things away, was she tossing Bo Ranying aside too?

A flood of terrifying possibilities swirled in Bo Ranying’s mind, sending a chill through her core.

It wasn’t just heartache; she felt utterly unwell. The healing scabs around her nails and the spot on the back of her hand from the IV needle throbbed with fresh, insistent pain.

Dazed, she thought she really should have listened to the doctor—stayed in the hospital until the IV was done before checking out.

Her illness wasn’t better yet. This misery had to be a relapse.

Carefully, she returned the fragments to the bag and picked it up. She couldn’t quite name the strange emotion churning inside her.

Her chest felt stuffy, like she was holding her breath.

A thick fog clogged her heart, impossible to push away or dispel.

Clutching the bag, she wandered aimlessly along the road, oblivious to her surroundings.

After passing a couple of intersections and weaving through winding flower beds, Bo Ranying arrived at a commercial plaza.

It was unfamiliar territory, a place she’d never been.

The clamor of voices and the blazing, multicolored lights of the storefront logos yanked her briefly from her sealed thoughts. She blinked around in a daze, realizing she’d stumbled into one of the city’s bustling commercial squares. Crowds of people hurried by, their faces alight with shared joy—as if everyone was happy for their own reasons. Only she didn’t fit in, her face downcast and miserable, like an outsider.

Beside the mall’s side entrance stood a small fountain, seemingly abandoned for a while and no longer in use.

It was a patch of darkness, with the faint trickle of shallow water audible. A half-meter-wide ledge surrounded it, meant to keep spectators at a safe distance.

Unfortunately, passersby barely glanced its way, striding past without pause.

Bo Ranying stared at this quiet corner, and her frantic heart suddenly found solace.

Without hesitation, she walked over and sat on the ledge in the shadows.

The girl’s figure was swallowed by the darkness. She hugged her knees, sitting silently with the bag containing the broken ashtray beside her. She didn’t move; her mind was blank.

Nights after the onset of winter were bitterly cold, and Bo Ranying wasn’t dressed warmly. Sitting by the pool now, with ripples lapping and chilly winds gusting, the cold seeped from her feet upward, invading her limbs.

Her dark hair whipped into disarray by the breeze, strands dancing wildly across her cheeks.

She sat in utter silence.

Like an elf who had accidentally tumbled from the night sky into the mortal world, or a fragile porcelain doll, she exuded an innate sense of brokenness.

Her head hung low, hiding her age.

She looked utterly dejected and heartbroken.

Passersby couldn’t help but glance her way, wondering what troubles she’d faced. A runaway? Career setback? Some major life upheaval?

Bo Ranying lost track of time. She only knew that when her phone suddenly rang, shattering her reverie, her hands and feet were numb from the cold, and her face felt stiff.

She rubbed her hands vigorously together, sharing warmth between them, before answering.

The caller ID: Qiao Xiuyu.

Seeing his name felt like a lifetime ago.

They’d spoken on the phone just days earlier, and exchanged a few sporadic messages online after, but none had left much impression.

Her numbed reason slowly returned, and in that instant, she recalled what had been nagging at her.

When she heard Qiao Xiuyu’s voice, it all clicked—what she’d forgotten.

“Little Ran, why aren’t you home? I’ve been knocking at your door forever, and no one’s answering.”

Qiao Xiuyu got straight to the point, a hint of grievance and spoiled young-heir petulance in his tone.

He didn’t have a key to his girlfriend’s place. Even if he wanted to surprise her, he needed to give advance notice.

She pulled the phone away, glancing at the home screen. The blank space showed it was Wednesday.

The day Qiao Xiuyu had said he’d return to Linxi from his business trip. She’d forgotten…

She’d even been looking forward to it before. Once he was back, they could discuss engagement details face-to-face, ironing out the plans without delays.

But after Nan Qi’s sudden change, Bo Ranying was utterly drained. She had no energy left to deal with her boyfriend right now.

She kneaded her stiff, numb legs and slowly stood.

Her voice carried a touch of winter’s chill, but remained gentle and soft. “I had to stay late for a last-minute meeting. I’m heading over now.”

She avoided lengthy explanations, tossing out a casual excuse.

“Okay, I’ll wait right here for you.”

“Be careful on your way over. There’s no need to rush,” Qiao Xiuyu reminded her warmly over the phone, ever the gentleman, always putting Bo Ranying first no matter the situation.

As Bo Ranying hurried back home, Qiao Xiuyu pleaded with her not to hang up.

It had been so long since they’d seen each other, he said. He wanted to hear her voice a little longer.

Bo Ranying: [Won’t we see each other in a bit?]

Qiao Xiuyu: [It’s not the same. Until I actually see you, I want to keep hearing your voice. So stay on the line with me—don’t hang up.]

Bo Ranying: [Fine. I just don’t get your obsession.]

Qiao Xiuyu: [Hehe.]

Having gotten exactly what he wanted—even if it came with his girlfriend’s bemused grumbling—Qiao Xiuyu broke into a genuine, joyful smile.

Bo Ranying kept the phone to her ear the whole way, chatting with him in fits and starts until she finally reached home.

Her heels clicked against the floor, and the voice-activated lights flickered on.

To Qiao Xiuyu, she looked like a goddess descended from the ninth heaven, bearing the starlight of the entire sky as she stepped gracefully toward him, one foot at a time.

That was Bo Ranying in his eyes.

The moment he laid eyes on her, days of pent-up longing crashed through him like a tidal wave, squeezing his chest and setting his heart ablaze with heat. At the same time, the figure before him flickered and overlapped with the image of another woman.

He realized then that the only one who could draw him in so powerfully was still Bo Ranying.

She embodied everything he loved.

Unable to hold back his excitement any longer, Qiao Xiuyu surged forward and swept her into his arms.

Bo Ranying’s nose filled at once with the man’s sharp, crisp scent. She found herself pinned firmly against his chest, his arm snaking around her waist to pull her even closer.

With no time to brace herself, she stumbled right into Qiao Xiuyu’s embrace.

The phone clutched in her hand stayed pressed to her ear, just as before.

From the earpiece came the sound of two breaths, ragged and distinct in their rhythms.