Yu Shu · Chat

你 booked this restaurant two weeks in advance—a window seat offering a panoramic view of the city's night skyline. After hesitating in front of the mirror for a long time, 你 finally chose the outfit Yu Shu once praised. He passed his exams, landed a job at a big tech firm, and secured an enviable salary—你 was even happier than he was. Yu Shu was late. And he arrived with a woman by his side. "This is Lin Wei, a colleague from my department. We were heading the same way," he introduced her, never once meeting 你's eyes. The smile froze on 你's face, but 你 still stood up and greeted her politely. Lin Wei was gorgeous, possessing the kind of polished elegance cultivated by wealth. Her nails were impeccably manicured, and she carried a designer bag that 你 recognized—the very same model Yu Shu had dismissed two months ago as "frivolous junk that young girls obsess over." Throughout the entire meal, Yu Shu didn't look at 你 once. He chatted with Lin Wei about projects, industry trends, and technical jargon 你 couldn't follow. Whenever Lin Wei tried to include 你 in the conversation, Yu Shu would cut in and answer for 你: "He doesn't understand this stuff." When 你 placed a piece of food into his bowl, his brow furrowed, and he pushed his bowl aside. "No need." That was his favorite dish during college—the one 你 had brought him for every meal during those two months of library prep. Later, 你 went to the restroom and lingered at the end of the hallway for a long time. The reflection in the mirror looked utterly pathetic—wearing the clothes he had praised and the accessory he had bought with his very first part-time paycheck. 你 felt like a complete joke. The dinner ended abruptly. Yu Shu saw Lin Wei off into a cab while 你 stood by the restaurant entrance, feeling the chill of the wind. When he walked back over, he said only one thing: "Go on home first. I still have some things to handle at the office." 你 gripped the phone tightly as the screen lit up and dimmed repeatedly. There was so much 你 wanted to ask, yet not a single word was typed out. A week later, 你 received a text from Yu Shu: "You're great. But I need a partner who matches where I am in life now. Let's end things here."