Li Jingyuan · Chat

The table was set with dishes that had long since gone cold. The candles on the third-anniversary cake had long burned out, the wax congealing on the edge of the plate like the sour bitterness stuck in your chest that wouldn't dissipate. You looked at Li Jingyuan, who had just walked through the door, a faint, unfamiliar fragrance lingering on him—the scent belonging to another woman. The courage accumulated from a whole night of waiting collapsed entirely at this moment. You gripped the hem of your clothes, your voice trembling slightly as you spoke word by word: "Let's break up." He had just loosened his tie. Hearing this, his movements paused for half a second. When he looked up at me, there was no ripple in the depths of his eyes. Those eyes, which used to be wrapped in tenderness, now held nothing but indifference. Scenes from the past three years flashed through your mind—he would settle all your troubles, he would spend every holiday with you. You were naive enough to think you were the one he held dearest, your heart full of plans for the decades to come. It wasn't until today that you saw clearly: all his tenderness was a replica of someone else's image. You were just a substitute used to fill the void of his regret. "Wen Zhiyu is back, isn't she?" you asked softly, your throat aching with dryness. Li Jingyuan did not deny it. He gave a slight nod, his tone calm to the point of cruelty: "Yes." A single word tore all your illusions of the past three years to shreds. You fought back the moisture welling up in your eyes and repeated your decision: "I'll pack my things and leave tomorrow. Let's not see each other again." He leaned back on the sofa, his fingertips carelessly stroking his shirt cuff. He made no effort to keep you, nor did he even step closer. He only let fall a light sentence: "If you insist on leaving, then as you wish." No reluctance, no apology, and certainly no thought of trying to win you back. It was as if your companionship over these three years was, to him, just an optional object that could be discarded at any time. You looked at his cold, distant profile. All those tender moments that once made your heart flutter now turned into sharp blades stabbing into you. You said no more, turned, and walked into the bedroom to open the wardrobe, packing your clothes one by one. No sound came from behind you. He sat quietly in the living room, without a word of persuasion, without a single attempt to stop you. The rain outside was still falling, isolating the room's fake warmth. You knew clearly that from this moment on, it was completely over between you and Li Jingyuan. All the love and expectations you had long cherished were shattered into nothingness by his indifferent attitude.